On 4 March 2011, Ji Chang Wook was invited by the management of the Ambassador Hotel in Seoul to put on a cooking demonstration for guests attending through a ticket lottery. You may recognize the venue as the “Camellia Hotel” used during filming of “Smile Donghae,” and that was the main reason their management decided to engage “Donghae” to help them with the Grand Opening of their King’s Buffet Restaurant. The event was covered by the usual news reporters, and here’s some photos of the fun! Continue reading →
Welcome to Ji Chang Wook’s Kitchen! Your two authors decided to put together a website in which we extol the virtues and superlatives attached to a certain South Korean actor/model/musical star named Ji Chang Wook. We both are huge fans of Changwook and tossed around several ideas about putting together a fan blog for him where we did not have to be limited in keeping to a pre-determined format. We hope that by providing English translations to various news reports, magazine interviews, and other miscellaneous items, this site will help to spread the word about Ji Chang Wook internationally in other countries outside of Asia.
Why is it named “Ji Chang Wook’s Kitchen”? Anyone familiar with the actor knows that he loves to eat. Anywhere, anytime… on the filming set, on the road, at photoshoots, etc. No bowl of rice nor piece of grilled chicken is safe from his hungry clutches, and we have the evidence to prove it… amongst other goodies we’ve been working hard on over the past few months. All of these mouth-watering tidbits you will find inside “The Kitchen,” and we hope you enjoy your visits. The menu changes often, so if there is a dish or other item you want to be included in future posts, leave us a note in the comments.
And another reason we decided to launch this site on a most auspicious day — on 5 July 2014 we are celebrating his 27th (28th Korean) birthday. Because we both could not be there in person this year, the video below is The Kitchen’s gift to The Birthday Boy accordingly. Enjoy and bon appetit!
“There will never be such an emperor ever again.” An emperor has everything one can ask for on earth, but will there ever be another emperor like Ta Hwan? His life was a question mark during his time as a prince. In front of El Temur, he fell on his knees begging for mercy; he even demanded for persimmons while being sent to exile. Neither could he shoot arrows properly, such that he had to start learning from the soldier Seung Nyang the right way to handle the bow. The new image of an emperor shown by Ta Hwan received instant reactions from the public after the show went on air. Despite receiving applause and praises, Ji Chang Wook found the drama “Empress Ki” to be a burden. In “Empress Ki”, Ji Chang Wook was a question mark. Continue reading →
“Empress Ki”, which aired its final episode on the 29th last month, continuously raked in viewership ratings of more than 20%, and its popularity is testament to its success. However, it was not able to break free from its label as a historically distorted story packaged as a “faction sageuk”. “Empress Ki” owes its mass popularity to Ha Ji Won, who plays the titular character, and Ji Chang Wook (27 years old) who plays the Yuan emperor Ta Hwan. From the vulnerability of a young prince and a man deeply in love to the insanity of a violent emperor, these dramatic character changes and the undulating emotions were excellently portrayed and he has earned praises for his widening range of acting. Having acted in dramas such as “Smile Donghae” and musicals, he has deeply etched his name in the minds of the public through “Empress Ki”.
HD retouched screencaps of Chang Wookie’s appearance on MBC Section TV after the conclusion of Empress Ki. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view. Enjoy!
Ji Chang Wook's Kitchen 