Tag: Gong Yoo

  • Gong Yoo opens up about battling mental health issues after the success of K-drama ‘Guardian’

    South Korean actor Gong Yoo cemented himself as an international star after his critically acclaimed drama ‘Guardian: The Great and Lonely God’ aired on Netflix in 2016. The quest for an immortal man or ‘Goblin’, to find his bride who might undo his curse was an instant hit.

    At a recent appearance at the South Korean talk show Pinggyego, Gong Yoo revealed that the success of ‘Goblin’ began taking a toll on his mental health.

    “Guardian: The Lonely and the Great God did very well, but I wasn’t happy. I was happy it did well, but apart from that, there was a time when I felt so empty and I couldn’t wake myself up. It’s not that the work was hard or that it went well, I wasn’t able to enjoy spotlight when projects were a success,” the actor confessed.

    The ‘Coffee Prince’ actor further elaborated that it wasn’t easy to open up about the mental health issues he was dealing with, because it would have made other people seem like he wasn’t grateful for the success the show achieved.

    “It feels like I’m not grateful. After going through a hard time like that, the way I look at people around me changed. I felt like I was more nosy in that I didn’t want them to go through the same hurt.”

    ‘Guardian: The Great and Lonely God’ centers around the Goryeo Dynasty military general Kim-Shin (played by Gong Yoo) who is cursed with immortality after he’s killed by the King. He must live on for generations until he finds the Goblin’s bride: a woman who has the power to pull out the sword in his chest to end his immortality. The drama also stars prominent Korean actress Kim Go-eun and Lee Dong-Wook. On it’s release, ‘Goblin’ was declared a cultural phenomenon in Korea and won numerous awards, including Best Actor for Gong Yoo, and Best Writer for script writer Kim Eun-Sook.

  • ‘Goblin’ fans rejoice after Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-Wook reunite for commercial

    ‘Goblin’ fans rejoice after Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-Wook reunite for commercial

    Social media users were over joyed when after seven long years, Korean stars Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-Wook reunited in a commercial for SK Enmove. The duo, who are known to be good friends and have publicly supported each other’s projects, rocked to stardom with their 2016 drama ‘Goblin’, one of the best K-dramas to come out so far. Gong Yoo plays the immortal guardian Kim Shin and Lee plays the Grim Reaper Wang Yeo, who agrees to help him.

    The Korean heart-throbs broke social media a few days ago when they hinted at the collaboration with a polaroid shared on their Instagram accounts.

    We have to agree with fans that after falling in love with ‘Goblin’, this was truly a treat to witness.

  • Beat the weekend blues with some entertaining Korean dramas

    Beat the weekend blues with some entertaining Korean dramas

    The weekend is here and we know you need to divert your attention from politician shenanigans. We get it, your brain is completely drained and you can’t make a decision on what show to watch. You need a change, a good distraction so we’re suggesting Korean dramas.

    Yeah okay, you can’t watch shows with subtitles because its too distracting (but then how did you grow up watching Bollywood because their shows have different accents too, right?) It’s true that many of us are completely taken aback by how quickly and suddenly the Korean wave has gripped the entire world. But most importantly, how did Korean dramas suddenly become every woman’s comfort show?

    I’ve been watching Korean dramas for the past three years and one of the things that drew me in was the gorgeous story telling, and how women in these shows were complex, well written, never shying away from reveling in their internal conflicts and desires to be the way they want to be. Coming from a lifetime of watching Bollywood or local television dramas where dramas written for women involved sexism, violence, or poorly, flat characters ending with happy marriages, changing my comfort watch seemed more like putting my mind at ease. Another thing, people commonly have shared as a token aspect they have come to adore about Korean dramas is how they offer an escape to a reality and culture completely different from their own. Quite commonly since the pandemic began and more people were locked up inside, Korean content offered a sense of ease with its architecture, the food or customs, and even how themes like building your own family offered a sense of relief for millennials bound by patriarchal customs of South Asian countries.

    Give your doubts some ease, and take our advice that yes, there is a good reason why you won’t stop hearing Jung Kook’s ‘Seven’ on the radio. Take it from us and dedicate your Saturday night to one of these five recommendations we’re offering you, based on some of popular tropes loved by social media users.

