On May 25th, KBS’s “News Line” spotlighted the Hallyu wave and interviewed Super Junior’s Leeteuk for the first time on live news.
Leeteuk was interviewed as one of the representative of idol groups who are leading the Hallyu wave outside of Asia into Europe. He revealed, “Once a week, we circulate all over Asia including Japan, China, Malaysia, and Vietnam. We haven’t held a concert in Europe yet, so we were still surprised to see the response we garnered there.”
He continued, “We monitor the responses through press reports. They say that the popularity is stronger than ever, but I feel that we’re just now taking our first step. I think people take a liking to us because our music and performance style is both fresh and cool.”
Approaching the topic on communicating with foreign fans, he said, “Because we can’t visit and hold a concert in every country, we communicate to our fans through social networking services.” When asked in what language he communicates in, he replied, “There are programs that translate directly so it comes in great use.”
When asked for his thoughts on the growing Hallyu wave, Leeteuk commented, “I think we need to work harder to make sure that the Hallyu wave isn’t just a one-time ripple, but a continuous and consistent wave. We can’t be blinded by the profit that we see immediately and need to make sure that there’s strong cultural exchanges between ours and theirs.”
The reporter then asked whether Leeteuk thought idol groups were artificially created products, to which he replied, “It’s reality in that I can’t deny that idols are planned products. I think that this can be upgraded when our young friends gain more experience and get older, so I hope that everyone watches over them.”
He continued, “I’ve grown a lot over the past seven years. I wouldn’t say I have a lot of experience, but I picked up skills along the way on how to do this and that. I think success only comes to those who wait and work hard. New idols need both passion and patience in their hearts.”
Concluding the show, Leeteuk also mentioned the possibility of “SM Town in South America“, as well as the possibility of Super Junior’s “Super Show 4” being developed into a world tour, so stay tuned for more updates on that.
After the broadcast, Leeteuk tweeted, “For the first time, an idol guested on a live news show! I was so nervous that I was shaking, but it was so fun. I would like to thank everyone once again. I will bow my head and become a person that works even harder.”
source : allkpop
