Kim Soo-hyun tops China search terms

Actor Kim Soo-hyun is gaining an explosive popularity in China, topping the “Today‘s Actor” chart on China’s largest search engine Baidu on Tuesday.

Kim took the No. 1 slot, followed by Lee Min-ho of the popular drama “The Heirness” and Taiwanese top star Jimmy Lin.

Kim has continued to broaden his presence in China with the soaring popularity of the TV drama “Man from the Stars,” in which he plays the lead role. The romantic comedy series features the love story between a modern-day actress and an alien who arrived in Korea by traveling through time from the Joseon era.

Thanks to Kim’s growing popularity, his dramas “Man from the Stars” and “The Moon Embraces the Sun” were placed first and third, respectively, on Baidu’s “Today’s Korean Drama” chart.

Baidu, the most sought-after search engine among Chinese, reveals a string of charts ranking popular stars, musicians and dramas on a daily basis.  

“We are receiving a flood of requests for interviews from Chinese local newspapers and broadcasters,” Kim’s agency KeyEast Entertainment said, adding that it is planning an Asian tour for him to meet Chinese fans after the drama ends.

By Ock Hyun-ju, Intern reporter (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)