Lee Tae Gon 이태곤

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December 31, 2010

Kim Nam-joo, Han Hyo-joo win grand prize at MBC Acting Awards

Reporter: Ko Jae-wan star @ Editor: Lucia Hong luciahong @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> 10Asia

Korean actresses Kim Nam-joo and Han Hyo-joo both took home the grand prize at the MBC's year-end acting awards ceremony.

At the event held on December 30 at MBC's Dream Center located in Ilsan, Gyeong-gi Province, Kim and Han were awarded the top honors for their roles in "Queen of Reversal" and "Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown," respectively, while the latter drama collected several other awards that night.

"I feel that I still lack in some areas to receive such a great award," said Han in her acceptance speech. "I want to thank director Lee Byung-hoon and scenarist Kim Yi-young."

"Dong Yi," also voted drama of the year by viewers, collected a total of eight awards including first prize for male actor Ji Jin-hee and people's choice actress for Han.

Kim Nam-joo also shared her sentiments as well saying, "I wish that time would stop right at this moment. I was thankful for many things when I won an award last year and I still don't know if I deserve it this year ".

"Queen of Reversal" portrays the real-life situation in the workplace and marriage accompanied by romance and jealousy surrounding the couple of Kim Nam-joo and Jung Joon-ho. The show was recently extended by ten episodes and has maintained a strong position at No. 2 on the Monday and Tuesday primetime lineup.

Historical drama "Dong Yi," about a woman named Dong Yi who grows up to become Choi Suk-bin, a consort of King Sukjong and the mother of King Youngjo during the Joseon Dynasty, began its run on March 22 til mid-October, scoring viewership ratings in the high 20 percent range as well as breaching the 30 percent range.

"2010 MBC Acting Awards - List of Winners"

▲ Grand Prize: Han Hyo-joo (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown), Kim Nam-ju (Queen of Reversal)

▲ First Prize - Male: Jung Joon-ho (Queen of Reversal), Ji Jin-hee (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown)

▲ First Prize - Female: Shin Eun-kyoung (Flames of Desire), Kong Hyo-jin (Pasta)

▲ Second Prize - Male: Lee Min-ho (Personal Taste), Park Shi-hoo (Queen of Reversal)

▲ Second Prize - Female: Lee So-yeon (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown), Park Eun-hye (Pink Lipstick)

▲ Best Newcomer - Male: Lee Tae-sung (Naughty Kiss), Lee Sang-yoon (Home Sweet Home)

▲ Best Newcomer - Female: Park Ha-sun (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown), Cho Youn-hee (Golden Fishery)

▲ Golden Actors - Mini Series: Park Sang-won, Kim Bo-yeon (Golden Fishery)

▲ Golden Actors - Long-term Series: Jeong Hye-seon, Kim Young-ok (Jewel Bibimbap)

▲ Golden Actors - Supporting Actors: Kim Yoo-seok, Ha Yoo-mi (Queen of Reversal)

▲ Golden Actors - Senior Actors: Im Chae-moo (Smile Again), Park Jung-soo (Queen of Reversal)

▲ People's Choice - Male: Kim Hyun-joong (Naughty Kiss), Han Hyo-joo (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown)

▲ Best Televison Couple: Lee Sun-kyun & Kong Hyo-jin (Pasta)

▲ Drama of the Year: "Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown"

▲ Actors chosen by producers: Lee Tae-gon (Golden Fishery), Chae Jung-an (Queen of Reversal)

▲ Producer of the Year: Oh Kyung-hoon (Home Sweet Home)

▲ Young Actors: Kim You-jung (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown, Home Sweet Home), Lee Hyung-suk (Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown)

▲ Radio - Best Newcomer: Noh Hong-chul (Best Friend)

▲ Radio - Second Prize: Bae Chil-soo (Audio Drama), Hyeun Young (Music Party)

Park Myung-soo (Two O'clock Date), Shindong (Stop The Boring Time)

▲ Radio - First Prize: Cho Young-nam (Now Radio)

▲ Family Award: "Gloria"

▲ Life Achievement Award: Jung Hae-sun (Home Sweet Home) Na Muni (It's Me, Grandma)

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January 2, 2011

Soompi.com shows Hallyu where to go

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com) koreaherald.com

Soompi.com is the world’s biggest English-language online community dedicated to Korean pop culture. It boasts some 1.4 million visitors daily. More importantly, 90 percent of its members are non-Koreans.