    If you love high school romances, then watch ‘True Beauty’

    If high-school romances are what you love, then this is the drama you should watch. And also, if you’re completely into watching hot men, then yes Chan Eun-Woo is a good option. It follows an insecure teenager Lim Joo kyung, who was bullied for her looks and decides to change schools, as well as start wearing more makeup. As she navigates learning to be comfortable in her own skin, as well as her budding romance with the school’s resident hot boy Lee Su-hoo, you won’t help but get drawn into the wholesome storytelling, as well as how lovable and endearing Joo kyung is.

    ‘Fake dating but he falls harder for her’? Take ‘Her Private Life’

    Deok Mi has a secret- she’s obsessed with the boyband White Ocean, like she’s obsessed OBSESSED. Watches all their concerts, runs a fan blog dedicated to Cha Si-An, even has posters all over her apartment. But when during a work assignment, she is snapped by paparazzi and mistaken to be Si-An’s girlfriend, quickly turns her into a target for hyper fan girls and makes her life even harder. When her boss, the uptight, stingy Ryan Gold steps into pretend to be her boyfriend to dispel the rumors, they agree to date until the rumors die down and everyone is convinced Si-An is taken. Ryan even has someone else, nothing will happen right…right?

    Friends to lovers will make you wail, but not the way ‘Romance Is A Bonus Book’ will.

    The worst day of Cha Eun-Ho’s life was when the longtime love of his life, and childhood best friend Dan-I married her high school sweetheart, completely sealing his heart to the possibility that anyone would suit him as he ascends the world of publishing. But the ground completely crumbles under his feet when he finds out that five years later after they cut off contact, Dan-I is homeless after her husband abandoned her and their daughter to make a new family. The two decide to live together, much to Eun-Ho’s dismay, as Dan-I takes on a job as an intern and obscures her CV to pretend she is a college dropout, not a marketing professional with years of experience. But as much as the two try to remain friends to keep their plot going, Eun-Ho realises he isn’t over Dan-i, and neither is she over him.

    Enemies to lovers is *chef’s kiss*? ‘Shooting Stars’ will make you wish you had someone

    Oh Han-Byul is the cranky, over-worked PR manager working for a leading celebrity agency, where she is directly responsible for handling Korea’s top celebrity, Gong Tae-Sun. His endless requests and hectic fanbase is the reason why Han Byul has a depleting dating life, no social skills, and a lifelong agenda to be the one to put Tae Sung in his grave. But as a scandal emerges which puts their relationship in a different light the two realised they are both heading towards a path that would be difficult to turn back from.

    He’s a human, she’s an immortal being? ‘Legend of the blue sea’ is definitely for you

    Forbidden love between an immortal being and a mortal will clench your heart, but this korean drama will become the reason why you cancel the last part of your social life. Heo Jung-Jae is a con-artist, a way to support himself after cutting off his father and supporting himself. He tricks billionaires into handing them their valuable assets to him, and escapes without a trace. But during a vacation to Spain, his accidental encounter with the mermaid Shim Cheong forces him to confide into his past life as a Joseon emperor who made the fatal mistake to fall in love with a mermaid and brought about his doom.

  • Gong Yoo, Lee Min-Ho named among ‘world’s most favourite Korean actors’ list

    Gong Yoo, Lee Min-Ho named among ‘world’s most favourite Korean actors’ list

    A survey conducted by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE) ran a survey to determine the most popular Korean entertainers, with 25,000 participants of ages 15 to 59 from 26 different countries taking part in it.

    According to Next Shark, the results showed that actors Lee Min-Ho and Gong Yoo were the top five most popular Korean actors globally.

    Gong Yoo rose to international fame with romantic comedy ‘Coffee Prince’ in 2007, in which he played a playboy bachelor who falls in love with a boy who is actually a girl.

    Lee Min-Ho rose to fame for his dramas ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’, ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ and ‘Pachinko’ which released in 2022.

    Another actor included in the top five list was Song Hye-Kyo, whose Netflix drama ‘The Glory’ is currently among the top ten most popular dramas worldwide, and had also received praises for her other dramas like ‘Descendants of the Sun’ and ‘Encounter’.

    Among the most popular musical groups, it was BTS and ‘Black Pink’ that were the most common answers, according to the survey.

    The all-girl Kpop band Black Pink was recently named by Time Magazine as the “Entertainer Of The Year”

    Among the most popular musical groups, it was BTS and ‘Black Pink’ that were the most common answers, according to the survey.

    The all-girl Kpop band Black Pink was recently named by Time Magazine as the “Entertainer Of The Year”

    Among the most popular Korean dramas, the most popular answer was the thriller series ‘Squid Games’ which was about contestants competing in a dangerous game to win a large cash prize.