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| Actor Kim Soo-hyun of the drama "My Love From the Star" sings during a fan meeting on March 16 in Seoul. He will tour Asian countries through May to meet his overseas fans. / Korea Times file |
Rising actors aggressively knock on neighboring market
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| The drama "The Heirs" ended in December, but actor Lee Min-ho's popularity seemingly knows no bounds in Asia. |
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Actor Park Hae-jin, who had a supporting role in "My Love From the Star," was popular in China prior to the drama. |
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Actor Kim Woo-bin, whose rebellious role in "The Heirs" put him on a new level of stardom |
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| Actor Lee Jong-suk is receiving his portion of attention for his upcoming drama "Dr. Stranger" in China. |
In the beginning, there were Bae Yong-joon, 41, Lee Byung-hun, 43, Jang Dong-gun, 42, and Song Seung-heon, 37, the so-called first generation of hallyu actors.
Bae is known as Yon-sama in Japan for that milestone drama "Winter Sonata"(2002). Jang reigned in Vietnam, Song also in Vietnam. Lee is popular throughout Asia and currently active in Hollywood.
Now it's Lee Min-ho, 26; Kim Woo-bin, 24,: Kim Soo-hyun, 26: the late-joiner Lee Jong-seok, 24; and the hidden strong one, Park Hae-jin, 30. The five stars are rising heartthrobs on the domestic small screen, and as K-drama gets even more popular in Asia, the demand for the four is increasing.
Kim Soo-hyun, 26, from "My Love From the Star" has been raising the standard by which Korean stars are treated by Chinese fans. A Chinese satellite TV outlet reportedly spent 1 billion won to bring Kim over for a taping of "Super Brain" recently. When Kim appeared in Taiwan, fans thronged the airport. After landing, Kim reportedly was whisked away and stayed at a suite that goes for 4.4 million won a month. When he landed in Shanghai over the weekend, some fans reportedly followed his entourage from the airport.
Another star from "My Love" who is popular in China is Park Hae-jin. Park plays the character Lee Hwi-gyeong who has been in love with the drama's female heroine ever since they were teens. The former model-turned-actor came into the limelight with his role in the 2006 drama, "Famous Chil Princesses." Park received the Newcomer's Award for that role from both KBS and at the 43rd Baeksang Art Awards. Park has also starred in Chinese films such as the "Another Kind of Splendid Life" (2012) and "Qian Duo Duo Jia Ren Ji" (2011) on Hunan TV.
Park on March 18 received a Chinese award in Beijing, becoming the first Korean actor to do so.
Another hallyu actor portending to become just as big as Kim Soo-hyun is Lee Min-ho.
Lee, 26, the male protagonist from the popular SBS drama "The Heirs," was in the Philippines last week to promote the brand "Bench" and meet with fans. Lee engaged with 15,000 fans who crowded the Araneta Coliseum. Filipino fans are so clearly in love with Lee they have asked, in jest, to designate "Lee Min-ho Day."
He has been meeting with fans throughout Asia since "The Heirs" ended in December. In the Philippines, Lee's former works, including "Boys Over Flower" and "Personal Taste" are airing, while "The Heirs" is expected to air soon.
Fellow "Heirs" co-star Kim Woo-bin is cutting out his portion of fandom. His fan meeting in Taiwan on March 15 and 16 sold out soon after they went on sale. The former model also has a fan meeting scheduled in Shanghai on March 29.
Somewhat hidden behind the recent popularity of "My Love" and "The Heirs," Lee Jong-suk's drama, "I Can Hear Your Voice," was exported to China last year and received a favorable response. The Chinese media is already showing interest in the 24-year-old's upcoming drama, tentatively titled "Dr. Stranger." The drama is expected to hit the Korean airwaves on April 28.
Industry insiders are anticipating that the emergence of 20-something hallyu stars is attributed to the increasing number of 40s and 50s women audience tuning to Korean dramas inChina.
