This Month in CFs: Song Jae Rim, Lee Min Ho, IU, and More

Most Hollywood celebrities wouldn’t risk their reputation by using their fame to advertise beer or chicken, but in Korea, celebrity appearances in print ads and commercial films (CFs) are an acceptable and even desirable form of self-promotion. There are so many celebs in ads, in fact, that it would be impossible to cover all of them, but we compiled a shortlist of favorites that are currently airing in Korea. Let’s begin!

IU for Chamisul Soju

In this cute CF, IU dons a soju-bottle-green sweater and sings a sweet song to ask people how they feel about having some Chamisul this Friday. “Cool!” everyone responds, as would you if you were propositioned by IU to drink alcohol together.

Jun Ji Hyun for Hera

Jun Ji Hyun has been one of the top “CF queens” for the past year – you can’t turn around in Korea without seeing her likeness on advertisements for everything from bakeries to beer. In this CF, she plays a capricious celebrity whose signature lipstick shade is Hera’s own hot pink. Jun Ji Hyun is more beautiful and desirable than just about anyone.

Anyone, that is, except Ahn Yona. (Cosmetics contract for Ji Sung in 3, 2, 1…)

Song Jae Rim for Laneige

Song Jae Rim is another male celebrity who loves bright pink lipstick, but he prefers to see it on his (would-be) wife. The “We Got Married” star appeared in a parody CF for cosmetics brand Laneige, in which he described how beautiful his wife is with her pure white skin and pink lips. Do you suppose he’s talking about his WGM spouse, Kim So Eun?

YoonA for Innisfree

Innisfree is a cosmetics brand known for its eco-friendly and natural products, most of which are sourced from Jeju Island. To advertise its sparkling mineral water essence, longtime spokesmodel YoonA is asked why she would bathe in hot mineral water springs, or drink bottled mineral water, if she’s just going to use plain old not-mineral-water H₂0 on her face.

Lee Min Ho for Samsonite RED

Wearing his Samsonite RED backpack, Lee Min Ho is calm, cool, and as charismatic as ever… even when he’s running after YG trainee Kim Jisoo driving away in a sleek car. Uh-oh, sassy plot twist at the end!

T.O.P for Cass Beer

This is the CF we’ve been seeing all month long. Usually we dislike seeing the same commercials over and over, but this is T.O.P we’re talking about, so we don’t mind. We figure that’s what the folks at Cass were thinking when they signed him. Smart people.

Lee Jong Suk and Suzy for BBQ Chicken

Lee Jong Suk doesn’t have to choose between Cheese Suzy and Honey Suzy. Thanks to BBQ Chicken’s new mascarpone and cheddar cheese fried chicken and honey garlic fried chicken, he can have both!

“But… that sounds kind of unappetizing,” you may be thinking to yourself. “Why would he even want both at the same time?” Check the next page to find out.

Kim Yoo Jung for Mr. Pizza

As weird as it sounds to some (many) people, Koreans love mixing together totally unexpected ingredients. Here, Kim Yoo Jung endorses a Mr. Pizza concoction marketed for women – a pie loaded with shrimp, sweet potato, dried cranberries, beef, pineapple, and cheese, for a taste as “sweet as love.”

2PM for Pelicana Fried Chicken

Now this is the kind of fried chicken we can get behind… and so can 2PM. The CF is only 15 seconds long, and as basic as the white T-shirts the boys are wearing, but 2PM really sells it. Or maybe it’s the close-up shots of the chicken, but either way, it’s working for us!

Kim Soo Hyun for Petitzel

Kim Soo Hyun has been endorsing Petitzel custard for over a year, and his CFs have usually been as sweet and light as the dessert itself. This latest CF, for the brand’s new Honey Blossom flavor, featured a more sophisticated approach: a beautiful, pudding-eating young woman, who attracts handsome men just as a flower attracts bees. And Kim Soo Hyun in a tuxedo attracts the beautiful woman. It’s the circle of life.

Song Triplets for Hana Card

Q. How do you get three two-year-olds to carry a CF for a credit card company when they can barely string together a sentence? A. Easy. Stand them in front of the camera and put the necessary info in imaginary speech bubbles above them.

Caution: This tactic only works if you’re as cute as Daehan, Mingook, and Manse.

f(x)’s Krystal for Etude House

Here, the handsome CEO of “Facelook” spots his dream girl, Sera, by her online profile. Since Facelook is a social networking tool that does not feature a way to contact people online, Sera phones to introduce herself, and is sent over to meet the CEO in a public press conference. Unfortunately, despite having hair and an outfit that are completely on point, Sera has forgotten to wear any makeup. The CEO’s face crumples with disappointment, but luckily, Krystal is there to save the day with a bottle of Face Blur! (Face Blur, so he doesn’t see your real face.) Sera, we don’t care how rich and handsome this guy is. You run right now.

f(x)’s Krystal for Etude House (again)

We only saw the prior commercial for a week before it disappeared. This is a newer, and more typical, CF from Etude House: super cute and just makes us want to run out and buy the whole line of lipsticks.

Song Jae Rim and Cha Tae Hyun for Samsung Fire Insurance

Sure, we just featured him, but a little more Song Jae Rim never hurt anybody, especially not when he’s accompanied by the perpetually boyish Cha Tae Hyun and a super cute puppy for maximum adorableness.

That’s it for this month. Which CF was your favorite?