[Exclusive]'AAA' swept by 'all-rounder idol' Lee Jun-young: "A work created with an authentic hip-hop crew, a result before 50,000 people... Thank you KiiiKiii's Ha-eum" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

• 'AAA 2025' Best Actor Award winner Lee Jun-young interview

Actor Lee Jun-young, formerly of the group U-KISS, recalled the glory of 'AAA 2025', where he fully demonstrated his true potential as an 'all-rounder entertainer'.

On December 6 last year, Lee Jun-young secured the Best Actor trophy at the '10th Anniversary Asia Artist Awards 2025' (10th Anniversary Asia Artist Awards 2025, hereinafter 'AAA 2025') held at the Kaohsiung National Stadium.

This marked a valuable harvest from his explosive activities in 2025. Starting with 'Melo Movie' in February last year, Lee Jun-young presented no fewer than four works in succession, including the Netflix series 'I Was Caught Being Sweet' (hereinafter 'Sweet'), 'Weak Hero Class 2', and a special appearance in the TVING original 'The Long Way Home'. All received explosive love. Additionally, he delivered outstanding performances in the KBS 2TV drama '24-Hour Health Club', achieving a triple crown at that year's 'KBS Drama Awards'. He also released his solo mini-album 'Last Dance' (LAST DANCE) and won the 'Grand Prize' through a special challenge on MBC's 'What Do You Do When You're Bored? - Seoul Music Festival', showcasing his versatility across multiple fields.

We recently met Lee Jun-young, who truly deserved the 'Best Actor Award', at the Seoul Gwanghwamun StarNews building. He said, "I am deeply grateful to all our staff and production team who have been fighting hard on the front lines. Thanks to them, I was able to receive an award at such a major ceremony." He attributed his 'AAA 2025' win to their efforts.

Moreover, having attended 'AAA' for the fourth time consecutively from 2021 through 2022, 2023, and 'AAA 2025', Lee Jun-young was filled with special emotions. He remarked, "'AAA' has always given me good memories, and I have been cheering for it in my own way. I wished more people would know about it, but it has grown to a scale many times larger than I imagined, which was surprising. I am beyond grateful to be able to be at such a place."

Furthermore, since this was the first time Lee Jun-young gathered with the 'Sweet' team, 'AAA 2025' remained a meaningful event for him in many ways. At 'AAA 2025', the 'Sweet' team, including Lee Jun-young, IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Eom Ji-won, and Choi Tae-hoon, made a full appearance. Lee Jun-young shared, "It was fun to see everyone after such a long time, and it was quite interesting to perform on stage in front of them. If I had only shown my acting side, it felt like I was revealing a new self, which was fascinating. Senior Choi Tae-hoon and singer senior IU even praised my stage performance, for which I was grateful."

He also expressed joy upon reuniting with actress Kim Yoo-jung, with whom he had maintained a relationship since his U-KISS activities. Lee Jun-young said, "I was surprised to see Yoo-jung after such a long time. Of course, she has always been stylish, but the atmosphere changed so beautifully during the time we hadn't seen each other that I just thought, 'She's so stylish,' and passed by. It was really good to see her again."

He also mentioned meeting his 'best friend' singer Wooz (real name Jo Seung-yeon), who had collaborated with him on 'What Do You Do When You're Bored? - Seoul Music Festival'. Lee Jun-young recalled, "I was born in early 1997, so I'm friends with Seung-yeon (born in 1996). Seung-yeon has been a comfortable presence I've known since before 'What Do You Do When You're Bored?'. Seeing her perform on stage at 'AAA 2025' was so cool. Seung-yeon also told me, 'Why do you dance so well?' after watching my performance."

It would not be an exaggeration to say that 'AAA 2025' was an awards ceremony by Lee Jun-young, for Lee Jun-young, and of Lee Jun-young, as the talents of the 'hexagonal all-rounder' were displayed without reservation. Lee Jun-young not only performed his solo new song but also served as the MC for the 10th Anniversary AAA Festa 'ACON 2025', showcasing his hosting skills.

In particular, Lee Jun-young arranged one of the double title tracks of 'Last Dance', 'Bounce', into a special 'AAA 2025' version, creating a unique performance that thrilled 55,000 spectators. In the latter part of the song, he even presented a surprise collaborative dance with KiiiKiii member Ha-eum, offering fresh entertainment that could not be seen anywhere else.

When asked about his chemistry with Ha-eum, Lee Jun-young said, "When we were planning the choreography with the dance team, I wanted to capture Ha-eum's unique moods well." He added, "Even though she was just helping, she worked so hard. She's naturally a great dancer. So after the stage, I thanked her and told her, 'Dance healthily for a long, long time.'" He did not hold back his praise.

Additionally, Lee Jun-young could not contain his emotions at having performed on a large-scale stage with the hip-hop street dance crew BankTwoBrothers. Regarding them, he said, "They are my very close friends." He explained, "'ACON 2025' was an enormous challenge for both me and them. This is because these friends are not dancers who primarily perform on broadcast stages but those who engage in street dance battles. It was surprising that such friends created a 'work' on such a big stage. It felt like we brought out our unique colors vividly. The process was arduous and difficult, but ultimately, what we gained was very good. The stage was born with Gop as the chief director overseeing it, and I also contributed my opinions."

He continued, "Normally, on weekends, we would meet at the battle arena, dance, eat together, and then part ways—that was the end. We used to practice one by one with freestyle, so this was the first time we did such a structured project. Through 'ACON 2025', I wanted to show that street dancers can also create choreography and direct. That was the goal."

So, what were his reflections on captivating 55,000 spectators? Lee Jun-young said, "Dancing in front of so many people felt incredibly fresh. I looked at every corner of the audience so I wouldn't forget it. I wanted to absorb all that energy, so I made a lot of eye contact. I think we exchanged feelings with the dancers, like 'We are standing here, don't you feel it?' The quality was great, and it was so much fun." He shared his heartwarming experience.

Although 2025 was decorated as 'Lee Jun-young's Year', he remained calm and composed rather than getting carried away. Lee Jun-young said, "Last year, I received many major awards, but it wasn't entirely pleasant. It was a year where I received so much love that I wondered if there could ever be a year surpassing it in my life, and it felt excessive. I should have been happy, but strangely, I wasn't. I have very burdensome and difficult memories. When I was wondering, 'How should I get through this?', I recently concluded that I need to focus more on myself and on my works." He showed humility.

-Continued in Interview ②.

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*This content was translated by AI.