Son Ye-Jin And Her Leading Men Through The Years
Hyun Bin, Jung Hae-in, Lee Min-ho, and Song Seung-heon are just four of the handsome and talented actors the "Queen of Melodrama" has worked with in her two-decade career as an actress. The latest news about her is that she might star in a historical drama with Kang Ha-neul
Son Ye-jin has a universal appeal that helps maintain her long-running popularity. Both men and women appreciate her acting, be it on the small or big screen. The 38-year-old Hallyu star has found a niche in the Korean entertainment industry on a level that not a lot of Korean actresses have actually reached.
Culture critic Lee Moon-won pointed out as a reaction to the box-office success of her 2018 film Be With You: “Son Ye-jin’s fandom started with the explosive support of male fans, but it moved toward women with more stable ticketing power.”
While her latest K-Drama Crash Landing on You reached stratospheric heights and boosted her popularity on a global scale, Son Ye-jin’s filmography is packed with an interesting mix of TV shows and films. CLOY is a project that showcased not only her dramatic prowess but also her comedic timing, but as her 2018 movie The Negotiation (in which she also starred in with Hyun Bin) would prove, Son Ye-jin has a flair for more challenging, action-packed roles as well.
Throughout her two-decade career as an actress, Son Ye-jin has had the opportunity to work on amazing projects which she undoubtedly helped reach iconic status through her brilliant and effective character portrayals. Movies like The Classic (2003), A Moment to Remember (2004), and April Snow (2005) are timeless tales of romance which received various awards and nominations and did well on the box-office charts as well.
Son Ye-jin not only resonates with the audience through movies, her endearing small screen presence has also captured viewers’ hearts time and time again. And if you haven’t yet, check out her other K-Dramas which prove her worthy of the title “Queen of Melodrama:” 2018’s Something in the Rain, 2008’s Spotlight, and 2003’s Summer Scent.
Son Ye-jin was recently nominated as Best Actress at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, which took place last June 5. This nomination recognized the huge impact she made with her character Yoon Se-ri, a South Korean chaebol heiress who accidentally lands in North Korea and falls in love with North Korean military officer Capt. Ri Jeong-hyeok (portrayed by Hyun Bin, who also earned a Best Actor nomination for CLOY from the same award-giving body).
Aside from a Hollywood movie project titled Cross with fellow Korean star Lee Sun-kyun and Australian actor Sam Worthington, Son Ye-jin is also reportedly exploring a historical drama that could pair her with actor Kang Ha-neul (who won the Best Actor award for TV series When the Camellia Blooms at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards). Read more about that news here.
In the gallery below, we take a look back at Son Ye-jin’s illustrious career through her stellar lineup of leading men:
Son Ye-Jin's Leading Men
Son Ye-Jin's Leading Men
Photo Credit: tvN
Jung Joon in “Delicious Proposal,” 2001
In this series, Son Ye-jin is Jang Hee-ae, the daughter of the owner of a deluxe eatery. Jung Joon is Kim Hyo-dong, a struggling owner of a Chinese restaurant built by his father. The two fall in love but he later finds out that Hee-ae turns out to be the daughter of his ultimate rival.
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Jung Joon in “Delicious Proposal,” 2001
Photo Credit: https://robinnystrom.wordpress.com/
Jung Joon in “Delicious Proposal,” 2001
Photo Credit: simkl.com
Son Ye-jin in "Delicious Proposal," 2001
Photo Credit: MBC
Jang Hyuk in “The Great Ambition,” 2002
Park Jae-young (Jang Hyuk) is the son of a successful businessman who runs away from home because he couldn’t take his family’s dirty schemes when it comes to running a business. He meets Choi Dong-hee (Son Ye-jin), the daughter of a merchant who helps him realize his true abilities as a leader.
Photo Credit: Dramabeans
Jang Hyuk in “The Great Ambition,” 2002
Photo Credit: stuckonhyuk.wordpress.com
Son Ye-jin in "The Great Ambition," 2002
Photo Credit: stuckonhyuk.wordpress.com
Song Seung-heon in “Summer Scent,” 2003
This series is the third installment in the season-themed tetralogy “Endless Love” (which also includes “Autumn in my Heart,” “Winter Sonata,” and “Spring Waltz”). In this melodrama, Yoo Min-wo’s (Song Seung-heon) first love (Seo Eun-hye, played by Shin Ae) gets into a car accident and dies. Shim Hye-won (Son Ye-jin) suffers from a heart disease and finds a heart donor in Eun-hye. Min-woo and Hye-won meet later on, and he finds similarities between Hye-won and Eun-hye.
