Bae Yong Joon 배용준

[Guest frances]

Insoo in my mind........

[Guest liezle]

[interview] from Yonsama to BYJ! He comes back this fall

Writer: Kim Jungwon (movie critic) photographer: Cho Sukwhan 8/26/05

Translated and posted by Yoon in BYJ's Quilt

One entertainment show caught my eyes as I was flipping channels. It was a show I wouldn’t usually interested in because they would invite some entertainment stars and joke around, but this time I was totally absorbed and watched it till the end. What caught my attention was their topic ‘A celebrity star other celebrities are curious about’. Wouldn’t stars have their own star they admire? It made me curious and made me sit through the show. Who on earth could it be? The entertainers named many stars. Some would agree. And finally, the name that all the entertainers there agreed on was Yonsama.

A star who others stars are curious about. It’s been more than 10 years since the man, who is now called ‘Yonsama’ instead of BYJ, debuted as an actor. Although the line drawn between actors and singers is blurred these days, he has been solidly an actor for 11 years who has moved on with steady steps. And then he suddenly became Yonsama thanks to one famous melodrama. He also became a representative Korean star in Asia and a cultural ambassador, and an important figure who sometimes has to express his political position. 4 years have passed since he became Yonsama. As if he doesn’t take seriously this Yonsama fever that only becomes hotter, he left the name Yonsama behind and came back to us as the man BYJ. Quietly, gently, but in his own powerful way.

Difference between Yonsama and BYJ

BYJ has been shown in a neat and luxurious formal suite more often lately since he became Yonsama. He probably donned the outfit out of courtesy, but in spite of his relaxed face with a ‘killer smile’, he looked tensed in his shoulders and tired. Some people who felt timid or cynical to the name Yonsama didn’t understand his strain. More people considered his first movie ‘Scandal’ as ‘Yonsama’s work than BYJ’s first major movie role.

The two are the same person, but there exist a big difference between Yonsama and BYJ. It is not the difference inside him, but the difference created by other people’s perspective on him. Because of this gap the male actor was suddenly replaced by the unrealistic prince. But BYJ, even at this moment when he is called Yonsama, is himself.

“I feel happy when I am told “I liked your acting in that scene.” I am happy when my effort is recognized if a little. Also I am happy when I learn new things.”

He looked straight at me and his face was full of smile. He wasn’t any different from other actors when he cautiously asked me how I liked the movie and became delighted when his effort was recognized. He continuously asked reporters how they liked the premiere even when endless questions and countless camera flashes from Korean and foreign reporters were poured on him.

He sometimes looked as if he was suspecting they were just being nice. And when they talked about the movie he listened to the other party and told his own opinion. Actor BYJ was behind the movie ‘April Snow; like that.

The man, who was curious about audience’s response to his movie and acting, who unpretentiously became delighted when he talked about movies, was actor BYJ, not Yonsama.

Meeting with him, a flutter with a cup of coffee

”To think I would say this.. Others would too but I somehow feel sad when winter comes. As the weather gets cold I feel more alone. So I feel like I have to do something.”

BYJ shyly answered to my comment that he seemed to work mostly in winter. It is the reason behind the fact that the guy, with a constantly warm and gentle smile, always works in winter. <Scandal>, <April Snow> as well as his dramas were shot at the end of winter. He says he doesn’t have his favorite season but he gets depressed in winter and feels happier in summer. Maybe that’s why melodramas are so becoming to actor BYJ.

”I feel like I revealed a lot of myself in this movie. It is as if I get caught. I was infinitely sad when I was sad and I was in agony when I was too. For example in the scene I cried.. I never cried like that in the drama. But this time I cried like that in spite of myself. I was very surprised after I looked at the monitor. To think I would cry like that..”

BYJ said he had a unique experience wile filming this movie <April Snow>. Till now he did research his reactions in each scene and discussed some of it with the director and then acted. But in this movie he released himself from this thoroughly analyzing style. It was to the extent that he surprised himself by mindlessly crying at his crying scene. (You will be able to check yourself when you see this movie.)

“There is a scene where I talk with my school junior in a bar. Originally there was no line, but I put some in, to my junior’s surprise. But isn’t reality like that? How can you respond precisely every time to other’s behavior and comments? I think the movie has such a realistic feel to it.”

