22 September 2024 will be a
time of riotous celebration for Malaysian and foreign fans who are congregating
in Kuala Lumpur to watch the global phenomenon, Actor-Action
Star-Singer-Dancer-Model Lee Joon Gi, perform in a concert. It is the first
time that the legendary multihyphenate is holding his fan concert in Malaysia,
and to be precise in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.
The multihyphenate South Korean global megastar is not your
ordinary superstar. Lee Joon Gi, a Phenomenon and Legend, is the incomparable
and unrivalled Top Actor and Hallyu megastar of South Korea.
Lee has been lauded as ‘THE
LEGENDARY HERO’ by ELLEMEN HONG KONG in
their August 2018 issue and is also extolled as ‘MORE THAN OUTSTANDING’ by WAVES
CHINA in 2021. In the dissertation of a Nanyang Technological University, Singapore researcher, Lee was listed in the TOP 50 IDOLS (out of 10 South Koreans) in China in 2020 and 2021.
It is not surprising that in a dissertation on
Mapping KPOP’s Fandom, Media and Performances by a researcher
from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, Lee Joon Gi, along with
10 South Korean Idols, was listed in the TOP 50 IDOLS IN CHINA in the July 2020
and March 2021 data.
Lee, the critically appraised
actor and amazing singer-dancer, has been applauded for his many works, movies
and television series, winning many international and local awards since he catapulted to fame for his role as the
effeminate clown in the 2005 The King and The Clown. More than 12 million South
Koreans saw the record-breaking film. Since then, Lee Joon Gi has been celebrated as The King of Saguek or The King of Historical Dramas. His historical dramas also include Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016), The Joseon Gunman (2014), Arang and The Magistrate (2012), Iljimae (2008) and The Scholar Who Walks The Night (2015).
THE KING AND THE CLOWN
(2005)
His awards include the 27th
Hawaii International Film Festival (USA) Rising Star Award (2007).
He was also presented with the Overseas Star Award (2007) for The King and The Clown at the 10th
Annual Shanghai (China) International Film Festival .
SHANGHAI, CHINA (2007)
HAWAII (2007)
GOLD
TROPHY ICON
AFFIXED TO
LEE JOON
GI’S NAME
ON
NAVER
Lee Joon Gi’s name is affixed with a Gold Trophy icon
on Naver, the South Korean portal website with a
self-developed search engine. Naver is frequently referred to as 'the
Google of South Korea'. Only actors, directors and writers whose films
are credited with more than 10 million cumulative ticket sales based on data
provided by the Korean Film Council are highlighted with the Gold
Trophy icon. Supporting actors and writers are indicated by
their Silver Trophy symbol. The use of the symbols is
indicative of Naver’s interest in raising the standards of the South Korean
showbusiness industry.
Lee Joon Gi, the lead actor in the 10-million ticket movie, The
King and The Clown, was not a big-name star yet when he signed on for the
role of Gong-Gil, the Joseon palace clown in 2005. What nobody expected was
Lee’s presence would affect the movie’s revenues. The King and The
Clown put Lee Joon Gi on the map of fame, fortune, popularity and
superstardom.
According to Wikipedia, the film sold more than 12.3 million
tickets, making it the most watched movie of South Korea of the year. 'It
ranked first and grossed a total of ₩72.6 billion after 12 weeks of
screening.' Its foreign total, recorded by Box Office Mojo,
is US$74.4 million. Its success was ‘surprising given
the lack of a big budget and high-profile top-billing actors and director.’
It is significant that The King and The Clown was selected
as South Korea's entry for the Academy Awards Best Foreign
Language Film in 2006. The special committee of the Korea Film Council
chose The King and The Clown over two other major
films because of ‘its overall aesthetic and commercial quality’.
Lee Joon Gi grabbed a slice of history when he won innumerable
awards for his superb acting performance in the movie.
Lee Joon Gi grabbed a slice of history when he won innumerable
awards for his superb acting performance in the movie.
KKTV (TAIWAN) BEST ACTOR AWARD
(2016)
MOON LOVERS: SCARLET HEART RYEO
Lee Joon Gi won the Outstanding Korean Actor Award at the Seoul International Drama Awards twice for Arang and The Magistrate (2012) and The Joseon Gunman (2014).
Lee and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo won many local and international awards. Taiwan's KKTV awarded him the Best Actor award for his unforgettable role as Wang So or The Fourth Prince.
It was never proven that Man To Man beat that record because after that, THAAD became a serious issue and the Chinese government disallowed the import of Korean dramas.
Lee Joon Gi is also known as South Korea's Top Action
Star. The movies and television series in which he showcases his martial arts,
action and athletic skills include Fly Daddy, Fly (2006), Time Between Dog and Wolf
(2007), Two Weeks (2013), Lawless Lawyer (2018), Again My Life (2020), The Sword of Aramun
(2023) and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017). He learnt Taekwondo (4th Dan) ,
Taekkyeon and Hapkido when he was young and had obtained black belts for
them. He also learnt Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art. Lee is known for his magnificient horse-riding and sword-wielding skills which are paraded in his saguek dramas.
It is unsurprising that early in his career, i.e., in 2009 Lee was bestowed the Martial Arts Actor Award by the Korean Martial Arts Federation for Time Between Dog and Wolf and Iljimae.
