“I'm happy thanks to you. I will cherish this day for the rest of my life.”
This was how Korean actor and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” star Kim Seon-ho described his feelings after meeting Pinoy fans in Manila.
The 36-year-old actor held his “2023 Kim Seon-ho Asia Tour in Manila: One, Two, Three. Smile” on Jan. 22 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
From the moment he stepped on stage, Kim Seon-ho was overwhelmed by the crowd turnout. The arena was packed by his fans–estimated to be about 10,000 according to the organizer–who cheered and shouted his name throughout the event.
Kim Seon-ho’s popularity soared when he starred in the drama “Start-Up” in 2020. His comeback drama “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” with Shin Min-A became a hit as well.
In the Philippines, “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” grabbed the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s weekly chart in 2021.
Kim Seon-ho opened his fan meeting by performing the song “Every Day, Every Moment” that was originally sung by Korean artist Paul Kim.
“I was very shocked tonight. I almost collapsed while singing. I spent my three weeks preparing for my trip to Manila together with my Salt management and I was very excited preparing for today’s event,” he greeted the crowd.
Acting projects
Before the fan meeting, Kim Seon-ho met the Philippine media at the grand ballroom of Hyatt Regency Manila where he answered questions about his fan meeting and career.
Manila Bulletin asked him about his upcoming acting projects and he revealed details.
“My ongoing project, which will be released within this year, is a movie titled ‘Sad Tropics’ wherein I will play the role in which I will be chasing a Filipino boy,” said Kim Seon-ho.
“Sad Tropics” (which was renamed “The Child”) tells the story about a boy born to a Korean father and Filipino mother who comes to Korea to find his dad.
Kim Seon-ho added, “I have another movie wherein I will be playing the role of a general. This role is kinda lonely.”
It was recently announced that Kim Seon-ho will be starring in the movie “Tyrant” along with actors Cha Seung-won and Kim Kang-woo.
As for his drama projects, he said that “it is still in the planning stage. Once it is finalized, I will be telling you guys.”
At the fan meeting, Kim Seon-ho said he was surprised and overwhelmed by the number of people who came.
“During the rehearsal, I saw that the venue was big but I could not imagine myself. I am very happy that since the moment I arrived at the airport, you were always there to support me,” he said.
He added, “I knew how warm your heart was and I feel comfortable being with you. There is one thing I want to say to you. Thank you so much for always being with me during the hard times and the good times. You are always there.”
Kim Seon-ho has fully resumed his career after experiencing a personal issue in October 2021. Last year, he returned to where he started his career: in the theater. He starred in the Korean version of the play “Touching the Void.”
Games, segments with fans
At his fan meeting, Kim Seon-ho played different games with fans. Two of the contestants even donned wedding dresses while another wore a “hanbok” (traditional Korean dress) for the event.
During Seon Ho’s Drama Talk segment, he acted out scenes from his dramas including “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” with fans.
In another segment called “Seon Ho Learning Tagalog,” the star learning Filipino phrases such as “Manigong Bagong Taon ,” “Masaya akong makita kayo ,”
The “2023 Kim Seon Ho Awards” segment let Kim Seon-ho choose, including the Filipino food he wanted to try the most (he picked “pansit” , saying he heard it was like “japchae” of Korea but added that he was “very curious about sinigang”); and “bibinga” for dessert (“It’s like pizza”).
In “Seon Ho Will Do It,” he had to balance a Coke can, shoot a goal in a basketball net and play “sipa” (a traditional Filipino game) 10 times or he would get penalties by doing fans’ wishes. As “penalties,” he posed for a photo for fans, recorded a “morning call” (“It’s morning. May you have a good day”) and displayed “aegyo” (cuteness).
Kim Seon-ho also designed a cap, which was given to a lucky fan (the one sitting on VIP A N-3 seat).
Farewell
“I will forever treasure in my heart our special day today. And as you go home, I hope this will be a great memory that you can look back to in your life.
“Because of you, I can stand as an actor here in front of you. Thank you always and I love you. Maybe not as often as I hope it would be but I promise to see you again. I promise you I’ll be back with more projects in the future as a better actor not to disappoint anyone. I am very happy,” said Kim Seon-ho.
One of those who went to the fan meeting was Ianne Alcala, who was happy to see Kim Seon-ho in person.
"The fan meet was out of this world! Puno ang venue! Fans went crazy and it was just an absolute joy to see Seon Ho in person. Grabe ang pogi! " she said.
To cap off the fan meeting, Kim Seon-ho sang “Reason” and thanked the fans for coming.
“I was very happy with you. Our fan meeting’s title is ‘One, Two, Three, Smile.’ I hope that all these minutes that we spent together was a big smile to all of you,” he said.
Kim Seon-ho was surprised when a video, containing messages from fans, was shown during the fan meeting.
“The quality of the video was amazing. Actually I promised that I won’t cry. Thank you for always giving me, touching my heart all the time. There were a lot of love and touching messages in the video but I really appreciate that you will promise me that even during the hard times you will always be there for me,” said Kim Seon-ho who was on the verge of tears.
He added, “I also promise to be a good person, good actor all the time for you. I love you all.”
The “2023 Kim Seon-ho Asia Tour in Manila: One, Two, Three. Smile” was presented by Pulp Live World.