There are familiar BYJ’s dialogues in the movie. You would recognize it easily if you are his fan. And there are also BYJ’s own gestures and behaviors. Such frequent expressions are what put the actor BYJ in the movie. Insoo who BYJ played and BYJ are two different people, but there are moments when the two become one.

BYJ, his outing

“Insoo in <April Snow> didn’t understand love. And then he fatefully ended up meeting Suyoung. Maybe the sense of betrayal instigated their attraction. I think betrayal of his trust by his wife bothered him more than her betrayal of his love.”

BYJ’s understanding of his character was very clear. You can see his betrayal of trust from his attitude toward his wife and his empty stare at Suyoung. I quickly asked if BYJ himself takes trust more seriously than love.

”I think love fades because trust is broken. So trust is absolutely important. Not only between a man and a woman, but also in other interpersonal relationships, I think trust is a very important part.”

In fact, BYJ doesn’t trust the character he played.

“I wondered how you could think of anything else when your own wife was lying like that and how you could look at any one else. So I told the director that I wouldn’t even look at another woman when my wife was hovering between life and death”

BYJ said he hated extramarital affair, which was the important theme of <April Snow>. He said he didn’t believe there was any love in the illegitimate relationship. But he went out to transform himself from BYJ to the character Insoo created by director Huh Jinho in <April Snow>. Insoo is, like director Huh’s other heroes, indecisive, nice and weak. But he changes after he meets a woman who is brave in love. So BYJ decided to go through that experience too. From some moment he even gave up his favorite pastime of taking pictures and lived only as Insoo. Every day was burdensome and unbearably painful. He always calculated and thought and then act, and to participate in reality which director Huh pursues It was a new experience to him.

”I think I will have to leave Insoo behind. I will start a new drama soon, so I think I will be able to move on quickly. A few days ago I ran along the riverside till I felt like my heart would burst. I thought ‘let it be if it does’. Then I will be recharged by finding something new.”

He runs along the riverside with his cap on. He says his happiness lies in doing his best in the present, now and today. Such a guy now finished <April Snow> and is waiting for audience to go out.

[caroline]

Screencaps from a lovely vod posted by mikann3 in Quilt.

Link : http://www.geocities.jp/mikann3/Monotone.wmv

Part 1

...HANDSOME YONG JOON ..... :wub:

[Guest frances]

~~ i sincerely hope that more Korean reporters will realize the value of Yong Joon & put an end to their selfish intentions & not allow themselves to be used by ppl who are doing their darn best to pull down BYJ....

[Trans] Yon-sama, he doesn't belong to himself.

translated & posted by Gaulsan in Quilt

There are some reports written by Korean reporters after BYJ's visit to Japan.

The reporter who wrote this article was not so friendly to BYJ, but it seems that he realized "who BYJ really is" by now.

The news itself is not new to us, but I am glad that THEY are changing.

- gaulsan -

-------------------

Sports Korea 2005-09-06

Reporter Ko Kyoo Dae

< Yon-sama, he doesn't belong to himself.>

"Is BYJ one of the top 5 among Korean Entertainers? Even he isn't, he is the best for us."

"Who is the richest entertainer in Korea? Maybe it will be BYJ."

Super Arena Hall on August 31, the 'family of Yon-sama' filled the "April Snow Concert" hall. Some fans were cheering with flacard welcoming BYJ, some fans were lining up to buy goods with his pictures. Though it was not a usual sight in Korea, I felt happy, too.

The fans I met here were brightly smiling. Is it because they were bearing their 'beloved person' in their hearts? A fan who bought 30 thousand yen of goods gave me her frank opinion. "If we buy these goods, main portion of profit will go to the event companies, but wouldn't there be at least a little portion that would go to BYJ?" Other fan, after listing other famous Korean actors, told me that "Whether he is the number one actor in Korea or not, he will be the number one for me for ever."

What does BYJ mean to these people? I could find a bit of answer to that at the April Snow concert. BYJ came to them as a tender, rightforward man to the 30 thousand fans. The fans immediately responded to every hand motions, every expressions that BYJ made. One could see it as a mass gathering rather than a concert or a fan meeting. I asked to a fan, "Why do you like BYJ?" She gave me a short reply. "Isn't it natural for a man who is always gentle and kind to be loved by everyone?"

