On February 26, Singer-actor Park Jinyoung brought smiles to the media during his Rendezvous fan concert in Manila press conference held just hours before the main event.
Dressed in a classic brown suit and white shirt, Jinyoung brightens the room with his famous eye smile greeting as soon as he enters. Following a small introduction, the host, Ms. Kring Kim guided Jinyoung to settle down for the Q and A session.
During the press conference, Jinyoung shared how much he’s grown since his debut. He said that the way he speaks has changed from 10 years ago, he used to talk in Busan dialect but now he uses more of the Seoul dialect. He has also grown in height and muscle compared to the time he was young.
Jinyoung’s Versatility as an Actor
Jinyoung has starred in multiple Korean dramas such as “Dream High 2”, “When a Man Loves”, “This is My Love”, “When My Love Blooms”, “The Devil Judge”, and “Yumi's Cells” to name a few.
When asked which of the roles he portrayed challenged him the most, he said that all the roles he played in the drama were challenging, because while some of them looked simple in the beginning, they became challenging as he was building the character. Especially since every character has a certain charm.
Just like in the drama that he’s currently shooting entitled “The Witch”, he was playing the character of Dong, Jin, an intelligent man with a bright smile who falls in love with a woman called a witch, the role was really challenging so he put a lot of thought into it.
He also shared that if he were to choose which character he wished to play, he would want to play a character that was around his age.
Like any junior actor, he has someone he admires or looks up to. He said that he had a lot of seniors that he respects a lot and looked up to and one of them was Lee Byung-Hun.
Jinyoung’s Pursuit as a Solo Artist
Over the years, Jinyoung performed as a group (Got7) or sub-unit (JJ Project), and it wasn't until last year that they focused on their solo activities, so there were always adjustments.
Asked what's the best thing about pursuing a solo career as a music artist, Jinyoung said:
Preparation time is short. Just 40 minutes. With the team, 2 hours and half. Too short. That is all (That is the only best thing). It is surely more enjoyable to be with the rest of the members but I feel lonely at times. Official Answer (This is the “correct” answer that I should give.) (Laughter) Just kidding.
Being the latest Got7 member to have a show in Manila, Jinyoung was moved that fans waited for him after a long time.
Honestly, it has been too long since I have touch based with the fans in the Philippines and communicated with them. And as I performed in many different countries recently, I was so moved by the fact that there are fans still waiting for us even after a long time of not being able to come. So, I was like “I really want to come back”. (Though I am actually here today). and I really want to show my gratitude towards the fans who are always waiting, and I really wish to have a concert again together with my GOT7 members in the Philippines and have a fun performance.
That One Rendezvous
We were all curious about what a Rendezvous or Encounter Jinyoung will never forget in his life, and we were in awe of his response. Jinyoung said that it was performing right in front of his fans.
I have not been performing in concerts for the past 2 years. Well, I did perform last year (in Korea) when GOT7 released a new album, but as I performed after a long break, that memory hit me really big. Performing right in front of the fans.
Wrapping up the Q&A Session, Jinyoung shared his gratitude to all the Ahgase for their undying support and love.
I want to thank Philippines Ahgase for waiting for me for such a long time although I was not able to come here for a long time. To make up for the years that we have not met, I want to communicate with the fans by always showing new aspects of me. And thank you always, and I will most definitely come back.
Ahgases Sweetest Memory with Park Jinyoung
At 3:00pm, Ahgases lined up near the entrance hall of the New Frontier Theatre and while waiting in line, they were writing their messages on the board and enjoying themselves with all the freebies at the Ahgase Zone. Ahgases prepared a lot of freebies for fans to take home like postcards, bead bracelets, ponytails, candies, etc.
Has anyone visited the Ahgase Zone here for #PARKJINYOUNGinMNL2023 attendees? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ixjiMeCVnB
— PULP Live World (@pulpliveworld) February 26, 2023
Loud cheers welcomed Park Jinyoung as he performed “Coming Home” and “Cotton Candy” at the start of the 2022 PARK JINYOUNG FANCONCERT IN MANILA ‘Rendezvous: Secret Meeting Between You and Me’.
Fan meetings won't be complete without the sit-down interview and fan interaction. What's great about this fan meeting was that Jinyoung really gives so much value with the fan service than the actual interview or story time, for fans to get to know him more.
In the interview, he talked about his acting journey and shared the story about his favorite photos. He grinned when Ahgases told him that they watched his movie "Christmas Carol" when it's not even shown in Philippines cinema, saying that the Fan Concert was really a Secret Fan Meeting and told the Ahgases to keep it a secret.
He also laughed remembering some of the photos on his phone and said that there were some photos that he deleted because if those photos got leaked, he's certain that everybody in the fandom will leave, but there were still photos that he kept and will share with the public after a few years if the members agreed to it.
Ahgases giggled with excitement when Jinyoung started his surprise for them. On the Message board segment, Jinyoung read some fan messages and each fan got a polaroid selfie with him on stage. He also gave birthday gifts to Ahgases who have a birthday on the same day of his fan meeting like his handmade messages, and merchandises.
Some Ahgases from the VVIP and VIP were also chosen via raffle to receive some perks with him that got them all teared up with Joy.
After the surprise event, Jinyoung performed some of his songs "Dive", and "Animal".
Before the event ended, Ahgases showed Jinyoung a surprise video containing messages of love and gratitude for being with them in their happiest and saddest moments throughout the years. It made Jinyoung emotional. He shared that watching the video made him miss the members since he sometimes feel lonely but he was thankful because the Ahgases were there for him as he do his solo activities. He promised to come back soon with the members.
He performed Got7 songs for encore such as "Nanana", "Homerun", "A", "Just Right" and "Hard Carry".
We are grateful to Pulp Live World for inviting us on this event.