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Hanh Vu

Just like losing a large amount of weight in a short amount of time can be detrimental to one’s health, so can putting on too much weight too quickly – even if it’s muscle. But that’s exactly what these Korean actors did for their film and TV roles.
So which celebrities filled out their physiques, and how did they do it?
Why Koreans are only allowed to buy one Chanel bag per year
Han So-hee (My Name)

Joining K-biz in 2016 with small appearances in K-pop music videos, actress Han So-hee became a global superstar with her role as the wealthy and naive mistress Yeo Da-kyung in The World of the Married. Han’s acting talent was once again in the spotlight when she portrayed cold-blooded and vengeful undercover police officer in Netflix series My Name. The K-drama star even performed most of her action scenes by herself! To prepare for the role, she gained 10kg of muscle through intense exercise and an indulgent diet, according to Asia One.
Heo Sung-tae (Squid Game)

Salesman-turned-actor Heo Sung-tae fell in love with acting by chance after he entered the talent show Miraculous Audition. Although he starred in several films and TV series such as The Age of Shadows, The Outlaws and Rampant, he only reached global prominence after portraying Player 101 Jang Deok-su in the hit Netflix series Squid Game. Heo revealed that to perfect the look of the villain, he had to put on 15-17kg in less than a month, which he claimed had adverse impacts on his health, according to Ladbible.
How Squid Game’s Jung Ho-yeon became an overnight icon
Yoo Seung-ho (Memorist)

Rising to stardom as a child actor in low-budget movie The Way Home (2002), which turned into a major blockbuster, Yoo Seung-ho earned over US$20 million since its release, according to Asia Society. The actor, who is also known for his stylish outfits, went on to star in many other child and teen roles.
In the mystery thriller Memorist, Yoo played the role of a passionate police officer and detective, breaking away from his child star image. He also gained weight to better show off the strength of the character. Nonetheless, he received a lot of criticism and hate comments for his new appearance, and he was even accused of neglecting himself, according to Koreaboo.
Lee Sung-kyung (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo)

Starting her career in the entertainment industry as a model, Lee Sung-kyung soon ventured into acting with her debut role as the troubled girl Oh So-nyeo in the television drama It’s Okay, That’s Love. After a series of small supporting roles, she landed her first leading role as the talented weightlifter Kim Bok-joo in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016), for which she gained weight to portray the character’s muscular build. As a result of her efforts, she won the Excellence Award in the category of actress in a miniseries at the MBC Drama Awards in 2016.
How Squid Game’s Jung Ho-yeon and Blackpink Jennie became BFFs
Lee So-jung (Plump Revolution)

In the romantic comedy Plump Revolution, actress Lee So-jung gained more than 20kg through a 10,000-calorie daily diet to portray the character of Do A-ra. The drama’s unique plot revolves around a girl who gains weight to find love instead of the other way around.
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Asian cinema

5 Korean celebrities who gained weight for K-drama and film roles – from Netflix’s My Name star Han So-hee and Squid Game’s Heo Sung-tae, to It’s Okay, That’s Love actress Lee Sung-kyung

Squid Game’s Heo Sung-tae, My Name’s Han So-hee, and Lee Sung-kyung all gained weight for their respective roles. Photos: @heosungtae, @heybiblee/Instagram; Agence France-Presse

Han So-hee before and after gaining weight. Photos: @xeesoxee/Instagram, Agence France-Presse

Heo Sung-tae before and after his weight gain. Photos: @heosungtae/Instagram

Memorist actor Yoo Seung-ho before and after his weight gain. Photos: MBC, Story J Entertainment

Lee Sung-kyung before and after her weight gain for her leading role as the talented weightlifter Kim Bok-joo in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo. Photo: @heybiblee/Instagram

Lee So-jung before and after her weight gain for Plump Revolution. Photos: Kiwoom Heroes, Plump Revolution

K-pop entrepreneurs: 5 idols who founded successful businesses, from BTS member Jin’s Japanese restaurant Ossu Seiromushi to G-Dragon’s fashion brand Peaceminusone

BTS’ Jin, G-Dragon, Jay Park and Jessica Jung all run their own businesses alongside their thriving K-pop careers. Photos: @bts.bighitofficial, @jparkitrighthere, @jessica.syj/Instagram; @MGBB88/Twitter

Kim Jae-joong has ventured into various businesses. Photo: @jj_1986_jj/Instagram

Kim Jae-joong looking at his fans crowding around the Kave Mall opening in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Photo: @kave_fashion/Instagram

G-Dragon launched a fashion brand called Peaceminusone. Photo: @peaceminusonedotcom/Instagram

Peaceminusone collaborated with Nike to create a special Air Force 1. Photo: Peaceminusone

Jessica Jung opened Clareau in February 2021. Photo: @jessica.syj/Instagram

Clareau features Western cuisine. Photo: @clareaurestaurant/Instagram

Foodie Jin opened a Japanese restaurant with his brother. Photo: @BTS_twt/Twitter

