① Sam Smith Returns to Korea for a Concert After 5 Years
British singer-songwriter Sam Smith has returned to Korea after 5 years. On the 17th, he held his second concert in Korea, The Gloria Tour 2023, at the Olympic Park K-SPO Dome in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Sam Smith expressed his affection for Korean fans, saying, “I’m back after 5 years. I missed the music, and I missed you all. Enjoy your freedom tonight. Stand up, dance, sing, do whatever you want. And love each other.”
In particular, only adults were allowed to attend Sam Smith’s concert. He captivated the audience with his bold costumes, choreography, and performances. Audience members praised his concert. They shared reviews such as “Sam looked happy, and I was happy too,” “The concert quality and live performance were the best,” “This was the first time I saw a singer perform live so well,” and “I was overwhelmed from the first song.”
Sam Smith is known to have met comedian Hwang Je-sung, famous in Korea for resembling him.
Hwang Je-sung appeared at the concert as his alter ego ‘King-Smith.’
He gained attention for parodying Sam Smith’s “Unholy” music video. Upon seeing the video, Sam Smith sent a video message saying, “Hello, DJ Je-sung. This is Sam Smith. I heard that ‘Unholy’ is a hot topic in Korea. Thank you so much. King Smith!! Thank you!!” Hwang Je-sung’s agency announced that they will reveal the meeting of the two on YouTube.
(G) I-DLE’s Soyeon, aespa’s Winter, and John Park were among the visitors to Sam Smith’s concert.
② Eating Noodles at Gwangjang Market
After his concert in Korea, Sam Smith visited Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul. On the 19th, photos of Sam Smith at Gwangjang Market were posted on an online community.
Unlike a pop star, he walks around the market casually in the photos. Sam Smith was wearing white pants and a short-sleeved T-shirt. He didn’t hide his face and seemed relaxed, unaware of the surrounding gaze as he toured the market. He enjoyed a food tour at Gwangjang Market, eating noodles with his entourage.
Sam Smith’s love for Korea has been well-known in the past. He also visited Gwangjang Market after his first concert in Korea in 2018. At that time, Sam Smith enjoyed Korean food at Gwangjang Market. He tried the wriggling live octopus.
His struggle to eat the live octopus with chopsticks and eventually picking it up with his hand became a hot topic. While eating the live octopus, Sam Smith said, “This is really delicious,” and enjoyed his octopus mukbang. In addition to the octopus, he ate gimbap, japchae, tteokbokki, mandu, and sundae, all Korean foods. Sam Smith said, “This is Gwangjang Market. The best part of my job is the music and the stage itself, and the second best part is tasting such unique food.”
After his trip to Korea, Sam Smith posted a video of his visit to Gwangjang Market on his SNS, saying, “It was a great day.” He said, “I traveled around Seoul for two days, and it was a beautiful city. I fell in love with Seoul. I will come back.” He expressed his love for Korea. Sam Smith got a tattoo of his album jacket design in Hongdae. He also took atmospheric photos before a chicken shop and posted photos with Gyeongbokgung Palace in the background. Sam Smith kept his promise to return to Korea after 5 years.
③ Visits to Gwangjang Market by Hollywood Stars
Hollywood stars who have visited Korea have not missed out on visiting Gwangjang Market. Actress Brie Larson, who played Captain Marvel in Avengers: Endgame, visited Korea for the first time and enjoyed various Korean foods at Gwangjang Market. She was seen trying street foods like tteokbokki, fried snacks, and hotteok. Brie Larson posted a picture of her eating addictive gimbap, saying, “I love Seoul food.”
Actress Olga Kurylenko, who visited Korea to shoot the French-Korean co-produced film Vanishing, also ate various foods at Gwangjang Market. She ate janchi guksu, bibimbap, etc., and posted, “I love Korean food” and “Eating local food. So good.” After arriving in Korea, Olga Kurylenko was in self-quarantine while waiting for her COVID-19 test results. She drew attention by revealing that she headed to Gwangjang Market after her self-quarantine was lifted.
In addition, Fast & Furious stars, Lily Collins, Zoe Saldana, Melanie Laurent, and various Hollywood actors have visited Gwangjang Market. Film director Tim Burton also expressed satisfaction after tasting bindaetteok and makgeolli at Gwangjang Market. Tom Cruise, who has visited Korea 11 times, reportedly threw a $4,500 party at a barbecue restaurant in Gangnam.
By. Han Mia
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