Sandara Park during a recent visit to the Philippines for the 'Shoot of Asia' basketball match between Filipino and South Korean celebrities. Photo from Park's Instagram account
Even after launching a successful K-pop career that catapulted her to global fame, Sandara Park has never forgotten her Filipino roots, as she continues to take on projects in the Philippines from time to time.
On Thursday, the 40-year-old singer-actress once again expressed her love for the country through an Instagram post, even calling the Philippines — where she once lived and built a showbiz career — her "second home."
"Kailangan pa ba tanungin kung bakit ako laging bumabalik sa Pilipinas?" Park wrote in the caption of the post, which featured photos from her recent visit for the "Shoot of Asia" basketball match between South Korean and Filipino celebrities.
(Do I even need to be asked why I always come back to the Philippines?)
"Of [course] it’s my 2nd home at sobrang mahal ako ng mga kababayan ko," she said.
(Of course, it’s my second home, and the Filipino people love me so much.)
"Pero!!! Mas mahal ko kayo," she added.
(But!!! I love you guys even more.)
Park returned to the Philippine capital over the weekend for "Shoot of Asia," where she served as the manager of the South Korean team Rising Eagles — a situation the 2NE1 star admitted left her in a "dilemma," since several members of the rival team Kuys Showtime are her friends.
Sandara Park: PH-Korea celebrity basketball game celebrates both countries
In an earlier post, Park shared that she felt "emotional" upon hearing the loud cheers from the Filipino crowd at Shoot of Asia, where she also performed as a guest artist, dishing out 2NE1 hits as well as her Filipino track "In or Out."
Park rose to fame in the Philippines after joining ABS-CBN’s reality talent competition "Star Circle Quest" in 2004, which launched her acting and singing career.
In 2009, she debuted as a member of 2NE1, one of K-pop's most influential girl groups, credited with diversifying the image of female acts in the South Korean idol industry and popularizing the "girl crush" concept.
Over the years, she has continued to appear on Philippine television, serving, for instance, as a judge on the 2016 talent competition "Pinoy Boyband Superstar," and making guest appearances on various variety and talk shows.
In November, Park went to the Philippines with her 2NE1 bandmates for the group's reunion tour, with the "I Am the Best" hitmakers also referring to the country as their "second home."
FROM THE ARCHIVES