Lee Byung-hun’s Popularity Continues to Grow in Italy

The April 26th broadcast of “Living In Another Country”, Episode 31 on Channel A’s entertainment program, featured Kwon Sung-deok and Julia as they introduced Florence, Italy.

In addition to sharing their views and memories of Florence, the two also attended the Florence Korean Film Festival, which is a highly anticipated annual event in the city. The festival began as a small gathering in 2003, but has since grown in popularity and now attracts renowned actors and directors such as Park Hae-il, Song Kang-ho, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Jung-jae, and more.

This year, the festival was attended by director Bong Joon-ho, as well as actors Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun.

Kwon Sung-deok was able to meet Lee Byung-hun in person and witnessed his acceptance of the Actor of the Year award and honorary citizenship of Florence. After expressing his gratitude to the Italian audience, Lee Byung-hun received loud applause. The MCs, including Ahn Jung-hwan, were in awe and expressed their admiration, exclaiming “He’s so cool”, “So amazing”, “I feel so proud”, and more.

At the event, Lee Byung-hun was surprised when he received a letter from a female fan. When she requested for him to recite his famous line from the drama “Our Blues”, the actor promptly obliged and the audience erupted in cheers. The MCs were in awe and commented, “The Italian fans are truly knowledgeable.”

While in the studio, Christina, a native of Italy, offered a testimony to confirm the widespread fame of Lee Byung-hun in her home country, stating “He is extremely well-known.”With a sense of pride, Ahn Jung-hwan, who had previously resided in Italy as a professional soccer player, chimed in, “The level of enthusiasm from the fans is truly incredible. We must share this with the rest of the world.”