K-drama fans descended on the Royal Hawaiian hotel for a glimpse of Korean star Lee Jun Ki at yesterday's opening-day press conference for the 27th Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival,.

Wendy Ho and Cindy Ma flew in from far-flung destinations such as Singapore and Toronto just to see Ki, who appeared looking the part of a pop star with hair molded to a rock-star tousle and sporting an earring in each ear.

On a panel with the boyish Ki was actress Joan Chen, who is in town to receive the HIFF Achievement in Acting Award when her new film "May 18" screens on Sunday. They were joined by HIFF film award jurors Daniel Dae Kim of "Lost," filmmaker Edgy Lee and news anchor Pamela Young.

Also on the panel was Rick Kinsel, executive director of the Vilcek Foundation, which aims to highlight immigrants making a difference in the United States. The foundation funded the festival's showcase of work by immigrant filmmakers, such as "Owl and the Sparrow" by Stephane Gauger. "This is the first grant the foundation has made to a project outside of New York, and it's the first grant made to film," Kinsell said.

HIFF has remained true to its mission of being what festival president Jeff Chung calls "the festival of record for the Pacific Rim."

Last year it honored Japan's Ken Watanabe with its acting achievement award, and this year the prize goes to Chen. It also remains timely by bringing in rising stars such as Ki, whose film "May 18," about Korea's democratic protest against the military regime in 1980, screens at 8 p.m. tonight at the Hawai'i Theatre and at 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Regal Dole Cannery theaters.

Ki seems on a trajectory to become the next Kaneshiro Takeshi, the Japanese-Taiwanese actor who is equally at home in Japanese and Chinese productions such as "House of Flying Daggers" and "Ritana."

"I'm studying English ... it's common ground throughout the movie industry and the world," said Ki. "But I'm also learning Chinese and Japanese. I don't want to set some sort of boundary for myself."

He wasn't surprised by the mob waiting for him at the Honolulu International Airport on Wednesday.

"Wherever I go there are many fans," he said. "But yesterday was really disappointing ˆ… because usually at the airport you can say hello to your fans, but yesterday the security was really tough, they just carried me out of the airport ˆ… treated me like a criminal," he said, laughing. "Usually in the airport you have this procedure, you say hello to the welcoming fans, but yesterday we didn't have that."

That's why Gerrie Nakamura, head of the K-drama fan club Hallyu Friends, was at the Royal Hawaiian yesterday.

"In Hawai'i we're really spoiled (when it comes to seeing Korean stars). But this (time Ki's arrival) was 'blink and he's gone.' So HIFF told me to come and take some pictures."

The K-drama fans will also be out in force for the premiere of "A Love," with South Korean hunk Jin Mo-ju, on Wednesday.

Reach Lesa Griffith at lgriffith@honoluluadvertiser.com.