The popular K-drama "Pinocchio" helped establish Lee Jong Suk as an actor, but he was not the first choice for this role.

In late 2014 and early 2015, "Pinocchio", a Korean drama starring Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye, was all the rage. After the success of "Doctor Stranger" and "School 2013", Lee Jong Suk was on the rise prior to the premiere of "Pinocchio", which elevated him to A-list status.

In the series, Lee Jong Suk portrays Choi Dal Po, a genius with exceptional memorization and analysis abilities who pretends to be stupid at school.

It turns out that Lee Jong suk was not the first choice for the role of Dal Po, despite his exceptional visuals and chemistry with co-star Park Shin Hye. Kim Woo Bin, who had previously worked with Park Shin Hye in "The Heirs," was reportedly the first choice for the role.

It was anticipated that their pairing would be explosive. Kim Woo Bin was filming the Chinese film "We Are Young" and the action/thriller film "The Con Artists" at the time, so he had to decline the role due to his busy schedule.

Despite not appearing in "Pinocchio," Kim Woo Bin proved to be a huge fan of the show, as he is extremely close with Lee Jong Suk.

The actor revealed that he adored the plot of "Pinocchio" and was completely won over by the chemistry between the lead couple.

Despite the fact that Lee Jong Suk's performance in "Pinocchio" was flawless, some viewers still lament Kim Woo Bin's absence. Three years later, the actor was diagnosed with cancer, resulting in an extraordinarily lengthy hiatus.

From an A-list actor with a super successful track, Kim Woo Bin saw lowered popularity due to his absence.

Recent years, however, have seen the actor make a notable comeback with the omnibus series "Our Blues," and he is expected to score big with the upcoming film "Alienoids," in which he will co-star with the Baeksang Best Actress Kim Tae Ri.

Kim Woo Bin is, however, somewhat overshadowed by the presence of such notable actors as Lee Byung Hun, Cha Seung Won, Han Ji Min, Ryu Jun Yeol, etc. in both of these projects.

Hopefully, the actor will be able to come back even stronger in his later projects. 

Source[1]

BTS member Jimin made history at the 2024 MAMA AWARDS, becoming the first solo artist ever to win the prestigious Visa Fan’s Choice of the Year award.

On November 22, Jimin was honored with the Fan’s Choice of the Year award at the 2024 MAMA AWARDS JAPAN, held at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan. This marks a huge milestone in his career, especially considering his ongoing military service.

Jimin made history as the first solo artist to win the Fan’s Choice of the Year award, a category that BTS had dominated for six years since its debut in 2018.

In addition to this achievement, Jimin also took home the Fan’s Choice Grand Prize, making him a two-time winner at this year’s awards.

Although Jimin couldn't attend the ceremony due to his military service, his name was met with loud cheers from fans when announced.

His incredible win continues to prove his global influence as a solo artist. Jimin had also won Best Male Artist at the 2023 MAMA AWARDS, marking back-to-back wins at the event.

The MAMA AWARDS praised Jimin for his groundbreaking achievements, saying, “As the first K-pop solo artist to reach 4 billion streams and set the longest-running #1 record for a Korean artist, Jimin has proven his influence as a world-class artist and global pop star.”

Jimin's win also made him the first solo artist to claim a grand prize at the MAMA AWARDS in 10 years, with his achievement sparking excitement worldwide.

On X (formerly Twitter), the hashtag “CONGRATULATIONS JIMIN” topped the trends, while “우리지민이상받았네” (Our Jimin Got the Award) reached the #1 spot in Korea.

Jimin’s ongoing success continues to shine even during his military service. He was also recently named Best K-pop at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards and continues to be recognized for his charitable efforts, including a recent donation of 100 million KRW to the National Defense Soldier and Veteran Love Fund.

Source: [1]