Oh Snap! Kim Tae-hee takes normal beach photos
by HeadsNo2
To match, of course, with her normal dates with superstar Rain. In her recent interview with InStyle magazine, the woman who’s made a living out of being really, really, ridiculously good looking, Kim Tae-hee, talked about her practically snooze-worthy life with her beau and how she’s grateful for her age lines. (If she has age lines, then I’m the one who’s dating Rain.)
On her high-profile relationship, the actress said, “Our dates are very normal. We eat tasty food, we talk a lot. We share in a lot of tastes and similarities. I’m the quiet type but since he’s so talkative and fun, there’s never an end to our conversations.” If he’s not singing you to sleep, then you’re not getting your money’s worth, ‘s all I’m sayin’.
Via Sports Seoul
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1 hibeautiful
February 9, 2016 at 7:19 AM
The 5th pic is really good. She looks...young.
(While reading the interview, I imagined a kdrama scene between her and Rain lol )
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katie
February 9, 2016 at 11:29 AM
pretty
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Jang JJ XD
February 10, 2016 at 8:27 AM
Heol. This comment ^^ made me laugh. Really.
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em22
February 10, 2016 at 10:47 AM
agree but she looked cross-eyed in most of them. needs to be re--shot.
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Lburnem
February 14, 2016 at 11:24 AM
That's what I thought too. Cross-eyed in almost every shot
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2 Drama Princess
February 9, 2016 at 7:24 AM
I don't really get the hype about her being "ridiculously good-looking". I get that she's pretty but not to the point where almost all articles written about her should mention about her being beautiful. Maybe my preference is different from most of us or maybe I should get my eyes checked already so that I can see how beautiful she really is. For me, I find AOA's Solhyun and After School's Nana really good looking.
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lolcoolcat123
February 9, 2016 at 7:45 AM
The fact that you like AOA seolhyun and After School's Nana more than kim tae hee, might mean that you have a type. Don't worry i'm not angry at you, nor am i being snarky. All i'm saying is you seem to like certain type of faces. Kim tae hee is said to be beautiful according to Korean standard of beauty and has more of a classic face. According to Korean beauty standards she has some of the perfect features and that's why all the articles about her are about how pretty she is. Actually I was the same when I first heard about her and saw her photo, I didn't think she was really THAT pretty, but as I got more into Korean standards and Korea, I understood why people keep talking about her beauty. Wow that's a lot of beauties. Also now I see it, i'm doubting if i should be explaining this as who knows, you might not even care.....i don't know!
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blo
February 9, 2016 at 10:06 AM
I appreciate and agree with your explanation. I didn't understand it at first either, but now, I can see why she is so highly regarded. The more pictures I see of her, the more enamored I become with her beauty. These pictures don't do her justice.
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KDaddict?JCW
February 9, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Hype or no hype, understandable or not, Kim Tae Hee has come first in a Korean online survey that asked for votes for the Most 50 Beautiful Korean actresses, and those are 50 Very beautiful ladies, by anyone's standard.
Top 3: Kim Tae Hee, Kim Hee Sun, Lee Young Ae.
See "Netizens pick the 50 Most beautiful Korean actresses" on Soompi for the rankings if curious. It gives an idea of Korean standards of beauty, which I agree w one of the comments that say include such dimensions as education, class, etc.
Jang Dong Gun ranks 1st among 50 Most Beautiful Korean Actors.
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Cooler
February 9, 2016 at 10:21 PM
Disclaimer: Well Actually Comment
Psychological studies have shown that people will refer to and come to think of a person as attractive once they're informed that a majority of people find someone attractive. Simply being told that she is the most beautiful will eventually sway a number of people that did not previously find her particularly attractive.
I'd like to say that it's because it makes people re-evaluate their own biases, but I suspect it has more to do with that fact that human beings really like to fit in.
On a related note--it's her teeth. They're too big for her mouth; and I can't understand why someone with the means to get some veneers or crowns that fit wouldn't do so. It never ceases to amaze me how many top international stars have horrible teeth.
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Jang JJ XD
February 10, 2016 at 8:34 AM
I agree with the explanation. People really shift their perspectives easily when they learn the view of majority.
Regarding her teeth, it looks good to me as long as it doesn't have cavities. LOL
Eman Resu
February 11, 2016 at 9:15 AM
This may sound weird, but I find that her oversized teeth to be one of the sexiest things about her (I'm a guy). In much the same way that a certain type of snaggletooth can actually be attractive, her large teeth enhance her beauty. I read somewhere, and I can't remember where, but that sometimes these perceived flaws or imperfections that invoke some level of embarrassment as a response, actually end up having the opposite effect, especially when it comes from the perspective of a man judging a woman's beauty. They're subtle cues that imply juvenile development, and thus youth. Just my two cents.
mj
April 6, 2016 at 6:34 AM
very like2!!^^(SONG HYE KYO)
mj
April 6, 2016 at 6:35 AM
very like2^^(SONG HYE KYO)
annie-chan
February 9, 2016 at 8:11 AM
Just like Yoona of SNSD and Suzy of Miss A, while a lot Western/US viewers in particular and international viewers as a whole don't understand why they are that popular, by Korean standards, they are goddess level. If you go to Korea, they are virtually everywhere. And they are, to me, just mini Kim Tae Hee.
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Jon G.
February 9, 2016 at 8:23 AM
Just curious: What do you mean with "mini KTH" here? Because I completely fail to see any visual similarities ...
