Waking up every morning at 3:30 to a regime of strict dieting and endless weight training is something even the most devoted actor would dread. But for Hollywood star Hugh Jackman, there was a small consolation: Korean barbecue.

“Train hard and Korean barbecue,” the Australian actor who plays Wolverine in the Hollywood blockbuster “X-men,” said at a press conference in Seoul Friday, explaining how he bulked up for the film’s fourth installment. “I’m not joking. I still have Korean barbecue at least once a week at a restaurant in New York. It’s great.”

Jackman arrived in Seoul Thursday to promote “X-men Origins: Wolverine,” a prequel to the film trilogy focusing on the mutant superhero Wolverine, whose skeleton is bonded with an indestructible metal. The film is set to be released in South Korea April 30.

As renowned fan of Korea, Jackman said there isn’t a souvenir here that he “did not already have at home.”

“My father, spending at least two months in Korea every year for some 20 years, was always bringing presents from Korea. I feel like I know Korea well. I was very insistent that we come here (to promote the film),” he said, adding his father, a former businessman, would often describe Korea as being at the “forefront of technology.”

Encouraged by Korean heartthrob Daniel Henney, who co-stars in the upcoming movie, Jackman was also appointed as a goodwill ambassador for Seoul Friday, taking up the role of promoting the South Korean capital throughout the United States and Europe. Seoul was Jackson’s choice as the sole Asian destination during the film’s promotional world tour.  [Yonhap]