: : Simply Bae Yong Joon : :

. . back again . .

2007-01-22T13:08:00.000+08:00

Hiya guys,

It has been a long absence from Yong Joon's world for me, with occasionally dropping by some forums to do some followups, but not good enough because I'm so out of track. Most of the time is due to work coz I can't get to surf them in office and when back home, too tired from the day's work to surf further!

Some updates of what's going on with my life now. Work had been too stressful, I finally decided to throw in the white towel and moving on to a new one. This kinda explains the low profile for the past few months! Oh yes yes, my harddisk, it's alive with all data intact, and the most precious data recovered are of coz our darling's stuffs!

Being so out-dated, anyone can tell me when is Yong Joon's new drama going to start?

. . aftermath of Rain . .

2007-01-22T04:30:00.001+08:00

Yo yo yo!!! Came back from the concert since 11 plus and I'm still not asleep now even though it's already 3.30am and I have to work tomorrow! Why? Because I have this Rain Syndrome that's making me surf and surf for things of him and his concert! Totally smitten by him now.. *oops*

Our golden tickets!

Thailand Fan Club posing for the cameras!

The big poster outside of the entrance!

The long queue to get in! Waited 1 hour plus!

The reception! Everyone's waiting to take photo, but I just snap from afar!

We were one of the first few to get in!

Bird's eye view from where we were sitting!

Rain's hiding behind! Everyone screamed whenever that curtain moved an inch!

From where we are, we can see the front and back stage!
His concert was a blast!! Though we were sitting like the last 2nd row of the stadium, it was on the left hand side of the stage and considering we were pretty near to him compared to those in the middle and we were totally pleased with that!! Even those sitting beside me were saying how lucky we were to be sitting there coz not only we can see the front stage, we can also see what is going on at the backstage! With 2 big TV screens, they were the alternative way to see Rain's face!

Boy, was he a CUTIE!!!!!! He was really really cheeky and when he revealed his smile on that cute face of his, everyone's heart just melted! I know mine did! 3 words to describe him, cute, cheeky and darn darn darn sexy!!! The way he dances, moving his butt and washboard abs, man, I just wanna bite him! And like what I've seen on the video of his first concert in Seoul, I'm seeing them live in my own eyes and the effects were really really good!

It got off a pretty slow start for me initially. I think maybe coz I was in a bit of disbelief being able to see the real him, but from a far. The word to describe is... surreal, I guess. After a while with all the familiar music which I hear daily started coming out from his mouth and with the screaming fans around, I warmed up and started screaming like nobody's business! We were lucky that the people sitting around us were pretty 'onz', especially my row. We started chatting even before the show started and were really comfy with each other! Truly, you need to have such crazy company in order to enjoy concerts, else you better don't go!

Too bad, most of his songs are from his new album which I haven't got myself familiarize yet and can't sing along. But watching him dance is already enough to keep me occupied! The most funny thing during the concert was that he tried to communicate with us with English. Though he really improved a lot, but there were some sentences which we can't really hear it clearly and we all had the same reaction, that is... "What??" but we screamed and shouted along anyways.. *LOL*!

There was one particular song which involves lotsa dance moves and with his left hand injured in HK, he tried hard to dance and even had one move which involves him to use his left hand to support. After he did that move, he occasionally clutched his left hand, indicating the pain he felt and manz, was that a heartache for us! It was pretty touching, seeing him trying hard to bear with the pain and put on a good show for us.. The show went straight for 2 hours without any break and it ended with a big bang, showers of confetti blown into the air and him waving his hand while he slowly descended under the stage.

So darn reluctant to let that moment just end so soon but it was back to reality afterwards when everyone tried to squeeze their way out of the stadium. Missed him already the moment I got off my seat! While waiting for my dad to fetch us, we saw a crowd standing at an area with cameramen on standby, we knew we may just catch another glimpse of him! But, Dad came too soon before Rain stepped out, so that's it! *sigh* When will I get the next chance to see him?

. . it's Rain-ing tonight . .

2007-01-22T04:27:00.001+08:00

This entry was written a few hours before the concert.. hee!
Ahhhh... I'm darn excited right now coz I'm going to watch Rain's concert tonight!!!!!!!!!!

U know, I've been wanting to catch his concert since a year ago after watching his first concert in Seoul on a video! And I dunno how but I kinda know he will hold a tour concert at the end of 2006 and I was detemined to get the best seats! But I was darn disappointed when I thought it is wasn't true. Then then then.... came the news of him holding the concert in Jan 2007, I was overjoyed!! But.. came the news of the pricing of the tickets, boy was I shocked. I think it shocked everyone as well, because the most expensive ticket was $888 and the cheapest is $188! My jaw dropped. Period.

Somehow, $888 ticket did not take place the seats were reserved for the VIPs. I guess they realised it was too ex? *shrugs* Anyway, I reserved 2 x $188 tickets for myself and my cousin! It is the most expensive ticket I ever paid for a concert. I watched Jay Chou's concert for front seats at $150 in 2005 and I can see him like right in front of us. But for Rain's, I will be bringing a binoculars.. *pout* But.. IT'S OK! Laugh all you want at me, I don't care! It's the whole atmosphere of being in the concert with the same crazy people out there that makes the whole difference between going there and watching at home!

Ahhh.. so looking forward, I'm even practising singing his songs now.. wahaha!!! Should I bring glow sticks?? Or maybe paste glow sticks all over me so I could stand out and maybe he will notice me? Hohohoho~!!

. . hdd crashed . .

2006-10-29T21:20:00.000+08:00

My worst fears are confirmed.... my laptop crashed on me and majority of my Bae Yong Joon collection were in there!! I do not know if there's any way to recover my data but my friend assured me that he will be able to get them back, provided my harddisk is working. Oh manz, I should have backed it up on a CD.. I told myself I should but... *sigh*

Anyone care to share their collection with me? *puppy eyes*

. . back in action . .

2006-08-21T20:05:00.000+08:00

This has got to be the longest break period ever since I started this blog! It's been like what, 1 month already? And I thought it is a ghost town by now but hey, my traffic counter is still ticking, which means, you guys still dropped by! *touched* Thanks for all the nice comments, both old and new friends!

I've recovered from my loss of my Grandma and ready to be back in action! However with forums being blocked at my workplace, I can't can't access to read up on our Yong Joon's updates! But hey, that will not be my excuse of not updating myself!

Allow me some time to read back and update myself first though and yeah, I miss Yong Joon so much!!

. . thank you guys . .

2006-07-16T03:49:00.000+08:00

My grandma had passed on a few hours ago. I'm glad that her suffering days were over.

For those who've kept her in your prayers, I sincerely thank you guys from the bottom of my heart.

. . grandma . .

2006-07-09T02:01:00.000+08:00

The songs I posted in my blog are making me sob big time as I thought about my very sick grandma who's lying in the ICU right now. The possibility of her recovering is very little...

I'm sorry that I am not posting anything up these weeks because this is really not the time for me to do such things. Would like to ask a favor, that is, to keep my grandma in your prayers as I really want her to suffer no more.

Thanks.
Christine

. . dae han min guk . .

2006-06-15T00:52:00.000+08:00

Have had one great long weekend break and *heaved a big sigh* all things just ended yesterday, it was be back to work today.. :( Why do good things always pass so fast?!

What have I done during the weekend? Very very eventful! Firstly, had our first training session on a Sat morning-cum-noon on customer service, so 'interesting'! *roll eyes* Then, head on to Tanglin Mall for the Flea Market. Not very good business this time round, I mostly blame it on the World Cup Fever.. *sobberz* Better luck next time! Then on Sunday, it was my new born niece's 1st month and my cousin held the celebration at my place with buffet and stuff. Later that night, me and my fiance headed to Genting, Malaysia for a short trip and we just came back tonight! It was relaxing but tiring though with the bus journeys and stuff.

Anyways, 2 big events during this period. Firstly, my birthday that fell on the 13th.. hee! The whole trip was a pressie from my mum and my fiance took time off to accompany me, which I think was the best present for me! I enjoyed myself, minus having headaches almost daily, prob due to the altitude (by the way, Genting is located at one of the highest highlands in Malaysia, main attraction is the theme park and casino) and the massive big group of smokers polluting the fresh air of the highland.. *roll eyes*

Oh yes yes yes... I came home to receiving a big big surprise from my artsy lovey friend in my email!! With the help of the pictures I shared in my Yong Joon blog and my pic of me and my fiance, she edited and created the above picture for me as a birthday present! I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I saw it! Wouldn't that be nice if Yong Joon really did took that pic with me? Hmmm.. so which picture do I actually prefer.... hmm.. tough one, but I shan't make my choice, coz I really can't decide.. hehehe!!!

Secondly, it's the World Cup and the best thing was, Korea's first game was held on my birthday itself and yep, they gave me a BIG present by winning the game!! They had a nervous and slow start initially, I was literally jumping up and down my seat at the atrium (where they had a big screen showing the games) and I can't help but kept beating my fiance's arms whenever they miss handled a ball or whatsoever.. my poor darling.. haha! But the thing that got me so excited over this game was the fact that Yong Joon may be watching it the same time as me though we were worlds apart! It's like the only chance I could do something together at the same time with him, you know what I mean? Hehe! :p

*looking at the World Cup schedules* Next game will be 18th June! Can't wait to share that special moment with Yong Joon again... hehe!! And I hope Korea fight on to the semi-finals so we will have many more such special moments before the World Cup is over.. haha! *pop the dream bubble*

Dae han min guk *clap clap clap clap clap*
Dae han min guk *clap clap clap clap clap*

. . world cup . .

2006-05-29T19:19:00.000+08:00

World Cup is arriving in 2 weeks time and I just can't wait! I'm not a usual soccer fanatic, and definitely not a fan in soccer gambling, I just love the hype when everyone get together to cheer and boo!

One team, however, that I will definitely keep my eyes on is the Korean team! I've mentioned many entries ago that me and Korea, somehow has this fate going on and Korea never failed to amaze me in many ways. It wasn't just the entertainment that caught me. 4 years ago this time, I wasn't yet a big fan of Kdrama or any K-artists, but I was crazily supporting Korean soccer team. I was very pleasantly surprised because they suddenly emerged from big names like Germany, Brazil, as a pretty strong team, yet representing Asia.

That is Yong Joon watching the World Cup in 2002. When I first came upon the photos and clips of him watching soccer, I was quite amused because I didn't know he was that of a sporty guy (yes I know I was totally wrong coz I later found out that he does like sports too!) and probably too busy. Compare to Kim Seung Woo who almost jumped off his seat, Yong Joon was the quieter one cheering and clapping. But his facial expression when he got excited, it is almost too cute to describe.. hehe!

Will Yong Joon be able to catch the World Cup again this year? *cross finger*

. . aera interview part 2 . .

2006-05-25T00:36:00.000+08:00

AERA Special Edition No.51 9/30 issue
Evolving Hanryu (Korean Wave) - Bae Yongjoon "April Snow" (Part 2)

During this interview, he looked at me straight in the eye and would never diert a look even a moment. Even while I took notes with my face down, he gazed at me with earnest look. Indeed, he is a man of concentration. Though in quiet tone, when it came to the talk on acting, he began to express his thought with enthusiasm, gesturing with his hands.

It is 11 years since he debuted. It usually cannot be possible for the man who has continuously been a top star to throw away all of his own acting style, in addition, among exceptionally big expectations on him from domestic and from foreign. Bae Yongjoon, however, dislikes more than anything living peacefully in the image fixed as an actor.

I revealed our hope to him, who said that he still had not escaped from Insoo completely, that we would like to have the image of Insoo as a concept of the photographs for this ‘AERA’. For an instant, he looked puzzled, as he came here in bright clothes, but immediately he nodded, saying "I understand."

How cruel thing I said to him to return to the role in hardship! Having a bit of thought we should change the concept and seeing him, he already showed an earnest expression. Once standing in front of a camera, he took a deep breath as if he toned his feeling. In a moment, a smiling face disappeared and his look began to wear melancholy. Only his deep signs and shutter sounds were sounding in the room. [Chris: I'm so very impressed by Yong Joon's professionalism.. totally. If I'm the reporter, you will see my jaw dropping on the floor]

I imagine it was seriously hard for you to throw away all your acting style in the past. Why did you dare to do that, though your 'perfectionism' is what no one can imitate?

BYJ : (Thinking for a while) As you said, so far I liked 'perfection' and never failed to think that there should be a correct answer. In other words, in my behavior as well, I had been searching for a 'correct answer'. But, in so doing, I think, I might have constructed a kind of frame, in which I have been shutting myself up.

You mean, not only about the films, but you are talking about your way of thinking and living your life, aren’t you?

BYJ : Yes. This time, however, I think I could break the frame by myself through this work, and could broaden the width of my understanding. Say, I came to think that love can take various forms.

In this film Insoo was seriously hurt and was put into an agony by his wife’s betrayal, but he ironically let himself into doing the same thing. Through experiencing the moments in such ironical situation with inconsistencies, I felt various things. Can the relationship between Insoo and Seoyoung be called love?

In the beginning I could not grasp even the outline of the relationship of the two. Since I had wanted to have a correct answer for everything, I was so confused and had a hard time. In such confusion, however, I gradually came to accept it. There might not be a 'correct' answer. Various forms of love can exist.

And I realized love is what one believe in. I think it is the hardest time when one cannot believe in love.

You have thrown away all of your acting style in such a big work like this in the midst of surrounding expectation. Is it from your confidence that you still could accomplish- it in the end?

BYJ : (with a bit shy smiling face) Surely, I think I can do, for anything, when I believe I will definitely make it. And even when I may not make it, I will try my best to the last moment to achieve it. If it turns out to be a failure, I will not regret. This time also, since I believed so, I could take up this project and could obtain a lot from it.

On the day of crank-up of this film, after the final shooting, Bae Yongjoon felt hard to leave there and was standing on the highway with Director Hur Jinho for over 30 minutes. He, who had been Insoo himself, felt there still was something left to be shot and could not help missing.

Just after the crank-up, I asked him about his feeling, and he answered like this: ( AERA, August 1st , 2005 issue) - "I felt the end of shooting as a beginning of something. Because, I thought too many things while doing this work. How should I live as a human being? I thought it over and about love as well. I think it a good chance for me to reflect upon myself as an actor."

This sincerity with which he considers anything in earnest is the very posture he has consistently kept.

As for the works Bae Yongjoon appeared, there are not a few excellent works which carefully projected the social backgrounds of Korea This is also the result of the fact that he himself has selected the works thoughtfully.

Just like 'April Snow' of this time, I think you have been outstanding in your selection of the works. What is your priority when you decide the work?