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Annie-chan
February 9, 2016 at 10:22 AM
What I meant is that they are just younger versions of Kim Tae Hee i.e. visually attractive females by Korean standards. You can find that pretty much every article about Yoona/Suzy also mentions how pretty they are (and how high profile their relationship are - although in the case of Yoona and puppy, it was past relationship). It's rarely about how good of an actress they are.
But then Kim Tae Hee actually has an edge over the other two or pretty much every younger versions of herself, she is a Seoul university graduate, which is, by itself, a thing most Korean people look up to.
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Jon G.
February 9, 2016 at 6:03 PM
I think I see what you mean. Especially in comparison with some western countries/industries, this is rather different.
French cinema for example is obsessed with beautiful people (primarily women), and yet it would be highly offensive to focus on perceived looks of an actress too much, while ignoring her actual professional credentials.
isnin
February 9, 2016 at 8:36 AM
@mimi - I also thought it was "just me".
My standards also lean towards Solhyun or Nana.
To me those two are the epitome of youthful vitality and beauty.
I do consider Kim Tae Hee as "handsome".
She's still a very attractive lady though.
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kuromitsu
February 9, 2016 at 8:46 AM
Seolhyun is a beautiful (and cute kid).
Women like Tae Hee or Gianna Jun are beautiful ladies. For me they exude class and beauty to a much greater degree than say, Suzy.
On the other hand, women like Jang Na Ra or Jung Eun Ji (though different ages) for me are cute and adorable.
Not a dig at any of them, though. All of them are beautiful.
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isnin
February 9, 2016 at 8:50 PM
Kim Tae Hee is beautiful, I just don't get the hype over her.
That's just like people always saying Angelina Jolie is such a goddess and I'm thinking, what?? why?
Or Scarlett Johansen or Amanda Seyfried.
Just as pretty or prettier....
Jung So Min
Lee Min Jung
Soo Ae
Han Hyo Joo
Jeon Ji Hyun
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Beez
February 11, 2016 at 4:17 PM
Why doesn't anyone ever include Song Hye Gyo Kyo in these most beautiful lists?
Dramanice
February 9, 2016 at 11:15 AM
I am with you. I also dont understand the hype. She is beautiful but I dont think her beauty is superior than any beautiful koreans. She resembles a little with Moon Chae Yoon but for me the latter is more attractive.
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Alyssa
February 9, 2016 at 1:53 PM
Like Suzy and yoona, Koreans like girls with small features. Many like yoona for her small face. All three of them exudes with the girl-next-door vibe. While Kim Tae Hee is not a great beauty but she's the total perfect package that many wish to be. She exudes this warmth, lovely feeling with her beauty and she graduated from one of Seoul University puts her on the pedestal. That's the difference between her and other beauties like Song Hye Gyo. There are beauties every where but beauty and brains is what made people respect her.
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isnin
February 9, 2016 at 9:01 PM
I can understand the beauty/brains thing....and how being the total package is part of the reason for the hype.
similar to Natalie Portman or Emma Watson.
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btsxfangirl94
February 10, 2016 at 11:53 AM
"While Kim Tae Hee is not a great beauty but she’s the total perfect package that many wish to be"
Huh?physically alone she is considered one of, if not the most beautiful woman in korea, her smarts are just a bonus..even if she were as dumb as rocks she would still be very famous for her looks..Song hye gyo is gorgeous too but most koreans would prefer kim tae hee's looks over hers...she fits the korean beauty standards to a T.
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sunnyl
February 9, 2016 at 11:18 AM
I saw KTH even before she did 'Stairway to Heaven', but no one mentioned about her beauty when she first started as I remember. But everyone went gaga over her education (Seoul University and she had a boyfriend in same school that time, I remember). Also I always wonder how she became an item with Rain. I was his fan from 'SangDoo' time, but his background is so so different from her (She having good family and education background and him having nothing to show for in that regard). Then again, you never know.
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jellybine
February 9, 2016 at 9:29 PM
I read somewhere that they started when both of them shoot a commercial. Rain was supposedly going to the army during the time so he even went to shoots even if its only KTH's turn. You can actually say it's love at first sight (or encounter).
You can check it here:
https://www.dramafever.com/news/how-did-rain-and-kim-tae-hee-act-when-they-first-met/
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Scarlet
February 9, 2016 at 11:54 AM
Yea, I don't understand the comment about her being so pretty in all honesty. There are a lot of classic beauties out there. I feel that Song Hye Gyo is prettier.
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jellybine
February 9, 2016 at 9:30 PM
I also don't know understand at first why they keep on saying that she is the prettiest but I now understand that the Koreans taste might not match with international fans. It's just a matter of preference.
But I do agree that Kim Tae Hee and Jun Ji Jyun exudes a different level of elegance than others.
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mj
April 6, 2016 at 6:41 AM
SUPERB SONG HYE KYO^^ absolutely agree with you))
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shineeonew
February 9, 2016 at 9:28 PM
Korean people see Seolhyun and Nana as the "trendy" type of pretty, while they see people like Kim TaeHee and Lee YoungAe as the classic beauties.
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joykim
February 11, 2016 at 6:16 AM
I'm not Korean and I agree with your statement.
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Trinity 🍆
February 10, 2016 at 9:58 AM
I am with you. I think KTH is pretty but I don't think she is beautiful. There are many other actresses out their that I consider much more beautiful then her. She definitely isn't my type.
