Actor Lee Min-ho has been taking China by storm. In a recent interview with Seoul-based fashion magazine Atstar1, he was asked about the secret behind his sweeping popularity there. Lee attributed his fame to, “the power of Korean soap operas.” Indeed, in the mainland Chinese media market he is regarded as a namsin, roughly the Mandarin word for “emperor.”

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Actor Lee Min-ho said that Korean soap operas brought him the popularity he enjoys in China. This photo was featured in the April edition of fashion magazine Atstar1. (photo courtesy of Atstar1)



“Chinese fans just love the characters I played in several soap operas, including ‘Boys Over Flowers,’ ‘City Hunter’ and ‘The Heirs,’ which only just wrapped up,” said Lee during the interview.

“I think it is due to the power of Korean soap operas, and I have made great efforts over the past three years to interact with my Chinese fans,” Lee added.

Lee made an appearance on one of the most popular Chinese TV shows, “Chunwan,” on January 30, becoming the first Korean featured on the show. “It was a new experience for me. I was very honored that I could represent Korea,” continued Lee. He also added that, “I was quite proud that I was able to sing the Korean version of the background song from ‘Boys Over Flowers.’ ”

Recently, Lee has been selected as one of the top five Korean actors, along with Kim Soo-hyun, Jang Geun-seok, Kim Woo-bin and Lee Jong-seok, in a survey on the “2014 Top Korean Emperor,” conducted by the Chinese entertainment website Kugou.com.

By Jeon Han, Lee Seung-ah
Korea.net Staff Writers
hanjeon@korea.kr



[Source: korea.net]