Jang Keun-suk Says He Had a One-Sided Crush on Ha Ji-won and Acted Tough Around Kim Myung-min

Actor and singer Jang Keun-suk looked back on several turning points in his career on the June 5 broadcast of KBS2 variety program "Problem Child in House," including the time he had a one-sided crush on actress Ha Ji-won and the period when he says he acted unnecessarily tough around actor Kim Myung-min.

Jang also explained that he personally coined the modifier "Asia Prince," a title that has long followed him in entertainment coverage. "At the time, people often called me a Hallyu star," he said. "To me, that felt like it did not have much individuality. I was thinking about what I should call myself, and on the spot I said, 'I am Asia Prince.' After that, articles came out calling me 'Asia Prince.'"

He said the SBS drama "You're Beautiful," which helped spark a Korean Wave boom around him, became a major catalyst for his activities overseas. "My original dream was to debut in Japan," Jang said. "I had already been preparing before then, but that drama became the trigger."

Even so, Jang chose "Hwang Jini" as the project that remains most memorable to him. He recalled approaching the work with a sense of urgency, saying, "At that time, I was really desperate. I thought that if I did not make it with this project, I might not be able to live my life as an actor. I had done a children's drama and then went straight into filming 'Hwang Jini.' I thought that if I could not make a proper jump then, there might be no opportunity left in my life."

Jang said it was during "Hwang Jini" that he filmed his first kiss scene with Ha Ji-won. "My heart was pounding like crazy," he remembered. "I was 20 years old then." He added that he genuinely liked Ha at the time. "I told her too. When I talked about it again after 10 years, I said on a broadcast that I really liked her, that I loved her," he said.

Hong Jin-kyung then asked whether he would have dated Ha Ji-won if she had asked him to go out with her. Jang answered candidly, "It makes my heart flutter. I think I could have dated her."

He went on to say that romantic feelings between actors can sometimes be visible to people working behind the scenes. "Actors may not know, but everyone in the editing room knows," he said. "If people in the editing room look closely at the filmed material, they can tell what kind of relationship two people have. It shows."

Afterward, Jang continued his rise with "Beethoven Virus." Looking back, however, he said he regrets the attitude he had at the time. "Back then, I had what I call a 'man disease,'" he said. "I worked out for no reason, and whatever I did, I was putting too much force into it. I was trying to act strong."

Jang said meeting senior actor Kim Myung-min on that project should have been an opportunity to learn, but his pride got in the way. "I met Kim Myung-min, a senior who was like the sky to me, but I did not want to lose," he said. "I never had a private conversation with Myung-min hyung, and we did eat together. I kept my distance because I wanted to maintain that tension."

He added that if he could return to that period now, he would behave differently. "If I could go back to that time, I would say, 'Please go easy on me in this part,' and ask him to teach me," Jang said. "I wonder why I had that strange disease back then." He expressed regret over what he described as an arrogant phase in his past.