Kim Nam-gil to visit Japan for charity event next month

Published on 2010/03/30 | Source

Korean actor Kim Nam-gil [Asia Economic Daily]

Korean actor Kim Nam-gil will be visiting Japan next month to appear at the 3rd "Korea-Japan Friendship Festa", according to his agency Star J. Entertainment on Tuesday.

Star J. explained in a press release that the actor has recently decided to appear for free on the show, which celebrates the 45 years of normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Kim is scheduled to make his official visit to Japan for two days, starting April 17 where he will attend a screening for MBC's hit traditional drama "Queen Seon-deok" and show up at a talk show in Tokyo where he will perform the song "Can't I Love You?", from the soundtrack for "QueenSeon-deok".

The actor then plans to visit a welfare facility the following day to promote the image of Hallyu, or Korean wave.

"Korea-Japan Friendship Festa", held every April, is a charity event which is based on the friendship, trust and co-existence of the two countries and fosters charity activities through cultural exchange. Previous Korean celebrities who participated in the event include actors Choi Soo-jong and Song Il-kook.

This year's show will focus in particular at contributing to well excavations and educational support for children in poverty-stricken areas in the Asia region.

Kim, 28, made his debut in 2003 and has appeared in notable dramas such as "Be Strong, Geum-Soon!" (MBC, 2005), "Goodbye Solo" (KBS2, 2006) and "Lovers" (SBS, 2006).

He became a household name last year playing the role of Bidam in MBC's historical drama "Queen Seon-deok" alongside top Korean actress Go Hyun-jung.

He is currently shooting the upcoming SBS TV series "Bad Man", which will premiere in May.