Lee Joon-gi Profile, Family and Facts
Facts about Lee Joon-gi
Lee Joon-gi was born in Busan, South Korea. He has a younger brother. In several interviews he said that he enjoyed sports and computers growing up. He first became interested in the performing arts as a high school student after watching a performance of Hamlet. He moved to Seoul with a dream to work in the entertainment industry rather than getting into college. For the next couple of years, Lee worked at various part-time jobs before he got accepted into the Seoul Institute of the Arts. He debuted as a model in 2001. His first major acting role was when he was cast in the 2005 film The King and the Clown, in which he played the historical figure Gong-gil, an effeminate clown in the Joseon Dynasty. The film, which achieved both critical and commercial success, propelled Lee Joon-gi into Asia-wide stardom. He won numerous Best Newcomer awards for his role. After the movie ended, Lee Joon-gi became an icon for the South Korean “pretty boy” trend.
He was against the halving of screen quotas in South Korea that allows foreign films to be shown in theaters on certain days, while domestic films are allotted another amount of days. He believed that without the screen quotas, The King and the Clown would not have been as successful in competing against foreign films. Lee Joon-gi was then cast in SBS’s My Girl alongside Lee Da-hae and Lee Dong-wook. The romance comedy series became a hit during its run both domestically and across Asia, further catapulting himself into Korean Wave stardom. For his upcoming roles, he was reportedly paid ₩100 million, relatively low given his rising popularity following King and the Clown. This is because the contract was signed in early December before the film’s release when he was an unknown actor. In 2007, he filmed a joint Korea-Japan movie entitled Virgin Snow with Japanese actress Aoi Miyazaki, in which he plays a Korean exchange student. The movie was successful as it placed 9th at the box office chart and set a new record for ticket admissions for a Korean film released in Japan. In September 2008, he had a contractual dispute with his agency Mentor Entertainment, whom he was signed to since March 2004 in an exclusive contract for five years. he was being sued for ₩500 million for breach of contract and for supposedly hiding ₩1 billion in an attempt to “establish his own agency in association with his manager”. He then countered that he “underwent significant financial damage as the company was poor in dealing with tax affairs and profit distribution” and he is said to have notified them of contract cancellation in February. For his influence in the entertainment industry, Lee Joon-gi was appointed promotional ambassador of the Korea Tourism Organization. Upon the expiration of Lee’s contract with Mentor Entertainment, he signed with a newly established independent agency, JG Company. He then signed with a new management agency, Namoo Actors.
On May 3, 2010, Lee Joon-gi enlisted in the Republic of Korea Army to serve his mandatory military service. He first underwent five weeks of basic training at Nonsan military training camp and was later drafted into active duty. He had initially applied for a postponement because he was in the midst of shooting Grand Prix and was cast to star in television drama Faith. However, Military Manpower Administration declined and sent a final notice for enlistment, leading him to pull out of both projects. He served within the public relations department of the Ministry of National Defense. After serving 21 months of active duty, Lee was discharged on 16 February 2012 from the Defense Media Agency at Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Lee Joon-gi Doing Martial Arts in His Free Time
Lee Joon-gi is famous for his talent in several martial arts and sports. He has taken up Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, which is a martial art as well as a combat sport system. His Brazilian Jiu-jitsu belt was upgraded recently. It is believed that he is preparing himself for some scenes in his next drama but plot details are shrouded in secrecy. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was formed by adapting Judo and borrowing from Kodakan Judo ground fighting fundamentals. Its greater emphasis on ground fighting that differentiates it from other martial arts. Other grappling martial arts tend to spend much more time on the standing phase. Being athletic and sporty, Lee Joon-gi also has other martial arts achievements: 4th Dan Taekwondo black belt, 1st Dan Hapkido black belt and 1st Dan Taekyeon black belt. He also learned Systema, the Russian martial art, for Criminal Minds in 2017. He also showcased his Parkour skills in the same drama. In one of his interviews with Harper’s Bazaar, he revealed his knowledge on Wing Chun, a Chinese art of self-defense. He had also learned Thai Kick Boxing for his drama, Time Between Dog And Wolf. Beside that he is also famous for his expert gun and horse riding skills, which he has showcased in many of his dramas. He even showed his flexibility in his personal Instagram account. Many action directors, action choreographers and co-stars have plenty of praise for Lee Joon-gi’s extraordinary action performance. He is seen as an actor who is a stunt expert who does all his own stunts. He has also been voted as South Korea’s ‘Top Action Star’ and ‘Unbeatable Action Star’. Even Milla Jovovich had gushed over his amazing martial arts skills in all her interviews for their movie, Resident Evil: The Last Chapter.
What is Lee Joon-gi Relationship with IU?
Following news of IU and Jang Ki-ha’s break-up, both of them became swept up in dating rumors. Many assumed their on-screen chemistry helped add fuel to the flames. Lee Joon-gi star set the record straight with an official statement from his agency. Namoo Actors assured everyone that Lee is not the reason for IU’s break-up. Namoo Actor added, “They became quite close while working together, and it seems that’s why the rumors began, but all the cast members of Scarlet Heart: Ryeo are close. We hope there are no further misunderstandings.” Lee Joon-gi and IU met for the first time when they became the leading roles for a popular historical drama Scarlet Heart: Ryeo. Their chemistry must be great because they even got Best Couple awards in 24th SBS Drama Awards. But those rumors did nothing to make their friendship turn sour. Recently, Lee Joon-gi shared photos of two food trucks IU sent to him on the set of his drama Lawless Lawyer. When IU was filming for My Mister, Lee Joon-gi sent her a food truck as well.
