Korean actor Seo Kang-joon (서강준) has seen his popularity steadily rise in recent years and is preparing for his small-screen comeback with the new drama *Love in the Big City*. He has also been actively promoting the series on variety shows. Recently, however, he made a rare appearance on a program where he discussed his true feelings about fan meetings, admitting he does not want to make money from them. His reasons have since come to light, sparking unexpected debate.
Seo recently appeared on the YouTube channel 'Fairy Jae Hyung,' where he openly shared his views on fan meetings. He stated, “I want to change the way fan meetings are held,” explaining that many practical issues are involved.
He revealed that from an agency's perspective, hosting fan meetings involves significant financial considerations. He once made a request to his company: “I am grateful and honored to hold fan meetings, but I don't want to make money from them. If it's only possible to hold them by charging for tickets, then I don't want to do it.”
Seo further elaborated on his thoughts: “Those who can hold fan meetings certainly have the ability to do so, but I don't have the ability to sing, dance, or engage in interesting conversations and humor to entertain everyone.” He confessed that he wants fans to attend because they “truly like me,” not because they paid for a ticket. “Because I don't have those abilities, I feel it's wrong to charge money,” he added.
In response, host Jung Jae-hyung (정재형) noted that from a company's standpoint, fan meetings are not necessarily profitable events, stating directly, “They are too expensive; just producing one show costs a lot of money.” Jung expressed understanding for Seo's perspective, acknowledging that high ticket prices could indeed be a burden for fans. He also mentioned that while many fans might say, “Just do it as is,” Seo's work releases are less frequent, limiting his opportunities for interaction with fans.
Seo admitted that he feels sorry to his fans for not being able to hold fan meetings due to these reasons. Therefore, he has devised another method to increase interaction with fans by revitalizing his fan club. He revealed, “So I came up with a way to make the fan club more active.”
Upon hearing this, Jung jokingly asked, “This isn't 1995; are there still fan clubs now?” Seo laughed and replied, “Yes, fans can chat in real-time there.” Jung also suggested that instead of being confined to traditional stage performance formats, more flexible ways to interact with fans could be explored. “Even if it's not a traditional performance, it doesn't have to be centered on singing and dancing. I think there must be a way to prepare for meaningful interaction with fans.” To this, Seo responded, “Finding that method is my goal, and I am currently discussing it with my company.”
