So Ji-sub (Korean: 소지섭; born November 4, 1977) is a South Korean actor. After making his entertainment debut as a jeans model, he became known for his lead roles in television dramas and films. So has also released several hip hop EPs.
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Early life
So Ji-sub was born on November 4, 1977, in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Incheon when he was in his third year of elementary school. Self-described as introverted and insecure in his childhood and teenage years, So trained to become a professional swimmer for eleven years and got the bronze medal at the Korean National Games. His parents divorced when he was young. He has one older sister who lives in Australia.
He tried out modeling simply because he wanted to pose alongside hip-hop artist Kim Sung-jae, who was the celebrity face for a clothing brand at the time. "I was never really interested in becoming a celebrity," So said. "My life was all about swimming and hip-hop music. I did modeling because I wanted to see Kim and also because it was the best way to earn good easy money."
Career
Acting
So was chosen as a model for jeans brand 292513=STORM in 1995, then made his acting debut in the sitcom Three Guys and Three Girls and the television drama Model. But whereas fellow 292513=STORM model Song Seung-heon quickly rose to stardom, So had difficulty raising his profile. He appeared in small roles on television throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, and started to gain popularity when he was cast as the male second lead in Glass Slippers in 2002. He played his first lead role in the time travel historical drama Thousand Years of Love.
So began to rise to fame with 2004 hit drama What Happened in Bali At that time, So thought he would end up being a supporting actor. But later that year, he had his breakout role as a tragic hero in the critically acclaimed melodrama I'm Sorry, I Love You. It established him as a top star in Korea, as well as all over Asia. In a 2009 interview, So said he still considers the two the best television dramas in his filmography.
So enlisted for mandatory military service in 2005 as a public relations officer with the Mapo District Office, and was discharged on April 27, 2007. He made his comeback in Jang Hoon's directorial debut Rough Cut, in which he played a gangster who dreams of becoming an actor. Because of the film's low budget, So and costar Kang Ji-hwan decided to invest their fees back into the movie, and were credited as producers. So's performance was well received by audiences and critics, and the film became a surprise box office hit.
In 2009, So attempted to break into the Japanese and Chinese markets. In I am GHOST, an action drama that aired in 24 five-minute episodes on Japan's mobile-exclusive broadcaster BeeTV, he played a mysterious killer on the run with a high school girl. So spoke no lines in the mobile drama, and was "worried whether (their) emotions would be delivered just through (their) motions." The year before, he had appeared in a supporting role as a monster in the Japanese manga live-action adaptation GeGeGe No Kitaro 2: Kitaro and the Millenium Curse.
So starred opposite Zhang Ziyi in the Chinese romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge, saying, "I wanted to do a bright and cheery role because I've played so many sad and gloomy ones." He later signed with a Chinese talent agency, ATN Entertainment. So then returned to Korean television with Cain and Abel, about two doctor brothers with an intense sibling rivalry. His performance received critical acclaim, and won him Best Actor at the 2009 Grimae Awards, an honorable award chosen by directors in every broadcasting station in Korea.
Book and music releases
In 2010, So published his photo-essay collection, So Ji-sub's Journey. The volume covers stories and photos over the past 13 years since his debut, using unpretentious language and sensitive photography taken during So's trips to the DMZ and Gangwon Province. The usually taciturn and stoic actor revealed his inner thoughts throughout the book, with essays on his favorite number 51 (reflected in the name of his company - it means a 50-50 probability then believing just 1% more; the K stands for Korea), Romeo and Juliet, why he likes rainy days, and stories about his interactions with other celebrities and artists such as Tiger JK. Within ten days of its release, the book hit the bestseller list, and entered its third printing.
A professed longtime hip-hop lover, So rapped for two original tracks – "Lonely Life" and "Foolish Love" – under the artist pseudonym "G" or "G-Sonic" for the soundtracks of Rough Cut and Cain and Abel respectively. In 2011, he released another digital single Pick Up Line under his own name. Two teaser videos were released, the first one described as a comedic version that featured guest stars Jung Joon-ha (who is a close friend of So's) and Kim Byung-man (whom So named as one of his favorite comedians). The single, along with the music video itself, was released on February 17, 2011, but recorded low sales.
In 2011, he published a second book of photo-essays titled Only You with So Ji-sub featuring photographs, notes and commentary on playing his movie character.
On March 14, 2012, he launched a magazine for his fans titled SONICe; inside were So's suggested dating ideas and locations, favorite food and books, and more stories through his eyes. Its name is a combination of "so nice" and "Sonic," which is So's nickname.
So's first mini-album (or EP), Corona Borealis was released in March 2012. It featured collaborations with songwriter Kim Kun-woo, vocal trainer Mellow, soprano Han Kyung-mi, and singers Huh Gak and Bobby Kim. Bobby Kim complimented So's rapping in their duet track That Day, a Year Ago, saying, "So has a talent in feeling the groove and it's as good as his acting skills." So also starred in a music video of the album's title song "Some Kind of Story".
In January 2013, So released another rap EP titled 6 PM...Ground, and his recording process aired on Music Triangle as part of Mnet's Collabo One project. The four songs of the album were combined to make a 12-minute music drama starring So, Park Shin-hye and Yoo Seung-ho; which was also re-edited into individual music videos for each track.
Other ventures
Ambassadorship
So was named the goodwill ambassador of Gangwon Province in an effort to boost tourism there, and a 51 kilometer-long trail in the province was named "So Ji-sub Road", which was unveiled to the public on May 20, 2012. He was the first Korean actor to have an entire road named after him.
He was also named promotional ambassadors for cyber crime prevention by the National Police Agency, helping to raise awareness and prevent cyber crimes such as hacking and Internet fraud by taking part in various promotional activities.
Investments
So is the owner of the Apgujeong-dong branch of CJ Foodville's A Twosome Place.
He has also helped imported foreign films, having invested in art-house films such as the U.S.-British-French co-production Philomena (2014), the Chinese film Coming Home (2014), the Japanese crime thriller The World of Kanako (2014), and the American horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2015).
Personal life
In 2019, So confirmed that he was in a relationship with former announcer and reporter Jo Eun-jung. On April 7, 2020, the actor's label 51K confirmed that he had registered his marriage with Jo.
