Japanese advertising firm Dentsu selected Korean actor Bae Yong-joon as the fourth most talked-about product in Japan in the first half of the year. Bae owes his explosive popularity in Japan to his role in the drama "Winter Sonata".
Dentsu asked 1,000 Japanese people who are over the ages of 15 to choose the most popular product of the first half of 2004 from last Monday to Friday. The advertising company announced the results on Thursday -- the "Athens Olympic" and "DVD recorders" shared the No. 1 slot.
Kansu products came in third, riding the health food craze in Japan. Fifth was the U. S. movie "The Last Samurai, " sixth was "The Lord of the Rings ? The Return of the King" and seventh was Japan's most hapless racehorse, "Haruurara".
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