'Na-miss ko kayo!': Lee Je Hoon is excited to meet his Filipino fans in person

MANILA, Philippines — Korean actor Lee Je Hoon was all smiles being back in the Philippines, this time to fully interact with his fans.

The star of the television crime series "Taxi Driver" is in the country for his "Vacation" fan meet on March 3 at the New Frontier Theater, and he is more than excited to be surrounded by supporters.

"Na-miss ko kayo... mahal kita!" the actor said in a media conference a day ahead of the fan meet; Lee had flown into Manila at one in the morning, and he was still surprised to see fans were at the airport waiting to greet him.

Through a translator, Lee said it wasn't his first time in the Philippines, having previously been to Palawan to take part in typhoon relief operations.

WATCH: “Taxi Driver” star Lee Je Hoon is in Manila for his “Vacation” fan meet tomorrow at the New Frontier Theater.

This is actually not his first time in the Philippines, having visited Palawan for typhoon relief charity operations. | via @kjpurneII pic.twitter.com/lTVDvYcEzj

— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) March 2, 2023

Asked how he defined "vacation," the actor said it was to let oneself be free of all the hard work and have the time to plan life ahead.

Lee added by saying going on vacation means trying out delicious food, in particular, he wants to try local delicacies like adobo and sinigang; he thinks he had adobo on the flight entering Manila, even finishing the entire serving.

Other things he wants to try while in the Philippines is to ride some attractions along Manila Bay; Lee in particular finds the country's beaches very beautiful, hence he hopes to walk on some of them such as El Nido and Siargao.

Beyond his "Vacation" fan meet, Lee is looking forward to growing as an actor especially as the second season of "Taxi Driver" just premiered last month.

Among his aspirations is to venture more into genre-specific roles, citing examples like being a lawyer in a legal drama or a doctor so that he could experience being in their shoes.

“Mahal ko kayo!!” says Lee Je Hoon with a wink and finger heart.

His “Vacation” fan meet is tomorrow night at the New Frontier Theater, and the actor is hoping to meet fans up close (if his team and security allows him that is). | via @kjpurneIIpic.twitter.com/LqlHyGOkbT

— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) March 2, 2023

The 38-year-old is even willing to try projects in the Philippines if given the chance. "That's my hope and dream," Lee said in English.

A project he would have loved to be on was the global Netflix hit "Squid Game," so much so that he wants to audition for the upcoming second season. But because he already has a full schedule, Lee jokingly said he was willing to instantly die in an episode if it meant going on "Squid Game."

He is not limiting aspirations to South Korea and the Philippines though, since Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" is his favorite movie he said he would audition if Volume 3 was in the works.

Regardless of what happens in the future, Lee hopes that his fans will continue to support him so he may able to do more projects and become an even better actor.

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