Right after the concert, I met 6 fans in the subway. They said that it was the first time they actually met eachother. They came to know eachother through the JOB and exchanged emails and telephone calls till this day. Some people came from Kobe, and some came from Satporo. A fan said that she filled the large trunk with BYJ goods. She came here as a representative of her hometown, so she was asked to buy lots of things. Other fan said that she learned computer to know more about BYJ. "BYJ is changing my life little by little," she said.

Many kinds of thoughts came into my mind. Counting the cultural difference of fandom between Korea and Japan, the energy of Japanese fans for BYJ was gorgeous. It seemed that the steps of BYJ could even influence the chance for other Korean stars in Japan and cultural exchange between Korea and Japan.

It seems clear that BYJ doesn't belong to himself any more.

[caroline]

Part 2

B)

...... such a gorgeous man!.....sigh....

[Guest frances]

[Trans] Bae YongJoon as a man who I watched .. by conductor of the concert

written by: 金聖響(KIM SEIKYO), a conductor of Tokyo Phil. Orchestra

source: http://blog.eplus.co.jp/seikyo/2005-09-01

translated in Korean by: Vivari Junni

translated in English by: Soil

****

Bae Yong Joon as a Man

Participants in yesterday's event were about 30,000

which I've never experienced in a performance before.

Orchestra plays without help of PA, so to speak, it is a live music.

So the maxium size of a hall can hold up to 3,000 people,

however, this time the place took in 30,000,

because of Bae Yong Joon, the man of towntalk.

I could take an advantage of my seat to watch him closely .

(The place where I was as a conductor was a VIP seat to observe him

and I could look at him just in front of me

and observe what were his charms. )

(vivari Junni: you could refer to his homepage if you want to know

the contents of the event in detail.)

I'd like to say my private thoughts.

When I met him in person, I could recognize

dignity, intelligence and tenderness in his manner of speaking and behavior,

and sort of continetal sized broad-mindedness.

He was always sincere, frank, considerate under any circumstances,

and kept smiling. I think that it is not simply easy to do so.

That day I arrived at the site earlier,

and found a lot of staff there. (imagine how big the event was)

I felt a sort of strange atmosphere in back side. (?)

When I saw staff paying attention on security closely,

I just felt overwhelmed.

Anyone couldn't be admitted anywhere without a pass.

Even under such circumstances Bae YongJoon kept smiling.

Wherever he went, 20-30 staff or SP followed him

like a scene in a movie.

We couldn't have rehearsed before the concert,

although we could have a meeting in the midst of crowded people.

I am a bit uneasy, but I felt that there seemed to be

a spirit that the concert would succeed;

anyhow-we-can-make-it spirit!!!

What is a Korean Way?

The Korean Way is that they are not adently attached to small things,

and they can make it any way.

How can I put it into word?

It might be summarized into an ability to react instantly

and an ability to concentrate.

Just before the concert, I met him.

We had a time to exchange greeting each other only one time,

but he told me "I ask you a favor that you would do your best"

(soil: It's tough to translate it. It's a idiomatic greeting.)

Wow, he was quite laid-back anywhere and under any situation.

There are a lot of things which I can learn from him.

How he lead people around him!!!

He was simply "wonderful".

I thought I had to learn him in that aspect.

I can't believe that he is only 33 years;

he is incredibly great.

That attitude should apply to conductors, too.

I examined myself...

When I watched him calling the 30,000 audience a "family",

I strongly felt his word real. His conversation with the family

came from the bottom of his heart.

He deserved to be called a real star.

And one more thing I want to comment.

All this happens right now, and I have to say

it was impossible even to imagine 10 years or 5-6 years ago.

And this makes our Korean residents in Japan "really fortunate" .

Now Japanese people have an interest in Korea, and think

this Korean star is "great".

If my grandmother is still alive and see this,

she must be very happy and proud of him.

I sensed with all my body the supporting voice from the fans,

and was firmly determined that we, in the classic music field,

should also do our best.

Yes, We already became lighthearted.

We also should do properly!!!!

To appoach more closely to more people,

we have to hammer out a wisdom.

Music is one of the assets of the world.

It is a wonderful legacy. Music is great.

I wish that more people get to know and feel this merit...

Thanks a lot, YongJoon-ssi, in many meanings.

Thank you, really.

And I also feel grateful to all staffs who gave me this opportunity.

[caroline]

These lovely pics were posted in Quilt by sujata...

(SCAN)Lotte Duty Free Shop Luxury Magazine

[Guest jillc838]

Hi there Jill, welcome the BYJ thread here @ soompi! Hope you will join us in our Bae-ziness over D' Man.