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mj
April 6, 2016 at 6:42 AM
LIKE^^
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btsxfangirl94
February 10, 2016 at 11:48 AM
Everyone has their own opinion but I think she is absolutely stunning..seolhyun and nana are attractive imo especially nana but not on the same level as kim tae hee..but again it's all a matter of opinion..For example I think yoona is extremely overrated in terms of looks and I think she looks beautiful only in certain angles but quite plain for the most part but of course a lot of people disagree.
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3 Sandra
February 9, 2016 at 7:41 AM
She's pretty of course but for me no one can take the beauty and classy of Lee Young Ae as representative of korean beauty.
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The flaming rose
February 9, 2016 at 8:47 AM
You're so right. Kim He Ae is jjang.
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4 owl 🦉 🫰
February 9, 2016 at 7:44 AM
Hallyu normal, that is. I can't get the image of Rain in The Fugitive-Plan B on a date - (*giggling*), so any other description of a "normal" date goes over my head. I'm sure they have a Hallyu hellofa time. And, of course, she looks good in anything and everything. Didn't they have a wedding date set at one point, or not...?
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kalel
February 9, 2016 at 1:52 PM
LOL! Rain in The Fugitive-Plan B was nothing but pure fun. Action, humour and guy-liner combo. What more should any woman ask for?
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5 turtlelove
February 9, 2016 at 7:50 AM
She's a natural beauty, which is why people fawn over her so much. Many k-pop stars have obviously had surgeries - their beauty may be stunning but it's also manufactured.
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Sarang
February 9, 2016 at 11:28 AM
Really, is she really 100% natural? I agree she was naturally beautiful but looks like her eyes and nose were enhanced.
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ck1Oz
February 9, 2016 at 12:47 PM
She hasn't had plastic surgery I think.
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Sarang
February 9, 2016 at 1:44 PM
Just my opinion, definitely her nose and eyes were fixed. There is nothing wrong with enhancement. Even Jennifer Aniston and Nicole Kidman have their noses done.
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Tim
February 9, 2016 at 4:34 PM
Despite your opinion, she never had surgery nor any form of enhancement.
Chiisan
February 9, 2016 at 5:47 PM
She looks almost the same as her school profile picture from decades ago.
Sarang
February 9, 2016 at 11:15 PM
It may not be too obvious but I saw her baby photo somewhere, looks like she had her nose trimmed. It is also looks like something was done on her eyes. I could be wrong, maybe it was only make up which doing the wonders.
6 Leslie
February 9, 2016 at 8:31 AM
I think she looks awful in this photos. The way she's titling her head is awkward.
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Chichiri
February 9, 2016 at 8:45 AM
And the ratty hair.
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7 Lavander
February 9, 2016 at 8:37 AM
I'd rather say she looks ridiculously ugly in these pics lol what's up with her hair? and with her shoes? how badly she has aged...
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Georgie
February 9, 2016 at 11:15 AM
You people are really HARSH...
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Ami
February 9, 2016 at 1:38 PM
I'm sure you look better...
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btsxfangirl94
February 10, 2016 at 11:55 AM
Well a whole nation would disagree with you XD or should I say the vast majority of a nation.
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8 Ek Ladhki Thi
February 9, 2016 at 8:55 AM
I'm not hating, but I really don't think she's as pretty as people say she is. Is it because she hasn't had any plastic surgery done? I don't get it. Song Hye-gyo too. I'm also one of the few that'd say something as blasphemous as I don't get the hype about Won Bin either. I mean they look okay, but not spectacularly breathtaking.
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Affie
February 9, 2016 at 10:43 AM
Wut? Kim Tae Hee, Won Bin and Song Hye Kyo are the epitome of 'stunning' in my look book... I'm not Asian not specifically Korean but I get it...
I get Suzy Bae and YoonA too! Gorg! I personally find Jun Ji Hyun and Su Ae gorgeous and they are my Girl Crushes the way Alicia Vikander, Scarlett Johansson and Lupita Nyongo are my Western Girl Crushes.
To be fair, I see beauty in lots of different ways... And I'm able to see what others may see in others to consider them beautiful!
Huhuhuhu! I love Kim Tae Her so much it hurts! Lol
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Lavander
February 9, 2016 at 4:03 PM
maybe then you should go and see a doctor? ew
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meph
February 9, 2016 at 6:46 PM
I'm confused @Lavander what do you consider ew?
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greenteaicecream
February 9, 2016 at 7:49 PM
either you're REALLY pretty or REALLY insecure.
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greenteaicecream
February 9, 2016 at 7:49 PM
or bitter.
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joykim
February 11, 2016 at 6:20 AM
Agree!
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Mari
September 3, 2017 at 3:56 AM
I agree with @Ek Ladhki Thi. I don't yet hype about Kim Tae Hee, Won Bin etc. I think the korean entertainment just trying to make a brand for their celebrities. It's all about business. It depends with who got sponsor they would be promoted as the most pretty actress or handsome actor.
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9 Kaylie
February 9, 2016 at 8:57 AM
I get that she's pretty, but not to the extent of beauty that everyone's hyping about. And also not to the extent that I can overlook her poor acting. She would make a good model though?
And anyway, is it just me, or is her face actually pretty common in Korea? Not common as in plain-common, but in the sense that it's a typical face that pretty Korean girls have. For example I think Kim Ji-won really looks like her, and I think there's a girl in T-ara who looks like her too.
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joykim
February 11, 2016 at 6:22 AM
KTH probably looks common to you because most Koreans opt for plastic surgery based on KTH facial features.