The website is widely regarded as a promising social network venture that has secured a solid user base on the strength of Korean cultural content. Softbank of Japan has already invested in Soompi.com and other investors are lining up amid the outlook that the website will emerge as a key gateway to Asian pop culture for English-speaking audiences.

Soompi.com CEO Joyce Kim, who lives in San Francisco, said in an interview that Hallyu is still in the early stages of growth internationally and the website would help foster its development online as “the central online activity hub for all fans of Hallyu and Asian pop.”

Joyce Kim

As for Hallyu, Kim noted that the near absence of a legitimate distribution of Korean pop content is a serious problem that is often neglected by Koreans.

The following are excerpts from the e-mail interview with Kim.

Korea Herald: How did Soompi.com start, and how did you get involved in the site?

Joyce Kim: Soompi was started by my co-founder Susan Kang in 1998 as her own personal website dedicated to her interest in Korean dramas and music. During the initial first few years, Susan would scan Korean entertainment magazine articles, translate them into English and post them on the site. Slowly, a community began to grow around the site and Susan soon had people volunteering to help with the site. As the first Hallyu wave began to grow, the site also began to grow. Soon, there were hundreds of thousands of visitors each month.

I met Susan because she is the older sister of my best friend from law school. We initially started to work together on Soompi in 2006 when the site growth was really taking off which meant server expenses were also taking off. I was helping Susan set up the advertising system on the site and eventually we decided to officially create a company and work on Soompi together. At first, we both kept our full-time jobs (Susan as a coder and me as a lawyer) and worked on Soompi during our nights and weekends. But by the end of 2008, the site was so active that it was obvious that the site needed more support. We made the decision to leave our jobs in 2009 and work on Soompi full-time.

KH: If you define Soompi.com, what is it?

Kim: Soompi is an online fan community for Hallyu. Soompi’s greatest strength lies in our members. Ninety-nine percent of the content on Soompi is user-generated content so our members are the ones who find the information to share and discuss. They spend a great deal of time online answering each other’s questions. No amount of money or marketing can create the organic community that sites like Soompi have.

KH: Who are Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members are mostly young Americans of many different backgrounds (Asian, Caucasian, black and Latino) followed by people in their teens and 20s in South East Asia (Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, etc). They are typically very fashionable and up on the latest trends since they follow entertainment so closely. When they come to Soompi, they are often looking for the latest news about Hallyu and to meet other passionate fans. Hallyu fans love to work together to do events and share their love for their idols.

KH: What aspect of Hallyu appeals to Soompi members?

Kim: Soompi members love the celebrities ― their personalities, their visuals, their songs ― all of it. In fact, many of our members (90 percent of whom are not Korean) have started to learn Korean to better understand the music and dramas. Hallyu has definitely started to grow beyond its typical Asian boundaries. I think we will see Hallyu spread to the U.S., Latin America and Europe in 2011. However, for Hallyu to be truly successful abroad, Korean entertainment companies need to better understand international fans better ― this is important for creating new fans and reaching out to new markets.

KH: What can Korean websites and firms interested in Hallyu learn from Soompi?

Kim: I would say two differences between Soompi and Korean sites are 1) we really take into consideration the community’s desires when we build new products ― meaning oftentimes we look at community feedback first when thinking about new features and 2) we push out features before they are 100 percent perfect ― sometimes it means it has bugs, but it also means we can get our full community reaction quickly and fix or change things as needed.

For entertainment firms working in the Hallyu industry, it is important to make the music and drama content easily available for international fans. People in Korea do not realize how hard it is for international fans to buy the music and dramas legally ― there are not good options available. If entertainment firms made their content for easily available for international purchase, then more international fans would buy the content. But at the moment, we cannot even easily register on Korean websites.

KH: To create new and successful services based on social network service, what should and shouldn’t Korean venture startups do?

Kim: I see many Korean startups that are testing or half-heartedly targeting the global market. The decision whether to go global should be made early as it significantly impacts the kind of team that needs to be built and the product. If you are building an SNS service targeting the international market, then you should create your team abroad.

