A K-Pop and K-Beauty Crossover
You guys, the most unexpected crossover just happened in Shanghai! Former K-Pop girl group FIESTAR’s Chinese member, Cao Lu, met up with South Korea’s First Lady, Kim Hye-kyung. The First Lady was in China for the ‘K-Beauty Glow Week,’ a big event to promote awesome Korean skincare and makeup. Cao Lu, who is now a huge influencer in China, was there interviewing the First Lady about the products. It was a cool moment of cultural diplomacy, with K-Pop and K-Beauty coming together.
Wait, She Was in the Military?
During their chat, Cao Lu made a comment that probably sounded wild to anyone not familiar with classic Korean TV. She confidently told the First Lady, “I’m a woman who has even been through the military in Korea!” Now, before you picture her in full combat gear, let me explain. She wasn’t an actual soldier, haha! She was referring to her time on the legendary MBC reality show, *Real Men* (진짜 사나이). This show takes celebrities and puts them through *real*, grueling military training for a few days. It was famous for being incredibly tough, and Cao Lu became a total variety show icon because of her hilarious and tough-as-nails personality on the female soldiers special. It’s one of those moments that’s iconic if you’re into Korean TV!
From Idol to Influencer
For those who don’t know, Cao Lu was a member of the girl group FIESTAR. After her activities in Korea, she returned to China and has built an amazing second career. She’s now a ‘wanghong’ (왕훙), which is a top-tier influencer, especially in the live-commerce world where they sell products during live streams. Her being at this event makes perfect sense—she’s a powerful voice connecting amazing Korean products with Chinese consumers. Seeing her interact so comfortably with the First Lady just shows how much of a star she is in both countries.
A Fun and Friendly Encounter
The whole interaction was super friendly and honestly, pretty cool to see. The First Lady was checking out all the different K-beauty items, and Cao Lu was right there bridging the conversation. It’s not every day you see a former K-Pop idol casually joking about her intense reality TV “military service” with the nation’s First Lady. It just goes to show how K-culture creates these unique and unexpected connections all over the world!
