Filipino K-Pop Idol JL Says “Becoming an Idol Feels Like a Dream” as the Era of Global K-Pop Begins

Stories of foreign members who represent the globalization era of K-Pop are attracting attention. JL, the Filipino member of boy group AHOF, expressed his joy of being a K-Pop idol by saying, “It really feels like a dream and I’m very happy.” Korea was not an unfamiliar country to JL. He had developed a strong interest in Korean culture since childhood in the Philippines, listening to K-Pop and watching K-dramas. After watching videos of Korean singers, he dreamed of becoming an idol. While active in the Philippine boy group PLUUS, he heard about the auditions for SBS’ “Universe League” and decided to participate. JL stood out as an “all-rounder” due to his excellent vocal skills, rap abilities, and dancing talent. With the support of fans, he debuted with project group AHOF and said, “It’s great to actually do what I had only imagined while watching YouTube videos.” He showed extraordinary passion by practicing until the early hours to deliver a better performance in Korea. That passion quickly yielded results. AHOF achieved first place on the terrestrial music program Music Bank just 10 days after their debut with their title track “Let’s Meet There Again.” Thanks to this achievement, JL became the first Filipino-born K-Pop idol to win first place on a terrestrial music show. Saying, “I really cried at that moment,” he vowed to work harder in the future. Although he has only been in Korea for about half a year, his Korean language skills are quite advanced. Despite having only taken lessons for roughly 2 months before debut, he had no major difficulty communicating with reporters. When asked for his secret, JL revealed that he learns Korean through real-life situations rather than books, reviewing new words every day before going to bed. He also mentioned that since he already knew much about Korean culture, he didn’t feel much of a cultural shock, naming kimchi jjim and haejangguk as his favorite foods. Regarding adapting to Korean culture, JL said, “I often visited Korean restaurants and clothing stores in the Philippines too. If I notice any difference, it’s probably that people in Korea always pay with cards.” This meant that while cash is still widely used in the Philippines, card payment is firmly established in Korea. JL expressed his happiness about being an idol in Korea and shared his ambition to become a singer who inspires fans through music, just like previous K-Pop idols such as BTS’s V, Stray Kids’s Hyunjin, EXO’s D.O., and NCT’s Ten. Saying, “They are all so talented that I really want to learn as much as possible from them,” he added, “I even watched a video of senior D.O. today and practiced my vocals afterward.” To those foreigners who dream of becoming K-Pop idols, JL advised, “I hope you can stay happy without too much stress. You should cry when you want to, and don’t feel like you need to appear strong.” His passion, which involved practicing from 8 or 9 a.m. in the Philippines until the early hours, stemmed from his desire to perform better because he loves K-Pop. Nowadays, it is not difficult to find foreign members in K-Pop groups. As K-Pop groups target the whole world beyond Korea, so-called “overseas-born” members have become essential components of group formations. The success stories of foreign members like JL demonstrate K-Pop’s sustainable global expansion and show that K-Pop culture has truly established itself as a worldwide phenomenon that transcends borders.