Where are the ‘Boys Over Flowers’ stars now?
"Boys Over Flowers," the Korean drama remake of 'Meteor Garden', was a very successful K-drama that had a huge following among Filipino drama fanatics. It is not a secret that "Boys Over Flowers" was a launching pad for many of its main cast including now-Hallyu stars Lee Min Ho and Kim Hyun Joong. Kim Hyun Joong's recent Manila visit (Hyperlink: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/okpop/kim-hyun-joong-shines-bright-philippine-visit-022116639.html) inspired me to check where the other stars of "Boys Over Flowers" are now. Here's the result of my investigation.
Ku Hye Sun or "Geum Jan Di"
Ku Hye Sun or Goo Hye Sun played the much-loved feisty girl "Geum Jan Di" who won the heart of the wealthy chaebol "Gu Jun Pyo". If there is one girl who fits the tags "beauty and brains" and "overachiever", it is Ku Hye Sun. She is not just an able actress but is also an accomplished singer, composer, pianist, artist, author, and film director. After "Boys Over Flowers", Ku Hye Sun has released an instrumental album entitled "Breath", written a bestseller entitled "Tango", and debuted as a director of the short film "The Madonna". Her latest drama projects include the Taiwanese remake of the much-loved Japanese drama "Absolute Boyfriend" where she plays the lead role of "Lu Xiao Fei." Her upcoming Korean drama projects include "The Musical" and "Fly Again" both for the SBS network.
Lee Min Ho or "Gu Jun Pyo"
Lee Min Ho played the iconic role of "Gu Jun Pyo," the chaebol heir who fell in love with "Geum Jan Di" in "Boys Over Flowers". Lee Min Ho, now considered a Hallyu star, has successfully pushed his drama career forward after "Boys Over Flowers". The actor is currently one of the highest paid actors and product endorsers in Korea. After BOF, Lee Min Ho completed the romance drama "Perfect Match" or "Personal Preference" in 2010. In this drama, Lee Min Ho went against type and played a character falsely mistaken for a gay man. Lee Min Ho is currently enjoying the fruits of the success of his recently concluded action drama "City Hunter" based on the legendary Japanese manga by Tsukasa Hojo. Many of Lee Min Ho's fans were surprised as one of the biggest Korean showbiz stories last month was the confirmed report that the handsome actor is dating (Hyperlink http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/okpop/city-hunter-lee-min-ho-park-min-young-034107350.html) his "City Hunter" co-star Park Min Young ("Sungkyunkwan Scandal"). Lee Min Ho is currently completing yet another endorsement project with Girls Generation's Yoona for a French outdoor apparel brand Eider.
Kim Hyun Joong or "Yoon Ji Hoo"
Kim Hyun Joong, who played the unrequited lover "Yoon Ji Hoo," has also elevated his status from supporting cast to main cast. After "Boys Over Flowers," Kim Hyun Joong has conquered possibly all areas of the entertainment business including acting, singing and modeling. An undisputed Hallyu star, Kim Hyun Joong headlined the drama and Internet sensation "Playful Kiss" in 2010. He also completed two mini-albums with his idol group SS501 entitled "Rebirth" and "Destination". The star recently concluded an Asia-wide promotional tour including a Philippine stop (Hyperlink: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/cokemusicstudio/filipino-k-pop-fans-count-days-kim-hyun-062132596.html) for his first solo album "Break Down" (Hyperlink: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/okpop/kim-hyun-joong-releases-break-down-070904397.html) and as the official spokesperson for Korean beauty brand "The Face Shop". Kim Hyun Joong expressed that his next projects include a new album due for release this October and an Asia-wide concert tour.
Kim Beom or "So Yi Jeong"
The cute actor Kim Beom or Kim Bum portrayed the role of playboy Casanova "So Yi Jeong" in "Boys Over Flowers". The baby-faced actor is also known among Filipino fans as the partner of Maja Salvador in a local RC cola commercial in 2009. Similar to his "Boys Over Flowers" co-stars, Kim Beom was also active in the modeling scene. After "Boys Over Flowers," the actor signed many endorsement deals. He appeared as a model for Andre Kim and was even hailed as the "Korean Ken" in the 2010 Barbie and Ken Awards. Kim Beom also appeared in various fashion magazine spreads for Elle Girl Korea. As an actor, Kim Beom completed a less-than-successful drama entitled "Dream" in 2009. In 2010, he participated as a supporting cast in the "The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry". According to his official Facebook page (which has more than 3.5 million fans, by the way), his next drama project is a Korean drama entitled "Padam Padam".
Kim Joon or "Song Woo Bin"
Kim Joon played the role of gangster's son "Song Woo Bin" in "Boys Over Flowers". Aside from his acting assignment, Kim Joon was also very active in producing the music of "Boys Over Flowers" as part of the Korean boyband "T-Max" which contributed several tracks in the official soundtrack including "Paradise", "Say Yes", "Wish Ur My Love", "Fight the Bad Feeling," and "Bang Bang Boom". After "Boys Over Flowers", Kim Joon was very busy with his music career. He released a solo single entitled "Jun Be O.K." featuring Kim Hyun Joong. Aside from his solo activities, his boyband, T-Max, also completed and released an album entitled "Born To The Max". Kim Joon also started graduate school (Hyperlink: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/okpop/kim-joon-gets-into-graduate-school.html) early this year. Unfortunately for Kim Joon fans, the most recent report of his activities point to his impending military enlistment (Hyperlink: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/blogs/okpop/boys-over-flowers-actor-enlist-army-084958492.html).
