BEFORE Filipino viewers fell in love with all these new faces in the K-drama world, South Korean actor Kim Bum had their hearts first.
The OG Oppa turned 34 last July 7, and part of his birthday celebration was the announcement of his back-to-back fan meeting in the Philippines next month. Kim will be meeting his fans in Manila and Cebu on September 22 and 23, respectively.
There are no details yet about the ticket prices and seat plan for the upcoming fan meet, but the Manila show will be held at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City.
While fans await further information about Kim’s Philippine visit, they have a month to binge-watch the Hallyu heartthrob’s Korean dramas to level up their excitement for his upcoming event.
Boys Over Flowers
Who can forget the time when many Filipinos swooned over the charismatic and good-looking heir of the biggest art museum in the 2009 romance-comedy series Boys Over Flowers?
The show follows the story of a young working class girl named Geum Jan-Di who is offered a scholarship in an elite school attended by children of the richest families in South Korea. The optimistic and strong-willed Jan Di lives a quiet life, until she gets tangled up in the activities of four popular heirs in their school who are called F4.
Kim played the role of So Yi Jung, a skilled potter and one of the members of the F4. Yi Jung is also known for being the heir to the country’s biggest art museum and for being a casanova.
While this was not Kim’s first acting role on the small screen, it gained him more popularity in the show business.
The series also aired on Philippine television in 2009.
The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry
From playing a casanova, Kim’s character in The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry is a devoted man.His heart only beats for a woman who is 10 years older than him.
The 2010 romance series tells the journey of 34-year-old broadcast journalist named Shin Young who wants to find love, but is dealing with high pressure from work and a series of failed relationships.
Just when she thought she could no longer find love, a young musician named Ha Min Jae enters her life.
To prepare for his role, Kim even bought himself guitars, his co-lead Park Jin Hee told Soompi in 2010.
Hidden Identity
The 2015 action-thriller drama centers on a police team that goes undercover to solve high profile crimes.
One of the members of the squad is Cha Geon Woo, played by Kim, who goes on a revenge mission following the passing of his girlfriend.
Joining him in the team are leader Superintendent Jang Moon Won, and members Jang Min Joo and Choe Tae Pyung.
Kim revealed in 2015 that he lost 14 kilograms for his role in Hidden Identity.
Mrs. Cop 2
Kim once again took on a role in a police-centered series in 2016, but this time, he wasn’t the protagonist.
Mrs. Cop 2 is about a new detective squad chief named Ko Yoon Jung, who replaces Choi Young Jin who deals with brutal crimes in the first season of the series.
When Ko Yoon Jung comes back to South Korea after her six year-training in New York, she encounters Lee Ro Joon (portrayed by Kim), a CEO who is the principal suspect in a murder case.
Kim’s character in Mrs. Cop 2 is his first antagonist role.
Tale of the Nine Tailed
Kim is a half-blood gumiho in the Tale of the Nine Tailed.
The 2020 fantasy-romance drama focuses on Lee Yeon, a former mountain spirit who sacrifices his life as a mountain god to resurrect his lover. As a nine-tailed fox in human form, he crosses paths with a documentary producer whose interest is in supernatural stories.
Lee Yeon is the half-brother of Lee Rang (played by Kim). Lee Rang has a strained relationship with his brother, whom he believes abandoned him for his lover.
The 2020 series has a prequel titled Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 that aired in May 2023.
Law School
The 34-year-old actor also played a role in a legal drama in 2021 that focuses on the lives of law students in a prestigious law school in South Korea.
Kim gave life to Han Joon Hwi, a first year student who is at the top of his class. The class gets involved in the murder case of Joon Hwi’s uncle who is a professor in their university.
While this is not a romance drama, a lot of fans could not deny the chemistry between the characters of Kim and actress Ryoo Hye-Young, who portrayed Kang Sol A in the drama. Many of them said, “The chemistry is chemistrying.”
Ghost Doctor
Ghost Doctor is Kim’s first medical drama where he took on the role of 28-year-old resident doctor-in-training Go Seung Tak. He is the grandchild of the founder of a hospital where genius cardiothoracic surgeon Cha Young Min works.
These two doctors, who have completely opposite personalities and skills, team up when Young Min’s spirit possesses Seung Tak after he figures in an accident.
Kim’s character in Ghost Doctor earned him the Top Excellence Award at the Korean Drama Awards in 2022.
