Original Source: Naver.Star and eNews
Credit: Chinese translation by KSC, English translation by Wen Lee from ECI
Edited by: Springsuk_USA
Jang Keun Suk (JKS here after) is turning 28 this year, although he’s still in his 20s but has already earned the nickname ‘Asia Prince’. Debuted as a child actor at age 12, he is a leader of Hallyu power and has the ability to fill 45,000 seats at Japan’s Tokyo Dome. Can say he is the one & only, the TOP amongst the 2nd generation of Hallyu stars.
Although the peak of Hallyu wave is already passed, but this does not apply to JKS. Including the Osaka concert next week, this year his overseas schedule is very full, proving JKS’ solid Hallyu position.
In Korea, JKS debuted as a child actor and being an actor for 17 years, in Asia he is the one & only artist, in order to solidify his position, keep running forward towards his goal. He’s so passionate, he earned the nickname ‘Zikzin Keunsuk’, with his pace he brought change of the environment. At the same time, there’s also misunderstanding from the surroundings, because of his frank behavior, there are also some jealousy of his abilities.
Actually, what is JKS like? Recently, after airing of KBS2 TV drama ‘Beautiful Man’, the JKS who faced eNews is not like his biased reputation. Happy but not frivolous, steady but not stuffy. Just like the saying ‘is youth because of pain’, JKS is a young man who is always more worried about his future than anyone else. After seeing JKS, understand there are some misconceptions and the truth.
Misconception 1 – Korean Wave purpose actor
JKS’ activities abroad are more than in Korea. Including Japan, JKS’ position in Asia is unique. Not only as an actor, also as a singer. He releases albums, holds concerts, shows his various abilities. The Tokyo Dome which even local singers find is hard, seeing how he could sell-out in record time, JKS’ overseas position is very clear.
But in order to have communication with his fans in Korea, JKS must do one film/drama project every year. No matter what the results are, JKS will do one project a year as his principle. JKS said ‘although I have desire to cater to both here & abroad, but to be able to fulfil all the schedules is a bit hard. But what I definitely can’t leave out is that I am a Korean actor. For this, I hope to have one film/drama project every year to communicate with audiences”.
Misconception 2 – Commercial purpose actor
The film work that JKS plays in will sell for high prices. That’s because JKS’ accumulated fame overseas is getting bigger & bigger. Therefore, production companies will passionately invite JKS to work together. Of course, one of the reasons is wanting to choose a suitable actor for a good film work, but once it is put out overseas, have to say that the work that JKS is involved in is very attractive.
Here, the misconception will gets worse. JKS is not a star who was formed within a short period of time. It is through 17 years of nonstop acting experience to reach the position he is today, also he has been regarded as a genius actor since he was very young.
JKS said ‘the aim in my life is not money, it is to challenge like JKS. I’m not an actor who worries about what project to choose in order to sell overseas. It was the same with Beautiful Man (Bel Ami), hope that it could show the real JKS, and also I was very happy to be able to play in a romance drama at the age of 28’.
Truth – Honest, frank actor
JKS is very frank. Is an actor who expresses his thoughts frankly. Although sometimes his comments may cause a stir in the society, but as long as he thinks this is the right thing, he will use actions to prove it.
But JKS does not have any bad intentions with his comments. Although sometimes his forthright comments without reservations may cause debate, but his words have no intention for doing that. Because it’s work with his name on it, so he will call for meetings and voice his own ideas without any reservations. During this process, his frankness can be misunderstood as not being modest.
JKS said ‘of course I have no bad intentions, a lot of people say I am direct. But I don’t want to beat around the bush when I want to say something. I can’t do that, it’s my personality, although maybe it’s my weakness, but this is my moral values.’
Jang Keun Suk is always has this mature thoughts and answer towards any question directed to him. I love this man persona. Honesty is the best policy and KeunSuk ah, thanks for upholding your moral values more than being hypocrite towards your life.. Jyo Zikzin KeunSuk! Let’s rule the world together! ^^
Thank you sis Wen Lee for translation and sis Sarah for posting it here.
