LEE JOON GI
THE STUNNING COVER MODEL
OF
THE STAR MAGAZINE
LEE JOON GI
THE STUNNING COVER MODEL
OF
THE STAR MAGAZINE 
'The Star'
magazine has unveiled Lee Joon Gi as the stunning cover image of their 6th
anniversary issue. It is no mystery why Lee has landed on the cover of the April issue of the magazine.
Lee does not disappoint; he never ceases to amaze with his fascinating
supermodel looks. The world at large can’t help but view him as a global
‘supermodel’. The tantalising way he models his clothes burns into one’s
brain forever. Many distinguished international and local fashion houses have
sought his services to publicize their brands.
For
the cover, the gorgeous Lee Joon Gi is photographed in a laid-back style,
lounging on a colourful boat wearing a grey check suit. The jacket is worn at
the elbows on one side to ostensibly showcase a white singlet but his sexy tanned
arm and well-toned muscles distract one’s attention. Now, was he having fun on
the famous long tail boat sailing along the Menam Chao Phraya?
In
another photo, Lee ratchets up the heat wearing a jacket off-shoulder style
to reveal another white singlet or tank top which is casually tucked into
his denim trousers. The sexy and youthful-looking superstar must be trying to set
a trend.
The
close-up picture of Lee gets the heart pumping even faster. The intensity of
his amazing Phoenix eyes is the culprit. Wearing a green overcoat with lapels of two shades of green, the superstar adds interest by layering it with a green
shirt and a striped long-sleeve shirt.
The
photoshoot for ‘The Star’ magazine was carried out in tandem with the
photoshoot for Lee’s very special photobook, ‘Lee Joon Gi in Thailand’. Lee’s photo story, which is set in
cosmopolitan Bangkok and the beautiful city of Chiang Rai, would showcase Thailand’s
magnificent cultural and historical heritage.
In the interview with 'The Star', Lee dishes on how grateful he is to his passionate
and supportive Thai fans who made his photoshoot in Thailand an extraordinary
experience.
From
the way Lee Joon Gi describes it, he seems to have an unusual bond with his
Thai fans. They accompany him wherever he went, protecting him from untoward
situations. He was also in awe of the beautiful environment: the splendid cultural and historical monuments and the peaceful people living in harmony with each other. He plans to return to
the country in the future.
And
these days, Lee has set his sights on a more ambitious project than before –
a four-hour encore fan concert in Seoul. His previous five-country, six-city
‘Delight’ Asian Tour had been a huge success. The previous concerts were only
three hours long but Lee had promised at the onset of his ‘Delight’ Asian
Tour that he would hold a longer concert if his ‘Delight’ concerts were a
success. Though his encore concert would not rival IU’s 5-hour shows, his
four-hour concert should satisfy his fans.
 
Lee
Joon Gi, like a professional and seasoned popstar, takes his concerts
seriously; they are not just plain fan meetings. In the build-up to his
concerts, he dives actively into the planning and creative processes and
immerses himself in his singing and dancing practices right up to his performance on the stage. The
fact that he had taken up temporary residence near the studio, his relentless pursuit
for perfection and his constant practices for his ‘Delight’ tours have become
the stuff of legend among the press.
The
performance reviews of his concerts are glowing. Unlike some Kpopstar imposters
who have failed to gather much steam, Lee has eclipsed many artistes in the
Kpop world. Lee Joon Gi has come into his own as a formidable ‘KPopStar’,
having held innumerable successful concerts in the past.
The
multi-hyphenate superstar shares that it is a blessing to be able to enjoy special time together with all his fans. He is grateful for another
opportunity to be with them in his encore Delight concert in Seoul in April which
is titled ‘For Us’, named after his most exciting song from ‘Delight’, his
latest mini-album.
Lee
divulges that he has tried to satisfy his fans’ curiosity about his daily
activities through his posts on his social media account but he has been
unable to fulfil their specific requests for SNS live broadcasting and Vlog.
The superstar remarks that when
the public think of Lee Joon Gi, the fantasy genre comes to mind but Lee
wants to portray a realistic figure in his dramas. But then, he feels he has
a long way to go as an actor and plenty to offer as a thespian. He has
decided to do at least one project a year. Having read many scripts since
last autumn, Lee is still waiting for the right script, a destiny-changing
one, to come along. At the moment, he is taking a breather from dramas and
projects.
