Korean star Seo Kang-jun’s first visit in Manila turned out to be very memorable because not only did he meet Pinoy fans but he was able to promote the Philippine airing of his drama.
Seo Kang-jun performing ‘You Are My Love’ at his ‘The Last Charm’ first fan meeting in Manila
The 25-year-old actor and singer sang, danced, played games with fans and talked about his career at his “The Last Charm: Seo Kang-jun Live in Manila” fan meeting held May 25 at the New Frontier Theater.
“I’ve always wanted to visit the Philippines to meet fans. I arrived (on May 24) and ate delicious food,” he told the crowd, adding that among the places in the country that he wants to visit, “I want to go to Boracay. I want to go snorkeling and scuba diving.”
Seo Kang-jun, who is a member of the actor group 5urprise, started the fan meeting with a rendition of “You Are My Love,” the original soundtrack of his 2018 drama “Are You Human?” and later sang Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.”
A day before the fan meeting, Seo Kang-jun held a press conference at GMA Network to talk about his fan meeting and promote “Are You Human?, which starts airing on the channel today.
Bulletin Entertainment had a one-on-one interview with Seo Kang-jun where he talked about his career and plans.
In “Are You Human?,” he played two characters: a human and a robot that earned him an excellence award for acting at the 32nd KBS Drama Awards last December.
Seo Kang-jun (left) with one of the fans (right) selected to participate in a game at the fan meeting
He said playing two characters proved to be demanding but he overcame it by concentrating on studying the role.
“The award really humbled me because I never really put significant meaning into it. But it just means that people loved what they were seeing. In terms of playing two characters by one person, I initially found it to be very challenging. But after a great deal of studying and understanding the role, and to be able to pull it off, it was such an honor,” he said.
Filming “Watcher” is keeping him busy these days and he’s excited to be in the drama, which will premiere on Korean channel OCN in July.
“I just came back from filming in Korea for my project called ‘Watcher.’ It’s my first detective thriller drama. It’s about a very heartbreaking story and the characters going through such devastating events,” he said.
In the drama, he said, “I play the role of Kim Yeong-gun. It’s a very tragic story but also very motivating as well. It’s about three people, gathering together, solving mysteries and overcoming crimes.”
Seo Kang-jun made his drama debut on “The Suspicious Housekeeper,” which starred hallyu star Choi Ji-woo, in 2013. He won best new actor at the 7th Korea Drama Awards in 2014 for his role in “Cunning Single Lady.” His other drama credits include “What Happens to My Family,” “Cheese in the Trap,” “Entourage” and last year’s “The Third Charm.
He said he doesn’t have any specific actors as his role models, saying they are all great.
Seo Kang-jun (left) answers questions from the media at his press conference hosted by Patricia Tumulak (right) on May 24 at GMA Network
“I don’t have any specific role models. There are so many actors and actresses that I really adore and like. There isn’t a specific person that I aspire to be. I just want to say that everyone’s so fantastic and very, very awesome,” he explained. At the fan meeting, he cited Korean actor Han Suk-kyu, his co-star in “Watcher,” and Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal as stars that he looked up to.
Asked what he wants to achieve this year, he said he’s focused on showing a great performance on “Watcher.”
“My current goal in 2019 is to pull off filming the ‘Watcher. I’m more of a person that looks step by step so I hope to do better than what I’m capable of and to continue to grow and deliver the best I can for this project,” he said.
For future drama projects, he hopes he can play a role about the struggles of people in his age range.
“I’m 27 years old now (his Korean age) so hopefully I’ll be able to play a role that depicts the life and struggles of those in their 20s and eventually, I hope to play the role of a man who struggles through life and sort of fight off and overcome difficulties,” Seo Kang-jun said.
With the fans
The fan meeting showcased different segments.
Seo Kang-Jun tried different Filipino food. He ate Ilocos empanada and dipped it in vinegar (“Delicious but vinegar is too strong for me”), lechon (“Delicious”) and leche flan (“Masarap”). He also made sago’t gulaman and invited a fan on stage to try it.
A video was also shown wherein Pinoy fans held signs that read “I love you always forever, near and far closer together,” a line from Donna Lewis’ “I Love You Always Forever” song. Fans also held banners that read “Thank you for existing” and “You are the brightest,” and a cake was presented to the actor, two of the fan projects led by Seo Kang Joon Philippines.
“I’m very thankful even though I’m in Korea. Even if you’re far away, thank you for all the support and love that you give. Mahal ko kayo,” he told the crowd.
After performing his final song “Falling Slowly,” Seo Kang-jun told fans, “I hope you had a great time today and I hope to see you again. Be happy and I’ll be back, all right? Mahal kita.”
“The Last Charm: Seo Kang-jun Live in Manila” was brought by CDM Entertainment and Maxperience Entertainment in partnership with Fantagio Group.
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