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Song Joong-ki

Everything you need to know about Song Joong-ki, the South Korean actor and Hallyu star known for his work on Descendants of the Sun, Arthdal Chronicles, Running Man, The Battleship Island and more

Born

19 Sep 1985

Industry

Entertainment, Film

Job Title

Actor

Song Joong-ki (right) and Chun Woo-hee and in a still from the new Korean drama My Youth, now streaming on Viu.

Korean drama reviews

My Youth: Song Joong-ki, Chun Woo-hee in meandering romance K-drama

Song Joong-ki and Chun Woo-hee star in this romantic drama about a former child star and a talent manager that gets off to an awkward start.

11 Sep 2025 - 9:26AMvideocam

K-drama news

13 of the best new K-drama series to watch in September 2025

8 Sep 2025 - 10:13PMvideocam

South Korea

How a diamond pendant brought down South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee

13 Aug 2025 - 5:43PMvideocam

South Korea

First lady’s last stand? South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee battles jail time

Kim Keon-hee will be the first presidential spouse to be jailed on criminal charges if the court approves her arrest.

12 Aug 2025 - 10:32AM

South Korea’s former first lady Kim Keon-hee arrives at the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday to attend a hearing reviewing her arrest warrant. Photo: AFP

K-drama news

The 13 most anticipated K-dramas of 2025, from Two Women to Squid Game 3

K-pop stars IU and Jisoo, and actress Kim Min-ha, are among the stars of 2025’s most anticipated K-dramas, from Way Back Love to Newtopia.

11 Jan 2025 - 6:15PM

Asian cinema: Korean films

Song Joong-ki opens up on Bogota struggles and why he supports Hyun Bin

Song, whose new film Bogota: City of the Lost was heavily delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, says he is driven by a sense of challenge.

27 Dec 2024 - 3:04PMvideocam

Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Bogota: City of the Lost – abysmal ‘crime’ movie starring Song Joong-ki

Song Joong-ki stars as an immigrant who becomes a Colombian crime lord in Korean movie Bogota: City of the Lost, a one-star waste of time.

4 Oct 2024 - 2:15PMvideocam

Lee Hee-joon (left) and Song Joong-ki in a still from Bogota: City of the Lost. Photo: Plus M Entertainment and Watermelon Pictures Co., Ltd

Asian cinema

‘A healing movie’: Song Joong-ki on Netflix’s upcoming My Name Is Loh Kiwan

Korean actor Song Joong-ki talks about his role as a North Korean defector in Netflix’s upcoming movie My Name Is Loh Kiwan, and why he accepted the role after initially turning it down.

28 Feb 2024 - 7:45PMvideocam

Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | My Name is Loh Kiwan: Song Joong-ki plays a North Korean defector in Belgium

Netflix drama My Name is Loh Kiwan follows a North Korean defector – played by heartthrob Song Joong-ki – who is seeking asylum in Belgium fall in with a woman embroiled in the city’s criminal underworld.

6 Mar 2024 - 6:25PMvideocam

Asian cinema: Korean films

From Joint Security Area to 6/45, top 10 South Korean films about North Korea

North Korean-themed 1999 film Shiri was followed by a succession of South Korean box office hits about North Korea. From Joint Security Area to The Spy Gone North, here are our top 10 picks.

15 Feb 2024 - 4:46AMvideocam

Jung Woo-sung (left) plays the South Korean President in Steel Rain 2: Summit.

K-drama news

K-drama casting latest: Song Joong-ki in talks to lead My Youth

Vincenzo star Song Joong-ki may lead his first drama since becoming a father, while Pachinko star Kim Min-ha will lead drama series A Week Before I Die. Read on for this and more K-drama casting news.

27 Jan 2024 - 7:15PM

Song Joong-ki in a still from “Reborn Rich”.

K-drama news

The 10 most famous K-drama actors of all time, ranked – including Hyun Bin

From Squid Game’s Lee Byung-hun to Train to Busan’s Gong Yoo to heartthrob Hyun Bin, the 10 greatest male K-drama actors of all time ranked.

