AO EXCLUSIVE: Sandara and Son Tae Jin share what they want Filipino fans to remember about the Korean Rising Eagles

The ultimate showdown of Team Korea Rising Eagles and Team Philippines Kuys Showtime has finally happened!

The much-anticipated basketball exhibition game, Shoot of Asia, happened on October 26 at Mall of Asia Arena, proudly presented by BENCH. A day before the event, an exclusive press conference was held at Lanson Place Manila.

Attended by the dashing star-studded team Korea Rising Eagles- Choi Min Ho, Park Eun Seok, Son Tae Jin, Park Chan Woong, Oh Seung Hoon, Jeong Jin Woon, Moon Su In, Lee Dae Hee, Jung Kyu Min, Johnny, Kim Taek, Chon Tae Poong, and Seo Jang Hoon with Sandara Park, we had the opportunity to dive deeper into the team’s preparation and their thoughts about this game.

Head Coach Seo Jang Hoon shared what he felt at that moment and their preparation for the game, “First of all, I would like to say thank you so much for your warm welcome, and despite our busy schedules, Team Korea Rising Eagles have definitely devoted our time to do practices in between our daily schedules.”

Assistance Coach Cho Tae Poong stated as well, “I feel like we have our special group here. I feel like we have the best basketball celebrities in Korea, and they are very passionate about basketball. I think the head coach and I made a good decision. We really want to share this positive energy.”

Sandara, who is known for being the “Pambansang Krung Krung” of the Philippines, was also asked about her thoughts on this game representing the Korean Rising Eagles. She first thanked everyone, “Maraming salamat sa pagpunta niyo dito,” she continued. “Although I’ve been in Korea, my love for the Philippines has always been here and has been supporting all my Filipino family here. And this time, it’s a very new feeling to be back in the Philippines, bringing together the Rising Eagles representing Korea. But there’s a little dilemma that I have because our opponent, the Kuys Showtime, a lot of them are my friends. Of course, this time, fulfilling my role as a manager for Rising Eagles, I have to show my full support and cheer for Team Korea.”

Team Annyeong Oppa had the opportunity to personally ask questions to Sandara and Son Tae Jin about one major cultural impression they hope to leave on the Filipino fans and what they want them to remember about the Rising Eagles.

Dara was the first one who answered it and said, “For somebody who loves both Korea and the Philippines, this game is very special and historic. So, I believe it’s not just a basketball but basically a celebration that brings these two countries together.” She expressed her excitement about meeting her fans on the court with the Rising Eagles and said that she hoped that the Rising Eagles to be remembered as a team that made the passion for basketball in the Philippines even hotter.

Son Tae Jin said, “We heard that basketball is a very big and meaningful sport, and it’s such an honor to be on a game that we can partake in such an amazing sport.” He mentioned that as much as the Filipinos love basketball, even Koreans have this big love for it as well. He hopes that because of this great support coming from the Philippines, when they go back to Korea, it will be remembered as a feast, a celebration where we can go to different countries in the world to enjoy and share this amazing culture.

“Everybody says music is the common language worldwide, but sports as well is the common denominator that can bind us all, and not just the K-pop to spread worldwide, but also the K-basketball to show off on our global stage is what we are looking forward to.” Tae Jin added. What an inspiring answer to remember!

Beyond the score, this event shows the unbreakable bond between the Philippines and Korea, sharing a love for sports.

We would like to thank BENCH for this opportunity and for making “Shoot of Asia” possible. It is such a memorable event showing the Filipinos’ and Koreans’ passionate love for basketball. We will treasure this forever, and we hope to have more epic events like this in the future.

Photos are courtesy of BENCH