SHINee Finds New Fanboy In Former US President Barack Obama
Former US President Barack Obama recently gave a shoutout to K-pop idol group SHINee at a recent speech for the 8th Asian Leadership Conference held at Grand Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. The two-term president of the United States credited the group for making Americans want to learn about Korean culture.
According to Soompi, Obama addressed the attendees of the leadership conference and talked about the strong ties that bind the United States and South Korea. He also talked about his love for Korean food like kimchi and bulgogi. The former US president also talked about his love for Korean entertainment and gave high praise to SHINee.
The shoutout came as a surprise because no one knew that the former US president followed K-pop. While he does have the reputation of being up to date with the latest trends which made him one of the most successful world leaders in terms of reaching out to the youth, the official event was an unlikely venue to talk about the popular K-pop idol group.
According to Obama, SHINee became a major reason that American youth wanted to learn about Korean culture and music. He said that because of the Americans' admiration for SHINee, the group inspired the younger generation to widen their horizons by learning a culture apart from their own.
Obama also hinted that he knew a lot about SHINee, in particular, their love for the American food chain In-N-Out Burger. Upon learning of the unexpected shoutout, SHINee's Key immediately took to Instagram to thank former US President Obama and posted a throwback snap to confirm that they are really big fans of In-N-Out, Koreaboo reported.
"Thanks for mentioning us, Mr. Obama. SHINee will do our best for the growth of global 'pop culture'. and YES! We do love 'IN-N-OUT," Key said in his Instagram post. It has been reported that after their successful US tour, SHINee will be making a comeback this year as part of SM Entertainment's stacked line up for 2017.
