Last week, photos of Bae Yong Joon and his wife, actress Park Soo Jin, were widely shared on Asian fan pages after the couple was seen dining with friends in Fukuoka, Japan. This is a rare sighting of the couple in public in the past 10 years.
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Bae Yong Joon, 53, appeared with his wife. Photo: Weibo |
Bae Yong Joon, 53, appeared with his wife. Photo: Weibo
According to Yahoo, Bae Yong Joon, Park Soo Jin, and their two children (9 and 7) currently live in Hawaii, USA. In 2024, a private school in Hawaii disclosed donations, showing Bae Yong Joon and Park Soo Jin contributed about 20,000 USD to the institution.
Bae Yong Joon began withdrawing from the entertainment industry in 2011. His last film was "Dream High" (2011). In 2018, he sold KeyEast, the entertainment company he founded, to SM Entertainment. In 2022, Bae Yong Joon's personal website, established in the 2000s to update his schedule and work, ceased operations.
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Bae Yong Joon and Park Soo Jin. Photo: MK |
Bae Yong Joon and Park Soo Jin. Photo: MK
The actor does not use social media and rarely comments on his personal life. Park Soo Jin used to update photos of her work and daily life on her personal page, but she hasn't posted on Instagram for almost four years.
Bae Yong Joon has a net worth of hundreds of millions of USD. YNA, citing sources from the South Korean business world, reported that the actor owns two houses in Seoul, one of which is worth about 9.5 billion won (7.1 million USD). According to 2015 statistics, Bae Yong Joon was one of the biggest names in the South Korean entertainment industry, with stock assets reaching 140 billion won (106 million USD).
Bae Yong Joon in "First Love." Video: KBS
Before his retreat, Bae Yong Joon was known as the "King of Korean Television" or the "King of Hallyu." He graduated from Sungkyunkwan University and worked at a film production company. With his handsome looks and height of 1.8 m, he was discovered by an entertainment company and made his acting debut in "Love Greeting" in 1994.
Two years later, Bae Yong Joon achieved immense success with "First Love," which still holds the record for the highest viewership in South Korean television history (65.8%). Bae Yong Joon played San U, a young man from a poor background determined to change his fate.
Music from "Winter Sonata." Video: KBS
He then became a sensation across Asia with dramas like "Did We Really Love?", "Winter Sonata," and "Hotelier." "Winter Sonata" holds particular significance in his career. According to KBS, this drama established him as the most influential South Korean artist in Japan, pioneering the Korean Wave in East Asia. In the 2000s, he held the record for the highest-paid South Korean actor, earning 250 million won (4.75 billion dong) per episode.
Bae Yong Joon's smile during "Winter Sonata." Video: KBS
Nhu Anh (according to Yahoo)
