The 23-year-old Korean pop star, touted as the Justin Timberlake of the East, arrived in Sydney this week on his "Rain's Coming" world tour during which he hopes to further his ambitions to break into the English-speaking pop scene.

Rain, whose real name is Ji Hoon Jung, plans to release a Hollywood film and an English album within the next year -- the only hitch is he still doesn't speak English.

"This year I'm looking to make these changes and I'm also studying very hard with English, and English is the hardest thing," Rain told Reuters, with the aid of an interpreter.

But language has so far proved no barrier to Rain winning fans outside Korea, with the tour making stops in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Japan.

The singer-actor, who played to a large audience in New York's Madison Garden a few years ago, attributes his international success to the universality of hip hop.

"One thing I am confident in is my stage (presence). Having a cross of both Western and Eastern cultures in the stage is, I think, my strength," Rain said.

Voted one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2006, Rain has performed with American R&B stars Christina Aguilera and Omarion, and usually attracts a crowd of fans at any appearance.

Only a small group turned out for a late morning press conference in Sydney, which also featured a live koala.

Dressed in a black suit, the normally cool pop star looked a little taken aback, giving the animal a diplomatic pat before turning again to deal with questions from local media.