Friday, February 1, 2013

‘You look like my father’, Suu Kyi tells Korean soap star Ahn Jae-Wook

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Friday, 01 February 2013 12:00 AFP

Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi had a special dinner Thursday night with a host of South Korean soap opera stars, one of whom was invited because of his resemblance to her assassinated father.

Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (2nd right) poses for reporters after being awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in South Korea, an honor that she had to wait nine years to receive because of her time spent under house arrest. (Photo: The May 18 Memorial Foundation)

Taking some time out of a hectic four-day visit schedule, the Nobel Peace Prize winner dined with four well-known faces of the "Hallyu", or Korean Wave, of TV dramas that have captivated audiences across Asia -- including Myanmar.

One special invitee was Ahn Jae-Wook, a popular singer and actor who starred in the 1997 TV drama "Star in My Heart" which was a big hit in Suu Kyi's homeland.

"She told me 'you look just like my father. He was very handsome'," Ahn told the Yonhap News Agency after the event.

"She said she had an opportunity to see my drama and was surprised to find that my smile resembled her father very much," Ahn said.

Suu Kyi's father, Myanmar liberation hero General Aung San, was assassinated along with eight other independence leaders on July 19, 1947.

Also at Thursday's dinner were Lee Young-Ae, Song Il-Kook and Kim Hyo-Jin -- all well known for their roles in dramas that South Korea has successfully exported to China, Japan, Southeast Asia and beyond.

During her visit, which began Monday, the democracy leader met with outgoing President Lee Myung-Bak and his successor Park Geun-Hye, and was guest of honour at the opening of the Special Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

She was scheduled to deliver a speech Friday at Seoul National University and accept an honorary doctorate.
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