To post photos, from the reply box you will see an icon with a tree (beside the envelope) just click and the past the url of the photo you want to post. Btw, to host your photos you can use imageshack (http://www.imageshack.us/) or photobucket (http://www.photobucket.com) . Btw, when posting LARGE photos kindly resize them for easy viewing.

Hope to see you around!

Thank you soooo much liezle. You've been very helpful!!

[Guest liezle]

(Trans) 'BYJ in autograph event' written by another star's fan

Posted at OB, written by 'ddalgi gongjoo'(strawberry princess)

Translated and posted by Yoon

Bear in mind that the writer of the following is a fan of the singing group 'GOD', not of BYJ.

I unexpectedly ended up going to BYJ's autograph event. I heard that a construction company would invite BYJ, who was working as their model, to their model house and hold an autograph event for an hour and half. It was in Ilsan at that, which is close to where I live. My sister-in-law is BYJ's fan. I was knocked down from yesterday's fatigue, but she pestered me from the morning to go there with her.

When I finally arrived there, it was 2:20pm. Honestly I didn't expect there would be that many people. I thought 'there would be 100 people at most so why does he bother to have the autograph session for an hour and half?'

But when I arrived at 2:20, my jaw dropped at the sight of an endless line. The line seemed longer than 100m.(Of course it isn't even comparable to our boys' concerts or autograph sessions. ^^) There were more people than I expected and they were people around my age or a lot older than me. Some were holding their kid's hand and seemed as enthusiastic as GOD fans.

Anyway, I awkwardly took a seat in the back and waited. It was 3 pm and BYJ arrived. But the line didn't sway. They were buzzing a little but maybe because they were older, the line didn't collapse nor did they wander around. They just anxiously waited for signing to begin.

Even 30 minutes after the signing started, the line barely got shortened. We were in the back of the line so we were wondering what was going on inside. If it were GOD, the autograph session would already have been over by now. No matter how many people were ahead of me, their number couldn't exceed 300. So my sister-in-law sneaked into the model house to see what was going on.

According to her, BYJ was writing a novel, not giving autographs. When I asked, "What do you mean?", she said BYJ looked each of coming fans in the eyes, asked their names, wrote whatever they asked him to on the autograph sheet. If they brought a gift for him, he would ask, 'what is this?' and would thank them, shake their hands..and give as many autographs as they ask.

And he would hand over the gift he received to his manager who is next to him, with his own hands. That's why it was taking 5 minutes for one fan to get his autograph. Given the remaining time, we didn't seem to be able to get it. The event was planned for one and a half hour and if one person takes that much time..

Time passed and it was 4:30. The line got short by half. As expected, the door of the model house was closed. I was throwing tantrum because of all the waiting I did.(I was really mad..it wasn't even Hoyoung(one of GOD members)..I even had a slight cold and waited for over 2 hours..) I tugged my sister-in-law's arm to leave.

We headed to the parking lot to go home and there was BYJ's car there. The place was already swarmed with people. My sister-in-law, who was sad not getting his autograph, wouldn't leave without seeing him get in the car. So we waited a little at the parking lot but BYJ wouldn't come. An announcement was issued a little later that BYJ was going to do 30 more minutes of signing autographs. He was heard to say that he could not send fans back empty-handed in this cold weather. So the autograph event was prolonged till 5:00.

It was 5:00 now, but the line wouldn't get short. Another announcement came out. BYJ said he would extend it for 30 more minutes. To me it seemed that he would not leave before giving his autographs to everyone who was waiting. I came home because I wasn't really feeling well, but it made me ponder on a lot of things..

Is BYJ not a popular actor? BYJ was the one whose drama (WS) easily beat in 2 or 3 weeks 'Women World', whose popularity was sky-high(a then-popular drama). He is a top-class star in Korea. Literally BYJ is a 'star'. A top-star at that.

And still he extended originally one-hour-and-a-half autograph session to longer than 2 hours. All was according to his wish. He carefully handled his fans' gifts. When I was waiting at the garage, his manager came out to move the gifts to the car. I have seen only SJ, OJ and CK (*GOD's managers) so far. Till then I thought managers were the same kind of people. I was right next to the car and as soon as I saw the manager's face, I habitually ducked, because I thought I would get yelled at.