BYJ : 'April Snow' is an exceptional case where I decided to appear before the scenario was completed. So far, I always read the scenario first and think how far I can recreate and develop it as an actor. For, the fate of an actor is to evolve himself through the works. And I also think it important to be able to feel any charm from the role I would play. I try to find any similarity in myself as well. For, while in performance I have to live completely as the character even though it happens to be a thorough unfamiliar figure to me.

It is a great pleasure to experience various lives other than my own thanks to being an actor. And it is another charm of this occupation that I can make some impression and influence on a number of people through my works.

. . aera interview part 1 . .

2006-05-25T00:13:00.000+08:00

AERA Special Edition No.51 9/30 issue
Evolving Hanryu (Korean Wave) - Bae Yongjoon "April Snow" (Part 1)

From "April Snow" he makes love evolving.

Is there any Asian star who has been loved by a large number of people this much?

Bae Yongjoon, an actor who has gained popularity and passionate support not only in Japan but in various parts of Asia as well. In his second starring film "April Snow", he challenged the difficult role who agonizes in love. His natural performance painfully shakes the hearts of the audience.

What does he think and will aim for now that he has reached a fresh ground as an actor? He talked about his determination quietly but passionately.

Interviewer and writer: Rumi Hayashi ( Books Editorial Division)
Photographer : Osamu Kobayashi (Photographing Center)

On the final day of coverage in his visit to Japan, and that, as the last scheduled coverage, Bae Yongjoon appeared in the interview gallantly with that smile in which not a tint of fatigue was impressed, though he must have managed to finish awfully hard schedules.

Valiant appearance and overflowing dignity. He performed an ordinary man in this film, but still, the word 'young noble' did fit him who was standing in front of this writer. Maybe because of his longer hair, he looked more youthful than in the film, and the figure slimmer than before impressed his good style.

On seeing me, he walked towards me for shaking hands. As soon as I greeted him in Korean, he answered back ‘Omeni kakarete ureshii desu.( Glad to see you.)’ in beautiful Japanese in that low voice.

"April Snow (Original Title "Wea Chul")" is an extraordinary talked-about film which will be simultaneously released in 10 Asian countries, and for whose press conference in Japan more than 1,100 mass media people gathered. I imagine the pressure put on his shoulder seems unfathomably big.

Insoo he played is a difficult role who, in the agony of being betrayed by his wife, is getting to know a new love. In the press conference in Korea, he said, "I almost feel ashamed as if I were exposing my own experience."

I hear you haven’t seen the film in Seoul and in Japan, either. Why?

BYJ : To be honest, I feel tense very much. The working style I took in this film was what I have been wanting to but couldn’t do in the past. Because this is the work which was shot by such a new methodology for the first time, I am much worried about how the audience will respond to my new acting. When I come back to Seoul, I think I will watch the film in secret with the audience in the theater. Thus, I would like to enjoy the film in the same air with other people.

In that case, you have to disguise yourself in costume, don’t you? Hahaha, but it will be nice!

In the film I can see, in particular, the weak part as well as the unbeautiful part , and pitifulness in man. I know you all had a hard time in shooting the film, but how come you became able to do such a natural performance?

BYJ :This time I determined that I would live a life as the man, Insoo, not to mention in the site of shooting but also in the hours other than shooting. So far I had prepared myself thoroughly for the role I would play before entering the performance. When I didn’t complete the situation or the emotional magnitude of the role yet, I almost impossibly couldn’t act in front of a camera.

But, this time, instead of acting through words, I tried to feel the emotion, what I feel in each moment, rather than act it. And I was supposed to create the situation itself by myself. Without any preparation, without any calculation. If any preparation I was allowed to do, it was only a preparation for the heart which will determine to become a man himself.

This work, of course, was very hard for me, but while advancing, I came to have somewhat a strange feeling. I unawares came to be able to express or react to spontaneously what I couldn’t feel in the past from time to time. I gradually came to make such things without noticing.

Because I had never thought that I could express such feelings and actions in front of a camera, it was a new discovery for me. In that sense, this is a work which served a big harvest for me. Finishing this work, I can expect myself in the next work, and in the further following work. I think I have grown to be able to learn various things.

To quote the scenes concretely, I find a reality in the figure which is not smart, such as in the scenes where drunken Insoo bangs the door wrongly, or where he cries in his motel room alone. I almost believe that it may be the real figure of Bae Yongjoonssi yourself.

BYJ : Ah, that is an impressive scene for me, too. In the scene where Insoo cries in a motel alone, if it were old me, I would have calculated immediately, thinking of the position of the camera, of the angle in which I am shot, and would have considered I have to show myself like this and that. I would have thought it is important to have a communication with a camera. That is, I had always cared about beforehand how I would be shot. This time, however, I did not think at all how I acted. I was only thinking I would like to be faithful to the feeling at that time. That’s all.

In that scene I cried with nasal mucus flowing. But, I didn’t even realize it at all. If formerly, when I had a running nose in such a crying scene, I would have definitely wiped it or hidden it, would have done something like that. At that time, however, because I was actually crying without noticing it, I found it on the monitor later, "Ah, I had a running nose!" [Chris: I remembered the whole theatre was giggling away when we all saw that scene. And yeah, I was surprised, too, that Yong Joon would allow that to be shown.]

The scene where Insoo gets drunk and goes to sleep in the room of Seoyoung is also impressive. Insoo who wakes up in the next morning with his hair disheveled looks very innocent and strikingly real. [Chris: And extremely cute and sexy! *giggles*]

BYJ : That’s right. The wake-up scene you talked about now is the only scene in this film which the director gave me OK for the first time by one take. It’s the only scene completed by one take, for the first and the last.

With this work, I rather think that the director gave us OK comparatively soon in the scenes we express strong feelings. For example, for the scene where I burst into tears while drinking alcohol together with his junior, the scene where I get drunk and knock on the door of a motel, and the scene where I cry alone in a motel, OK came out by about 2 takes.

I heard there were only a few scenes which the director gave OK sign quite easily, weren’t there?

BYJ : Yes, we shot one scene at least 15 times, and as many as 60 times at most, over and over again. In that aspect, Director Hur Jinho may have something common with me in respect of being a ‘perfectionist’.

At such time, what kind of conversation did you have with the director?

BYJ : Since he just told me "Try to turn completely into a person", I had no choice but to do what the character might feel.

In this work, there were almost no situation and lines which had been completely decided beforehand. We talked with the director scene by scene, and sometimes roughly discussed what Insoo might have thought at a certain time. But, he didn’t give us any decisive advice. He said it was the most important for the work to express what we felt by ourselves to the last. To say about him most, he would just say "Oh, that may be right." (laughter) So, I feel we have created the film at each moment.

The director simply told us "Well, let's start." But, since nothing wasn't decided then, I didn't understand what I should do. For example, there was a scene where Insoo and Seoyoung were standing. He gave no direction at all to us except for the two persons being there. So I asked him "What should I do?", and he just said, "Just be standing there." That's it! I was totally puzzled. I thought still there should be anything more. For a while, I felt very awkward. Then the director said OK! Wondering why this was OK, I asked him and was said, "That awkward feeling was good." He told me that performance should be not what actors make but what comes spontaneously out of the feeling they feel at the moment. I think I have studied and felt a lot from Director Hur Jinho.

. . drop dead gorgeous . .

2006-05-23T23:48:00.000+08:00

Everybody, Let's .....

..... SCREAM!!!!

. . music player guide . .

2006-05-21T04:21:00.000+08:00

It's... 4.19am on a Sunday morning right now and I'm still typing away. I didn't want to waste the weekend time sleeping away because sleeping always makes the day past faster and I really don't want Monday to come by too fast! So I decided to post this guide which I promised some of you to create your own music player on your website or blog! Please note that these codes are not written by me. I just happened to found this great player one day and after experimenting the codes and stuff, managed to get it all up and running! Below are a few things you need to have before you proceed:

1. A website builder that allows ample space for uploading your mp3 files and allow enough bandwidth. I strongly recommend www.freewebs.com. (Note that you will have to be a member for one week before you can really upload more than 500KB of files)

2. Download this > flash_mp3_player.zip and get it unzipped.

3. Lotsa files and folders in the zipped file but not to worry, u really only need to work on 3 files, i.e, config.xml, mp3player.swf, playlist.xml.

4. Create a folder called 'mp3' in your website builder and upload whichever songs u want to play on your site. The bigger the file size, the longer it takes to download and some people who visit ur site may not have a good speed to download files, u may want to make sure ur files are not that huge in size.

Moving on to editing the 3 files that I mentioned above. For xml files, they are just like HTML files, you can use Notepad (Start > Programs > Accessories > Notepad) to edit.

1. Mp3player.swf - just upload this file onto your website builder. No editing needs to done for this.

2. Playlist.xml - this file is where you edit the address of your songs (eg. 'http://www.webbuilder.com/mp3/song.mp3')which you have uploaded. Inside the file, you will see the example of how the code should look like. Basically you just need to edit the address of your song (within the location code) and the song title (within the annotation code). After you are done editing, upload into your webbuilder (but not into the mp3 folder).

3. Config.xml - this file is where you configure your player to ur liking. Take a look at the codes, you will get to realised that you can actually choose to autostart your player, to shuffle the songs, to adjust the volume, to repeat your songs in the playlist..etc. Those that you want them to happen, change the code from 'false' to 'true'. For colours wise, you can try playing with the colour that you may want for your site. You can use the colour chart and see which suits the best. Upload the file into your webbuilder after you are done.

4. Please see this > code file for the code on what to enter in your blog codes. Just edit the address of your files in the codes. You can also adjust the width and height in the codes. Choose the appropriate place where you want to display your player.

Violaaa... your player should be up and running for you! Let me know if you are encountering problem by emailing me to luvjoonoppa@yahoo.com.sg!! Enjoy!!

. . ppilku . .

2006-05-21T03:32:00.000+08:00

Just found out the name of the debut movie which Yong Joon started out his acting career in. The name of the movie is called "Ppiku". Maybe I'm the last person in Yong Joon's world to have found this out.. haha! I'm gonna do more research on it now!

Movie Name: Ppilku a.k.a. 삘구 (Bilgu)

Debut: Production began in 1993 or 1994, completed in 1995, released on 18th July 1997

Directed by: Yu Jin Seon

Starred: Lee Min-Woo (Ppilku), Kim Kyum Yong, Kim Ki-Yeon, Hong Il Kwon, Bae Yong Joon, Kim Seung Su, Lee Sye Chang, Won Ki Jun

Runtime: 97 mins

More info: PpilKu is a Korean movie that began production from 1993 or 1994. Ppilku completed filming in 1995. However, it was not only until 1997 before it was finally released into the general public. The movie has a runtime of 97 minutes. The content of the movie is loosely based on Salut D'Amour, a KBS drama series filmed in 1994.

Ppilku tells about a group of high school boys who were attracted to a sexy school teacher who was assigned to be the form teacher the class the boys were in. One of the boys, Ppilku, formed relations with the teacher.

Amazingly, despite so many years since its debut, this film is reproduced in the form of DVD and on sale in Amazon Japan (here). From my point of view, I think it is because it starred Yong Joon, despite him being only a small-time actor in this movie.

Sources:
http://true.to.love.drama.en.infoax.org/en/PpilKu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PpilKu
http://www.hf.rim.or.jp/~t-sanjin/kakchonfan_pirgu.html

. . jae-ho and yong joon . .

2006-05-21T02:05:00.000+08:00

I'm accompanied by Yong Joon at my bedside almost every night these days before I go to sleep and the moment I woke up, he is almost the first person I saw every morning! Had been watching "Have We Really Loved" these days and I'm so hooked to it! Honestly, I did not finish watching it on my 1st round and this is my 2nd time and definitely will not be my last of course!

I've seen reviews and lotsa posts about the fans' feelings after watching this drama, but I usually tried to refrain from reading them because they usually contained the spoilers and I don't want to know them before I finish watching. I'm currently on disc 20 and like what many fans felt after watching the drama, it was hell of a roller-coaster ride of emotions... sadness, pain, anger, happiness.. all rolled into one. If you haven't watch it, you should really head down to the nearest video shop to buy it or rent it!

Jae-ho, the mentioned of this name, my heart sometimes felt this pain as if an arrow had hit right through it. Being the strong man, brother, friend and nephew that he wants to portrayed to everyone, was in fact a really fragile and lonely figure, yearning for someone to love and only one saw the real him and could make him feel loved. The way Yong Joon acted as Jae-ho in this drama, made me feel that he was as if acting his real life out, hiding behind a fictional character. Of course, both have many differences in each lives, but still there is this similarity that I can't really describe it. Maybe he is just too good in acting, but still.. ya know... hmmm.. Can't help but recall the time he attended the recent wedding ceremony and mentioned that he was full of envious for the couple.

I think I know what the story ending is going to be like and I hope I'm wrong because I want it to be a happy ending. For now, a good big box of tissue is what I will need most. Will talk more about my feelings for this show later.

. . its been a while . .

2006-05-14T03:31:00.001+08:00

Been missing in the Yong Joon scene for quite a while, popping once a while in the usual forums I've always been visiting. Thank goodness for those who always keep the forums updated, you know who you are and I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart! I haven't had the time to browse and read but you guys offered me a one-stop station for any updated news of Yong Joon!

It had been kind of a busy and stressful 2 weeks at my new workplace, it's just sad that I can't seek as much comfort in Yong Joon land as I used to whenever I felt stressed or just want to take a breather from work. Yeah I'm serious, seeing Yong Joon's face and smile really does made my day a little less gloomy and cheered me up a bit and it's back to work in a happier mood. Well, don't really have that much private space in the new co. thus I wouldn't dare to do so. Maybe once I'm more used to the place and its culture, probably I'll slip in more often.

I'm missing Yong Joon as much as ever, thus I'm rewatching 'Have We Really Loved' all over again every night. These days, he is always the last person before I fell asleep. :)

PS: For those who are curious on how to have this music box in your blog, drop me a mail to luvjoonoppa@yahoo.com.sg and I will try to draft a guide on how to do so. *wink*

. . music box & yiruma . .

2006-04-30T01:18:00.000+08:00

Yeah! My music box is up and running as you can see from the right and hear the music playing.. :) (Tip: Mouseover the song list and you will see it auto-scroll the list down!).

I love these piano songs, especially from Yiruma. Yep, his name is Yiruma and intially I thought he was a Japanese guy (I have a poor sense of language..), I was really surprised when I found out that he is actually a Korean. His Korean name is 이루마 and his Chinese name is written as 李閏民.

I'm quite poor in K-Music scene, thus I actually chanced upon his works when listening to some songs and was determined to find out who the pianist was. Then while I was playing through some of his songs from my collection, I realised that one ofhis songs (maybe one or more? Pls correct me if you know..) was actually part of Winter Sonata's soundtrack. You can hear from my music box, titled, "When Love Arrives".

