Song Joong-ki
In 2016, Song starred in the mega-hit romantic comedy series "Descendants of the Sun", an intense drama about an army captain (played by Song Joong-ki) and a surgeon who fall in love while working amidst disaster-torn areas. The drama was incredibly popular in Korea with a peak viewership rating of 41.6% and in Asia, where it was viewed 2.5 billion times on iQiyi. The popularity of the drama reestablished Song as a leader of the Hallyu, and she topped popularity polls in Asia and was noted for her immense brand recognition in South Korea. Song won Daesang (Grand Prize), the highest award at the 2016 KBS Drama Awards along with her co-star, Song Joong-ki.