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Song Jae Rim - 송재림
Song Jae Rim (February 18, 1985 – November 12, 2024) was a famous South Korean actor and model. Who gained a special place in the showbiz industry with his unique acting and modeling style. Song Jae Rim started her career as a model on the fashion runways of Seoul. And soon appeared in leading Korean fashion magazines such as Bazaar Korea, Vogue Girl Korea, Dazed Korea, Nylon Korea, GQ Korea, and Esquire Korea.
In 2009, Song Jae Rim started his career as an actor. His first notable role was in the 2012 historical drama “Moon Embracing the Sun”, where he played a loyal bodyguard. Later, he played the role of a cold-blooded killer in the 2013 drama “Two Weeks”, which earned him more recognition. His acting fame came from participating in season four of the 2014 reality show “We Got Married” alongside Kim So Eun, after which he became very popular with the public.
Song Jae Rim won the Best Male Newcomer Award at the 2014 MBC Entertainment Awards for his performance in “We Got Married”. Additionally, in 2016 he won the Special Acting Award at the SBS Drama Awards for his performance in “Our Gap Soon”.
Song Jae Rim acted in several films and TV series, including “The Suspect,” “Tunnel 3D,” “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations,” and “Good Morning.” Her notable roles in TV dramas include “Secret Garden,” “Two Weeks,” “Moon Embracing the Sun,” and “Indecent Women.” In 2023, he also played a special role in the “All That We Love” web series alongside EXO’s Sehun.
On November 12, 2024, Song Jae Rim was found dead in his home. His sudden death shocked the Korean entertainment industry and his fans.
Gwanak District, Seoul, South Korea
| Song Jae Rim (Song Jae-rim) | |
| Name | Song Jae-rim |
| Other Names | |
| Other Names | Song Jae-lim |
| Hangul | 송재림 |
| Hanja | 宋再臨 |
| Revised Romanization | Song Jaerim |
| McCune–Reischauer | Song Chaerim |
| Other Info | |
| Born | February 18, 1985 |
| Place of Birth | Gwanak District, Seoul, South Korea |
| Died | November 12, 2024 (aged 39) |
| Place of Death | Seongdong District, Seoul, South Korea |
| Occupations | Actor, Model |
| Years Active | 2009–2024 |
| Agent | Saram Entertainment |
Early Life and Education
Song Jae Rim was born in Seoul, South Korea, where he received his primary education at Kwangshin High School. He then attended Chung-Aung University and majored in information systems, but his true passion was always in the arts. Under this desire, Song Jae Rim dropped out of university and decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Due to health problems, he served in the army through an industrial skills program.
Career
Song Jae Rim made her acting debut in 2009 with a minor role in the film Actresses. Song Jae Rim began her career in modeling, where her unique features and well-proportioned body brought her instant fame. Her beautiful and charming personality also got her a place in Japanese magazines. In 2011, he became the first Korean model to be featured in popular Japanese magazines such as Men’s Nono and POPEYE, further increasing his popularity. This success in modeling allowed her to step into the field of acting, which was always her dream.
Initially, he played small roles in films, music videos, and commercials, which gave him a foothold in the industry. However, his breakout role came in the 2012 hit drama The Moon Embracing the Sun, in which he played a silent warrior loyal to the king. This unique role earned him the nickname “Chug Gul Naam” meaning “Cold and Charismatic Man” and popularized his personality among the mass audience. Song Jae Rim’s early life and the success of his modeling career laid the foundation for his acting journey and made him a staple of the Korean entertainment industry.
Death of Song Jae Rim
On November 12, 2024, Song Jae Rim was found dead at his home in Seongdong District, Seoul at 12:30 PM (KST). An official from Seongdong Police Station confirmed that there was no evidence of foul play in his death. On further investigation, police also found a two-page suicide note at the scene.
Song Jae Rim’s funeral will be held on November 14 at Yeouido St. Mary’s Funeral Hall in Seoul. His sudden death has left his fans and the Korean entertainment industry in deep shock.
