Korean star Song Kang never thought he would break into tears during his first fan meeting in Manila.
But, he did—after he received heartwarming messages from Filipino fans, also known as "Songpyongs," during his fan meet at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Sunday, March 5, 2023.
In the last minutes of the event, the Korean actor watched the a video made by his fans.
Song Kang was so touched, he cried.
Asked by host Sam Oh how he feels about all the love coming from his fans, Song Kang turned emotional. It took him a few minutes to reply.
He said in Korean, with host Sam Oh serving as his interpreter: “I am working on a show right now, but I am here to see you on my day-off when I don’t have any shows scheduled.
"I really did not think I was going to cry. I am really surprised.
"I am always thankful for all your support. You all give me strength and energy to be able to work.
"I hope you can all be happy, and you can all be healthy."
He added, "I am so honored.”
MANILA'S EXPERIENCE
Hours before his fan meet, Song Kang met a small group of local reporters, including the reporter of the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph), at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig City.
The star of hit K-drama series—Love Alarm, Nevertheless, Forecasting Love & Weather, and Sweet Home—greeted his Filipino fans who were watching the live stream of the press conference in Tagalog.
Song Kang greeted fans straightaway with: "Mahal kita!" This, of course, sent a thrill through the crowd.
Song Kang also revealed, with the help of a translator, that he enjoyed the weather in the country and the taste of Filipino cuisine.
The actor said, "I arrived around noon yesterday, and when I arrived the first thing I wanted to do was see the streets of Manila.
"I got to eat halo-halo, kare-kare, bulalo, and garlic rice."
He added, "I also like the dried mangoes."
Asked for his first impression of Manila, Song Kang answered, "The streets of Manila are beautiful and I love the weather.
"This is the kind of weather I like — breezy and pretty cool."
SONG KANG'S FAVORITE CHARACTER
At the presscon, Song Kang also said who his favorite characters are among his drama series.
He said that Chan Hyun-soo in Sweet Home is the character closest to him right now.
He explained, "Right now, I am shooting Sweet Home, and in the show we are shooting a storyline that is really detached from reality.
"It is the character that I am pouring a lot of my time into right now and a lot of my energy.
"So, right now, the character that is closest to me would be Hyun-soo in Sweet Home."
Sweet Home is a Netflix original series based on the popular thriller-horror webtoon of the same title by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan.
In this series, Song Kang plays the role of Chan Hyun-soo, who becomes infected with a disease that turns humans into monsters. As a monster, he begins to ravage the land, but also becomes the target of other monsters. He ends up fighting the monsters, turning him into the good monster.
The first season of this series was released in December 2020, and the second season is set to be released this year.
What can the fans expect from season two?
Song Kang answered, "We went on to a much bigger scale. I don't want to give a spoiler.
"If season one was a story of how these different people grew and matured, then seasons two and three would be the story of how they've grown and matured in the first season."
MORE HOT STORIES ON PEP.PH:
- Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon reminisce about humble beginnings of Eat Bulaga!
- Mayor Bullet Jalosjos, sasagutin lahat ng isyung kinahaharap ng Eat Bulaga!
- Eat Bulaga!'s humble beginnings: "We were struggling, di kami sumusuweldo."
- Status ng Eat Bulaga hosts at staff, floating pa; Dabarkads pa rin kaya sa EB sa Holy Week?
- Tito, Vic & Joey, kinakausap ng Net25 para sa isang noontime show?
- Willie Revillame, nadadawit sa isyung rebranding ng Eat Bulaga!; napipisil umano na pumalit sa TVJ?
- Romy Jalosjos children in, Tony Tuviera out sa TAPE; Tito, Vic & Joey, aalis na sa Eat Bulaga?
- Tito Sotto reacts to rumored goings-on in Eat Bulaga!: "Who says we’re splitting?"