5 Jul 2023 - 11:52AM

Asian cinema: Korean films

Review | Hopeless: Song Joong-ki plays a veteran gangster in brutal Korean thriller

Starring Song Joong-ki, Hong Xa-bin and Kim Hyoung-seo, Korean thriller Hopeless is an impressive debut feature from Kim Chang-hoon that simmers with tension.

25 May 2023 - 12:45PMvideocam

Asian cinema: Korean films

Why Song Joong-ki is ‘excited’ about his first time at Cannes Film Festival

South Korean actor Song Joong-ki and fellow cast members of the low-budget Korean film Hopeless are eagerly awaiting their first visit to the Cannes Film Festival for screenings of the movie.

26 Apr 2023 - 4:15PM

Song Joong-ki says he’s “honoured” to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival for the first time for his movie Hopeless. He and other cast members have expressed their excitement and gratitude. Photo: Getty Images

Korean drama reviews

Review | Reborn Rich: Song Joong-ki fantasy revenge K-drama comes to a sloppy end

Song Joong-ki plays a South Korean salaryman murdered by his employers who is reborn as one of them to exact revenge, until some curveballs throw a wrench in that narrative.

28 Dec 2022 - 6:45PMvideocam

Korean drama reviews

The best K-dramas of 2022: Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Little Women and more

Ranked from good to great, we reveal our top 15 Korean drama series of the year, including Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Alchemy of Souls and Little Women.

5 Jul 2023 - 11:26AMvideocam

K-drama news

Korean actor Song Joong-ki confirmed to be dating a British woman

South Korean actor Song Joong-ki, star of recent K-drama hit Reborn Rich and Descendants of the Sun, has been dating a British woman ‘for about a year’, his agency says, confirming an earlier report.

27 Dec 2022 - 5:48PM

Korean drama reviews

Reborn Rich midseason recap: reincarnated Song Joong-ki takes down big shots

Song Joong-ki plays a company drudge murdered on the orders of its tycoon founder’s heirs, then reincarnated as the latter’s grandson and bent on revenge.

14 Dec 2022 - 7:15PMvideocam

In K-drama Reborn Rich, Song Joong-ki plays a company drudge wrongly killed, the reincarnated as a grandson of its wealthy founder determined to bring down the latter’s corporate heirs who wronged him.

Korean drama reviews

Reborn Rich: Song Joong-ki scores again with fantasy revenge K-drama

Song plays loyal corporate employee Yoon Hyun-woo, who is murdered and reborn in the 1980s as a minor member of Yoon’s employer’s family in this very enjoyable K-drama.

22 Nov 2022 - 4:16PMvideocam

K-drama news

10 new Korean drama series to look out for in November 2022

Song Joong-ki stars in body-swap revenge drama Reborn Rich, Minho stars in The Fabulous on Netflix and fellow K-pop star Seolhyun appears in a ‘healing drama’.

9 Nov 2022 - 5:08PMvideocam

Korean drama reviews

The 15 best K-dramas of 2021: Vincenzo, Squid Game and more

The Korean drama machine produced some of its most enjoyable and compelling shows this year, from Squid Game to Vincenzo and One Ordinary Day. We rank the 15 best K-dramas of 2021.

30 Dec 2021 - 7:15AMvideocam

Oh Yeong-su (left) and Lee Jung-jae in a still from Squid Game. Photo: Netflix

Fame and celebrity

How much did K-drama’s biggest stars make per episode in 2021?

As the popularity of Korean shows rises worldwide, so do the pay cheques of stars like Now, We Are Breaking Up’s Song Hye-kyo and One Ordinary Day’s Kim Soo-hyun

17 Dec 2021 - 6:06PM

Lee Jung-jae, Song Hye-kyo, Kim Soo-hyun, Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Young-ae are among this year’s top-paid K-drama actors. Photos: Gucci; @kyo1122, @soohyun_k216, @thehistoryofwhoo_official/Instagram; Alexander McQueen

What's hot in Korea

Which of Song Hye-kyo’s on-screen love interests did she date in real life?

For those in showbiz, life often imitates art … and some of K-drama queen Song’s on-screen romances became off-screen relationships too

23 Nov 2021 - 11:29AM

Korean drama reviews

Explainer | How much are K-drama stars Kim Soo-hyun and Song Joong-ki paid?

