Undying Popularity for Yonsama
By Cho Jae-hyon
Staff Reporter
Actor Bae Yong-joon, known as ``Yonsama'' among Japanese fans, proved that he still has the power to keep the popularity of Korean pop culture alive. He was the star who helped trigger the Korean wave or ``hallyu.'' He also showcased a possibility that hallyu can be broadened to the realm of tourism and food.
In an event to promote his latest book on Korean culture and travelling, ``A Journey in Search of Korean Beauty,'' Yon-sama drew 45,000 fans to the Tokyo Dome Wednesday. Among them was Miyuki Hatoyama, wife of Japan's new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.
Miyuki, known as an enthusiastic fan of Bae, met him for about 10 minutes before the event and talked about Korean culture, according to his promoting agency.
On the stage, Bae read part of his book to the audience and explained how he came to write it.
``While I toured around the various parts of Korea for months, its beautiful scenery, which I had been unaware of before, dawned on me and created the passion in me to write this book,'' he said.
The first edition of 50,000 copie
Oct 1, 2009