Kentaro Sakaguchi’s popularity is exploding in Korea! BTS and BLACKPINK have recognized “the road to becoming an Asian star”.

Kentaro Sakaguchi, 33, has a solid presence in the Korean entertainment scene.

Sakaguchi, who originally started his career as a model, began his acting career in earnest in 2002. He has appeared in such acclaimed films as “64” and the drama “Kounodori” (TBS), and has gained popularity as a representative of the “good-looking, salty face” type. His success is not limited to Japan, and in recent years he has been steadily gaining recognition in the Korean entertainment industry.

His rapid rise to fame in Korea began with “Signal.

One of the triggers for his success was his appearance in a remake of a Korean drama.

In 2005, he starred in “Gomen, I love you” (TBS), and in 2006 in “Signal” (Fuji TV), and his name became well known among Korean viewers. In particular, “Signal” was a remake of a Korean hit, and Sakaguchi’s performance was a big hit among fans in his home country.

In recent years, he has expanded his activities beyond acting to include the fields of beauty and fashion,” said an entertainment reporter familiar with Korean entertainment.

In 2011, he was cast as a commercial character for the Korean skincare brand “Witch Factory,” and his presence in the beauty field has also won him female fans. In addition, she has been making use of her 183 cm model body to model for Korean UNIQLO advertisements and appear in the gravure section of the Korean edition of ELLE, and she is steadily establishing her career.

As if to confirm the spread of her popularity, she became the first Japanese to appear on the YouTube show of Lee Yong Ji (22), a rapper who boasts 4 million registered users. The video has received over 9 million views, and her natural interactions with him in Korean have received a great response, with comments such as “very fresh,” “cute,” and “nice voice.

A “connection” with BTS ignited Korea’s popularity

Sakaguchi has thus established a presence in Korea, but it was his interaction with the world-famous idol group BTS, which represents K-POP, that was the starting point for his success.

Their friendship began when “BTS” sang the theme song for the Japanese version of “Signal. At a fan meeting in 2006, “BTS” introduced Sakaguchi on stage when he visited the venue and performed a phrase from “Don’t Leave Me,” the theme song of the drama. Sakaguchi himself later said in an interview, “I sometimes contact them and send them pictures of posters I find when I pass by,” and it seems that they became friends through such exchanges.

Mr. Maju, a Korean producer with more than 100,000 followers on social networking sites, said, “Mr. Sakaguchi’s popularity is soaring.

If you ask local people, ‘Who is your favorite Japanese actor? I think that if you ask local people, “Who is your favorite Japanese actor? I think many local people would answer, “KENTARO! Of course, there were people who knew him before, but I am sure that his interaction with the BTS has helped to spread his recognition. It is no exaggeration to say that he has become a “foil in Korea” and is now known to a wide range of people as a “Japanese actor who can be involved with BTS. He is also very well received on Korean variety shows.

In September 2011, Sakaguchi held his first solo fan meeting in Korea. It was rare for a Japanese actor to hold a fan meeting there, so it attracted a lot of attention, but what attracted even more attention was the congratulatory flowers presented by “BTS” J-HOPE, who is currently serving in the military. The scene, which was posted on Instagram, drew a huge response from BTS fans (a.k.a. ARMY).

Last year, when J-HOPE was reunited with J-HOPE after his discharge from the military and they exchanged hugs, the post was posted on SNS and trended with the comment, “This brother (Sakaguchi) is getting younger and younger. They continue to have a close relationship with each other, giving each other gifts and so on.

Natural Connection” with Korean Entertainers Also Boosts Popularity

Mr. Maju continued, “One of Ms. Sakaguchi’s strengths is the natural expansion of her interactions with Korean celebrities.

Mr. Sakaguchi’s strength lies in the fact that his interactions with Korean celebrities are expanding naturally. The TikTok collaboration with ENHYPEN, the two-shot with Sana of TWICE and Karina of aespa at the Milano Collection. These reactions on SNS have given the impression that he is a Japanese actor who blends in with the Korean community.

In March of this year, Lisa of BLACKPINK, who boasts over 100 million followers on Instagram, released a video of a two-shot with Sakaguchi. Fans who saw the video of Lisa saying, “I have been a fan of Mr. Sakaguchi’s for a long time,” were surprised and sympathized with her, saying, “Kentaro Sakaguchi, who makes Lisa a fan, is a treasure of Japan. This “dream collaboration” spread quickly and strongly impressed the audience with Sakaguchi’s position as a global star.

He is the very embodiment of the ideal image of a Korean girl: fair-skinned, with a small face and a height of over 180 cm. She looks cool, but when she smiles, her smile breaks out into a wisp. Many people have been won over by her smile.

In October 2012, Sakaguchi starred in the drama “What Comes After Love,” produced by Coupang Play, a Korean video distribution service (distributed in Japan via Prime Video), with Lee Se-yeon (32). The film, which was a full-fledged challenge, was ranked No. 1 in 103 countries in just two weeks after its distribution, proving its global popularity.

Netflix’s “Sayonara no Tsugaru”, in which Kasumi Arimura (32) also starred, was the first Japanese film to be officially invited to the Pusan International Film Festival’s Onscreen Competition, and its reputation in the Asian region is only growing.

It is only a matter of time before he makes his foray into Korean cinema.

I hear that your performance is highly acclaimed by Korean directors. I have heard that Korean directors also highly evaluate Ms. Sakaguchi’s acting. These three qualities make her a perfect match for Korean entertainment. There are high expectations in Korea as to what kind of films she will appear in in the future.

As a bridge between Japanese and Korean entertainment, Kentaro Sakaguchi has steadily begun to climb the ladder of becoming an “Asian star. We cannot take our eyes off his future activities to see how far this momentum will spread.