February 21, 2020

Three years have gone by… it  seems like yesterday!  I have been working hard in finishing all the sections of this website. And I’m happy to say… I am done!  There will always be other things I can do, like there is so much to do in the Visiting Korea section or the Jung Il woo Gallery section, but the main part, all the years with most of the events of his professional life is now complete and up to date.

As I reflect back in that moment that I saw Jung Il woo for the first time, and then deciding to start an Instagram account about him…  and then this website it seems so surreal.  If you would have told me I’d be doing any of this I would have said “Yes and I will be flying too!”  Jung Il woo was in a country I wasn’t even sure where it was on a map, as I had never visited Asia before.  I had never eaten Korean food either!

Yet, something about him touched me so deeply in his character of Prince Yang, then as I read more about him, I fell in love more and more with his gentle demeanor and kindness: a gentleman in every respect.  I wanted to do something for him.  I was taught since I was very young that the best gifts were handmade and that being of service to someone was one of the best gifts one could give them.  So it was a natural step for me to do this… to be of service to him and his fans in those two hard years, waiting for him to be back from the military by telling the story of his career in my Instagram account and then deciding to create this website.  This was my way of saying thank you for delighting me!  For inspiring me!

Now I  have learned so much about him… and about Korea… and have been there!  It has been such a joy getting to know him, walking the places where he grew up and seeing first hand the beauty of his culture. I have met him and seen him in ‘His’ Fan Meeting… being so loving to all his fans… and then had the joy of meeting his loving parents.  Now I look forward to the next chapters of Ilwoo’s professional life and I plan to continue to tell his story and maintain this website.

Dearest Ilwoo, I wish you and pray with all my strength for all your dreams to come true.  You are on the right path… keep going and remember obstacles is what makes that walk more interesting and rewarding! I feel so blessed that you have touched my life and I touched yours!   When you posted that song “Never Enough” recently, it sounded so true inside of me in this moment…

No one else will ever be enough…!   (Not even close!)

Dear fans, thank you to all of those who been true and kind and have supported my work and shared with me so many great Ilwoo moments. Thank you to the many creators of Jung Il woo websites  all over the world that served as a base for this website. Let’s continue to support him…  he cares very much about us…  How much?  Let me show you:

How full of love is he?!!! … to make cupcakes for his fans… how delicate and caring he is!  How blessed we are to know how special you are Ilwoo!

To celebrate the third year of Jungilwoo Delights I will share a bit of my favorite Ilwoo characters.  They are in order: Cha Chi-soo. Prince Yang and Prince Lee Geum.  I found some interviews I had not seen before in a website from Indonesia Fan Club.

I will start with some beautiful photos of Jung Il woo as Prince Yang as he was the character that made me fall in love with Ilwoo:

[Interview] Jung Il Woo Would Be ′Yang Myung′ Again

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Jung Il Woo Indonesia

This is the tragic story of a man. He was born the son of the king’s concubine, and so had to be separated from his father and brother for the reason that his presence threatened the throne. He had a woman he loved with all his heart, but he never got to hold her in his arms because she was the lover of his brother, the king. In the end, he chose death for the people he loved. This man is Yang Myung, from the MBC drama The Sun and the Moon.

Actor Jung Il Woo took on the role of Yang Myung, a character who couldn’t help but be bright on the outside even though he was in pain inside. Jung Il Woo first became known through the MBC sitcom High Kick, and continued to stack up his successful career with pieces such as The Return of Iljimae, My Fair Lady, 49 Days and Cool Guys, Hot Ramen.

He took on different characters with every piece, but finally managed to escape his original image of a good-looking pretty boy with The Sun and the Moon, to become a real actor who could deliver satisfactory performances to his viewers.
We met with Jung Il Woo after he had finished all official schedules including the wrap up event for The Sun and the Moon. He donned not a hanbok, but a dark blue jacket, khaki pants and brown Converse shoes, which made him look the 25 year old young man he was in real life. It had only been three months since our last meeting, and Jung Il Woo seemed to have become even more mature and calm during that short time. His smile, however, proved to be ever the same.

What ‘The Sun and the Moon’ is to Jung Il Woo

Jung Il Woo received the offer for The Sun and the Moon in December 2011 while he was shooting Cool Guys, Hot Ramen. He decided to take up the offer when he met the producer Kim Do Hoon and scriptwriter Jin Su Wan. There was no reason to hesitate. Because the impact Yang Myung would have on the drama was great, the character tickled Jung Il Woo’s instinct for new challenges.

