V6 says will show unseen side at Korea concert

Japanese boy band V6 is living guidance of exactly how idol stars can continue to thrive 15 years into their career. Their members Masayuki Sakamoto, Junichi Okada, Yoshihiko Inohara, Go Morita, Ken Miyake, and Hiroshi Nagano pursue roles in various areas of the entertainment industry outside music, appearing as TV show hosts and actors in dramas and movies. They held a press conference over the weekend while visiting South Korea to perform as special guests at the 6th Asia Song Festival.

Q: You're visiting Korea for the first time in a while. Tell us how you felt seeing Korean fans at the airport.
Masayuki Sakamoto: We came to Korea for the first time in two years but we had to wait for a while at the airport because we didn't want to be a distraction to other people at the airport. But our fans were very well-mannered so we could only act well-mannered too.

Q: You must feel different as much as you're giving a performance for the first time in a while?
Junichi Okada: I feel honored to be performing on the same stage as Korean artists. [said in Korean]

Q: We're curious to know what song you'll sing at tonight's performance.
Yoshihiko Inohara: Our selection is based around songs we are preparing to sing at our concert in Japan. We'll also be singing our new single "Guilty".

Q: "Guilty" is set for release in Korea also in October. How do you feel about that?
Yoshihiko Inohara: Oh really? (laugh) I hope it receives good response. I think it's actually a more mature song for V6. There are some erotic lyrics in the song but I think we can only sing it because we're singing it now.

Q: So we can say it's because you guys are older than when you debuted?
Yoshihiko Inohara: I hope you consider us more as adults now. (laugh)

Q: That's how much time has passed and finally, you're holding your first concert in Korea on November 14 and 15.
Yoshihiko Inohara: I think it's great for a Japanese artist to get to hold a concert in Korea. I really had wanted to for the longest time, that wish has finally come true for me so I hope we can show fans what we haven't shown in Japan.
Masayuki Sakamoto: I feel that it's a new beginning for us too.
Hiroshi Nagano: I want to check out how our Korean fans respond to our songs in advance at tonight's festival. And I was able to see passionate fans at the airport so I hope I get to see that again.

Q: You used the word "passionate" but I think Korean fans would act different from Japanese fans.
Yoshihiko Inohara: I liked how our fans prepared differently colored balloons for each of the members in our group. Of course, it would be a problem for those of them who saw less of their colors. (laugh) But it was impressive.

Q: We would like to know what you have prepared for your Korean fans at your concert.
Masayuki Sakamoto: I always go to workout at the gym to stay healthy.
Junichi Okada: I'm preparing for both the concert and a movie in Japan. I'm learning martial arts these days for the movie.
Yoshihiko Inohara: All I do is watch videos of Arashi's performances to try and figure out how to look cooler on stage. (laugh)
Go Morita: I usually work out focusing on my abdomen.
Ken Miyake: I do boxing or run to increase my physical strength.
Hiroshi Nagano: I train my muscles at the gym. And I like to each so I watch Korean TV series "Jewel in the Palace" these days. (laugh)

Q: You mentioned Arashi. Did they give you any advice?
Yoshihiko Inohara: I know they received great response when they performed in Korea. I'm more of their fan rather than a colleague (laugh) so I have yet to talk about that with them. So I hope we get to talk before our concert if we do.

Q: As a long-lasting idol group, we're curious to know what you think about Korean artists such as Boa or TVXQ who are pursuing their singing careers in Japan?
Masayuki Sakamoto: I have even met those artists you just mentioned but Korean singers are so polite that they will use both hands to shakes hands. In the case of Boa, she showed us around Korea herself when we were here -- she is very kind. I hope we get the opportunity to do the same for Korean singers who come to Japan. I also hope we get many chances to work with them.

Q: In that sense, is there any particular Korean artist you have your eye on at tonight's festival?
Masayuki Sakamoto: We performed at the Dream Concert back in 2002 here and I remember the great performances were by groups such as TVXQ or Shinhwa. And most of them had careers in Japan too. So I'm going to look hard to see which teams perform well tonight.

Reporter : Wee Geun-woo
Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye