In this continuation of the series detailing highlights from Kim Hyun Joong's Blessed Life, I have to include a few more career accomplishments. I did not have time and space to include them in the last post and I feel they are important to discuss so here they are:
Carreer Blessing Number Seven: Kim Hyun Joong as a print model. Wiki provides the following list for all the modeling contracts and product endorsements in which he has been featured...
- Samsung Anycall Blue
- Mighty Mac
- Elite Uniform
- Lotte Milkshake
- Converse
- Samsung Anycall Haptic Pop
- T.I For Men
- NongShim
- Le Coq Sportif
- Samsung Anycall Jet
- Dinamic Kin (Coca Cola)
- Hotsun Chicken
- Samsung Card
- MVIO
- Basic House
- I'm David
- Tony Moly
- The Face Shop (with Seohyun)
- Hang Ten
- Coupang Spring Campaign
- Lotte Duty Free
- Aeon Heatfact (Japan)
- Aeon Coolish Fact (Japan)
- Seoul Ambassador to Tourism
- Slim Beauty House (Japan)
- March 2012 Honorary Ambassador of the United Nations Millennium Development
- Centerpole
There may be more, and these do not include the times he has walked the runway for Korean Designers as a model. Oh, and Jaksal Chicken, the company of which he is CEO. Of course the print work features Hyun Joong! LOL! As we all know, Kim Hyun Joong has an amazing body and a beautiful face! He is tall and statuesque and clothes look simply amazing on him. He has beautiful clear skin and his hair looks good in any style or color. He is photogenic to the point of making the pictures reach out and grab your heart! It has been such a privilege to have such an abundance of photos to see of this beautiful Angel! Some of my favorites come from Tony Moly! I think they are the most beautiful and artistic. And... I did buy Face Shop products just because of Kim Hyun Joong! Oh yes! I was wanting some Korean skincare products, and his endorsement made all the difference for me. Why? because I trust Hyun Joong not to endorse something unless he believes in it. If he had any doubts, he would refuse.
His integrity is so important to the companies that choose to feature him for their products. His reputation is pretty much spotless because he has always been so honest and made such good decisions. They know his fan base will follow him no matter what because they love and respect him. This just gives him more opportunities to be in the eyes of his fans. Oh, Hyun Joong! We are blessed because you are blessed!Career Blessing Number Eight: Owner/CEO Jaksal Chicken and Executive Manager of his own career at KeyEast Enternainment. Why do I especially highlight these accomplishments? Because at this time Jaksal Chicken has 9 outlets in Seoul since it's inception which was one restaurant in the neighborhood Hyun Joong grew up. His parents now manage one of the outlet stores in Isan and his two childhood friends and co-owners manage and run the original store. Even more amazing is his complete control over all of the decisions concerning his projects with KeyEast. This is a rarity in Korean Entertainment. The scenario with DSP where the artists are managed in a way that only profits the company and works the artists to the point of collapse is more common. The group DBSK/TVXQ went through the same type situation where 3 of the members split away from their original management company because of similar conditions of overwork and under pay and no protection from their company. They are now two groups: two members stayed with the original company and remained TVXQ and 3 members became JYJ which, btw, includes one of Kim Hyun Joong's best friends Kim Jae Joong.
The more I learn about Hyun Joong's relationship with KeyEast, the more I am impressed with his level of business sense in making sound decisions for himself concerning his career. As I have recently learned KeyEast founder Bae Yong Jun, who starred in one of the first internationally successful Korean Dramas called Winter Sonata, had befriended Hyun Joong while he was still with DSP when they met in Japan. It is my personal opinion that BYJ saw a younger version of himself in KHJ and took him under his wing to protect him and give him the opportunity to grow and fulfill his potential as an artist. His company KeyEast was building it's artist roster at just the right time for Hyun Joong when his contract with DSP ended in 2010.