In 2016, Showbiz Korea announced that Lee Joon Gi was voted The Number 1 Top Action Star.
The much-celebrated action star has dedicated
his time to ensure that his television and movies are thrilling and meaningful.
He specially acquired Muay Thai or Thai boxing skills for his television
series, Time Between Dog and Wolf (2008) which was partly shot
in Thailand.
He also specially trained in Russian martial arts, Systema, for Criminal Minds Korea (2017).
His other skills include Parkour which were also filmed for Criminal Minds
Korea but were quietly removed for reasons unknown.The thrilling rooftop
stunt scenes include dangerous leaps and jumps.
Lee was determined to master Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for his legal-action television
series, Lawless Lawyer (2018). He continues to train in this martial art, which he ranks as his number one hobby.
In 2018, he was crowned the Best Male Asian Star at Starhub's Night of The
Stars in Singapore for his amazing acting performance as a reckless lawyer and
his spectacular action stunts in the legal-action television series, Lawless
Lawyer.
BEST MALE ASIAN STAR (2018)
LAWLESS LAWYER
The Thai adaptation of Lawless Lawyer, entitled Lawless, aired on 17 May 2024.
Lee broke into Hollywood with his role as Commander Lee in the 2017 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. His performance has been highly praised by Director Paul Anderson, his beautiful and talented co-star, Milla Jovovich and viewers.
Japan had also presented Lee with the Grand Prize Korean Wave Skapa Award in 2012.
In 2020, he was named the 2020 ICON for DRAMA by CULTURA, the highly respected South Korean magazine for culture and the arts, for his tour de force performance in Flower of Evil.
Lee Joon Gi's Flower of Evil has spawned many Asian adaptations and versions: Filipino, Indian / Hindi and Chinese.
THE PHILIPPINES
(FLOWER OF EVIL)
2022
INDIA
(DURANGA)
2022 (S1) & 2023 (S2)
CHINA
(YIN MAN ZHI SHI)
2024
Recently, Lee Joon Gi's dramas were discussed in a joint conference 'Asian TV Dramas and The Popular Mind in South-east Asia' between the College of Liberal Arts, De La Salle University (DLSU), The Philippines and Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. The paper, 'Exploring Moral Integrity and Justice in Lee Joon Gi's Dramas: Basis For Values Discussion in Class' was presented by Digna Delfino and Jomari Echano of DLSU on 22 May.
https://asiantvdramasconference.com/
https://asiantvdramasconference.com/program-schedule/
Lee Joon Gi and his latest television series,
TVN’s groundbreaking High Fantasy-Mythological-War epic, The Sword of Aramun (2023), which is streamed on Disney Plus, are also critically acclaimed.
In 2022, Lee Joon Gi was listed as
one of the 100 important South Koreans featured in the 100th
anniversary issue of Cultura, the prestigious South Korean magazine for culture and the arts.
It is not surprising that in a dissertation on Mapping KPOP’s Fandom, Media and Performances by a researcher from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, Lee Joon Gi, along with 9 other South Korean Idols, was listed in the TOP 50 IDOLS IN CHINA in the July 2020 and March 2021 data.
The sterling multihyphenate never ceases to amaze. There is a series of Korean
language learning books, HELLO KOREAN, which students could learn the language
with Lee Joon Gi. Lee has lent his voice to the learning programme to make the
learning process more exciting. The books are geared towards Korean students as well as the speakers of English, Chinese,
Japanese and Spanish.
KOREAN VERSION
JAPANESE VERSION
Many people are astonished when they learn about Lee's many accomplishments. They know that he is a popular and amazing multi-talented actor but what they didn't know is that Lee is such an amazing and popular celebrity. Lee has graced uncountable Asian magazine covers and editorial spreads
including those from Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore. Records of some magazines are lost but the number of magazines that remains is unimaginable.
Foreigners are amazed to learn that Lee Joon Gi, South Korea’s
Armed Forces top enlisted soldier, is their Poster Boy. No superstar has
surpassed his popularity and achievements as an enlisted soldier.
When he enlisted in the army in 2011, more than 500 fans bade
him goodbye and when he was discharged, it was reported that 1,500-2,000 fans
welcomed The King back.
A video was made as a tribute to Lee Joon Gi as an outstanding soldier in
the South Korean Armed Forces as he had many accomplishments and was a model sodier.
He had received many awards and has been called a Bone Soldier or soldier to
the bone by his fellow enlisted soldiers and the army.
Lee Joon Gi is no stranger to performing in concerts, having held many very successful concerts in his home country
and foreign cities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand
and Singapore since 2006. He had even sang with Jackie Chan in the China
Olympics in 2008.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0TksQnZ6CM&t=26s&ab_channel=LeeJoonGiWave
His previous concert, which
was a resounding success was held on 14
June 2024 in Yokohama, Japan where he was given a standing ovation by his 5,000
passionate and loyal Japanese fans. After the Kuala Lumpur concert he would be
heading to Taipei and other cities.
Lee Joon Gi, in a prepared video,
invites everyone to have a fun and exciting time with him at his concert on 22
September 2024, so be there without fail.
