Song Seung heon

• • Song Seung-heon at HanCinema
  • Song Seung-heon at the Korean Movie Database
  • Song Seung-heon at the Internet Movie Database
  Song Seung heon (Korean: 송승헌; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Song is noted for his roles in Korean dramas such as Autumn in My Heart, Summer Scent and East of Eden. True stardom only came to Song in late 2000, however, with the broadcast of the hugely popular TV drama Autumn in My Heart. The series was exported all over Asia, making pan-Asian and Korean wavestars of both him and co-stars Song Hye-kyo and Won Bin. Since then he has been actively recruited for film roles and advertisements in Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian countries.

In 2002, Song starred in the comic-action film Make it Big by director Cho Ui-seok, and also in the Hong Kong film So Close with Hong Kong actresses: Karen Mok, Shu Qi and Zhao Wei. He also starred in Summer Scent with Son Ye-jin, the third "season-themed" Yoon Seok-ho TV drama after Autumn in My Heart and Winter Sonata, which was not as popular as the ones that preceded it. In 2004 Song appeared in two films, but neither was judged to be a success: Ice Rain, shot in the Canadian Rockies, failed to enthuse viewers with its mixture of mountaineering and melodrama, while He Was Cool, based on an internet novel by Guiyeoni, proved unable to compete with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and other films from the 2004 summer season. Meanwhile in late 2004, just as he was getting ready to start shooting another high profile TV drama Sad Love Story, it was revealed that the actor had illegally avoided his compulsory military service by submitting tainted urine samples that suggested he was suffering from certain illnesses and was thus unfit for the army. Amidst the press coverage and scandal this aroused, Song agreed to immediately serve his two-year term in the military.  Song was discharged on November 15, 2006 with the rank of Corporal, to much fanfare and media attention.  For a time he kept a low profile, trying to gauge public opinion on his return to the entertainment world.  For his comeback, Song took on a tough image, playing aggressive and masculine roles in the 2008 drama East of Eden,  the 2008 film Fate,  and the 2010 remake A Better Tomorrow. His popularity in Japan continued, and in 2010 he starred in Ghost remake Ghost: In Your Arms Again with Matsushima Nanako. In 2011 Song returned to television in My Princess opposite Kim Tae-hee, his first romantic comedy, which has been translated into 39 different languages at the video streaming website Viki.  He considers the series a turning point in his career, saying, "Previously, I took on characters living a life full of ups and downs. For me, Hae-young was the first character that was so rich, bright and cheerful. I felt much lighter while acting the character."  His 30-minute short film Lucid Dreaming, helmed by director Chang of 2008 feature Death Bell, was shot particularly for his fans in China and Japan and released on DVD in early 2012.