Profile of Ji Sung, and Facts
Name: Ji Sung (지성) Real name: Kwak Tae Geun (곽태근) Profession: Actor Years active: 1999–present Birthdate: February 27, 1977 Height: 178cm Weight: 70kg Star sign: Pisces Blood type: A Talent agency: Namoo Actors Education: Hanyang University majoring in Theater and Film Languages: Korean and Japanese
Ji Sung’s Facts
Ji Sung is a popular South Korean actor, famous for his roles in various movies, dramas and even music videos. He has had a successful career in the South Korean film and television industry, and has starred in numerous genres of film. He is famous for his roles in “All In”, “Protect the Boss”, “Save the Last Dance for Me’” and many others. He has also played the lead role in popular movies including “Blood Rain”, “My P.S. Partner”, and “The Vampire Lives Next Door”. He has also appeared in several music videos, such as “Leave Me Alone”, “The Practical Usage of Sadness”, for famous artists like Lee Ki-chan and KCM. Ji Sung was born on February 27, 1977. His birth name is Kwak Tae Geun. Both of his parents were in the field of education and hence, originally his parents expected him to follow in their footsteps and become a teacher. He was used to addressing his parents formally, and was shocked when he went to friends’ homes and heard them address their parents in a less formal way. Dustin Hoffman’s performance in movie “Rain Man”, that Ji Sung watched in his sophomore year of high school, had a tremendous impact on him and that was what made him decided to be an actor. He graduated from the Hanyang University with a major in Theatre and Film. Ji Sung started his career with the drama “KAIST” in 1999. He first auditioned for a campus drama, he met a screenwriter who wrote a new character for him. His acting was noticed by Song Ji-na, the famous songwriter at his audition, who then wrote a character for him in the show. At that time, he adopted the stage name “Ji Sung” upon the suggestion of his manager. He began to landed more minor characters in dramas such as: “March”, “Popcorn”, and “I Want to Keep Seeing You”. In 2001, he played the character of Oh Joon Soo in “Delicious Proposal” and guest starred in an episode of “Open Drama Man and Woman”. He become more known at this point of his career. Ji Sung the got the role of Jang Seok-jin in the television drama “Wonderful Days” in 2001, a considerably bigger part than his previous work. He got his fortune after Ji Sung himself approached the casting directors for the role, and got a part in a drama called “All In”. Ji Sung was cast as the second lead. The series then was a smashing hit and Sung became wildly popular. His performance as Choi Jung-Won was praised by the audience and critics alike. The finale of the “All In” series had a record viewership rating of 47.7%, placing it among the top 50 most-watched episodes of all time in Korean television.
In a departure from his regular roles in the part of gangster, Ji Sung starred in a period drama based on the Joseon dynasty, “The King’s Woman”. He landed the titular role of Prince Gwanghae. He then enlisted for his mandatory military service on June 7, 2005. In February 2006, he was transferred to the military promotion unit. He completed his period of service on June 6, 2007. After his mandatory military service ended, he made his comeback through the medical drama “New Heart” in 2007-2008, where he played a cheerful cardio-thoracic surgeon. He later landed various roles such as: a rags-to-riches lawyer who helps his friend become the head of the corporate conglomerate in drama “Swallow the Sun”, an immature yet lovable young businessman in the “Protect the Boss”, a heartsick songwriter in “My PS Partner”, a millionaire who has dissociative identity disorder with seven personalities in “Kill Me, Heal Me”, which boosted his popularity tremendously and earned him a huge following in South Korea. After a string of successes, he hit a rough patch with “Entertainer” in 2016, which was a commercial failure. Later, he regained his popularity and his winning streak with “Defendant” in 2017, as a prosecutor suffering from temporary amnesia. The series received rave reviews. Ji Sung asked the cast of “Protect the Boss” to take a trip with him before filming began, when drama casts will usually take a vacation together after a show ends. But the experience brought them closer together. He and co-star, JYJ’s Kim Jaejoong grew especially close. Jaejoong, who played his drama cousin and rival in “Protect the Boss”, talked about their real life friendship. Jaejong said that he feels awkward about it being in his first drama, he was not able to easily approach others, but Ji Sung was kind enough to approach him first. He loves ramen, but gains weight easily, so he has to avoid it when he has a drama to film. As soon as the drama is over, he goes back to his normal eating patterns. When he makes ramen, he likes to mix powder from two different brands.
Ji Sung’s Wife, Lee Bo-young
Before Ji Sung had a relationship with his current wife, he dated park Sol-mi, his co-star from “All In” from 2003 to 2006. He met his future wife, Lee Bo-young, on the set of “Save the Last Dance for Me”. They officially announced their relationship in 2007. In 2013, Ji Sung got engaged to Lee Bo-young on August 2, announcing their engagement via social media sites. The couple got married on September 27, 2013, at Aston House in Seoul. Their first daughter, Kwak Ji-yo, was born on June 12, 2015. Sung is a doting father, and often posts adorable pictures of the mother-daughter duo wearing matching outfits on his social media accounts. Ji sung is often seen posting photos of his daughter and wife on social media. Ji Sung calls his wife “my Bo Young”, and is not above acting cute to cheer her up. “When she is unhappy about something, I will try to act cute by doing things like puffing up my cheeks to cheer her up,” he said. He sometimes sings to her when she goes to bed, and once created a fireworks show to celebrate her birthday. He also said that “What touched her more than the event itself was the scene of my manager and I running away in case the police came.” The couple has been named as “couple goals” by most people. As both actors had hit SBS dramas in 2017, they were both in attendance at the December 31, 2017 ceremony at the SBS Prism Tower. Lee Bo-young, who was an MC, said that during the show, it was their first time since they got married that they were both in same place for the end of the year ceremony. Both Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young walked away with big awards at the end of the night. Lee Bo Young won a Top Excellence in Acting Award for her work in “Whisper” and Ji Sung took home the Grand Prize for his work in “Defendant.” i Sung and Lee Bo Young then shared a hug and kiss on stage.
