# Song Jae-rim

Song Jae-rim (Korean: 송재림; February 18, 1985 – November 12, 2024), also known as Song Jae-lim, was a South Korean actor and model. Starting in modelling, Song had a career as an actor in K-dramas.

## Early life

Song was born on February 18, 1985; his mother, a devout Christian, named him after Jesus's Second Coming ("Jae-rim" in Korean). Song himself was a believer and had a tattoo of two hands in prayer and the verse Philippians 4:13 on his right shoulder as an expression of faith. He had a younger sister, Su-rim (born in 1986). His family was poor, so much so that it was not affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and Song began working part-time at a young age, modeling to pay for college tuition.
In 2003, he enrolled in the Information Systems Department at Chung-Ang University. He did not perform active military service due to a pneumothorax, replacing it with a job at a defense company.

## Career

Song began his career as a runway model for the Seoul collections of Juun. J, Herin Homme, and Ha Sang Beg. He also appeared in the magazines Bazaar Korea, Vogue Girl Korea, Dazed Korea, Nylon Korea, GQ Korea, Arena Homme + Korea, Esquire Korea, and Marie Claire Korea.
He developed an interest in acting while performing alternative military service and, seeing it as a way to change his introverted personality, took a leave of absence from college to enroll in an acting academy. He also taught himself directing, lighting and screenwriting techniques. He began acting in 2009 with the film Actresses. In early 2011, he worked for three months as a supermodel in Japan using the name Jay Song and appeared in Men's Non-no, Men's Joker and Street Jack magazines, after which he returned to South Korea to further pursue his acting career. His notable roles include a loyal bodyguard in the period drama Moon Embracing the Sun (2012), and a cold-blooded assassin in Two Weeks (2013). He shot to fame after appearing in the fourth season of We Got Married with Kim So-eun. Wanting a change of environment, in early 2024 he turned to theater for the first time, appearing in the Korean adaptation of Samuel Adamson's Wife. His final role was in the Korean musical adaption of La Rose De Versailles, based on the manga series by Riyoko Ikeda.

## Death

On November 12, 2024, Song was found dead at his home in Seongdong District, Seoul at around 12:30 (KST). An official from the Seongdong Police Station said that there was no evidence of foul play. Various news agencies reported that the police found a suicide note at the scene. Song's funeral was held at the Yeouido St. Mary's Funeral Hall on November 14. The family wished for a small service and offered no cause of death.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Actresses | Photographer's assistant | |
| 2010 | Grand Prix | Lee In-jae | |
| 2012 | Give Me Back My Cat | | Short film |
| 2013 | The Suspect | Professor Kim | |
| 2014 | Tunnel 3D | Ki-cheol | |
| 2018 | On Your Wedding Day | Lee Yoon-geun | Special appearance |
| 2019 | The Snob | Seo Jin-ho | |
| 2022 | Yaksha: Ruthless Operations | Jae Gyu | Netflix film |
| 2022 | Good Morning | Barista Yoon | |
| 2025 | Crypto Man | Yang Do-hyun | Posthumous release |
| TBA | Get Rich | Oh Gi-roh | Posthumous release |
| TBA | Salmon | Hae-nam | Posthumous release |

### Television series

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 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 | Cameo |
| 2014 | Secret Love | Time slip helper | Ep. 1–2 "Missing You" |
| 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 / Dr. Daniel Choi | |
| 2019 | I Wanna Hear Your Song | Nam Joo-wan | |
| 2019 | Drama Stage: "Big Data Romance" | Kim Seo-joon | Season 3 |
| 2021 | How to Be Thirty | Cha Do-hoon | |
| 2021 | Work Later, Drink Now | Song PD | Cameo |
| 2022 | Café Minamdang | Han Jae-jung | Cameo |
| 2023 | All That We Loved | Dr. Go (Adult Go Yoo) | Cameo |
| 2024 | My Military Valentine | Sung Jae-hoon | |
| 2024 | Queen Woo | Go Pae-eui | |

### Television shows

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014–2015 | We Got Married Season 4 | Cast member | Partnered with Kim So-eun |
| 2015 | House Cook Master Baek | Cast member | |
| 2019 | Surfing House | Cast member | |

### Music videos appearances

| Year | Song title | Artist |
| 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" | Zhang Liyin |
| 2015 | "Me, Myself" | Shin Seung-hun |

## Theatre

| Year | Production | Role | Venue | Ref. |
| 2024 | Wife | Robert | LG Arts Center | |
| 2024 | La Rose de Versailles | Florian Victor Clement de Gerodelle | Chungmu Arts Hall | |

## Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination :
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / work | Result |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Unkind Ladies | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Popularity Award, Actor | Unkind Ladies | Nominated |
| KBS Drama Awards | 2015 | Best Couple Award | Song Jae-rim (with Lee Ha-na) Unkind Ladies | Nominated |
| MBC Entertainment Awards | 2014 | Best Male Newcomer | We Got Married | Won |
| MBC Entertainment Awards | 2014 | Best Couple Award | Song Jae-rim (with Kim So-eun) We Got Married | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2016 | Special Acting Award, Actor in a Serial Drama | Our Gap-soon | Won |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2016 | Best Couple Award | Song Jae-rim (with Kim So-eun) Our Gap-soon | Nominated |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2018 | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Daily/Weekend Drama | Secret Mother | Nominated |