Lee Min Ho has maintained the title of Most Favorite Korean Actor by International audiences for 12 consecutive years, since 2014 until now, in the survey "Hallyu Wave Abroad" conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea in collaboration with the Korea International Cultural Exchange Fund (KOFICE).
He is famous for many hit TV series such as "Band Star Garden", "City Hunting", "The Heirs", "The Legend of the Blue Sea", "Pachinko"...
When asked about the secret to receiving affection from international fans and maintaining his status as a top "Hallyu star", Lee Min Ho said that it was "sincerity" and "effort".
The actor said: "As an actor, the most important thing is sincerity. The sincerity that I pursue is largely expressed through my eyes. I think foreign fans can sympathize with me through their eyes, even though their languages and cultures are different.
The 38-year-old actor modestly shared: "The value I pursue is to try my best in every situation. Since my debut, I never thought I would become Hallyu star Lee Min Ho. I just want to do my best, because the title in front of Lee Min Ho can change at any time.
Many actors have faced scandals, such as exposed privacy issues. As for Lee Min Ho, he admitted that he never really felt worried about those things.
The actor explained: I live with the thought that I can become that at any time. Of course, I am also a human being, so sometimes I clearly feel such personal emotions or desires.
Private problems and risks mostly stem from personal desires and lead to trouble. So in those cases, I try to control my desires by constantly thinking about things greater than myself, such as family or the burden of the project I am participating in.
However, he added: "Even when I control myself like that, it's hard to know what's going to happen. Nowadays, there are so many situations that are considered so sensitive that I don't know when the problem will explode. That is the reason why I try to live a healthy life, while still maintaining responsibility and freedom as much as possible within my limits.
When asked about the difference between Lee Min Ho in his 20s and over 30s, he said: My 20s were the experience period, until mid-30s were the period that shaped those experiences, but now I feel like Im back in the experience period.
My biggest wish is to be free, but I think the most important thing is to pursue freedom as an adult who can take responsibility, not freedom from irresponsibility.
Regarding the change in attitude and thinking in acting, Lee Min Ho said: The motivation for me in my 20s was a sense of responsibility, but because the sense of responsibility was so great, it limited creative thinking.
Now, my way of thinking has changed to the point that I try to act without the initial emotions that appear when reading the script. There was a time when I approached a situation where even I could not predict how I would perform on set.
In the near future, Lee Min Ho will return to the big screen with the movie Omniscient Reader.