"The agency (KeyEast) has advised me to be myself and to do music and dance the way I want to do." -Kim Hyun Joong
Bae Yong Joon's vision for KeyEast is to bring the Beauty of Korea to the world through Entertainment and Music. I am so thankful for his dedication to such a noble objective. I believe that Korea has a beauty that is still relatively undiscovered. I am not naive... I understand their culture encourages autonomy from a racial standpoint. It is for fear of losing that unique beauty that is Korean. However, it is a shame they are so protective of their culture and language. I have seen comments on Korean language blogs from Koreans to native English speakers that they just should not bother learning Korean phrases or words because they will look ridiculous speaking Korean if they are not Korean. How sad! I find the language to be beautiful and I have fallen in love with a culture and a country!
Don't get me wrong... I am not in favor of racism for any reason... it is just a fact that Koreans are this way, and as a result, the inherent beauty they want to preserve is relatively unknown outside of Asia. Thank you BYJ -ssi for making it your mission to share with us! And for BYJ's vision, I feel Kim Hyun Joong is the ideal representative of Korean Beauty. Which brings me to the next part of my article series: Kim Hyun Joong's Personal Blessings:
Personal Blessing Number One: PHYISICAL BEAUTY. He is physically beautiful with some of the most appreciated features for Koreans... large, dark beautiful eyes with that distinctive Korean almond shape and single lids. Apparently, double lidded eyes are considered to be too Asian and some have plastic surgery to correct this. He has beautiful flawless skin, another feature Koreans are blessed to have due to their inherent genes and also a rigorous skin care regimen they learn from an early age. Well, at least the women do. I found out this regimen when I purchased my products from Face Shop. I have a 5 step system for daily cleansing and moisturizing which seemed daunting at first, but it is relatively easy to maintain because the moisturizers are light and feel like you are just putting water on your face. I also do masks once a week. It is not unusual for men to follow a 3 step regimen daily and to also do masks. Hyun Joong has revealed that he always does a mask before a photo shoot.
His most coveted physical feature is his height. He stands about 5' 11" and weighs approximately 140 lbs. A long, lean silhouette that makes his clothes drape beautifully. He has put on some muscle for City Conquest, and although he lost down to 7% body fat, I would not be surprised if he weighs a little more from adding muscle. Now that he has those manly bulges on his arms and those impeccible abdominals he is nigh unto perfect! His statuesque physique paired with his beautiful bone structure and striking eyes make for the vision of an Angel on Earth! (oh, and don't get me started on that pout! His lips are so kissable they make us want to die! I personally just want to trace them with my fingers... I know most of his fans want to plant one on him! HAAA! HAAA!! :D)
Which leads us to his smile! OMG! It is like the sun rising over the ocean or cresting a mountain top! Just dazzling and heart stopping. When Hyun Joong smiles, it comes from deep inside his soul. You get an instant vision of what a beautiful person he is on the inside, and it just magnifies his physical beauty. In fact, I would say it completely blinds you to the physical and overshadows any superficiality you might believe just looking at him. I've seen some comments along the lines of saying Kim Hyun Joong knows he's beautiful (physically) and knows how to work that for the cameras. I have to say that if you believe that, you know nothing about him personally. Truthfully, Hyun Joong does not think he has anything special. He has stated that he does not know why people are so attracted to him and that he has flaws and insecurities like everyone else.
I've mentioned some of his cute (agiyo) insecurites in previous posts. He used to hate his ears... I personally find them irresistable and love that he has piercings and three adorable little moles/freckles in his left upper ear. Ah... so gorgeous. He also did not like his eyes and earned the nickname "cow" because they are so big and brown. He is also self conscious of a scar on his left check. It is hardly visible, but you can see it sometimes in his live concert photos that have not been retouched. Apparently, his hair has gone completely grey even at this early age. He has to dye it, and does so with enthusiasm for a different color and look every time. Every color seems to suit him, even the plain brown he is now wearing for the character of Baek Mir in City Conquest. What is obvious to us, is a matter of confusion for Hyun Joong. He is a perfectionist, we must remember and is quite conscious of his flaws both physically and professionally.
