South Korean actor Byeon Woo-seok at the press conference for his Summer Letter fan meeting at Singapore Expo on June 30. Byeon Woo-seok rose to fame through the hit drama Lovely Runner. SINGAPORE – After years of supporting roles in high-profile K-dramas such as Record Of Youth (2020), Byeon Woo-seok has finally broken out with the romance-fantasy Lovely Runner.
The South Korean actor’s earnest portrayal of K-idol Sun-jae has fuelled his rise to international stardom. Since the drama’s premiere on streaming platform Viu in April, he has gained more than three million Instagram followers within two months. He now has more than 10.
1 million followers. On his maiden visit to Singapore, the 32-year-old did not need to do much to keep his supporters, affectionately called Tong Tongs, cheering for him. His Summer Letter fan meet at Singapore Expo on June 30 was the fifth stop after Taipei, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta.
Many of the predominantly female fans here sported a “Let’s kidnap Sun-jae and run” headband. It is what South Korean actress Kim Hye-yoon wore in the hit series, in which she goes back in time to save the troubled singer from an untimely death. Most of the fans The Straits Times spoke to at the fan meet took notice of the actor only because of Lovely Runner – and Byeon is thankful for the drama’s success.
Throughout the fan meet, the 1.9m-tall actor thanked the Tong Tongs, whom he called his “precious and wonderful gifts”. He offered to take wefi.
