K-pop star Yoona chows down on chilli crab during whirlwind Singapore trip for Estee Lauder pop-up

SINGAPORE – South Korean singer-actress Yoona had hundreds of fans packing shopping mall Paragon on Thursday evening during a whirlwind trip to Singapore.

The 33-year-old member of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation was

in town for the Estee Lauder Beauty Sleep Lounge pop-up

as the Asia-Pacific ambassador of the skincare giant. The pop-up, on Paragon Atrium level 1, runs until Oct 10.

If she could have one full day without any work commitments, she would love to explore Singapore.

“The schedule on this trip is really tight so I don’t have time to look around the city,” she says.

While the media was stopped from asking further questions about what she would like to see or do during a five-minute interview at Hilton Singapore Orchard on Thursday afternoon ahead of her public appearance, local food was certainly on Yoona’s mind.

In an Instagram post on Thursday night, she flaunted a feast of local seafood she enjoyed, including chilli crab, black pepper crab and cereal prawns. She captioned the picture: “Crunch crunch in Singapore this Chuseok.”

Chuseok is South Korea’s equivalent of the Mid-Autumn Festival and is celebrated from Thursday to Saturday in 2023. 

During the interview, Yoona – who starred in the romantic-comedy series

King The Land (2023)

with fellow second-generation K-pop star Junho of boy band 2PM – shared her secrets to maintaining radiant skin amid her busy work schedule.

“I have work almost every day, so I put on make-up almost every day. I place a lot of importance on cleansing my skin and basic skincare to make sure my skin is hydrated and moisturised,” she says through an interpreter.

She also emphasises the importance of not overloading the skin with products, especially in Singapore’s perpetual summer weather.

She says: “I think the skin needs to breathe so I try to use only essential products. Before I sleep, I make sure to use the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum to maintain the vitality of my skin.”

Aside from her brand ambassador duties, Yoona has been keeping busy. In 2022, she took part in Girls’ Generation’s 15th anniversary comeback. The octet released their seventh Korean studio album, Forever 1, after a five-year hiatus.

She also starred in the action film Confidential Assignment 2: International opposite actor Hyun Bin and hit K-drama Big Mouth,

playing the wife of actor Lee Jong-suk’s character

.

A new film project, 2 O’Clock Date, is in the works.