He sparks kissing frenzy
KOREAN TV star Ryu Si Won, who was here for the F1 race, met hundreds of fans on Monday.
But it was on a visit to the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled that he was mobbed.
Not by the residents there, but by the nursing aides from the Philippines.
Some even managed to kiss him, leaving him looking stunned.
At the home, the humble star went around shaking hands, signing autographs and hugging some of the residents, who seemed happy to see him.
But far more excited were the nursing aides, some of whom went wild.
More than 10 of them rushed onto the stage to take a group photo with Si Won, and while getting ready, one of them dabbed the perspiration on his face with a red T-shirt.
Then, the unimaginable happened.
One nursing aide leaned forward and kissed Si Won's left cheek, triggering a copycat reaction among the others.
The emcee had to jump in front of Si Won to stop more of the women from sneaking up on him.
It turned out that it was the first time that Si Won, 36, had ever got mob-kissed by fans.
Actor loves the thrill of car racing
And he counted four pecks on his cheek, no less!
With a laugh, he said: 'No fan has ever dared to come kiss me on my cheeks. Usually it's just hugs or handshakes.'
He was not worried or offended though, because 'I can understand how a fan feels about me'.
And he is used to more dangerous situations - like crashing a race car.
The actor-singer, who is also a professional racer, crashed his car in a race last month.
When asked about it, his immediate response was: 'It was not my mistake... I had trouble with the car.'
The accelerator pedal had suddenly got stuck and he had to crash into a guard rail to stop the car.
He woke up with 'some pain' in his neck the next day, but is okay now.
So, which is worse: To crash or to lose?
Passionate about cars
'Crashing is the worst situation, because you can't even try to win or do your best,' he told The New Paper through an interpreter.
'Even if you don't win, at least you gave it your best shot.'
The boyish star of popular dramas like Beautiful Days and Wedding was in town last weekend to do a special feature on the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix for a Korean cable channel.
When asked about the crashes on Sunday, he commented that two of them were 'driver's mistakes' and one was a 'mechanic's fault'.
'I saw it all from the paddock club, the VIP area with the best view,' he said matter-of-factly.
He enjoyed the three-day event and kept raving about the 'wonderful lighting' that was specially installed for the first F1 night race in the world.
'I really really wanted to join the race and be on the tracks myself, but I had to suppress the urge because only F1 drivers are allowed to race,' he said with a reluctant smile.
'But I'll be joining a race in Korea two weeks later, and I'll think of the Singapore F1 and do a good job.'
He had to miss a wedding to be here for the race.
His actor pal Kwon Sang Woo was married to actress Son Tae Young in Seoul on Sunday.
Si Won said he received Sang Woo's invitation first, and then he accepted the F1 job without realising that the dates would clash.
'My excuse is that I'm going to Singapore for work and not just to enjoy the F1 race, so I believe Sang Woo understands my situation. Anyway, I already sent him a red packet and flowers too.'
One may think Si Won places racing above friendship, but he insisted both are equally important to him.
'It's just that everything for F1 was already arranged when I realised the clash of dates, so I had no choice but to come to Singapore.'
Not that he was complaining, though.
Si Won's passion for racing goes as far back as kindergarten, when he fell in love with cars and started drawing pictures of them.
Safe and slow
But it never occurred to him to be a racer until 1997, when he was asked to join a race as part of a variety show.
The descendent of a famous prime minister during the Chosun dynasty hopes to juggle racing with his showbiz career, which is mostly based in Japan these days.
What he loves most about racing is not the speed or the thrill of competing, though.
'There are so many things I like about racing, but the biggest appeal is that each race is a struggle with myself. I have to fight myself in order to win.'
Away from the race circuit, Si Won professes to be a safe and slow driver.
'I drive fast only on the race tracks,' he said.
'The more you get involved in car racing, the more you tend to drive safely on the normal roads.'
Before leaving on Monday night, Si Won also met 200 of his fans at K Union at Cineleisure.
So, how far does he let fans go with him?
He said he draws the line at being kissed on the lips or butt-grabbed by fans who pretend to put their hands around his waist while posing for photos.
'I won't be that happy, and I'd feel very embarrassed when fans, especially the older women, grab my butt,' he lamented.
'But I won't push them away because then they'd feel bad, so I just let them be.'
One wonders though, is it worse to be butt-grabbed or to crash his car?
