[EXCLUSIVE] K-pop idols go to Japan: INFINITE - Part 2

INFINITE member Dong-woo [Woollim Entertainment]

Dong-woo
10: How do you feel about making your official debut overseas and what are some of your expectations?
Dong-woo: I feel really great about making our debut overseas since the nowadays the K-pop boom is growing. I feel content that I am able to sing and promote our songs overseas without any restrictions. Making our debut overseas is having one of my dreams of being a singer come true.
10: What were some of the unforgettable and memorable moments from your showcase?
Dong-woo: Even though we have the language barrier, the fans sang along to our songs. It was also great seeing our members interacting with our fans overseas.
10: What are some of the things that you'd want to do if you were to visit Japan again?
Dong-woo: I personally like animation and stuffed animals so I want to visit Shibuya because I heard of a place where they have a bunch of anime there. I want to visit the shopping town. And I haven’t seen any mountains while I was here but I would like to go hiking with the other members. (So do you want to go shopping with the other members as well?) No, I want to go shopping by myself. (laugh)
10: Can you tell us about the best food that you have tasted in the country?
Dong-woo: The okonomiyaki was really good. Oh! We had the best udon yesterday. The taste was different but it was really good! I was surprised to see that it was served in such a huge bowl.
10: What do you think is the difference between fans in Korea and Japan?
Dong-woo: I couldn’t find any difference between our fans in Korea and Japan. All the fans are the same -- just that the language we speak is different.
10: What are some of the fun or exciting things that has happened during your visit in Japan?
Dong-woo: We arrived in Tokyo yesterday and we visited the Tokyo Tower and it felt really great going up to the top and seeing the view.
10: Who do you think was the most popular member among the fans?
Dong-woo: I thought that Woo-hyun was popular among the fans. (Why do you think so?) I think it’s because of his cuteness. I feel that cuteness is acceptable all over the world. (laugh)
10: Can you tell us what it was like performing at the Tokyo Dome for KBS' “K-POP Festival Music Bank In Tokyo" last week?
Dong-woo: Honestly, it was such a great honor just being able to stand on the stage and perform along with the senior singers. I felt extremely happy just dancing and singing in front of all those fans.
10: Is there anything that you want to say to your fans?
Dong-woo: We are always working hard on our music and I just want to tell our fans that they should always take care of themselves!

INFINITE member Sung-yeol [Woollim Entertainment]

Sung-yeol
10: How do you feel about making your official debut overseas and what are some of your expectations?
Sung-yeol: I felt that we were able to make our debut overseas comfortably since our senior singers have paved the way for us. I want to thank them for all their efforts.
10: What were some of the unforgettable and memorable moments from your showcase?
Sung-yeol: I was thankful seeing all the fans cheering for us. I think I even saw some old ladies in the crowd. I said to myself “Wow” just looking at the different range of fans that came to our showcase. It was also interesting to see how the fans in Japan followed the cheering style of our fans in Korea where they yell out our names during the bridge of our songs.
10: What are some of the things that you'd want to do if you were to visit Japan again?
Sung-yeol: Our main purpose of this visit was to work and next time I would like to visit the various cultural places and the sights in Japan. I want to go to those places with the other members. (Have you tried sneaking past your managers just like you did in your reality show?) No, we weren’t able to since our room was right next the C.E.O of our company. (laugh)
10: Can you tell us about the best food that you have tasted in the country?
Sung-yeol: Yesterday, we ate udon and it is served in really big bowls in Japan.
10: What do you think is the difference between fans in Korea and Japan?
Sung-yeol: Our fans in Korea are in a certain age group while the range in Japan is very broad. Most of our fans in Korea are in their teens or twenties and we have wide range of fans in Japan. I think I also saw a baby in the crowd. (laugh)
10: What are some of the fun or exciting things that has happened during your visit in Japan?
Sung-yeol: I had a lot of fun with the high-five event. The fans were all wearing name tags and it was kind of hard because it took a long time but was great. (How was your hand the next day?) My hand wasn’t swollen but my wrist really hurt. (laugh)
10: Who do you think was the most popular member among the fans?
Sung-yeol: I was surprised to see that Sung-kyu was popular among the fans. I thought we were equally popular but many of the fans were calling our Sung-kyu’s name.
10: Can you tell us what it was like performing at the Tokyo Dome for KBS' “K-POP Festival Music Bank In Tokyo" last week?
Sung-yeol: There were thousands of fans and I felt that we still lacked the experience. I felt like our confidence was shot because we have never performed in front of so many fans. We still need to build on our careers.
10: If you were given a chance to visit another country where would you want to go and why?
Sung-yeol: I know that there is a Hallyu craze in France so I want to continue spreading that there.
10: Is there anything that you want to say to your fans?
Sung-yeol: Please continue showing your support and love for INFINITE!

INFINITE member Sung-jong [Woollim Entertainment]

Sung-jong
10: How do you feel about making your official debut overseas and what are some of your expectations?
Sung-jong: I was waiting for a while now. We were supposed to make our debut in March but it was delayed and now since we have, I feel like I fulfilled my dream. It feels great and it was exciting! Lately, I dream about the showcase whenever I sleep. It was just a happy moment. (So, you don’t want to go back to Korea?) We have to go back to Korea because of our comeback. For me, I like both countries very much. (laugh)
10: What were some of the unforgettable and memorable moments from your showcase?
Sung-jong: I memorized several phrases in Japanese before coming here and the fans' reaction was great. I felt good about it since they reacted so well to it. It was also great seeing them cheer when we went on stage after our introductions. I almost cried.
10: What are some of the things that you'd want to do if you were to visit Japan again?
Sung-jong: I want to go shopping in Japan. I also want to go visit popular tourist sites and go bumping jumping off the Tokyo Tower. Oh! I want to go to Japan’s Disneyland with the other members. I wish that the managers will just drop us off and leave so we can just enjoy our free time. I heard that you can’t ride all the rides in one day so it will be great just being on rides for two days. (laugh)
10: Can you tell us about the best food that you have tasted in the country?
Sung-jong: Curry ramen, the different kinds of sushi and udon was really good. The balance of the different ingredients was great.
10: What do you think is the difference between fans in Korea and Japan?
Sung-jong: I don’t think there was a difference but if I have to point out one thing it’s probably the language. Still, the fans in Japan were able to say several things in Korean.
10: What are some of the fun or exciting things that has happened during your visit in Japan?
Sung-jong: I really enjoyed our encore performance because we were able to hand out towels with our names to the fans.
10: Who do you think was the most popular member among the fans?
Sung-jong: I thought the most popular members were Woo-hyun and Hoya. Their fans were yelling out their names the most.
10: Can you tell us what it was like performing at the Tokyo Dome for KBS' “K-POP Festival Music Bank In Tokyo" last week?
Sung-jong: It’s not a common to get to perform on such a grand stage and it was a great honor to do so. I will never forget it. I can still hear the fans screaming.
10: If you were given a chance to visit another country where would you want to go and why?
Sung-jong: I really want to go to Europe and to France. I know that there is a K-pop boom there and I want to see what the fans are like in Europe.
10: Is there anything that you want to say to your fans?
Sung-jong: We will work hard and show everyone how much we have grown! I love you all so much! (Continues to say I love you in several different languages.)

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Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@