Failed at Miss Korea, this actress vowed to never date celebrities, only to marry a famous Korean actor?
Despite losing at beauty pageant Miss Korea, this Korean actress seems to be winning at life with a perfect career and marriage.
Many winners and runner-ups of the national pageant show Miss Korea attempted to break into the acting scene, and Lee Bo Young is probably among the most notable cases.
In fact, Lee Bo Young’s acting career has seen so many successes, that people no longer remember the actress as a pageant queen. Now, she’s only talked about for her impressive works, and her perfect marriage with the famous actor Ji Sung. However, her life is not a totally smooth ride.
Failed at Miss Korea, now internationally famous
At the age of 21, Lee Bo Young won the Daejeon entry for the 2000 Miss Korea beauty pageant and made it to the finale. Unfortunately, she eventually lost to Kim Sa Rang and didn’t manage to win any remarkable title. But the beauty’s career has only just begun.
After finishing at the competition, Lee Bo Young resumed her studies and graduated from Seoul Women’s University with a bachelor’s degree in Korean literature. Originally, she dreamed of becoming a news presenter, and even reached the top 15 finalists in MBC’s annual recruitment drive in 2002, but ended up not getting the job.
The beauty’s first stroke of luck eventually came when she tried out modeling, and was selected to be Asiana Airlines’ exclusive model. Soon, Lee Bo Young became a familiar face to the public, and took this as a launching mat to enter Korean showbiz. Her gorgeous and classy visuals allowed the actress to become sought-after by many directors and producers.
In 2003, Lee Bo Young made her acting debut, and managed to draw attention via early roles in “People of the Water Flower village”, where she starred alongside actor Song Il Gook, and “Save the Last Dance for Me”, where she met her now-husband Ji Sung. In 2005, the actress got a breakthrough with her first leading role in “Ballad of Seodong”, which earned her the New Star Award at SBS Drama Awards.
Slowly but surely, the actress established a stable footing in the acting industry, with her most famous works being “My Daughter, Seo Young” and “I Hear Your Voice”. Through the latter project, her popularity transcended outside of Korea, while her acting ability continuously received critical acclaim. Lee Bo Young then followed her hard-earned ffame with a huge number of decent work, including “God’s Gift – 14 Days”, “Whisper”, “Mother”, “When My Love Blooms”, and many more. Recently in 2021, the actress made quite the impression as the female lead of “Mine”, and once again proved her acting capabilities as well as spectacular visuals in this female-centric project.
Once accused of being a mistress, now boasting an ideal marriage with actor Ji Sung
In 2004, Ji Sung met Lee Bo Young on the set of “Save the Last Dance for Me”, and fell for the actress at first sight. He constantly proposed his feelings and did all sorts of moves to sway the heart of this beauty.
According to the actor, he once garnered all his confidence to write a confession note and put it in Bo Young’s handbag. When Lee Bo Young expressed that she didn’t want to date inside the entertainment circle, Ji Sung even offered to quit acting. However, he still didn’t manage to win her over, as Lee Bo Young only considered him a normal colleague who she distantly respected.
Eventually, though, he managed to crack down on Lee Bo Young’s barriers, and they officially started dating after 3 months of Ji Sung’s relentless pursuit. Talking about their courting period, Lee Bo Young shared that she felt guilty to make Ji Sung wait and refusing his feelings numerous times.
In 2007, the couple announced their relationship to the public, but unfortunately, the reception wasn’t positive. Netizens found out that Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young started dating in 2004, and earlier in the year, Ji Sung was still with actress Park Sol Mi. They then started to assume that Lee Bo Young was a “mistress” that interfered with Ji Sung and Park Sol Mi’s relationship, and drowned the couple in criticism. Still, Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young maintained their silence and braced through the storm, hand in hand.
A happy ending
Eventually, all rumors faded, and Lee Bo Young and Ji Sung tied the knot with a grand wedding in 2013.
Later on, Ji Sung shared that he took the chance to propose to his wife in Spain, where they had a photoshoot schedule together. In front of all the staff, he read out a letter that conveyed his love for Lee Bo Young, and sang Elton John’s “Your Song”, which was the actress’s favorite song. Lee Bo Young was driven to tears, and finally became Ji Sung’s fianceé after 9 years of dating.
Now partners-for-life, both Ji Sung and Lee Bo Young became one of Korea’s most powerful couples, and their careers also prospered. Now, they have two children, a daughter and a son, and often update about their happy family life as well as express support for each other on SNS.
Ji Sung is also well-known to be an ideal husband. This is shared by Lee Bo Young’s co-star Kang Ki Young, who exasperatedly said: “I heard so many good things about you that I got fed up. Your wife is always saying that you are disciplined and honest. Everyone has heard about it.”
According to Ji Sung, he even gave up drinking for the good of his family, sharing: “There used to be a time where only alcohol got me through life. But now that I have my wife and children, I feel more courageous. I want to stay beside my wife longer, to be healthily standing next to my children and to attend their weddings. As a father, I need to be strong to care for my family.”
Once a failed pageant queen, Lee Bo Young now has it all: from beauty, career, and prestige, to a happy family. All negative rumors surrounding her have been cleared, and now, the actress is only praised for her talents and perfect marriage with top actor Ji Sung.
Source: K14