Top South Korean actors’ salaries have risen dramatically, yet top actresses earn far less than them and the pay of actors not in leading roles has actually fallen in recent years.

24 May 2021 - 5:32PM

South Korea

K-drama Vincenzo delights with Kopiko, kopi luwak product placement

Stills from the show featuring the confectionery and the coffee have been widely shared by social media users in Indonesia and the Philippines, where K-dramas are popular and kopi luwak is produced.

9 May 2021 - 10:19PM

Song Joong-ki in the K-drama 'Vincenzo'. Photo: TvN

Korean drama reviews

Review | Vincenzo: Netflix’s absorbing K-drama ends on troubling note

K-drama Vincenzo is a potpourri of gangster saga, legal thriller, romantic drama, slapstick comedy and much else besides, but in the series’ closing episodes, Song Joong-ki’s character’s cruelty slid into unexpected sadism.

3 May 2021 - 4:45PMvideocam

Song Joong-ki (left) and Jeon Yeo-bin in a still from Vincenzo.

South Korean celebrities

Song Joong-ki’s road to fame – from speed skating to K-pop scouts

The actor has seen plenty of success from his current role in Netflix’s K-drama Vincenzo to the 2016 military hit Descendants of the Sun, but he was already turning heads even as a high school student

14 Apr 2021 - 4:18PMvideocam

Korean drama reviews

Vincenzo midseason recap: Netflix’s overstuffed but fun K-drama

At its midway point, Vincenzo has already broken new ground for Korean dramas, thanks to its slick mob story, a slow-burning heist plot and plenty of colourful asides.

2 Apr 2021 - 6:26PMvideocam

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Song Joong-ki

My Youth: Song Joong-ki, Chun Woo-hee in meandering romance K-drama

Song Joong-ki and Chun Woo-hee star in this romantic drama about a former child star and a talent manager that gets off to an awkward start.

13 of the best new K-drama series to watch in September 2025

How a diamond pendant brought down South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee

First lady’s last stand? South Korea’s Kim Keon-hee battles jail time

Kim Keon-hee will be the first presidential spouse to be jailed on criminal charges if the court approves her arrest.

The 13 most anticipated K-dramas of 2025, from Two Women to Squid Game 3

K-pop stars IU and Jisoo, and actress Kim Min-ha, are among the stars of 2025’s most anticipated K-dramas, from Way Back Love to Newtopia.

Song Joong-ki opens up on Bogota struggles and why he supports Hyun Bin

Song, whose new film Bogota: City of the Lost was heavily delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, says he is driven by a sense of challenge.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Review | Bogota: City of the Lost – abysmal ‘crime’ movie starring Song Joong-ki

Song Joong-ki stars as an immigrant who becomes a Colombian crime lord in Korean movie Bogota: City of the Lost, a one-star waste of time.

‘A healing movie’: Song Joong-ki on Netflix’s upcoming My Name Is Loh Kiwan

Korean actor Song Joong-ki talks about his role as a North Korean defector in Netflix’s upcoming movie My Name Is Loh Kiwan, and why he accepted the role after initially turning it down.

Review | My Name is Loh Kiwan: Song Joong-ki plays a North Korean defector in Belgium

Netflix drama My Name is Loh Kiwan follows a North Korean defector – played by heartthrob Song Joong-ki – who is seeking asylum in Belgium fall in with a woman embroiled in the city’s criminal underworld.

From Joint Security Area to 6/45, top 10 South Korean films about North Korea

North Korean-themed 1999 film Shiri was followed by a succession of South Korean box office hits about North Korea. From Joint Security Area to The Spy Gone North, here are our top 10 picks.

K-drama casting latest: Song Joong-ki in talks to lead My Youth

Vincenzo star Song Joong-ki may lead his first drama since becoming a father, while Pachinko star Kim Min-ha will lead drama series A Week Before I Die. Read on for this and more K-drama casting news.

