What Is Song Il-gook's Net Worth?
Song Il-gook is a South Korean actor who has a net worth of $50 million. Song Il-gook is best known for starring as Jumong on the 2006 television series of the same name. Song has appeared on the TV series "Did We Really Love?" (1999), "Goodbye My Love" (1999), "Into the Sunlight" (1999), "All About Eve" (2000), "Hard Love" (2002), "Royal Story: Jang Hui-bin" (2002), "Album of Life" (2002), "Bodyguard" (2003), "Terms of Endearment" (2004), "Emperor of the Sea" (2004), "Lobbyist" (2007), "Crime Squad" (2011), and "Jang Yeong-sii" (2016). Il-gook has also starred in films such as Red Eye" (2004), "The Art of Seduction" (2005), "Entangled" (2014), "Fly high" (2014), "Vertigo" (2014), and "Tattoo" (2015). Onstage, he has appeared in the musicals "Broadway 42nd Street" (2016; 2020; 2022–2023) and "Mamma Mia!" (2023).
Early Life
Song Il-gook was born on October 1, 1971, in Seoul, South Korea. His mother, Kim Eul-dong, became a politician after retiring from acting, and her father, Kim Du-han, was also a politician. Song's maternal great-grandfather was a general and anarchist who was assassinated at the age of 40. Il-gook majored in Performing Arts at Cheongju University, and after graduation, he earned a Master of Fine Arts from Chung-Ang University.
Career
Song made his TV debut on the South Korean drama series "Did We Really Love?," appearing in 16 episodes. That year he also appeared on the television shows "Goodbye My Love" and "Into the Sunlight," and he followed them with "All About Eve" (2000), "Hard Love" (2002), "Royal Story: Jang Hui-bin" (2002), "Album of Life" (2002), "A Dream of a Thousand Years" (2003), "Bodyguard" (2003), "Desert Spring" (2003), "People of the Water Flower Village" (2004), and "Terms of Endearment" (2004). From 2004 to 2005, Il-gook played Yeom Moon/Yeom Jang on "Emperor of the Sea," which earned him three KBS Drama Awards. His first feature film was 2004's "Red Eye," then he appeared in "2005's "The Art of Seduction."
In 2006, Song starred in the title role on the TV series "Jumong," which aired 81 episodes, 21 more than it was originally scheduled to air. Next, he played Harry/Kim Joo-ho on "Lobbyist" (2007), Prince Muhyul (later King Daemusin) on "The Kingdom of the Winds" (2008), Michael King/Choi Kang-ta/ Peter Pan on "A Man Called God" (2010), Park Sae-hyuk on "Crime Squad" (2011), and Ki Ho-tae on "Kimchi Family" (2011). In 2014, Il-gook appeared in the films "Entangled," "Fly high," and "Vertigo," and the following year, he starred in "Tattoo." In 2016, he played the title role on the historical drama series "Jang Yeong-sil." From 2022 to 2023, he starred as Ryu In Hyuk on the TV show "Killeo Kwin." Song was a triathlon coach on the reality series "Qualifications of Men" in 2012, and he starred on the variety show "The Return of Superman" from 2014 to 2016. Onstage, he has played Julian Marsh in "Broadway 42nd Street," Bill in "Mamma Mia!," Michelle in "The God of Carnage," and Banquo in "Macbeth." Il-gook signed with the management agency C-JeS Entertainment in October 2015.
Personal Life
Song married High Court Judge Jung Seung-yeon on March 15, 2008, in a traditional Korean ceremony at Seoul's Sheraton Walkerhill Hotel. The couple welcomed fraternal triplet sons, Dae-han, Min-guk, and Man-se, on March 16, 2012, and their names said together mean "Long live the Republic of Korea." Il-gook co-starred with his sons on the variety show "The Return of Superman," and the triplets had cameos on "Jang Yeong-sil." Song follows a pescetarian diet for ethical reasons as well as health reasons. He has served as the vice-president of the Korean Triathlon Confederation, and he competed in the Seoul International Triathlon Competition in 2008. In April of that year, he was chosen to carry the Olympic torch through Seoul.
Awards and Honors
Song has received more than a dozen nominations from the KBS Drama Awards or KBS Entertainment Awards, winning 10 of them. He won KBS Drama Awards for Best New Actor for "Album of Life" in 2002, Best Couple (shared with Han Ga-in) for "Terms of Endearment" in 2004, the Excellence Award, Actor, Popularity Award, Actor, and Best Couple Award (shared with Soo Ae) for "Emperor of the Sea" in 2005, Top Excellence Award, Actor and Best Couple Award (shared with Choi Jung-won) for "The Kingdom of the Winds" in 2008, and Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama for "Jang Yeong-sil" in 2016. His KBS Entertainment Awards were for the Producers' Special Award (2014) and Excellence Award, Male in Variety Show Category (2015) for "The Return of Superman."
"Jumong" earned Il-gook MBC Drama Awards for Top Excellence Award, Actor and the Grand Prize (Daesang), a Grimae Award for Best Actor, a Korean Culture and Entertainment Award for Best Actor, and a Korea Producer's Award for Best Actor. In 2007, Song was honored with a Commendation from the Prime Minister on 41st Taxpayer's Day, and in 2009, he won an Asia Star Award at the Asia Model Awards. The Goodwill Cooperation Service presented him with an Award for Service Towards World Peace, Celebrities Who Serve, and he was named a Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Commendation at the 2011 Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards and a Historical Drama Star Who's Brightened Korea at the 2013 Historical Drama Festival. In 2006, vice mayor Choi Chang-mock made Il-gook an honorary citizen of Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do for "for promoting the city as an emerging mecca for triathletes." In 2010, Song was invited to dine with Heads of State at the Blue House thanks to the popularity of "Jumong."