The year 2016 is certainly Song Hye Kyo’s year. She started it with the launch of the highly successful "Descendants of the Sun" in February and ended September winning the “Goddess of Asia” title.
To win the online contest, fans of the Hallyu star rallied and cast so many votes so she could beat Chinese actress Zheng Shuang to win the bragging rights as "Goddess of Asia." When the contest was initially launched a few months on July 1, Song Hye Kyo was in 2nd place and Zheng was 1st place, but Song Hye Kyo slipped to 6th place in early August.
On Sunday, Sept. 25, just after 20 days since the last update, the South Korean actress rallied and won the title. Her victory, according to Inquistr, is a slap on the face of China which declared a ban on all Hallyu stars because of Seoul’s deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missiles.
The online contest was organized by a Chinese website, the Asian Goddess Entertainment Network, prompting some fans to think the voting was rigged in favor of Chinese actresses.
Morning Ledger reported that Zheng Shuang has dropped to fifth place. Song Hye Kyo got a total of 3,583,343 votes, followed by Song Zhi Xiao or Song Ji Hyo from “Running Man” 3,562,099 votes, Zhao Li Ying 3,561,292 votes, Jin Tae Yan 3,556,728 votes and Zheng Shuang (or Jessica Jung) 3,559,244 votes.
Female celebrities who were nominated for the title “Goddess of Asia,” according to the organizer’s website, must “have a fascinatingly pretty face and a figure that people will envy.” Other requirements are having warm love for others and detailed in her work.