Meet 'Black Belt' Shah Rukh!

Don't mess with Shah Rukh Khan. Bollywood's quintessential lover boy is now a certified mean machine. King Khan, who was conferred an 'Honorary Black belt of Taekwondo' title on Thursday by the Korean Government, said that he felt like a tough guy despite doing mostly romantic films in his two-decade-old career. (Photo: IANS, Text: Agencies)

However King Khan said that he has no plans to switch to the action genre and will stick to his lover-boy image. "I am just recovering from my shoulder injury and will take another two months to be fully fit. I plan to stick to romance and utilise both my hands perfectly first," he said. (Photo: IANS, Text: Agencies)

SRK has been conferred the 5th degree black belt of Taekwondo even though he knows nothing of the sport. "My son Aryan is very angry with me. He has been practicing Taekwondo and will take another two years to earn this title," said Shah Rukh. (Photo: IANS, Text: Agencies)

The South Korean Government has also decided to appoint SRK as brand ambassador of tourism and culture for the country. Both the awards are in recognition of his exceptional contributions to art, cinema and culture. Here, Shah Rukh is seen receiving a certificate for his honourary black belt title in taekwondo from Kim Sik in Mumbai on October 15, 2009. (Photo: AFP, Text: Agencies)

In this picture Shah Rukh gestures in a martial arts uniform after receiving a honorary Taekwondo black belt title in during an event organized by the Korean National Tourism Organization in Mumbai, on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. This is Shah Rukh's second international honour this year after he was presented an honorary doctorate in arts and culture by Bedfordshire University in London for his contribution to culture in July. For the doctorate, the 43-year-old was nominated by Routes to Roots, an NGO that works across the SAARC regions to bring South Asian people together. (Photo: AP, Text: Agencies)

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan poses in a martial arts uniform after receiving a honorary Taekwondo black belt title in during an event organized by the Korean National Tourism Organization in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. He attended the function alongwith his family. (Photo: AP, Text: Agencies)

Speaking on the occasion,Korean Counsul General Dong Yern Kim said, "I am very delighted to appoint Mr Shah Rukh Khan as our ambassador. Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) is confident that appointment of the first Bollywood star as our ambassador will help in enhancing awareness and interest about Korea among his fans." (Photo: IANS, Text: Agencies)

Shah Rukh Khan receives a certificate for his honourary black belt title in taekwondo from Kim Sik during an event held by the Korean National Tourism Organisation in Mumbai on October 15, 2009. "I have developed a keener interest in sports such as 'Taekwondo' now, as my son Aryan has won ten gold medals and daughter Suhana has won three gold medals in sports activities in their school," the actor was quoted as telling mediapersons present at the conference. (Photo: AFP, Text: Agencies)

This is what Shah Rukh had to say about Indo-Korean realtions: "Cultural friendship and Tourism should be developed and extended between the two nations and this is a very appropriate time to associate with Korea, which is well-known for its strong base in sports." (Photo: IANS, Text: Agencies)

Shah Rukh is of course no stranger to Korea. He has been the face of Korean auto major Hyundai ever since the company made its entry into India with the launch of its flagship brand Santro. He continues to be a very popular figure in Korea. A group calling itself The Bollywood Lovers Club, says on its website: "Shahrukh is very popular among members. So, we are now in a situation to change our community name as 'Shahrukh Club', because almost all movies we are screening now are Shahrukh Khan's movies. Why do we watch only his films? Because members are not interested to watch non-Shahrukh Khan movies. We also made Shahrukh T shirts ,cups and some members carry his photos. There are also members who changed their cell phone screen picture with Shahrukh's photos. Shahrukh Khan is not only the star in India but also everywhere, where hindi movies are available." Brand Shah Rukh is truly going global! (Photo: AFP)