Ajakada revisits trip to South Korea

The Aja! Aja! Tayo sa Jeju cast members — Robi Domingo, Kristel Fulgar, Shine Kuk and Donny Pangilinan — recalled their fun and most thrilling escapades in South Korea during a virtual media conference and fan gathering last Saturday. Joining them was guest Pinoy pop group SB19. The Ajakada also shared the reasons why they love South Korea and its culture.

Kristel said she feels like one of them. “Since na-expose ako sa Korean language, every time na pumupunta ako ng Korea, meron akong feeling na isa ako sa kanila. Native na rin ako… Iba yung feeling ‘pag nasa Korea. Pangalawa, gusto ko po yung food nila. Very polite din sila. Na-appreciate nila ako na nag-aral ng lenguahe nila.”

Kristel’s penchant for Korean culture started with K-dramas. She even encouraged her fans to learn the language so they could relate more to the characters and artists. “Gusto kong maintindihan ang K-dramas na hindi na ako nag-re-rely sa subtitles… I encourage din dun sa mga mahilig sa K-drama, K-pop na try nila mag-aral magsulat at magbasa. Mas maiintidihan nila yung K-drama na pinapanood nila at mas makaka-relate sila, sa mga artists din.”

The Ajakada goes tangerine picking.

This leveled up as she became part of the team that produced and created the Filipino-Korean series Love from Home. Kristel is the director of the show, which will premiere on June 4 on YouTube. She posted on Instagram a poster of the series, captioned, “Yes, I may not be in the photo but I can proudly say that I am one of the people behind this project. Yung isang malaking pangarap lang sakin dati as a K-drama fan, posible palang mangyari.”

Kristel Fulgar and Shine Kuk visit the Blue House, the official residence of South Korea’s head of state.

On the other hand, the “official oppa” and “kuya ng barkada” Robi shared that he loves Korean chicken, especially the one he tasted at the airport with Kristel and Shine.

SB19 members echoed they all had a great time during their trip. “Sobrang nag-enjoy po kami. Hindi po talaga namin siya na-feel na work, kasi when we were there sobrang enjoy lang. Gusto namin yung ginagawa namin at hindi kami nakaramdam ng pressure sa mga producers at directors.”

Asked if they wanted to go back to South Korea if given another chance, the band agreed to a big “yes.” “Siyempre po sino naman ang ayaw pumunta dun for a vacation… Lalo po ngayon maraming schedule, gusto po namin bumalik dun to take a rest at makapag-unwind. Aside from this, the band members also have some Korean friends whom they would love to meet again. “Nasa list po namin na bumalik ng Korea hindi lang dahil maganda dun. Marami din kaming mga friends na nandun na matagal na naming na hindi nakita. So kung merong chance na bumalik sa Korea, babalik kami dun para makita (yung) friends (namin ulit).” The five-member band is composed of Pablo, Josh, Justin, Ken and Stell.

Robi and Donny enjoy their last days in Jeju Island.

Stell mentioned jajangmyeon as his favorite Korean dish. “Yan yung go-to food ko ‘pag nasa Korean restaurant kami. Unusual po kasi (yung) flavor… hindi mo ma-ge-gets lasa. Nung una pagka-describe ko sa kanya lasang kahoy, medyo oily. Sobrang hindi ko ma-explain. Every time na tina-try ko siya, mas lalo kong nalalasahan yung sarap niya. Hanggang sa hinahanap ko na siya at naging super favorite ko na siya. Partneran mo pa ng danmuji at kimchi, meron pang sunny-side up na egg.”

Donny, on his part, said the one thing that he missed from their Jeju trip was the black pork. “Na-miss ko yung pagkain dun kasi ang sarap talaga. Yung noodles din. I am a fan of samyup and stuff but it’s actually different when you are in Korea… I miss the entire experience, especially the fishing episode.”

Filled with fun and lively atmosphere, the virtual event allowed fans to interact with the stars during the game challenge portion. It also had SB19 performing their hits Go Up and Mapa. The band will have its online concert on July 18 via KTX.ph.

The Aja! Aja! Tayo sa Jeju squad members also shared their Top 10 most amazing moments while filming in Jeju Island: They were Episode 5: Zorb experience with Shine and Robi; Episode 3: Fishing trip Donny and Robi; Episode 4: Ajakada meets K-drama actor Jung Tae Woo; Episode 5: Team Boys cookie stick challenge; Episode 4: Shine and Robi lakad bonding; Episode 2: Ajakada’s night dare challenge; Episode 9: Ajakada meets SB19; Episode 6: Shine’s horror house experience; Episode 8: Oppa Robi’s special talent; and Episode 8: Ajakada tries K-pop.

CEO ShowBT Philippines Charles Kim also thanked the fans and ABS-CBN for the partnership. “It is the first Korean variety show in the Philippines. We started back in 2018. It has always been our goal to promote the cross-culture relationship of Korea and the Philippines through the show while providing entertainment to our viewers.

“We are very happy to have partnered with ABS-CBN. The shows were mostly shot in Jeju, Korea back in 2019. I believe that it was quite a fun and memorable experience for everyone. Everything you see in the show is reality.”

While filming, the team encountered drawbacks, but it was able to pull through. “Though we were supposed to broadcast last 2020 but due to various difficulties, we weren’t able to air. Fortunately, we were able to bounce back this year and now broadcast the show not just locally but globally as well. For all the viewers around the world, watch and enjoy the show. This is not possible without the team behind the program. Of course, our partner, ABS-CBN… We look forward to creating and producing more programs and contents like Aja! Aja! Tayo! in the future. And to offer the pop culture fans more opportunities to gather and share love and passion to other fans,” added Charles.

Watch Aja! Aja! Tayo sa Jeju Saturday nights at 10 on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live and A2Z, and Thursdays on iWantTFC.