Filipino actress Kristel Fulgar, 29, has traveled to Korea to attend the ‘2023 SEOULCon’ as an ambassador. Fulgar, also a singer, is known in the Philippines as the “Nation’s Little Sister”. She has 18.9 million followers on social media.
“My birthday is Dec. 29, and coming to Korea is like a birthday present,” she said Dec. 28 afternoon at a hotel in Seoul’s Dongdaemun-gu district. “Recently, some people have recognized me in Korea, so it’s very strange.” Fulgar is an ambassador for SEOULCon, the world’s first influencer expo, which opens Dec. 30. More than 3,000 teams of influencers from 50 countries will showcase the city of Seoul to their 3 billion followers. Fulgar will also participate in the New Year’s Eve bell-ringing ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion on the night of Dec, 31.
She said she fell in love with Korea after watching ‘Reply 1997′. “I got to know actor Seo In-guk while watching ‘Reply 1997,’ and I fell in love with Korean food and dramas,” she said. “It got to the point where I visit Korea every year and stay for months each time.”
“Besides Seo In-guk, I also like solo artists like IU and Taeyeon,” she said. “Among Korean songs, IU’s ‘Through the Night’ and ‘I Give You My Heart’ are my favorites.”
When she visits Korea, she usually travels not only to Seoul but also to the provinces. “I once visited ‘Purple Island’ in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, where the tourist spots are decorated in purple, BTS’s signature color, and the vlogs I made of it went over very well with fans,” she said. “I try to promote the beauty of Korea by visiting places that are relatively unknown to foreigners, such as Jeonju and Paju.”
Fulgar’s favorite Korean food is soup. “Among Korean foods, I like galbitang, pork soup, and seolleongtang the most,” said Fulgar, who also had galbitang for lunch. “I am happiest when I eat a spoonful of warm soup, especially in the cold winter like these days.”
Recently, she is also preparing to become a singer in Korea. For this, she took a Korean language course. “I learned Korean in a short course at Sogang University Language Center, but I prefer to learn Korean naturally, so I often meet with my Korean friends,” she said. “I was able to learn funny words like ‘ajae gag(Korean dad jokes)’ and ‘SAT banned song(songs that Korean students were banned from listening to before their SATs’) from my friends. My goal is to release my own ‘SAT ban song’ one day.”
“After being asked to be an ambassador for SEOULCon, I was honored to be able to convey my sincere love for Korea,” said Fulgar. “I want to do my best to create content so that more people can know the charms of Korea as much as I love it.”
Fulgar, who debuted in 2002 at the age of eight, has a total of 18.9 million followers on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. She has also appeared in the 14-year-old Filipino sitcom “Goin’ Bulilit” and a drama with ratings in the 40s.
