The 40th birthday of one of the most sought-after South Korean actresses, Song Hye Kyo, is knocking at the door while she has made her comeback with a new romantic-drama TV series titled, ‘Now, We Are Breaking Up’ with actor Jang Ki Yong, who was last seen in ‘My Roommate is a Gumiho’. The last time she was seen on-screen, was in 2018 in a business-oriented romance life drama titled, ‘Encounter’ after which the actress went on a break to deal with her divorce from her former co-star from ‘Descendants of the Sun,’ Song Joong-ki.
Ever since the teaser of her upcoming K-drama has been dropped, the chemistry of the leads has become the talk of the town. The recently released stills from the show have created a stir on Twitter, big enough to get it on the trending topic. Well, we’ll have to admit— Song Hye-Kyo has been ageing like a fine wine. In her career of over two decades, she has delivered multiple movies and dramas, portraying various characters. Let’s welcome her comeback on the silver screen with a list of the top ten movies and TV series starring Song Hye Kyo.
10. Hotelier (2001)
Screenwriter: Kang Eun Kyung
Director: Jang Yong Woo
Starring: Song Yoon Ah, Kim Seung Woo, Bae Yong Joon, Song Hye Kyo, Park Jung Chul, Choi Hwa Jung
Total Number of Episodes: 20
Where to Watch: Prime Video
The story revolves around an open-minded and cheerful woman named Jin Young, working at the Seoul Hotel. She was in a relationship with her former colleague, Tae Joon, who went abroad three years ago, after getting involved in an accident with a guest. However, the owner of the hotel admired Tae Joon more than his own son, Young Jae. Therefore after his death in order to help run the hotel, the late owner’s wife asks Jin Young to go to Las Vegas and bring him on his way back, being very aware of how the hotel has been falling into pieces.
The rival party led by Kim Book Man asks a popular M&A manager named Frank to help him acquire the Seoul Hotel. However, he stands between the horns of a dilemma after he starts to develop feelings for Jin Young. Song Hye Kyo plays one of the main characters of the series, Kim Yun Hee.
9. My Girl and I (2005 Movie)
Director: Jeon Yoon Soo
Screenwriter: Hwang Sung Goo, Jeon Yoon Soo, Jang Moon Il
Starring: Song Hye Kyo, Cha Tae Hyun, Kim Yoon Seok, Moon Jung Hee, Kim Hae Sook, Song Yool Kyu
Where to Watch: Prime Video
If you are into tragic rom-com Korean movies, you should definitely watch Song Hye Kyo’s ‘My Girl and I’. A fairy-tale and fate-oriented movie with breathtaking cinematography, it is a reminder that we must value time well, no matter how young we are. The story follows a beautiful and popular girl named Su Eun and a simple teenager named Su Ho, who falls in love with each other and start dating. However, their teenage love falls a victim to a lot of jealousy from other students, creating trouble for them. Thankfully, Su Ho and Su Eun never let anything come in their splendid and eternal love story until one day, when Su Ho discovers a tragic thing about his love of life. The movie delivers us a sweet love story while making us face the bitter reality.
8. My Palpitating Life (2014 Movie)
Director: Lee Jae Yong
Screenwriter: Choi Min Suk, Oh Hyo Jin, Lee Jae Yong
Starring: Song Hye Kyo, Kang Dong Won, Jo Sung Mok, Baek Il Sub, Heo Jun Seok, Kim So Jin
Where to Watch: Viki
Adapted from a novel by Kim Ae Ran, ‘My Palpitating Life’ is an incredible, heartwarming and touching movie about a 17-year-old teenager who is suffering from a rare genetic disorder since birth and is going to die soon. He was born to young parents, aged seventeen, and in order to thank them for their unconditional love, he prepares a gift for them, while reminiscing how their story started, and how he came to terms with his destiny. As the plot sounds, the movie is equally sentimental and sad. However, it is still a beautiful and refreshing movie about family and friendship.
7. Guardian Angel (2001)
Screenwriter: Lee Hee Myung
Starring: Song Hye Kyo, Kim Min Jong, Yoon Da Hoon, Kim Min, Kim Bo Sung, Park Eun Bin
Total Number of Episodes: 16
‘Guardian Angel’ is a romantic comedy, revolving around an orphan named Jung Da-so, who adopts the newborn baby of her deceased friend, in order to provide the child with the love of a mother and family, which she herself never received. On the other hand, Ha Tae-woong has been raised by his uncle after the death of his mother and never got to meet his father. Da-so and Tae-woong come across each other as employees of Woori Company, owned by Tae-woong’s father. They somehow get involved with Ho Ji-soo and Kang Sae-hyun, allowing Da-so to experience both the good and bad nature of humans.
6. A Reason To Live (2011 Movie)
Screenwriter & Director: Lee Jeong Hyang
Starring: Song Hye Kyo, Nam Ji Hyun, Ki Tae Young, Song Chang Eui, Jin Kyung, Jung Ah Mi
An unusual movie based on life lessons, ‘A Reason To Live’ follows the death of Da Hye’s fiancé by a 15-year-old boy in a hit-and-run accident. However, being a catholic Christain, she forgives him and signs a petition to be left unpunished. A year later, as she is making a documentary for the abolition of the death penalty, she goes to interview the family members of the victims murdered by criminals. While doing so, she starts having doubts as to whether she should have shown mercy to the teenage boy. Burdened by her doubts, she decides to look for the boy and see how far he has come.
