[News] Kim Hyun Joong – all that he’s “fanned” up to be?

Credits  Singapore Showbiz 
Repost from http://ss501-thailand.blogspot.com

Kim Hyun Joong's Press Conference May 2012 (Yahoo! Photos / Elizabeth Soh)

His ambition is to become a "World Idol", he can supposedly make you feel "healed" just by the sight of his face, and he has promised to high five all 3,000 fans during his fan meet at the Singapore Indoor Stadium this Friday.

With such big ambitions and a larger-than-life reputation preceding Korean idol Kim Hyun Joong, it is easy to dismiss him as just another wannabe, but when this reporter met him in the flesh, it became clear why he has legions of fans who worship the ground under his impeccably stylish leather shoes.

Firstly, everything about the Hallyu star looks perfect. Not a single strand of carefully coiffed ash-brown hair is out of place, and even up close, his face appears to be devoid of pores, blemishes, or any other defect that plagues lesser human beings.

When he smiles, he displays two rows of white, shiny straight teeth and his eyes sparkle with such sincerity that it would take a strong-willed woman not to go weak at the knees. Even his voice is warm, mellow, and completely in line with his image.

Kim is, after all, the actor who played Yoon Ji Hoo - the sweet, sensitive second male lead of wildly successful Korean series Boys Over Flowers that catapulted him to instant super-stardom in 2009.

Here in Singapore to kick-start a series of Asian fan meetings, Kim will be singing and dancing to 14 of his songs and play several games with his fans before attempting to high five each and every one of them.

During the course of the press conference and subsequent group interview, it becomes apparent that his answers are as perfectly prepared as the rest of his appearance, from his sharp black blazer to deep v-neck shirt that exposes just a hint of male cleavage.

Questions about what kind of girl he likes aren't allowed - neither are we permitted to ask if he will re-unite with the other members of boy-band SS501.

This is what we got from him -

What can fans expect from his fan-meeting?

"The best way to find out is to come for the fan meeting - fans usually think that such meetings are just a small group of people interacting, but this time it is more like a fan meeting 'upgraded' - with a mini concert. Please come and have fun.

You've been to Singapore thrice - what do you love the most and what do you miss about this country?

Predictably Kim responds that his fans are what he loves the most - however he does say later that he loves Singapore's chilli crab and has been to the Marina Bay Sand's infinity pool and liked it very much.

Why attempt to set such a record in high fiving 3,000 people and why did he decide to do that?

"I wanted to make sure that everyone coming for the fan meeting has the best fun - I hope to meet everyone of them up close and remember all their faces. It would be like a small gift from me."

What are your musical influences?

"I don't have any particular musical influence. Usually I follow the weather. For today, its humid and dull weather, so I listen to ballads and slow music from my own album. I hope Friday's weather will be much better."

Perhaps some of his answers are lost in translation and not deliberately bland because he appears to think before answering, fiddling with a silver bracelet on his wrist.

One thing is clear - he is single-minded in his quest to make it as a "World Idol", who he defines as being someone that "people admire and look up to."

How did you prepare for your upcoming fan-meeting?

"I was supposed to go for a Lady Gaga concert before flying here. But I missed the concert because I felt that I needed to practice more."

Just when you thought that getting non-politically correct answers was impossible from Kim, flashes a disarming grin and drops a few cheeky, unexpected answers.

When you are not performing or on stage, what is your fashion sense like?

"I like to wear track shoes, something comfortable, that feels like my own skin, so that I can practice well."

And the one fashion move he will never take?

"Shave my head bald." he quips without hesitation.

He also revealed that unlike his character in Boys Over Flowers, which he described as "Cold, calm, and Prince-like" - the "real" him, is actually "Very humorous, playful, and lively."

And how will fans get to know that side of him?

"A video at the fan meeting." he said.

Besides getting to watch those videos, fans will also receive a t-shirt and brooch specially designed by him.

That, as well as a chance to go palm to palm with Kim and pray that he truly remembers your face?

Its no wonder all the premiere seats (closest to the stage) for his fan meeting are completely sold out.