Lee Jun Ki

Infobox actor
name = Lee Jun Ki


imagesize =
caption = Jun Ki in 2007
birthdate = birth date and age|1982|4|17
occupation = actor, model
location = Busan, South Korea
height = 178cm
othername =
yearsactive = 2001-present
spouse =
partner =
homepage = http://www.leejunki.com/ Lee JunKi's Official Page] ko icon
notable roles = Gong-gil in "The King and the Clown"
Seo Jung Woo in " My Girl"
Go Seung-suk in "Fly, Daddy, Fly"
Min in "Virgin Snow
Lee Su Hyun in "Time of the Dog and Wolf"

Lee Jun Ki (Hangul: 이준기, Hanja: 李準基, born April 17 1982, in Busan, South Korea) is a male South Korean actor and model. He rose to fame as Gong-gil in "The King and the Clown". He has a mother, father, and one younger sister. He graduated from the Seoul Arts College with a major in Acting, and is a 1st degree in both Hapkido and Taekyon, and 3rd degree in Taekwondo. Besides Korean, Lee also speaks some Japanese and English. As of 2007, Lee is one of the top screen stars in South Korea.

Career

Modeling

Lee Jun Ki started out as a model and held minor roles in Korean dramas. In 2001, he first appeared in the television commercial for the "So Basic" fashion label.

Acting

His first drama appearance was as a dissatisfied teenager in the KBS drama "What should I do?" He later appeared with a minor role in "Star's Echo", a drama by MBC and Fuji TV in 2004.

In 2005, his first major acting role came in "The King and the Clown" (왕의 남자), in which he took on the role of a feminine entertainer in the late 15th century forced to satisfy King Yeonsan's sexual and emotional cravings. The film became one of the highest grossing South Korean-made movies in South Korea, unexpectedly replacing "Taegukgi" as the most-watched film in Korean history with over 12.3 million viewers, despite the low amount Lee was paid of just over $100,000 for the role.The poor fee was largely due to the contract that was signed by Lee before he rose to stardom with the role of Gong-gil from 'The King and the Clown'. [Kim, Hyun. [http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060919/670000000020060919103228E4.html S. Korea faces tough decision to pick its choice for foreign film Oscar] , "Yonhap News", 2006/09/19. Retrieved February 7, 2007.] [ [http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200607/200607270009.html King and Clown Star Works Hard for Little Pay] . "The Chosun Ilbo" (English edition), 2006-07-27. Retrieved on February 7, 2007.] Lee was against the halving of screen quotas in South Korea that allows foreign films to be shown in theaters on certain days, while domestic films are alloted another amount of days. He believed that without the screen quotas, "The King and the Clown" would not have been as successful in competing against foreign films. [Kim, Sung-jin. [http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200601/kt2006012617102010440.htm Korea to Halve Screen Quota] "The Korea Times", 2006-01-26. Retrieved February 7, 2007.] [ [http://www.dongailbo.co.kr/fbin/output?f=jr_&n=200602120089 이준기 '스크린쿼터 축소반대' 1인 시위에 1000여명 몰려] "Dongailbo", 2006-02-12. Retrieved February 7, 2007.] He earned many Best Male New Comer awards for his role as Gong-gil in "The King and the Clown" in 2006. His next role was as the supporting character on the Korean drama SBS's "My Girl" together with Miss Korea, Park Si Yeon, Lee Da Hae, and Lee Dong Wook. His movie, "Fly, Daddy, Fly" garnered much attention and media coverage due to Lee's overwhelming popularity. [ [http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=5&key=2006092614 Chinese Netizens: KBS among Top 10 Firms] . "KBS Global" (English edition), 2006-09-26. Retrieved on February 7, 2007.]

Lee's popularity overseas is also noted, where in the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival, he was recognized as a top star. [ [http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200610/200610260001.html Lee Jun-ki: Proof that the K-Wave Rolls On] . "The Chosun Ilbo" (English edition), 2006-10-26. Retrieved on February 7, 2007.] In China, Lee was the only Korean among 300 Asian stars invited to attend a Chinese television show that celebrated the Chinese New Year [ [http://english.kbs.co.kr/mcontents/entertainment/1438031_11692.html Actor Lee Jun-ki to Appear on Special Chinese TV Show] . "KBS Global" (English edition), 2007-01-31. Retrieved on February 7, 2007.] . During the Shanghai International Film Festival, Lee was approached by acclaimed Chinese director Chen Kaige, who proposed that the two should make a film together in China, to which Lee responded, "I'd love to make the movie if the script is good and the character is right." [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title= Lee Jun-ki Approached to Star in Chinese Movie| date= | publisher= | url = http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200706/200706200006.html| work= Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition): Daily News In English About Korea| pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-05 | language = English]

In 2007, Lee film a joint Korea-Japan movie entitled "Virgin Snow" with Japanese actress Aoi Miyazaki, in which he plays a Korean exchange student. [ [http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1416561_11858.html Lee Jun-ki Appears in Korea-Japan Joint Film] . "KBS Global" (English edition), 2006-09-22. Retrieved on February 7, 2007.] He was later able to hold his first meeting with his Japanese fans on March 10, 2007 in Osaka, Japan. The next day he spoke about his acting career during a talk show that was recorded at the Swiss Hotel in Osaka later. [ [http://english.kbs.co.kr/entertainment/news/1443033_11858.html Lee Jun-ki's New Movie to Open in Korea, Japan] . "KBS Global" (English edition). Retrieved on February 7, 2007.] "Virgin Snow" prove to be a success and placed 9th at the box office [ [http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/entertainment/enter_chart_detail.htm?No=5675 Lee Jun-ki’s Film Places 9th at the Japanese Box Office] . "KBS Global" (English edition), 2007-05-17. Retrieved on August 13, 2007.] , setting a record for a Korean film released in Japan. He also starred in an action drama Time Between Dog And Wolf, his first drama ever as the lead role. Ratings took off at a relatively high 20% (approximately); however, they waned as the drama concluded.