“The character gave off a definite charm. Yang Myung’s character wasn’t that important in the original novel also, but I thought he was a character with a big impact, and so I decided it would be nice to try out. I made the decision when I found out that the director and the writer’s thoughts matched with my own.”

He barely had time to prepare, because he joined the crew just after he had wrapped up Cool Guys, Hot Ramen. This enthusiasm emphasizes how attractive he thought The Sun and the Moon would be because Jung Il Woo is known to refrain from taking up too many pieces. Jung Il Woo was entrusted with the task of expressing sadness and happiness without overdoing it. Thanks to this role, he learned the balance needed in acting, and gained courage that after this he would be able to take on any other role.

Child actors

The drama was mostly popular thanks to its cast of child actors. The child actors showcased some acting that didn’t fall behind those of the adult actors, and succeeded in drawing attention in the beginnings of the drama. Even after the drama had shifted from the child actors to the adults, the viewers were still shouting for more, making the adult actors the victims of a resulting backlash. Jung Il Woo avoided getting involved in the controversy, but he said he was helped a lot by the child actors’ excellent performances.

“Because I didn’t really have much time to prepare for The Sun and the Moon, I could get what the director wanted by watching the young Yang Myung act. That’s why I watched the drama from its first episode. It did more good than harm.”

After being offered the role, he started off on molding his Yang Myung character by reading the original novel. He learned the difference between the Yang Myung in the original and the Yang Myung in the drama, and shed Yang Myung’s original timid image to a bold one who knew how to show his emotions.

“I read the original novel a lot, and I also started watching the drama Tear of the Dragon. Yang Myung resembles Prince Yang Nyung a lot. After [watching] that, I think I kept staring into the script in order to form a picture of Yang Myung.”

Being remembered as Yang Myung

Being the child of a concubine scarred his heart. He was able to receive neither his father’s love nor the heart of just one woman. Yang Myung led the saddest life in the drama, and because of this, Jung Il Woo said that he became more attached to Yang Myung.

Song Joong Ki was praised for his rendition of King Sejong as a child in A Tree with Deep Roots, and Kim Soo Hyun of The Sun and the Moon also caused a syndrome with his role as a king. Did Jung Il Woo ever regret not taking on the king role?

“I think I would choose Yang Myung even if I’m asked to act in the drama again. In the beginning he lived a free life with a bright personality but in the latter part of the drama he becomes sad and endures pain after getting to know Yeon Woo and going against Hwon, so I thought I should digress from the original novel and emphasize his bright side and his dark side. I think my hard work in trying to portray that double-sidedness shows that I love my character. (Laugh)”

The end of Yang Myung

The drama was the rediscovery of Jung Il Woo. He acted out a wide variety of emotions in a short time for just one piece. It broke many hearts to see him be bright and mischievous but at the same time give up everything he had because he never had anything for himself to begin with.

Yang Myung met a sad yet happy end. His life ended in death, but he made the choice for the people he loved. The viewers, however, weren’t ready to let him go. Many said it would’ve been better to let him live. What did Jung Il Woo think about the ending?

“I knew that he would die even before we started. I thought that part had the biggest impact. I talked about Yang Myung’s ending scene a lot with the director, and we thought the only way he could take care of the rebellion and protect his Yeon Woo and his brother was death. Because of that I’m satisfied with the ending, and I don’t think I ever thought of an ending in which Yang Myung doesn’t die.”

Viewers winced with those who put together the rebellion when Jung Il Woo put a knife to the king’s throat, and cried when they could see his sad life as a concubine’s son flash before him at the time of his death. Jung Il Woo especially stood out in episodes 19 and 20.

“I keep remembering the scene in which I die. There’s a scene which has me go to Woon after I die and tell him ‘You are my friend’. Woon was blaming himself for not being able to protect me, but I told him, ‘Don’t do that. The people I love could only be happy if I left them. You don’t need to blame yourself because I sacrificed myself for that’, and that scene was the most impressive.”

These photos coming up are from Episode 18.  Just look at the many emotions he portrays in minutes: What an amazing range of expression!

