A memorable but disturbing night with Kim Jong Kook in Singapore

The special fan-meet gave the Kookie-fans the opportunity to interact and better understand their idol. While some got more than what they wished for when they were selected to share the stage with Kim Jong Kook, there were also others left disturbed by what happened during the fun-filled session…

Here’s an overview of the KJK fan-meet showcase that took place last night.

1) Q&A / Introduction
The host of the night Jiang Jianwen from UFM100.3 taught the Commander a few words which could come in handy if he were to do running man in Singapore. 

• Paiseh (dialect for ‘Hope you don’t mind’) – When accidentally knocked onto someone on the streets.
• Yan Dao (Handsome-looking man) – when calling handsome man.
• Chio Bu (Pretty girls) – when calling pretty girls.
• Sotong (meaning blur) – For calling Lee Gwang-Su.
  

After "eliminating" Jianwen, the polite muscle man quickly went forth to the “frightened prey” and put the words learnt just earlier to use. “Paiseh, paiseh,” Kim Jong Kook said repeatedly, bringing delights to the fans in the house.

2) Games with 12 lucky fans.
12 lucky fans were paired into 6 groups, each having to go against our Commander KJK in order to advance to the next round.

• 1st game Chicken Leg Fight

In the Chicken Leg Fight, they were to push KJK out of the designated area within the given time of 10 seconds.

In the earlier episodes of Running Man, the members were pit against 50-odds of men in the chicken fight and Kim Jong Kook, being the last sole survivor, took down as many as he could even though he was out numbered..

But the ‘yellow box’ was small and Kim Jong Kook was eventually pushed out of the line. You can be sure that Kim Jong Kook, like a gentleman, gave chance to the female participants. Only one group failed to advance, and group No. 5 with 2 male participants was seen as the ‘strongest’ team thus far.

• 2nd game Tug Of War

Efforts were made to plan the games on stage when the crew brought out the standard Tug Of War ropes up on stage. But the mechanics of the game could have been overlooked to put KJK in a better light. The grouping of the team was loosely decided, resulting in a group with 2 male participants when a mix of gender is possible in the first place. Hence, it kind of hurt me when the Commander had to say that group No. 5 (the team with 2 males) could only send out one representative. 

Gloves were provided for the players and when the host expressed surprised as KJK received his pair of gloves, the Korean hunk responded in English, “Yes of course, I am also a human.” 

“Yes a human. But you’re like a god to these fans,” the host spoke the sentiments of the enthusiastic fans below the stage, all of whom cheered loudly for KJK. 

Viewers of the Running Man will know the power of the Commander and that the Tug Of War is like a game specially designed for Kim Jong Kook due to his incredible strength. But what happened that night might have left a scar in some of the fans when KJK lost all the matches against the remaining 5 groups, including the 1v1 battle… (I had to hold back a scream of agony for that one.)

Whether it was intentional or due to his recent leg injury, it was nevertheless a cruel moment to witness KJK lose a game. In the last match-up against 2 female fans, a seemingly disheartened KJK questioned the purpose of competing, and said, “Why am I doing this?”

Of course, on one hand, he wants to give in to his fans but the other, he has to live up to the expectations of those who look up to him. I recalled in a recent interview that Kim Jong Kook said that he finds the term “Commander” pressurizing at times. 

When the organizer only allowed 2 of the 5 winning teams to have the exclusive photo opportunity, Kim Jong Kook quickly stepped in and negotiated to have the photos taken with all 6 groups. An idol who cares for his fans I must say.

3) Selection of Girls. 7 girls went up on stage
- 30 seconds to convince KJK why they are the girl for him.

Kim Jong Kook was asked a number of questions about his ideal type of girl and eventually we learnt that he prefers girls with medium hair length, big eyes, not wearing glasses, and are not too tall for him. He also shared his impression of Singaporean girls, saying that they are “hot”.

One thing that really caught my attention was a bushy red-haired girl who sang KJK song during the given time. And she did it so impressively that nearly all the fans in the theatre were rooting for her!

Unfortunately, Kim Jong Kook picked the shy lady in blue just next to her. I thought that this teenage girl didn’t make an impression as she was really soft and quiet and if I’m not wrong, she didn’t even take the opportunity to shake hands with the Commander during the 30 seconds confession. Oh well, it is likely that Kim Jong Kook sees something in her that is oblivious to us!

And there she also receives a hug from Tiger Kookie.

4) 3 fans who are supposed to know KJK songs really well.
- Kim Jong Kook will pick the best to be the winner.

Sometimes I really wish that true fans get to go up on the stage to better represent the fans of Singapore. Not sure how and what happened, I was rather dumbstruck when I saw a kid, whom the mother claimed that he knows KJK’s song, up on stage. 

The 6-year-old boy, Yi Fong, was in his own world when the contestants were supposed to see how Kim Jong Kook performed a segment of the selected 3 songs – ‘Lovable’, ‘Men Are All Like That’ and ‘One Man’.

I can’t express how much I actually wanted that red-hair girl in the previous game to win as I felt that she deserve the kind of recognition for being a devoted fan of Kim Jong Kook. She will definitely win this segment.

Okay maybe not since there is a kid involved. In the end, Yi Fong was picked as a winner. Not sure how he even get up there in the first place but I’m certain that the credits goes to his mother. Only when he's older and starts to watch Running Man or finding out about Kim Jong Kook, will he better appreciate this photo and recall how indifferent and wooden he was back then. 

5) Finale – songs performance.
Kim Jong Kook prepared quite a number of songs for this showcase. He sang ‘Men Are All Like That’, ‘Don't Be Good To Me’, ‘Letter’, ‘Saying I Love You’, after which he lifted the atmosphere in the theatre with a fast-paced ‘Lovable’. He returned back on stage and performed a soothing song ‘One Man’, as an encore performance before the showcase came to an end.

Kim Jong Kook told the fans, “I hope to see you again and hopefully the next time, it will be with the rest of the running man members.”

It was really an entertaining and enjoyable night with Kim Jong Kook at Kallang Theatre, although there were moments I wished I had not seen with my own eyes. Okay I think I will be able to forget that pain when I watched another episode of Running Man. Oh, speaking of which, Kim Jong Kook said during the showcase that he would let the producers know about Singapore and see if there are any opportunities to do Running Man here in future.

Thanks Mode Entertainment for inviting InCinemas to the showcase and providing the photos.

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(View more photos of Kim Jong Kook at InCinemas) 

Be sure to also check out Kim Jong Kook's 7th Album, 'Journey Home'!