Move Over Bae Yong-joon
South Korea’s newest heart throb is not even Korean; he is, get this an American from Michigan:
A somber crowd at Tom Ford’s ready-to-wear fall 2005 Gucci collection in South Korea erupted into cheers as 25-year-old Daniel Henney strode into the spotlight in a tight fitting, all-black outfit earlier this month.
The JoongAng Daily newspaper called it “a rare moment at Korean fashion shows.”
According to the newspaper, “The appearance of Mr. Henney, the Eurasian model turned actor who stars in a Korean drama and many advertisements, was the highlight of the evening, even at the dance party led by a New York-based DJ, Ilya.
“Women gushed and sighed all night as they peered — again and again — into their digital cameras and mobile phones that captured the distant image of Daniel Henney in three impossibly sexy Gucci suits.”
Henney’s mom was also at the event and learned full well what Korean mobs, or what I like to call ajumma rugby is like:
“It was unbelievable the things they asked him to sign — shoes, clothing, pictures, ultrasounds of their babies…” she said.
Up to eight bodyguards accompanied Christine and her son just about everywhere they went.
“Every time we went anywhere there was a group of fans,” she said. “As soon as you heard the gasping you would turn around and there they were. No matter what he wore, how he tried to camouflage himself, they would spot him.”
A visit to the Outback Steakhouse for dinner was particularly exciting.
“There had to be at least 500 people there,” Christine said. “We walked in and all of a sudden we just heard everybody scream, cameras going off. It’s unbelievable the way everybody recognizes him. We almost got smothered and had to run out the back without eating.”
His mom is actually an interesting story as well because she was left at the doorstep of an orphanage when she was an infant:
A highlight of the trip for Christine was visiting an orphanage she had been adopted from by Americans in 1958. This was the first time Christine had been in Korea since she was an infant. She and her son visited the site of the former Isabelle Orphanage in Pusan, where her parents had left her on the doorstep.
The orphanage was torn down in 1962 and is now Isabelle Junior High/High School. Christine also visited Holt Children’s Services in Seoul, where she stayed while waiting to be picked up by her new parents.
“I wanted to get the feeling of the sense of the orphanage and how the children were cared for and what they were like,” she said. “It was quite emotional. When I got out of the car and saw the building that they had searched and found for me, I was just overwhelmed.”
She was adopted at 1 years old by American parents and moved to America. Her son hopes to become a spokesman for mixed race orphans here in Korea. He should contact the American USO because they run good programs that support many orphanages around Korea. I’m sure they would appreciate his help.
I saw his acting on the drama "my name is kim sam soon". He was actually very good. His acting was very natural. With his good looks, he can't lose.