Sentimental visit

Here on a visit was Korean actor Lee Dong Gun, star of Sweet 18, now seen on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He has two coming soaps on GMA 7: Friends (with Won Bin of Endless Love 1: Autumn in My Heart) which aired last July 26 and All for Love (with Rain of Full House) that starts its telecast on Aug. 1.

He flew in Thursday morning last week and GMA presented him to the press in a special dinner that night. His fans at the GMA conference hall swooned when they saw him in person. He is six feet tall, lean, has very fair skin and a big manly voice. He started as a singer and already has two albums: Time to Fly and Much More. He has also done six TV dramas and one movie.

He just turned 26 last July 26 and GMA executive Joey Abacan presented him with a special birthday cake with a lighted candle. All the guests were also given lighted candles and they all sang Happy Birthday for the Korean celebrity.

It was his first time in our country and he was surprised that upon his arrival at the airport, people already recognized him and started taking his pictures. "It’s only my first visit here but I feel at home right away and it’s not like my first time because of your very warm welcome," he told the press through his interpreter.

Someone asked if he has a girlfriend and he said yes. Is it Han Ji Hye, his leading lady in Sweet 18? "We’ve already done two dramas and we’ve spent a lot of time together but we are just close friends," he replied.

His manager says his sweetheart is not from show business. We noticed that his manager and another guy who came with him were both upset upon seeing that there were so many people inside the conference hall. It turned out they thought only press people were invited and they were not informed that GMA also invited his fans who were selected through a texting promo.

But Lee Dong Gun himself is so nice he obviously didn’t mind if there were so many people in front of him, all taking his pictures and wanting to have their pictures taken with him. He also good-naturedly answered all questions thrown his way. Would he want to do a TV show, a concert or movie here?

"Of course, I’d love to, but there are no offers yet," he replied. "Also, there might be a language problem since I don’t speak English. But if the people here would love my songs as much as they love my TV dramas, then I’m willing to do a concert here."

How would he explain the popularity of Korean dramas even in other countries? "Our producers invest a lot of money in each project to make sure we will come up with good shows all the time," he said. "Also, our directors won’t stop until they have perfected a scene. I think our own culture is also an attraction. We are different from the Mexican telenovelas because we present our culture that is different from Western shows. We present and preserve our own traditions."

Next year, he will take a rest from showbiz to be drafted and undergo military training, as required by their law.

Meanwhile, you can see him in three GMA 7 Koreanovelas. In Sweet 18, he plays Matthew Kwon, a powerful public prosecutor who is compelled by his rich aristocratic family to an arranged marriage. His bride, Lea Yoon (played by Han Ji Hye), also comes from an equally blue-blooded family but is an immature and mischievous 18-year- old high school girl. The big disparity in their age and personalities becomes the starting point of an intriguing but endearing love story Pinoy viewers can easily relate with. Lea tries hard to be the perfect wife for Matthew, doing household chores and learning how to budget their expenses. But it seems Matthew is hard to please so she runs away. How their differences will eventually be patched up and their relationship blossom into love is something viewers should watch out for.

In All for Love, Lee Dong Gun plays David, a doctor. Rain (Justin of Full House), who plays Sydney, gets his services to treat his daughter Gillian (Choi Min Joo), who is stricken with leukemia. It turns out David’s girlfriend, Eula (Gong Yoo Jin), was the childhood sweetheart of Sydney, who still has feelings for her.

While he was here, Lee Dong guested on Startalk, The S Files, and Nuts Entertainment.

"I wish I could stay longer as I heard you have fabulous beaches," he ended. "But I am here only for a few days so I’ll probably just come back some other time and stay longer so I can see more of your beautiful country."