There is a saying that all popular Korean actors are "good singers". In Korea, Yoon Sang-Hyun is also one of those stars, with his daily TV drama [My Wife Is Superwoman], that made a big hit, breaking records of over 30% viewership ratings.
Hailed as the "Kimura Takuya of Korea" because of his looks, Yoon Sang-Hyun, who was also an aspiring singer from the start, sang the song [Never Ending Story] in the same drama, charming viewers with his impressive vocal talent. On the day it was released in Korea, it became the number one topic on various music charts.
Following that, in March this year, he made his long-desired debut as a singer in Japan with the cover of Yasushi Nakanishi's song [最後の雨] (t/n: Saigo no Ame/LAST RAIN). He also released his second single [誓い] (t/n: Chikai/Oath) recently, gaining further momentum as a singer. Besides Sang-Hyun, a lot of actors sing OSTs for dramas, sing songs that they are proud of to the fans that attend fansign events in Japan, and it seems like being good at singing is becoming one of the prerequisites to become a popular actor.
Also, as opposed to "actors who are good at singing" like Sang-Hyun, the Korean entertainment industry is growing such that there is an increase in "singers who can act". Recently, KPOP artists have been advancing in Japan in succession and there have been many singers who pursue their acting careers concurrently with their singing careers. Tohoshinki's Jejung acted in the Japanese drama 「素直になれなくて」 (t/n: Sunao ni narenakute/Hard to say I love you) (Fuji TV) and the drama [No Limit～地面にヘディング～] (t/n: No Limit~Jimen ni hedingu~/No Limit~Heading to the ground), in which Yunho starred as the lead actor, achieved #1 on the Oricon DVD Ranking for dramas.
BIGBANG's T.O.P was also selected as the main cast for the drama [IRIS] (TBS) and the movie [Into the fire], which is currently airing. Also, from FTIsland, who made their major debut in Japan in May, Lee Hongki's [You're Beautiful], SS501's Kim Hyunjoong's [花より男子～Boys Over Flowers] (t/n: Hana yori dango); from SNSD, who will make their Japanese debut in August, Yoona's [You're My Destiny] and [Cinderella Man]; all of these became hits.
They can sing, dance and even act. The advancement of such talented Korean stars is unstoppable.
Source: [Movie Walker]
Translation credits: mandasoh@tohosomnia.net
Shared by: tohosomnia.net
