By Charlene Chua

CONVERSATIONAL English may not be one of his strongest points.

But Korean heart-throb Jang Hyuk gave it a go when he met the media here and spoke in English without a translator.

The actor, who picked up the language a few years ago, recounted how he had a little difficulty talking to local actress Fann Wong when they co-starred in the 2008 movie Dance Of The Dragon.

Jang, 34, told The New Paper: "When I first met her, that was when I just started attending English classes. So I couldn't speak much English.

"But our conversation became a lot better when I met her again at an awards show sometime later.

"However, I feel that in communication, it's not so much the language but the (understanding of each other's) culture that is more important."

Jang, the star of Korean TV series Chuno, was in town on Monday for the launch of SPE Networks - Asia's new channel, ONE.

The channel is dedicated to Asian entertainment, with an emphasis on exclusive Korean content.

Even though Jang's English is passable now, he said he still doesn't have the confidence to carve out a career in Hollywood.

"Maybe someday when my English is much better," he said.

But when asked how fatherhood had changed him, Jang clammed up and only replied that "as an actor, there are no changes".

He married his long-time girlfriend who was his Pilates instructor three years ago. The couple have two sons.

He turned serious when discussing the awards that he has picked up in his 14-year career.

He received the Best Actor award at the 2008 West Hollywood International Film Festival for Dance Of The Dragon and at Korea's 2008 SBS Drama Awards for Tazza.

Said Jang: "Winning awards doesn't make me a more confident actor.

"In fact, I would say that winning awards puts more burden (pressure) on me (to perform better).

This article was first published in The New Paper.