After 18 years, let’s take a look at the current or upcoming projects of the Stairway to Heaven’s cast.
Long-time K-drama lovers surely know the once-popular drama Stairway to Heaven. With the participation of stars Choi Ji Woo, Kwon Sang Woo, Kim Tae Hee and Shin Hyun Joon, the drama is the beginning for the romantic genre of the Korean screen.
And surprisingly, it’s been almost 20 years since the iconic drama aired with the highest ratings of all time, let’s take a look at the cast now!
It’s really not surprising that the media has always rated the drama as the pinnacle of K-drama, when the finale reached a rating of 45.3%, making it among the highest-rated dramas of all time.
Released in 2003, Stairway to Heaven became a huge hit not only in Korea but also in neighboring countries. There have been many remakes of this drama from different countries, like China and the Philippines. In addition, the drama also screened in Japan, and became the third most popular Korean drama in the country.
The melodrama follows the story of childhood friends Cha Song Ju (Kwon Sang Woo) and Hang Jung Suh (Choi Ji Woo). Jung Seo‘s father remarried to Mrs. Tae Mira, an actress and brought two stepchildren, Han Yoo Ri (Kim Tae Hee) and Han Tae Hwa (Shin Hyun Joon) to live in the same house.
Yoo Ri and her mother treated Jung Seo badly and even prevented her from studying abroad with Song Joo, fortunately Tae Hwa was there to comfort and take care of Jung Seo and he gradually fell in love with her. Through many difficulties, Jung Seo succeeded in making the cruel mother and daughter Yuri and Mira pay the price.
Apart from the four lead stars, Stairway to Heaven also took the name of the child star Park Shin Hye, who played a young Han Jung Suh, to a new height. After 18 years, let’s take a look at the current life of the cast back then.
Choi Ji Woo
Before starring in Stairway to Heaven, Choi Ji Woo also wowed the K-drama land with her impressive acting, which made her one of the Hallyu queens of the Korean screen at that time.
In 2019, she made a cameo in the drama Crash Landing on You. In this drama, she plays herself, Choi Ji Woo, to meet her fan who is a soldier from North Korea.
Not only has an impressive acting career, Choi Ji Woo also had a perfect marriage in 2018, with her non-celeb husband and gave birth to her first child in May 2020. In addition, she will also return to the small screen with the upcoming thriller drama Goosebumps. Let’s look forward to this comeback!
Kwon Sang Woo
Although he has turned 45 years old, Kwon Sang Woo still looks as dashing as when he was in 20s in Stairway to Heaven, especially when he plays the charismatic male lead in the crime drama Delayed Justice (2020). In 2008, he returned to the small screen in the mystery drama Queen of Mystery 2. Besides, Kwon Sang Woo also left an impression with his appearance in The Pirates: Goblin Flag, We Grow Up and The Christmas Gift.
In 2008, Kwon Sang Woo proposed to actress and former beauty pageant winner Son Tae Young and got married despite the controversy surrounding her personal life. Many netizens even wonder if this explains why after getting married, Kwon Sang Woo‘s reputation started to go downhill. In 2010, he even faced a hit-and-run charge after being involved in a car accident.
He later had to formally apologize to the public for this incident at a press conference. In 2013, Kwon Sang Woo’s image continued to get tainted as he was rumored to have an affair with model Kang Ye Bin.
Kim Tae Hee
Kim Tae Hee definitely has the most enviable life among the cast after 19 years. As an A-list actress and a “CF queen”, it comes as no surprise that Kim Tae Hee is one of the highest-paid female stars in Korea.
In Yong Pal, Kim Tae Hee only needed to lie on a hospital bed while closing her eyes in the early episodes to bag an earning of 40 million won per episode. In 2020, she made a small screen comeback in Netflix’s Hi, Bye Mama! and drew positive reviews for her mature acting.
She is currently married to veteran idol singer and top actor Rain. Kim Tae Hee has been taking a break to focus on being a wife and mother. The love story and marriage of Kim Tae Hee and Rain is always admired by the public. Rain never hesitates to openly show affection for his gorgeous wife.
Shin Hyun Joon
Shin Hyun Joon and his son appeared in an episode of The Return Of Superman in 2020. This was an opportunity for him to talk about his married life. He shared, “Our meeting was like a drama scene. I saw her walking on the street, and I fell in love at first sight.”
Shin Hyun Joon’s last on-screen appearance was in 2017, but he is coming back in George and Bong Shik, so stay tuned!