Personal Blessing Number Two: Talent. Kim Hyun Joong is what we in America call a Jack of all Trades. Good at many things, master of none. Although, I will say that I believe he is well on his way to mastering two. I believe that after City Conquest, he will have earned his place as a top billing actor. I just finished Boys over Flowers for the fourth time through. Every time I watch his first drama, I come to realize more what a raw talent he was. A lot of people did not understand his character Yoon Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo's grandfather had a line in one episode that summed it all up for me. He said to Ji Hoo that Geum Jan Di was too lively a child to be paired with such a stoic person as Yoon Ji Hoo. Stoic. That describes the character in a nutshell. Serious. Unemotional. Self Absorbed. Of course Jan Di brought out his humanity, and that was where we saw the character behave more like the real Kim Hyun Joong!
So, I have come to realize what a difficult character this was for Hyun Joong to portray on his first real job as an actor. The more I watch him, the more I see his true talent. It really reminds me of the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape with Johnny Depp and a young Leonardo Dicaprio. Dicaprio played an autistic character in this movie just as Hyun Joong played in Yoon Ji Hoo. Dicaprio's character was a more severe case. I believe that would be even easier to portray because you could get lost in the characteristics of the disease. Dicaprio did such an amazing job, I never forgot it. With Yoon Ji Hoo, Hyun Joong had a much more difficult task of playing a highly functioning autistic character. This meant, that if you did not know about his condition, you would just think he was a very stiff and snobbish person. Hyun Joong had to walk that fine line between autistic and functioning with his portrayal. It was almost like playing a character with a dual personality. Much higher difficulty for a first time actor. But, he was chosen for the most challenging part. And he did an incredible job.
Next, I believe Hyun Joong is near to mastering his talents as an Executive Producer and Director. His music and stage projects are all directly managed by himself. He attends to every detail, and his final vision is what you see on stage or in a video. He creates the concept, the characters, the vision. And his fans are delighted and well entertained every time. This talent has propelled him to the top in his music career. He is not the best singer or the best dancer. I can name a few other kpop stars that are much better. But, it is the complete package he delivers. He is commanding on stage when he does a dance number and builds the audience's excitement with the interaction he loves. Even more so when he performs a ballad. Even if every note is not perfect, Hyun Joong sings with such heartfelt emotion, his listeners are pulled in, and their hearts are moved. This is more important than technical perfection. Anyone who is a musician or singer understands this. If you cannot put feeling into your performance, your audience will be lost, even if every note is perfectly executed. That is the difference between talent and training.
Watch and die when your stomach bursts with laughter as Hyun Joong performs the part of a homeless bum with Artmatic backing him up in this live performance of Lucky Guy above. I am so thankful to this fan who shared on youtube... go there and watch! OHHH! My face is split apart from smiles and my stomach has exploded from laughing! Creative and cute... Kim Hyun Joong is Alien to the end! Haaaa Haaaa Haaaa!
As I mentioned, his talents are many, and this makes him multifaceted and versatile. Following him never gets boring. There is always something new to experience. This is just how he lives his life as well. He always wants to be doing and creating something new. Or just improving on the things he already loves to do. Not only is he a talented actor, musician, singer, dancer, and director. He is also a talented athlete. He loves to play soccer and as I watched him playing with the other actors in BOF, I was quite impressed with his footwork. It was obvious that he was better at the game than the other three, even if they were all playing well. I believe that if he had wanted to pursue a career as an athlete, he would have been just as successful. I am glad he chose to be an idol star, however. If he had only played soccer, I would never have met him. Thank the Heavens and Kim Hyun Joong for his career choice! LOL!
So, once again, I will be continuing this section in the next article where we will talk about Hyun Joon's Personal Blessing Number Three: His Personality. I have once again run out of room and time. This series may be extended to four parts before all is said and done... haaa! That is just how he is... larger than you ever imagined, and he definitely will not fit into any box you try to place him! Oh.... Angel, Hyun Joong. My life is larger than I ever expected since I met and followed you. So much fun and enlightenment.
See you next week...