This article is such a neutral and very nice article about Jang Keun Suk, from Korea Medias for a good change. I love the “ZikZin Keun Suk” nickname… totally him!!!
Keun Suk-sshi….no many how many people misunderstood you or even HATE you, I will always love you and will be your fan for as long as you are a STAR.
You are who you are….
please never change your color….always be POSITIVE, PROUD and be yourself…
please continue to be Frank….Sincerity will break thru many cold-hearted people eventually!!
Please keep on fighting and ZikZin your own ways…no one else, keep aiming and searching for your own goals and dreams…no mater how big or small you dreams might be.
So what if whatever you did is not considerate GOOD enough to some people…..but keep doing them anyways. That’s how you become a wise and better person……learning through the “growing pain” experiences.
Keun Suk-shhi….Thank you for never cease to be ACTOR JANG. Doing one filming per year is super OK for a fan like me. I know you because you are ACTOR Jang. I come to love you because you are ACTOR Jang. It’s a blessing that you were born with many other talents….but I admire your acting skill or talent the most. Though, your beautiful voice and handsome face are great bonuses.
Thanx sis Wenlee & Sarah Ye, it’s a very great article , really well said to show the truth of JKS, honestly one of the reason why i adore this person so much is his honestly, frank out, even he’s an artist but he never try to show the real of him, never scared to showed / tell what he like or hesitate, never hide the truth of this is me JKS. keep going like this JKS… even some people don’t like your honesty at least you honest to your self & that’s the point of life.. honest by our self,.. ZikZin sukkie…
Ahhh…with a globalized world media and borders/boundaries have been drawn down , oh how I wish we can have a better translation /translator of the original text into English. Just saying….
I will zikzin with him no matter what. He could be anything but he told us eels to trust him and follow him , so i will do it. Not blindly because i can see what he is genuine about 🙂
I will pray that his next project will impress koreans before everyone else 🙂
Jang Keun Suk is a gifted actor and singer. I liked his performance in all his roles. There are a lot good dramas, you watch and like but don’t feel the urge to re-watch them. His, one can watch and watch them again and again.
But we must not forget, that he also worked and is working hard to get/be where he is now. What makes him so special conquering such a great worldwide audience besides his talent, is more his unique PERSONALITY than his good looks (there a lot of beautiful actors in the World). I am looking forward to see his future achievements. I would also like to see him playing a great Asian character.
Keep Zikzin-ing, Keun Suk-ah!
Really admire JKS for his courage and commitment in pursuit of his dreams and goals and believing himself on the right thing to do and not to regret his decision made.
In the article, you can see that he is also responsible and sensible person, honest & with a zikzin attitude, not afraid to enter new ventures!
His natural qualities deserve my respect.
His multiple talents & other good qualities are added bonuses!
He is a role model to us.
There r not many talented people who r also super good looking.
JKS seems liks an angel. He is truly gifted!
Wish the Koreans open their eyes & heart and not to hv any misconception again.
Great to have this article!
Zikzin JKS! Never say never! U r the Besr!
Oh, I love positive articles about him so much, especially from Korean press. Zikzin Jang Keun Suk, your the best actor ever.
직진 숙이! You’re doing it right, being true to yourself, being honest, doing what you’re passionate about. People will either love you or hate you for that but in the end it is just you, your life, your journey. Might as well live it the way you want to.
Thanks a lot for this article. Just noticed, Korean media has been writing good stuff for Sukkie for the past 2 months. This is a long overdue of what they did in the past. As always I admired this man beyond his looks and his talents.What appreciated most is his uncompromising attitude of believing what he is capable of doing, and being honest and straightforward. Zikzin to the world!
a genius actor he really is..yep…no two ways about it..
and earnest being too…that is what the eel is aiming for…look further than skindeep..