At the 27th Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) has announced that Lee will be this year’s recipient of its Rising Star award. The award acknowledges the actor’s work, media image, and growing star-power in the global arena. The festival, which runs through October 18 – 28, will present the award at “An Evening with Lee Jun-ki” on Friday, October 19 along with a screening of the US premiere of one of his latest films. He also had a role in Korea’s summer blockbuster [http://www.rememberu518.co.kr/index.asp "May 18"] , about the events surrounding the Gwangju Massacre of 1980. The film will also screen at HIFF and has been nominated for the festival’s top award, the Golden Orchid for Best Feature of 2007. The film covers one of the most tragic events in Korean history; the repressive regime of General Chun Doo-hwan resulted in a civilian uprising in the city of Gwangju, which was subsequently crushed by government troops entering the city and firing into crowds of demonstrators. The film has sold over seven million tickets at the local box office. [ [http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/ Korean Film] ]

Recently he joined Hong Kong EEG, making he entry into the Chinese market. He will be acting with Nicholas Tse as well as Charlene Choi, in what is rumored to be a modern adaptation of "The Butterfly Lovers". Cast and movie is not yet confirmed.

From April to July 2008, Lee underwent filming for his TV series 'Iljimae', a period drama in which he starred as a Robin Hood-esque character during the Chosun era. [ [http://www.asianpopcorn.com/default.asp?display=Lee_Jun_ki_s_Image_in_Iljimae_Revealed-2902 Lee Jun-ki's Image in 'Iljimae' Revealed- AsianPopcorn, Asian Movie News, Videos, Bios ] ] Its first episode was started on the 21st of May with 15.4 program rating. From then its program rating was increased and finally Ilgimae was finished on the 24th of July with 31.4 program rating.

inging

A poll by Music website [http://www.jukeon.com Jukeon] asked "Who will be the most popular if they release an album?" Lee ended up being in first place with 66% of the votes [http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=206216] . He released a mini album which contains three songs that he wrote for his fan meetings. The songs are:
* "One Word"
* "I Don't Know How to Love"
* "Foolish Love"

Filmography

Movies

* 2004: [http://hotelvenus.net/ "Hotel Venus"] (Japan production)
* 2004: "Flying Boys"
* 2005: "The King and the Clown"
* 2006: "Fly, Daddy, Fly"
* 2007: "May 18"
* 2007: "Virgin Snow" (Korea/Japan Co-production)

Television dramas

* 2003: [http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/ent/nonstop4/index.html "Nonstop 4"] "guest appearance" - MBC
* 2004: [http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/star/ "Star's Echo"] - [http://www.imbc.com/ "MBC"] , [http://www.fujitv.co.jp "Fuji TV"]
* 2004: [http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/dramacity/view/1333845_1355.html "Drama City", Ep.234 "What Should I Do?"] - [http://www.kbs.co.kr "KBS"]
* 2005: [http://tv.sbs.co.kr/mygirl/ "My Girl"] - [http://www.sbs.co.kr/ SBS]
* 2006: [http://tv.sbs.co.kr/101/ "101 Proposal"] "cameo" - SBS
* 2007: [http://imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/dog/ "Time Between Dog And Wolf"] - MBC
* 2008: [http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Iljimae "] Iljimae" - SBS

Music videos

* Clazziquai: "Sweety"
* Kang Sung Hoon: "Precious Story"
* Lee Soo Young: "Grace" (Grace I & II)
* Lee Soo Young: "Secret" (Part III of the trilogy from Grace I & Grace II)
* Lee Hyori: "Anystar"
* Eun Ji Won: "Drunk"

TV Commercials/Advertisements

* MacDonald (Shake Shake Fries)
* Pepsi
* Longliqi Shampoo
* [https://www.spris.com/index.asp "Spris"]
* Samsung Anycall Fx (series)
* Samsung Anycall
* Giordano
* Vonin (Men's Cosmetics)
* Pomegranate
* Lacvert Cosmetics
* I-Audio
* KFC Go-go
* Su An Su (수앤수)
* Kleenex
* Chungkang College of Cultural Industries
* So-Basic

Awards

See also

*List of Korea-related topics
*List of Korean television shows
*List of Koreans
*Korean drama

References

External links

* [http://www.leejunki.com/ Lee JunKi's Official Page] ko icon
* [http://www.cyworld.co.kr/start006/ Lee JunKi's Personal Cyworld] ko icon
*imdb name|id=1763620|name=Lee JunKi en icon