It has been a long time coming for Korean group INFINITE. The group has long shared an affinity with Singapore –the country being their first overseas gig just 4 months into their debut for Korean Pop Night Concert back in 2010. Since then, the group has made its stop in Singapore 2 years ago for their first solo concert, One Great Step.

This year marks the 5th year since the group’s debut and they are back with their second World tour, INFINITE EFFECT, which kicked off in Seoul on August 8 before traveling to other locations such as Taipei, Paris, London, Beijing and Bangkok before its stop in Singapore on November 13.

A press conference was held at City Square Mall on Thursday, 7.30PM, a night before the concert took place at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre. The open press conference was filled to the brim with fans, eager to catch a glimpse of their idols – some were standing on stools, others found a spot on the second floor. We were even told that there were fans that queued overnight, some 12 hours before the press conference, proving the group’s popularity in the country. 

The 7-member group, consisting of members Kim Sungkyu, Jang Dongwoo, Nam Woohyun, Lee Ho-won (Hoya), Lee Sungyeol, Kim Myungsoo (L) and Lee Sungjong arrived to a crowd of deafening screams as they addressed the media and their fans alike. Throughout the 30 minute long session, Infinite shared what they missed about Singapore, recommended their favourite Korean dish and even some trivia about themselves – all sprinkled with sweet comments and fan service to show fans how much they appreciate them.

On what they missed about the lion city –

Sungyeol shared how the group had fun at the Marina Bay Sand’s Infinity pool on their previous visit, while Dongwoo on the other hand, shared his love for local dish chilli crab, and expressed his excitement in dinner plans with the members after the press conference. L shared that he would like to go on the Singapore Flyer to take photos too.

On their favourite Korean dish to recommend –

Well, sharing of culture is important and food remains one of the main ways to do that am I right? Out of the many Korean dishes, Hoya recommends fans to try Korean rice cakes (tte0k-bokki) – a popular Korean snack food made with springy cylinder-shaped rice cakes marinated with chili paste! He claims that they are “taste really great” and wants to introduce them to the fans in Singapore.

On celebrations –

With Dongwoo’s birthday coming up (mark your calendars Inspirits, November 22!!), one of the questions posed was on how the group celebrate birthdays. According to Dongwoo, the group celebrates their birthdays together, and the other members plan surprises occasionally during birthdays. He added that he’s usually abroad during his birthdays, this year included, and he will probably celebrate his upcoming birthday with a good meal. Sounds unsurprising with the group’s international fame!

On travelling around the World-

As travelling has become a part and parcel of being an idol, the group are often overseas. This leaves many fans worried about the group’s health, and at the same time, curious about what the members do during their free time in the hotel room.

The youngest of the group, Sungjong, shares that he draws his energy from the fans and gets energised by them. He assured fans that he takes vitamins and ginseng to stay healthy.

Leader Sungkyu showed the inner child in him and revealed that he likes to play games during their spare time, cheekily adding that he thinks of fans too. Woohyun shared how he thinks of his mother (cues ‘awws’) while honey-tongued Hoya shared how he thinks of the fans while he listens to music. Apparently, they catch up on Korean drama amidst their busy schedules too. L revealed that he normally watches Korean dramas or Korean movies that he downloaded during their pockets of free time in the hotel room.

The press conference ended with the screams of passionate fans as the group left the press conference venue. Hoya, walked back to the stage twice to wave goodbye to the crowd of fans before finally leaving the stage.

The Fifth Parlour would like to thank AC Music Entertainment for giving us the opportunity to cover the event!