But then..the manager smiled and politely asked me to step aside to open the trunk.

And I watched him open the trunk and arrange the gifts..he wasn't throwing them in but meticulously putting them in one by one. I could see that he was handling them with much care. And he kept smiling and smiling..

Do you think it's because he was a manger of a star whose fans are not as many as GOD"s? Those who were in the garage at that time..they were not fewer than GOD fans by any means. The gifts BYJ got weren't fewer than GOD's. I could see their attitude (to fans) was fundamentally different.

Photographing and recording with a camcorder were prohibited today. The person who got BYJ's first autograph gave him 5 books as gift. BYJ asked, "What is this gift?".."this is 5 books.".."What are titles?" The fan who gave 5 books told him all 5 titles and BYJ smiled and thanked him. As he started signing, the fan took a picture with his camera. Bodyguards around BYJ told him that it was prohibited.(BYJ had 4 bodyguards around him). The fan ignored them and clicked the camera again..the body guards again told him not to..the fan ignored again..the bodyguards again told him not to.. in the end the fan ended up taking 8 pictures alone. BYJ was just smiling all along and signed his autograph.

What would have happened if she were one of GOD fans? If she were in teens, she would have been caught by hair. If in her 20's, she would have been yelled at and been confiscated of her camera and the film.

I felt sad..They(GOD and BYJ) were stars all the same, but why do they treat fans so differently? If I were BYJ"s fan, I would have been very proud today. Although another autograph event was scheduled on April 13th, he did his best today.. I thought it was beautiful.

I was a little pissed, so I shot at my sister-in-law, "It's because BYJ didn't have next appointment!" But I felt sad that day.

--omit

[caroline]

Let's have another look at those beautiful TENDER MOMENTS .......

^_^

[Guest chiligoyo]

Cute artwork done by a fan..

[Guest liezle]

[Trans] 'People who made BYJ'

Translated and posted by Yoon in BYJ's Quilt

Note : This was actually translated from a VOD which I cannot find

BYJ has heated up Japan and behind this Korean Wave there are people who helped BYJ from behind to become today's Yonsama. We 'Entertainment Express' met those people who made Yonsama today.

BYJ has become a cultural ambassador and a biggest contributor in transforming the image of Korea to a country they want to visit and want to know. These days they say that he yields economic effect of $1 billion including revenues from tourists. He is getting all the attention from Korea as well as Japan.

For the first time in the media we reveal the making of his photo collection. Can't you feel his strong masculinity? These are images of BYJ you have never seen before. Aren't these images very intense?

subtitle: I challenge myself

Q: Do you think you will do this again in the future?

BYJ: I will do this again if I need to..but it's impossible to maintain this shape, because it's just too hard (laughing).

This is the guy who transformed BYJ's body.

Q: What did you do to shape him up?

Trainer Im Jongpil: BYJ had continuously done weight training for 3-4 years. And for the last 3, 4 months we followed a program for professional body builders to reduce the fat layer and define muscles in a short period of time.

Q: How do you feel about the success of BYJ's shape up?

Trainer: When I see everyone give their opinion about the star that I helped with shape up and like what they see, I feel as if I am the author of a comic.

There must be tremendous sweaty efforts and pain to be of a shape even Mr. Korea (the highest title for Korean body builders) acknowledged.

Q: What was difficult in working out?

BYJ: As I worked too hard, I became overly sensitive. I would get easily upset. When someone ate something delicious, I would get so hurt.

Subtitle: Trainer's confession

Trainer: I offended him once by eating sliced spicy rice cake. When on a diet, you can't eat rice cakes and anything spicy. I could eat it because the competition was over (for me). I tried to eat behind his back but I got caught. I felt sorry for him because he was so hungry for it.

Q: Which MC needs to work out among MC's of this show?

Trainer: I personally like and respect Cho Hyunggi as I am his fan. But he looks like a water sprayer because he sweats so much. I like his passionate broadcasting style, but on the other hand it seems he isn't in good shape. I personally would like to train Cho and make him the 2nd Yonsama (MC's laughing)

subtitle: Catching up with BYJ's fashion from head to toe

BYJ was chosen as the best dresser of the year in Japan. This lady worked hard behind his various and fantastic fashion styles.

Q: What was difficult?