Photo Credit: Dramabeans
Song Seung-heon in “Summer Scent,” 2003
Photo Credit: KBS2
Song Seung-heon in “Summer Scent,” 2003
Photo Credit: KBS2
Son Ye-jin in "Summer Scent," 2003
Photo Credit: KBS2
Kam Woo-sung in “Alone in Love,” 2006
The characters of Son Ye-jin and Kam Woo-sung meet at a bookstore, fall in love, get married, and end up getting divorced. However, even after their divorce, they still meet every now and then, so they wonder if they still have feelings for each other.
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Kam Woo-sung in “Alone in Love,” 2006
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Kam Woo-sung in “Alone in Love,” 2006
Photo Credit: SBS
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Son Ye-jin in "Alone in Love," 2006
Photo Credit: SBS
Ji Jin-hee in “Spotlight,” 2008
The plot of this K-Drama is set in the competitive world of broadcast news. It stars Son Ye-jin as Seo Woo-jin, a city desk reporter who eventually succeeds to become an anchorwoman. She works with Ji Jin-hee as Oh Tae-suk, the supervisor in their news division.
Photo Credit: Dramabeans
Ji Jin-hee in “Spotlight,” 2008
Photo Credit: MBC
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Ji Jin-hee in “Spotlight,” 2008
Photo Credit: Soompi
Son Ye-jin in "Spotlight," 2008
Photo Credit: Coolsmurf
Lee Min-ho in “Personal Taste,” 2010
This is a love story between furniture designer Park Kae-in (Son Ye-jin) and architect Jeon Jin-ho (Lee Min-ho) and their adventures living in the same house, with Jin-ho pretending to be gay and Kae-in going about her tomboyish actions.
Photo Credit: Haibao
Lee Min-ho in “Personal Taste,” 2010
Photo Credit: MBC
Lee Min-ho in “Personal Taste,” 2010
Photo Credit: MBC
Son Ye-jin in "Personal Taste," 2010
Photo Credit: MBC
Kim Nam-gil in “Shark,” 2013
Also known as “Don’t Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus,” this K-Drama’s plot revolves around love and revenge. Han Yi-soo’s (Kim Nam-gil) first love is Jo Hae-woo (Son Ye-jin) but she happens to be the daughter of the man who killed his father. He leaves South Korea and returns as Japanese-Korean businessman Yoshimura Jun, after being adopted by a wealthy Japanese businessman. Yi-soo and Hae-woo’s paths cross again, with Hae-woo now a prosecutor who’s determined to find out what really happened to Yi-soo.
Photo Credit: KBS
Kim Nam-gil in “Shark,” 2013
Photo Credit: KBS
Kim Nam-gil in “Shark,” 2013
Photo Credit: HanCinema
Son ye-jin in "Shark," 2013
Photo Credit: KBS
Jung Hae-in in “Something in the Rain,” 2018
This K-Drama marks Son Ye-jin’s small screen comeback after five years, and it was a successful one! Her team-up with Jung Hae-in was well loved. In this series, Son Ye-jin is Yoon Jin-ah, a 30-something store supervisor in a coffee franchise. Jung Hae-in is Seo Joon-hee, a 20-something video game animator. Jin-ah also happens to be the best friend of Joon-hee’s elder sister. They fall in love, but their age gap becomes an issue.
Photo Credit: HaB Korea
Jung Hae-in in “Something in the Rain,” 2018
Photo Credit: Netflix
Jung Hae-in in “Something in the Rain,” 2018
Photo Credit: JTBC
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Son Ye-jin in "Something in the Rain," 2018
Photo Credit: JTBC
Hyun Bin in “Crash Landing on You,” 2019
Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin are paired up as star-crossed lovers from North Korea and South Korea, respectively, in this series. She is chaebol heiress Yoon Se-ri, while he is military officer Capt. Ri Jeong-hyeok. Conflicts in their relationship arise from the limitations and restrictions coming from the dispute between their respective countries.
