KDrama star Lee Seung-Gi, along with Korean investors, has partnered with the former Ilocos Sur governor to plan for the development of their Korean Lifestyle Hub project. 

Filipinos have a deep fascination with Korean culture—evidenced by their love for KPop, KDrama, Korean beauty products, and Korean food. In fact, the Philippines has managed to rank fourth in terms of countries that tweet most about KDramas, while data from the Korean Food Promotion Institute showed an increase in Korean restaurants by 81.2% from 2014 to 2018 alone!

Moreover, the Philippines form the second-largest Korean diaspora community in Southeast Asia and the 14th-largest in the world—largely consisting of expatriates and people born in the Philippines with Korean ancestry with 93,093 Korean migrants residing in the Philippines as of 2017.

To cater to the growing market of Korean-loving Filipinos and Koreans in the country, former Ilocos Sur governor Chavit Singson is partnering with the My Girlfriend is a Gumiho lead star Lee Seung-Gi to establish a Korean attraction in Metrowalk, Pasig City. 

Gov. Singson and Lee Seung Gi’s Partnership

On May 26, the Korean actor—together with a group of Korean investors—arrived in the Philippines via Singson’s private plane. The team will be in talks with Singson’s LCS Group of Companies to finalize this project, along with other planned business ventures. 

“Pabalik-balik na sya dito. Siya ang kasama natin sa entertainment company ng LCS Group dahil magde-develop kami ng Little Seoul at magtatayo rin ng golf course sa Vigan,” Chavit said in an interview with the press.

[Translation: He will be regularly coming back here. He is joining me in the entertainment company of LCS Group because we will develop Little Seoul and also put up a golf course in Vigan.]

Meanwhile, during his arrival press conference at the Delta Gate hangar in Pasay, Lee Seung-Gi gave a speech in Korean. “He [Lee Seung-Gi] was here for travel last April and he really liked it. He was really surprised that a lot of people recognized him, so he was really enjoying that moment. He also visited Vigan and he thought it was a really beautiful city. He also thought that one day,  he can do a Korean variety show in Vigan,” explained his translator.

The translator also said how the 36-year-old singer loved the local food in the Philippines and how he wishes to sing a song in Filipino someday.

About the Target Project 

Lee Seung-Gi and Chavit Singson aim to build Little Seoul in Metrowalk—a popular commercial hub, located at the junction of Ortigas and Meralco Avenue. The place used to be a one-stop shop for people who love shopping, listening to music, eating, and partying.

Metrowalk occupies around 5,000 square meters of space and with this collaboration, the upcoming project—an entertainment hub—will replicate the famous tourist spots in Seoul. What’s more, the place will also be home to several Korean restaurants, where people can enjoy Korean delicacies and meals. 

Singson added that he also aims to bring other popular Korean artists for this project. So far, he has already tapped BTS to be the endorser of his franchise of BB.Q Chicken—a popular dining place in South Korea which has made its appearance in several well-known KDramas. 

According to the former Ilocos governor, this project may take two or three years to be completed, since it still needs to be finalized with their investors. But once this pushes through, the project can be beneficial for both parties, as Koreans and local business owners alike can enjoy more opportunities to open mini-marts and restaurants.