The
release dates of both publications have been announced. The April issue of The
Star: 29 March. ‘Lee Joon Gi in Thailand’: early April (can be purchased from
‘Splendor’, Lee’s official Japanese
fan club.
Source
Updated: 14.04.19    |
PREVIEW
OF
THE STAR MAGAZINE IMAGES           |
LEE JOON GI
THE STAR MAGAZINE INTERVIEW
APRIL 2019 ISSUE
      
Interview translated by
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Q
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What have you been up to lately?
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LJG
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Recently, I’ve been very busy with my Asia tour ‘Delight.’
I did not want to do it in a sloppy way.
Plus, since I had to prepare so many different things to
perform in different cities, I had to do the rehearsals and recordings at the
same time, so I needed lots of time to think about how to handle them.
I didn’t want to waste a single second so I even took up
temporary residence near the dance studio.
I got to spend a lot of time with my crew, so I was never
bored. I mean, to be more precise, every time I started feeling bored, it
occurred to me that there was something I had to do or something new
altogether. I was extremely busy, but I was happy doing these creative
activities.
Most importantly, I got to meet my fans who send me big love
from different countries and talk about the thoughts I have and how happy I
am in person, and they all understood me, so it was a very enriching
experience.
Come to think of it, we didn’t really spend that much time
together, but I just feel so sad about it. Because I wanted to meet as many
Asian family members (= fans) as possible before I choose my next project.
Other than that, it’s always the same with me. I still do jiu
jitsu, and recently I got hooked on watching movies over and over. Before I
go to jiu jitsu classes or after I get back, I binge-watch various movies or
dramas from different countries on platforms like Netflix.
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Q
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You successfully completed your Asia tour that spanned from Seoul
to Hong Kong.
What are your thoughts on meeting diverse groups of fans?
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LJG
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It made me so very happy. When I prepare for my tour, I don’t
think of it as just another fan meeting.
From the planning stage on, I constantly share my ideas with concert experts from various areas, hold meeting after meeting, and run simulations until we get the results (we want).
The whole process of putting together each fan meeting concert
itself is constant creation.
The time where I get to meet my fans, create synergy, and
perform on stage – I think it is an entirely new creation, the culmination of
the efforts that various concert planners and everyone involved in the show
have made for a long time. That’s why I never get tired even after performing over three
hours nonstop. Rather, I am so totally hooked on it that I even feel ecstatic
(laughs).
Even though I am on a break from work now, I think the fact
that I can continue to have such a creative time this way is, in and of
itself, a blessing.
Would I be enjoying my time off this much without my fans’
love? What I loved more than anything throughout the tour was that I was able
to feel the love of so, so many fans.
You wouldn’t believe just how much I cried during this fan
meeting. Normally, I am not very good at expressing my feelings. I don’t cry
easily. I don’t want to cry especially in front of my fans. Because it really
breaks my fans’ hearts. But this time, I could feel so much love, and I was
really frustrated at myself for not being able to return the big love (the
fans showed me). I felt so many emotions going through me, but yes, I cried
because I was so touched by the real love that my fans showed me. Those days
we spent together flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope.
I am worried that my fans worry too much about me… But I hope
you don’t worry too much. I just thought, ‘Once again, I am sincerely
thankful,’ ‘I really am such a blessed actor and person,’ ‘I want to make my
days happier with all these people for a long, long time,’ and ‘I want to
give them many more happy days.” It truly touched my heart.
I can continue my tour and hold the encore concert particularly
because of the support, wishes, and love that my fans have sent me. I was not
sure if I would be able to have an encore concert. I am very excited and
deeply moved by the fact that I can reunite with my fans from different Asian
countries at a venue as big as Seoul Olympic Hall.
I am trying to fill the encore with the songs that I performed in the different countries and make it a fun and precious memory like a festival.
My producing team and crew are already showing so much
excitement in our group chat room (laughs). Most of the people involved in my
tour fell in love with my fans. They kept giving a thumbs-up, saying they’d
never seen such amazing fans before.
I’m talking too much… Which shows how truly happy I was. Now, I
am bringing it to a conclusion with the encore concert. I hope it will be a
truly delightful festival for all my families, who have made beautiful
memories with me throughout the tour.
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Q
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Once again, you showed off your outstanding dancing and live
performance skills during this tour.
