South Korean TV star Kang Gary gets cheeky

The South Korean television personality and rapper reveals that he loves music, watching TV shows and "sharing love".

Kang Gary, who left Running Man to focus on music, will be releasing a new album this year.
Kang Gary, who left Running Man to focus on music, will be releasing a new album this year. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

South Korean star Kang Gary's two favourite places in Singapore are Resorts World Sentosa and Zouk.

Unfortunately, he did not get a chance to go to either of them when he was in town last Saturday.

In an exclusive one-on-one interview with The Straits Times, the 38-year-old became excited when he found out that a new Zouk had recently opened at Clarke Quay.

Speaking through a translator, he said: "Regretfully, I have a flight back to South Korea tonight. But the next time I come back, I would really like to go to those places."

The hip-hop artist and former cast member of popular variety show Running Man was at Orchard Road mall The Centrepoint for the grand opening of Korean cafe chain dal.komm Coffee's first outlet here.

Hundreds of cheering fans turned up for his appearance, although only 130 contest winners had the chance to get close to him in a meet-and-greet session at the atrium.

In a short press conference inside the cafe, Kang addressed his much-publicised recent exit from Running Man after spending seven years on the show.

"I left the show to focus more on music and I plan to release a new album this year," he said.

Kang, who is also a rapper and lyricist, came to prominence as part of the popular and award-winning hip-hop duo Leessang.

He has also released music as a solo artist.

He told The Straits Times that the concept for the record is an "evolving chapter" as he has "different feelings on which direction the music should take, and right now, there're a lot of changes going on".

Still, he misses being on Running Man, especially the shoots that take place every Monday.

After all, "Running Man is one of the biggest experiences in my life".

Since bowing out of the show, he has made guest appearances in two episodes.

He did not rule out appearing in other variety shows in the future.

Asked about his three favourite things, he listed music, watching television shows and "sharing love".

Kang was in a jovial mood, drawing laughs at the press conference as he helped to hold up the microphone for his translator.

The managing director for dal.komm Coffee Singapore, Ms Weileen Png, surprised the star with a cake to celebrate his upcoming birthday. He turns 39 on Feb 24.

As for his personal connection to coffee, he revealed that he drinks up to six cups of the brew a day.

"Coffee is very important for artists. I think that I will drink thousands of cups of coffee for my new music," he joked.

Correction Note: An earlier version of this story said that Kang Gary listed "making love" as one of his favourite things. The translator for the event made a mistake. It should be "sharing love".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 13, 2017, with the headline South Korean TV star Kang Gary gets cheeky. Subscribe