Korean heartthrob Jang Keun Suk not only starred in some of the more popular Korean dramas like You’re Beautiful and Marry Me, Mary. He also runs his own entertainment company Tree J and is now working on releasing his debut Japanese album, with his MV for single “Let Me Cry” already raking up views on Youtube.
Maybe that is why hundreds of fans from all walks of life (granddads, whole families and squealing women from neighboring countries were among the excitable crowd) flooded the airport, Ritz Carlton (where the star was staying with his parents and entourage), Marina Square and the University Cultural Centre when Keun Suk was here for a whirlwind of promotional events. The man is not only beautiful (even by Korean standards), he is also multi-talented … or is he?
At the press conference for his highly-anticipated Cri Show (Cri meaning “critical” according to Keun Suk, which also translates into “genius” and “gorgeous,” apparently), it was mentioned that the actresses in Korea, known for their exceptional beauty, are a little hesitant about working with Jang Keun Suk because they think he’s much too pretty for them.
“I don’t think so. Korea has a lot of beautiful women and it really depends on the characters that we are portraying,” Keun Suk replied in a mixture of English and Korean.
Keun Suk also revealed that if he could only pick one thing to do out of his many talents (the man’s also known for his techtonik free-styling skills, with various videos on Youtube to prove it) for the rest of his career, it would definitely be acting.
“Acting has always been my dream. Even as a child, I studied entertainment from the view of an actor. Right now, my dream is to just be a good actor recognized in Asia and the world,” he said.
Good choice, we think, because the highlights of his full-house showcase at the University Cultural Centre theater on Apr 23 revolved just around his acting segments, where Keun Suk portrayed the roles of Hwang Tae Kyung (You’re Beautiful) and Kang Mu Gyeol (Marry Me, Mary). Singing songs like “Take Care, My Bus,” “My Precious” and “Hello” from the Marry Me, Mary soundtrack, Keun Suk definitely got the crowd going, and despite not knowing the full Hangul lyrics of each song, everyone was duly entertained. Keun Suk also dressed up for his roles and answered questions about them, throwing out tidbits like crowd-favorite lines along the way.
While we are fans of his acting, his singing left much to be desired. We were not sure if it was a technical glitch or if it was part of the original plan for the production crew to play his studio-recorded version of “My Precious,” but just as he was getting into the intro, Keun Suk paused, revealing that he’d been lip synching for a good ten seconds, and spent two to three minutes waiting for the instrumental version to come on. Clearly agitated, Keun Suk attempted to have a conversation with the audience (who by the way, was impressively game and supportive) to cover up the awkwardness. And we also wondered whether it was the venue’s sound system that made it difficult for him to hear himself on the earpiece or if he’s still got a lot of work to do on his voice, but Keun Suk was pitchy and out of tune for the most part of his singing showcase.
We were looking forward to his Lounge H segment the most—a little preview of the famed dance parties Keun Suk holds in Korea with Big Brother Kurt. Despite being egged on by the audience to show off his dancing skills, Keun Suk continued to prance about on stage for the whole 20-minute segment, urging the crowd to stand up and dance (in the miniscule space we had) while he himself, didn’t.
Besides a movie trivia game, which saw fans answering questions on his dramas to win prizes that were otherwise unavailable for sale in Singapore, there was barely a fan service, considering many spent $100-200 to interact with the star.
Maybe we should stick to watching him on the silver screen, where his breathtaking beauty and evocative acting are best appreciated.