Photo Credit: Vast Entertainment
Hyun Bin in “Crash Landing on You,” 2019
Photo Credit: tvN
Hyun Bin in “Crash Landing on You,” 2019
Photo Credit: tvN
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Son Ye-jin in "Crash Landing on You," 2019
Photo Credit: tvN
Cha Tae-hyun in “Lover’s Concerto,” 2002
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Cha Tae-hyun in “Lover’s Concerto,” 2002
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Cha Tae-hyun in “Lover’s Concerto,” 2002
Photo Credit: HanCinema
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Cha Tae-hyun in "Crazy First Love," 2003
Photo Credit: annyeongoppa.com
Cha Tae-hyun in "Crazy First Love," 2003
Photo Credit: danviet.vn
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Jo In-sung in “The Classic,” 2003
Jo In-sung in “The Classic,” 2003
Photo Credit: IMDb
Cho Seung-woo in "The Classic," 2003
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Cho Seung-woo in "The Classic," 2003
Photo Credit: Soompi
Jung Woo-sung in “A Moment to Remember,” 2004
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Jung Woo-sung in “A Moment to Remember,” 2004
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Jung Woo-sung in “A Moment to Remember,” 2004
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Bae Yong-joon in “April Snow,” 2005
Photo Credit: Channel Korea
Bae Yong-joon in “April Snow,” 2005
Photo Credit: MyDramaList
Bae Yong-joon in “April Snow,” 2005
Photo Credit: Soompi
Song Il-gook in “The Art of Seduction,” 2005
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Song Il-gook in “The Art of Seduction,” 2005
Song Il-gook in “The Art of Seduction,” 2005
Photo Credit: gooddrama.net
Kim Myung-min in “Open City,” 2008
Photo Credit: Dramabeans
Kim Myung-min in “Open City,” 2008
Photo Credit: Dramabeans
Kim Myung-min in “Open City,” 2008
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Kim Joo-hyuk in “My Wife Got Married,” 2008
Photo Credit: Channel Korea
Kim Joo-hyuk in “My Wife Got Married,” 2008
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Kim Joo-hyuk in “My Wife Got Married,” 2008
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Go Soo in “White Night,” 2009
Photo Credit: Soompi
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Go Soo in “White Night,” 2009
Photo Credit: IMDb
Go Soo in “White Night,” 2009
Photo Credit: Ko Soo
Lee Min-ki in “Spellbound,” 2011
Photo Credit: Channel Korea
Lee Min-ki in “Spellbound,” 2011
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Lee Min-ki in “Spellbound,” 2011
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Kim Sang-kyung in “The Tower,” 2012
Photo Credit: MyDramaList
Kim Sang-kyung in “The Tower,” 2012
Photo Credit: Soompi
Lee Kyu-han in “Blood Ties,” 2013
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Lee Kyu-han in “Blood Ties,” 2013
Photo Credit: HanCinema
Kim Nam-gil in “The Pirates,” 2014
Photo Credit: Channel Korea
Kim Nam-gil in “The Pirates,” 2014
Photo Credit: Soompi
Kim Nam-gil in “The Pirates,” 2014
Photo Credit: AsiaToday
Chen Bolin in “Bad Guys Always Die,” 2015
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Chen Bolin in “Bad Guys Always Die,” 2015
Photo Credit: HanCinema
Chen Bolin in “Bad Guys Always Die,” 2015
Photo Credit: HanCinema
Kim Joo-hyuk in “The Truth Beneath,” 2016
Photo Credit: China Christian Daily
Kim Joo-hyuk in “The Truth Beneath,” 2016
Photo Credit: Soompi
Kim Joo-hyuk in “The Truth Beneath,” 2016
Photo Credit: carlosdev.wordpress.com
Park Hae-il in “The Last Princess,” 2016
Photo Credit: MyDramaList
Park Hae-il in “The Last Princess,” 2016
Photo Credit: K-Pop World
Park Hae-il in “The Last Princess,” 2016
Photo Credit: HanCinema
So Ji-sub in “Be With You,” 2018
Photo Credit: Channel Korea
So Ji-sub in “Be With You,” 2018
Photo Credit: Soompi
So Ji-sub in “Be With You,” 2018
Photo Credit: AsianWiki
Hyun Bin in “The Negotiation,” 2018
Photo Credit: Asia Today
Hyun Bin in “The Negotiation,” 2018
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Movies
Hyun Bin in “The Negotiation,” 2018
Photo Credit: Soompi
Banner artwork by Raff Colmenar | Lead photos from VAST Entertainment, Hellokpop, TenAsia Japan, hankyung.com, and MYM Entertainment
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