Before BTS, TWICE, EXO, and the like started making headlines in the Philippines, there already was a Korean artist who actually topped the charts back in the early 2000s. And no, we're not even talking about second-gen K-pop groups like Super Junior, 2NE1, or BIGBANG. It's actually Shim Mina with her hit song "Answer The Phone".
FYI, "Answer The Phone" was Mina's debut song which was released back in 2002—way before Hallyu (aka the Korean wave) took the Philippines and the world by storm. For some reason, a lot of Filipinos thought that "Answer The Phone" was sung in Spanish. A theory could be because Pinoys were so obsessed with Mexican and Spanish telenovelas back then.
After "Answer The Phone", Mina continued to release new songs and is still active in the entertainment industry. You'll find updates about her career and personal life in her YouTube channel and Instagram account. She's now happily married to Ryu Phillip, a member of K-pop boy group Tri:al, whom she tied the knot with in 2018.
