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Jo Insung Keeps His Date with Kuala Lumpur

K-popped! met Jo Insung (Spring Day, Memories in Bali) who was in Malaysia on May 21 as part of his publicity tour to Southeast Asia in promotion of the popular drama series on ONE HD (Astro B.yond HD Ch 393), That Winter, The Wind Blows.

Come and be my date!

Before going on a date with his fans in the evening, Jo Insung went on a date with the local media at the Hilton Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.  Dressed in a simple shirt and a warm smile, Jo Insung made the members of the media feel comfortable and the interview goes on like a chat between close friends.

What draws you to That Winter, The Wind Blows after an 8 year hiatus from the small screen?

There was no reason why I should not choose the drama, great script writer and great people to work with, so there was no reason why I should not choose this drama. Actually after I finish my military service, I was preparing for a movie called The Martial Art but it was delayed until further notice.  I couldn’t just choose any project to be in so I was taking enough time to consider the next project and at that time, the script writer for That Winter, The Wind Blows called me and ask me.   I was lucky to be able to work with great people

What kind of preparation did you do to play Oh Soo (Insung’s character in the drama)?

I got ready to swindle? (garnered some laughter among the media).  We had a lot of meetings between the director and script writers to understand how to bring this character to life.  Oh Soo is a character that is caught between right and wrong, so we had a lot of discussions  about it, which was very exciting.

Song Hyekyo played your love interest in the drama, how was it to be paired with her?

Fantastic! She’s a beautiful actress.

Is there any similarities between you and your character in the drama?

I think I’m pretty similar to the character as I was showing the real me through the character in the drama.  So I see some similarities in the character.

You are very cheerful but you always acted in melodramas such as Memories in Bali and Spring Days, do you feel like doing a romantic comedy next?

I used to be in a sitcom called Non-Stop for quite some time. I wouldn’t choose a romantic comedy just for the sake of it being a romantic comedy.  I want to look at the role and see whether I can apply to the role and if I can show myself through the character.  That is more important for me in choosing a project.  I wouldn’t go for a romantic comedy just because I want to look funny.

There were news that you prepared chocolates for the female staff on White Day (a celebration in South Korea where a guy/girl presents chocolate gifts as an expression of love, courtesy or social obligation). Do you consider yourself as a romantic guy?

As you can see 🙂 (with a cheeky smile that gained another round of laughter from the media and Insung himself)

Would you consider moving into the big screen in the future and with whom would you like to act?

My desire is always to work with good actors and my next project will be a movie.  I am honored to have the opportunity to act with Song Hyekyo, who is such a great actress and we had such a great time.

 

A man with many facial expressions

There are a few scenes from the drama in which your character read/write Braille, have you learnt Braille before?

No, I cannot read it and its very difficult. 

The Cotton Candy Kiss Scene is one of the most famous scene from the drama.  Even a Kpop idol made a parody of it.  What are your thoughts about it?

It was very embarrassing while I was doing it and I didn’t expect that it would come out very nicely. It was very fortunate that it came out nicely.

How hard is it for you to let go of a character when a drama ends?

After spending about 5 months shooting the drama (That Winter, The Wind Blows), its not easy to let go of a character that you’ve lived in for the past few months.

What is the most memorable scene and hardest scene to act from the drama?

The most memorable scene is when Oh Soo was hurt and being taken care of by Oh Young in the mansion.  The hardest scene for me will be when I dragged Oh Young up a hill and told her “Today, I’ll forget about you”.

With that warm smile, who would be cold in winter?

Out of all the 4 seasons, which one is your favorite season?

I like summer and I also like to spend winter with a warm heart.

The drama was a big hit, did you anticipate that it would be successful?

I don’t expect it to be this big but I had a good feeling that its going to be a good one.  With such a wonderful script, I had a feeling that people would love this drama.

Is this your first visit to Malaysia?

This is my 2nd time here.  The first time was when I came here for a commercial shooting for 2 days and 1 night.

Running Man did a parody of the drama. Would you have joined in if you had the chance to participate?

I have been in a lot of variety show. But for Running Man, I’m not physically ready to run as I have short breath. Kwangsoo did an outstanding job in it.

Is there any actor that you would like to work with in the future?

I want to work with Song Joong Ki if I had the chance.  I would like to try the role of brothers with him.

Even though the time was short, by the end of the interview session we felt closer to the actor who was really friendly.

Later in the evening, Jo Insung was met with screams of fans at the Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya.  3 couples were given the chance to reenact the Cotton Candy scene in front of Jo Insung.  All of them walk away with a picture taken with the actor and goody bags courtesy of ONE HD.  Not to be forgotten, the 5 lucky subscribers of ONE HD were also given the opportunity to get up close with him on stage!

 Thank you everyone for coming and for showing your support

Jo Insung’s visit is the fifth promotional tour organized by ONE HD, following actor Janghyuk in January 2011 to promote Midas; Lee Dongwook and Kim Sun-A in December 2011 for Scent of A Woman; K-pop boy group BTOB in Jakarta June 2012, and budding actor Lee Hyunwoo in promotional of To The Beautiful You in October 2012.

Can you do the Cotton Candy scene with me?

Jo Insung stars in That Winter, The Wind Blows, re-running by popular demand, available from June 1, airing on Saturdays & Sundays at 3.15pm, in Dual Sound on ONE HD (Astro B.yond Channel 393)

A happy Insung with the fans

Photos by: ONE HD

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