This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 1, 2008
KOREAN TV star Ryu Si Won, who was here for the F1 race, met hundreds of fans on Monday.
But it was on a visit to the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled that he was mobbed.
Not by the residents there, but by the nursing aides from the Philippines.
Some even managed to kiss him, leaving him looking stunned.
At the home, the humble star went around shaking hands, signing autographs and hugging some of the residents, who seemed happy to see him.
But far more excited were the nursing aides, some of whom went wild.
More than 10 of them rushed onto the stage to take a group photo with Si Won, and while getting ready, one of them dabbed the perspiration on his face with a red T-shirt.
Then, the unimaginable happened.
One nursing aide leaned forward and kissed Si Won's left cheek, triggering a copycat reaction among the others.
The emcee had to jump in front of Si Won to stop more of the women from sneaking up on him.
It turned out that it was the first time that Si Won, 36, had ever got mob-kissed by fans.
Actor loves the thrill of car racing
And he counted four pecks on his cheek, no less!
With a laugh, he said: 'No fan has ever dared to come kiss me on my cheeks. Usually it's just hugs or handshakes.'
He was not worried or offended though, because 'I can understand how a fan feels about me'.
And he is used to more dangerous situations - like crashing a race car.
The actor-singer, who is also a professional racer, crashed his car in a race last month.
When asked about it, his immediate response was: 'It was not my mistake... I had trouble with the car.'
The accelerator pedal had suddenly got stuck and he had to crash into a guard rail to stop the car.
He woke up with 'some pain' in his neck the next day, but is okay now.
So, which is worse: To crash or to lose?
Passionate about cars
'Crashing is the worst situation, because you can't even try to win or do your best,' he told The New Paper through an interpreter.
'Even if you don't win, at least you gave it your best shot.'
The boyish star of popular dramas like Beautiful Days and Wedding was in town last weekend to do a special feature on the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix for a Korean cable channel.
When asked about the crashes on Sunday, he commented that two of them were 'driver's mistakes' and one was a 'mechanic's fault'.
'I saw it all from the paddock club, the VIP area with the best view,' he said matter-of-factly.
He enjoyed the three-day event and kept raving about the 'wonderful lighting' that was specially installed for the first F1 night race in the world.
'I really really wanted to join the race and be on the tracks myself, but I had to suppress the urge because only F1 drivers are allowed to race,' he said with a reluctant smile.
'But I'll be joining a race in Korea two weeks later, and I'll think of the Singapore F1 and do a good job.'
He had to miss a wedding to be here for the race.
His actor pal Kwon Sang Woo was married to actress Son Tae Young in Seoul on Sunday.
Si Won said he received Sang Woo's invitation first, and then he accepted the F1 job without realising that the dates would clash.
'My excuse is that I'm going to Singapore for work and not just to enjoy the F1 race, so I believe Sang Woo understands my situation. Anyway, I already sent him a red packet and flowers too.'
One may think Si Won places racing above friendship, but he insisted both are equally important to him.
'It's just that everything for F1 was already arranged when I realised the clash of dates, so I had no choice but to come to Singapore.'
Not that he was complaining, though.
Si Won's passion for racing goes as far back as kindergarten, when he fell in love with cars and started drawing pictures of them.
Safe and slow
But it never occurred to him to be a racer until 1997, when he was asked to join a race as part of a variety show.
The descendent of a famous prime minister during the Chosun dynasty hopes to juggle racing with his showbiz career, which is mostly based in Japan these days.
What he loves most about racing is not the speed or the thrill of competing, though.
'There are so many things I like about racing, but the biggest appeal is that each race is a struggle with myself. I have to fight myself in order to win.'
Away from the race circuit, Si Won professes to be a safe and slow driver.
'I drive fast only on the race tracks,' he said.
'The more you get involved in car racing, the more you tend to drive safely on the normal roads.'
Before leaving on Monday night, Si Won also met 200 of his fans at K Union at Cineleisure.
So, how far does he let fans go with him?
He said he draws the line at being kissed on the lips or butt-grabbed by fans who pretend to put their hands around his waist while posing for photos.
'I won't be that happy, and I'd feel very embarrassed when fans, especially the older women, grab my butt,' he lamented.
'But I won't push them away because then they'd feel bad, so I just let them be.'
One wonders though, is it worse to be butt-grabbed or to crash his car?
This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 1, 2008