Will find out more of him tomorrow. Enjoy the songs first.. *wink*

. . seoul far seoul good . .

2006-04-25T21:08:00.000+08:00

Channel 5 is having this show called "Seoul Far Seoul Good" on TV right now. As you can tell from its title, it's all about Korea and yep, I waited till 9pm for this show to start! PS: I rarely can remember programme schedule, but this... I have to watch! Needless to say, Bae Yong Joon will be mentioned too because they will be introducing Winter Sonata shooting spots too! So how can I miss it right? I rarely see Yong Joon's face on TV, except when watching VCDs!

Ooops... commercial's over!! Back to TV!!!

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Commercial time again! Ahhh.... they make me want to go Korea again! I've been there once but that was before I got so hooked to Kdrama!! Next section, they are going to show the wholesale market and they found socks with Yong Joon's face printed on it!! Hey wait, I think I have them! BYJGlobal sent them to me!!!

Back to the show!!

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Some points to take note (typing and watching at the same time~):
1. Must go to Myeondong for shopping!
2. Must go to Kosney (?? Will do more reseach later!)
3. There's someone who can teach foreign visitors to cook Korean food, Miss Lee!
4. www.tour2korea.com

All.. end of the show and no Yong Joon!! Next week maybe? *cross finger* I will definitely stay tune!

Okie, just caught the trailer for next week, it's going to be Lovely Samsoon, some palace and the Seoul Stadium for 2002's World Cup. No Yong Joon? *faint*

Oh manz, www.tour2korea.com is currently running so slow! Everyone rushed to that site after watching that show?!? Someone get out so I can go in!!

. . yj and his thoughts . .

2006-04-24T10:51:00.000+08:00

Reading this article kinda saddens me.. knowing and reminding me again how lonely Yong Joon is despite his popularity, glam and wealth and the only things we can do for him is to support and believe in him..

BYJ, "Whenever I watch wedding, I feel envious"
Moris posted this on the Talk Box of BYJ's official home.
Korean to English translation by Joanne
[Nocut News]4/23/06 17:37

BYJ attended the wedding of Mr. Lee Yongkyu, 5 year manager of Song Seungheon and sent envious eye gaze.

'Yon-sama' BYJ, shooting 'Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi', blockbuster drama that produced before airing, made a surprise attendance at Song Seungheon's manager's wedding which was held on a boat at Han River raised bank in the afternoon of the 23rd, and watched wedding couple with envious eye gazes.

BYJ, saying "I am just envious when I watch couple who marries happily like them," joking which sounded true, "Whenever I come to wedding ceremonies, I feel envious and lonely." As he sincerely hinted his thought of wanting to meet a good person and marry also right after the shooting of film 'Oe Chool' last year, persistent thought on marriage by BYJ did not heard only as a joke.

Although BYJ's attendance was not expected, it seems actually that his friendship with Song Seungheon worked quite a lot. In addition, BYJ who shares the same management agency with So Ji Sub, who has close friendship with Song Seungheon, was able to spare time on that day as it was a weekend day.

BYJ, who wore black sunglasses and black formal suits, sat down in a sofa on the second floor along with So Ji sub and gladly shook hands with Song Seungheon, and also gladly shook hands with people in the business whom he met in a long time.

Although BYJ in the location site photo reported along with news on crank-in of the 'Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi' already over a month ago had with some weight gain, BYJ on this day has returned to his previously solid and healthy appearance again. His long unpermed hair draping down to shoulders confirmed that he was preparing for the period drama.

Different from appearance of stars who usually show face briefly and goes away, BYJ showed sincerity of watching scene until the address of an officiator of the wedding had ended despite the fact that the wedding ceremony was rain delayed.

Reported by Namgoong Seongwoo,socio94@cbs.co.kr
Copyright ⓒ CBS Nocut News(www.nocutnews.co.kr)

. . BYJ & SSH . .

2006-04-24T10:43:00.000+08:00

This is absolutely new to me! I've always been wondering who are Yong Joon's good friends in the entertainment industry, I mean the artistes and I'm so happy that Song Seung Heon is one of them. He's like one of the first few K-artists that I like during the days before Yong Joon!!

BYJ-Song Seungheon "We are like older brother and younger brother"
Tigger mom posted this on the Talk Box of BYJ's official home.
Korean to English translation by Joanne
[My Daily]4/23/06 14:05

BYJ & Song Seungheon, the two Korean Current stars met on the same day in the same place.

They attended the weddiing of Mr. Lee Yongkyu, a manager associated with GM Planning, who was ringing wedding march at the Arirang Beomseon Wedding Hall inside Han River Citizen's Park in Kwangjin-Ku, Seoul at 1:30 PM on 23, and displyed extraordinary friendship.

The reason for 'Yon-sama' BYJ, who is shooting drama 'Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi' in Jeju Island and Song Seungheon, who is in military service in the Victory Troop in Hwacheon, Kyeonggi Province, to meet at the wedding of Mr. Lee Yongkyu on that day was because of special faithful loyalty. Song Seungheon attended even by taking 6 nights and 7 days' regular vacation time to give congratulation for happy beginning of Mr. Lee Yongkyu with whom he shared hard and good times for 5 years since past 2001, and at the news that Song Seungheon, with whom he has had special relationship calling each other older brother and younger brother in ordinary times, would be out on vacation after a long time, BYJ came there and brought glory to the occasion.

BYJ's management agency told, "In ordinary times, he has special relationship with Song Seungheon calling each other older brother and younger brother. Upon hearing the news that Song Seungheon will be out on vacation, he came to attend the wedding on that day."

....omit....

[Photo was taken by Han Hyeokseung,hanfoto@mydaily.co.kr]

Reported by Nam Anwoo,naw@mydaily.co.kr
Copyright ⓒ My Daily

. . BYJ & SJS . .

2006-04-24T10:02:00.000+08:00

[MD Photo] BYJ-So Ji Sub, 'The Korean Current top stars are in one place'
korean to enlish translation by Joanne
[My Daily] 4/23/06 13:35

'Korean Current stars, BYJ & So Jiseob were in one place', attended.

Mr. Lee Yongkyu, manager of Song Seungheon, married at Arirang Beomseon Wedding Hall inside Han RIver Citizens' Park at 1 PM on 23.

The Korean Current star BYJ(left) attended with his long hair bound in back of head, and in natural style wearing black sun glasses and suits and without wearing tie. So Jiseob entered to the wedding hall following BYJ also in the same fashion coordination as BYJ and wearing hunting cap.

Reported by Han Hyeokseung,hanfoto@mydaily.co.kr
Copyright ⓒ My Daily

. . you took my breath away . .

2006-04-23T22:38:00.000+08:00

Yong Joon, I'm too young to have a heart attack but my heart skipped a few beats and my breath took away when I see your beautiful beautiful picture!

I'm almost speechless..

Okie.. just one more..

He looked like a smart horse, walking gracefully with his gorgeous mane of hair flowing with the wind..... absolutely breath-taking..

. . wax figure in mdm tussaud . .

2006-04-23T09:05:00.000+08:00

"Oh my god" was the the first response to seeing his latest pics and I'm totally jealous of those girls who stood so so close to him! Anyways, he seemed to have the same kinda hairstyle as the one taken for Lotte Duty Free (see below entries), maybe taken on the same day, but anyways, he look darn gorgeous here.. darn darn gorgeous!! Now, look at the pic which he took with the girls, gawddd.. this is like the perfect height a man could have for a girl!!! Just imagine, if he were to hug you (or rather, me! *bleah*), your (or rather mine!!) head would laid nicely on his oh-so-muscular chest and your (mine mine mine!) arms would wrap nicely on his well-measured waist..... simply heavenly! *eyebrows bobbing up and down* Okok very carried off here, but can't a girl just imagine... *heaved a sigh*

What was this pic about? Apparantly, Yong Joon was invited to join in the Madam Tussaud family in Hong Kong and yes, we will be able to see a real life wax figure of him in the museum soon!! I figured this day would come, but didn't know so soon and this news still served as a big surprise! Below is the report of the lady in the pictures above:

Jakarta posted this on Freeboard of Daum.net's byjintoronto Café.
This is from a blog by http://blog.naver.com/bigeyes15/30003815433

Korean to English translation by Joanne and posted in BYJ’s Quilt

Who is this person!?!?!? That is exactly Yon-sama~
Hanayuiinyeon 2006/04/21 16:56

There was a sudden phone call from director of China Team at the National Tourism Office and asked me if I could translate for Yon-sama^^ I said I will do it naturally and unconditionally and right away, I began preparation to meet Yon-sama. My hair cut for that...I didn't know that it would make my face this big..I was totally sad. Look at my face completely like steamed bread. I am so sad..(crycry)

This translation was about doing a wax doll on Mr. BYJ and displaying it at the 'Madamn Tussaud' Museum in Hong Kong. It had the very big significance, as BYJ's full-length wax doll will be displayed for the first time as Asian. The work lasted 6 hours and it was enormous. They worked really on details, eyes, nose, mouth and even wrinkles and color of hair were all checked in detail and took patterns.

Mr. BYJ copied one of poses in the WLS, and did the pose continuously for 6 hours, and it did not really seemed to be an easy thing to do. If it were me, I would have said to do it after some rest saying I was tired...Without any of such things, he continuously smiled, and he rather commented to the staff that he really liked as he was able to do such a delightful shooting & said that it was likely to remain in his memory for his entire life, making their hearts comfortable

Really amazing....It was the professional attitude after all^^

The shooting had ended, one cut for the last! Even though tiring, had an enjoyable time...!!! People on both sides are all staff at 'Madamn Tussaud' A man with black hair behind, is very wonderful English gentleman~~~

Well, he's after all, Bae Yong Joon.. *wink*

. . gorilla and yong joon . .

2006-04-23T08:40:00.000+08:00

You see, patience really does does pays off if you are willing to just wait a while more. Some people did and the present they received waiting outside the newly opened restaurant, Gorilla, a glimpse of the ever gorgeous Yong Joon and with additional bonus, So Ji Sub! As Mishio called it, "Steel Will" Would I have done so? BB got me thinking.. I think I will if I'm in Seoul with a few willing kakis to accompany me.. hee! Below is the report:

Style posted this on the Talk Box of BYJ's official home.
Translated and posted by Joanne in BYJ's Quilt

Yongjoon-nim, who appeared at the 'Gorilla in the Kitchen' in yesterday night

They say Yongjoon-nim has been much interested in well-being food since he was building body for the photo work of [The Image] photo album.

Menus placing key points on health with natural ingredients and without using artificial seasonings...

As they say you personally devised menu along with JP-nim, how much were you curious about provisional opening of the Gorilla yesterday?

Having been so, as was expected...

Last night at quiet time,a black Porche stopped in front of the Gorilla and at the moment when the car door opened, there was brilliancy in surroundings..
Yongjoon-nim and manager-nim getting off the car.

Six fortunate fans including Japanese family who had eye-witnessed that scene...

Yongjoon-nim, who gave greetings waving hand with brightly smiling face while walking up the stairs to the second floor at Gorilla, and turned around again after going up all the way and waved hands!

He was wearing baseball cap-his hairstyle was the very pony tail style you are so much enthusiastic about! As the bound hair had grown longer than previous time, he has wonderful appearance like Terius. Several strands of loose hair were fantastic.

His face lost weight more since the last time(early April) so that it revealed nicely tapered beautiful outline, (I) felt that his fingers were also more slender when he shook hands...his outfits were blue jean and jacket in khaki color with beige tinge.

As that appearance was very very much brilliantly handsome and beautiful so that all lost words....

At his appearance of walking up stairs striding by 2 to 3 steps as he has long legs while other people would go up by one step, and at the scenes that would become arts by themselves, our party who fell into illusion as if all of us were watching a scene in a film...

After he entered in, he sat on a table on the first floor with manager-nim and talked with him. After about 20 minutes, he went up to the second floor and came down to outside walking on staris and at that time, he gave greetings by taking off his baseball cap...

All of us shook hands with him twice, gave him presents we had prepared, and after giving greeting of cheers for the 'Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi', we bid reluctant farewell...up to this is Yongjoon-nim at the 'Goriila in the Kitchen' last night........

. . fans and their artworks . .

2006-04-20T10:10:00.000+08:00

New artworks by fans of Yong Joon are posted up to forums almost everyday and they always never failed to amaze me of their commitment to spend their time and devotion to sit down and do such things for their beloved guy. Artworks ranging from flash works, gif animations, photo-shopped jpegs, frame by frame of video captures, and what amazed me the most, the hand-drawn portraits of Yong Joon. Oh yeah, the artwork above is made of wood. Can you imagine? *jaw drop*

Ok, I don't know that much of Yong Joon fans (I'm a shy girl.. hee!), let alone their personal life, so I won't know what they've studied before, worked as or their knowledge to be able to create such wonderful artworks. But one thing that I've learnt from reading some articles, is that many picked up these skills while loving Yong Joon. Me, 24 years of age, studied multimedia (with flash, website designing skills) in Poly and working in the IT industy, seriously, their skills.. beat me! I'm so ashamed.. haha!

The above video is about a particular Japanese program on Japanese ladies (retired, around their 50s to 60s) and their craziness over Yong Joon, one of their husbands was interviewed on his view towards his wife's 'stunts' of Yonsama Craze, including learning Korean language earnestly in order to watch kdrama in the original audio. His answer to the question, "In order to support Bae Yong Joon, my wife is willing to work on it and to learn at this age. I think it is really good because it kept her mind going and maintained her eagerness to learn new things which is much much better than living the rest of her live aimlessly. That's why I fully supported her." Mind you, this sweet old uncle had to eat cup noodles for lunch almost daily while his wife hang out with fellow Yonsama fans' houses! She is a lucky lucky lady to have such a good husband..

I really wonder how Yong Joon felt, knowing that such fans did so much because of him. If I'm him, I would be so happy and proud of them, I smiled with tears in my eyes.

. . big smile . .

2006-04-19T08:31:00.000+08:00

He sure knows how to brighten our days up with that big smile.. :)

. . LYA, soon in sg . .

2006-04-17T13:17:00.000+08:00

Lee Young Ae, one of my fav actresses, is touching down in Singapore in an hour's time and I'm still here comtemplating whether should I go Millenia Walk to have a glimpse of her or maybe the airport.. hmmm! But then again, even if I decided to do so now, it may be a tad late. I'm sure there is a long queue at both the airport and Millenia right now and I don't think I can get too up close and personal. *pout*

Tried that once when Lee Byung Hun came to SG last Feb and even though we reached really early, we were quite far back to see him. *grr* Star-gazing is such a tiring but adrenaline-pumping affair!

