Jun Ji-hyun vs Song Hye-kyo: Korean drama stars of My Love from the Star and Descendants of the Sun, who deserves the title of ‘K-drama queen’?

Sep 25 , 2020

Song Hye-kyo and Jin Ji-hyun, darlings of the Korean drama world – but deserves the K-drama crown? Photo: @kyo1122; @junjihyunofficial/Instagram

Out of all the countless K-dramas that are well-loved across the globe, two deserve special recognition for their particularly far-reaching off-screen impact: My Love from the Star kicked off a craze for chimaek – Korean fried chicken and beer – thanks to protagonist Cheon Song-yi’s love of the meal, while Descendants of the Sun set a military-inspired style trend.

The series’ respective leading actresses, Jun Ji-hyun and Song Hye-kyo, are more than deserving of their respective accolades – but there can only be one K-drama queen. Between the two, who would take the crown? Check out some of their roles in concurrently running K-dramas throughout the years and decide for yourself.

2016: Jun Ji-hyun’s in Legend of the Blue Sea vs Song Hye-kyo in Descendants of the Sun

Their most recent head-to-head battle was in 2016, when Jun played a mermaid alongside Lee Min-ho while Song played a surgeon opposite Song Joong-ki. The massively popular K-dramas were penned by two of the most highly recognised screenwriters in South Korea – Park Ji-eun and Kim Eun-sook, who were also behind Crash Landing on You and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, respectively.

Legend of the Blue Sea was inspired by a classic Joseon legend about a mermaid who is captured and then released by a fisherman. The K-drama sees a mermaid falling in love with the son of a nobleman who she rescues from drowning. Although their initial romance is doomed to failure, the two continue their love story in the modern era after being reincarnated. Its highest episode ratings in Seoul were 22.2 per cent.

Descendants of the Sun, meanwhile, is about a special forces captain and a trauma surgeon who nip their new relationship in the bud due to differing views, only to reconnect in the fictional war-torn country of Urk. The peak audience share that the series drew was 38.8 per cent, and it also won a number of awards, including the Grand Prize in television at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards.

2013: Jun Ji-hyun in My Love from the Star vs Song Hye-kyo in That Winter, the Wind Blows

Turn back the clock a few more years and Jun was co-starring with Kim Soo-hyun as celebrity Cheon Song-yi, while Song was co-starring with Jo In-sung as Oh Young, a heir to a Korean company.

My Love from the Star tells the story of an extraterrestrial who lands on earth and, 400 years later, falls in love with a top actress. Several episodes saw Jun’s character ordering chimaek, which resulted in a huge global boom with parodies appearing on a number of Korean platforms. Its highest episode audience share in Seoul was 28.1 per cent, and it won both the Baeksang Arts Award for most popular actor in TV, and the Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize (TV).

That Winter, the Wind Blows was adapted from the Japanese drama Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu by another famous Korean screenwriter, Noh Hee-kyung, who also wrote It’s Okay, That’s Love. A high-stakes gambler and a blind heiress re-evaluate their disillusionment with love after meeting each other. Its finale had a viewership of 15.8 per cent nationwide and it received the Baeksang Arts Award for best director in TV.

Jun Ji-hyun with Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Jung-jae and Ha Jung-woo

Aside from the successes of their K-drama series, however, there’s another factor worth considering – the star power of their co-stars. Since both actresses are internationally popular, the same can be said of many of the actors they’ve worked with.

Jun has not only appeared in K-dramas, but also in movies. Before she and Kim joined forces in My Love from the Star, they co-starred as partners in crime in 2012 heist flick The Thieves.

In 2015, Jun starred in spy action movie Assassination, which was about a group of Korean resistance fighters during the Japanese occupation of the country, performing with acclaimed actors Lee Jung-jae and Ha Jung-woo.

Song Hye-kyo with Park Bo-gum and Rain

Song, on the other hand, starred in the modern romantic drama Encounter with Park Bo-gum in 2018, where the pair were lauded as a perfect couple for their good looks.

Long-time K-drama fans would recognise the K-drama Full House that aired in 2004, starring Song and singer-slash-actor Jung Ji-hoon, better known as Rain. The series finale had peak national ratings of 40 per cent – quite a feat for the 2000s.

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South Korean celebrities

My Love from the Star kicked off the chimaek craze and Descendants of the Sun sparked a military style trend, but which leading lady – Jin Ji-hyun or Song Hye-kyo – deserves the K-drama crown? And who got to work with leading men like Lee Min-ho, Kim Soo-hyu, Song Joong-ki and Park Bo-gum?