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Mari
September 3, 2017 at 3:57 AM
I agree with you. I don't get hype about Kim Tae Hee, Won Bin etc. I think the korean entertainment just trying to make a brand for their celebrities. It's all about business. It depends with who got sponsor they would be promoted as the most pretty actress or handsome actor.
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10 marru
February 9, 2016 at 9:18 AM
i too don't find her that pretty and I donot understand the hype regarding how pretty she is...i think jeon ji hyun is really pretty and elegant specifically in "you from another star".
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11 lordseungri
February 9, 2016 at 9:25 AM
Beautiful as always *_____*
I prefer KTH to JJH but SHK is prettier than KTH and LYA just kicks everyone to the curb
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 11:25 AM
There are a whole bunch of older actresses - Kim Hye-soo, Lee Young-ae, Yoo Ho-jung, Kim Hee-ae being just a few among them - who would kick any of the current It-Girls to the kerb with the greatest of ease.
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joykim
February 11, 2016 at 6:25 AM
I agree with your preference of the 3 ladies because I think KTH offers an approachable well cultured vibe, JJH offers a bitchy fxxk off vibe and SHK offers a hidden mysterious vibe.
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mj
April 6, 2016 at 6:45 AM
OBVIOUSLY:)
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12 mary
February 9, 2016 at 9:50 AM
Pretty! :)
I liked her best as Queen of Crocodiles. Too bad she didn't go full crocodile. :/
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13 Gladys
February 9, 2016 at 10:34 AM
HeadsNo2 I promise you made me laugh lol.
I didn't really like her in Yongpal. She should do more rom-com like My Princess back in the day
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14 Blcktron
February 9, 2016 at 10:47 AM
I have never really seen what all the fuss about KTH was, not to see she isn't attractive. But when I think beauty, Son Ye Jin and Lee da hae and although alot don't agree my personal favorite Choi Kang Hee
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Affie
February 9, 2016 at 10:55 AM
@Blcktron...I think your choices are breathtaking too! A lot of the time, people don't realize it but a je-ne-sais-quoi about a certain person can add to their overall beauty because that thing fuels a fascination that people end up having with the individual... That's why people have preferences and choices abound ...
I personally think that the more of that thing the person has the more the fascination that leads to them becoming the 'standard'.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 11:37 AM
It's funny but a lot of the current It-Girl types are about as interesting as a piece of stale toast, judging by the things they say in interviews. What they do have are very well-managed images and the ability to photograph nicely, and that's it.
One of the younger generation who does have that je ne sais quoi, is Jung Eun-ji. She may not be considered pretty by Korean standards, but there's a vitality to her that makes for great screen presence, and ensures she's never dead behind the eyes. Another is Go Ah-sung - she comes across as mature beyond her years, in a really good way - like she's a woman, not a girl. (Kim Go-eun is rapidly joining her in my favourites list) And among the 80s-born actresses, it's Gong Hyo-jin.
(it might seem odd that three of my choices are people considered 'ugly' by Korean netizens, but I think that perception of ugliness actually freed them, in a way - most conventionally beautiful Korean stars come off as incredibly bland, but these three have way more going for them than how 'pretty' they're considered)
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Jon G.
February 9, 2016 at 7:27 PM
Go Ah-sung, Kim Go-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, you got me thinking here.
I have to confess that I find all three of them "prettier" than the average of Korean lead actresses. But I wonder why.
I know for sure that I didn't think of Go Ah-sung as particularly pretty a few years ago, until she left that "child actress" thing behind her. (Now, of course, I'm about old enough to be her father, which raises some bars.)
It's a bit similar for Gong Hyo-jin: When I first watched her in her roles a bit more than a decade ago, I wasn't impressed. Neither by her acting, nor by her as a pretty person. The first time I thought "Wow, she's actually gorgeous" was, ironically, "Crush and Blush".
I've been thinking: Maybe I'm extremely biased in my personal sense of beauty when it comes to people doing some acting. Maybe I cannot appreciate Kim Tae-hee's beauty because I'm too shallow to overlook her unattractive acting.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 8:05 PM
I feel like Korea or most cultures, really, often determine whether someone's 'pretty' by checking that their features and/or figures look a certain way/are arranged in a certain way.
It's a very tick-the-boxes mentality, when I think beauty is far more complex than that, and is at least to some degree about intangibles.
I mean, I can recognise that some of the It-Girl crowd are pretty, but I have no particular desire to keep looking at them because they come across as insipid and somewhat lacking in intelligence, both on and off screen. (and it's also bizarre to me that Korea actually values that seeming lack of intelligence, enough to have the concept of so-called 'white paper beauties'.)
fgb4877
February 9, 2016 at 10:58 PM
Hello Mr. Jon, how are you?.
For me, Ms. Gong Hyo Jin isn't beautiful per se. Is the warmth she imprints to her characters what makes her beautiful (please read this as a compliment).
Now as pure physical beauties (in my very personal opinion, of course).
Ms. Jung Eun-ji is beautiful per se. I haven't seen any characters acted by her but she is a beautiful lady.
You could laugh at me, but in the new generation aside of Ms. Seolyun (which made me worry in Orange Marmalade: I felt like I could fall in love with her - Please read the "Mermaid typology in Robert Greene's "The Art of Seduction" book-), the lady that made me sweat with desire was Ms. Jun Hyoseong in Ghost Seeing Detective Cheo Yong. Lady has some serious legs.
