Finally, in the fateful year of 2007, Im Yoona was placed together with 8 other earthly angels as a lead dancer and sub-vocalist and the K-Pop girl group known as Girls Generation was born.Being a well-known face in the Korean entertainment circles, she immediately given the unenviable task of being the centre-face of the group, a task which she has upheld most admirably to date; so much so that any mention of SNSD immediately brings to mind the mental image of Yoong in the picture of the group 
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Inspite of the fact that she is effectively the trademark image of SNSD to SME and the rest of the world, Yoona has not lost the fun-loving and prankster-side of her inherent nature. She not called Im Choding for nothing, many are the jokes and pranks that she has played on her fellow group members (many a time in collaboration with the other pranksters of the group, Yuri and Hyoyeon 
!) Although being at the receiving end of “pranks” is not something that one enjoys, I personally feel that this aspect of her character actually endears her to the rest of the group. Why do I say that ? Well, by doing so, she telling the rest that it is OK to loosen up once in awhile, and to take life with a pinch of salt.
After all, if she, the de facto image of SNSD can take herself less seriously once in a while, it’s alright for the rest to do so. In this lies part of the charm of our dear Yoong.
What else ? Well, her never-say-never attitude towards all the responsibilities that she has been given in the course of her entertainment, acting and advertising career has certainly endeared her to both fans and corporate sponsors. This is evidenced by the fact that product endorsements by her seem to increase by leaps and bounds as the years go by, rather than the opposite.
Her latest, an eco-campaign by Innisfree cosmetics (of which she is the face of) for Jeju Island is evidence enough that whatever Yoona endorses will see very good results in the short and, dare I say it, long term lifespan of the advertising campaign.
Finally, Yoona is blessed with such a flawless complexion that she does not need any artificial enhancements to bring out the true beauty in her, a fact that is the envy of many: fans, non-fans, male, female, young and old alike 
. Yet, I personally feel that her humble, hard-working, fun-loving nature is what makes her attractive to all and sundry. Many a harsh comment has been made about why she and not the other 8 has been chosen to be the central focus of the group during promotions and performances. Things like: “so-and-so is much prettier, taller, thinner, funnier, cuter, etc., etc….” have been bandied about and debated ad nauseum, both on the Web, on TV and in the press.
I understand that we all have biases ( I know I do ) and that our favourite is the best person for the job/promotion/ advertisement at hand. Well, let me put this point across to you: personally, I believe Yoona is the epitome of a classical Korean beauty, one that best describes the long and honourable tradition and culture of this beautiful group of people, a fact not lost on the ones who made the decision to choose her and not someone else to bear the burden of the job. Yet, inspite of being so blessed, she is still the girl-next-door that everyone loves. So, Yoona, on this 22nd (21st) birthday of yours, it is really great to see that you have proven your detractors wrong and grown to be the lovable, yet humble personality that Our God intended you to be when he created you.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YOONA (IM CHODING )!!!
. Serendipidty perhaps ?
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