Ahn Hyo-seop, new Korean wave boom

Actor Ahn Hyo-seop is leading the new Korean Wave.

According to his agency The Present Company on the 10th, Ahn Hyo-seop successfully completed the global tour 'THE PRESENT SHOW - here and now', recruiting 50,000 audiences. Ahn Hyo-seop, who is proving his offline popularity at home and abroad through performances that started in 5 cities and expanded to 10 cities until the encore in Japan on February 12th thanks to the enthusiastic response, is emerging as a leading figure in the new Korean Wave.

Ahn Hyo-seop's popularity also attracted a lot of attention in Japan. Tickets for Ahn Hyo-seop's fan meeting held in Tokyo in October last year were sold out as soon as they opened. A performance at the Nagoya Arena was added in November, attracting the participation of 15,000 fans in just their first visit to Japan. In addition, it not only drew a warm response by decorating the cover of a Japanese magazine, but also confirmed the exclusive programming of Ahn Hyo-seop's fan meeting on CS TV Asahi on January 14th.

In addition, due to a series of love calls from terrestrial broadcasters, she was able to appear on Japan's national talk show 'Tetsuko's Room' on January 12, making her appearance on the first terrestrial talk show, and an additional performance at the Tokyo Garden Theater was confirmed in February. 'Tetsuko's Room' is a program that Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, a respected senior talent in Japan born in 1933, has been leading as the sole MC for 48 years since 1976. It is known as the national broadcast most loved by Japanese people, illuminating guests through sincere talk and covering a wide range of topics such as international charity projects, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Hallyu stars such as Bae Yong-joon, Hyun Bin, and Jang Geun-suk, as well as Tom Cruise and French actress Catherine Deneuve, appeared, making this the first Korean actor to appear in 10 years. This appearance was made possible by the broadcasting company's active recruitment, including attending Ahn Hyo-seop's fan meeting held in Tokyo, and the news of Ahn Hyo-seop's appearance was also a hot topic on SNS in Japan.

Ahn Hyo-seop, who has been at the center of topics every day, confirmed the additional performance of 'THE PRESENT SHOW-here and now Once more', the encore performance of the global tour, at the Tokyo Garden Theater on February 12th. . This was sold out as soon as it opened and there were a lot of requests from fans who were disappointed that they could not attend, making it a dramatic success. The encore performance is receiving more attention as it is said to be held in an all-band format, similar to the performance held in Korea last January.

In this way, Ahn Hyo-seop is proving himself as a next-generation Korean wave player with increasing awareness not only domestically but also overseas. He is recognized for his acting, visuals, and star quality, and is continuing his powerful one-top run. As he is creating a new wind, expectations are rising for his future moves.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr