Seo Ji-Seok appears at Hawaii's Korean Festival 2012 (Part 2)

Hallyu's Seo Ji-Seok in Hawaii for the 11th Annual Korean Festival 

 Cont. from: Hawaii's Korean Festival 2012 was hot, yet so cool (Part 1) .

What is a Hawaii Korean Festival without a little drama fever?

Hawaii is finally starting hook into Korean culture and it's more than just Korean plate lunches and BBQ. Much of this spreading interest to learn about Korea, is largely due to the popularity of Korean dramas. Well, popularity isn't quite the word... call it a crazed fever.

 To meet the needs of this emerging hunger for dramas, KBFD TV strings out a schedule of the most
popular and fresh Korean dramas to come out of Korea. It even has a wide audience of TV goers DVD-R-ing their favorite shows and readjusting their schedules to watch them !

Today, Hawaii even has two Korean radio channels to play the latest K-pop songs to hit the soundwaves. In some ways, it's like I haven't left Korea.

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How much do you love Korean culture, Korean dramas and Kpop?

So of course, the Korean Festival 2012 included to hook some of that into their program. There was a Cultural Exhibition tent on the grounds, which stored not only some articles of history (artifacts, traditional clothing, etc...), but some several dozens of popular Korean drama and Kpop posters as well as, fan memorabilia available for purchase. This is just word-of-mouth, but I've heard this tent is run by one woman, Cora, who goes to Korea each year and brings back new things to make this exhibition.

Exhibition Tent

Exhibition of traditional clothes

 

Inside the fascination of K-dramas and Kpop

Korean drama & Kpop

fan memorabilia 

Fans can buy drama & Kpop memorabilia- keychains, posters, notebooks with the face of their favorite Korean stars

  

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Hallyu actually arrives to Hawaii and yes, it's Seo Ji-Seok!

Now its the time you've been waiting for, Seo Ji-Seok fans!

Seo Ji-Seok (star of Manny, High Kick, ObGyn, Pure in Heart) arrived into the islands and the handsome Hallyu star didn't disappoint. Not like another Korean star, who was rumored to be arriving in Hawaii to open his cafe, but didn't show! ... Although I won't go into that.

seo ji-seok in hawaii

Not only was Ji-seok on time for his interview with Radio Korea, but he made the rounds around the festival grounds as Korean paparazzi followed him.

Seo Ji-Seok makes rounds at the festival followed by paparazzi

After he was done, he went to one of the festival tents and kindly submitted to signing autographs for a long line of female fans.

 

 Frankly, I thought Seo Ji-Seok would be short and frail. You know how stars always look larger on the screen and in Korea, male stars seem to love their ultra-skinny jeans! It's enough to give us normal weighted western chicks, well... a bit of a chub complex.

Well, the star was always surrounded by folks, so I didn't get a chance to look at his legs, but you will exhale to know, that although he was 'star' thin, he was still kinda manly. As for how he looks in person?

Pretty damn good!... And he's tall too!

All around Ji-Seok didn't let his Hawaii fans down. ...Not in the least.

Seo Ji-Seok takes time out from his autographing to get lei'd by one of his fans.

... by an ajumma!

Unfortunately though, they did end the autograph signing session a little early and my mom (who had her Manny DVD all ready to get signed) didn't make the cut! She was shy and feeling silly, because she was an ajumma in a line of teens and 20 year olds and when she finally had the courage to get into line, it was after some time.

Well,... don't look at me! I'm only 'barely' a good daughter!

Unless I'm working and getting paid to shoot stars, I'm pretty shy too. I could barely sit in a chair next to Alex OLoughlin and Scott Caan, when I was on the set of Hawaii Five-O (read here).

Ji-Seok signs autographs

Anyways, it was a great bang to the day! Hallyu comes to Hawaii and helps make the Hawaii Korean Festival an event to spend your Saturday at!