He is such a courageous and insightful person.
Being bashed is always hard to take, in the liberal world one can talk back what one likes but given but if your surrounding is still steeped in established confusius way of thinking and culture..it’s frustrating not to be able to speak out one geniune thoughts..no matter how polite..
He is a real strong being..able to deal with it so elegantly
I’m glad K media is able to write more and more possitively about him..guess it’s really hard to ignore him..lol
btw..what does he means he is happy he could play a romace drama at age 28..is he too young or too old..
I like Sukkie in a comedy..he’s good at it.
But looks like he’s more interested in a triller…maybe his next project..
Thinking of The case of Itaewon homocide my heart already shivers…
I’m sure Sukkie can play any role given to him…young or old..
You can see that he carries himself very very well regardless acting amongst a young or older cast, historic or contemporary…but maybe some roles are more difficult because of his good looks hihihi
thank you dear Wen Lee and Sarah for the efforts you put in sharing this Korean news article to us! ^^
I appreciate how the writer is trying to understand what the real Keun Suk-ssi is all about. In a world where he can easily put himself to follow everyone’s orders to win awards and earn a lot of money, Sukkie struggles to show his real self, enjoy life, follow his heart and give back to the everyone who loves him on his own creative ways.
Sukkie we will Zikzin with you because we know how pure your heart is. Please always stay positive because we will always be right beside you! zikzin! ^^
Let us not generalized.I believed that many Koreans still appreciate the work of our prince JKS.Its just that others misunderstood and misjudged him for being him as a human.Definitely,he has nothing more to proved as a true blooded artist.He already showed to the world how superb he was and he is as a multi-skillful one.I might say that he should be given recognition as national artist of Korea for his great contribution in his own field at a very young age.Yes, there are many good actors now a days but nothing compares to him.JKs has given more than life itself for his passion for art.Pouring his heart and soul to be an effective and outstanding actor through the years.We loved seeing him doing more films a year because he’s one of the best actors of all time.As a young artist we can’t wait to see him doing more and more challenging role in the near future.Our dream roles for him , a villain and a hero in one series,a twin,a great hero prince etc.
Thanks for translation and sharing. I read the article this morning and stayed all day thinking of him.
To our Keun Suk the right expression is : ” It is impossible to satisfy everyone. To upset many is a piece of cake. ”
Nevertheless he goes on the road to established himself, right, without detours and uncompromising.
When he started on this path, determined to conquer the world, he armed with a lot of talent, beauty without limits, sensitivity, intelligence, creativity, strength of character, loyalty, courage, love for people and life, confidence in his future and the dream that he wants to fulfill. And a weapon harder to use, the sincerity.
Sincerity is not a character trait but is an expression of intelligence. Sincerity is an act of knowledge and that any act of cognition, is also an act of creation.
Absolute sincerity is a way to be original, it is an opening of the heart and is found in few people.
You must appreciated his strength of character. Keun Suk not give up those beliefs and sincerity even if it was misjudged.
Here I must say that I hate the phrase “JKS is hated by …..”.
It can be hated someone did bad deeds, which can be considered an enemy.
Does anyone think ours Keun Suk may fall into this category?
No way!
People who use the word hatred for Keun Suk they do not know what it means.
Keun Suk can be loved, criticized, praised, misunderstood, idolized, but in no way hated or ignored.
It’s like you hate or ignore sunrise or the air you breathe.
Personally I’m glad that I had the chance to discover him and that I can enjoy everything it offers us with an open heart. Maybe if I was a little younger so I could enjoy it more ….
Even so, I learned a lot from him. We all have to learn something useful from our Keun Suk.
I’m sure many Koreans love him but do not have the courage to admit it.
I think they will soon realize the treasure near them.
I wish for him to be healthy, always remain the same, to realize how many projects, playing as he wants, where it wants and what he wants, to perform the characters he want, to translate into reality all his dreams, always be surrounded by friends and how many eels…… and a loving and understanding wife and some children who look like him…
And he should really consider where he will dance when his followers on weibo will be over 20 million. Perhaps Tour Eiffel ……
All good thoughts and all the best for him.