Now here is Jung Il woo as my favorite… Cha Chi-soo:

So funny!!!  and another great range of emotions…

And these are two really great interviews:

[Interview] Flower Boy Ramen Shop’s Jung Il Woo says, “I get so attracted to a woman focusing on her work”

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Jung Il Woo Indonesia                                                          

It’s always exciting to talk to an actor who plays a charming character in a drama. I got to smile naturally as I interviewed Jung Il Woo (24) who plays the role of a picky 19-year-old son of a conglomerate Cha Chi Soo in tvN’s Flower Boy Ramen Shop.

Cha Chi Soo is a perfect man who has everything, a handsome face and wealth. He, as a high school student who attracts women even older than him, is currently obsessed with Eun Bi (Lee Chung Ah), a student teacher. He thinks it’s strange to be that way whenever he sees Eun Bi who do not even reach the standard he set up for his ideal type, except for the power of her forearms. However, he feels something fresh from her every day.

I recently met Jung at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong. When he pouted his lips to drink mango juice or got surprised by a spray air freshener as it sprayed toward his nose while talking, I couldn’t differentiate Jung Il Woo from Cha Chi Soo.

◇ Cha Chi Soo and Jung Il Woo are much alike in character

He said, “Similarities between me and Chi Soo? I and Chi Soo are very much alike in character that it might be more difficult to find differences between us. I also have a cute, picky, and a blunt side. I don’t like things splattered onto my clothes, either. I used to change my clothes immediately when they get stained by things like food (and he laughed).”

Chi Soo is a person who has had everything since he was born and knows how to show off the things he has. However, he gets slapped by Eun Bi in front of other students one day and gets shocked by that. The shock he gets from that is greater than anyone can imagine that he eventually gets sick and unable to sleep because of the anger and the humiliation he feels.

“I don’t like to be humiliated in front of others, either. So I try not to make humiliating situations. If I get humiliated, I might pretend like nothing happened but will keep thinking about it again and again when I get home.”

Jung says he tries to be cool but is not actually. That is another similarity between him and Cha Chi Soo. Chi Soo’s personality is clearly shown when he persistently goes after Eun Bi. I wondered when Jung Il Woo becomes the most persistent. Without a moment of hesitation, he answered, “when I play a game.” He said, “When I play a game or make a bet, I cannot be cool. I usually play games with Gong Yoo from the same agency and he is as persistent as I am,” and laughed.

One of the reasons that I’m fond of Chi Soo is because he acts like a baby in front of his father (Joo Hyun), an owner of Chasung Group, unlike other typical sons of conglomerates, rebellious to their parents, in dramas. Chi Soo acts like a baby, saying, “Mr. Cha!” and his father tries to soothe his son by saying, “Okay, okay,” which is quite comical. This is the part Jung acts the most realistically in this drama.

He said, “I also act cute or blunt to my parents, sometimes. I’ve been really busy recently so I go to bed right away when I get home. I mostly come home at late night and leave in the early morning, so I hardly see them. Even on weekends or holidays, I’m out for practice. So I feel really sorry for them.”

As I talked more and more with him, I started to understand that it would be really difficult to find differences between him and Cha Chi Soo, as he said early. As I asked him to think about differences between him and Chi Soo, he did for a while and answered, “I’m not a playboy or say something cheesy to people like Chi Soo,” and bashfully smiled.

◇ His ideal type is a pretty and skinny woman

Chi Soo is a man who attracts women by saying things he doesn’t actually mean. He is clever enough to know what a woman likes to hear from a man and uses it to his advantage. In the scene where he first meets Eun Bi in a restroom, he attracted her by saying, “I like your mole,” as he sees a mole on her cheek. However, Eun Bi soon gets shocked as she finds out that it wasn’t what he really meant.

He said, “I can’t say things that I don’t really mean like Chi Soo. It’s not like I would say ‘You are ugly’ to an ugly girl right to her face, but I never say things that I don’t actually mean.”

He said he always want to be honest with people. While I was at it, I also asked about body parts he usually pays attention to when he sees a woman. He answered, “I see the woman’s face, certainly. And I like a skinny girl, but not too skinny. If she is slim like Lee Chung Ah, it’s okay.”

Chi Soo usually gets obsessed to Eun Bi when she sweats and has her hair tied up with a yellow rubber band. It’s like his anger eventually has become lovesick. As I asked him if he had an experience to become lovesick, he answered, “Of course, I do. I once fell in love with a girl only because she had a pretty face at first. But I got to like her more as I found out she had a great personality, as well. However, I couldn’t actually meet her like Chi Soo did. I just became happy whenever I thought about her and my life revolved around her.”

