Actor Kwon Sang-woo held an opening ceremony in Myeongdong, central Seoul, Friday for the first outlet of his cosmetics brand ``TEARS.''

The opening of the shop came after Kwon recently established the cosmetics firm Natural Tears, which is completely owned by the hallyu star. Kwon is the CEO.

Kwon also became an inaugural advertising model for the brand. TEARS was named after his nickname ``Mr. Tears,'' which was given to him by his fans in Japan and other Asian nations in recognition of his tear-jerking acting in the SBS-TV drama ``Stairway to Heaven.'' He starred alongside actress Choi Ji-woo.

``I hold a 100 percent stake in this business and started it along with my friends,'' he said. ``Many people seem skeptical about me doing business. But I'm doing my utmost to prepare for this.''

Kwon said he would expand his into overseas markets.

``Like actors, it's reckless to do business overseas before you are acknowledged at home first,'' he said.

Kwon plans to open outlets in Daegu and Busan this month before further expanding shops across the nation next year.

The actor also promoted the new movie, ``Into the Fire,'' in which he stars with three other popular actors _ Kim Seung-woo, Cha Seung-won and T.O.P. He has been filming the blockbuster war film for the last four months.

``Since the movies I have starred in have not been successful in terms of ticket sales, I'm hungry for success. If the year 2009 was a resting period, I want to soar in 2010,'' he said. ``I'm doing my best as an actor and entrepreneur. I have never worked this hard before.''

The film, directed by Lee Jae-han, features a fierce battle between student soldiers and North Korean regular army troops during the Korean War.

The star made headlines last year when his secret romance with actress Sohn Tae-young became public. The two tied the knot in September and are expecting a baby in the spring.

chojh@koreatimes.co.kr