How much practice did it take you?
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LJG
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To put together the kind of fan meeting concert that I do, I
really have lots of things to prepare; selecting songs to perform, recording
them, directing, doing band rehearsals and dance rehearsals, et cetera, et
cetera.
It’s a fan meeting, but we have to make it look like a concert,
so we prepared various things each time we were about to perform in each
different country, including the first month before my first concert.
Truth be told, it took me a particularly long time to select
and practise different songs to perform in different countries. It would have
been great if I could tell my fans how much I love them in their own
languages, but I could not have learned to do it in such a short period of
time… So I chose to express my feelings through singing and performances. It
was really difficult to learn how to pronounce the words of the songs I had
to perform and understand the feelings in them.
And I also had to prepare the performances that went along with
them. At the time, it really was very difficult, but when I actually got on
stage and performed with my fans in the audience, I thought, I made the right
decision.
Staying fit is important especially when it comes to my fan
meetings, so I didn’t skip a workout while preparing for the concert.
I got an injury in the middle of the tour, though. But
fortunately, it was not a serious injury, so I did the rehearsals wearing an
assistive device.
Strangely, though, the moment I step onto the stage, I just go
crazy jumping around. I think that’s because of the inexplicable, mysterious
power that my fans give me, whether I’m on camera or on stage.
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Q
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In early April, your Thai photo book is coming out in Japan and
around the world.
What does Thailand mean to you, Joongi?
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LJG
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During this tour, I had a concert in Bangkok, Thailand, and on
stage I talked a lot with my fans. It was my first fan meeting in Thailand.
I was really sorry, so I cried a lot. Yes I did, during my concert.
To me, Thailand is a great place to travel where I can heal
mentally and I definitely want to go back. The passion that I felt from my
fans was so tremendous.
Thai people’s love for Korean culture is truly remarkable.
Above all, I felt such awe looking at those numerous cultural artifacts in
Thailand, and I found the people living in harmony with (such culture) to be
very generous and beautiful.
Through this photo book, I hope people from other places can
also feel even a slight bit of the beauty that I found in this
country—Thailand.
There were many eventful moments during my trip to Thailand,
but most importantly, there were a lot of moments that brought so much
comfort to my heart.
On the last day of shooting, we wrapped together with my Thai
fans, who stayed with us throughout the shoot and showed support. I remember
holding our wrap party on the last day of filming at a bar and partying and
having fun with my fans there.
My crew also had so much fun, and it was such an extraordinary experience that doesn’t happen easily, so it’s truly unforgettable. My fans helped us a lot during the shoot. They always accompanied us and formed a line, so that people did not start crowding in on us or interrupt the shoot.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to the fans who stayed
with us until the end. ‘Khob khun krab.’
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Q
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So we hear you are holding your encore fan concert at Seoul
Olympic Hall this April 28.
What are you planning for the concert?
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LJG
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I didn’t think I’d be able to do an encore concert. I can meet
my fans from different countries at such a great concert venue.
I feel awkward calling it an encore concert as if I were some singer. I want to gather all the memories we made during my Asia tour in one place and make it a festival.
I started having meetings with my production staff and concert
crew as soon as we got back to Korea. I want to create a fun concert where I
can return the love that all my fans have shown me and make precious memories.
Once again, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my
fans for allowing me this miraculous opportunity. I love you.
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Q
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Let’s change the subject and talk about the upcoming season. It’s
spring.
How does that make you feel?
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LJG
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Honestly, I didn’t even realize spring had begun. Because I was
already living in the warmth of my fans since last winter. I’m serious. I
feel like the spring is already passing.
Right now, this very moment—where I am with my fans who present
me with this flower road on warm spring days—feels like a dream.
Unless I choose my next project soon, I am going to be spending time alone again once I’ve finished my encore fan meeting, and that worries me.
As an actor, I don’t think I should waste any of my time,
including my alone time, but I still feel so sad. I hope I can start my next
project immediately after this time of warmth is over.
I will probably go on a trip with my family after finishing the
encore fan meeting. I haven’t been able to take care of my family for about
two years. I promised my father we would definitely go on a family trip this
time.
I pray every day that my next project comes along, like by a
stroke of destiny, while I am taking a break.
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Q
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Please tell us anything fun you’ve done lately.
