8 Koreans Who Made A Mark In Filipino Entertainment

It's not just the koreanovelas that are invading our TV screens.

1. Sandara Park

Star Cinema / Via ohkpop.com

Real name: Park Sandara

Bio: At 19, she won Filipinos' hearts when she joined a talent search called Star Circle Quest in 2003. Although she won first runner-up, her popularity did not diminish. She starred in movies such as Bcuz of U, Can This Be Love, and D' Lucky Ones-- all proved to be box office hits. After her return to South Korea in 2007, she became a member of the K-Pop group 2NE1 as "Dara" and has recently celebrated her 30th birthday when she revisited the Philippines.

2. Sam Oh

Lifestyle Network / Via lifestylenetwork.com.ph

Real name: Oh Sangmi

Bio: She is the second Korean to enter Filipino show business when she auditioned for and snagged a hosting job for a lifestyle show on ETC, which was eventually called Rated Oh! in 2005. Early in her career, her excellent command of English and Tagalog made most viewers unaware of her ethnicity, which she credited to her long stay in the Philippines. She is currently the host judge of Lifestyle Network's The Clash: Search for the Next Great Dessert Master.

3. Grace Lee

Grace Lee / Via Instagram: @graceleemanila

Real name: Lee Kyunghee

Bio: She worked as an official interpreter for the Malacañang before she became a segment host for Q Network's (now GMA News TV) The Sweet Life in 2007. She was also a co-host of Magic 89.9's Good Times with Mo and GMA's Diz Iz It, but it was her brief relationship with President Benigno Aquino III that gained her notoriety. Nowadays, she is one of the hosts of Aksyon sa Umaga (Action in the Morning) on TV5.

4. Ryan Bang

NNPA Images / Via ph.celebrity.yahoo.com

Real name: Bang Hyunsung

Bio: As part of Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash of 2010's Teenternationals, the son of a taxi driver and a housewife won second place. Afterwards, he hosted 3ow powz! on Studio 23 (now ABS-CBN Sports + Action), but he became a TV sensation when he served as the longest-standing judge on Showtime. The talent show has since reformatted into a noontime variety show in 2012 and he was announced as one of the newest co-hosts. That same year, he became part of the comedy gag show Banana Split.

5. Jinri Park

Philippine Daily Inquirer / Via lifestyle.inquirer.net

Real name: Park Jinri

Bio: Raised in Cebu, she set men's hearts on fire when she posed for FHM Philippines in May 2011. With her voluptuous figure and admirable Korean features, she has since had two gravure books called The Jinri Experience, became a disc jockey for Monster Radio RX 93.1, and landed a role in the sitcom Vampire ang Daddy Ko (My Daddy is a Vampire) along with numerous endorsements. She is also the face of FHM's 2015 Calendar, which will be released next month.

6. Dasuri Choi

Joel Aragones / Via Facebook: DasuriChoi

Real name: Choi Daseul

Bio: Before she gained mainstream attention by joining the noontime show Eat Bulaga's segment "You're My Foreignay", she already had a cult following among Pinoy K-Pop fans as a dancer. Her K-Pop dance classes at Korean Cultural Center, where she has been teaching for three years, always sell like hotcakes (or pajeon) and no wonder: she was trained under Korean talent agency JYP Entertainment and has worked for big artists like Wonder Girls and Brown Eyed Girls. This dance diva also performs regularly on the show.

7. Shine Kuk

GMA Network/ TAPE Inc. / Via Facebook: EBdabarkads

Real name: Kuk Sonyung

Bio: She came to the Philippines six years ago to enter college and worked as a model. She later joined Eat Bulaga's "You're My Foreignay" segment along with Choi and she was eventually crowned as the winner. She is now part of the show as a segment host and popularized the words "Trururu" and "Heart heart heart" complete with hand signals.

8. Jimmy Kim

ABS-CBN / Via Twitter: @IDo_ph

Real name: Kim Yongjin

Bio: He is the latest Korean to become famous in the Philippines after winning the reality show I Do along with his then-girlfriend, Kring Elenzano. The "Krimmy" couple first met at a K-Pop event in 2010 when he was an official photographer and she was an organizer. Their romance has been documented in Elenzano's blog My Korean Boyfriend. Their wedding, which took place last Wednesday (12 November), will be aired tomorrow (15 November) on ABS-CBN.