appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Celine Ham

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics might be lacking live spectators this year due to the prolonged pandemic, but sports fans across the globe are still enjoying the Games and supporting their favourite athletes – even though they might not be able to cheer on the winners in person.
But did you know that five Korean would-be Olympians embarked on very different career paths instead? As we get amped up for the last week of the Olympics, meet five K-pop and K-drama stars who could have competed in the Games – and possibly even walked away with a gold medal.
Who’s the smartest Korean idol? IQ scores ranked, from BTS’ RM to Song Joong-ki
Song Joong-ki: short-track speedskating

With the success of the 2021 K-drama Vincenzo, we have been seeing Song Joong-ki everywhere … but did you know that we could have seen him in the Winter Olympics? Not only is he a skilled actor and a graduate of one of the top business schools in Korea, he can add sports to his list of talents too – specifically short-track speedskating.


He skated for 12 years before his career unfortunately ended with an injury. But he encountered the world of speed skating again as an actor, as one of the first roles he played was that of a gold medallist speed skater in the 2009 K-Drama, Triple, where he acted alongside Min Hyo-rin.
Song Joong-ki’s road to fame – from speed skating to K-pop scouts
Song Hye-kyo: figure skating

In an alternate universe, Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo might have crossed paths even if they hadn’t co-starred in Descendants of the Sun. Song Hye-kyo was also a winter sports athlete, gliding gracefully around the rink as a figure skater. She trained from junior school through middle school and – who knows – could have become the “queen of figure skating” instead of “queen of K-drama” had she continued.
Park Bo-gum: swimming

Could we have seen Record of Youth’s Park Bo-gum as the “marine boy” – so nicknamed for enlisting in the Korean navy – representing South Korea in the Olympics? The K-drama star actually used to be a swimmer up until middle school.
Why is ‘genderless’ fashion the K-pop style statement of the moment?
So Ji-sub: swimming

So Ji-sub clearly has the physique of an athlete, with his broad shoulders and long, muscular arms and legs, so it’s not surprising that he was once a competitive swimmer and water polo player before he debuted as a model and actor. He swam breaststroke and competed in national-level competitions.
Kim Yo-han: taekwondo

Among this line-up of Korean stars, we probably would have had the highest chance of seeing K-pop idol Kim Yo-han in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, if he had not quit taekwondo. The star, who became known through the Korean survival reality show Produce 101, practised the sport for 13 years, coming from a “taekwondo family” with his father and two younger sisters training in taekwondo too.


In recent reality shows, Kim has even shown off his taekwondo skills together with his sisters.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.


Diving into a new life: Olympic champion Zhang Jiaqi defends choices on reality TV show

Ex-Olympic weightlifter fails to make clean getaway after trying to snatch eggs from shop

Chinese authorities investigating ‘malicious’ cyberbullying of diving star Quan Hongchan

Olympic diving champion Zhang Jiaqi defends career switch, says she has to ‘find new job’

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

5 Korean stars who could have been Olympians? Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo were both skaters, plus 3 more famous former athletes

Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum and Song Joong-ki are just a few Korean stars who trained as athletes first. Photos: @kyo1122; @blossom_entertainment; @historydnc/Instagram

Song Joong-ki. Photo: @historydnc/Instagram

Song Hye-kyo. Photo: @kyo1122/Instagram

Park Bo-gum. Photo: @blossom_entertainment/Instagram

So Ji-sub. Photo: @nixkorea.official/Instagram

Kim Yo-han. Photo: @y_haa.n/Instagram

4 LGBT K-pop idols who came out despite discrimination, from trot star Kwon Do-woon and rapper Aquinas, to former Wassup member Jiae and Idol School darling Som Hein

Former Wassup member Jiae, High School Rapper 3 star Aquinas and Som Hein all came out as LGBTQ+. Photos: @ji.aee; @somgodld/Instagram, @chanhyuksito/Twitter

Former Wassup member Jiae. Photo: @ji.aee/Instagram

High School Rapper 3 star Aquinas. Photo: @loveyouraquinas/ Instagram

Korean trot singer Kwon Do-woon. Photo: @dowoongwon90/Instagram

Idol School star Som Hein. Photo: @somgodld/ Instagram

Red Velvet celebrates 7 years with a new comeback album ... but what have K-pop idols Wendy, Yeri, Irene, Joy and Seulgi been up to during their 10-month hiatus?

