In October 2007, I flew from the U.S. to Japan for a vacation and hopped over to Seoul, Korea for a quick visit to Junsu's dad's pizza place. It truly was worth the effort! I had been staying in Seoul, south of the Han River, so it was quite the hike up to Ilsandonggu to get to the restaurant. The two easiest ways to get there from Seoul are to take the subway or take a taxi. I chose a taxi.

When I arrived, I was expecting to get a pizza, look around, take a few pictures and leave with fond memories. It was a Friday afternoon at about 2:00pm, so there were a few tables of high school girls eating with their friends, but for the most part, it was quiet.

I sat down and one of the restaurant employees gave me a Korean menu and I looked it over, wondering how I was going to order. Thankfully they realized I was confused and rushed over with an English menu. So if you go, yes, they have menus in English, don't be afraid to ask or look perplexed!

I ordered an almond and sweet potato pizza and a cola. My pizza came with a cute side of pickles. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was one of the best pizzas I've ever eaten. The pizza was 13,000 Won & my drink (Coke) was 1,500 Won and with tax my total bill was 14,500 Won (which was about $16 US dollars). And in case you didn't know, people don't tip in Korea.

Almond & Sweet Potato Pizza

As I was enjoying my food, Mr. Kim appeared in the restaurant! He immediately went and greeted all the Korean diners, shaking their hands and chatting with them about the band. He went to every table and greeted every patron. I was truly amazed.

I watched all this with a smile and when he finally got to me, he leaned over and said, "Dong Bang Shin Ki?" I only know three or four Korean words, so I said, "ne" (yes) then held out my fingers in the shape of a heart and said "Junsu saranghae," which means "I love Junsu." Everyone in the restaurant was watching as Mr. Kim smiled, shook my hand and then plopped down across from me at my table!

The next twenty minutes of my life were spent trying to communicate with one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. We managed to converse with my limited Korean and his limited English and few Japanese phrases. Even with the language barrier in full effect, I could feel Mr. Kim's true appreciation of the fans, but more importantly, I could feel his immense love, pride and admiration for his son.

Throughout my visit, Mr. Kim gave me an autographed picture of Junsu, a Japanese magazine that featured the boys and his business card to which I gave him my BeSparkly business card (which made me feel sparkly that I had one to give him). After all that, he disappeared again and I finished eating my pizza. One of the Korean girls sitting close to me started speaking to me in basic English. She gave me a picture of Junsu and I was touched by her kindness. She is definitely a sparkly person for using the English she had learned!

Before I left the restaurant I took some pictures and looked around. Mr. Kim appeared again and took a picture with me. Then he asked me if I was going to take the subway or a taxi. When I told him I was taking a taxi, he guided me out the door, down the stairs, to the curb and whipped out his cell phone to call me a reputable cab. Even though there were other taxis lurking on the street, he wanted to make sure I was treated fairly (apparently, some cab drivers will turn off the meter on non-Korean speaking passengers and charge them high rates). He waited with me until the taxi arrived and then told the cab driver where to take me. Here I am, half-way around the world, away from home, and Junsu's dad was looking out for me like my own dad would.

As my taxi drove away I thought, "now that's a sparkly person."

Me & Mr. Kim (Junsu's Dad)

If you ever go to Seoul, take the time to visit the pizza place. So how do you get there? I've posted a special page with all the info I have about how to get to the restaurant from Seoul. Go here for the info and more pictures.

After my wonderful experience, it's hard to determine if I'm a bigger fan of DBSK or Mr. Kim! I know that sounds funny, but really, life is about people and Mr. Kim is someone I am truly thankful for having the chance to meet and I hope I have the opportunity to meet him again.

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Official Website: Misarang Imsil Cheese Pizza
DBSK Official Korean Website: TVXQ
DBSK Official Japanese Website: Tohoshinki