11 things to love about Lee Min Ho, Bench's newest endorser

Get intimate with the Korean actor who just flew into town to promote his latest endorsement of the Philippine fashion brand. View snapshots from his press conference yesterday, November 15.

My first introduction to Lee Min Ho was with his hit show, Boys Over Flowers, the immensely popular Korean adaptation of the Japanese drama Hana Yori Dango. My friend L, a Korean culture vulture way before the Korean craze took off, and Nic, a recent convert, started bugging me to watch it. Little did I know that it would become "detrimental" to my health and work life. I began viewing it nonstop, foregoing hours of precious sleep just to witness Min Ho’s character, Goo Jyun Pyo, the rich, spoiled, and ultra-stylish leading actor/brat of the show, slowly but surely win over Geum Jan Di, his most-hated rival that eventually becomes the love of his life.

I confess I was in a constant state of kilig back then. And even when the show was finally over, I satisfied my LMH obsession by watching YouTube videos of his numerous commercials, the favorites being his Cass Beer commercial withSandara Park, and his Dunkin Donuts coffee commercial that I could probably watch on repeat for an hour.

Is it any wonder that I jumped (or maybe shrieked is the apt word) at the chance to meet the Korean superceleb in person?LMH is the newest Global Benchsetter to join the Bench family of mega endorsers, and I was lucky to have been able to see him up close and in person at the press conference held yesterday, November 15, at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.Dressed in a navy cardigan with gray trim, dark jeans and white sneakers, hair stylishly mussed just so, LMH looks every bit as delicious in the flesh as on screen. And every time he flashed his dimpled smile, the female population in the room must have collectively swooned.

While LMH doesn’t speak English, that hasn’t stopped his fan base from growing. As of last check, his Facebook page has 6,426,754 “Likes,” while his Twitter account has 902,492 followers. Even with the plethora of forums and fan sites dedicated to the actor, it’s hard to get information about his private life, since a lot of what’s written is in Korean. But at the press con, Lee Min Ho revealed the different facets of his personality: Actor, Celebrity, Style Star, and Regular Guy. Here are eleven things you probably don’t know about LMH, straight from the actor himself. Be prepared to fall in love with him all over again when you browse through our gallery below.

Press conference photos by Cons Reyes

1. He's polite.
Before answering the first interview question thrown at him by host/interpreter Sam Oh, he took the opportunity to apologize for having kept the press waiting for him for a reason not his fault (his plane was delayed for two hours).

2. His fans give him confidence.
He acknowledged that his job as an actor is not a stable one, so knowing he has millions of fans all over the world gives him the push to concentrate on his job.

3. He used to listen a lot to “Gangnam Style” when it first came out.
He’s proud of Psy and the song’s worldwide recognition and hit status, and believes that the spotlight can also help fellow Korean celebrities. Much to my dismay, though, he refused to show his Gangnam moves, in deference to the official event ongoing (maybe if the crowd heckles him enough at his Meet and Greets, he’ll oblige!).

4. He knows his fashion.
He favors dark-colored clothing, and is a stickler for proper fit. He will, however, experiment, as he likes to try on different styles (he specifically mentioned Bench’s colorful skinny jeans that he spotted at the campaign shoot as particular favorites). He doesn’t take a lot of time to shop, keeping shopping time short and sweet at an hour and a half max.

5. He's always obsessed with his hair.
...making him the perfect poster boy for Bench Fix salons. He revealed an anecdote wherein he ended up not meeting up with his friend because he didn’t like how his hair looked even after washing it three times! It’s a good thing he now has a hairstylist to look after his mane

6. He loves playing soccer during his spare time.
In fact, his childhood dream was to become a soccer player.

7. If you really want to see LMH, stake out a movie theater.
The actor loves to watch movies, and he’s mastered the art of sneaking into the cinema at locations and times when there’s hardly anybody around.

8. He’s got a charming “little boy” sense of humor.
When asked what kind of shirt he’d design for Bench, he described a shirt striped with all the colors of the rainbow “…with a bench on it…because the brand is Bench,” he said mischievously, causing the crowd to laugh. Lee Min Ho poses with Bench executives for a photo opportunity.

9. He wants you to tell him the best vacation spots in the Philippines.
The weather is currently cold back in South Korea, so this trip feels like a vacation to him. He’s excited to learn more about traveling around the Philippines. Tweet him your suggestions at @ActorLeeMinHo, hashtag #wheretogointhephilippines.

10. He feels close to his Filipino fans.
...because he always hears from them on his Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as reads their messages on his fan sites. Ladies and bakladies, he knows you’re out there!

11. He's disarmingly honest and simple.
According to the actor, the best thing about being a Bench endorser is getting a huge billboard with his name on it! Lee Min Ho shakes hands with Bench executives.

source: kristn.com