Sandara Park, Super Junior's Lee Donghae recall ‘awkward’ first meeting

Sandara Park appeared as a guest on Super Junior’s Lee Donghae and Eunhyuk’s YouTube channel on August 3, where they looked back on their pre-debut days and talked about their long history in the entertainment industry.

Donghae, 39, warmly welcomed Sandara, 41, and revealed that their friendship goes back a long way. He recounted, “We’ve known each other for a very long time. We first met in high school, so we dropped formalities back then.”

Donghae also brought up the dating rumors that once surrounded them. “Among the fans, there were many who thought we were dating,” he said.

Eunhyuk, 40, then explained how common those rumors were in the entertainment industry, saying that back then,"even being a little close to someone" was enough for people to assume they were dating. He added that there had also been similarly absurd dating rumors involving singer-actress Lee Bo-ram.

The conversation then shifted to how Donghae and Sandara first became acquainted during their trainee days. Sandara recalled that it was before both 2NE1 and BIGBANG debuted, when SE7EN was the only major star at YG Entertainment.

According to Sandara, SE7EN, whose real name is Choi Dong-wook, often looked after the younger trainees and would invite them out for meals. She recalled that he would gather the trainees and take them out for meat, with G-Dragon, Taeyang, Jang Hyun-seung, and herself usually joining. She added that Minzy was too young at the time to be part of those gatherings.

Eunhyuk playfully teased Donghae about his connection with the YG trainees, joking, “You were a YG spy, weren’t you?”

Donghae laughed as he recalled being a big fan of YG Entertainment and SE7EN. He said he loved SE7EN’s album and was amazed when the singer personally reached out to him.

Eunhyuk then asked if that was when Donghae and Sandara first met. Sandara also questioned whether that was really their first meeting, prompting Donghae to clarify that they had actually met even earlier. He recalled that SE7EN had first invited him to watch a movie, telling him, “A Filipino friend of mine is coming too.”

Donghae admitted that he was nervous because the internet was not widely used yet, and he did not know much about the Philippines or Filipino culture. He recalled wondering how he would communicate since he did not know how to speak Filipino.

In the end, both Donghae and Sandara were shy, making their first meeting a quiet one. Donghae recalled that they simply watched the movie together, and before they parted, the only thing he said was, “Goodbye.”

Looking back on her early days in Korea, Sandara shared how unfamiliar and lonely the experience was before her debut. She recalled that she “could barely say a few words a day and did not have many friends.” However, she said SE7EN often looked after the younger trainees and encouraged them to become close.

Sandara also expressed her gratitude to those who supported her during that period, sharing that when she had no friends in Korea, SE7EN, Gummy, and others took care of her.

During the conversation, Donghae and Eunhyuk also asked Sandara about the level of fame she had achieved in the Philippines at the age of 19. To help them understand how popular she was, Sandara compared her level of recognition at the time to Korean singer Lim Young-woong’s popularity in Korea.

Eunhyuk also shared his experience performing in the Philippines. He recalled messaging Sandara before a performance and asking what Filipino phrase he could say to the audience. Sandara suggested, “Mahal ko kayo,” while making a waving hand gesture—the same one she had used with Filipino fans before.

“When I did that, they all knew it. And they loved it so much,” Eunhyuk said.

Donghae then tried saying the phrase himself and asked Sandara if his pronunciation was correct. She confirmed that it was and explained that “Mahal ko kayo” means “I love you,” similar to saying “Saranghaeyo” in Korean.

Sandara revealed that the phrase and gesture became a huge hit with Filipino fans. She said that simple moment helped her become a star “overnight.”