Another lady I consider beautiful is Ms. Kim Gyu-Ri from Cunning Single Lady. Her voice is also very seductive.
My personal crush aside Ms. Seolhyun is Ms. Hwang Bo-ra. I just loved her characters in Arang and the Magistrate and in My Girl. Would you believe me if I tell you that in Arang I found her even more beautiful than Ms. Shin Min Ah?.
Ms. Shin Min Ah is gorgeous and leggy, but acidentally I kind of "pet-zoned" her in "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho".
Another beautiful lady is Ms. Lee Yeon-hee. I found her breathtakingly beautiful in Gu Family Book, my very first Drama.
Thanks for reading all this. As a man I usually try my best to be as polite as possible around this themes (I love K-Dramas, but as a man I can't never forget that this site is made for ladies in the first place, and that ladies are the vast majority of the forumites in DB), but I had to write it down just to get out of my system.
And yes, I find Ms. Kim Tae Hee beautiful sice her characters I've seen her in are cheerful and hearthwarming (My Princess - Boku to Star no 99 Nichi). But at least for me, Ms. Han Ye Seul was far more beautiful in 2004 when both of them did "Gumiho", an otherwise umpalatable Drama.
Thanks a lot.
Jon G.
February 10, 2016 at 7:10 AM
Really? You mean like in a conscious, almost rational kind of way?
Affie
February 10, 2016 at 8:00 AM
@Jon G. "I’ve been thinking: Maybe I’m extremely biased in my personal sense of beauty when it comes to people doing some acting. Maybe I cannot appreciate Kim Tae-hee’s beauty because I’m too shallow to overlook her unattractive acting."
I don't think its shallow to have beautiful acting as your bar, Jon! it's amazing and its your preference... forget everyone else! lol! I think it makes you 'deeper' actually.
I think its perfectly fine for different bars to applied to one's decision to agree with beauty standards and the icons that represent them. I think many of these beauties have their own categories that can't be taken away from them.
Applying 'beautiful acting' as a standard, I would then be able to say Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford or Marion Cotillard are the most beautiful women I have ever seen on the silver screen but if I'm simply talking my eye-candy actress fix, they would be Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, who to me are simply ravishing...just like I think Shin Min Ah, Han Ga In and Son Ye Jin are breathtaking, without 'beautiful acting' as a prerequisite in the equation and Ha Ji Won and Jeon Ji Hyun when it is vice versa
I think that might be all there is to it...:)
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 10, 2016 at 8:05 AM
@Jon - well, you could call it rational, I suppose.
But since views of beauty deal to some degree with issues of aesthetic appreciation, the formulaic eyes-are-big+double-lids+nose-is-not-too-big= must-be-pretty approach tends to miss the mark on quite a few people.
It's a bit like saying a painting can't have any aesthetic value unless it's painted a specific way, never mind that another approach may yield a painting that's actually a work of art and not just a pretty blank canvas to coordinate with the decor, if you know what I mean.
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 10, 2016 at 8:13 AM
oh, and I absolutely agree with you on the fact that someone's acting may actually influence your own perception of their aesthetic appeal.
(I suspect this is why I cannot stand the sight of Taecyeon in any drama - others may see eye candy, all I see is some greaseball hack who is dead behind the eyes/forever looking like he's trying to recall his next line as he's saying the current one, and has no business acting at all).
I think it may also be worth noting that Western tastes tend towards appreciating looks that are striking or memorable in some way, even if they're not strictly "pretty" - like Gisele, or in the acting world, people like Charlotte Gainsbourg, Clémence Poésy and Kirsten Dunst.
Jon G.
February 10, 2016 at 9:31 AM
@pogo
I always thought it's the other way round. In the western world, there was always the attempt to measure "beauty", but not because you can only perceive it when you can measure it, quite the opposite. The immediacy of beauty can be like a challenge.
And the attempts have been very successful. Some of the most advanced creators of beauty were also the most advanced reductionists and formalists of beauty. Think of Leonardo da Vinci or J.S. Bach for example.
The issue is: You don't need to study the beauty ideal checklist of the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt to perceive the beauty of the Nefertiti proxy bust. You don't need to know how the Egyptian geometricians back then calculated the shape of the head to know whether you should find it beautiful or not.
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 10, 2016 at 12:39 PM
@Jon - of course there have been attempts to quantify beauty in the past, golden ratios and all that stuff, I'm not discounting that.
But it really doesn't seem to apply to the everyday perception of beauty in the West, at all. As you said, you shouldn't need to know someone's head size to find them beautiful - you either find them attractive or you don't, no real rationale about features needed.
btsxfangirl94
February 10, 2016 at 11:57 AM
Lee dae hee has gotten a ton of surgery and I still don't think she's pretty and choi kang hee sorry to say is very average-looking..IDS how she is anywhere close to KTH in terms of looks..
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15 Affie
February 9, 2016 at 10:48 AM
Omg! Love her! Love her eyes! Love these pics... I'm a total fangirl!
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16 Mev
February 9, 2016 at 10:53 AM
From the comments above I find it very interesting the difference in beauty standards. As most of us all have different views probably related to the culture/ environment we were brought up in.
Personally I find her beautiful but like the above said not stunning. I actually find go Ara stunning.
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17 pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 11:22 AM
I get that Kim Tae-hee is admired as much for her academic achievements as her looks, and I'd never dispute that she's pretty.
But the beauty worship in Korea is something I'll always find weird as hell, especially since it leads to so many people (whose acting we have complained about on this very site) building acting careers on the back of nothing more than the fact that they are "natural" beauties - talent or even learned skill be damned.
