Winter Sonata (Drama - 2002)

Korean Wave star Bae Yong-joon to hold fan meetings in Tokyo

Source | 2009/06/23 | Permalink |

Bae Yong-joon emerged as one of Japan's most sought-after celebrities since his TV drama "Winter Sonata" hit the Japanese airwaves in April 2004.

Bae became one of the first big stars of the Hallyu ("Korean Wave", explosive popularity of Korean pop culture especially in Asia).

"Yonsama", his Japanese nickname, was even chosen as the most popular word in Japan in 2004.

After all these years, the craze for him is still palpable in Japan and come this September he is to meet some approximately 50,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, the largest stadium in the city.

On Sept. 29, he will promote an animated version of his megahit TV drama "Winter Sonata" and will hold another fan meeting on Sept. 30 to promote his essay on the beauty of Korea.

The two events will be broadcast live at multiplex cinemas across Japan and about 5,000 fans are expected to watch them live on screen.

"Winter Sonata" heroine Choi Ji-woo, widely known as Jiwoo-hime in Japan, will join Bae for the promotio...| More

[Policy] Hallyu under threat? Taiwan is exception!

Source | 2009/06/16 | Permalink |

'Hallyu in Taiwan, No problem!' The Hallyu (Korean wave) has been under threat while in Taiwan the popularity of the Korean culture is on the surge. TVXQ gave concert in Taiwan and received warm welcome. The concert was scheduled to be performed but canceled due to typhoon in May, 2007.
A boy band Super Junior's 'Sorry Sorry' ranked number 1 on various charts, recently. "The popularity of TVXQ (Dong Bang Shin Ki) is higher than that of any other singer in Taiwan. Super Junior's 'Sorry Sorry' became popular as entertainers of Taiwan imitated their dance moves. This indicates that Hallyu is familiar and universal here in Taiwan", said Ra Jin-sun who has studied in Taiwan for 3 years.
The fact that Hallyu appeals to people in Taiwan has been found throughout the history and culture of Taiwan. Taiwan has the longest history in Asia in terms of overseas popularity of Korean culture. In 1997, a craze for learning Korean language was ignited in Taiwan as Clone gained popularity. In 2003, ...| More

Bae Yong-joon Named Honorary Curator of Japanese Museum

Source | 2009/06/04 | Permalink |

Korean Wave star Bae Yong-joon has been named honorary curator of Iwayama Lacquer Art Museum in Japan. The museum is operated by Korean lacquer artist Jun Yong-bok, who has gained worldwide recognition, and is the largest of its kind in the world.

Bae's agency, BOF, says the actor is currently writing a book on Korean culture and that he visited Japan secretly in February to learn lacquer art from Master Jun. "Bae Yong-joon learned the entire lacquer painting process firsthand, and as the honorary curator of the museum is determined to publicize lacquer art and hone his skills as well as bring lacquer art closer to the public", said the agency.

Bae is currently voice-acting in the anime version of the TV drama "Winter Sonata" along with actress Choi Ji-woo, and will publish a book later this year.
...| More

Korean Drama OST Concert to Be Staged in Japan

Source | 2009/04/24 | Permalink |

The "Korean Wave Gala Concert 2009" will be held at the Tokyo International Forum on July 11.

The concert will feature Korean singers who took part in the original soundtracks of Korean dramas which have been popular in Japan. They include Ryu, who sang the theme song of "Winter Sonata", Zero of "Beautiful Days", July of "Stairway to Heaven", and Hong Jong-myung of "Beautiful Lady" and "Happy Together" (starring Lee Byeong-heon).

Actor Park Hae-jin, who appeared in "Famous Princesses" and "East of Eden", will attend as a special guest. ...| More

Korea Can Learn From Japanese Drama Production

Source | 2009/04/20 | Permalink |

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Korea and Japan have been at center stage when it comes to television dramas, and the Korean Broadcasting Institute has revealed the differences of the two close yet distant countries' drama production.

According to the report "Comparison on Drama Making of Japan and Korea", led by researcher Kim Young-duk, the acting fees given to local star actors exceed those in Japan, decreasing the competitiveness in the drama production market. While local actors' pay account for 60 percent of the drama budget, Japanese actors based on a similar budget receive only 20 to 30 percent the amount.

"Excessive fees can lead to oversized production costs, which may also lead to poor profits. Korea must come up with a rational fee estimate system by observing objective data", the report suggested.

The reason why Japanese actors don't get paid excessively is because of negotiations carried out based on accumulated data. Japan emphasizes what is called "potentia...| More