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Every acting project a challenge for Korean star Lee Junho

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Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="South Korean singer-actor Lee Junho at a press conference for his recent fan meeting in Manila. Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/entertainment/11/15/lee-junho-11152023.jpg"/><figcaption>South Korean singer-actor Lee Junho at a press conference for his recent fan meeting in Manila. <em>Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — Throughout his decade-long career as an actor, no role has ever come across as easy to portray for Lee Junho.</p><p>“It’s actually always been hard to portray a character. Not a single project has been easy for me because you have to study and research about the character every time I enter a project,” the South Korean star said at a recent press conference in Manila for his fan meeting.</p><p>“But I think the latest roles that I played are my favorite ones at this moment,” he said, referring to monarch Yi San from the 2022 historical drama “The Red Sleeve” and hotel conglomerate heir Gu Won in the 2023 romantic comedy “King the Land.”</p><p>“‘The Red Sleeve’ [was] my first project after being discharged from the military, while ‘King the Land’ was loved by many fans. I really appreciate their love,” he said.</p><p>Junho entered show business in 2008 as a member of the boy band 2PM, known for songs such as “Again &amp; Again” and “My House.” </p><p>He made his acting debut in 2013 through the action thriller film “Cold Eyes” and moved to working in dramas such as “Good Manager,” “Rain or Shine,” and “Wok of Love.” But it was Junho’s recent roles in “The Red Sleeve” and “King the Land” that propelled his popularity as an actor.</p><p>Junho considers Yi San from “The Red Sleeve,” who is based on Korea’s Joseon dynasty king Jeongjo, as his most memorable role. “Yi San takes a big part of my heart right now… it took some time for me to fix my feelings after the project,” he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/12/23/lee-junho-delights-filipinos-with-imahe-cover-fan-interactions">Korean star Lee Junho delights Filipinos with ‘Imahe’ cover, fan interactions</a></li></ul><p>The character earned Junho acting awards from prestigious bodies, including the Asia Artist Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards.</p><p>“Because of the drama, many fans were able to learn about history as well. I was able to get a lot of love, which I actually did not expect... I was very grateful, happy and it gave me a mindset that I had to do better,” he said, reacting to his awards.</p><p>Junho said he would like to take on a “more casual and comfortable” project in the future.</p><p>“Because for ‘The Red Sleeve,’ the story was quite strong and for ‘King the Land,’ the character had a very strong personality,” he said.</p><p>He also aspires to take on a “more action and wild-type of character.”</p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@abscbnnews/video/7299757809065921798" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7299757809065921798" style="max-width:605px;min-width:325px"><section><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@abscbnnews?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="@abscbnnews">@abscbnnews</a> “Whenever there’s an opportunity to actually work on a good project or music, I would love to release it as well,” South Korean idol-actor Lee Junho says when asked by ABS-CBN News if he has plans to put out a new solo album. via Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kpop?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="kpop">#KPop</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/leejunho?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="leejunho">#LeeJunho</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/abscbnnews?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="abscbnnews">#ABSCBNNews</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-ABS-CBN-News-7299757855889230597?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="♬ original sound  - ABS-CBN News">♬ original sound - ABS-CBN News</a></section></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><strong>Singing versus acting</strong></div><p>At the press conference, Junho was asked to pick which between singing and acting gave him more fulfillment, a question he likened to choosing “who I like better between my mother and father.”</p><p>“It’s really hard to choose but because when I’m actually into a project, I’m very passionate about the project. I love the things that I’m currently doing,” he said. </p><p>As a singer, Junho said he is open to releasing more solo music. </p><p>“I always have that thought [to put out new music], actually,” he said. “Whenever there’s an opportunity to work on a good project or music, I’d love to release it as well.”</p><p>After 15 years in the business, Junho believes “the most important thing… is that you have to know what you actually want and you have to consistently think of and strategically plan on how to actually achieve them.”</p><p>“Whenever I have time, I have thoughts about how I can be a better actor and also, thoughts about music. So those kinds of consistent processes are very important,” he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/09/28/23/2pms-taecyeon-on-15-year-career-goals-ph-memories">2PM’s Taecyeon on 15-year career, goals, PH memories</a></li></ul><div><em>For more news and features on K-pop, K-drama, and K-stars, visit the <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/kcontents">Hallyu Corner</a> microsite.</em></div>

Throughout his decade-long career as an actor, no role has ever come across as easy to portray for Korean star Lee Junho.

Every acting project a challenge for Korean star Lee Junho

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Every acting project a challenge for Korean star Lee Junho

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 15, 2023 06:28 AM PHT

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The Red Sleeve

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