KH: What was the purpose of your latest visit to Seoul, and what did you feel when you were in Seoul?

Kim: I visit Seoul at least once a year to meet with Korean entertainment companies and Korean Internet startups. On the entertainment front, there is strong interest in online and social media strategy from the entertainment companies. This is one of the big growth opportunities for Hallyu. But I think Korean entertainment companies will need to hire people with international Internet experience to really open that opportunity.

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February 14, 2011

The Grand King

by knette koreandiorama.com l nate.news.com 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6

Lee Tae-Gon (Jungle Fish, Assorted Gem) is said to be in discussion or probably has already been confirmed as the leading actor in The Grand King. Apparently, the producer has shortlisted 2 male actors – Choi Su-Jong (President) and him but they have finally come to a decision to cast him. This drama from KBS is described as an ‘epic’ and from the buzz, it is scheduled for 100+ episodes.

The Grand King is scheduled to follow King Keunchogo when it ends its run.

[Guest C51236]

Upcoming KBS historical drama 'The Grand King' holds prayer ceremony

03.31.2011

The prayer ceremony was attended by male lead Lee Tae Gon, 50 cast members, and over 300 staff members. The upcoming KBS historical drama is set to air in June after King Geunchogo ends. The drama is directed by Jo Myung Joo and Jang Ki Chang and written by Kim Jong Sun.

Other confirmed cast include Jang Shin Young, Kim Jung Hwa, Im Dae Ho, Jo An, Kim Seung Soo, and Lee In Hye. Jang will play Lee's lover while actress Jo An will portray Lee's sister.

Sources: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

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The new KBS drama Gwanggaeto the Great soompi thread

March 9, 2011

Lee Tae Gon is King Gwanggaeto, the greatest Korean’s King

Source:

Asiae

Author:

daiko

|

koreanvibe.com

Lee Tae Gon, pictured above, will lead upcoming KBS1 period drama , titled King Gwanggaeto the Great. He’ll play the King himself, using name Dam Guk which is the child name of the King.

King Gwanggaeto is considered as the greatest Korean historical heroes. King Gwanggaeto ruled Goguryeo and during his period, Goguryeo became the major power in East Asia.

This is the second period drama for 33-year-old Lee Tae Gon and his back to back leading role after romance drama Golden Fish. He said that he honored to perform the greatest Korean king and now he’s working hard learning horse riding and martial art. He’s even asking some advice from senior actor Kim Jin Tae.

King Gwanggaeto the Great’s production team already finished casting job, beside Lee Tae Gon they picked Kim Seung Soo (Chuno), Kim Jung Hwa (Good Job, Good Job) and Jang Shin Young (I am Legend). We think it’s quite a risk for KBS to choose King Gwanggaeto to replace currently airing drama, King Geunchogo. They both historical dramas with similar story. After watched 60 episodes King Geunchogo, we imagine tv viewer at home must be bored to watch another King’s story.

Besides, King Geungchogo didn’t do great in rating. It’s best achievement so far is 13% and suffered single digit rating in its first nine episodes. But if we look at the rating performance of some new high profile dramas such as Royal Family (debut 7%), Thorn Birds (debut 6%) and Crime Squads (debut 8%), then King Geunchogo’s 13 % is a very good achievement. Ha !

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June 1, 2011

Press Conference for 'Gwanggaeto the Great'

Captures from Nate //

innolife.net

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Captures from nate.com

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From innolife.net

DL VOD

DL VOD

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May 27, 2011

Stills of Lee Tae Gon in ‘Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror’ Unveiled

Writer: KBSi Jin Young Ju Resource: Bliss Media Copyright ⓒ KBS & KBSi - KBS Global

Actor Lee Tae Gon plays the protagonist named Dam Deok (King Gwanggaeto) in KBS 1TV’s historical drama “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror (directed by Kim Jong Sun),” which will begin airing from June 4, and his stills taken on the set with the image of a great conqueror were unveiled for the first time.