The 10 most famous K-drama actors of all time, ranked – including Hyun Bin

From Squid Game’s Lee Byung-hun to Train to Busan’s Gong Yoo to heartthrob Hyun Bin, the 10 greatest male K-drama actors of all time ranked.

Review | Hopeless: Song Joong-ki plays a veteran gangster in brutal Korean thriller

Starring Song Joong-ki, Hong Xa-bin and Kim Hyoung-seo, Korean thriller Hopeless is an impressive debut feature from Kim Chang-hoon that simmers with tension.

Why Song Joong-ki is ‘excited’ about his first time at Cannes Film Festival

South Korean actor Song Joong-ki and fellow cast members of the low-budget Korean film Hopeless are eagerly awaiting their first visit to the Cannes Film Festival for screenings of the movie.

Review | Reborn Rich: Song Joong-ki fantasy revenge K-drama comes to a sloppy end

Song Joong-ki plays a South Korean salaryman murdered by his employers who is reborn as one of them to exact revenge, until some curveballs throw a wrench in that narrative.

The best K-dramas of 2022: Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Little Women and more

Ranked from good to great, we reveal our top 15 Korean drama series of the year, including Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Alchemy of Souls and Little Women.

Korean actor Song Joong-ki confirmed to be dating a British woman

South Korean actor Song Joong-ki, star of recent K-drama hit Reborn Rich and Descendants of the Sun, has been dating a British woman ‘for about a year’, his agency says, confirming an earlier report.

Reborn Rich midseason recap: reincarnated Song Joong-ki takes down big shots

Song Joong-ki plays a company drudge murdered on the orders of its tycoon founder’s heirs, then reincarnated as the latter’s grandson and bent on revenge.

Reborn Rich: Song Joong-ki scores again with fantasy revenge K-drama

Song plays loyal corporate employee Yoon Hyun-woo, who is murdered and reborn in the 1980s as a minor member of Yoon’s employer’s family in this very enjoyable K-drama.

10 new Korean drama series to look out for in November 2022

Song Joong-ki stars in body-swap revenge drama Reborn Rich, Minho stars in The Fabulous on Netflix and fellow K-pop star Seolhyun appears in a ‘healing drama’.

The 15 best K-dramas of 2021: Vincenzo, Squid Game and more

The Korean drama machine produced some of its most enjoyable and compelling shows this year, from Squid Game to Vincenzo and One Ordinary Day. We rank the 15 best K-dramas of 2021.

How much did K-drama’s biggest stars make per episode in 2021?

As the popularity of Korean shows rises worldwide, so do the pay cheques of stars like Now, We Are Breaking Up’s Song Hye-kyo and One Ordinary Day’s Kim Soo-hyun

Which of Song Hye-kyo’s on-screen love interests did she date in real life?

For those in showbiz, life often imitates art … and some of K-drama queen Song’s on-screen romances became off-screen relationships too

Explainer | How much are K-drama stars Kim Soo-hyun and Song Joong-ki paid?

Top South Korean actors’ salaries have risen dramatically, yet top actresses earn far less than them and the pay of actors not in leading roles has actually fallen in recent years.

K-drama Vincenzo delights with Kopiko, kopi luwak product placement

Stills from the show featuring the confectionery and the coffee have been widely shared by social media users in Indonesia and the Philippines, where K-dramas are popular and kopi luwak is produced.

Review | Vincenzo: Netflix’s absorbing K-drama ends on troubling note

K-drama Vincenzo is a potpourri of gangster saga, legal thriller, romantic drama, slapstick comedy and much else besides, but in the series’ closing episodes, Song Joong-ki’s character’s cruelty slid into unexpected sadism.

Song Joong-ki’s road to fame – from speed skating to K-pop scouts

The actor has seen plenty of success from his current role in Netflix’s K-drama Vincenzo to the 2016 military hit Descendants of the Sun, but he was already turning heads even as a high school student

Vincenzo midseason recap: Netflix’s overstuffed but fun K-drama

At its midway point, Vincenzo has already broken new ground for Korean dramas, thanks to its slick mob story, a slow-burning heist plot and plenty of colourful asides.

Review | Bogota: City of the Lost – abysmal ‘crime’ movie starring Song Joong-ki