Red Velvet return in August after a 10-month hiatus, celebrating its seventh anniversary with a soon-to-be-released comeback album. Photo: @smtown/Instagram

A photo of Red Velvet’s Irene released as a part of an archive project leading up to the group’s seventh anniversary and August comeback. Photo: @redvelvet.smtown/Instagram

Red Velvet’s Seulgi. Photo: @hi_sseulgi/Instagram

Salvatore Ferragamo welcomed K-pop star Seulgi into the family as a new global brand ambassador. Photo: @ferragamo/Instagram

Red Velvet’s Wendy. Photo: @todayis_wendy/Instagram

Wendy released her first solo EP, “Like Water”. Photo: @redvelvet.smtown/Instagram

Red Velvet’s Joy. Photo: @_imyour_joy/Instagram

Red Velvet’s Joy in a photo shoot for her solo EP. Photo: @ _imyour_joy/Instagram

Joy appeared in Italian luxury brand Tod’s campaign, “In Our Shoes – Seoul”. Photo: @_imyour_joy/Instagram

Red Velvet’s Yeri. Photo: @yerimiese/Instagram

Red Velvet’s Yeri has shown her passion for Pilates through her social media posts. Photo: @yerimiese/Instagram

4 Olympic athletes who love K-pop: BTS, Blackpink and Mamamoo are all on these Korean sports stars’ pre-competition playlists

Despite their busy training schedules, even Olympic athletes are fans of popular K-Pop groups. Photos: dpa, AFP, AP

South Korean table tennis player Shin Yu-bin trains at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 21. Photo: YNA/DPA

Shin Yu-bin received a signed album from the BTS members recently. Photo: @shin_yubin_/Instagram

At five years old, Shin Yu-bin was already called a “table tennis prodigy” when she appeared on Star King in 2009. Photo: @9979x9999/Twitter

South Korea’s An San shoots an arrow during the women’s team competition at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics on July 25, in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: AP Photo

After seeing that Solar from Mamamoo noticed the group’s pin on her uniform, An San shared the singer’s Instagram story. Photo: @ssaaaann__22/Instagram

Kang Chae-young of South Korea in action during the ranking round for the women’s individual archery event at the Yumenoshima Archery Field, Tokyo, Japan, on July 23. Photo: Reuters

South Korea’s Hwang Sun-woo competes in a semi-final of the men’s 100-metre freestyle swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Japan, on July 28. Photo: AFP

Siobhan Haughey who? 6 Hong Kong celebrities who used to be national athletes, from K-pop idol Jackson Wang to Cantopop’s Mirror member Ian Chan

Jackson Wang, Ian Chan, Stephanie Ho and Ruco Chan have entertained us with their singing and acting skills, but they actually used to be athletes. Photos: @jacksonwang852g7; @iancychan; @honganc; @rucochan/Instagram

Jackson Wang left the world of fencing in 2011 to begin K-pop idol training in South Korea. Photo: @jacksonwang852g7/Instagram

Jackson Wang spent many of his teen years as a sabre fencer. Photo: @Itsmeploy/Twitter

Alex Fong is currently at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as a reporter with TVB. Photo: @alexfongliksun/Instagram

Alex Fong has been swimming competitively from a young age. Photo: @alexfongliksun/Instagram

Stephanie Ho started working with TVB in 2009. Photo: @honganc/Instagram

Stephanie Ho has played golf in local competitions since 2018. Photo: @honganc/Instagram

Ian is a member of popular Canto-pop boy group Mirror. Photo: @iancychan/Instagram

Ian Chan has played volleyball since middle school. Photo: @iancychan/Instagram

Stephy Tang has taken a liking to yoga and frequently updates her fans with her progress. Photo: @stboo/Instagram

Stephy Tang has shared throwback photos of herself playing volleyball on her Instagram. Photo: @stboo/Instagram

Ruco Chan has starred in many hit TVB dramas. Photo: @rucochan/Instagram

Ruco Chan has been competing in table tennis matches along with other TVB stars for TVB’s All Stars Sports Day. Photo: @alvinngfukiu/Instagram

Meet Skyle, the new K-pop girl group formed by Louis Koo – is the mixed Korean and Chinese band really angling for Blackpink’s crown already?

Skyle are a new K-pop band, brought together by Hong Kong actor Louis Koo and whose debut track, Red Queen, is out soon. Photo:@official_skyle/Twitter

Skyle’s debut track Fly Up High is set to be released on August 4. Photo: @official_skyle/Twitter

Skyle’s YouTube channel has released videos of the girls performing dance covers, which have built up expectations of their group performance for their new song. Photos: 玫瑰味的妮妮子/Weibo

Before Louis Koo was a household name in the cinematic world, he got his start in a local TV drama. Photo: @kootinlok_louis/Instagram

Magazines

Style

Celebrities

K-Pop

Artists & celebrities


Before K-dramas Vincenzo and Descendants of The Sun, Song Joong-ki was a short-track speedskater … then he played one in Triple alongside Min Hyo-rin
So Ji-sub and Park Bo-gum were both swimmers while K-pop’s Kim Yo-han practised taekwondo for 13 years before reality show Produce 101 made him famous



The former Song-Song couple both trained as skaters? Park Bo-gum was a swimmer? The surprising sporting pasts of some of Korea’s biggest stars