▲ Lee Tae Gon, the protagonist of KBS 1TV’s “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror”

On the unveiled stills, Lee Tae Gon revealed the realistic portrayal of a great king with his sword, bow, armor, and costume along with his facial expressions filled with emotion. In particular, with his 185 centimeter height and the fit physique of a former swimming trainer, he played the role of a king with the best appearance of a king among all those in Korean historical dramas. Actor Kim Seung Soo, who plays a friend of Dam Deok and strategist named Ko Won, said, “Lee Tae Gon’s appearance and personality are very close to the images that I have imagined about the great king Gwanggaeto. He will become a king who really looks like a king among actors who have played kings in dramas so far.” He gave unreserved praise to Lee Tae Gon. Lee Tae Gon will first appear in a historical drama by appearing in this drama and he has prepared his appearance and practiced very hard for this drama. He reportedly obtained confidence through the encouragement of other actors and staff members on the set.

Lee Tae Gon said, “It is true that I have felt pressure about playing the greatest king in the history in a historical drama. I was really nervous when I began filming, but I could gradually feel confident with the help of other people around me, and now I am comfortable filming the drama.” “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror,” which will be a follow-up drama to “The King of Legend,” will tell the story of the life of the 19th king of Goguryeo, Gwanggaeto, and his desire and passion towards conquering the China over a total of 80 episodes. This ambitious work will be produced by KBS, which has produced other notable works, to restore Korea's lost history and to seek the strategies for managing Korea in the 21st century. In particular, the most well-known historical drama producer Kim Jong Sun, who has produced popular dramas such as “King and Queen,” ”Emperor Wang Gun,” and “The King Dae Joyoung,” will direct this drama after a four-year break, and his directing has raised anticipation in and outside of the broadcasting industry.

[Guest C51236]

Lee Tae-gon and Oh Seung-hyeon break up after 1 year

2011.Jun.02

Actor Lee Tae-gon and actress Oh Seung-yeon have broken up after a year.

After starting to see each other last April, the two parted ways after just a year. This was to focus on their acting.

Oh Seung-hyeon's management Kun Entertainment Chairman Kim Woo-jin said, "The two broke up. Lee Tae-gon has been busy with KBS 1TV "Gwanggaeto the Great" and Oh Seung-hyeon as well, has been taking a break from work and is traveling. Being apart from each other naturally led to the break up".

Lee Tae-gon and Oh Seun-hyeon officially announced their relationship last November. The two met through senior actress Im Ye-jin and developed into a relationship in April.

Chairman Kim says, "The two met and parted just like any other couple would. Hopefully there are no backbitings".

Lee Tae-gon is currently shooting KBS 1TV historical drama "Gwanggaeto the Great" and Oh Seung-hyeon is preparing for her next work.

Via nate & credits to HanCinema

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June 8, 2011

New Historical Drama Makes Impressive Debut

Writer: Sung Hyun-mi Copyright ⓒ KBS & KBSi

The new KBS1 historical drama “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror” opened its curtain on June 4 amid much anticipation. Lee Tae-gon, who plays the title role, succeeded in delivering an impressive performance from the first episode.

Dam-deok, the second son of King Gogukyang of Goguryeo who later becomes King Gwanggaeto, decides to become an army general from early on since he -- not being the eldest -- cannot succeed to the throne. He receives training in a strategically important area in defending the nation. He does not think he is a chosen prince but regards himself as an ordinary general, displaying audacity in a battle.

Emperor Mo Yong-soo (Kim Dong-hyun) of China’s Later Yan plans to attack Goguryeo and orders his son Mo Yong-bo (Im Ho) lead some 150,000 troops to take the Korean kingdom. But Goguryeo is tipped off by Gae Go-un (Kim Seung-soo), a son of Premier Gae Yeon-su (Choi Dong-joon) and a friend of Dam-deok’s who impersonated a merchant to get the information from China, and Dam-deok makes plans to kill the Chinese emperor by himself.

His plans are to prepare sacks filled with oil and wait in ambush for the Chinese emperor to appear with his troops, and then to light the sacks aflame. But the Chinese arrive there earlier than he expected and catches Dam-deok and his men setting up the oil sacks. They attack, and Dam-deok jumps into the water and fights against the Chinese soldiers. But he is caught alive when a Chinese soldier throws a hook and ensnares him.

The fighting scenes in the water proved impressive to many viewers, as they filled the drama board with messages about them.

The story about one of the greatest kings in Korean history, “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror” consists of 80 episodes and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:40 p.m. on KBS1.

