Park Bo-gum high-fives his Thai fans
Fame can be short. When a star has a break, they risk losing their popularity. But multi-talented Korean performer Park Bo-gum has proved that having two years off didn’t harm his top star status. In his latest TV drama, Encounter, the 25-year-old actor plays a guy who falls in love with a divorcee and successful business woman, played by Song Hye-kyo. Encounter became the top drama in South Korea.
After filming, the Korean sensation has toured around Asia to meet his fans and Bangkok was one of his destinations. The two-and-a-half-hour event on February 16 was in two parts. The first was an interview with Bo-gum, with lucky fans and give-away souvenirs. The other section was Bo-gum’s concert.
SPECIAL SONGS
At ThunderDome, Bo-gum sang several songs that he selected for fans, including “I Like You,” “Here We Are” and “One Candle.” His singing thrilled the fans, especially when he sang two Thai songs, Singto Numchok’s “Shy” and Gangsom’s “You and Only You.” He also played beautiful piano for “You and Only You.”
EXCLUSIVE TREAT
Bo-gum allowed lucky fans who attended the press conference to take photos freely. At the fan meeting, he gave away a lot more gifts than most stars. And every item included his autograph. During singing “Let’s Go See the Stars,” Bo-gum walked through the crowd to get really close to his fans. While singing dance songs, “What Is Love?” “Pretty U” and “Must Have Love,” the performer threw 200 heart-shaped gifts to fans. He said that he’d signed all of them by himself. After singing “I Bless You,” Bo-gum gave each of the 4,000 fans a high-five and thanked all of them.
A day before the fan meeting, Thai press met with Bo-gum in Bangkok. Here are some highlights of the interview.
Why did you decide to work on Encounter after a two-year break?
Bo-gum: My character is warm, laidback and always optimistic which is a suitable role for me.
What was it like to work with the actress Song Hye-kyo?
Bo-gum: Hye-kyo takes acting seriously. She worked really hard making me concentrate and pay more attention to my character.
What kind of character would you like to play in the future?
Bo-gum: I want to be like models who always look great whatever they wear. They can pull everything off. I want to play several characters and make myself suit each of them.
How did you get into your character?
Bo-gum: I read the script often. I talked with the director and scriptwriter about what kind of personality they expected to see.
How have you prepared for singing in Japan in March?
Bo-gum: To improve my skill, I’ve studied Japanese. I’d like thank my fans for their great support so I can achieve my dream of becoming a singer.