Stylist Hong Eunkyung: About his clothes, hairstyles, glasses and accessories in Winter Sonata, I was nervous and worried because his previous image was a little sober and he used to wear dark colors. But in Winter Sonata I never dressed him in black. When I suggested the bright colors and the hair style, he was very reluctant. Now I am very grateful that he completely trusted and followed my judgement and I think that's why it bought success..which I thank him for.

Those who made his photo collection: From masculine images to soft smiles, this man captured every movement of BYJ's appeal.

Q: what was BYJ's reaction at the first shooting?

Photographer Kim Tae Whan: We had known each other before, but he felt a little awkward when we started working together.

Q: Which photo is your favorite?

Photographer: I like them all because they contain his personal and professional images. As for personal photos, I like ones with kids and also ones in his sleep.

Q: Whose idea was was it?

Producer: A lot of BYJ's idea went into it. It has been 10 years since he debuted as an actor. He wanted something he can have as a legacy. That's how it was planned.

There are still un-sung heroes behind Yonsama. Those who developed a variety of character products and intense interest from domestic medias in MYJ's every move also played a big role in creating Yonsama syndrome. But above all, the biggest contributors are fans. Why do they go so crazy over BYJ?

Q: About BYJ and his fans?

Producer Lee Gijin: Fans follow him to everywhere and that's how a small accident happened. But the way he handled gave a chance to show them his human side. But it's also true that there are some people saying that it's just a showmanship. Well..people who spend time with BYJ..including his manager, company people his family and friends and other close entertainers, they all say the common impression they get from BYJ is his humanity.

subtitle: Let's talk about BYJ as a person

Photographer: He is mischievous, very funny and humorous.

Stylist: He is very human. I personally think that's why we could work together so long.

Trainer: He sometimes set me straight like my real older brother. Whenever I appear on a TV show, he personally helps to coordinate my clothes and would massage me.

Manager Yang Geunwhan: BYJ..he always tries hard and challenges..and has a big heart.

One of those who made BYJ is BYJ himself!

[caroline]

(Trans) 'BYJ in autograph event' written by another star's fan

Posted at OB, written by 'ddalgi gongjoo'(strawberry princess)

Translated and posted by Yoon

Thanks Liezle for this article. This just shows how caring and wonderful Yong Joon is towards his fans whom he regards to as his family .... I'm so proud of him....

Hey Chiligoyo, love that cutie pic!

[Guest chiligoyo]

Shhhhhhhhhhhh..................

another artwork on Winter Sonata~

[caroline]

......another shhhhhhhh........

Yong Joon's dogs....

Clipper.... strong.... like it's master.....

General.... cute and lovable.... like it's master....

[Guest frances]

~~ its really a joy reading all these long articles on yong joon.....and with the success of AS in japan, it only proved the immense popularity of yong joon and the beautiful film he made w/ Dir HJH & SYJ is truly worth seeing .....

thanks so much bb for another long and wonderful translation

[Trans] After Hanryu is Gone, BYJ Remains

bb: This was written by Japanese fan Mikan15,

and Truelove77 translated it into Chinese to share with us.

I personally enjoyed it very much, and thought it was a good piece of writing,

thought it would be a shame not to translate and share with fellow fans.

Sorry, did not manage to obtain Mikan's permission before translating.

Mikan, if you happen to see this and my translation bothers you,

do let me know. I will have it removed straightaway.

------------------------------------------------------------

Original in Japanese: Mikan15 (ミカン) 2005/06/30

Translated into Chinese: Truelove77 / www.loveyongjoon.com

Translated into English: Happiebb / www.joonsfamily.com

[Prediction Came True]

When Hanryu has Come and Gone, Bae Yong Joon Remains

How are you, my family?

The weather is really unbearably hot (Laughs).

I was thinking I should write something today…

And then I saw Miyorin-san’s posting, saying she was feeling sad

as some media articles are reporting

the waning of interest in Hanryu = the waning of interest in Yon-sama.

So let me just write something about this.

Well, the way these reporters came to that conclusion was all wrong,

so there’s really no need for us to get all bothered by it (Laughs).

A couple of days ago, I also saw an article on a certain sports magazine

that said for the month of May, the number of Japanese tourists to Korea

had fallen drastically year on year.

That article had used a caption that said something to the effect

that it’s all over for Hanryu

and insinuated that Yong Joon’s popularity was also wearing off.

Although I was unhappy to see that, it couldn’t be further from the truth,

so I merely treated it like trash and just laughed it off.

