Sixteen years ago, the film Song Hwa Diem made a significant impact. This work has received numerous prestigious awards in the South Korean film industry, including the Golden Globe, Baeksang, and Blue Dragon Awards. However, alongside its achievements, the film has also faced considerable criticism.
Song Hwa Diem: A bombshell about the love story and profound emotions
The plot of Song Hwa Diem revolves around three central characters: King Gong Min, Queen No Guk, and Hong Rim, the head of the royal secret police. Gong Min is a king who is embroiled in a political quagmire. However, Gong Min harbors a deep secret that no one can know, which is that he has given his whole heart to Hong Rim.
“Song Hwa Diem” is an 18+ film that has gained notoriety in the Korean film industry.
Gong Min also has his own queen. However, he does not love her. The fact that the king and queen have no children puts immense pressure on Gong Min from the royal court. Eventually, Gong Min makes a fateful decision that leads to tragic consequences for all three characters: to allow Hong Rim and No Guk to be together.
Meanwhile, Queen No Guk feels lonely and craves love more than ever. After meeting Hong Rim, she quickly becomes entangled in a web of deep emotions. Conversely, Hong Rim also falls into this spiral. However, his feelings are torn between his loyalty to the king and his love for the queen.
In “Song Hwa Diem”, King Gong Min has feelings for his own secret agent.
As the relationship between No Guk and Hong Rim develops, jealousy begins to boil within Gong Min. Eventually, Gong Min orders Hong Rim to leave the palace. No Guk realizes that Gong Min will kill anyone who knows about their relationship, so she must inform the royal guards of Hong Rim’s whereabouts to save him.
Gong Min, in despair, pursues Hong Rim, leading to a tense confrontation where he nearly kills Hong Rim. At that moment, upon hearing Hong Rim say he has never loved him, Gong Min falters and hesitates to commit the act. Hong Rim then vanishes from the scene. Meanwhile, No Guk witnesses this dramatic event unfold.
“Song Hwa Diem” discusses the love story with deep emotions. The film brings intense emotional experiences to the audience.
Song Hwa Diem features a star-studded cast that stands out. Let’s see how the main actors of the film have evolved after 16 years.
Song Ji Hyo reveals she filmed hot scenes 40 times, currently no longer in the spotlight
In Song Hwa Diem, Song Ji Hyo plays Queen No Guk. To embody this role authentically, Song Ji Hyo did not shy away from “daring” scenes, ensuring that the filming conveyed strong emotions to the audience. However, she has received negative feedback from viewers. Given her experience in taking on roles in 18+ films, the actress has tried to maintain her image.
Song Ji Hyo ready to “dare” to complete her role in “Song Hwa Diem”.
However, Song Ji Hyo does not regret this. She shared her dedication to the film:
“For nine months, I devoted myself to this role. To film the hot scenes, I had to act about 40 times. When I agreed to participate in this project, I didn’t think about how much I would be exposed. For me, the essence of these hot scenes is to help the audience better understand the character’s emotional development. Along with the portrayal of thrilling scenes, I always strive to convey emotions through my expressions. Those hot scenes were not created merely to make the film hotter.”
Song Ji Hyo in the film “The Chef’s Table”.
After Song Hwa Diem, Song Ji Hyo continues to work actively in various fields, including voice acting and film production. She has appeared in major blockbuster films such as When the Rain Falls and My Love Eun Dong. However, in recent years, she has not maintained her former prominence.
The upcoming film project Meeting House featuring Song Ji Hyo has not received much attention. Before this project, her last major appearance on the big screen was in 2020. After the release of The Chef’s Table in 2021, she has not had any notable projects. The only role she has taken on in the past three years was a guest role in Star Bang.
Joo Jin Mo faces career decline due to scandal
In Song Hwa Diem, Joo Jin Mo plays King Gong Min. This role has earned him the Best Actor award at the prestigious Baeksang Awards.
Joo Jin Mo at the Baeksang Awards for his role as Gong Min in “Song Hwa Diem”.
Joo Jin Mo is a familiar face to fans of Korean films, especially Vietnamese viewers, through his works like Queen Ki and Eun Dong, My Love. However, after the scandal in 2019, when rumors about his personal life surfaced, his image has suffered greatly.
The news of Joo Jin Mo’s phone hacking scandal brought significant attention, but his acting career has also faced a serious downturn. Since the film War of the Stars in collaboration with Han Ye Seul, he has not appeared in any new projects.
Jo In Sung makes a comeback in the film industry
In contrast to the challenges faced by his peers, Jo In Sung has made impressive returns in 2023. He appeared in the global blockbuster Moving.
Jo In Sung and Han Hyo Joo lead the cast in the film “Moving”.
In the film, Jo In Sung plays Kim Doo Shik, a special agent with extraordinary flying abilities. He is the partner of Lee Mi Hyun (Han Hyo Joo). The two share a son, who is a talented and kind boy, Kim Bong Seok (Lee Jung Ha). In the broader context, he is one of the main actors in the hit film Those Who Weep, which achieved impressive box office sales of nearly $37.8 million in the summer of 2023.
Jo In Sung in a scene from the film “Those Who Weep”.
In addition to the two films mentioned above, Jo In Sung is also set to star in the film Hope. Besides Jo In Sung, this project features contributions from Hwang Jung Min, Jung Ho Yeon, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender. Hope is expected to be released in late 2024.