Summary
Song Jae Rim (February 18, 1985 – November 12, 2024) was a popular South Korean actor and model, who began his career as a model and later gained popularity in the Korean entertainment industry. She made her acting debut in 2009 with the film Actresses, but her breakout role came in the 2012 drama The Moon Embracing the Sun, in which she played a silent and loyal warrior. This role earned him the nickname “Chug Gul Naam” meaning “Cold and Charismatic Man”.
Song Jae Rim was found dead in his Seoul home on November 12, 2024. Police found a two-page suicide note at the scene, while no evidence of foul play was found. His funeral will be held on November 14 at Yeouido St Mary’s Funeral Hall.
Career Statistics
Filmography
| Film | 11+ |
| Television | 25+ |
| Web Series | 4 |
| Music Video | 10 |
| Total | 50 |
Awards
| Won | 3 |
| Nominated | 5 |
| Total | 8 |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Big Thing | Official in the club | |
| 2010 | Secret Garden | Singer | |
| 2011 | Cool Guys, Hot Ramen | Hee-gon | |
| 2012 | Moon Embracing the Sun | Kim Jae-woon | |
| 2013 | Nail Shop Paris | Kay | |
| 2013 | Fantasy Tower | Yong-wan | |
| 2013 | Two Weeks | Mr. Kim | |
| 2014 | Inspiring Generation | Mo Il-hwa | |
| 2014 | Big Man | Park Dong-pal | |
| 2014 | Secret Love | Time slip helper | |
| 2014 | The Idle Mermaid | Kwon Shi-kyung | |
| 2015 | Unkind Ladies | Lee Roo-oh | |
| 2016 | Goodbye Mr. Black | Seo Woo-jin | |
| 2016 | Thumping Spike | Hwang Jae-woong | |
| 2016–2017 | Our Gap-soon | Heo Gap-dol | |
| 2017 | Borg Mom | NIS Agent | |
| 2018 | Secret Mother | Ha Jung-wan | |
| 2018–2019 | Clean with Passion for Now | Choi Ha-in | |
| 2019 | I Wanna Hear Your Song | Nam Joo-wan | |
| 2019 | Drama Stage | Kim Seo-joon | |
| 2022 | Café Minamdang | Han Jae-jung | |
| 2024 | My Military Valentine | Sung Jae-hoon |
Films
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Actresses | Photographer’s assistant | |
| 2010 | Grand Prix | Lee In-jae | |
| 2012 | Give Me Back My Cat | ||
| 2013 | The Suspect | Professor Kim | |
| 2014 | Tunnel 3D | Ki-cheol | |
| 2018 | On Your Wedding Day | Lee Yoon-geun | |
| 2019 | The Snob | Seo Jin-ho | |
| 2022 | Yaksha: Ruthless Operations | Jae Gyu | |
| 2022 | Good Morning | Barista Yoon | |
| TBA | Get Rich | Oh Gi-roh | |
| TBA | Salmon | Hae-nam |
Music Video
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Molla-ing | May Doni |
| 2009 | Bus | Yeo Hoon-min |
| 2009 | Because of You | After School |
| 2010 | Go Away | 2NE1 |
| 2012 | The Day Before | Nell |
| 2013 | Runaway | Kara |
| 2013 | Message | BoA |
| 2014 | Agape | Zhang Liyin |
| 2014 | Not Alone | |
| 2015 | Me, Myself | Shin Seung-hun |
Web
| Year | Series | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | How to Be Thirty | Cha Do-hoon |
| 2021 | Work Later, Drink Now | Song PD |
| 2023 | All That We Loved | Dr. Go (Adult Go Yoo) |
| 2024 | Queen Woo | Go Pae-eui |
Awards
- KBS Drama Awards (2015)
- Best New Actor: Unkind Ladies – Nominated
- Popularity Award, Actor – Nominated
- Best Couple Award: Song Jae-rim (with Lee Ha-na) – Nominated
- MBC Entertainment Awards (2014)
- Best Male Newcomer: We Got Married – Won
- Best Couple Award: Song Jae-rim (with Kim So-eun) – Won
- SBS Drama Awards (2016)
- Special Acting Award, Actor in a Serial Drama: Our Gap-soon – Won
- Best Couple Award: Song Jae-rim (with Kim So-eun) – Nominated
- 2018
- Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Daily/Weekend Drama: Secret Mother – Nominated