. . clarification . .

2006-04-15T23:51:00.000+08:00

I'm.... Chiligoyo (Soompi) aka Luvjoon (Quilt, Blogger) aka Christine (my name) and aka Lil' Chili (hee, Liezle, Frances and BB called me that)!! Now you can even recognise me by my pic (see left..)

I'm terribly sorry for any confusion caused over my name and nicks.. hee! Made a late decision on the nick I want on Yong Joon's sites, thus ya know... *roll eyes* Call me whichever you want.. hee! I'll raise my hand when I recognise any of 'em! :p

. . lg flash with syj . .

2006-04-13T14:53:00.000+08:00

. . april snowing in france . .

2006-04-13T11:55:00.000+08:00

April Snow has reached France Paris!! How exciting! I hope the French would be smitten by the works of Director Hur and of course our hero, Yong Joon!! Camille has posted and translated quite a number of reviews from French to English (Thank you so much, Camille!!!) and April Snow had been receiving quite a number of thumbs-up! Director Hur's April Snow is not just a movie, but also a work of art, and French being the artistic bunch, I'm sure Dir Hur's work will be deeply appreciated! Yay!!

Posted by Camille in Quilt

Hello everyone,

Today April Snow is released in 30 screens in France, 8 in Paris (lucky me), 1 in Paris’s suburb and the others in different cities. Here are the lists :

MK2 Beaubourg, Paris 75003
Le Saint Germain des Prés, Paris 75006
Publicis Cinémas, Champs Elysées Paris 75008
UGC Ciné Cité Bercy, Paris 75012
MK2 Bibliothèque, Paris 75013
Sept Parnassiens, Montparnasse Paris 75014
Le Cinema des cineastes, Paris 75017
MK2 Quai-de-Seine, Paris 75019

Les Cinoches, Ris-Orangis

Majestic, Lille
Le Melville, Rouen
Opera, Reims
Les Carmes, Orleans
Studio, Tours
Cameo Saint-Sebastien, Nancy
Les 400 Coups, Chatellerault
Le Concorde, Nantes
Plazza-Victor-Hugo, Besancon
Star, Strasbourg
La Coursive, La Rochelle
Cinema le Rio, Clermont-Ferrand
CNP Bellecour, Lyon
Le Melies, Saint-Etienne
Les Nemours, Annecy
Utopia Saint-Simeon, Bordeaux
Le Navire, Valence
La Nef, Grenoble
Le Semaphore, Nimes
Diagonal-Capitole, Montpellier
Le Royal, Biarritz

All are on VO with French subtitle.

Btw, there are some more reviews from important French magazines about April Snow, I will try to translate and post here to share with you.

. . habit habit . .

2006-04-13T10:19:00.000+08:00

I cannot go to Soompi these 2 days and I'm getting really 'ticked'! *hmmpf*

It has become a habit, ya know, going into Soompi, Quilt and other forums daily to check on any updated news Yong Joon and even with no updated news, old news kept me happy as well. I'm sure you guys know how it feels. Since the day I started the 'Yong Joon Frenzy' 2 years ago, almost daily without a doubt, I will be surfing on him, especially when I'm in the office. My colleagues have all gotten used to my obsession and whenever they passed by my desk, they would just shook their head and says, "Yong Joon again?" Sometimes they even helped to update me whenever they saw anything 'Bae'.. hehe!

At home, due to many many distractions like TV, parents, brother, fiance, bed (especially!!)..etc etc, I'm not able to surf as much. So I really depends on my office hours to do 'self-study' on Yong Joon.. haha! I'm going to leave for a new job soon, at the end of this month. I'm almost sure that I won't have as much time to 'study'.. *sob* But I'll think of a way to do so... *wink*

. . ah ah shake head . .

2006-04-12T16:52:00.000+08:00

First reaction: "Hmmm....." with one eyebrow up and the other one down*
Honestly speaking and pls, MY personal opinion, I really do not like this hairstyle on him..hee! I initially thought it was photoshop-ed until I saw the flash of Lotte Duty Free. Ohh don't get me wrong, I love him all the same.. but ya know, there are times when there may be just a teeny weeny bit of thing on him that is not quite right.. *rub chin*

I'm quite sure this is not Yong Joon's idea of the style/image because usually he leave this to the professional and boy, he does trust his whole heart and mind with them! This makes me wonder, Yong Joon, do you always agree with them everytime?

. . waiting . .

2006-04-12T10:47:00.000+08:00

Last week - Back View

This week - Side View

Next week... Maybe? *cross fingers*

Awaiting.. awaiting... awaiting....

How many days more, Yong Joon dear?

. . the image in an expert's eye . .

2006-04-11T16:53:00.000+08:00

[Chris: Though an old article and I know it may kind a tad late, but I still want to thank the writer and of course, BB for her wonderful translation for this article. Many a times we placed ourselves on prority and mislooked those who worked hard on it.]

From: BYJ's Quilt by happiebb
Original by: 多英 2005/01/06
Translated into English by: Happiebb 2005/01/07

bb: Would like to thank 多英 for allowing me to translate her essay, thanks!
and the expert's views start somewhere past 1/3 of the article... ;p

[Sharing] The Image – Looking Through an Expert’s Eyes

I suppose not many people would object to the saying 2004 was indeed a year that belonged to Yong Joon.

2004 was a year that Yong Joon enjoyed both fame and fortune.

For the first time, Yong Joon left his hometown for his fans and everywhere he went,
throes and throes of people would come forth to meet him, or just to see him. His new work, The Untold Scandal, seduced the whole of Asia effortlessly whilst his old work, Winter Sonata, conquered the Isles of Japan. His pictorial album flew off the shelves and even his photo exhibition could save lives by rendering help to the victims in the recent disasters.

The Yong Joon fever does not appear to be subsiding come 2005; in fact, it appears to continue to burn brightly towards the new land of America.

2004 was Yong Joon’s hardest year.

In 2004, Yong Joon embarked on the unprecedented training regime that was never seen in the Asian entertainment industry. His body underwent the most rigorous of training and he bore the pain of his muscles being stretched. The tortuous pain of the fitness program tested his mind and challenged his will and he went through tremendous stress mentally. In the end, his determination and perseverance saw him through and what emerged was a perfect physique.

He was ready for the pictorial album.

Work-wise, he spared no effort in fighting the biggest obstacle that stood in the path of his career development – his previous agency. Thereafter, he set up his own agency. From here on, what greeted him were endless questions to answer, endless problems to solve, directions to be set and plans to be made. But Yong Joon… he overcame all the difficulty and teething problems and put into place hundreds of plans and accomplished a dozen or so projects that rocked both Korea and beyond.

2004 was also the year Yong Joon faced the most criticism since his debut.

His total transformation in The Untold Scandal.. Although most of his fans sang praises for his period look, a fraction of them could not accept the extent of his nudity in the movie. But the movie was so beautifully made, so aesthetically crafted, everyone accepted it eventually. So, the arguments against his decision faded away.

For Yong Joon, the most significant and important event in 2004 was probably the making of The Image.

To commemorate his 10th anniversary into the industry, he wanted to present a special gift of love to his fans. This was something Yong Joon had been planning since 2003. And precisely because The Image was something perceived by him as a way of returning and expressing his love for his family, so he was extremely meticulous towards the project.

The preparation time prior to the actual shooting was more than half a year. He did not take the easy way out.. He could have chosen to work more comfortably under perfectly cast spotlight, dressed to the nines and striking picture-perfect posts and just called it a day’s work. But no.. He insisted on a rigid diet and a rigid fitness program; the gruelling and punishing regime haunted him painfully for as long as six months.

But he put up with it all without complaint. All because he wanted a meaningful gift for his family. The laborious pictorial album was finally completed. Although there're two extreme camps amongst the fans towards The Image, sales remain red hot.

For now, let’s not talk about the motivation that propelled people to buy The Image.
Let’s just really look at The Image objectively, from the technical perspective..
Alas, there may not be too many experts around who can examine The Image from a professional angle, who can appreciate the details.

Below is a fan’s account of a photography professor’s comments about Yong Joon’s pictorial album. My dear sisters here may perhaps have a better understanding after reading it, a better understanding of why this book costs so much, a better understanding of other than the high production cost, where its true value lies.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A fellow fan has a son who is studying photography in the varsity and he is studying under a renowned professor in Taiwan. She was keen for her son to bring The Image for his professor’s comments. But her son refused. But once during a conversation between her son and his professor, the topic of The Image came up. Surprisingly the professor urged the son to bring the book for him to have a look.

As the professor pored over each page seriously, the son was thinking, "“Prof has never complimented any pictorial album, this time around The Image is sure to really get it quite bad.." To the son’s astonishment, the professor told him that The Image was a very good production. This surprised the son, and it also aroused his curiosity.

First.. About the Photography

When the professor first started to flip the pages, he had thought that photographs were taken by that famous Korean photographer who was involved in that lawsuit sometime ago. When he learnt that the whole phototraphy team was not some famous who’s who, he was shocked. He opined that a theme such as The Traveller was not easy to manage. But to be able to create such effects as The Image, one could tell that it was a team that was highly professional; a team that was strong and industrious as well. Very admirable.

The professor explained that many people thought that good pictures could be taken so long as one had a good camera and the pose was good. But one could not be further away from the truth. A good or well taken photograph involves site section, site preparation, styling of the subject, expression of the subject, the angle, the pose, the lighting, etc.. it would take ten or more outstanding professionals to work together to achieve.

The professor further complimented on Secret Hysteria, saying that the shooting site was created and not a "natural find".. In cases like this, it could be immensely difficult to create the right mood, the right atmosphere, but the team did a fairly good job in re-creating the setting. The photographs came across as very natural, not at all artificial or too fake.

Secondly.. About the Choice of Paper

When the professor first came into contact with The Image, his first reaction was that of surprise. He was surprised at the choice of material. It was not what the Japanese typically use – the glossy and bright paper quality. Yong Joon’s album uses paper that is not glossy yet it has a sheen to it. When he realised that the album was produced fully in Korea, he expressed surprised at the advancement of paper manufacturing in Korea. As for the Secret Hysteria’s format of alternate pagination,
the professor wistfully complimented, "This is very luxurious.. because the production cost will be higher by quite a few folds."

Thirdly… About the Bodybuilding

After looking at the lines of Yong Joon’s body, the professor was full of admiration. He was of the view that Yong Joon would have to go through a minimum of six months’ tough training in order to attain that physique. Looking at the pictures taken in the prison cell environment, he said that artistically, the feel and mood of the pictures were well crafted.

The Professor’s Conclusion

- Production of The Image would have taken a long time
- Production of The Image would have involved a lot of professional talents
- Much effort, spirit, intelligence must have been invested in the project,
- alongside investment of financial and other resources.

When he learnt that The Image retails at over NT4,000, he commented that the price was not high. He added that Yong Joon’s success must not have been pure luck. To be able to scale to such heights in Asia in the past few years.. Yong Joon must have extraordinary determination.

Along the way of recalling the above account, many of the technical jargon and professional terms were forgotten, for instance, the actual name for the high quality paper and scientific names for the materials used. But the whole point of this message is to focus on sharing what a professional has said about Yong Joon’s work. And perhaps this can help reduce whatever doubts you might have regarding its price. Perhaps this can help you re-think the value of this book.

Because he had not come across any movie script he fancied for the past two years,
Yong Joon put his heart, his soul, his everything into the making of The Image. Along the way, he took up some CF assignments and also led to some people criticizing him for not sticking to his main role as an actor, and some also said he was only interested in milking and making more money.

I’ve no doubt Yong Joon, too, saw these negative comments. He was probably very puzzled.. He was preparing his gift for everyone so single-mindedly, why… why would his effort invite such negative reaction?

That’s our Yong Joon… He’s so naïve and innocent that it’s adorable. Did he think his sincerity and effort would somehow make his family understand and share his thinking? Did he think his family would have complete trust in his love and in his sincerity?

This is not an issue about who’s wrong, who’s right, or what’s wrong and what’s right. The main point of this message is about understanding.

As I read about Yong Joon’s recent contribution towards the series of disasters, I feel he’s genuine in wanting to give something back to the society. He is true and sincere in hoping to use his influence to do something for the world, a world that in his mind is perceived as ONE. So, by supporting him, are we then also participating in doing charity for the society? Sometimes when we affirm others’ actions, we are in a way affirming our own intentions.

Now dear sisters, please do not hesitate or question your own judgement and choice.
At least for now, there is this special someone who is so deserving of our trust. We can believe that he will lead us towards a path lined with humanity, justice and love. Along the way, there will be warmth and laughter too. So long as we continue to think these things, we can face the harsh realities of the world with a smile.

We’re so lucky… For now, we’re happy and we’re safe, what more can we ask for?

. . the real YJ before ur eyes . .

2006-04-11T11:25:00.000+08:00

[Chris: As many may have noticed, I love reading back on old articles of Yong Joon and his past activities, hence you will see me reposting them back in my blog for keepsake.]

Original in Korean: Lee Geunmi / Month Chosun 03/05/2004
Translated into Chinese: Cui Rong Mei / 娱乐时尚 [Date of publication unknown]
Translated into English: Happiebb

The Real Bae Yong Joon Right Before Your Eyes

"What is Bae Yong Joon really like?"

This was something that people frequently asked me these days. Even before I could muster an answer to this question, more questions would follow.

"Is he really so handsome?"
"Did he look smart and intelligent? Was he stylish?"
"Was he friendly and approachable?"
"How did you feel?"

It appeared the days of such continuous questioning would not cease in the near future, so I decided to pen my thoughts and feelings towards Bae Yong Joon.

First of all, let it be said that I feel wonderful!

Wonderful that I could have had the opportunity to interview an actor who is notoriously difficult to secure an interview with. And… thanks to him, I even got a chance to fly to Japan, a place I had never visited before, to interview him. So it’s a meeting worth remembering.

Okay, let’s answer the key questions first:

"Is he really so handsome?"

Of course he is handsome. And he’s got wonderful charisma and gallantry, so gentlemanly I almost died,and that voice, he’s got such a nice voice. Need I say more? If I do say more, you would be jealous! Would I ever have a chance to meet a man more good-looking and charismatic than this, and to have a heart-to-heart talk with him in future?

"Did he look smart and intelligent? Was he stylish?"

He appeared very intelligent. I could not and cannot imagine him to be an entertainer who knows nothing but acting. He's more than that. Perhaps it's because he majored in photography/cinematography in the university so he does possess the basic knowledge, but I had a feeling I met a real professional.

