A star in our midst

Many a Korean woman will become envious when I tell them that I met Daniel Henney today and talked to him for a few minutes when he came to our office.  Daniel Henney is one of the hottest stars in Korea right now, apparently more popular with Koreans than Bae Yong Jun.  Henney is a model and an actor, and he is the star of Munhwa Broadcasting Company’s hit drama, "My Lovely Samsoon."  A straw poll of Korean women I know revealed that Henney is by far their favorite heartthrob.  A couple weeks ago, one of my coworkers said that Daniel Henney is her "dream man," and lo and behold, her dream man walked into her life today!  She was stunned and flustered at first, too shy to come forward to meet him.  However, she composed herself and ended up getting a personal photograph with him.  I am very happy for her.  Can you imagine?  Think of the star you would most like to meet and then unexpectedly meet him or her in person.  (I wonder if Bambi Francisco will stop by sometime.)   My other Korean coworkers also went absolutely gaga over Henney.  Me–I was bemused more than anything.  The work stopped for awhile as my coworkers buzzed about the star in their midst.  I sprang into action and located a digital camera.  My star-struck coworkers happily gathered around Henney for photos (I think he enjoyed the attention.)  For the rest of the day, the office was aglow with happy coworkers.
 
After the photo op, Daniel Henney came to see me.  I helped him and thanked him for coming in, making sure he didn’t mind all the attention.  (He said he didn’t mind at all.)  I knew very little about him, so I asked him a couple of quick questions about his background.  He is a very nice guy, completely unpretentious.  He’s also an American whose mother is Korean American and father is British American.  It’s very impressive to see a foreigner make such a big impact in Korean media, especially someone who did not arrive in Korea until recently.  He may not be well known in the U.S. outside of Korean-American communities, but he is hugely successful here.  He is someone who beat the odds and made it big in another culture.  I wonder if his fame in Asia will eventually lead him to commercial success in the United States.
 
Blog Note:  The photo MSN Spaces used to feature this space is a photo of the building housing the king’s throne at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul.  Gyeongbok Palace served as the seat of power during the Korean Joseon Dynasty until 1910.  A family friend of ours wears hanbok, traditional Korean dress, and gives tours at Gyeongbok Palace, much like the women featured in the photo.  For more photos of Gyeongbok Palace, see our photo collection.
  1. kristi

    I enjoyed reading about Seoul as in 2004 I was there with "The Promise". We enjoyed our stay and seeing how beautiful the city and people were. The show was honored by a visit (many times) from a top pop star. (Yong Jun?) I have one of his CD’s. We also were highly honored by Dr’s Cho- we got to see HanSei University and had Dr. Cho play for us in her office! I dont think the security people were happy with us all crowded in her office, but she was gracious.

  2. Angeline

    Just wish you can show us a photo of Daniel Henney. Since you said he is the hottest star in Korea now, I believe his show will be coming to Singapore soon, I hope.Thanks for the update, Mike!

  3. Sung Kyung

    hello~As a Korean American, I truly enjoyed reading entries on your blog. I wouldn’t have stumbled on it unless MSN was featuring it on their front page. I often check out http://www.tour2korea.com to learn more about Korea. I think it’s pretty informative. I guess I will stop by your blog to be updated. Thanks and keep writing!~

  4. .

    Hey Indianna. So glad I found your space. Loved your photos – kinda windows on the World. Can I ask you to take more pics the local peoples too against the landmarks, monuments etc. as they form an important part of the culture too. Are you guys going to Japan? Keep posting all manner of Travel details no matter how small or quirky!!!!!!Cheers DCKC 😉

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