Show Review: Ha Seok-jin reviews local cup noodles at S’pore fan-meeting

To many, Ha Seok-jin is a South Korean actor who starred in various series like Something About 1% (2016) or Blind (2022). Others may know him from his variety show appearances in I Live Alone (2013-present) and Problematic Men (2015-2020) where he shows off a more humorous side.

But he’s also a brainy lad. Ha, who reportedly has an IQ of 152, emerged as the winner of Netflix’s reality show The Devil’s Plan (2023).

From solving problems to reviewing our local cup noodles, here are four highlights from his first Singapore fan meeting.

1. It’s K-pop dance time

Ha Seok-jin is not just all brawns and brains. He also has refined taste in music.

When asked about his favourite K-pop band, he decided to answer in the form of a dance. And he covered NewJeans’ Hype Boy (2023).

While dance is not his forte, understandably, it’s evident that he tried his utmost to pull off the dance accompanied by the cheers of his fans.

2. Battle of the brains

You’ll unlikely see actors or idols attempt IQ puzzles during a fan meeting. But when Ha Seok-jin does it, it’s not out of place (given that he’s associated with shows that challenge his wit).

In fact, the actor is in his element when cracking such puzzles.

Along with some lucky fans, they had to solve sudoku-like questions, along with IQ puzzles. “I think they made the questions easier for me,” he joked after being able to solve one with just a glimpse.

The 41-year-old actor explained that he could not solve a single one during his previous fan meeting stop in Taipei.

3. An early Valentine’s gift

Valentine’s Day is coming soon, and he prepared a special gift for his Singapore fans.

Towards the end of his two-hour fan meeting, he performed a golden classic by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. He executed the oldie, The Moon Represents My Heart (1977) in perfect Mandarin, and we can only wonder how much time he’d spent practising the tune.

4. Ha Seok-jin becomes a food reviewer

In a short video played during an outfit change, Ha entertains his fans by introducing Singapore cup noodles with flavours that have a local slant.

“These are very cute flavours,” he said, referring to the black pepper crab flavour in a casual vlog-like video.

He later came up on stage again to ask fans for food recommendations in Singapore. On the list are delicacises like laksa, prawn noodles and more.