I mean, sure, Western stars are also idolised for their looks, but even people like Marion Cotillard, Angelina Jolie or Scarlett Johansson have some majorly prestigious acting awards/good reviews to their names, and aren't just pretty faces. Hollywood is messed up in several ways but it doesn't have much tolerance for hype when there's no substance behind it, no matter how pretty the face is.
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kuromitsu
February 9, 2016 at 11:32 AM
Then again Hollywood also had the era of people like Hedy Lamarr, or Marilyn Monroe. Both smart people, but known more for their stunning beauty than their acting achievements.
Hedy Lamarr in particular was a genius and a beauty who got sidelined into bad acting roles.
Hollywood nowadays also has people like Channing Tatum. Or Kaley Cuoco. A few years ago there was Megan Fox, or people like Katherine Heigl and Kate Hudson a few more years back.
It took George Clooney and Matthew McConaughey several years to get out from just being a pretty face, too.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 11:45 AM
While Marilyn Monroe had the 'dumb blonde' image and built her career off her looks, she was never actually a bad actress - in fact, she was a pretty good comedic actress.
Hollywood will put up with pretty-but-talentless faces for maybe a couple of years, max, but if you still suck after that, you're no longer in consideration for major roles of any kind and may as well be obsolete. McConaughey was pretty much in that position, and as for Clooney, he worked his way up from tv. (Heigl was actually a decent actress but got a bad rep for unprofessionalism, which put an end to her movie career and sent her back to tv). And I don't know who Kaley Cuoco is, but if she's from tv, Hollywood has a rather clear divide between movie and tv actors- and bad acting is far more acceptable in movies than tv.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 11:45 AM
"and bad acting is far more acceptable in movies than tv."
oops, I mean to say bad acting is far more acceptable in TV than movies - time to go to sleep!
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Quiet Thought
February 9, 2016 at 5:19 PM
Kaley Cuoco is the female lead on 'The Big Bang Theory.' For some reason she has attracted a lot of anti-fans. She's no Meryl Streep, but she's got sharp comic timing and can punch a line or look with the rest of the cast. It doesn't help, I suppose, with anti-fans, that she's well aware that she's the "hot babe" character in the drama and doesn't mind playing the part.
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Jon G.
February 9, 2016 at 5:55 PM
Kaley Cuoco is indeed a TV actress, from the comedy/sitcom fach to boot. An adequately competent one in that genre, I might add.
Anywho, I don't think that Hollywood is much more "acting-obsessed" than other mainstream film industries (Korea, China, France, whatever). Movies are made to make money. And it's easier to make money when the people in your movies are pretty. "Pretty" seems to be a bit more complex in the US than in Korea, and there are other differences too (only extremely "specialised" actors in Hollywood never pick up any acting skills during their careers). But whether that is just a quantitative or a qualitative difference from the Korean film industry, well, debatable, I think.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 7:46 PM
@Jon - I'm not saying that Hollywood is acting-obsessed, just that there is SOME level of talent expected of an actor, especially It-people who want more than flash-in-the-pan for a career.
What you and @Quiet Thought said about Kaley Cuoco just supported my point - any Hollywood actor with (for example) Suzy's level of acting ability would be out on their ear or consigned to the CW years ago, not considered for lead roles in big-budget movies or major tv shows.
Part of it is the simple fact that having lots of commercial endorsements for indiscriminate products is not considered a good thing for an actor's image in Hollywood, while in Korea/Japan it's the opposite, and advertising holds way too much sway over casting decisions, especially on tv.
Sam
February 9, 2016 at 9:56 PM
I am also curious about artist having too many commercial endorsements. There is nothing wrong with it as long as they actually believe in the products they are endorsing, otherwise it is as good as they are deceiving the public.
pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 10, 2016 at 8:20 AM
@Sam - I think it boils down to a difference between how endorsements are viewed in the US vs how they are in Korea/Japan/China.
For instance, fashion/makeup endorsements are a very common thing for actresses to have, and no one raises an eyebrow at those. But there would definitely be some sniffiness at actors endorsing more low-end products, like refridgerators and phones - there isn't any prestige attached to owning such products, and the common feeling would be that they are 'selling out' by making their money from endorsements instead of the actual day job.
While in Korea, getting advertisement deals means you are popular and people want to see your face on tv, even if it's shilling for products no real-life person actually has any kind of strong feelings about (like fast food)
18 Kiara
February 9, 2016 at 11:46 AM
I've been watching historical dramas from the late 90s early 2000s, those days where plastic surgery wasn't so common.
I thought some of those older actresses were/are gorgeous especially in their traditional hanboks like Kim Sung Ryung (Miss Korea 1988), Lee Mi Yeon (YAI's noona dream girl ), Choi Myung Gil, Lee Young Ae.
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revuot
February 9, 2016 at 2:32 PM
Comment was deleted
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 8:09 PM
I know most of those actresses only from their most recent work (and of course Dae Jang Geum), but it's strange to think how the plastic surgery trend is really something that took off not that long ago - post-2000, that is.
Kim Sung-ryung was gorgeous in hanbok in The Fatal Encounter, she must really have been stunning when she was young.
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19 loveko
February 9, 2016 at 12:08 PM
Congratulations on dating Rain, Heads! :p
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20 logan5
February 9, 2016 at 1:25 PM
I must have been extremely lucky ... but for the life of me a lot of the actresses that people seem to be fawning over don't look all that different from the girls I went to school with in Hawaii.