I think if I were to speak with him longer, I would not feel bored and the conversation would not turn dry (This is very different from the standard answers most other people give during interviews). I can feel that he has a lot of passion and love for his work, and he also has clear and well-defined insights and ideals about the industry he's in.

"Was he friendly and approachable?"

He said he's an introvert by nature and does not like to interact with people too much. He appears to have a very strong character and a defined set of beliefs and value system. If the occasion calls for it, he's the sort who will not hesitate to say "no". I’ve not met anyone who is as passionate and driven about things as he is.

In essence, the interview session felt like a real heart-to-heart exchange. To date, I've interviewed no fewer than thirty artistes, but he's the one who has given me the best and most comfortable feeling. He maintained a very sincere attitude throughout the entire interview session.

Before he left Korea, Bae Yong Joon was not feeling well. We met on the third day he was in Japan. When I arrived at 5:30pm for the interview, he was already feeling very lethargic both mentally and physically as he had been attending interviews with the Japanese media since early morning. But still, he did his very best to answer all my questions. His professionalism set him apart from those other actors and actresses who're so sadly lacking in the spirit of professionalism and they would only say "Just write whatever you feel like writing". Here is a man with steely determination, a strong character.

"How did you feel?"

Because the time allocated to me was not long, so my only focus and objective was to figure out how to maximise the time to carry out an effective interview. So I really didn’t have much time to fret about things like how he’s the Star of Asia, he’s a Superstar, or how handsome this man was, etc.

And don’t get me wrong, it’s not because of my professionalism, it’s more of what I call a system of helpless self-defence. I was hired by the Monthly Chosun to do this article. So, this was also the very reason why I did not have the luxury of time
to admire his handsome face and examine those genteel features.

A fan wrote this of him on a website, "It's as if he lives in world of fantasy. This man cannot be real."

Nonetheless… maybe it's because Bae Yong Joon had answered all my questions so fluently and perfectly and all the time sporting an expression of a professional, so I had imagined I was talking to an experienced veteran or professional from the Industry, talking about work. I did not, for a moment, think I was interviewing the best looking man on earth.

To be honest, I saw him before the interview session when he was entering the dressing room to change. I was already taken aback when I saw him then. Well, my feel was that although he was tall and lean, he was very muscular. His face was small and very gentle, but there's something special about his face. His face emitted a magical beauty that was both masculine and feminine all at once.

At that time, my only thought was, "Ah, Bae Yong Joon."

But when he started to smile his sunny smile at the Japanese reporters who were interviewing him, I was thinking to myself, "Now that's how a real sunshine smile looks like.."

After handling a few interviews with the Japanese media, Bae Yong Joon saw me and stretched out both his hands to clasp my hand warmly, "I’m so happy to finally do an interview with a Korean reporter!" The fact he carried himself not like a Superstar,
but as a sincere and honest professional who is being interviewed left me with a very good and very lasting impression about him.

In an effort to gather the necessary information to prepare for this interview, I had visited Bae Yong Joon’s official website. Bae Yong Joon’s fans were very thorough in helping him collect and post news and related information, and they also shared their experience and thoughts about meeting him at certain autograph sessions or other occasions. From their sharing, I had a pretty good gauge of what this man was all about.

Before interviewing Bae Yong Joon, two questions intrigued me immensely.

- During his time in the entertainment industry, he had gone through ups and downs, highs and lows, was he ever worried and anxious?

- He was a star right from his debut, was he ever worried that his popularity would slide?

Bae Yong Joon said he had never thought much about these two things, they did not mean much to him. This is a form of self-discipline and it takes much self-confidence to reach this stage.

During the course of the interview, something I said invited a moment of laughter.

"Many women derive satisfaction from the leading actors, their feelings for these actors are enough for them. So I think there’s no hurry for you to settle down too soon. In fact, I hope that you will get married later."

In that instant, his managers and all the crew members within earshot roared with laughter. For that moment, I just wanted to help all the Asian women who’re in love with Bae Yong Joon convey a message. Although I do not have ESP with these ladies, but I do believe that’s what they want. If Bae Yong Joon were to marry now, their liking for him will definitely halve. Instead of taking an ordinary man's route of being a woman's husband, it's probably better to prolong the style of being a "lonely and mysterious" man. [Chris: Hmm.. I don't feel that way though. I wished he would find his The One soon!]

One thing unique about Bae Yong Joon's style of speech was that he would not place himself first. For instance, when he was talking to me about the Japanese fans who flew from Japan to Korea to see him at the Baeksang Awards, he expressed himself like this, "These people came from Japan." He would not say, "These people came from Japan to see me." In the midst of conversation, he would immerse himself into his words, never placing himself first and on top of everything.

When the interview crossed the half-hour mark, Manager Yang announced, "Three more minutes left." I then said, "Ah, I’ve got so much more to ask you!" Bae Yong Joon also said, "I too do not like it like this." If I had two full hours, then it would surely be a very interesting interview session.

When I was about to leave after watching his interview with TBS TV Station, Manager Yang went up to him, but was asked to leave. (So.. how men often walk away without looking back after the official work is done also happens to a handsome man like him..) [BB: I don’t quite understand what the translator was trying to say at this point.]

Only then did Bae Yong Joon loosen his tie and seat himself more comfortably. When I told him I was leaving, he asked, "When are you heading back to Korea?" When I told him it’s the day after, he was the first to say, "Then let us squeeze some time tomorrow afternoon for more questions." However, as things turned out, I was unable to contact him the following day, so the session didn’t happen.

My overall impression of Bae Yong Joon was that he's natural, comfortable and relaxed. When facing the Japanese media, he too appeared to be natural and relaxed and very calm and confident. He did not have the superficiality so often found in entertainers, he's not just skin-deep like the rest.

The female producer from NHK who had made the decision to air "Winter Sonata" said that the reason why Japanese women like Bae Yong Joon is because in addition to his good looks, there’s an air of nobility about him. According to the Korean way of calculating, Bae Yong Joon is already 33 years old. It is very rare to find such nobility, aristocracy and charisma in a man of only 33 years old. Where and how did he learn or become like this? I need more up close and personal interviews with him before I can find out the answer to this question.

I’ve said earlier that interviewing Bae Yong Joon can be likened to interviewing any professional in any industry. Bae Yong Joon possesses something very different from the rest of the other so-called superstars in the entertainment circuit, be it actors, singers or whatever. The rest tend to be highly superficially and in love with only themselves. Bae Yong Joon stands out because of his noble mannerism, and in fact, he is also very sincere, very true and very real.

If I’ve the opportunity, my idea is to write a research report for Bae Yong Joon based on close interaction and heart-to-heart sessions. Of course, this can only be done with his consent. Regardless, I came away from the interview with a very good impression of this man. That's because when he met with me, he put in his very best effort. He did his best.

When I was walking out of the hotel, I was still thinking and wondering to myself, "Where and how did the nobility come about?" Now, you must know that Bae Yong Joon is the sort who speaks a tad more slowly than most people. And amongst the people I’ve met so far who are at the peak of their careers, or are the who's who in their own arena, he's the friendliest and nicest, and most approachable. And he’s also intelligent, modest and very noble, as if he’s from the royal family.

Was I so deeply drawn and attracted to this handsome man?

Anyway, his sincerity was definitely deserving of the high marks I’ve given him.

. . yong joon and his cammie . .

2006-04-02T00:25:00.000+08:00

Yong Joon and his best friend, the camera!

Always love to see a man so engrossed in his passion.. *love bubbles*

. . wicked wicked . .

2006-03-28T17:14:00.000+08:00

I'm almost botak (bald) now

Try this

weikiat.ikueb.com/thewicked

I'm stuck at Level 19 27

Help!

. . memories of april snow . .

2006-03-25T01:09:00.000+08:00

He is...

He is a husband of a woman my husband loved.
I met him in the hospital my husband and his wife were carried in together.
He showed his sad face looking at his wife who loved my husband, not him.
His feeling that he kicked my door in the motel at that drunken night,
His feeling that he checked text messages my husband and his wife exchanged,
I know them too well.
A man who accompanied me to the funeral,
A man who gave medicine to me who caught cold,
A man who taught me how to scream and to throw a snowball,
A man who made me smile for a while,
A man who cried like a child in my arms for the first time,
His name is Kim In-soo...

She is...

She is a wife of a man my wife loved.
In the dawn I rushed to Samcheok after hearing the accident,
She was crying in the hallway of the hospital.
In the critical patient room her husband and my wife lied side by side,
At the police station I went for my wife's belongings,
In the hallway of the motel in front of the hospital I started long-term stay,
At the pharmacy in a sleepless night,
She was there by the same reason of mine.
A woman who placed the same vase she would place in her husband's sickroom to my wife's,
A woman who raised her overcoat to block the wind for cigarette light,
A woman who told me that she was sick of that winter and wanted to see a season flowers and snow are falling from the sky.
A woman who cried silently in my chest,
Her name is Han Seo-young.

Together they created....

.. an unforgiving but beautiful liaison ..

. . yong joon & piano . .

2006-03-24T21:24:00.000+08:00

Ain't he a charm playing that piano in the above pic? *sigh*

I've seen a couple of short video clips where he played the piano, the first being the making of Taster's Choice ad. But I will really really look forward to seeing and hearing him play the full song! Hee... :)

Yong Joon Yong Joon... what are the songs that you know how to play and which is your favorite?

. . paparazzi . .

2006-03-21T13:34:00.000+08:00

[Chris: "That's the price you pay for fame, Yong Joon!" I'm sure many would be saying this to him when they read up this article. Can't say that I blamed the paparazzi for doing this to Yong Joon, they are just doing their job. We must ask ourselves, why did they work so hard to chase him to the core, causing such disturbances to Yong Joon and his personal privacy?

It really saddens me when I read of the things he tried to do to shake off those paparazzi, eg. changing lanes abruptly. Suddenly I'm reminded of what happened to Princess Diana and I really really really would not want to see him ended up like that. I'm really not against any fan and their craziness towards Yong Joon. I, myself, is guilty as charged as I often whined over when will I be able to see him and stuff..

That's the price of fame, Yong Joon. There is really nothing much that can be done except to hope that you will take extra extra precaution of your health and safety because the price of fame is absolutely incomparable to the price of losing you. ]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"(I never thought) I would be harrassed with paparazzi in Korea also...", Perplexed top star BYJ [Good Day] 3/18/06

Translated & Posted in BYJ Quilt by Joanne
Kwon Ohkyeong posted this on the Talk Box of BYJ's official home.

Top star BYJ is harrassed with 'Korean version of paparazzi'.

Nowadays, BYJ is in the state of entering into count-down on second for the resumption of acting activity with fantasy epic drama 'Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi'.
He is busy with preparation for acting including character analysis & practice on martial arts along with body building which is reaching at the very end, and CF shooting, etc,

Then, recently there are unidentified people who are stealthily following by cars where BYJ moves. At a recent interview, BYJ unveiled, "Nowadays, when I move driving my car, I would discover 2~3 cars which always follows me. It never misses to follow me wherever I go, when I go to exercise or when I come home."

Following on BYJ showed a bit bitterness saying, "Although I have met paparazzi who would take photos following exactly the movement line I was moving when I went out to foreign countries like Japan or Hong Kong, I have not thought if I ever meet shadowing paparazzi in Korea like in foreign countries."

Although the majority of entertainers are the same, BYJ is particulary is one of stars who extremely avoid unveiling private life, friends or family, and home, etc. other than acting activities. It is never a welcoming thing to meet uninvited guests who follow him anywhere he goes like those in none other place than in Korea.

BYJ told, "Fortunately, I tends to have a quicker sense than other people, I have been avoiding the places quickly when I sensed if they watched me secretely with camera lenses from somewhere or there is hint of taking photos stealthily. Although I have not had a big problem thanks to that, despite of that, I do not feel very pleasantly about the fact that there are people who are shadowing behind me."

Due to that, BYJ, when he moves by cars, is willingly submit to trouble of changing lanes abruptly or detouring via wrong places to shake off such shadowers.

BYJ nearly had to stay in lodging due to hot enthusiasm from local fans and media who wanted to see or gather news on him, when he went to overseas for fan meeting events or opening of films. Now, he is suffering bitter insults of paying attention on cameras which might be somewhere even in Korea where he lives.

Reported by Kim Jaebeom,oldfild@gooddayi.com
Copyrights ⓒ Goodday

. . toothache . .

2006-03-21T10:10:00.000+08:00

Lil' Chili having toothache..... exact spot as where Yong Joon is putting his hand on.. *sob*

"Too much wisdom brings you toothache"

. . under construction . .

2006-03-17T15:41:00.000+08:00

Blog . Under . Heavy . Construction

. . the wait is over . .

2006-03-16T14:35:00.000+08:00

New picture new picture~!!!

Can you believe I'm literally shaking, giggling and typing this entry out! First reaction when seeing this picture, giggling. Giggling because of happiness, giggling because he looked so cute, love his hair, love his face, love the way he look with his cool sunglasses! That is the after effect from missing Yong Joon too much.. hee!

Yep, he does look pretty puffed up, all for the sake of his role as a King! Can't expect a King to look all skinny and weak looking, right? Poor Yong Joon, for every single role he had to play, he has to work hard to get into the figure to fit that role, his body has to be as flexible as a rubber band! I hope such roller-coaster rides to his body won't affect his health too much!

Ahh.. I'm so excited of what is going to come in the next few months!!

. . 1st step to GKFG . .

2006-03-16T13:01:00.000+08:00

[Chris: Oh my oh my!! Adrenaline is rushing again!!! It has been quite a while since we last had such adrenaline rush! Finally some news arrived from Jeju on the ceremony which is so important because this will be the start of (hopefully) more news of Yong Joon and his new drama!! And oh my god, those 100 Japanese sisters are so so onz to chasing Yong Joon down to the core!! Let's give them a round of applause for their determination!!]

Posted and translated by Joanne on BYJ's Quilt
Gaeulyeoja posted this on the Talk Box of BYJ's official home.

News have just come from Jeju...^^

(BYJ) arrived at Jeju Airport via Korean Air at 0925AM.
Over 100 Japanese fans were waiting..
He had long hair and white shirt, and wore long leather coat..^^

Additional posting at 11:38(Korean time)

They said he just entered in the venue for the well-wishing ceremony.

. . one says it all . .

2006-03-16T10:46:00.000+08:00

This picture almost summed up all of Yong Joon's drama and movie works! How talented the artist of this picture is, to include all characters in such a cute way!

Can you be able to identify which character is for which drama/movie? *grinz*

. . april snow for real? . .

2006-03-15T15:02:00.000+08:00

You know what? I have a big feeling that Japan (and maybe many countries) may experience April Snow this year.. haha! I'm not talking about the movie, really. According to my friend who is in Japan now, she told us that it is snowing these days, even though now is already mid of March!! How interesting! I wish it snows in Singapore... *envy*

. . shooting starts . .

