Yes, it’s finally confirmed. But what brings Park Seo Jun to the Philippines alongside other K-drama idols?
Korean dramas have seeped into the imprint of our local pop culture, turning into a big passion for many Filipinos. In fact, it came to the extent that binge-watching K-dramas became our quarantine hobby as the next-best form of escapism. From Weightlifting Fairy, Crash Landing On You, to Itaewon Class, Korenovelas just never fail to attract us with their adorable love stories with its signature subtle hint of passion, action, and mystery. But more than simply appreciating the series as a work of art, Filipinos have already fallen in love with the leading stars.
Now, as you’ve probably heard, Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin will be visiting the Philippines soon as they are the newest brand ambassadors of Smart Communications. And recently, the telco company in collaboration with international video streaming provider Viu announced that the most recent addition to their growing rosters is none other than Park Seo Jun.
In his newest TV commercial, Park Seo Jun says, “K-Lang Yan,” a wordplay suggesting things will be fine and that Korean shows bring delight to viewers by enabling them to immerse themselves in an alternative reality. According to the K-drama actor, “Filipinos and Koreans uphold common values especially when it comes to love for family and friends. And I think this is one of the reasons K-dramas resonate well with many Filipino viewers. [That’s why] I am thankful for this opportunity to encourage more Filipinos to discover and enjoy more Korean content and to take a breather from these uncertain times.”
Now, while Park Seo Jun was depicted as a smart, rich, and handsome, but an arrogant man in the hit series What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, he’s definitely not like that in person. According to Smart’s First Vice President and Group Head of Prepaid Marketing Miriam Choa, “PSJ is very professional as he comes on time and arrives very ready. Even if he’s doing two commercials for us in just one day, he’s very good with his craft as all of his takes are one take only. Then the other takes are just back-ups. So, that’s how good he really is.”
In terms of his personality, Miriams recalls that he was very warm and easy to work with. “Imagine, it’s just one day of shoot, so speaking in Tagalog [is undoubtedly challenging].” But again, as he came prepared, the team and PSJ didn’t break a sweat and do the scenes over and over again.
Revisiting The Pearl of The Orient
Park Seo Jun has visited the Philippines back then as an endorser of a local fast-fashion brand. And honestly speaking, we can still clearly remember when he told everyone that he really enjoyed his stay here after eating great food. Now, since he’s the latest ambassador the Smart Communications, part of his contract is to visit the Philippines to engage with his Pinoy fans.
According to the telco’s President and CEO Alfred Panlilio, “of course, we plan to bring [Hyun Bin, Son Ye Jin, and Park Seo Jun] in as it’s part of their contract to all come here. It’s really just the timing. While we cannot commit yet on the timing now, because of travel restrictions, but we’ll try our best to make it happen very soon.”
After all, Smart’s Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Wireless Business Jane Basas emphasizes that the K-Life is here to stay. But for now, let’s just keep on watching or re-watching our beloved Koreanovelas starring our idols, so that once we finally see Park Seo Jun in person, we could go all crazy and ask one another what’s wrong with you? (Not that there is really anything with going crazy for that dose of hallyu.)
To learn more about GIGA K-Video please visit www.smart.com.ph and follow Smart’s official accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
