His role as the handsome and manly military officer in Descendants of the Sun will surely be his greatest role to date. Due to his young age and great talent, we may have yet see his greatest role in a K-drama. Let’s take a look at Song Joong-ki’s roles in various dramas. He started as a supporting role and later performed as the leading role. In this article, Channel Korea will provide you with a run-through of the variety of roles Song Joong-ki has played in dramas. So stay tuned!
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
SungKyunkwan Scandal is a 2010 drama based on the best-selling novel The Lives of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Scholars. The drama aired from August 30th to November 2nd, 2010. Sungkyunkwan Scandal told a story about an ordinary young woman, Kim Yun-hee, that works for her brother and does various jobs. She was offered money to be a fake test taker to help others pass the exam for the prestigious Sungkyunkwan educational institute. She was caught red-handed but, instead of being imprisoned, she was offered a chance to study at the institute. She must study hard and avoid getting caught by fellow classmates, especially her class senior, Gu Yong-ha. Gu Yong-ha was played by Song Joong-ki. Gu Yong-ha is the only antagonist role in Song Joong-ki’s career. Gu Yong-ha is mischievous, an alcoholic, and an ignorant but smart scholar. Starting from an early age, he had already been learning a lot of things from the best teacher. He knew about Kim Yun-hee’s gender and her feelings towards his classmates. Playing as a playful and devilish scholar, Song Joong-ki’s work outshone the acting of Park Yoo-chun as the kind-hearted scholar. His slightly devilish and mischievous personality was the character that drove people to watch Sungkyunkwan Scandal. His role as the playful Gu Yong-ha gained positive reviews, and many people consider this role to be Song Joong-ki’s breakthrough role.
The Innocent Man
Song Joong-ki finally earned his leading role in the popular drama The Innocent Man. The Innocent Man was aired from September 12th to November 15th, 2012, and spanned 20 episodes. In this drama, Song Joong-ki acted alongside actresses Moon Chae-won and Park Si-yeon. Song Joong-ki played the role of a smart and talented medical school student named Kang Ma-ru. He fell in love with a long-time neighborhood friend, played by Park Si-yeon, but she left Kang Ma-ru when she met a handsome and successful CEO. She chose the businessman instead of the medical student to lift her life from constant poverty. Her betrayal left Kang Ma-ru in tremendous disappointment. He worked hard to be a successful man. His personality changed in the face of his determination to succeed. Kang Ma-ru then meets a young heiress with a cold and emotionless personality. He wants to take revenge and bring down the heiress’s family to poverty because the heiress did something bad to Kang Ma-ru’s older sister. However, he discovers that he has developed romantic feelings for her. After discovering his true intention to ruin her family, the heiress leaves him. Song Joong-ki performed as a kind and smart medical student. He took care of his sister without the help of their parents. He was completely disappointed and heartbroken after his love left him for a much richer person. At that point, he decided that there was no use in being a good man and became determined to take revenge on her. In The Innocent Man, Song Joong-ki showed two different personalities. Before the separation he was caring, but after the separation, he became vicious and cold-hearted. The Innocent Man was the first leading role for Song Joong-ki, and he received a lot of praise for his performance. The Innocent Man made the character of a kind-hearted man become embedded in Song Joong-ki’s image.
Descendants of the Sun
After fulfilling his mandatory military service, Song Joong-ki accepted the male leading role in the super-popular drama Descendants of the Sun. He co-starred with top actress and global celebrity, Song Hye-gyo. Due to the success of Descendants of the Sun, Song Joong-ki’s popularity catapulted into international stardom. He gained a massive global fan base, especially in Asian countries. Descendants of the Sun aired from February 24th to April 14th, 2016. The drama achieved 38.8% viewer ratings and was placed among the highest-rated Korean dramas. Song Joong-ki performed the role of a military officer, Yoo Si-jin. During their off-duty trips, he and his friend caught a burglar and detained him. The thief was wounded during the capture and he was taken to hospital. At the hospital, Yoo Si-jin meets a beautiful doctor and falls in love with her. Both of them start seeing each other after the meeting. Due to their busy schedules and different fields of work, they decide to break up. The couple meets again after being assigned to the same country. On their second meeting, they realize the true meaning behind each other’s jobs and fall in love with each other for the second time. The military leader, Yoo Si-ji, is a top military officer. He prefers working in the field and protecting lives rather than serving in the office. He has a cool head and quick-thinking personality. He was loved by friends and colleagues for his character. Even though he was rejected several times by the beautiful doctor, in the end, he finally got her love. As one of the most popular K-Dramas in recent times, watching Descendant of the Sun is a no-brainer. Breathtaking scenery, excellent plot, and beautiful actors and actresses are the main reasons for loving and watching this series. Yoo Si-ji’s manly character and handsome appearance were the fuel for Song Joong-ki’s recent surge of popularity.
Arthdal Chronicles
Arthdal Chronicles is a fantasy-romance K-drama that aired from June 1st, 2019. Song Joong-ki starred alongside Kim Ji-won, Jang Dong-gun, and Kim Ok-vin. Arthdal Chronicles’ plot revolves around the inhabitants of a fantasy island. There were many tribes on the island, and each tribe asserted their strength to overcome another tribe and dominate the island. There was never-ending intrigue inside the powerful hierarchy of each tribe. Not only must the leaders face his enemies across the island, but he must also face the enemies inside his own tribe. Song Joong-ki performed as Eun som, who was of mixed-race between a human tribe and a Neanderthal tribe. He is an alien in his own tribe but he possesses great abilities. His only friend is Tan-ya, who takes care of him. They take care of each other and end up developing romantic feelings for each other. Eun som must protect his twin brother, family, and Tan-ya from other tribes raiding their villages. Song Joong-ki’s character in Arthdal Chronicles is the quick-thinking and smart Eun Som. He has a great responsibility to his family and twin brother. He falls in love with Tan-ya and decides to protect her from evil hands. Arthdal Chronicles has an uncommon, but promising plot with an imaginative background. Song Joong-ki’s character is funny and entertaining, especially when he is around Tan-ya. The scenic landscape and power intrigue between people of each tribe make this drama worth watching. That was all the information about Song Joong-ki’s roles in popular K-dramas. Which one is your favorite role? Let us know, and don’t forget to share your opinions in the comment section below.
