Song Joong-ki on coffee, family, and supermarket dreams
South Korean actor Song Joong-ki was in Manila on May 24 for his first-ever fan meeting in the country.
“The IAM Song Joong Ki: Live in Manila” was held at the Mall of Asia Arena and was organized by wellness brand IAM Worldwide. We were fortunate to spend the afternoon with the multiawarded actor during the press conference and see his fun side at the fan meeting later in the evening.
Here are some unforgettable keywords that will remind us of Song’s visit:
Coffee. His morning routine includes drinking a cup of coffee. He chose coffee over tea in a game played with his fans. He is truly a coffee lover!
Family. Song revealed that he woke up at 7 a.m. that day to take a video call with his baby. On his days off, he said, he tries his best to spend it with his family. It’s the most healing time for him, he added.
“To be more specific, I am at my happiest when my babies sleep well,” he said.
We hope to see him in future episodes of “The Return of Superman” and find out his fatherhood techniques, and what lullabies he sings to his kids.
Supermarket. The handsome actor talked about wanting to visit the supermarket three times at the press conference and once at the fan meeting. He said that if he had time, he wanted to see a traditional market or supermarket in the Philippines and spend time with the locals. He also had a delicious local biscuit in his hotel, such that he wanted to go to the supermarket and look for it before his flight to Korea.
Korean barbecue. When asked for a place that Filipinos can visit in Korea, he said the best place would be the restaurants. He likes Korean barbecue so much that he salivates at the mere thought of samgyeopsal, galbi, and bulgogi.
“When my foreign friends come to Korea, I take them to Insadong to eat various snacks,” he said. After Insadong, he said Gwangjang Market is also a good place to explore.
Season 2?
“Vincenzo.” He found out that of all his roles, Filipinos loved his “Vincenzo” character the most. He jokingly said that he would talk to the writer and director to discuss a Season 2 that will be shot in the Philippines.
He also picked it as the character that he would switch lives with for a day. “I want to live like Vincenzo and be cool and go after bad people,” he said.
He was honored when Filipino singers Sam Concepcion, Lara Maigue, and Kayla Rivera performed songs from his dramas. He even took a video and said he sent it to his costars.
Vampire. “When I did the movie ‘A Werewolf Boy,’ I really enjoyed the scenes and characters and after finishing the movie, I wanted to play a vampire character,” he said during the press conference. The film earned him a Best Actor nomination at the prestigious Baeksang Arts Awards.
At the fan meeting, he said that he wanted to play an Asian vampire.
Flowers. Song studied how to arrange flowers in preparation for his role as a florist in his upcoming drama “My Youth.” He showed his skills at the fan meeting and created a bouquet within three minutes and gave it to a fan in the audience.
The lucky fan was actress Janice de Belen. Song knelt when he gave her the flowers, very much like a romantic scene from a K-drama.
Filipino. Song visited Cebu 15 years ago, but it was his first time to be in Manila. He wanted to come to the Philippines for a long time, he said, because of the good image of Filipinos.
“I have some Filipino friends in Korea and when I go to Italy with my wife, we have Filipino friends there too. For us, Filipinos are kind and friendly,” he said.
He experienced the warmth of the Filipinos as soon as he arrived at the airport.
“As soon as I arrived, so many people welcomed me warmly. Thank you very much.” He also found the Filipino language beautiful and wants to learn more words other than masarap, salamat po, and mahal kita.
He said he saved a place recommended by IAM Worldwide’s president on his phone where he and his family could go on vacation.
We hope he returns soon and finds time to interact with the locals at the supermarket and try Filipino barbecue.
