Films Starring Son Ye-jin Attract 10 Mil. Viewers in Korea, Japan

Actress Son Ye-jin, also known as "Yejin Hime" in Japan, has broken a box-office record, with her films having attracted 10 million viewers in Korea and Japan.

With the three films "April Snow (2005)," "A Moment to Remember (2004)," and "The Art of Seduction (2005)" screened in the two countries, Son has attracted a total of 10 million viewers in 2005 as a new box-office queen. No actress has ever broken such a box-office record simultaneously in Korea and Japan in such a short period of time.

Her box-office breakthrough was foreshadowed in Japan on Sep. 8, when the film "April Snow" was released in the country. "April Snow" has attracted about 800,000 viewers in Korea. But the film has garnered 2.72 billion yen from box-office ticket sales in Japan, with about 2.4 million Japanese viewers estimated to have seen the movie. This was the top box-office total among all Korean films that were screened in Japan at that time.

The box-office record of "April Snow" in Japan was greatly attributable to the co-starring role of actor Bae Yong-joon, also known as "Yonsama" in Japan. Nevertheless, Sohn herself greatly appealed to Japanese audiences as a promising Korean actress with great acting ability.

The tear-jerker "A Moment to Remember" has proven to be another box-office hit. Just 45 days after its opening in Japan on Oct. 24, the film broke the previous box-office record of all Korean movies that had been released in Japan. Currently, it is being screened at major theaters in various regions of Japan, including Shibuya, Tokyo. The film is expected to garner a ticket sales total of about 3 billion yen, which amounts to about 2.5 million viewers.

In addition to breaking box-office records of Korean movies in Japan, Sohn will also likely break another record in Korea with her new film "The Art of Seduction" (directed by Oh Ki-hwan and produced by Chungeoram), which opened on Dec. 21. The film attracted more than 1 million viewers in the first week of its release, and ultimately will likely lure a total of 3.5 million to 4 million viewers.

"'The Art of Seduction' has already won recognition in Japan for its value as a commodity, given that HappyNet of Japan has bought the film for 3.5 million dollars. If it is released in Japan early next year, the film will likely attract at least 1.5 million viewers there. This means Son's films will have lured a total of 10 million Korean and Japanese viewers in less than a year," said an official from Barunson, Sohn's promotion agency.