The fact that actor Song Joong Ki was a short track skater in the past is being re-examined.

On February 10th, a post titled "The Real Reason Song Joong Ki quit short track speed skating" was posted on the humor page "Entertainment Store."

Before his debut in the entertainment industry, Song Joong Ki lived a life of an athlete by playing as a "short track" player for about 12 years from the first grade of elementary school.

He is known to have been a promising short track speed skater who was recognized for his potential enough to compete in the national sports competition three times as a representative player of Daejeon Metropolitan City.

Earlier, Song Joong Ki appeared on SBS entertainment program "Strong Heart" in 2010 and said, "I did short track speed skating for about 10 years until middle school". He admitted that he was a short track speed skater himself, saying that he also worked as a player for the Daejeon Metropolitan City national team for six years.

Also, when he auditioned for his film debut film "A Frozen Flower", when asked by director Yoo Ha, "Are you good at running?", and answered, "I said that I was a short track skater. I think this answer helped me pass."

However, Song Joong Ki gave up sports altogether after 12 years of short track track record.

In this regard, on Channel A's "Heard It Through the Rumors" in 2018, entertainment reporters and pop culture critics explained why, "Song Joong Ki's ankle injury made it difficult for him to exercise".

They also said, "At that time, there was a bit of 'faction controversy' by school or line in relation to the short track. It was a big social issue, but since the short track is a gold medal event, it seems that there were some bad problems".

After quitting sports, Song Joong Ki concentrated on his studies and, through luck, entered Sungkyunkwan University's business school. After debuting in his entertainment industry, he has grown a lot to this day and has risen to the ranks of top stars.

Song Joong Ki showed off his skating skills by playing the role of Ji Pung Ho, the national short track gold medalist in the 2009 MBC drama "Triple".

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]