With his pretty looks and amazing acting, Song Joong-ki has found a permanent place in many hearts. Song’s career spans over 13 years, with roles in fan favourite productions such as Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), Running Man (2010-11), Descendants of the Sun (2016) and most recently, Vincenzo (2021).

Outside of acting, which he has won many awards for, Song Joong-ki is also big on philanthropy. He has been an advocate for children suffering from cancer and has also helped raise awareness and funds for the Korea Childhood Leukemia Foundation.

He had also donated money to aid post-earthquakes efforts in Sichuan and Nepal. Most recently, Song quietly donated money to help curb the spread of Covid-19.

2021 has been a busy year for Song Joong-ki. Both the film Space Sweepers and the TV drama Vincenzo were released on Netflix in February. The former garnered millions of views and a sequel has since been scheduled to be produced while the latter made it as the tenth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. Song has also been filming for the criminal thriller movie Bogota on and off due to the pandemic-related delays.

Song Joong-ki’s achievements aside, we’re celebrating his 36th birthday (on September 19) with 10 interesting facts you might not know about him.

He was a speed skater

For those who watched the television series Triple (2009), you might remember Song Joong-ki’s character as a short-track speed skater. But did you know, Song was actually a short-track speed skater and even won awards?

He started skating during his schooling years, played for his hometown’s regional team and was part of the Korean National Sports Festival thrice. Nursing an injury as well, Song later made the decision to quit as there were difficulties in making it on the national team beyond just talent.

He was a smart and dilligent student

Song Joong-ki revealed in an interview that he had devoted himself to studies after leaving sports in hopes of achieving good grades to make up for the sense of loss.

His efforts paid off, and he was a straight-A student in high school, obtained 380 out of 400 on the national college exam and went on to study Business Administration in the prestigious Sungkyunkwan University. Moreover, he took on the top leadership position of the student council in high school and was given an award for perfect attendance.

Another proof of his intelligence? Song won second place in KBS’s Quiz Korea, which also happened to be his first appearance on TV.

His acting debut was for an erotic film

The 2008 erotic historical film is titled A Frozen Flower, and starred Jo In-sung, Joo Jin-mo and Song Ji-hyo as the main characters. Both Songs eventually became good friends and part of the popular variety series Running Man together.

He released a book on skincare for men

Together with beauty editor Hwang Min-young, the two co-authored a book titled Beautiful Skin Project For Men in 2010. Featuring various photos that celebrate Song Joong-ki’s pretty and youthful features, the book quickly reached number one on the bestseller list within a month of publication.

He's not tech-savvy

While we are used to following our favourite celebs on social media, Song Joong-ki can be considered late to the game when he only opened his own official Instagram on Valentine’s Day this year.

While we don’t know what took him so long, Song had revealed in a 2016 interview with KBS1TV’s News9 that “The reason is simple. I’m not tech-savvy at all. I don’t use [social media] because I’m not good at it. I don’t know how to use it.”

ALSO READ: Song Joong-ki joins Instagram on Valentine's Day, gets over 680k followers in 2 days

He's one of the highest-paid actors in Korea

With iconic roles in productions such as Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010), A Werewolf Boy (2012), Descendants of the Sun (2016) and Vincenzo (2021), Song Joong-ki has cemented himself as one of the biggest Korean actors of his generation.

In fact, Song is also one of the highest-paid actors right now, with South China Morning Post estimating his fee to be over 200 million won (S$228k) per episode of Vincenzo.

He didn't aspire to be an actor at first

While we can’t imagine Song Joong-ki to be anything but an actor, he didn’t aspire to be one at first. In a 2013 interview with KBS’ Star Date, Song revealed that his childhood dreams included being a diplomat and a staff member at a broadcast company, besides wanting to become an actor.

In a letter from his high school teacher that was revealed on a show, Song apparently dreamt of becoming a news anchor too.

He could have become an idol

Besides being an actor, Song could have sung and danced into our hearts as an idol singer. In an interview with Issuedaily, Song shared that he once received an invitation from an entertainment agency to be a trainee for an idol that is said to be very popular now.

In addition, Song was also asked by the late Korean designer André Kim to model in a fashion show after his appearance on Quiz Korea.

He's a gracious neighbour

In August 2021, Song Joong-ki made headlines for all the right reasons after his neighbours complained that the roads between their houses were too narrow for them to drive through.

What did Song do? He offered to give up 1,500 sq ft of his 9,000 sq ft Itaewon home in order to widen the roads and rectify the problem.

This came after news that Song went above and beyond to help the team behind the Korea International Accessible Dance Festival (KIADA) promote their event. He put on a tux and recorded a 49-second clip telling people more about the festival after reading up about its six-year history.

He fulfilled a fan's wish

Indonesian actress Felicya Angelista wanted to prank her husband and actor Caesar Hito when she told him that her pregnancy ‘craving’ was to receive a video call from Song Joong-ki.

Much to her surprise, her wish came true when Hito contacted a friend in South Korea to help set it up. What a fan service!

ALSO READ: So this is what Song Joong-ki does with Vincenzo's Geumga Plaza gold

This article was first published in Her World Online.