You may know a lot of facts about Son Ye Jin's impressive career: she debuted at age 18 in Secret Tears; got her big break in Chi-hwa-seonwon, which won an award at the Cannes Festival; played the lead in a string of high-profile dramas; won more than a dozen awards and gained international recognition from the Asian Film Awards.
Most recently, Son Ye Jin joined Crash Landing On You co-star Hyun Bin as the new ambassador for a local telecommunication company in the Philippines. The chic 38-year-old actress surprised everyone last July when she shared a clip of her riding a motorcycle in a setting that seems similar to previously-released ads starring Hyun Bin. This fuelled speculations that she'll be reuniting with Hyun Bin for a mini love story in a series of commercials. While there's no confirmation on that yet, let's take a closer look at the actress as we wait.
Son Ye Jin's career is an open book. She's always shared tidbits of her projects here and there on her social media. But as fans, we know you wanna get to know her beyond her life as an actress. Say no more! Here are some fun facts about Son Ye Jin that will make you love her more.
She donated millions for Daegu's COVID-19 response
A scenery in Daegu. (Photo from: Morvanic Lee via Unsplash)
As a Daegu-born celebrity, Son Ye Jin was one of the local stars who donated to the locale's COVID-19 efforts. It's reported that she donated 100 million won to the Community Chest of Korea. You may recall that Daegu was the hardest-hit region in South Korea during the early months of the pandemic after Patient 31 became a super spreader.
She's a licensed fitness instructor
It looks like we've already unlocked the secret behind Son Ye Jin's youthful look and lean physique — regular exercise. In an episode of Master in the House, a show where the cast goes to experts to learn new experiences (kind of like The Try Guys), Son Ye Jin teaches Lee Seung-gi, Yook Sung Jae, Lee Sang Yoon, and Yang Se Hyung some suspension training exercises (TRX) and Pilates moves. She reveals that she has been going to the same gym for over a decade (talk about commitment!) and that she has had a teaching license for 10 years now. How awesome is she?
She's good friends with Girls Generation's Yoona
Friendship knows no age, indeed. Even with an 8-year gap, Son Ye Jin struck a loving friendship with Yoona. It's not shared how the two formed their current relationship, but we can see that they were regularly hanging out pre-pandemic together with Lee Jung Hyun, Uhm Ji Won, Song Yoon Ah, and Oh Yoon Ah. Son Ye Jin says the nickname for their group of friends "Cinderella Group" was coined because they usually wrap up their hang-outs before midnight. She said on MBC's Section TV, "We cook, we talk, and we play board games. Now that we’re ageing, we can’t even drink past midnight because we get tired. We never hang out past midnight. It’s like we are kids all over again."
She's a true jet setter
You'd think that a busy bee like Son Ye Jin won't have much time for travelling leisurely, but it's actually the opposite. Like her character in Crash Landing On You, she also goes to many places (she even visited Palawan, according to When In Manila). "Travelling takes up about half my life, so it's very meaningful to me," she said in an interview with The Swoon, and added that places where no one knows her makes her feel "much freer".
She was once a film student
Before her rise to fame, Son Ye Jin was just another film major at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, which boasts celebrity alumni like Park Seo Joon and Jo Jung Suk. She shared in an interview that back then she would choose to eat her favourite food (ddeokbokki or rice cakes) over studying. Well, she did go on to become one of South Korea's most renowned actresses so those ddeokbokki actually paid off.
Which of these fun facts about Son Ye Jin surprised you the most?
(Cover photo from: @yejinhand)
Next, learn how you can steal her character's style in Crash Landing On You here.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].
Related Articles