That’s but of course…

The Winter Sonata trip, visiting the shooting sites…

No matter who the fan was,

certainly it was satisfying enough to just make one trip to follow the drama trail,

not many people would be making the same trip three or five times, right?

Or at least most people would agree with me on this on, right? (Laughs).

Winter Sonata had created a nation-wide fever,

affecting people from every part of Japan,

but after Winter Sonata, there was no other drama

that could induce or entice fans to visit its shooting sites.

And there was no other drama that could prolong the lifespan of Hanryu in Japan.

There was also no other Korean star

whose reach and power could parallel those of Yong Joon’s.

So it’s only logical people’s desires to visit Korea would slowly wear off.

And the sudden decrease in number of Japanese tourists for the month of May

was largely due to the political friction between Japan and Korea.

The mood was not right for the Japanese public to travel to Korea.

It’s really much too hot today,

I simply cannot bring myself to write anything long,

so let me repost an old message from 11th December last year.

The posting title was:

[Prediction] When Hanryu has Come and Gone, Bae Yong Joon Remains

I’m not really reposting this for fellow fans to read,

but I do hope that the media will read it.

There will not be another Winter Sonata, and there will not be another Yon-sama.

This is not as straightforward as those fads and trends you see.

The real stuff will stay on after the fever has died down,

and this is something that many, many Yong Joon fans had experienced

some seven months ago.

Coverage on Korean stars have been shrinking on TV and in the papers;

many Korean stars have been organizing fan sessions,

but such sessions generally do not make hot topics.

I think it is true that Hanryu is losing steam.

The fact that Hanryu is waning off is not a good thing for Yong Joon.

I do hope to see other stars appearing on the scene, but so far, nothing.

In terms of movies and TV dramas,

Korean productions will become a genre or rather,

stay on as a specific category in Japan entertainment.

Good (Korean) productions will be well-received in Japan,

but I believe the craze will go away eventually.

But… Yong Joon is not someone who cares about how high his popularity has soared,

he is someone whose feet are firmly rooted on the ground

and he will just continue to work and give his best to his work.

Fellow Japanese fans, let’s all get ready,

let's make April Snow a great big success,

let us support Yong Joon for a long, long, long time.

[Prediction] When Hanryu has Come and Gone, Bae Yong Joon Remains

First posted on JOB 2004/12/11

There’re only twenty days left of 2004,

the year that saw the fever of Winter Sonata and the craze of Yon-sama.

As the year draws to an end,

Korean stars are still making a beeline to visit Japan.

Amongst these, there are also some Korean stars

who have been here for five or six times in this half year.

The Japanese market is touted to be six or seven times the size of the Korean market,

so it’s perfectly understandable that these stars will want to come

and lend strength to further build on their popularity.

But on the other hand, as so many of them come and come again and again…

With such intensity and frequency, surely we will tire of it all very quickly?

Can it work this way?

The torch that ignited the Hanryu in Japan

as well as the main player in the Hanryu phenomenon was and still is Bae Yong Joon.

The hot sales of DVDs and books, the increased visits to Korea,

the red-hot product sales brought about by CF effects…

All these economic effects have only one key link and that’s him.

And because of Yong Joon and Winter Sonata,

people have also started to explore other Korean works

and started to learn more about other Korean actors,

yes, indeed the scope of the Korean entertainment scene has been widened.

But, despite all these, there still has been no other actor or drama

that’s been able to achieve the astonishing support

the way Yong Joon and Winter Sonata have.

In actual fact, this cannot be achieved so simply and so easily.

Under such circumstances,

the TV stations and the movie distributors in Japan,

as well as the publishing industry are still jumping on the bandwagon

to import works by other Korean stars,

they’re still jumping in to ink contracts,

to organize activities and to publish photo books.

The same with the movies, regardless of the quality,

they will buy them so long as they’re “made in Korea”.

And these are not isolated cases, not just one or two cases;

there are heaps of such cases.

Hearing all these, I therefore predict that with such (mindless) intensity,

Hanryu will not last long.

The TV stations and the movie companies in Japan are all in a big hurry

to discover and promote substitutes for Yon-sama, substitutes for Winter Sonata.

But why is it that Japan cannot produce actors who possess the charisma

such as Yong Joon’s?

Why is it that Japan cannot make dramas that become a social phenomenon

such as Winter Sonata?