Others misconstrue the prince for his own self expression and abhor his somewhat “childish” behavior.In fact,others react maliciously and even uploaded videos just to defame him.Its not fair to someone like JKS. If they would only dig deeper and learn to understand him better-they would say that he is someone worthy to be loved and not to be ridiculed.He’s a young man who sacrificed his normal childhood just to help his family in crisis.He’s a good son.A superstar that cry and turn off his painful memories just to be able to move forward.Struggling within himself and yet fighting for a better tomorrow .He’s a great inspiration for those who are weak.A famous artist who doesn’t conceal his negative side and voice out in a very straight forward manner.We called him a young man with a heart of gold ,because of his selfless act to share his blessing and wealth among the needy .An ambassador of goodwill . Most of all,a real excellent and beautiful actor that has captured the heart of so many around the world.
Very well said!
I want to know how many of those who have defamed and they judged Keun Suk can say with hand on heart that were realized at least 10% of what he has realized up to this age.
It’s easy to judge a person valuable but it is very hard to have the same achievements.
Keun Suk is a very talented young actor, has a wonderful voice and great songs he composed, appears as a model in commercials for renowned companies, in 27 years has 20-year career, speaks many foreign languages, he has helped many people in need, learned to dance, he manages his own business, he has concerts in many countries to be close to his eels has great ease of expression and communication, has a developed sense of humor, he loves his family, his country, is devoted to friends and collaborators, knows what it means respect and above all that is beautiful, smart, has an angelic smile and get in everyone’s heart.
I’m sure I forgot something ..
We must be honest and accept some weaknesses. He has gained with toil that right. First of all he is a man, but a man who has dedicated his life to his dream without spare no effort and with many sacrifices. Keun Suk’s every achievement contains drops of his soul.
God have in his care.
I applaud JKS’s principle in doing a project a year in Korea. Without this project or drama, I would have not known how talented JKS is, and how internationally famous he has become. WOW! Korean fans and international fans (me) have to learn to share him, and not negatively criticized him since JKS is somewhat the voice of Korea. We always want our own countries to be special.
Due to JKS’s dramas/movies, I have to say, I learned a few words in Korean. Who hasn’t?
As for me, I enjoyed “Beautiful Man”. Actually, I think that Dennis Oh, who starred in “Sweet Spy”, is much more “beautiful” and very masculine and not androgynous (that is, one could never say he had feminine characteristics). Still, I thought JKS did a stunning job of acting and I do not understand the ratings in Korea. I did watch “Heirs” – but I also watched “Beautiful Man”. I like the way JKS responded to what I consider as unfair criticism. I will continue to buy his products and wish I could see one of his concerts in person. I am steadily studying Korean and find his pronunciation very good for beginners like me. Thanks for the translation and posting. A steady U.S. fan from Seattle
JKS certaintly not a K wave artist….waves comes and goes… JKS is the water……water is water doesn’t matter in what form or quantity..
he is an originator….and he knows what is going on for he sings about it as a “hidden” message..
first he gets bashed by it only to be copied by others…..like guyliner, airport fashion and many other things..I shall not name them but the one knowing the k wave artists will know…overdoing it makes them almost like caricatures….but they don’t have a choice I guess…it is all decided by the company…poor kids.
I am happy for Sukkie that despite the many hardships he can live a free life..ZIKZIN
i personally love him so much.and he is good in all things whatever he do he is best to me always.talents should be appreciated so we all know that he is a real genius so we international eels.always support u in any moment of your life in all ur ups and down we always there for u from different countries..i love u from my bottom of my heart…
Yes that’s the most important thing for our Sukkie to live free and happy and do what he wants to do. And that he is not bound by those entertainment agencies rules. Zikzin JKS!!!