Korean actor Kim Seon-ho, the Filipino K-drama fans’ favorite good boy, has become, for many of us, like a close friend living abroad. Whenever he’s in town, we just have to drop everything to see him.

So on April 13, Myla, Hannah, and myself were part of the crowd of Seonhohadas – the term used to call Kim Seon-ho’s fans – that gathered at the SM Mall of Asia Arena for what is becoming, hopefully, an annual meetup with the actor who became popular here for his role as the selfless Han Ji-pyeong in the K-drama “Start-Up.”

“Color+Full” in Manila happened a few weeks before Kim Seon-ho’s birthday, but Filo Seonhohadas already greeted him in the fan video shown during the event. The crowd also sang happy birthday to him. 

“You guys are the first celebrants of my birthday. I will keep and treasure your precious hearts as I go back to Korea. Again, thank you so much, guys!” Kim Seon-ho said in response.

Still grateful to his fans

During last year’s fan meeting, Kim Seon-ho thanked his loyal supporters for always being with him during the hard times.

This time, he opened his third fan meeting in the Philippines by serenading his Filo Seonhohadas with his song “Miracle.” He co-wrote its lyrics, which expresses his gratitude to his fans. The single has since been officially released.

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During the games he played with Seonhohadas, Kim Seon-ho made an effort to acknowledge and thank each one who joined him on stage. He began his encounter with them with “Hello po” and made sure to ask for their names. He then said goodbye to them by saying “Salamat po.”

The game participants had  fun playing guessing the drawings that Kim Seon-ho started in the relay drawing quiz. Some of them did Pinoy tongue twisters and sipa challenges with him. During the sipa challenge, we met the night’s “big winner,” CJ, who got a hug from Kim Seon-ho after they won the challenge.

Kim Seon-ho also recreated scenes from artworks submitted by his fans.

Of Boyet, dogs, and fanboys

During the getting-to-know Kim Seon-ho segment, we heard more about Kim Seon-ho’s preferences. Some are new, some we’ve already learned before.

At one point, he asked the crowd for suggestions on his English name, and one of the popular responses from the crowd was Boyet. Until now, I still don’t know why we chanted it. Could it be because of his good boy moniker? John and Daniel were also among the suggestions.

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One of the funniest parts of the fan meeting for me was when he said he would want to transform into a dog so he could communicate with his pet Sogeum, the crowd started barking loudly.

Kim Seon-ho also acknowledged the boyfriends and husbands who accompanied their loved ones to the fan meeting. I’m sure though, that there are some like myself who were actual Kim Seon-ho fanboys in there. 

The biggest fanboy of the night, however, was the fan meeting host Ryan Bang. With his enviable looks and kind character, Kim Seon-ho awed the Korean-born Pinoy TV host. As Myla and Hannah said during our Usapang Hallyu episode, Ryan represents all fans whenever he heaped praises on the Hallyu star.

Ryan Bang also didn’t miss the chance to invite Kim Seon-ho to his television show “It’s Showtime.”

Cooking with Seon-ho and UFC

“Color+Full in Manila,” which is part of the “2024 Kim Seonho Asia Tour,” was sponsored by Nutriasia’s UFC – a beloved Filipino food brand known for its sweet and spicy ketchup. The brand tapped Kim Seon-ho to be the endorser for its Fun Chow rice mixes’ Korean flavors and its Korean-style meat sauce called Oppa Mixes.

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During the fan meeting, Kim Seon-ho demonstrated how to cook the rice mix and prepared flavored chicken. Lucky fans got to taste them, too!

Before the event, food booths called Chingu Cafe, Fun Chow and Oppa Mixes Restaurant, and Locally PH greeted us at the UFC Color+Full Hometown fan zone outside the arena. Despite the scorching heat, attendees enjoyed K-food and K-drink samples, took selfies, and collected freebies. 

Once inside, we had our photos taken with Kim Seon-ho’s standees. A long queue formed at the Color+Full Photobox, while others checked out the official merch at the booth beside it. 

While waiting for the show to start, we also had the chance to chat briefly with Seoul-based Filipino influencer and Seonhohada Marc, also known as @callmemakeu, whom we featured in an earlier episode of “Usapang Hallyu.” 

We also met other content creators and media people who were invited by UFC and Makeitlive to cover the event.

After his January fan meeting last year, Kim Seon-ho returned for another fan meeting in July. And by December, he was back in the Philippines for the Asia Artist Awards.

We have yet to see if we’ll have more chances to meet Kim Seon-ho this year. One thing’s for sure, though – we’ll be patiently waiting for “The Tyrant” and “Can This Love Be Translated.”

Ederic is a Filipino communications worker in the telecom, media, and technology industry.He used to be a social media manager for news at GMA Network, where he also headed YouScoop, GMA News and...

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