Jay Park hopes to launch a soju brand. Photo: @jparkitrighthere/Instagram

5 K-pop idols with weird allergies: BTS’ Jin can’t eat garlic or potatoes, Twice’s Jihyo avoids pineapples and NCT’s Jeno is allergic to cats – but has 3 of them

K-pop idols BTS’ Jin, Twice’s Jihyo and NCT’s Jeno have some odd allergies. Photos: @bts_bighit, @m2mpd/Twitter; @twicetagram/Instagram

Jin says being allergic to garlic has been especially hard, given how much Korean food includes the ingredient. Photo: @BTS_bighit/Twitter

BTS fans know that Jin loves to cook, which makes his allergies even harder to deal with. Photo: JTBC

Nu’est’s Min-hyun discovered he was allergic to salt after filming the music video for Overcome. Photo: @optimushwang/Instagram

Jihyo, though often described as “fruity” by fans, is in fact allergic to pineapples. Photo: @twicetagram/Instagram

Pineapples make Jihyo’s throat itch. Photo: @twicetagram/Instagram

If Kim Woo-seok is wearing contact lens in this photo, his eyes are probably very uncomfortable! Photo: @woo.ddadda/Instagram

He is sensitive to contact lenses, but luckily fans seem to prefer Kim Woo-seok in glasses anyway. Photo: @woo.ddadda/Instagram

Despite owning three cats, Jeno is actually allergic to them. Photo: @m2mpd/Twitter

11 questions we still have after the Squid Game finale: who are those VIPs? How did In-ho become the Front Man? And who’s running the shows now?

The staff members on Squid Game are pretty mysterious. Photo: Netflix

The games begin with 456 players in the first round. Photo: Netflix

The recruiter gets Gi-hun interested with a game. Photo: Netflix

There are a bunch of staff members who assist in the games and keep the players under control. Photo: Netflix

Contestants 69 and 70 were a married couple. Photo: Netflix

There’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the Front Man. Photo: Netflix

The VIPs seem to be rich. Photo: Netflix

It’s unclear if he took over from a previous Front Man. Photo: Netflix

Sae-byeok is injured by the games. Photo: Netflix

The only previous winner we see is In-ho. Photo: Netflix

Maybe previous games had less players. Photo: Netflix

The games are still going. Photo: Netflix

Why Koreans are only allowed to buy one Chanel bag per year – new measures introduced to curb ‘opens runs’ as luxury fiends and resellers hoard bags

Models present creations from Chanel’s spring/summer 2022 ready-to-wear collection during the Paris Fashion Week, on October 5. Photo:Xinhua

K-pop stars Jennie and G-Dragon are Chanel ambassadors. Photo: Chanel

People queue to enter the Chanel boutique at a department store amid the Covid-19 outbreak, in Seoul, South Korea, May 2020. Photo: Reuters

Models present creations from the Spring/Summer 2022 Ready to Wear collection for Chanel during the Paris Fashion Week, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

A model wears a creation for the Chanel spring-summer 2022 ready-to-wear fashion show presented October 2021, in Paris. Photo: AP

Karl Lagerfeld during the final of the Chanel 2015/16 Cruise collection in Seoul, Korea. Photo: Chanel

K-pop game-changers: Blackpink, CL and Amber Liu redefine femininity in Korean music, while Taemin pushed gender boundaries in Move

These K-pop stars are all about pushing the boundaries and breaking gender stereotypes. Photos: @PaperSHINee/Twitter, @chaelincl/Instagram, @ajol_llama/Instagram, @simpforbyulyi/Twitter

CL in a teaser photo of her new single Lover Like Me. Photo: @chaelincl/Instagram

South Korean rapper Lee Chae-rin, also known by her stage name CL, arrives for the 2021 Met Gala. Photo: AFP

Amber just released her latest EP, Z. Photo: @ajol_llama/Instagram

The cover art for Amber’s EP Beautiful, released in 2015. Photo: @KpoppppersStates/Twitter

Shinee’s Taemin in a promotional photo for his EP “Advice”. Photo: @SHINee/Twitter

Taemin in his music video for Advice. Photo: YouTube 

Moonbyul during her Eclipse promotion. Photo: @simpforbyulyi/Twitter

Jonghyun in his music video for Shinin. Photo: @pansyjonghyun/Twitter

Cover art for Jonghyun’s EP Base. Photo: @jjongskazoo/Twitter

The girls of Blackpink recently attended Paris Fashion Week. Photo: ygfamily.com

A behind-the-scenes photo of Blackpink members performing at The Show. Photo: @blackpinkofficial/Instagram

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Yoo Seung-ho’s weight gain for his role in Memorist garnered criticism, while Lee Sung-kyung’s acting in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo earned her awards
Han So-hee gained 10kg through intense exercise and an indulgent diet to take on the role of cold-blooded undercover police officer Yoon Ji-woo in My Name



My Name actress Han So-hee gained 10kg to take on the role of a vengeful police officer, while Squid Game’s Heo Sung-tae put on almost 17kg in less than a month
