Korean actor Kang Ha Neul was in Singapore last month to attend a series of events including a public showcase, meet-greet session and a private fan meeting. In conjunction with the Korean Film Festival, the actor also attended the film screening of his coming-of-age comedy Twenty, in which he stars alongside Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jun Ho.
Despite having flown in at midnight, the actor showed no signs of jetlag or tiredness at all. Quite the opposite, in fact, he was seen interacting closely with his fans right upon his arrival and trying to fulfill their requests and wishes as much as possible.
For his first ever Singapore fan event, Kang Ha Neul was pleasantly surprised and happy to see a large turnout at his Plaza Singapura public showcase. Decked in a formal midnight blue suit and slicked back hairstyle, the 25-year-old was nothing short of suave and charming. His tall stature of 1.82m might seem intimidating but his bright toothy smile and approachable personality was what had fans squealing in delight.
The down-to-earth actor showed off versatility by singing "The Three Things I Have Left', a song from his TV drama, Angel Eyes. The actor let on that singing is a hobby of his and admited to practicing his singing at home. However, when asked about the possibility of releasing an album in the future, Kang Ha Neul sheepishly laughed it off saying, "No no no no. I am just (an) actor."
The actor's first impression of Singapore was that "Singapore is ... uh very, very hot. (laughs) But ... beautiful view and beautiful hotel. Beautiful food and beautiful drink." His efforts at conversing in English to his best ability were certainly impressive, never mind his lack of vocabulary! The audience certainly had a laugh listening to the actor speak to them directly.
The highlight of the showcase was when lucky fans were picked by the star himself and had the opportunity to play a game on stage. Upon reaching the stage, fans were warmly welcomed into his arms with a handshake and a hug, initiated by Kang Ha Neul. Throughout the event, he was seen dispensing limitless amounts of fan-service such as giving heart signs, posing his signature 'v' sign, linking arms and replying to shouts of love confessions from fans.
The first game, 'Song Charades' required the fans on stage to listen to a song via a headset and try to hum or sing the song. Kang Ha Neul then had to guess the title and singer of the song. As the fans were rather shy and unable to do a proper humming, Kang Ha Neul resorted to seeking help from the audience and had a scrunched-up expression most of the time as he was deciphering what the answer was. He made many adorable mistakes such as identifying H.O.T's hit song 'Candy' as a Sechs Kies song, to which he profusely apologized and corrected the error. He also appeared to be a YG Entertainment fan as he tended to guess 2NE1 or Big Bang as the artist whenever he is unable to identify the song. The game ended with the winner walking away with a polaroid selfie with the star. However, being the angel that he is, Kang Ha Neul requested for a group polaroid shot with all the participants and a special solo shot with the winner. He dispensed another round of hugs and smiles before waving the fans off stage.
He went on to answer some questions from the media and ensured eye-contact with each media personnel who asked a question. KpopStarz asked why his signature pose is a 'V' sign and if there was a significant meaning behind it, to which he replied that he feels awkward without the pose and wouldn't know what to do with himself. When the rising actor was asked which type of commercial he would be interested in doing, the coffee-lover shyly responded that a coffee advertisement would be wonderful but thinks he might be too ambitious about it. He also expressed his wish to work together with his Twenty co-stars, Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jun Ho again in future.
Kang Ha Neul showed his gratitude by singing yet another song, "I Choose to Love You." Despite his shyness, he decided to sing live without any background music and asked for fans to sing along. His sincere heart certainly touched the audience. His final gift for those present was a group selfie together. He even acceded to the request of the second-level fans and took a selfie with them as well. He then made a closing speech to thank his fans for turning up and supporting him, and expressed that he hopes to return to Singapore many more times in future. The showcase came to a closure with a group of lucky fans getting a group photo with the star on stage.
Get to experience the action with this recap reel of the event:
Special thanks to KMTV ASIA for inviting KpopStarz.com to cover Kang Ha Neul's 1st Showcase in Singapore.
Writer: Syafiqah Shah | Photo Credits: Ong Melin and Syafiqah Shah | Video Credits: Ong Melin