Read: Top 31 Korean Youth Dramas To Watch To Reminisce Your High-School Days
5. Full House (2004)
Director: Pyo Min Soo, Park Chan Yool
Starring: Rain, Song Hye Kyo, Kim Sung Soo, Han Da Gam, Kang Do Han, Lee Young Eun
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Where to Watch: We TV, Netflix, KBS World
‘Full House’ has been remade into various Asian countries and some of them indeed exceed the expectations but nothing compares to the original Korean version of the series. The story is about an aspiring scriptwriter named Han Ji Eun who lives in her late father’s house called ‘Full House’. One day, her best friends trick her into going on a so-called free vacation while they sell her house. She comes across a famous actor named Lee Young Jae on her plane trip but they don’t start well owing to their poles-apart personalities. They keep getting involved with each other while Ji Eun is on her vacation, through humourous events and finally when she arrives back, she comes to know that her house has already been sold. Moreover, the person to buy her house is no other than Lee Young Jae.
After a series of incidents, the two agree to live in the same house, while Ji Eun works there as a maid, trying to get her house back. However, when Young Jae decides to win his first love, Kang Hye Won, by making her jealous, he asks Han Ji Eun to come into a contract marriage with him for a period of six months. However, they begin to develop feelings for each other during the process, but getting together isn’t very easy.
4. Encounter (2018)
Screenwriter: Yoo Young Ah
Director: Park Shin Woo, Kwon Hyuk Chan
Starring: Song Hye Kyo, Park Bo Gum, Jang Seung Jo, Ko Chang Seok, Shin Jung Keun, Nam Ki Ae
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Where to Watch: Netflix, Viki
‘Encounter’ is an underrated romantic drama that follows the story of a mature woman, Cha Soo Hyun and a kind and innocent younger man named Kim Jin Hyuk. Soo Hyun is the daughter of a famous politician, who was married off to the son of a wealthy conglomerate for diplomatic reasons. When living in a loveless marriage becomes a burden to her, she gets divorced.
On the other hand, Kim Jin Hyuk enjoys his life to the fullest, working several part-time jobs to support himself but is looking for a stable job. He decides to go on a solo trip to a foreign country, where he meets Cha Soo Hyun. Surprisingly, meeting Jin Hyuk becomes the best thing that ever happened to her as he teaches her to find joy and happiness in small things of life.
3. That Winter, The Wind Blows (2013)
Screenwriter: Noh Hee Kyung
Director: Kim Kyu Tae
Starring: Jo In Sung, Song Hye Kyo, Kim Bum, Jung Eun Ji, Kim Tae Woo, Kim Young Hoon
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Where to Watch: Netflix, Viki
One of the best melodramas ever, ‘That Winter, The Wind Blows’ is about two people living in very different but scary worlds, both of them being broken. Ever since his birth, Oh Soo has remained unfortunate. After his mother abandons him as a child, he grows up to become a notorious gambler of his neighbourhood and shuts off his emotions when his first love dies. Another tragic event, the sudden death of his friend, with whom he shares his name, unexpectedly makes him a prisoner.
After a year, a lawyer named Jang Sung arrives to meet the deceased Oh Soo, who was the heir of PL Group. Knowing that he just has three months to pay his debt or die, he grabs the opportunity to trick the other heir of the PL Group, Oh Young into paying off his debt. While he pretends to be the late Oh Soo, the brother who had been separated from his sister following the divorce of his parents, he begins to fall for the blind Oh Young.
2. Autumn in My Heart (2000)
Director: Yoon Seok Ho
Screenwriter: Oh Soo Yun
Starring: Song Hye Kyo, Moon Geun Young, Song Seung Heon, Choi Woo Hyeok, Won Bin, Han Na Na
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Where to Watch: We TV
Let me warn you in advance, you are gonna need a box of tissues while you sit to watch this heart-wrenching series of Song Hye Kyo. The story follows Yoon Eun Suh and Yoon Joon Suh, who has grown up as siblings in a loving and comfortable environment. However, one day a car accident changes everything. Eun Suh gets involved in the accident where she loses a lot of blood. When her blood type doesn’t match with that of her parents, the Yoon family comes to know that their child was swapped in the hospital, as soon as she was born. After this, the two girls, Eun Suh and Shin-ae are returned to their own families where Eun Suh suffers a hard time getting adjusted to living in sordid conditions.
The Yoon family moves abroad soon and returns many years later. The two girls come across each other again in a hotel where Eun-suh is a poor worker while Shin-ae is the manager. Yoon Eun Suh, who is now engaged, discovers that his friend’s girlfriend is none other than his former sister. The reunion marks the beginning of a sad love story with twisted relationships.
1. Descendants of the Sun (2016)
Screenwriter: Kim Won Seok, Kim Eun Sook
Director: Lee Eung Bok, Baek Sang Hoon
Starring: Song Joong Ki, Song Hye Kyo, Jin Goo, Kim Ji Won, Lee Seung Jun, Seo Jung Yeon
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Where to Watch: Netflix, Viki, We TV, Hulu
To date, ‘Descendants of the Sun’ remains the most loved K-drama starring Song Hye Kyo which has made her a known face in the entertainment industry, internationally. The story revolves around two individuals serving the country in different ways— a skilled and hardworking surgeon, Kang Mo Yeon and a special forces officer, Yoo Shi Jin. Kang Mo Yeon is a pretty and hard-working woman but is held back from advancing just with her capability, without any connections. When she is approached by the Captain of Alpha Team, Yoo Shi Jin, who puts his country at the priority, she gets attracted to his kind and cool personality.
However, she soon decides to put an end to her feelings for him, realising how difficult it is to fall in love with an army man, who can be needed anywhere and any time of the day by his country. Circumstances force them to meet again, this time, away from the country, where both come to serve people in their own ways. ‘Descendants of the Sun’ navigates through the growth of their bond while being amidst natural disasters and war situations.
Read: Top Ten Most Underrated K-Dramas Of 2021 That You Might Have Missed
