Why Seo In-Guk is kicking off his Southeast Asian tour in PHL

South Korean star Seo In-guk recently shared why he chose to kick off his upcoming Southeast Asian fan meet tour in the Philippines.

The singer-songwriter and leading man best-known for the K-dramas Doom at Your Service (2021), Reply 1997 (2012), The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018), Shopaholic Louis (2016) and Cafe Minandang (2022), is all set and ready to meet his Pinoy fans on Aug. 12  at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City at 6 p.m.

“I’m aware that there are a lot of my fans in the Philippines, and even through my personal social media, I often see messages from the Philippines fans wishing for me to go there, see my stages, make memories together,” he told The Philippine STAR in an exclusive virtual chat ahead of his “first grand fan meet” in the region this Saturday.

“So naturally, while preparing for this fan meeting, I thought that I must absolutely go to the Philippines first.”

EPIC Events, the same group behind this year’s Clark Aurora Music Festival that drew over 50,000 festival-goers, is mounting Seo In-guk’s fan meet here. It’s also the Pinoy organizers’ “very first-ever Korean venture.”

“We are thrilled to bring Seo In-guk to Manila for his first-ever fan-meeting in Southeast Asia,” the promoter previously said in a statement.

“This is an incredible opportunity for fans to connect with their favorite artist on a personal level and share their admiration for his talent. We have carefully curated an experience that will exceed expectations and leave a lasting impression on everyone.”

Seo In-guk started out in showbiz as a singer after being the first grand winner of the talent show Super Star K in 2009. He eventually found his way into acting and scored his first breakout role in the drama series Reply 1997. He has since starred in over 20 projects for the big and small screens, which also earned him recognitions such as the Best Artist Actor at the 2022 Asia Artists Awards for Cafe Minandang.

Amid his acting successes, In-guk had never forgotten his music roots, releasing albums, non-album singles, collaborations, OST soundtracks, among others. His latest album is Love&Love (2022) and some of his most recently dropped tracks are My Love, Youth and FALLEN.

Having built a career both as actor and singer-songwriter, it’s no surprise Seo In-guk has been regarded by fans as among that rare breed of artists who can very well stake a claim as an all-around entertainer.

Of course, nothing beats seeing and being entertained by your favorite artist live and in the flesh, especially with someone as multi-faceted as Seo In-guk. More importantly, he promised that his upcoming Manila visit is all about creating new memories with the fans and thanking them, in person, for their love and support.

Below are more excerpts from the interview:

How do you feel about having a big fan base outside of Korea, especially here in the Philippines? Since they idolized you so much, what’s your message to them?

“Up to this point, I’m still in such awe that there are fans overseas and I am so grateful for the love I’ve received outside of Korea. The fact that there are people outside of Korea who love my dramas and my music is such an honor. Because of their love and support, I feel this responsibility to continue making dramas and music that satisfy the fans’ expectations of me.

“To the Filipino fans who like me a lot, during this fan meeting, I want to bring a good performance and share good memories together, and give each other hope that we will meet again.

“I want to say thank you once again to my fans, and I will work hard on my acting and music so that whenever fans think of me, they will be happy, and I will be able to make them feel good.”

What can we particularly expect from your fan meet in the Philippines?

“Since my career includes both acting and singing, you can expect to hear stories about my dramas and OSTs and I will perform some of the OSTs and my original music.

“Especially since it’s my first fan meeting, the fans may be curious about me so I will make sure to fulfill all the curiosity of the fans.”

If you have an opportunity in the future to stay in the country for a longer time, where do you want to go and what do you want to experience?

“I want to visit Cebu, which I know is famous for scuba diving, and I want to explore the ocean.”

What’s the craziest and most memorable fan encounter you experienced in your life?

“The most memorable moment was the first time I ever met my fans shortly after Super Star K and releasing my first album. After my appearance in a Music Show broadcast, I had a mini fan meeting. It was the first time that I saw the happy faces of the fans that loved my music, and it made me happy, too, and (it) was such an unforgettable moment for me.

“To this day, the happy faces of the fans always make me happy and motivate me to continue to work hard so I can always see those happy expressions of the fans.”

(Tickets are still available via https://ticketnet.com.ph/events/detail/SEO-IN-GUK-FIRST-ASIA-FAN-MEETING-TOUR-IN-MANILA. For more details, check out www.facebook.com/EpicEventsPhilippines, www.instagram.com/epiceventsprodph and twitter.com/EPICEVENTSPH.