2006-03-15T14:08:00.000+08:00

[Chris: Received this wonderful news from Gaulsan in Quilt! The wait is finally over!!! Can't wait to see Yong Joon in period clothes again!]

Great King and Four Gods starts shooting on 16th
Source: Yonhap News, Lee Ki Seung, 2006.3.15
Korean to English translation by Gaulsan
Posted in BYJ's Quilt

The shooting of "Taewang Sashin Gi", the drama of Great King Kwang-Gae-To will start tomorrow at Jeju Island Myosanbong Tourist Area.

According to the officials of Jeju Island, the ceremony wishing for success will be held at noon at ¹¦»êºÀ °ü±¤Áö±¸(Myosanbong Tourist area), and shooting will start right after the ceremony.

About 100 people including the director, writer, actors including the main charactor BYJ, staff, and Kim Tae Wan(minister of Jeju Island), etc. will attend this ceremony.

GKFG is written by Song Ji Na, and the director is Kim Jong Hak, who worked together in Sandglass and '¿©¸íÀÇ ´«µ¿ÀÚ'.

The first scene is BYJ playing Kyuk-Gu (Korean style polo). Jung Jin Young, Choi Min Soo are appearing in this scene, too.

This drama will be shot till September, and will be broadcasted domestically and worldwide as 24 series.

The producing company is building a shooting set for this drama at Myosanbong area.

leek@yna.co.kr

. . 2006 kyeongnam . .

2006-03-10T08:23:00.000+08:00

Ah... another commercial of Yong Joon! It had been quite a feast for our eyes and hearts for the past couple of weeks with new commercials of Yong Joon (Secom and Kyeongnam) and the upcoming drama, Great King and Four Gods!

. . this kiss . .

2006-03-08T11:08:00.000+08:00

This kiss.. this kiss... this kissss!

I've always loved the artwork of a fellow fan, Hiyonn. She drew wondering portraits of Yong Joon, they are almost flawless! Such dedicated artist fan, I truly admire her!

. . tall lean him . .

2006-02-20T08:41:00.000+08:00

Can't resist the temptation to post this up!!

After weeks of waiting, finally finally.. a new picture of him! Everyone in Bae Land is so full of excitement right now, I can almost imagine how it will be like when the actual shooting starts in March! Looking all tall and lean with that suave long hair and that V-neck exposing that muscular chest with that big smile on his face which everyone longed to see badly...

Yong Joon darling, you really know how to make our hearts flutter oh-so crazily!

. . engaged . .

2006-02-16T14:15:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

I juz want to share the bliss of being engaged to my guy to all my Bae sisters! Yes, he proposed on Valentine's Day! I'm currently reserving the time for him and taking a break from Yong Joon world for a while to enjoy the sweet personal moment.. hee!!

But I'll be back very soon.. I promise! Yong Joon ssi, if there is ever a chance, pls give us your blessings!! Hehe!!

. . happy vday . .

2006-02-14T10:36:00.000+08:00

Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Especially you, Yong Joon ssi!

. . korea and me . .

2006-02-09T10:41:00.000+08:00

Believe it or not, I know nothing about Korea when I was young. Frankly speaking, I didn't even know such a country existed even until the near end of my secondary school days. Not until I met my penpal, Hye Jeong from Korea. Though she didn't really tell me much about Korea, the first thing I noticed was the uniqueness of their eyes. So Ji Sub has the exact Korean guys and in my personal opinion, I find that really cute and sexy!

When I reached poly at around the year 1999 or 2000, my dad brought my whole family to Korea as there was a suddenly tourism boom to promote Korea in Singapore and visiting Korea then was really cheap. If I'm not wrong, each person about SGD$900, not even SGD$1000. Maybe we were lucky to have met a group of great families in my tour group, but I totally enjoyed myself throughout the trip. Love the scenary, love the steamboats we had almost everyday, love the kimchi, love the skiing and many more! That was also my first time experiencing snow too. Well, silly young me even had a huge crush on a guy in my tour group, it just made the whole trip a tad sweeter and very memorable.. hahaha!! *shys away* It was one of my best trips ever! I miss Korea so much even till now.

Soon, Singapore started showing Korean dramas on TV but I wasn't that a huge fan then. All my friends were going ga-ga on Song Seung Hun and Song Hye Kyo, but because I didn't watch any, I didn't join in. Maybe coz there was no dual sound on my TV and I don't like the dubbing, or maybe I can't accept sappy soaps opera in the language which I'm not familiar then. I gave most of them a miss. My first drama, Beautiful Life starring Lee Byung Hun and Choi Ji Woo. Lee Byung Hun was the first K-actor whom I first liked. Besides his acting, I've read up on his sincerity towards his fans even in SG, from The New Paper one day, I was impressed. One day, he even called up personally to one of the SG fan's office and talked to her for like 5 to 10 mins! All the way from Korea! I started to discover the sincerity the Korean actors have towards the Korean fans. After I caught Winter Sonata, I'm a goner to Bae Yong Joon. I wish I knew him and Korean showbiz earlier, even before I go for the trip. I may have met him before and I don't even know it!! *pout*

I like Korea a lot, I honestly do and it is not entirely because Yong Joon though he is one of the actors who really make me want to know Korea more and learn their languge and culture. The other actor is Lee Byung Hun. I don't know, many people don't really like the language, but I love it. Love the way their speak, love how noisy it sounded when the locals talked so fast and loud, just love it. I am even more amused by the way how Korean characters are written, many lines and circles.

I don't know about politics and such though I know Korea has a lot of these, but I shan't be bothered too much or get affected by any of it. I just know that Korea is a great place to visit with the magnificient scenary you just can't miss! When am I going again? Probably later this year as I prefer the Wintery season. Am saving up now.. hee hee! Maybe I can be able to meet Yong Joon this time round coz it seems like fans got to meet him face to face unexpectedly these days, I may just be the lucky one?! *cross fingers*

. . divert attention . .

2006-02-07T15:50:00.000+08:00

Bare with me for not posting anything up these days coz I'm so hooked to a fairly new drama, I'm Sorry I Love You, starring So Ji Sub now, I am finishing soon! So Ji Sub is soooo.... *blink blink blink* ... good-looking!!! *heart flutter* You can read the review in my other blog -> kdrama-addiction.blogspot.com

I'm really glad that both of them are under the same company! I wonder if they ever have a chance to act together.. hmm!

I will be back! I promise! It's better to finish it faster since the Bae world is quite quiet nowadays. Yong Joon's new drama had another delay in shooting again. I wonder what happened. Hopefully we have some updated news soon! I'm so excited that Bae world will all be buzzing with excitement soon, we have been waiting for this day for a really long time now.

. . missing the man . .

2006-02-03T09:18:00.000+08:00

Click pic to see big pic!

Missing the man so much...

This is the first 2006 pic of him taken by a fellow fan who accidentally met Yong Joon at Lotte on 20th Jan 2006. How lucky lucky lucky of her to bump into him just like that!

Message from the lucky bae family:

On first day of our Seoul trip,
me and my friend were wandering about restaurants at Lotte trying to get our lunch,
we met BYJ waiting for the elevator.
As it was just after lunch time, there were only two of us!
It was 5 or 6 minutes until the elevator came,
but BYJ was there kindly smiling at us.

As elevator came and BYJ got on the elevator,
I took up the courage and asked to take a photo as a souvenir for my mother.
Man on right is president of Lotte DFS, and left is the manager.
They were very kind and held the door open till I finished taking the photo.

He looked so good in that pic, all healthy and freshen up with that smile we all missed so much, I assumed he had taken a good rest these past months! While we are all starving and craving for more of him, knowing that he is resting well privately, makes the pain of missing him more bearable..

By courtesy of Makiko and a bae family who accidentally met BYJ at Lotte on 1/20. Reposted by Frances on Soompi.

. . wls trivia . .

2006-02-01T10:34:00.000+08:00

TRIVIA about WINTER SONATA
credit goes to purplebutterfly of jiwoofriends.com
Reposted by Liezle on Soompi.com

photo taken from www.joonsfamily.com

TRIVIA 1: JUN SANG is supposed to die due to illness.
DETAILS: The director wanted it so to make amends to SANG HYUK and make YU JIN to leave for Paris alone. But due to viewers' protests online, he decided to let JUN SANG survive but is blind.

TRIVIA 2: All things worn and used by BYJ and CJW became hot items:
DETAILS: Hairstyle, ways to tie the scarves, Polaris necklace, car, BYJ's sweaters, Gucci ring worn by BYJ on his pinky finger, BYJ's Frank Muller watch, Samsung phones and BYJ's green half-rimmed glasses.

TRIVIA 3: BYJ fainted on few occasions due to fatigue and lack of sleep.
DETAILS: However, he insisted on continuing even though he caught colds. He was so tired that he really slept in the hospital scenes. The supposedly weak CJW was well and didn't even catch a cold! CJW even shared her blanket with BYJ (which she brought during shootings so that she'll not get cold) when he got sick.

TRIVIA 4: BYJ did not want to be the young Jun Sang.
DETAILS: He tried to lose 4kg and stopped exercising. He was so afraid that a muscular physique would make him look weird in uniform. After filming a scene, he would look nervously to watch the effect. He was impressed that the director managed to help him look so young.

[Chris: He did a fab job as the young Jun Sang, don't think anyone can do better than he himself..]

TRIVIA 5: BYJ even broke his tradition of not reading the script beforehand as not to restrict himself in his acting.
DETAILS: He hates to place-read lines and wanted to act naturally.

TRIVIA 6: BYJ and CJW cared so much for each other.
DETAILS: She took care of his makeup while he was always there to cheer for her even though he wasn't involved in the scenes. When she couldn't get the right emotions, the director would ask where he was and asked others to bring him there. After filming the final scene, BYJ even offered his shoulder to let her sleep on. Many joked that they really looked like lovers even though she addressed him as "big
brother" fondly.

[Chris: Warmed my heart after reading this.. it is really nice that they really cared for each other, even as friends.. wonder why they distanced away from each other now.. hmm..]

TRIVIA 7: The last scene where BYJ was supposed to cry nearly drove him crazy because he couldn't cry at all.
DETAILS: CJW had to accompany him to cry and he was very apologetic.

TRIVIA 8: There was supposed to be 2 more episodes of Winter Sonata.
DETAILS: But BYJ and CJW are too popular that if their job assignments were delayed, their managing company will lose out 4 billion won. Now BYJ's price is coming to 13 billion so his company will not let him go. His fans who visit the filming spots when he was there got to enjoy the coffee that he bought for them.

TRIVIA 9: Many firsts for BYJ and CJW.
DETAILS: It's the first time for BYJ to blow dry and dye his hair while it's also the first for CJW to cut her hair short. BYJ likes white and his favorite car is the white Ford.

TRIVIA 10: BYJ and CJW were chosen as the best screen couple in many online contests.
DETAILS: When both were interviewed in a program, CJW said that if BYJ would be her first love, she'll not forget him for sure. He was so shy that his face turned red. It was rumored that they were a pair when they turned up in a lover's attire at the celebration party after the filming ended.

TRIVIA 11: In KBS' TV awards, BYJ won Best Actor and Most Popular Artist award while CJW won Best Actress.
DETAILS: In the said awards, the female host found a chance to make fun of him as he seldom appears in entertainment programs. She exclaimed how handsome he was and wanted to fulfill her wish – she asked him to look into her eyes and say he loves her. As the show was live and no cuts, BYJ was taken aback and was suddenly shy. He looked elsewhere and stammered in his speech. He smiled and said that he couldn't look at her directly. When the host insisted, he finally finished saying it. It was so amusing to see that BYJ was so reserved and shy after acting so many times as a prince charming in many series.

[Chris: Eee... so cute! KBS Award should have a Best Couple onscreen award, they will definitely win.. ]

TRIVIA 12: About 300,000 copies of the OST were sold in Korea within a month. A pop group ‘Black hole’ accused the songwriter of copying their starting for ‘From the start to now’. Wonder how the case was closed. Many rumoured that Ryu must be ugly to hide behind the scene. but when he appeared to promote the album in Hong Kong and Taiwan, they are amazed to find that he is actually nice looking. However, he had no wish to be an actor as he found it to mushy to read love lines.

TRIVIA 13: Yong Ha is Ji Woo’s fan and he was so overjoyed when he had many intimate scenes with her. He always hummed on the set. Yong Jun and Ji Woo enjoyed listening and persuaded him to cut albums. Judging from his popularity, he could be as successful as Kim Sang Hyuk.

TRIVIA 14: Many complained to the director that the act in letting Jun Sang regain his memory through the second accident was too deliberate. He confessed that he had no more ideas left but he couldn’t let Jun Sang cure his amnesia in hospital so he had to do it again.

TRIVIA 15: The wooden house scene when both are stranded in the resort wasn’t shot smoothly. Ji Woo couldn’t push open the door and took a long time to do it. And to make the blind Jun Sang discover her, she was supposed to push the table harder but she had no strength. No one could hear any noise at all.

TRIVIA 16: Many like the cheerful Yu Jin in the serial which shows a different side of Ji Woo. But she had a lot of NGs filming the dancing scene in the recording studio. And thanks to this role, her usual habit of reading lines unclearly was corrected.

[Chris: Loved her being the cute young Yu Jin, totally differnt from the image she usually potrayed as the weak and lost lovelorn woman.. :)]

. . sharing and friendship . .

2006-01-28T00:46:00.000+08:00

Haven't been blogging for quite some time. I shall admit that it is more of procastination than being busy, though it is one of the many reasons.. hee! Well, may not necessary be from work, but I've been doing the uploading of vidz to megaupload and shared it on Soompi, all organized and stuff, so I was pretty tied up researching, making sure I got the vidz correctly categorised. Tedious, but rewarding in a way because it's all about sharing and that's exactly the topic that I want to write about today.. =)

Got a surprise present from BYJGlobal yesterday the moment I reached home and boy that sure made my day. Inside contained a Kyeong Nam poster of Yong Joon, some self-printed or developed photos as well done by herself. Simple, but meaningful. Meaningful in a way, it came all the way from US and from someone whom I just got to know, though may not really know her that well or long enough. When I was in Thailand, I too, received a big parcel filled with goodies from Tigger and her Thailand fan club. And in exchange, I gave her some local magazines from Singapore with Yong Joon on the covers. Locally, I've got to know people like Happiebb and Tiffany..etc. Tiffany volunteered to help informing me of the latest updates on April Snow's happenings in Singapore when I was at my busiest period and wasn't able to be around at the PC often. As for BB, she gave me lotsa encouragement to share my thoughts and my first translation to Bae sisters which kinda boost my self-confidence and allowed me to step further upfront to the Bae world. I've got many other fellow Soompians like Frances and Liezle to thank as well for their encouragement.

