Korean actor and K-pop idol Lee Jun-ho got reunited with his Filipino fans after a decade.
Lee Jun-ho, who starred in the recent Korean drama “King the Land,” held his “Jun-ho The Moment” fan meeting tour in Manila on Nov. 11 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
At the 2022 Asia Artist Awards (AAA) held in Nagoya, Japan in December last year, Lee Jun-ho won the grand prize (“daesang”), the highest award, for “The Red Sleeve.”
Korean actor Lee Jun-ho at his press conference in Manila on Nov. 10 (Jonathan Hicap)
Korean actor Lee Jun-ho at his "Junho The Moment" fan meeting in Manila on Nov. 11 (Live Nation Philippines)
“Ako si Lee Jun-ho (I am Lee Jun-ho). I’m so happy to be in Manila after so, so long time. Namiss ko kayo (I missed you),” he greeted the crowd.
During the fan meeting, he talked about his career, sang, dance and fulfilled fans’ requests.
A day before his fan meeting, Lee Jun-ho met the Philippine media at Grand Hyatt Manila wherein he discussed his dramas, career and personal life.
The last time Lee Jun-ho was in Manila was in 2013 when he and his K-pop group, 2PM, held a concert in the country.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here so I want to feel the atmosphere, the weather and the scenes in the Philippines,” he said.
He added, “First of all, I would like to thank all my fans who have waited for me. When I arrived in the Philippines, there were fans who were waiting for me and I really felt happy. If there’s an opportunity, I would like to visit here more often.”
Lee Jun-ho said he was really looking forward to his fan meeting in Manila.
“I’m pretty much excited. It is my first time having a fan meeting in the Philippines and I’m excited,” he said.
Korean actor Lee Jun-ho at his press conference in Manila on Nov. 10 (Jonathan Hicap)
Favorite, most memorable roles
Lee Jun-ho picked his roles in “The Red Sleeve” (as Yi San / King Jeongjo) and “King the land” (as Goo Won) as his favorite characters that he has played as of this time.
“It’s always to portray a character and not a single project has been easy for me because you have to study, research about the character each and every time you get into a project,” he explained.
According to him, “But I think the latest characters, roles that I played are my favorite ones at this moment. Those projects, ‘The Red Sleeve,’ the one that I portrayed after being discharged from the military. And also ‘King The Land.’ It was loved by many fans and I really appreciate their love.”
But for him, the most memorable role is Yi San / King Jeongjo in “The Red Sleeve.”
“The reason for ‘The Red Sleeve’ takes a bit part of my heart right now. The drama has a happy ending and at the same time, a sad ending, where the love that could not be achieved. It gives a scenario that it could happen in the next world. It took some time for me to fix my feelings after the project,” he said.
For his role in the drama, he won the best actor award at the 2022 Baeksang Arts Awards.
“I’m just so thankful, of course. Because of the drama, many fans were able to know the history as well and I was able to get a lot of love, which I did not expect. Actually this was the project I did after my discharge from the military service. I was thankful, very happy. It gave me a mindset that I had to do better,” he said.
Korean actor Lee Jun-ho at his press conference in Manila on Nov. 10 (Jonathan Hicap)
Future genre, roles to play
Lee Jun-ho wants to try characters that portray action or wild types.
“So this is something I haven’t achieved yet. I would like to try more on action and wild types of characters. If ever I will be able to take on that kind of project, I’ll be coming back to the Philippines to greet you guys once again,” he said.
As for the genre, he said, “The thoughts that I have actually in my mind is I wanna try a project that is more casual and comfortable because the two dramas that I had, ‘The Red Sleeve’ and ‘King The Land.’”
“For ‘The Red Sleeve,’ the story was quite strong. For the ‘King The Land,’ the character itself had a very strong personality. For the next projects, I would like to explore more casual and comfortable characters,” he said.
Lee Jun-ho debuted in 2PM in 2008 and has since branched out to being an actor.
On releasing solo music, he said, “I always have that thought, actually, because I’m an actor and at the same time a singer, and a singer at the same time an actor. These two things are actually a takeaway for me.”
“Whenever I’m making music, I also try to get some scripts from dramas. When I’m working on a drama, I listen to good music. Whenever there’s an opportunity to work on a good project or music, I would love to release it,” he added.
He has enjoyed success in being both an actor and singer, and said it was hard to choose which one gave him more fulfillment.
“This is more like who you like more, your mom or dad. It’s really hard to choose. When I’m actually into a project, I’m passionate about the project. And I love the projects I’m currently doing. So when I’m working on a project, I focus or concentrate on the project. While I’m working on music, I concentrate and focus on music as well. Luckily, and very thankfully, I’m being loved in two areas so I’m very thankful for that,” said Jun-ho.
2PM celebrated their 15th anniversary since debut. When asked what is his secret in his longevity in showbusiness, he said, “The willingness to actually do it when it comes to the project or when it comes to music.”
“If you have the willingness to continue the work and consistently have that mindset, I think that’s the most important thing for longevity,” he said.
Lee Jun-ho is regarded by fellow artists as a role model and he is thankful for this.
“First of all, I appreciate that they take me as a role model. The thing that is the most important as a person is to actually know what you want and you have to consistently think of how to execute and strategically plan on how to achieve them,” he said.
According to him, “Whenever I have time, I think about how to be a better actor and also, thoughts about music. I spent time doing that so those kind of consistent process is very important.”
Being called “sexy,” way to relax, coming back to PH
Lee Jun-ho said he loves being called “sexy.”
“Actually I love listening to those. I think there’s no one who hates the comment. I think to define sexy is that the external look is very important. But these days, I think, those who are internally firm, those who have responsibilities towards the things that happen around them, who are not easily shaken, I think those are the factors that are sexy these days,” he said.
He said if his schedule is busy, he needs a change of mood.
“Whenever I have a busy schedule, there’s a need for a change of mood. To have some change of mood, I get some fresh air or use perfume with a good aroma, or have some delicious food. Whenever I feel stressed, I usually do workout,” he said.
He said if he has any opportunity to come back to the Philippines, he will.
“I feel sorry to my fans. It’s been so long since I came here but at the same time, I’m thankful that I was given this opportunity to meet my fans this time. But in any type or form, if ever there’s an opportunity for me to repay the love of my fans, I believe, there’s an opportunity to meet my fans again,” he said.
The “Jun-ho The Moment” fan meeting tour in Manila was presented by Live Nation Philippines.