Bae Yong-joon Japan's All-Time Favorite Son-in-Law

Actor Bae Yong-joon, Japan's favorite son-in-law who is nicknamed "Yonsama", demonstrated unflagging popularity despite a long absence when he attended the opening ceremony of the "Hallyu (Korean Wave) Expo in Korea" on Jeju Island on Wednesday.

Having participated in the shooting of new drama "The Four Gods" ("The Legend") for several months on Jeju island, Bae arrived at the expo 10 minutes late sporting a ponytail and a grey suit. Upon his arrival, his Japanese fans who came to the event to see him cheered and waved, which caused Jeju Governor Kim Tae-hwan to pause while delivering the opening speech.

The media also showed great interest in covering Bae. When Bae emerged from behind the stage and not from the entrance where he was expected to appear, cameramen destroyed the photo line to scramble toward him, causing havoc. And later when he left the stage, reporters even scuffled with the event's staff trying to chase after him.

Bae's Japanese fans showed their passion for the Korean actor by staying until he left, despite cold weather. A wife from Tokyo even said that Bae had saved her life. Having fought with breast cancer since 2005, she said she had experienced a "three-part miracle", with the first part being her healing of the spreading cancer, and the other two parts her complete recovery after she fell in love with the actor.