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Korean star Song Joong-Ki talks about ‘Vincenzo,’ learns Filipino, and promises to return to PH

Article (news)

Nikka Avegail Sabio

Push Team

<p>It was a night to remember for Filipino Ki Ailes as South Korean superstar Song Joong-Ki finally met his fans in Manila for the first time in a fan meeting made possible by IAM Worldwide.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:514px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748153582212Thumb - 2025-05-25T141312.334.jpg" style="width:600px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo by Nikka Sabio</span></span></span></div><p>The <em>Vincenzo</em> actor was warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd, filling the venue with loud cheers and heartfelt energy. With a beaming smile, Joong-Ki started greeting his fans with some Filipino words thrown in.</p><p>“Hello, everyone! Wow! Maraming salamat po! Grabe ang daming tao ngayong gabi, punong puno ang venue talaga. I am very, very grateful and thankful for all who come here tonight at siyempre maraming salamat din sa invitation at sa IAM Worldwide for bringing me here in Manila for the first time,&quot; he said through the event translator. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJjD_5hyqhL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=="></a></p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-42" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJjD_5hyqhL/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A42%2C%22os%22%3A20707296.099999994%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="847" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-42" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Though this marked his first visit to Manila, Joong-Ki shared that he had previously been to Cebu and had always heard great things about Filipinos from his friends in Korea and Italy.</p><p>“Talagang first time ko rito sa Manila and actually, sa Korea and noong nasa Italy ako, may mga friends ako na Filipino and sinabi nila na Filipinos are really cool. Astig ang mga Filipinos, kaya I really wanted to come to Manila para makita ko ang mga Filipino fans ko,” he expressed in the translation.</p><p>The South Korean star also expressed gratitude for the fans who have waited for him and their love for his projects including his popular character and series <em>Vincenzo.</em></p><p>“One of the works that I really love is <em>Vincenzo</em> and yung <em>Vincenzo </em>is loved by a lot of Filipino fans and the <em>Vincenzo</em> songs were sung by some by filipino artists kanina kaya I’m very blessed and very happy,” he stated.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748153325032IMG_3983 (3).jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo by Nikka Sabio</span></span></span></div><p>He even recorded a video of the crowd and shared it with his <em>Vincenzo</em> co-stars, saying, “I took a video of it and nagsend ako sa mga co-artists ko sa <em>Vincenzo</em> and they said thank you thank you very much for singing.”</p><p>Adding to the fun night, Joong-Ki took time to learn some Filipino words. As the newest ambassador of the Filipino wellness brand IAM Worldwide, he was taught the word “masarap” (delicious), using it to describe the product.</p><p>“Masarap po! I love this word. Masarap,” Joong-Ki expressed. “Masarap because (that is) masarap po!”</p><p>He followed it up with fan-favorite phrases “Mahal ko kayo” (I love you all) and “Mahal kita” (I love you), which he pronounced impressively.</p><p>“Sobrang ganda ng pronunciation ng Tagalog, napansin ko,” he expressed as he said “Mahal ko kayo” to his fans.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748153264973IMG_3983 (2).jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo by Nikka Sabio</span></span></span></div><p>Joong Ki also expressed his overwhelming feelings as he asked what the Filipino term is for “I love you so much.”</p><p>“Mahal na mahal kita! I love it (the phrase),” he said.</p><p>In a fun interactive segment, Joong-Ki joined fans in guessing Filipino words related to <em>Vincenzo</em>, like “kalapati” (pigeon), &quot;apoy&quot; (fire), “ginto” (gold), and “gusali” (building). Later on, he even learned the slang term “sumakses” (I succeeded).</p><p>“Ang ganda talaga ng pronunciation ng Tagalog words. Parang gusto ko talaga mag-aral ng Tagalog din kasi ‘di ba ang ganda ng Tagalog,” he mused.</p><p>One of the evening’s most heartwarming moments came when Joong-Ki personally gave a bouquet of flowers to actress Janice de Belen, who happened to be in the audience. Joong-Ki&#x27;s role in his drama <em>My Youth</em> was a florist and he showed what skills he picked up by arranging a bouquet under three minutes.</p><p>The two had shared eye contact earlier, and the actor made her fangirl dream come true by kneeling before her onstage.</p><p>“Kanina pa nag-eye contact kami. Kanina pa siya sobrang masaya siya kanina noong nag eye contact kami,” Joong-Ki said via translator as he spotted Janice in the crowd. He then kneeled in front of her to give the flowers.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-40" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKCcDUHyUVu/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A40%2C%22os%22%3A20572069.5%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="659" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-40" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Janice took to Instagram after the show, gushing, “TONIGHT WAS A SUPER, SUPER AMAZING NIGHT!!! 🤩 I REALLY DID NOT EXPECT TO BE ON THE SAME STAGE AS MY CRUSH!!!😄 MAY BONUS PANG FLOWERS AT MADAMING YAKAP!!! HE IS MY ULTIMATE FAVE KOREAN ACTOR!!! 🤩”</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-38" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKC60zQytD8/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=768&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A38%2C%22os%22%3A20553868.700000003%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="643" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-38" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>As the night came to a close, Joong-Ki received a heartfelt fan-made video montage. Touched by the gesture, he responded with a heartfelt promise.</p><p>“I’m very grateful for preparing this. After watching this video, siguradong babalik ako dito sa Pilipinas. It is really good. Maraming maraming salamat po,” he said.</p><p>He added, “Maraming maraming salamat sa inyong suporta at pagmamahal sa akin. As a way to give it back to you guys, I’ll be doing my best to be a good actor and do good works as well kaya sa tingin ko dapat babalik ako rito sa Manila.”</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:500px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748153178205IMG_3983.jpg" style="width:500px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Photo by Nikka Sabio</span></span></span></div><p>The night ended with Joong-Ki’s sincere vow to his Filipino Ki Ailes.</p><p>“Maraming salamat po sa unforgettable night tonight… Next time, I’ll come back to the Philippines for a much more fun and exciting time. I’m sure babalik ako sa Manila. Maraming maraming salamat po,” he said.</p><p>Song Joong Ki Philippines, the actor’s local fan group in the country, also conducted a fan project donation drive where they chose Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) as the beneficiary. The cause was also acknowledged during the event.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpawsphilippines%2Fposts%2Fpfbid01D2z1dfhHD82Wo2x3vdPehyU3b8AnxCEAod8H1c4sMM1rfS6itCXD7C79WNfKv5sl&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=500" width="500" height="498" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Song Joong-Ki’s latest ambassadorship for Filipino health and wellness brand IAM Worldwide marks his first-ever brand partnership in the Philippines.</p>

<p>Song Joong-Ki successfully held his IAM Song Joong-Ki fanmeet in Manila.</p>

Song Joong-Ki successfully held his IAM Song Joong-Ki fanmeet in Manila.