Song Joong-ki

Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) and the variety show Running Man (2010–2011) as one of the original cast members. Since then, he has played a diverse spectrum of roles in the television series The Innocent Man (2012), Descendants of the Sun (2016), Arthdal Chronicles (2019), Vincenzo (2021), and Reborn Rich (2022), as well as the hit films A Werewolf Boy (2012), The Battleship Island (2017), and Space Sweepers (2021). Song was Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year in 2012 and in 2017. He was first included in the Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list in 2013 placing seventh, and subsequently ranking second in 2017, and seventh in 2018. The success of his TV series and film works internationally established him as a top Hallyu star in the Korean entertainment industry. Early life and education Song is the middle child of three siblings and was raised in the rural outskirts of Daejeon. He competed in short track speed skating and represented his home city of Daejeon at a national level; his skating background would prove useful for his role as a national team skater in the TV series Triple. An injury forced him to give up the sport during his first year of high school. He excelled in his studies all through high school and scored 380 points out of 400 on his national college entrance test, gaining admission to Sungkyunkwan University. While in Seoul preparing for the entrance test, he was scouted on the subway by an agent but did not immediately enter the entertainment industry as he was still ambivalent about his career path, and because his father had initially been against him becoming an actor. He continued to study part-time after deciding to enter the entertainment industry full-time during his third year of university, eventually graduating with a degree in Business Administration (minor in broadcasting) in 2012. Song first appeared in a TV show as a contestant on KBS's Quiz Korea, substituting for a senior who was sick. Song eventually won second place. This brought him significant attention, and he became a cover model for the university magazine College.