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Source: KBS Global

Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror

Go to Website (Korean)

Channel 1TV

Genre Drama

Director Kim Jong Sun

Writer Cho Myung Joo, Jang Ki Chang

Cast Lee Tae Gon, Lee In Hye, Im Ho, Kim Seung Soo, Oh Ji Eun, Cheong Tae Woo

Showtime Saturday, Sunday 9:40 p.m.

Introduction [Program Aim]

Why we call Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror?

Among numerous kings in the Korean history, the 19th king of Goguryeo, is unique in that he not only defeated foreign invaders but also staged big conquering wars during his reign.

He adopted independent ear name "Youngnak" for the first time in the Korean history. He expanded Goguryeo’s territory to the mainland China.

Why We call him the great conqueror? Is it mere a desire for compensation for the history of Korea which has suffered from endless foreign invasions throughout the history?

This drama starts from this question and it will tell the life story of Gwanggaeto and his strong country Goguryeo.

What is the reason for Gwanggaeto to continue wars throughout his life?

At the end of the 4th century before Gwanggaeto ascends to the throne, Goguryeo was in a big confusion. When foundation of a country just began to stabilize, noblemen who was at the helm of power from the period of nation building posed threats to king’s right.

From outside new powers emerging in China and diverse nations consistently menaced Goguryeo. Furthermore Baekje and Shilla continued to oppress from the south.

Under this situation, Gwanggaeto had to fight powerful rival countries as well as enemies within to survive.

Sometimes he fell into agony as he did not quite sure whether he was staging war for his individual ambition or for his country and if is his duty towards the fatherland as king. Anyway he had to fight not for getting more but for survival.

In the process, he lost his fiancé, family members and he was betrayed by people he trust in.

After numerous fights and difficulties, he acknowledged true cause for his fight.

The cause is his desire for the life, stability and peace of the Goguryeo people. He fought, not for expanding territory, but for expanding the future of his people.

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June 16, 2011

Lee Tae Gon on 'Happy Together Season 3'

Source: Nate 1 l 2 l 3 l 4 l 5 l 6 l 7 l 8 l 9 l 10 l 11 l 12 l 13 l 14 l 15 l 16 l 17

[Guest taranom.sarang]

It's been a week that I finished watching Assorted Gems;

I have to say : WOW! I totally fell for him, what a gentle/soft charisma as he is described

I am lucky that Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror has started airing recently, I can watch him through this drama, I wish I could watch more of his old dramas.

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July 6, 2011

Actors Engage in Real Fighting for 'Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror'

Writer: KBS Media Jin Yeong-ju Copyright ⓒ KBS & KBSi

KBS1's latest historical drama “Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror” has been the talk of the town due to its realistic fighting scenes.

On the July 3 episode, Damdeok (Lee Tae-gon), who is sold as a slave, engages in a life-or-death fight with chief slave Yeo Seok-gae (Bang Hyung-joo). The fighting is supposed to end when one of them is dead.

To make the scenes look as real as possible, the two actors agreed to actually attack and counterattack. Hong Sang-seok, the show’s martial arts director, also suggested not planning out the scenes but doing the action in practice.

A staffer at the shooting site said that it was so real that there was significant tension and excitement never felt at any other time.

Meanwhile, Damdeok and other slaves manage to escape, only to be captured by a group of slave hunters who have chased them for reward money just before arriving at Goguryeo.

“Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror,” which airs on Saturdays and Sundays at 9:40 on KBS1, is enjoying increasing popularity with its dynamic plot line and spectacular action scenes.

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July 13, 2011

Lee Tae Gon participates in Fanmeeting in OSAKA

Source: Nate 1 l 2 l 3 l 4

[Guest taranom.sarang]

Hi everybody, there isn't any video or photos related to Taegon oppa recent fan meeting ?

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[K-WAVE STATION] ep5_11.07.15

KBS World streaming on Youtube

Lee Tae Gon & Gwanggaeto featured at 3:25 -- 5:30

[clockwatcher]

I just watched him on Happy Together - he's too hilarious. lol. I think I've found a new crush

[Guest katherinekang]

I am going to start on Assorted Gems. But, I wonder if there is anyone who can help me to purchase Yeon Gaesomun. I am living in Singapore and lately I am going bonkers looking for it.