But even if no serious consideration is given to these,

it is still nonetheless very difficult to “import” substitutes from Korea.

And if no effort whatsoever is put in to produce a Japanese star

or a Japanese work that can conquer Asia,

then in terms of the cultural development and competition in Asia,

Japan will increasingly lag behind the rest of the Asian countries.

In my opinion, it is also a mistake if Korean stars only “eye” the Japanese market.

Japanese media will only report intensively at the peak of a craze,

and the moment a replacement appears,

the media will not even take a second look at the “passé” products or stars.

Such is the mentality of the Japanese public at large.

Therefore, instead of busying oneself with promotions in Japan,

the stars might as well be good and concentrate on making good works in Korea.

I believe that the very fact that Yong Joon’s popularity is so high in Japan

possibly has something to do with the fact that he does not set his sights on Japan,

and even his photo book was produced in Korea totally.

No matter if it’s agency in Korea or IMX in Japan,

they are not the very big, very famous entertainment agencies,

therefore the media does not feel much pressure.

They will freely say anything, including negative or even damaging things

when reporting on Yong Joon.

After Yong Joon, the other Korean stars who come to Japan

are all backed by large-sized agencies, big recording companies and TV stations,

and they will not be attacked by the media.

This is really a world of a difference from Yong Joon’s case.

Knowing this, I would like to say to the media,

even if you want to promote certain stars,

you should not be impolite or do injustice to Bae Yong Joon.

Because there will not be any Hanryu without Bae Yong Joon…

However, all this while, I would imagine that the person

who’s looking at all these in a cool and calm manner

would be Bae Yong Joon himself.

The photo book was planned before his explosive popularity erupted in Japan,

and for this project, he had put in extraordinary effort and hard work.

The same applies for his next work.

Although there have been offers from Asian countries including Japan,

his decision was still to make a Korean movie.

In a span of eight months, he had only had two official visits to Japan.

Compared with other Hanryu stars, this number is almost pathetic.

But, when it comes to things that he should do,

he has always been doing quietly.

It is indeed very wise of him to not do anything

to forcibly and purposely maintain his explosive red-hot popularity.

When Hanryu is over, the Yon-sama fever will also quiet down.

Media the whole world over will then say,

“Bae Yong Joon is no longer popular”.

But it’s okay.

He will, he definitely will use his every work to touch the audience,

and when he comes to Japan to promote his work,

he will still show us his usual smiling face.

Why? Because he is a real star.

There are two types of popularity.

One type of popularity can be likened to Tamagotchi and the Centipede toy,

you know, things that suddenly become hot and must-haves,

but after the craze has died, no one really knows why they were hot in the first place.

The other type of popularity can be likened to stars such as the Beatles.

Not only did they create a fever when they visited Japan,

they continued to receive very warm support with subsequent new works.

Also, there’re also works like Roman Holiday that live in our hearts forever.

Bae Yong Joon will not be a “Tamagotchi”, he’s a “Beatles”

and Winter Sonata will become a Roman Holiday, this is my prediction.

[caroline]

.....never before have cup noodles looked so delicious.....

[Guest chiligoyo]

Know what? After watching April Snow and seeing that Yong Joon is eating this brand of cup noodles.. my friend went to buy 2 cups the next day and said "I also want to taste what he is tasting".. haha~!!

Ah.. the power of him~

.....never before have cup noodles looked so delicious.....

[caroline]

Know what? After watching April Snow and seeing that Yong Joon is eating this brand of cup noodles.. my friend went to buy 2 cups the next day and said "I also want to taste what he is tasting".. haha~!!

hahaha...that was so cute of her! ..... hope she enjoyed them!

[Guest Jesw_21]

hello luv dramas a warm welcome from yong joon's thread !! we hope you will join us more often in our sharing of thoughts on everything about BYJ....see u around !!

dear Jess you've got a nice artwork there !! pls share more....but you really did not like the tea yong joon likes ??

i just came from Quilt and Mr. Fumi made another posting...so far, he made 4 postings today, a new record for Mr. Fumi what do i think of K media ?? :lol:

Ha ha! Frances,

sure I'll post more! actually I do have quite a few artworks but I don't have much time to do posting previously.....

happy to see more and more BYJ 's postings! and some pics I didn' see before!

and I LOVE the one BYJ took when he was small, and the jap fan add the'Old & New' logo on his top...SOOOO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!

Aja Aja!

Jessica