Song Joong Ki is a familiar face in South Korean entertainment. Song became popular after starring in the historical coming-of-age drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal and variety show Running Man as one of the original cast members.
He also starred in many dramas, showing off his versatile acting skills. He was briefly married to co-star Song Hye Kyo whom he met on the set of Descendants of the Sun.
In 2012 and 2017 Song Joong Ki was Gallup Korea’s Television Actor of the Year. The actor also made it to the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list in 2013, placing seventh and subsequently ranking second in 2017 and seventh in 2018.
Here are some of his notable Korean dramas that are must-watch.
- The Innocent Man
Song Joong Ki plays Kang Ma-ru, a young and promising medical student who falls for the most prettiest girl in town Han Jae-hee (Park Si-yeon). Han is a TV reporter and when something bad happens, Kang took the fall for Park. While Kang was away paying Park’s punishment, she marries a rich CEO to escape poverty.
Kang feels betrayed by Park and he became a completely changed man. He works as a bartender and gigolo and he is no longer a ‘nice guy’. He meets Seo Eun-gi (Moon Chae-won), the daughter of the rich CEO. Seo is a serious woman who is also cold and calculating. Kang tries to take revenge on Han because Han caused Kang’s sister, Kang Cho-co (Lee Yu-bi) to be ill and taken to the hospital.
Kang uses Seo to take revenge on Han. Eventually, he starts to love Seo but Seo finds out the reason why he approached her so she breaks up with him. Seo loses her memory in a car accident and she enters Kang’s life again.
2. Descendants of the Sun
Song Joong Ki plays Shi-Jin, the captain of the special forces. Together with Sergeant Major Dae-Young (Jin Goo), Shi-Jin arrests a motorcycle thief. During his capture, the thief is injured and is sent to the hospital. Dae-Young finds out that his phone was stolen by the thief so he goes back to the hospital to get his phone back.
Shi-Jin meets Dr. Mo-Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) for the first time in the emergency room. It was love at first sight for him. However, Mo-Yeon mistakenly takes Shi-Jin as part of the thief’s criminal gang. With the help of army doctor Myeong-Joo (Kim Ji-Won), Shi-Jin proves to her that he is a soldier.
Eventually, the two started dating but because of their careers, their dates do not go well. Shi-Jin is tasked to lead his soldiers on a peacekeeping mission to the country of Uruk. In the meantime, Mo-Yeon is upset because she failed to become a professor due to a colleague’s privileged background.
When the two of them meet again, they talk about their views on life and find out how different they are. They part ways after realising that Shi-Jin as a soldier kills to protect lives while Mo-Yeon as a doctor, tries to save all lives.
Mo-Yeon rebuffs the sexual advances of hospital chairman Suk-Won (Tae In-Ho) eight months later. As retribution, she is assigned to lead a medical team in Uruk. The doctor meets Shi-Jin again in Uruk.
3. Arthdal Chronicles
Arthdal Chronicles is a gripping tale of romance, ambition and tragedy, revolving around four characters whose destinies are intertwined fighting for what they want in the city of Arthdal. Tagon played by Jang Dong Gun is the eldest son of San Woong, leader of Arthdal Union. He is a celebrated war hero who paved the way for Arthdal to become a successful nation.
Tagon is the most powerful person in Arthdal and nobody dares to go against him. He is admired and feared. Tagon dreams to be the first king of Arthdal.
Song Joong Ki plays Eunseom, who was born with the destiny of bringing destruction to Arthdal. He goes through all sorts of difficulties while growing up because his mother fought to save him. He returns to Arthdal to fulfil his destiny years later.
Kim Ji Won plays Tanya who was born with the same fate as Eunseom. Their fates are both intertwined. Tanya is the daughter of Yul Son and the anointed successor of the next Great Spiritual Mother of the Wahan people of Iark.
Taealha (Kim Ok Bin) is the daughter of the Hae Tribe Chief, Mi Hol, a woman whose ambition knows no bounds.
4. Vincenzo
Song Joong Ki plays Park Joo Hyung, who was adopted into an Italian family at the age of eight. He then joins the mafia and is adopted by Don Fabio, the head of the Cassano family. Park is then renamed as “Vincenzo Cassano” and he becomes a lawyer, a consigliere for the mafia and Don Fabio’s right-hand man.
Vincenzo is then hunted by Paolo, Fabio’s biological son and the new leader of the Cassano family after Fabio dies. Vincenzo flies to Seoul and goes to recover 1.5 tons of gold that he helped a recently diseased Chinese tycoon secretly keep within the basement of Geumga Plaza.
A subsidiary of Babel Group had illegally taken ownership of Geumga Plaza so Vincenzo must find ways to recover the treasure. Hong Yoo-chan (Yoo Jae-myung) is one of the quirky tenants of the building and he runs Jipuragi Law Firm. Vincenzo was in conflict with Hong’s daughter, Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) initially. She is an attorney for a rival firm.
Following her father’s death, she takes over the practice and joins forces with Vincenzo and the other tenants to fight Babel Group.