Song Hye Kyo Joined The Modelling Contest That Helped Launched Her Career ‘Cos She Wanted To Win A School Uniform

As one of the biggest Hallyu stars in the world, Song Hye Kyo needs no introduction (especially with all the drama surrounding her personal life lately, which we won’t go into). But did you know that it originally wasn’t her intention to become an actor?

That’s what she claims in a recent interview with ELLE Taiwan, anyway. The 38-year-old South Korean actress recently sat down for an exclusive interview with the magazine — she’s their June 2020 cover girl — and looked back on her 24-year-long career, including the seemingly inconspicuous event that started it all.

“By chance, I happened to hear about a modelling competition that was giving out school uniforms as prizes, so I decided to take part and was fortunate enough to get first place,” she recalled. The then-14-year-old went on to become a model for the company that organised the contest, which opened doors to the acting world, which led to her breakout role in 2000’s Autumn in My Heart… and the rest is history.