Korean star Sandara Park a.k.a. Dara is widely known for being part of iconic girl group 2NE1, but she was already well-loved in the Philippines before she debuted as a Korean pop idol in 2009.
It's no surprise the K-pop celebrity has remained loyal to her Filipino fans and has kept a soft spot for the Philippines which she considers her second home.
Sandara lived in the Philippines with her family when she was younger, and started her career in showbiz when she joined a local TV talent competition in 2004.
She easily won the hearts of many with her charm and became a TV personality and starred in many TV shows and movies.
In 2007, she flew back to South Korea with her mother to embark on a different era in her career.
She debuted as a Korean girl group member in 2009 and even as the group disbanded in 2016--Sandara remains one of the most highly-regarded fashion icons and TV hosts in South Korea.
Despite her continuous success, Sandara never forgot to stay grounded and visits the Philippines occasionally, and always speaks fondly of her time in the country.
Check out some of the moments Sandara showed love for the Philippines:
Sandara is so good at speaking Tagalog. Many were impressed when she fluently ordered in the language while she was being served by a Filipino staff in a restaurant in Dubai.
In 2019, Sandara welcomed her birthday in Bohol.
Sandara was in a variety show in South Korea in 2021 when she shocked her fellow Korean hosts because of her Filipino accent in saying the word "Automatic," proving she's a Pinay at heart.
Since she's a famous Korean idol, Sandara gets to meet different K-pop groups and she never forgets to ask for video greetings for her friends in the Philippines. One time she gifted her Filipino friend with a video greeting Super Junior along with signed albums and posters.
One of her friends in Korea, actor Jung Il-woo, made Sandara's favorite dish for her during a cooking vlog they filmed together. "I also looked up 'the favorite Filipino menus of Dara' and I watched your YouTube videos too. The first menu is 'Beef Kaldereta' and the second menu is Seafood Sinigang. I wanted to try too when I saw you eating that dish," Jung Il-woo said.
Even when she's overseas, Sandara still eats her favorite Pinoy dishes. She tweeted about buying Pinoy food from a restaurant in Seoul. "Sisig & kangkong & garlic rice & red horse! Ang dinner ko ngayon~ ang sarap!!! take out ko~ may nahanap akong masarap na Pinoy resto sa Seoul. Super happy ako!!!"
Being a music lover, Sandara still knows how to show love for Filipino music. She once asked her Twitter followers to suggest OPM tracks she can sing on her vlog. She asked, "Ano kaya bagay sakin na tagalog song?! If gagawa ako ng cover song sa Dara tv?! Suggestion pls~ "
Sanadara also featured Filipino products in her vlog when she toured a Filipino market in South Korea.
She confessed in December 2021 that one of her wishes is to visit the Philippines and perform onstage again.
Always a natural comedienne, Sandara proudly showed off her colorful sako bag and joked it's a Bayongciaga bag. She tweeted, "My new Bayongciaga bag from Divisoria "
When Thai idol BamBam of GOT7 visited the Philippines and posted a photo of his bangus meal, Dara replied with a Pinoy meal suggestion, "Wow bangus!!! try tocilog for your breakfast tomorrow hehe."
When a 2NE1 fan tweeted Dara about attending Treasure's concert, Dara replied saying, Oh really?! Ako ang masaya para sayo and yes!!! Dapat next time, punta ka rin sa show ko ha?! Enjoy!!!"
Sandara's soft spot for the Philippines makes her one of the most favored Korean idols in the country.