Push Admin

Why the Philippines is ‘best place to run away to’ for SHINee’s Minho

Article (news)

Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/01/31/20230131-choi-minho-via-abs-cbn-news.jpg"/><figcaption>Choi Minho of the K-pop boy group SHINee during his first solo fan meeting in the Philippines, January 28, 2023. <em>ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Choi Minho, a member of the veteran K-pop boy band SHINee, considers the Philippines as an ideal place to escape to.</p><p>During his first solo fan meeting in Manila last January 28, the 31-year-old artist admitted that he was drawn to the country’s weather, food and people.</p><p>“I think if I were to run away somewhere, the Philippines would be the best place,” Minho said before scores of Shawols (short for the fandom name SHINee World) at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p><p>He was responding to a question posed by TV personality Sam Oh, who hosted the fan meeting, in relation to his song “Runaway,” which he performed at the event.</p><p>“Since I enjoy the hot summer and weather here in the Philippines, and there’s great food, kind people, I think the Philippines would be the best place to run away to,” Minho said.</p><p>The event, titled “2023 Best Choi’s, Minho Lucky Choi’s” and presented by Ovation Productions, marked Minho’s reunion with Filipino fans in nearly six years. He previously visited the country with SHINee in 2017, performing at the One K Global Peace Concert, also at the Mall of Asia Arena.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/03/03/17/psy-shinee-cnblue-return-to-manila-for-concert">Psy, Shinee, CNBLue return to Manila for concert</a></li></ul><p>Minho said he was “very glad” that the Philippines was the first stop of his Asia fan meeting tour after Seoul.</p><p>“Being here after a long time is making my heart flutter,” he said.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I&#x27;m excited to kick off my fan meetings with Manila❤️‍🔥. Thank you❤️‍🔥.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MINHO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MINHO</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%EB%AF%BC%ED%98%B8?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#민호</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SHINee?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SHINee</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%EC%83%A4%EC%9D%B4%EB%8B%88?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#샤이니</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2023BESTCHOISMINHO_LUCKYCHOISIN_PHILIPPINES?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2023BESTCHOISMINHO_LUCKYCHOISIN_PHILIPPINES</a> <a href="https://t.co/BqDVDSzTHG">pic.twitter.com/BqDVDSzTHG</a></p>— SHINee (@SHINee) <a href="https://twitter.com/SHINee/status/1619339613230993410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2023</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Asked about what moments make him feel “lucky,” in reference to the fan meeting’s title, Minho said: “I think I’m luckiest and happiest when I get to go far distances to meet the people I love, like you (fans).”</p><p>During the two-hour fan meet, fans got up close and personal with Minho, playing a game in which they had to come up with poses with the K-pop superstar.</p><p>Minho also danced pandango while wearing a barong Tagalog, and hopped on a dance challenge based on Sarah Geronimo’s new single “Dati-Dati.”</p><p>He showcased songs from his debut solo extended play “Chase,” released just last December. These include the lead single of the same title, “Heartbreak” and “Runaway.”</p><p>Minho also delighted Shawols as he performed a medley of SHINee’s recent songs, including singles “Atlantis” and “Don’t Call Me,” and album tracks “Kiss Kiss” and “Code.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2439766" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><div><strong>‘Unforgettable memory’</strong></div><p>Minho admitted that he was both nervous and excited while preparing for the fan meeting.</p><p>“[But] now that I&#x27;ve been able to show you my performance, it’s an unforgettable memory for me,” he said near the end of the event.</p><p>Minho also promised to “do my best for me to be able to come to you” in the future. And after seeing a fan-made banner asking for a SHINee concert in the Philippines, he gave a thumbs up and said, “Okay. I got it.”</p><p>“I’ll also make sure next time, I’ll come together with the other members,” he said, prompting an eruption of cheers from the crowd.</p><p>Minho, a talent of K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, debuted in 2008 with SHINee. Often considered the “Princes of K-pop,” the group is known for countless hit songs such as “Lucifer,” “Sherlock” and “View.”</p><p>He has also starred in television dramas such as “To The Beautiful You” and “Hwarang.” Most recently, he landed a lead role in the Netflix series “The Fabulous.”</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/05/22/k-drama-the-fabulous-to-stream-on-netflix-on-dec-23">K-drama &#x27;The Fabulous&#x27; to stream on Netflix on Dec. 23</a></li></ul>

‘I think the Philippines would be the best place to run away to,’ says SHINee’s Minho during his first solo fan meeting in the country.

Why the Philippines is ‘best place to run away to’ for SHINee’s Minho

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Showbiz

Why the Philippines is ‘best place to run away to’ for SHINee’s Minho

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jan 31, 2023 06:41 PM PHT

|

Updated Feb 07, 2023 04:14 PM PHT

Read More:

K-pop

Choi Minho

SHINee

fan meeting

SM Entertainment

Ovation Productions

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.