What I'm trying to say is, with the help of Yong Joon, many many friendships are created and bonded all over the world and unconditionally, everyone shared their love for Yong Joon with each other. Though we shared the same interest, Yong Joon that is, but the most important thing is that, we are all brought together from this man. You and I may only be or forever will be, strangers if not for him.

All these thoughts were there since yesterday and I meant to blog it down but fell asleep before I can do so. Coincidentally, I was reading at Marissa's blog before writing this entry today, she wrote on the topic of sharing between the Bae sisters too! It's like we shared the common thoughts. I don't know how to explain this, but I'm just simply amazed.

Thank you, Yong Joon..

. . same watch as him . .

2006-01-11T10:59:00.000+08:00

*tsk tsk*

Finally found something similar of Yong Joon and me.. haha! Well of coz excluding that we are both humans with 2 eyes, 1 nose.. etc.

*roll eyes*

He's wearing the same watch as meee, Frank Muller's! Okok, except the fact that his is the real thing.. it cost over $10,000 ok?! *mumble mumble* See the digit 8 that is at the top of the watch? That is the unique-ness of the watch because the numbers are all in different places and the hour hand will jump to the correct number respectively!

*beamed*

. . politics and him . .

2006-01-09T19:03:00.000+08:00

Was surfing the internet for general stuff on Yong Joon, in the hope of finding the pictures which Liezle mentioned earlier, I found lots of news and blog entries on Yong Joon. Many news articles were seriously political and included Yong Joon's name and influence to the world in them, many postive, and some negative. This suddenly make me feel so worried for Yong Joon.

We all know political issues are something which we do not want to play around with if we do not know how to. But Yong Joon, who shouldered such huge burden on such issues, I really can't imagine how he felt, seeing his name appearing every now and then not only in the entertainment news, but business as well. And I don't think he studied politics before.

From a normal kid who just want to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor, became a very successful one, which took the world by storm now. Many seemed to have their eyes glued on this handsome but vulnerable man (well, every man is vulnerable, let alone him..), as if waiting to see what he has on his next wild card, especially when it involves sensitive ties between Japan and Korea.

Very carefully, he embarked this stressed but smooth journey until now, all deemed him as perfect, which, is a very strong and stressful word to him. What if one day the branch snapped because he accidentally stepped on it? Will he be forgiven? He, after all, is just a human and all human make mistakes.

Juz some thoughts.. Forgive me for my poor English. I don't usually express well, thus, I may say the wrong things.. :)

. . one fan's encounter . .

2006-01-07T09:53:00.000+08:00

[Chris:: A very very interesting post of a fellow fan (who is a reporter too) and her close close encounter with Yong Joon! She has gotten everyone so envious of her, including me! *grr* Don't think I will ever have that good luck.. =( Anyways, long article, but worth the read! ::]

Reposted by PUFFYCHEN on KOB #28625
Article origin: satovic 2005/08/28 JOB brokori
Author: satovic
Translate into Chinese: 小夢01 (www.onlybyj.com)

(小夢01’s notes: The original writing is very long, only airplane part has been translated)

When he was visiting Taiwan, no matter if it was from the airport to the hotel or from the hotel to the airport, his limo always seems to stop to allow extra time for the closely pursuing fans to catch up. This also seems to be the case on his departure. His limo was the first one to leave, but arrived 30 minutes later than us.

I saw his stylist Ms Hong and a few good looking BOF staff at the check-in counters. Whoa, just fabulous. It looked like I was going to be on the same flight as YJ. I waited until the last moment before check-in and was told that the only seats left were in the first row. If YJ sits in the last row, then I would not have the courage to turn my head around to look. I attempted to change my seating with the check-in staff, but without any success.

After a while, YJ arrived at the airport closely followed by the crowded media. People rushed to be the first one to grab the moment in order to take pictures of him, it was really like a dangerous phenomenon occurring one after another. YJ went up the escalator to go to the VIP waiting room on the 2nd floor, someone stopped in front of the escalator to take a picture and his clothes were caught in the reverse direction of the escalator. A helping hand stretched out. It was YJ himself. Even while being squashed so badly by the crowded media, he was still thoughtful enough to help others.

Standing at the bottom of the escalator I can see he was wearing a white coat, with a picture of 7 angels on the back. The top most 8th angel is not in full. YJ’s head just happened to complete the 8th angel. The media like army continuously followed YJ closely till he boarded the plane. I really did not understand why they needed to take so many shoots.

After all the media left, I boarded the plane. Ah, Ah, Ah, ~~Oh my God! ! ! How can this be this coincidental! YJ was sitting in the same row as me. He was on the right most seat 1F, with me seated on the left most being 1A.

After YJ sat down, he took off his glasses and took out a book from his LV suitcase to read. Gosh, his profile is so delicate and handsome, I did not know how to describe him!!!! The lights from the airplane window gave a thick shadow to his face.
Jung Sang’s face, top it up with the dedicated look in "100 days of Bae Yong Joon", it was so beautiful. Just like the sculpture on a silver coin. The exquisite lower jaw, the cool eyes, gloss lips, the powerful will...... My heart was unable to restrain itself, crazily pumping away. Inconceivably when I was in Taiwan for a few days, even when I saw him close up, my heart did not feel the same palpitations.

It’s like looking at a perfect robot, even when looking at his pictures on the computer screen did not move me this much. But at this moment, my heart is penetrated by an arrow! Simply using the word "beautiful" is insufficient for him. That is, I have never seen such a creation. Intrepid, sharp, gentle and so on, all things have resulted in a body called "beautiful".

I looked straight in a daze, its like ‘Eu-jin" peeping at “Jung-sang” when he was reading. I even worried that he would look forward and threw out the lines of Min-hyong. "There is no difference to others? A nose, two eyes.... Do you always stare at others like this?" [Chris:: This is so darn funny.. hahaha!! ::] Such thoughts. I was feeling unconsciously guilty, feeling a bit embarrassed to stare at him like this.

A young female reporter from the Taiwan “Apple daily newspaper” was sitting next to me. She could not speak English, I cannot speak Chinese. So she was speaking to me in Korean. I only wanted wholeheartedly to have another glimpse of YJ, so I moved my body sideways to appear as if I was speaking with her. This way I could see YJ properly.

His two slender legs crossed at the knees, often exchanging them. His movements are so adorable like in an adolescent. Perhaps the cabin is quite warm, as YJ took off the white coat. Underneath he was wearing a black T-shirt, his movements when taking of the coat were indescribably graceful! The muscular chest under that black T-shirt made me feeling a moment of dizziness......

Because this is the first row, he has to hang the coat in the inserts on the cabin wall where the magazines were. With the turbulence in the air, his coat swayed along with the airplane and fell down, he very agilely caught it. Just like Dong-hyuk trying to rescue and catch Jin-young at the edge of the swimming pool.

So handsome…. I was hiding in the shadow of the person in the neighboring seat continuously secretly peeping at him. By now I truly envied prawns, crabs and these creatures in the category of carapaces. If I could only stretch out my eyes, wouldn’t that be nice.

I place my elbow on the drink table and curved my body gradually to a C shape. Unexpectedly, YJ who is holding the book on his left hand suddenly did the same movement as me with his right hand. "Ya? Did he see me?" I quickly sat up straight.
Is he copying me? But he did not even look in my direction. Is he teasing me? My heart pumps away madly.

But I could not help myself and kept looking at him. He was resting his chin on his hand near his mouth intermittently. That hand with it’s exquisite lines, when it turns the page with such an exquisite style.. If the time could stop here, I will be so happy...

The safety belt red light was switched off. Many people passed through asking for YJ’s signature. He quickly put on his dark tea color glasses with a swishing sound, perhaps this is how he gets himself into a working mode. But I am unable to see his eyes, now I can only see half of his expression clearly.

Usually he wears clear glasses with his warm smiling face and this is very enchanting, but compared to when he does not wear glasses… He has a kind of icy, cold marble like thorough and deep beauty. It’s really hard to describe. I suddenly thought of YJ’s chewing gum ad. Absolutely the right thing to do is for him not to wear glasses. He has innumerable hidden possibilities.

He earnestly signed for each person. He can not even rest easily on the airplane. I mused that I should make him smile a little. When it’s my turn, I shown him the photo album which has recorded BSJ’s (BYJ Supporters in Japan, 小夢01 notes) every activities. He looked page by page carefully. I explained what sort of activities that the Japanese fans have done in order to express their love to him. When he saw the page of Valentine’s day activities, his vision paused curiously at the photo where I was in a red hanbok. I mumbled “that, was me trying to imitate Lee Mi-suk..."

He smiled, my heart is happily blossoming all of a sudden. I then give him the book “satovic Yon-sama theater". I said "these are what I have written on JOB in order to cheer up the family members. Now the publishing company has helped me to turn it into a book. Here is the translation in Korean. If you like, you should be able to finish the whole book within an hour during this fly to Seoul."

I was so excited and did not know which language I was speaking, Mandarin, English, Japanese all together. I wished him to ease up/relax a bit. So I only gave him the highly entertaining part of the first chapter in Korean to read. I did not want to take up more of his time, then I hurried back to my seat after giving him the photo album and the book.

YJ started reading immediately. He burst out laughing when he was on page 3. Just fabulous! I have got a smile out of him! I was so happy, he is really a humorous character. He carefully read it line by line. Lunch was served and he had fork on his right hand and the book in his left hand, there was no change in his reading speed. He was asking Mr Sohn questions from time to time. After he finished reading, he raised the book and did a “the end” hand gesture to me. After a while I asked him what he thought of the book and is the writing a bit out of the ordinary, and did it upset him a little?" He smiled and said "not at all, it’s very interesting."

What a silly question I have asked, how can he say no in front of a reporter? After I wished him well and success in his new movie, then I returned to my seat. But he continued flipping though the photo album and the book, then with a sudden inspiration, he excitedly said a few words with Mr Sohn, then got up. A few necklaces hanging around his neck, swaying again his muscular chest, the expression on his face is just like a mischievous high school student.

He passes through Mr Sohn, then crosses the aisle, it’s so obvious that he is heading in my direction???

I was not sure what was going to happen, the thought of “no, no, he is going to end up on my seat, where should I go? no, I should go to him” is wriggling around in my brain. But, but I was so stiff and could not move at all. Finally I got up, what is he doing? My memory went totally blank, I cannot even recall his look in that moment. The friends from byjforever seated behind reminded me loudly, "signature, JOON wants your signature!"

Ya ---! I was startled backwards more than a metre, back against the cabin wall; Please do not think this is a cartoon scene, this is the instinctual reaction of anyone under these circumstances.

Really he wants my signature? I faced him to glance up once, I could not remember what he said to me.

Wah.. wah,.. what do I do? I could feel the pen and the book in my hands, it must be handed to me by YJ, but I have no memory of it. I have lost my mind completely.

I felt everyone in the business class cabin are all looking at me. The BOF staff quickly set aside a table for me to sign. I remembered YJ squatting on the floor signing for Indonesian fans. So I also squatted and opened the book, what should I write?

Originally I wanted to write in Korean, but I was not clear how to write Bae Yong Joon the 3 words in Korean at this critical moment. Is there a dot or not in it? Who let me only learn Korean for 5 days. I was so anxious, I forgot to write it in Japanese, only felt that I was wasting his time. I thought the time had passed so quickly, I stubbornly stared at the pink page and the tip of the signature pen, such an anxious pause. At that time if could ask him "what should I write?" That would be so cool! But I did not know where he is...

According to friends of byjforever, he was squatting in front of me all the time, two elbows on the table, two hands holding up his chin, mischievously smiling at me, and he was only 50 cm away from my face!

I decided to give up on writing it in Korean and simply write it in English. After written “To” horizontally, then I felt that it should not be this brief, then thought for a while, rewrite with “Dear”, D writes likes it carries an arrow.

It doesn’t matter! I used astonishing speed to write it down

Dear Mr Bae Yong Joon
Love forever, satovic

I truly wanted to sign something special, but actually signed somewhat illegibly (sob)......

After writing “2005.8” I asked is today the 21st? But nobody answered after I asked three times (actually it was me who could not hear their reply), all I could hear was their laughter. What are they laughing at?

By now but I instinctly felt the look of YJ near my left side, but I did not dare to look in his direction, the right side were all BOF staff, I can only clearly see Mr Sohn’s face. My hands started shivering anxiously, if it continues like this, my heart will not be able to bear it. At this moment I felt a pat on the shoulder gently, a warm gush on my back changed all of a sudden, I surmised that this must be YJ’s hand.

Today certainly is the 21st, I closed the book after finishing the date. Now I truly saw YJ is on my left side. I suddenly spurt out with “ Good heavens, I must be dreaming” in Korean. Which I had just learnt not long ago.

I raise my head with a deep sigh, bow the head again with hands on the table. This brought an explosion of laughter from everyone, whether they understand Korean or not. I have provoked laughter and I saw YJ was also laughing. But I started crying due to excitement. I stood up to give the book to YJ, but did not dare to look at him. He shook my hand and his hand was very soft and warm. Everyone in the business class cabin warmly applauded me.

After I returned to my seat, I cried uncontrollably with my face covered with my hands. I was filled with so much emotion. YJ asking others for their signature is not such a big deal. He once asked the author Masako Koozan (向山昌子) of "Smiling Prince" (微笑の貴公子) to sign her book for him. He is asking for my signature as good etiquette to the author of "Yon-sama theater".

Everyone from the business class cabin have all got his signature, except me. I did not ask for his signature. He possibly knew this is not what I needed.

I like to do things to make others happy. He seemed to have seen through my innermost feelings and therefore he has given me such an opportunity. He has given me in the world the happiest gift. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life.

Love forever satovic

. . quiz . .

2006-01-05T13:13:00.000+08:00

[Chris:: Saw this on truelovebyj.com.. *dumbfounded and sob* I am not such a huge fan after all eh? *shake head* ::]

[轉貼測驗]如果你給出至少5個正確答案，你就是第一流的裴迷!

~轉自俊心詠恒~by hxiaojing

[轉貼測驗]如果你給出至少5個正確答案，你就是第一流的裴迷!

[原創]Jooniejoa 貼在HerMesyongjun.com.論壇里
[韓譯英]Joanne Quilt/www.baeyongjun.com
[英譯中]hxiaojing 俊心咏恒/www.loveyongjoon.com

1. 冬季戀歌里李民亨的手機號碼是多少?

2. 冬季戀歌里李民亨開的汽車的牌子是什麼?

3. 情定大飯店里申東賢開的汽車的牌子是什麼?

