Lee Min Ho gives fans his ‘Everything’

MANILA, Philippines - Korean actor  and now pop star  Lee Min Ho returned to the Philippines last weekend, this time to stage his concert and to promote his new album, “My Everything.” The heartthrob’s first visit to the country was to promote Bench, having been chosen as one of the brand’s Global Benchsetters last November.

At the newly inaugurated Bench Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Lee Min Ho sat down with the media to tell us about the songs on his new album, his 10-city world tour, and his growing relationship with his fans, among many other things. Excited for his concert at the SM Mall of Asia Arena last July 6, Lee Min Ho also divulged that he particularly enjoys singing, especially in front of a live audience, because the return and interaction with his fans is instant and “really something else” — as opposed to taping TV shows and waiting for them to air, as he is accustomed to doing.

Here are a few more of the event highlights and the things we learned about the star of Boys Over Flowers at the press conference held last Friday, July 5.

All the tables were full by the time Ben Chan and his distinguished guests arrived, so they had chairs pulled in from the next-door offices. They graciously gave way to us and humbly sat at the side of the room.

Lee Min Ho’s entrance was almost upstaged by his two Korean bodyguards. “Ay! Ang gwapo namang bodyguard niyan!” blogger Mike Lim exclaimed, voicing what the rest of us were keeping to ourselves. Throughout the interview, we kept stealing glances at these tall, polished, dignified, mysteriously silent yet attentive creatures. They looked like they could have had showbiz careers of their own, or like the dream combination of protector and provider. Excuse the lapse in feminism.

Sam Oh served as both the host/interviewer and interpreter. It was a tough job, but she pulled it off with ease, articulating even Lee Min Ho’s most comprehensive answers, without forgetting to play to the crowd.

Lee Min Ho professed his love for his fans, saying that the title of his album, “My Everything,” really refers to them and is his gift to them. “They are my lovers, my friends, my family, lahat-lahat na,” he said in Korean, adding that he’s very, very grateful to them.

He celebrated his seventh anniversary in showbiz. He summed up his experience so far in six (he had trouble thinking of a seventh) words: fans, projects (his TV show), relationships, Philippines, album and, finally, Bench.

He admitted that his singing needs improvement. Anne Curtis aside, how many artistas will confess, or even be aware, that some of their “talents” aren’t hitting the mark? Not Lee Min Ho. Having sung in front of his fans before and been personally dissatisfied with his performances, he considers this album as another way for him to further work on this aspect of his career.

He apparently also sucks at dancing. Lee Min Ho divulged that from Japan, Malaysia, Korea, and other countries, the feedback from his fans has been unanimous: dancing doesn’t suit him. Although a rabid fan in the audience assured him it was cute, which wasn’t hard to imagine. Lee Min Ho has the kind of warm, unassuming aura that can make even his awkward moments endearing.

He considers his Filipino fans to be very passionate, romantic and feminine. And get this: when he looks into the eyes of his Filipino fans, he sees them as very innocent (at which point we all choked on our food). Which is probably why…

He enticed us to come to his concert, promising a certain butt-dancing segment. We tried to pressure him into giving us a sample, but he declined.

At the end of the interview, he gave his token accented “Mahal ko kayo,” which of course worked like a charm, and promised to be back.

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