Song Hye Kyo Special: From The Glory to Descendants of the Sun, 6 must-watch K-dramas of one of South Korea’s biggest stars

Song Hye Kyo is one of the most popular actors from South Korea.

By Nandini Iyengar -

November 23, 2023 - 12:17 PM IST

South Korean actress Song Hye Kyo has been one of the most talked about actors in the past year, owing to the success of The Glory. This K-drama is undoubtedly one of her strong performances over the years. Moon Dong Eun is one of the most loved gray characters in the K-drama world. After appearing in melancholic melodramas for a while, fans started to think perhaps she was out of a variety of roles to play. But Song Hye Kyo showed a complete change to her skillset and broke the stereotype with The Glory. On the occasion of her birthday on November 22, let’s take a look at some of Song Hye Kyo’s dramas in recent years.

Song Hye Kyo Special: From The Glory to Descendants of the Sun, 6 must-watch K-dramas of one of South Korea’s biggest stars

THAT WINTER, THE WIND BLOWS (2013)
Song Hye Kyo stars as Oh Young, a young blind woman and also the last remaining heir to a conglomerate. Oh Soo is a gambler who pretends to be the now-deceased heir to the conglomerate. He does so in order to pay off his debts. But as fate would have it, Oh Soo begins to fall for Oh Young. That Winter, The Wind Blows is the official remake of the Japanese drama Ai Nante Irane Yo, Natsu.

MY PALPITATING LIFE (2014)
Song Hye Kyo stars as Mi Ra and Kang Dong Soo stars as Dong Soo in My Palpitating Life. The movie chalks the story of Ah Reum who suffers from progeria. The movie is adapted from a novel titled “Doogeun Doogeun Nae Insaeng” which roughly translates to “My Palpitating Life”. The novel is written by Kim Ae Ran. Those aware of Paa would know what My Palpitating Life is all about. Although both movies follow a different plot line, the base idea of a child ageing faster than usual and facing challenges remains the same.

DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN (2016)
As any older K-drama fan, which is one of their earlier K-dramas, and more often than not Descendants of the Sun would be high up on the list. One of the most popular K-dramas of 2016, this drama has quite a loyal fan base even years after it has completed airing. The drama follows a surgeon, Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) and an army captain Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki)’s love story amidst war-torn situations and how they overcome the curveballs life throws their way. The drama also stars Jin Goo and Kim Ji Won in the second lead and their popularity is no less!

ENCOUNTER (2018)
Encounter was one of 2018’s most anticipated dramas because it brought us an unusual and fresh pairing of Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum. Cha Soo Hyun (played by Song Hye Kyo) and Kim Jin Hyuk (played by Park Bo Gum) unexpectedly cross paths and eventually fall in love. Their personalities and way of life are quite different but they do find solace in each other. Encounter was met with mixed reviews from fans, most complaining about a slow plotline and lack of chemistry. But to those who don’t mind a melodrama, this drama might be worth a shot.

NOW, WE ARE BREAKING UP (2021)
Now, We Are Breaking Up caught the fans’ attention right from the first episode. Jang Ki Yong, who was just basking in the popularity of My Girlfriend is a Gumiho showed a new side to his acting with this show. The drama follows the tumultuous and heart-ache-inducing love story between Ha Young Eun (played by Song Hye Kyo) and Yoon Jae Kook (played by Jang Ki Young). Ha Young Eun is a talented individual but is quite cold in her approach. Yoon Jae Kook is a popular fashion photographer who seems to have it all.

THE GLORY
The Glory follows “a young woman Moon Dong Eun, bullied to the point of deciding to drop out of school, plans the best way to get revenge. After becoming a primary school teacher, she takes in the son of the man who tormented her the most to enact her vengeance.” Song portrays a rage-filled woman keen to inflict the ultimate comeuppance on those who tormented her — as well as those who didn’t lift a finger to help. Lee Do Hyun will play Joo Yeo Jeong, a man with a secret past. The story comes from Descendants of the Sun writer Kim Eun Sook and director Ahn Gil Ho. It also stars Lim Ji Yeon, Yeom Hye Ran, Park Sung Hoon, and Jung Sung Il in the ensemble cast.