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21 Sam
February 9, 2016 at 1:53 PM
I am curious with Rain's face. Recently, his face looks a lot smaller than before, and doesn't look like proportional for his body size.
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Sam
February 9, 2016 at 2:04 PM
Not proportional in a sense, his face more feminine now. Just my observation. I like his manly appeal in Full House. The shape of his face was perfect.
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NaijaNoona
February 9, 2016 at 7:21 PM
Pretty sure he had his jaw shaved down :/ Not as dramatic as Hyun Bin (*moment of silence*), but his face shape has definitely changed in a way that requires a surgeon's assistantce.
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Lovethisdrama
February 9, 2016 at 9:21 PM
That is what I also thought with Hyun Bin. What is with pointy jaw line? Do they find it attractive in SK? Heart-shaped face naturally has pointy chin but both neither have.
I missed their masculine facial feature.
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kuromitsu
February 10, 2016 at 6:59 AM
My guess: As far as I can tell from kpop and jpop culture, fangirls love the feminized look.
I'm a guy, and I hate it when men look pretty. That's why I've never been a fan of people like Lee Jun-ki (I don't dislike him, though).
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NaijaNoona
February 10, 2016 at 7:58 AM
As far as I understand it, a "V-line" or V-shaped face is considered a mark of attractiveness. Whether or not it's considered masculine would be a matter of cultural context + personal preference I think.
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Sam
February 9, 2016 at 9:39 PM
I browsed Hyun Bin pictures. I think it is not as dramatic as Rain's if he went under the knife. For me, Rain's face is just too small for a man. It looks even smaller than KTH.
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22 judilicious
February 9, 2016 at 2:22 PM
I agree dat she is really pretty but 4 me, one of d prettiest actresses would be Shin Minah and d actress from Madame Antoinette. I also don't get d hype abt Suzy and Yoona being so pretty. They r above ok to me.
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isnin
February 9, 2016 at 9:10 PM
Shin Minah is gorgeous, but Han Ye Sul makes me wonder what she looked like pre-p.s.
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Sam
February 13, 2016 at 9:09 AM
Check out few of g.o.d old mvs', e.g. Love and Memory and few other songs. There was even one mv with Jo In Sung.
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Sam
February 13, 2016 at 9:15 AM
She I meant to be SMA. I just thought you might be curious about her too.
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daralene
February 10, 2016 at 5:52 AM
seriously shin minah is quite ugly even for koreans... and han seul face shouts PS
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23 ⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐
February 9, 2016 at 2:37 PM
KTH is my first girl crush. Not saying she is the prettiest, but she has a package that most of the woman wants.
she has a beauty, good academic background and good attitude. She is the prettiest in my eyes. ;)
Well everyone has their own preference. just dont insult each other, just because argument like who is the prettier / more handsome than whom ?
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24 evw09
February 9, 2016 at 3:11 PM
From an US perspective, it's hard for us to understand Korean beauty standards because the standards seems so formulaic. If the person has all preferred features, regardless to how those features come together, the individual is automatically beautiful. In the US, beauty can be Tyra Banks, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Lawrence, Sophia Vergara, Lucy Liu and the list goes on. There may be a more prevalent "mainstream" form of beauty but there's not a set standard.
Although currently, there's push to challenge even our notion of beauty by promoting differences. For example, videos like John Legend's Nobody (You and I) or Megan Trainor's All About the Bass depict beauty in all types of forms. Nonetheless, beauty standards are set by what's seen in society. With the US being a melting pot, it makes sense that there wouldn't be a definitive beauty standard. Just my opinion, as S. Korea begins to diversify and takes on more world influences the beauty standards will change as well.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
February 9, 2016 at 8:13 PM
I don't think it's even just about Americans/Westerners finding Korean beauty standards odd - I'm Indian, and I find that rigidly formulaic approach rather strange too (we have our own formula but that usually involves just one element - big eyes. Not the multiple criteria of the Korean standard)
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25 watchumlots
February 9, 2016 at 3:23 PM
Debating whether she is pretty, prettier than... or prettiest, is not productive. Yes, she graduated from a top university; but with a degree in FASHION DESIGN, not physics. So she is human, nothing wrong with that.
But I do not believe for one (1), as in 'single,' minute, that she eats food on a date, or that she even eats food at all, unless she throws-it-up afterwards. Look at her arms and legs, remembering that the camera 'flattens' images somewhat, and think of how thin she must be to appear that skinny in photos.
The next thing we will read is that she doesn't have a beauty regimen, she is simply happy and sleeps well. Eva Longoria was quite honest when asked about her routine: she works out at least 3 hrs / day, 6 days / week and hasn't eaten anything with a fork in 5 years. Plus, she has specific facial/skin treatments multiple times per week.
These regimens are fine for those that make a living with their looks, but when they say they do nothing extraordinary to maintain that appearance that is disingenuous. And my favorite claim: It is all NATURAL. Yeah, like her colored contact lenses.
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maldita
February 9, 2016 at 11:15 PM
It doesn't matter what she took up in Seoul National University. It hardly matters most of the time because the hardest part is getting accepted into the school. So yeah, she didn't take up a hardcore major or whatever but she was one of the select few who got into the school compared to the hundreds of thousands of other people her age who didn't.
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dai
February 14, 2016 at 3:52 PM
in korea, the hardest thing to get INTO the top universities (they have entrance exams), once you're in the college, you can choose whatever major ya want
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26 calgary
February 9, 2016 at 4:08 PM
Go back 20 years and look at Shim Eun Ha. THAT'S the classic natural korean beauty look.
