FULL disclosure: I might be one of a handful few who hasn’t been swept—at least mot yet—by the Hallyu Wave hysteria.
So when the gorgeously handsome Ji Chang Wook had a (thunderous, literally) media meet-up on Saturday at a Makati hotel, I asked my sister-in-law Myla Luz and my nieces Daniella Louise and Primrose Grace, who are beyond obsessed with K-pop and K-dramas, about him.
They told me about his unforgettable turns in Healer (2014-2015), Suspicious Partner (2017), Backstreet Rookie (2020) and The Sound of Magic (2022). Though when I saw a clip of Wookie (his pet name) fighting a bunch of hoodlums in a bathroom—bare-naked—in The K2 (2016), I was convinced that I should also be a stan.
• MEETING THE FILIPINO FANS. It’s the first time for the acclaimed actor-singer to be in the country. And, yes, his smile can melt you softly.
“I was very happy because I was able to be welcomed by the fans when I arrived here in the Philippines. And I thought the weather was going to be quite hot, but when I arrived the weather was really nice too. So I actually enjoyed my trip coming here to the Philippines,” Ji, 35, expressed through a translator.
In 2019, lifestyle brand Bench tapped him to endorse its eau de toilettes So In Love and Sure Blue. He was supposed to visit the country soon after but Covid-19 happened. On Sunday, he held a fan meeting at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“It has been a while since I communicated with my fans so I decided to have the fan meeting with the theme ‘Reach You’, and I decided to reach to my fans since it has been long since I could reach out to my fans and fellow people,” Ji explained.
“I guess I will be talking about my personal life and also I will also be talking about the dramas and series that I have worked for. And also I think I will be singing some songs [from] the show so I guess I can have a very fun time with my fans,” he added.
I thought I also heard Cebu when Ji was asked what he’d love to explore in the country, but the interpreter only said, “So for the tourist spots, I would like to travel around the Boracay area, which they say is a very famous tourist spot here in the Philippines. And actually last night I was in the Greenbelt area, having coffee and taking a walk,” Ji said. Ji has a whopping 22 million followers on Instagram and he follows only one account: @jichangwook_archive.
“Actually, I am very thankful. Though I am only an actor in Korea, having different fans all over the world, I am very thankful for that. That’s also a drive for me to work harder so that I can also try various activities or other events that I can try in different countries.”
• ACTING OR SINGING? Ji rose to fame after playing the lead named Dong-hae in the daily drama series Smile Again (2010–2011). For that role, he won the KBS Drama Award for Actor in a Daily Drama. At the APAN Star Awards in 2014, he won the Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama, for Empress Ki; and in 2022, he won the Global Star Award for The Sound of Magic. In 2017, he was nominated at the Seoul International Drama Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards for Best New Actor-Film for Fabricated City.
Asked about what his favorite role, Ji replied: “It’s hard for me to choose because all the series that I have worked on, I put my love into them, so it’s hard for me to choose a specific role that I love.” He also said that he likes all acting genres so he can show his “dimensions and different aspects,” and is “open to new opportunities, to try fun and new things.”
Ji graduated from the Dankook University-Department of Performing Arts and began his showbiz career in musical theater. He has released singles, such as “Meet Again Meet Again” (2011) and “Merry-Go-Round” (2022) from the Sound of Magic soundtrack.
But acting takes precedence: “I guess that would be acting because, first of all, I’m not a professional singer. I was just fortunate to get an opportunity to sing. And if I would have to choose, I would be more inclined toward acting. I have a lot of mistakes when I sing.”
• BENCHSETTERS. The South Korean government supports its entertainment industry as zealously as the French champions its fashion stalwarts. The Korean celebrities have international appeal not just for their good looks but more so because of their superior talent. That’s why nowadays, they are much sought-after endorsers for global brands. Ji himself has posed for Giorgio Armani, Adidas x Gucci, and Calvin Klein.
As a Bench endorser, Wookie joins the ranks of fellow Koreans Dong Hae, Si Won, Lee Min-ho, Park Shin Hye, Park Hyung Sik, Park Seo Jun, Hyun Bin, Kim Seon-ho, Byeon Woo-seok and Wi Ha-joon. Other heartthrobs include the Americans Liam Hemsworth, Cole Sprouse, Noah Centineo, Pietro Bosselli, and Nichkhun of 2PM. Hereabouts are GMA hunks Ruru Madrid, Derrick Monasterio and Paul Salas.
Of note is Ji’s excellent record after his mandatory military service. He was appointed a platoon leader then promoted to corporal, then further promoted to sergeant. That accounts for his athletic physique that would have made him perfect as a Bench underwear model (and, perhaps, a spokesperson for our Department of Education’s obsession with ROTC?).
But, for now, he’s happy and satisfied with endorsing scents.
“Actually, Bench was the first company that I was able to work with in the Philippines and Bench was very hospitable and accommodating,” Wookie explained. “They treated me like a family where I could work in a very comfortable environment. So I guess I was able to work in a chill setting. I enjoyed working with Bench.”