[Spotlight] Lee Jong Suk's First Fan Meeting in Taiwan, Part 1

On June 1^st, actor Lee Jong Suk held his first fan meeting in Taiwan. The event was held in an intimate setting, providing about 300 fans the chance to see this rising star up close and personal.

Lee Jong Suk is best known for his roles in “School 2013″ and “Secret Garden.” “School 2013” has particularly helped boost him to fame in Taiwan. His bromance with actor/model Kim Woo Bin, both on and off the screen, has attracted a lot of positive attention. Lee Jong Suk’s new drama, “I Can Hear You,” just premiered on June 5^th. Be sure to check it out!

The fan meeting was quite an enjoyable event for all involved. For 2 and ½ hours Lee Jong Suk entertained the audience with interviews, singing, dancing, games, and even a raffle at the end.

It was amazing how personable, yet shy Lee Jong Suk was. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself on stage and his shy demeanor was beyond adorable. Throughout the whole thing, I truly felt like I was seeing the actual Lee Jong Suk rather than just his actor persona. I’m going to attribute some of this to the fact that his fame is just in its infancy. He hasn’t done many events like this, especially outside Korea, and his bright-eyed, bushy-tailed outlook was very endearing to witness.

At past fan meetings that I have attended, I felt that at times the actor wasn’t too thrilled to be there; however, with Lee Jong Suk I never got that impression. Since his doesn’t speak Chinese beyond the few phrases of “My name is…” and “I love you”, he replied on an interpreter. Even so, it was easy to see that he was very genuine and friendly. While you could tell he would often became super embarrassed, he was a great sport about it and worked it well to his advantage. I can’t tell you how many times the host playfully yelled at him for being too shy. His bashfulness though is such a key part of his charm and it made the event all the more fun. 

The event opened with the MC first coming onstage to introduce Lee Jong Suk. I must say the MC was perfectly picked. In contrast to Lee Jong Suk’s shy personality, the host was loud, witty, and super expressive. He maintained a wonderful rapport that kept the audience laughing the entire time.

Lee Jong Suk soon emerged, accompanied by his translator. He was all smiles, but also a slight bundle of nerves. Within the first minute of him being on stage, he had to do a little jig to try and calm himself down. He said he was very nervous, but super excited, asking the audience to please bear with him. It was refreshing to see that he didn’t take himself too seriously.

The fan meeting started with an unconventional surprise. At fan meetings and concerts in Taiwan, the general policy is that photos are not allowed, much to the dismay of fans. Lee Jong Suk decided to lift this restriction for a few minutes, giving everyone the chance to freely take as many pictures as they would like.

Next: Lee Jong Suk the model, and singer??

He strutted around the stage, striking poses and playfully interacting with the audience. This was really the perfect warm-up activity for the evening.

Next up came some questioning banter from the MC. When the topic of Jong Suk’s modeling career was brought up, he was prompted to show off his catwalk skills for the audience. Lee Jong Suk proceeded to walk through the main aisle as “I’m Sexy and I Know It” played in the background. While he at first tried to seriously strut, he quickly broke down into laughter and just walked cheerfully through the crowd. 

As if these bits of interaction weren’t enough, the MC decided that Jong Suk needed even more modeling practice and prompted him to make a full circle around the crowd. I give the planners an A+ in knowing how to get a crowd excited!

Lee Jong Suk returned to his seat onstage and the host posed a series of questions asking him about his childhood dreams (he wanted to be an actor from an early age), previous experiences with Taekwondo (his father made him start because he was afraid his son would be an easy target for bullies), and what he likes to do in his spare time (stay at home and relax. He said fans often make going out in public very stressful). They then treated the audience to some clips from “School 2013.” While Lee Jong Suk looked slightly embarrassed by all the ooos and ahhhs from the crowd, he still graciously laughed along, especially whenever Kim Woo Bin came on the screen.

Lee Jong Suk then sang his first song of the night. Judging from my past fan meeting experiences, it is customary for the actors to perform a few songs, even if singing is not their strong suit. Lee Jong Suk’s singing was pretty good… that is, whenever he could keep a straight face! While Lee Jong Suk would not be able to make it as a singer, he would still make an awesome karaoke buddy!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our coverage, where Lee Jong Suk interacts with the fans, and gets his “bbuing bbuing” on!

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Visit Shirley and Rachel’s blog, Norae Room: K-Pop in Taiwan for more great photos and reviews!