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LJG
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For me, the whole journey of my fan meeting tour was the
happiest and most fun time. I still feel very, very sad (to let go).
I wonder what if I could tour in eight countries as originally planned. |
Q
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You’ve recently become a brand ambassador for a cosmetic brand.
The social responsibility activity that you’re doing with the
brand is also worthy of note.
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LJG
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My fans are excited and have high expectations for my first
brand endorsement after a long time.
When it comes to a cosmetic brand, I personally feel confident
about taking care of my skin, so it’s a perfect brand for me.
I am also greatly interested in socially responsible
activities, and I am always touched by my fans who stay steadfastly committed
to spreading love to those in need.
I really learn a lot from my fans. If there is any other
charity activity that we can do together, I want to do it with my fans.
Penegreen also joined us in the act of giving back through their first product sale, so I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude. |
Q
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We are a loyal viewer of JG TV that you post on social media.
Do you film and edit all of it by yourself?
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LJG
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I film and edit everything I post on social media by myself,
but nowadays there are tons of single-person media celebs, so there is
nothing special about mine.
I just keep filming my everyday life and make fun edits so I
can show them to my fans who might be wondering what I’m up to from time to
time.
I don’t include some sophisticated effects or make up stories,
so it only takes me one or two minutes to finish editing. I think I am going to interact with my fans only this way for
the time being. Many fans want me to go live on social media or do a Vlog,
but I think what I am doing right now is just good enough.
I want to find a good project and show you different characters (that I haven’t played), but it is not easy.
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Q
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Is there anything that you have not done yet but definitely want
to try?
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LJG
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I am already doing lots of things now, thanks to my fans
(laughs).
For now, as an actor, I want to interact with the public by
playing various characters in various projects.
It is not an easy thing to do, so I am still very concerned
about it. I will let you know when I have another dream someday.
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Q
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Do you have any concerns
as an actor?
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LJG
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The people around me have told me lately, ‘Lee Joongi is an
actor who’s too closely associated with the fantasy (genre). So we get very
cautious when we consider casting you.’
I want to do a project that feels very human and that allows me
to express a fully human character, but I am not too anxious about it. I
still have lots of time.
Depending on how you look at it, there are roles that I can
only play right now or ones that I will regret missing out on, but I believe
that there are no such limits to what an actor can do.
Maybe, someday, I will be working so hard that I feel
completely exhausted, but now, I feel like I am sort of taking a break to get
my breath back.
What’s important is that I am looking 60 years ahead as an
actor. I still have a long way to go.
And I have lots of things to show you. Maybe I could mess up
more, or maybe I could have an even more successful career than the one my
breakthrough role brought me.
But regardless, there always comes a time when I end up taking
a short break. That’s why I try not to feel too anxious.
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Q
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What’s your secret to having such a long-running acting career?
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LJG
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I don’t think I have lived such a long life as an actor yet.
It’s been only 16 years. I still haven’t figured it out yet.
I am living because I just want to stay true to myself,
represent my family, and return the love that many people have shown me.
I don’t have a life as ‘Lee Joongi the person.’ But now, I have
to start looking for one, don’t I?
At the end of the day, I am a publicly known star, so if I
don’t know myself, it won’t be easy for me to convince the public.
I wouldn’t call it my ‘secret’ per se, but I want to live my
life—the life that I have right now—faithfully and with sincerity.
I do not know what awaits me at the end of this life, but I
want to live faithfully…. That’s all.
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Q
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Last question. What are your plans and wishes this year?
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LJG
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Since last fall, I have been constantly reading scripts without
a break. That surprised even my agency.
But this year, particularly, I am getting even more careful. Because I feel like the career decisions I made up until last year are all the result of my selfishness. I was like, ‘I must do at least one project each year,’ or ‘I can make it happen,’ and I think my arrogance blinded me. Now, it looks like being too careful is harmful, but over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that my selfish desires can get lots of other people into trouble. I am constantly reading scripts, studying myself, and waiting for a project that will come to me, like it’s my destiny. But as always, I hope I find it before the year ends. Please wait a little longer, and if you think I’m taking too long, please think that ‘Ah, he’s really having a lot of things going on in his mind.’ I am grateful for the many opportunities that I’ve had; for everything, for everyone, and for every single time I’ve had… |
(updated 22.04.19)
Q – Question
LJG – Lee Joon Gi
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