Jang Keun-suk poses during the press conference for his "2011 THE CRI SHOW in Tokyo Dome - THE BEGINNING" held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan on November 25, 2011. [Tree J. Company]

What plans do you have for the 20th year since your debut next year?
Jang: I plan to hold dinner shows throughout the country. It's not a joke. [laughs] I'm already in the planning stages for it. And the sub-title for those shows will be 'The Beginning' as well which I came up with in the sense that it isn't an extension of my arena tours but that it'll mark another new beginning. I'm not bragging that I have experience. I'm hoping it'll be a new starting point through which I'll be able to look back on myself.

It looks like you may be on overload though with your recent movie filming, arena tour, shooting for "Love Rain" (translated title) and the Tokyo Dome performance.
Jang: That's why I also want to go on a trip by myself. And I think it'd be fun to learn art after taking on the role of an art student in "Love Rain." I've worked so hard this year that I've used up a lot of what's within me but haven't been able to replenish at all so I think it's time for such things. But I'm also sure that I'll get cranky and ask whether I don't have more work after about a month of going on a break so I'm thinking that I'll probably rest just the month of January? [laughs] I go on a break twice a week this year, when I go to school. I don't need to put on make-up at school, can show my bloated self, and hang out with my friends without having to mind what's going on around me. So it's basically like recharging time.

Is there a particular way in which you cope with moments you could easily become tired and exhausted from?
Jang: I've thought about how I should balance work and rest because my life is being exposed to KBS and Fuji TV 24 hours a day these days because they're doing in-depth coverage of me. But I think that's the hardest to do. So I've just been trying to focus on the specific moments such as dramas when I'm on a drama set and on concerts when I'm preparing for those. I'm having fun over the fact that the things I dreamt of when I was young are slowly becoming reality. A lot of people have doubts about working non-stop and I do too but I still think I have the most fun when I'm singing and acting. I've sort of changed my way of thinking to consider being able to do what I want to do is resting, instead of just sitting at home and sleeping in. And I always get an IV shot, once a week. [laughs] I'm not lying but I wish a day lasted 48 hours.

You made news recently for donating 1.2 billion won to your college Hanyang University. What principles had you had regarding donation?
Jang: I don't really have anything in particular to say regarding that... [laughs] It's just one of the reasons that I make sure to go to school myself and it's that the tuition for our department of film and theater is quite expensive. So after watching students who quit school midway because of the costs of tuition, I had always thought that it may help if we had a network of our own and was hoping I'd be able to lessen the burden my juniors get from tuition. I was surprised when it got handled as big news but it's only because of my love for my school. [laughs]

Is there anything you've been working at in particular in order to further solidify your status as a Hallyu star?
Jang: The reason I've been calling myself the 'prince of Asia' is because that's my dream. It's what I dream to become, not what I think I already am, and that's why I've been talking about the 'prince of the world' as well. And because I don't want people to say, "He is completely indulged with himself and does nothing but put on airs," I keep working hard. I've been working hard at studying foreign languages in particular and I can hold press conferences in Japanese now. I think I'm always knocking on a new door while doing what I can have fun with instead of playing it safe. For me, I feel as if I'm going to places that people don't know me, where Korean content has yet to reach. And by doing this, I think I'd at least be proud of myself for having made the effort to become the 'prince of Asia' even if I may not really become one. Oh, but I think quitting Twitter was the right move to make. I left my 250,000 followers. [laughs]

Then what's the next step that you think you should take?
Jang: Everyone thinks the Tokyo Dome is the final stop but it's not. To start with, I plan to hold a dome tour next year and then I'd like to stand at the Nissan Stadium. And lastly, I'd like to tour the world. Everyone laughed at me three years ago when I said I'd perform at the Tokyo Dome but it happened, right? And I was under the mentality that if it doesn't happen, 'too bad.' That's how I'll keep thinking. If it doesn't happen, too bad! [laughs]

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10 아시아 Reporter : Hwang Hyo-Jin seventeen@
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