Chi Soo thinks Eun Bi is sexy when she ties her hair up. I asked him when he thinks a woman is sexy, and he answered, “I get attracted to a woman when she focuses on her work. Or when she knows something that I don’t know. I also think a woman in a t-shirt and jeans is sexy. Wearing sexual clothes doesn’t always make a woman look sexy.”

He is going to the same college with Lee Chung Ah. Lee has appeared on several romantic comedy films such as Temptations of Wolves (’04) and My Tutor Friend 2 (’07). As I asked him how he feels to work with an actress who already have many experiences in the romantic comedy genre, he answered, “Lee Chung Ah’s acting style is so natural. She also well describes a character who has a dogged-spirit. I think we are and will be perfect together because things are getting better as we work more and more together.”

◇ His buzzwords: “Choa~,” “Are you crazy?”

Flower Boy Ramen Shop makes the audience laugh because Jung Il Woo often acts hilarious in this drama. Especially when he gets spanked by Lee Chung Ah, he totally becomes hilarious. In one of the episodes, Eun Bi slaps and spanks Chi Soo. As he gets spanked, he sticks his back to a blackboard and shouts, “Are you Crazy?” before he finally gets spanked by her again.

He said, “I think I was slapped about 10 times. It was more painful than I expected. I was spanked for real, too. I created the voice tone for “Are you crazy?” I’ve recently created buzzwords like ‘Choa (Chi Soo sometimes calls himself Choa Chi Soo and just shortly Choa)’ and ‘Are you crazy?’ Do you think they are good? (and he laughed)”

The audience for Flower Boy Ramen Shop are giving favorable responses to his various facial expressions that he makes to describe the character. To make this progress, he had to try very hard. He said, “When I was doing Unstoppable High Kick, the director pointed out that I didn’t have many expressions on my face. Since then, I’ve tried really hard to make various facial expressions, looking into a mirror. I felt more comfortable to make facial expressions when I was doing SBS TV’s 49 Days.”

The 8th episode of Flower Boy Ramen Shop tipped a love triangle of Eun Bi, Chi Soo, and Kang Hyuk (Lee Ki Woo). By now, it seems Kang Hyuk is more likely to be Eun Bi’s boyfriend because Chi Soo is still a high school student. As director Jung Jung Hwa also mentioned, “It’s both possible that Chi Soo becomes Eun Bi’s boyfriend or that Chi Soo grows up as Eun Bi and Kang Hyuk finally fall in love,” the audience’s curiosity about the ending of this drama is getting more and more increased.

About the ending, Jung said, “It doesn’t matter who finally becomes Eun Bi’s boyfriend. I just hope that this drama meets an happy ending. There’s now only the second half of this drama left. I’ll try my best to make this drama as a heartwarming and pleasant one for all audiences. I think that’s what I have to do.”

Cr. TV Report

These photos are from the Press Conference…

[Interview] Jung Il Woo, From Pretty Boy to Earnest Actor

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Jung Il Woo Indonesia

Pretty boy Jung Il Woo has transformed into the delicious young man Cha Chi Soo, the heir to his family’s fortunes, for tvN’s latest hit drama Cool Guys, Hot Ramen.

From his “It’s me! Cha (an exaggerated pronunciation of Cha) Chi Soo” to “You’re pretty,” Jung has stolen the hearts of women everywhere, from young girls to middle-aged women, and I recently sat down with the king of romantic comedies whose smile could warm up any room in the winter cold.

Jung means business. As an actor, he has dreams and goals, and he’s passionate about acting. When I asked him what he considered to be the most important thing in life, Jung replied, “Being firm in my convictions.” He added, “I have a lot of greed, so I always set goals for myself and try to work with drive.” While Jung’s good looks may have given him his start in the entertainment industry, his thoughtfulness is what has kept him going as an actor. So, what are his goals?

Jung Il Woo’s Dream. An Earnest Actor

It’s been six years since Jung made his debut in the entertainment industry. He shot to fame in MBC sitcom High Kick Through the Roof, where he stole the hearts of viewers as a rebellious, tough-guy high school student. The casting offers came flooding in soon after. With his pretty boy looks and model-esque height, Jung is romance drama material. In a way, romance dramas are shortcuts to joining the rank of Korea’s top stars.