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27 Linde B
February 9, 2016 at 4:27 PM
l think it all boils down to the saying - Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. l agree with some of you that KTH is pretty but not that pretty. there are a lot of other Korean women that are prettier than her.
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28 crazythought
February 9, 2016 at 4:40 PM
Still don't understand why Korean find her very very beautiful. Just average beautiful compared to other Asian beauty.
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29 salt n' pepper
February 9, 2016 at 4:52 PM
KTH is pretty but I find her look to be the plain jane, girl-next-door type. Personally, I find Song Hye Kyo more captivating. There's just something about her beauty that comes off very regal and classy.
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30 geniekate
February 9, 2016 at 5:16 PM
seeing the beauty that exudes in other people usually doesn't start with physical appearance of people being looked at but, it is a reflection of one's understanding of beauty...so with the hype thing, those who say they find kth beautiful, they identify themselves to that kind of beauty same thing as why it's hard to put attraction into words.
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31 geniekate
February 9, 2016 at 5:26 PM
it's like posting a comment here, you really don't want to argue who is more beautiful but you do it because you get caught up defending why your choices are better :)
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32 anabear
February 9, 2016 at 5:43 PM
Damn, she's beautiful. I didn't really like her when I was young, but I guess the taste in beauty develops over time. And KTH's beauty for me is an acquired taste. That doesn't make it any less though, because sometimes, it takes a while to see and appreciate what's beautiful.
More than her looks, what I probably liked most about her is her voice. :)
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33 memeko
February 9, 2016 at 5:56 PM
I'm not a korean but still an asian. im a fan of korean dramas. I have seen songhyekyo and jungjihyun first bfore seeing kimtaehee. SHK and JJH are really beautiful but i am more captivated by KTH's beauty. its an added bonus that shes a brainiac from Seoul University. That i think is her advantage among others with the same level or preference of beauties.
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34 blueribbon
February 9, 2016 at 6:27 PM
I agree with most of you while KTH is pretty she is not in my book particularly stunning like some Koreans make her out to be. However after reading the comments I kind of now see why Koreans tend to like her so much. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I tend to find SHK, Go Ara, Nana and SooYoung to be better looking.
Somebody posted this link a couple months ago about older Korean actresses when they were younger
https://www.dramafever.com/news/20-korean-actresses-who-were-goddesses-in-their-heyday/
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isnin
February 9, 2016 at 9:17 PM
@Blueribbon !10,000+ thumbs up.
It was really awesome to see how beautiful those veteran actresses were in their heyday.
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kuromitsu
February 10, 2016 at 7:03 AM
Lol, Go Du-Shim looks like she could be Eugene's sister. I guess that casting in Please, Mom makes sense.
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35 Melleit
February 9, 2016 at 8:38 PM
I think she is gorgeous but what I really love are those shoes!! So cool! Does anyone know the designer?? Some of the clothes are beautiful too!
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36 ⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐
February 9, 2016 at 9:10 PM
By reading comments here, I fully understand that everyone has their own standard of beauty. Because I also feel the same way about young actress like Suzy and Seolhyun whom i don't find attractive, they are pretty but that's it. So it is similar feeling that when many fans don't find KTH pretty or pretty but just normal looking.
I can easily put KTH, SHK and LYA as my all time fav Korean beauties, and will not choose who are prettier than whom. If i to add, Jeon InHwa is one of veteran actress that I find so pretty despite of her age.
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37 daralene
February 10, 2016 at 5:39 AM
i thought she is pretty but not over the top...
but if you look ordinaray korean and faces... you can understand why they consider her BEAUTIFUL...
its GENETICALLY rare to have eyes or nose or face shape like that for a KOREAN... which happens to be pretty tooo.. and those features are COMMON IN Western world...
just like americans find square jaws are pretty since its RARE... which is DAMN COMMON in many asian countires...
and asians couldnt understand the hype for beauties of west...
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38 Affie
February 10, 2016 at 7:57 AM
" Kim Tae-hee, talked about her practically snooze-worthy life with her beau and how she’s grateful for her age lines..."
i may have to take this line with a pitcher of salt tho... cos i don't anyone who is happy to 'look' older ... most people like to 'grow' older without the added ageing 'eventualities', y'know...
much less an actress hailed for her beauty.
what i really want to know is how does one not get truly narcissistic in the face of such utter adulation? i don't make excuses for any celebs.. i think they all have some degree of narcissism, as a catalyst that keeps them pushing...
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Affie
February 10, 2016 at 7:58 AM
know*
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39 Mark
February 10, 2016 at 1:38 PM
Hmm she's so beautiful. This asian lady had me hypnotised for years since the first time i saw her in Forbidden love. I really love to marry her (my dream), but we are far apart and she has rain. I love everything about her, from her head to her toes, her character, personality, And the way she speaks, so lovely and gentle and babylike. She surpassed my beauty standards. God bless Tae Hee.
I'm so grateful for this article @headsno2.
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40 vikkyTan
February 12, 2016 at 6:24 AM
song hye kyo all the way..
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41 norain
April 26, 2016 at 12:27 AM
"beauty is in the eye of the beholder" For me, there are so many beautiful korean celeb but Kim Tae hee is more beautiful,she is so gorgeous...i love her expressive eyes and her smile...#kim tae hee, take good care!!! and God Bless!!!
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