However, Jung did the unexpected. From MBC’s historical drama The Return of Iljimae to KBS2’s Lady Castle and SBS’ fantasy drama 49 Days, Jung has tried to take on a wide range of roles. Although it may have been smooth sailing for Jung had he stuck to the ‘King of Romance Drama’ cut-out, he chose to take the long and winding road in order to be taken seriously as an actor.

“My dream and hope right not is to be an actor that remains in people’s memories,” said Jung. “I want to be an actor with a broad mind. And I want to be an actor that knows how to help those in need and aims for the top through kindness and by taking care of those around me.”

The Greatest Partner, Lee Yo Won

Early this year, Jung took to the small screen as the Scheduler in 49 Days, and he was praised for his matured acting skills. It was a work that turned ‘the pretty boy’ Jung Il Woo into ‘the actor’ Jung Il Woo. And Jung explained that actress Lee Yo Won played a big part in turning him into ‘Jung Il Woo the actor.’

“If I had to choose one actress, who remains in my memory and whom I worked the best with, from all the dramas I’ve done up until now, I’d say Lee Yo Won nuna (older sister),” said the actor. “I was told that my acting skills definitely improved during 49 Days, and I think Lee Yo Won nuna really brought out what was inside of me.”

Hallyu Star’ Jung Il Woo‘

Jung has achieved hallyu star status. He actively communicates with fans inland and abroad through various social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and me2day. From uploading photos he’s taken himself to replying to fans’ mentions on Twitter, Jung has garnered the nickname ‘Kind Il Woo.’ The actor says that he can feel his foreign fans’ love.

“On Twitter, there are fans who write comments in English or use translators to write in Korean,” said Jung. “And when I go abroad, I can sense the differences in the fans’ propensities, depending on the country. Japanese fans like to keep their distance and watch from afar while Chinese fans are much more forward. After the drama 49 Days, I made some Southeast Asian fans. I’m amid preparations to promote in Southeast Asia next year. I really want to meet them.”

Jung has captured the hearts of fans in Europe as well. Cool Guys, Hot Ramen has been distributed beyond Asia to Romania, Russia and America. As a result, the actor’s fan base on social networking websites has expanded to include fans from Romania, Russia, France and Italy, making him indeed worthy of the hallyu star title.

This does not mean, however, that the actor has neglected his Korean fans. Despite being one of Korea’s top stars, Jung, who doesn’t mind throwing on his tennis shoes and breaking a sweat, holds a field day with his fans every year.

“The field day began as a means for me to return the favor to the fans who showed me so much love during High Kick Through the Roof,” said the actor. “We’re already going on six years together. I wanted to show my gratitude to the fans through it, and I want to continue to be with them in the future.”

Jung Il Woo, The Singer?

On his current drama, Jung is proving to be a man of many talents. The actor’s self-written song A Person Like You was revealed on the November 25 broadcast of Cool Guys, Hot Ramen.

Jung said, “I’ve written two or three other songs, but I don’t plan to debut as a singer or release an album. However, I do want to show people my other talents, like songwriting, in the dramas I appear in through the OSTs.”

The ballad conveys Cha Chi Soo’s one-sided feelings for Kang Eun Bi (Lee Chung Ah) as he sees how small he becomes in front of the girl he loves.

Jung is constantly challenging himself and working towards becoming an earnest actor, and because he has proven himself to be an individual with many charms, he’s an actor with a bright future.

Photo credit: Kim Byung Gwan
Translation credit: Nancy Lee

More?

THIS  article is really nice too!  Jung Il woo treated fans to the last episode of Flower Boy Ramen Shop.  This is one of the past events in his life I wish I had been there for… to sit and watch that last episode of Flower Boy Ramen Shop with him!!! Oh!!!

You can see more photos of his cake HERE.

Last of Cha Chi-soo for now:

Haechi, his most recent drama is also one of my favorites.  It shows a much more mature Jung Il woo and I felt the change he talked about as an actor.  In Haechi, he acted with the energy that comes from way inside of him… not just faces or more exterior acting…  This part… was just WOOw.

And now I will end with some very fine views of Jung Il woo… from episode 1.  Do you know what views I mean?

Yes… these views! What a way to start a drama!

Stay tuned for many more Jung Il Woo Delights coming our way! 

May GOD bless you!  (I think we are …just look at him! What a sweet heart!)