4. 情定大飯店里申東賢的美國名字的正確拼寫?

5. 在《我們真的愛過嗎》里，姜在豪的運動汽車在屏幕出現的頻率甚至比配角還多，那麼這部汽車的車牌號碼是多少？

6. 在《我們真的愛過嗎》里，姜在豪和李馨瑛接了幾次吻？

7. 幾年前，裴勇俊的車被偷了，那部車是什麼牌子的？

8. 包括最近這次轉入BOF，裴勇俊一共變更過幾次經紀公司？

9. [附加题]請按順序寫下裴勇俊在電視劇《愛之禮》、《我們真的愛過嗎》和電影《外出》里所唱歌曲的歌名。

10. 裴勇俊將在2006年1月開始拍攝的電視劇的片名是什麼？

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

[QUIZ] If you give at least 5 correct answers, you are the first class fan of BYJ.
By Jooniejoa

1. What is the cell phone number of Lee Minyeong in the 'Winter Love Song'?

2. What is the product name of automobile Lee Minhyeong was driving in the 'Winter Love Song'?

3. What is the product name of automobile Shin Donghyeok was driving in the 'Hotelier'?

4. What is the correct 'spelling' of American name of Shin Donghyeok in the 'Hotelier'?

5. In the 'Have We Really Loved?', Kang Jaeho's sports car appears on the screen more frequently than any supporting actors. Then, what is the plate number of the sports car?

6. How many times do Kang Jaeho and Lee Shinhyeong kiss in the 'Have We Really Loved?'?

7. Several years ago, BYJ's car was stolen. What is the product name of that car?

8. How many times in total has BYJ changed his management agents including recent move to BOF?

9. Please write down in order the title of songs BYJ sang in drama 'Salut d'Amour', 'Have We Really Loved?' and film 'Oe Chool'.

[Bonus Quiz]

10. What is the title of the drama BYJ is to start shooting from January in 2006?

. . treasured words by YJ . .

2005-12-30T02:20:00.000+08:00

Treasured words by BYJ
Sujata posted this on the Daum.net's byjfan Cafe

I will reward you through my acting and life in the future for the great love you have given to me.

I have been imagining, drawing and wanting to see a lot our family's eyes full of love and voices full of love.

I think it is a way to go forward & given fate as an actor to make and create diverse images.

Although they are older than me in ages, their hearts are as clear as teenage girls.
I think there is no difference as to nationalities or ages for one to love someone.

I don't mind whichever ways family call me-Yongjoon-ssi, Yongjoon-a.

I think beautiful smile could change other person's impressions. However, there are not too many happy events in the world nowadays. Thus, if one wants to be happy, one has to laugh brightly to the heart's delight.

Rather than one directional flow called Korean Current, I would like it to become a motive for cultural communication where we can create band of mutual sympathy.

The more love I receive, I feel. the bigger the responsibility becomes to that much.

I am delighted to meet our family.

I would like to be carved as a seal to our family as an actor who really does his best at each moment.

Dear Family! I will make a good work and make sure to be there to greet you. Please be healthy and happy until then.

Let's do the best at each moment!

. . back from BKK . .

2005-12-29T03:44:00.000+08:00

Back from Bangkok yesterday! Didn't have a chance to surf much internet over at Bangkok and had missed him so much! Finally finally some new pics of him and boy, does he look suave in that long hair!

Had been in contact with Tigger from BYJTogether.com for the past few days before leaving for BKK, and even made plans to meet her up in BKK, however that did not happened. But, we did manage to exchange some stuffs through the hotel which I'm staying and I'm so delighted to have received her parcel of goodies on my last day in BKK! It was a big surprise as I didn't expect it!

Left to right, top to bottom: Envelope used to store the goodies with my name and room number, all about April Snow Mag, BioScope Mag, Popcorn Mag, 2 x notebooks printed by BYJTogether.com.

Left to right, top to bottom: Envelope again, 2 x CDR with Yong Joon, printed by BYJTogether.com, 2 x AS pamplets and a postcard and 2 Yong Joon button pins (not in pic)

I didn't manage to get any magazines with cover page on Yong Joon in Thailand, thus I'm really grateful to Tigger for giving me those magazines! I, however, manage to find the pamplet of April Snow in promotion of April Snow in Thailand, and some hand bills of Winter Sonata in promotion of the Winter Sonata DVD in Japan. Not too sure how long had April Snow been showing in Thailand, but I didn't manage to see April Snbow's poster anywhere except the one shown in the below picture, taken outside Siam Paragon. Didn't manage to find any posters at MBK Cineplex as well.

Anyways for me, I gave her 3 magazines from Singapore, namely, 8 days, I-weekly, First Magazine of April Snow. I hope she like 'em all! :)

. . merry xmas . .

2005-12-23T01:33:00.000+08:00

I'm all excited here! Will be off to Thailand in a less than 12 hours time and I heard that April Snow had already just started showing in Thailand a week plus ago, which means, I will be able to catch April Snow again!!! How interesting to be able to do so at a different country! Ok, I may not be able to squeeze in time or get anyone to acc me to watch, but the least I can do is to get a photo of the poster from a Thailand's cinema! I hope to grab any thing about him, whether it is poster, mags, anything official if possible!

Well, will be missing in action these days. Particular sad that I can't be online as often to check out on latest happenings on our dear Yong Joon.. well, hopefully I wont miss much on him. Will drop by on net whenever possible, I promise!

If by any unfortunate chance that I'm not able to come online, I will wanna wish everyone, especially you, Yong Joon, a advanced......

Merry Christmas!!!!

. . answers . .

2005-12-20T22:40:00.000+08:00

BB: Good one!! I didn't even spot the difference in hairstyle!! Haha.. Good one on Mgr Yang also, how could I have miss that? Must be concentrating too much on Yong Joon.. haha!!

Actually the answer I was looking for, was the shirt. Notice that in the first pic, he is wearing a turtle neck, getting ready to go for a dinner at a Chinese restaurant and the 2nd pic, he was wearing a shirt with the same coat. This was taken when he was on his way up to his hotel room upon the arrival in Japan.

This difference in the outfits, both black, hidden underneath that similar striped jacket, took me a few good hours figuring out when doing the arrangement of my picture database! THAT is the extent of how crazy we are over him, recognising his outfit, if not hairstyle or background of where he is at.

Right, BB? *wink*

. . spot the difference . .

2005-12-19T17:01:00.000+08:00

These 2 pics are taken when Yong Joon visited Japan to promote The Image between 25th - 29th Nov 2004. Can you tell the difference between the two pics?

Besides the (obviously) different background and specs, there is still one detail that is different.. *wink*

Answer: Will reveal tonight when I'm home~! (now in office slacking.. :p)

. . new layout . .

2005-12-16T15:21:00.000+08:00

Finally, a new layout! Got pretty tired of the old one, thus spent half of yesterday and half of today, and did this up, which I think is pretty ok. What do ya think? Hmm...

Nope, I didn't do the layout myself. I got the layout from www.blogskins.com, edit the original photo and added one of my most favorite picture of Yong Joon, and added his name.. and voilaaa..!! Took a bit of time on the picture but most time on the coding, lots of trial and error.

Should anyone need help on coding, please drop me an email.. always glad to help!

. . my trust in you . .

2005-12-14T22:37:00.000+08:00

[: : Posted this on Soompi, but reposting in my blog again for keepsake : :]

QUOTE(frances @ Dec 14 2005, 05:40 PM)

Tigger mom posted this on the Talk Box of BYJ's official home. Translated by joanne in quilt

BYJ's agency bought Maybach62 priced at 800 million won
[Newsen]12/14/05 14:56

A staff at the agency also told, "The saying that BYJ rode the 'Maybach' when he visited Japan is also different from the fact. I know that BYJ has not riden in that car yet."

I dunno why, but this article left a deep.. impression in my mind. Yong Joon is really popular all over as we all know, and usually ppl this famous, there are many many untrue facts and rumours here and there about them and splashed all over at tabiolds, but Yong Joon, though there are some, but the number of untrue rumours about him is really quite little. And even though so, staff of his agency will always clarify them officially one day and make everyone's mind at ease at the end of the day. I'm just glad that Yong Joon has such loyal staff to trust and ease his mind off these rumours and concentrate on what he should be doing at his best and leave all these nits and bits to his management and staff.

I really salute those who worked with him or under him.. everyone of them. Without them, there wouldnt be Yong Joon.

Well, not forgetting all his fans, who made that possible by trusting in him as well. Take for example, there was one time my dad was like telling me that there are Yong Joon's news on the Chinese papers and of course, I wanted to read it first hand but he refused to pass it to me playfully but read out the title which says, "Yong Joon has found a lover or got married in Japan", I was like.. "Oh pleasee..." and never even bother to read it.

I mean, I'm sure it's not just me alone who will not believe in such news, or rather, rumours on him. Any fan who believes in him, knows that Yong Joon will make the official announcement to everyone on such a big news like this. We just know it..... and would rather wait and see if that is true FROM him rather than totally believing it just by reading from such newspapers.

We just know it...... right, Bae gals?

Just a penny of my thoughts...

. . andre fashion show . .

2005-12-14T00:58:00.000+08:00

[:: Found this by chance when doing some searching on Andre Fashion Show which 'starred' YJ and CJW.. still really fascinated as though first time watching it ::]

Andre Kim fashion show at Sydney Opera House

Source: http://www.koreapost.com/2002_05/peo_04.htm

Andre Kim became the first fashion maestro to stage a fashion parade at the Sydney Opera House in Australia on April 22, 2002 since its opening 73 years ago. The 2,700- man main concert hall of the Opera House was filled almost to capacity with fashion-sensitive ladies and other guests, including Korean residents in Australia.

Named 'Andre Kim Spring & Summer Fantasia 2003', the rare event was accorded enthusiastic applauses from the guests and in the case of the Korean residents the excitement was much strong in the fact that Korea's top TV stars Ms. Choi Ji-woo and Bae Yong Joon wore captivating wedding dresses.

The latest creations of Andre Kim were presented on five different themes: Spring & Summer Fantasia 2003; World of Art and Romanticism, Rhapsody from the Kingdoms of the Orient; Seven Veils and Legends from the Land of Morning Calm; and Maria, My Eternal Love and Dream.

Especially drawing the admiration of the guests were the violet evening dress and evening coat adorned with royal court patterns of ancient Korean dynasties and an evening dress and jacket ensembles of purple wine and rose.

Then came a violet evening emblem worn by Ms. Choi and snow- white formal suits shown by Bae, which posed a striking harmony and balance as well as contrast. Also attracting the attention of the audience was an evening dress and jacket the violet organza and organdy.

The fashion parade was given at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture & Tourism of the State of New South Wales organized by Min-gyo Group in Australia importing Korean cultural products.

Since his first fashion parade in Paris in 1966 Andre Kim has given gala fashion parades in the world capitals on 31 different occasions and 97 times in Korea--each time winning rave views from the fashion editors of the world as well as Korea and other renowned personalities.

The decorations given him by the Heads of States of many countries attest to the popularity and respect he enjoys.

Such decorations include the Culture Medal of Korea given him by the President of the Republic of Korea in 1997, a Culture Medal of Italy from President Sandro Pertini of Italy in 1982 and a Medal of Art and Literature from the government of France in 2000.

In San Francisco in 1999, November 6 was proclaimed 'Andre Kim Day' in memory of his fashion show in the city on that day.

. . morning yj . .

2005-12-12T09:58:00.000+08:00

An-nyong ha-seh-yo, Yong Joon Ssi~!!

*muackz*

Missing you lots~!

. . what they thot of him . .

2005-12-07T14:23:00.000+08:00

Christine - "This is one article which I want to keep.. it speaks about the real BYJ behind the scenes.."

[Trans] What Others Say about our YJ

This is the VOD , the clip will begin shortly after the CF. Enjoy!

mms://msmedia.hitpops.jp/msn/video/koreascreen/movie/koreashowbiz/talk_bae01.wmv
mms://msmedia.hitpops.jp/msn/video/koreascreen/movie/koreashowbiz/talk_bae02.wmv
mms://msmedia.hitpops.jp/msn/video/koreascreen/movie/koreashowbiz/talk_bae03.wmv
mms://msmedia.hitpops.jp/msn/video/koreascreen/movie/koreashowbiz/talk_bae04.wmv

______________________________________________________________________________

Originally in Japanese: http://www.msn.co.jp/
Translated into Chinese: Kyouei / www.loveyongjoon.com
Translated into English: Happiebb / www.happiebb.blogspot.com
[If you like, you may visit my blog to read this, as I've added some pictures there.]

What Son Yejin Said

I first met senior [Korean: 'sumbae'?] at the shooting site of a CF two or three years ago.
But shooting a movie together, this was our first time.
I've always thought senior is someone with very strong willpower.
I'm not the sort who can shoot s scene repeatedly.
The more takes I have, the worse I will feel and I will lose my confidence.
But if it's something senior really wants to do, he will always persist right up to the end.
Looking at how hard he pushes himself and how determined and strong he is,
I truly admire him. He's a fantastic senior.

Now, everyone pins very high hopes and very big dreams on him,
I would imagine he's under a lot of stress and pressure.
But he will always be able to transform the pressure into motivation.
He will do some self-adjustment and focus on presenting his best,
his focused and hardworking self to everyone.
Through his action, I can feel how strong his willpower and determination is.

**************************************************************************

What Yong Joon's Stylist, Ms Hong Eun Kyeong, Said

That was something that happened in 1998, when we were shooting Barefooted Youth.
We had just worked throughout the night and were on our way to the hotel.
Everyone was asleep. Suddenly, Yong Joon stopped the car.
He had seen an old lady on the street. Eventually he drove her to the bank.
Everyone was so, so tired, and yet he was still so considerate.
I feel he's really someone who knows how to care for others.

[bb: this also implied he was driving. .!
Instead of getting his staff or whoever to drive him,
the fact he was driving after shooting the whole night also said something about him, no?]

He will normally remember the birthday of each and every staff.
Sometimes even I forget my own birthday, but he will always remember.
He even gave me a bag that I've always wanted. I was so moved I cried.
So, we've been working together for ten years now.

**************************************************************************

What Jeon Do Yeon Said
- The Actor Bae Yong Joon as I Remember Him

Bae Yong Joon is a very masculine man.
At first, his gentle and elegant physical appearance had led me to think
he's just someone who's very gentle.
But after working with him, I saw the strong will and strength in his character.
He would always do everything to learn and improve his acting skills from various experience,
and through doing so, he's making the best preparation for the character he's playing.

He was the same when we worked on The Untold Scandal,
I think he's a wonderful actor.

**************************************************************************

What Hotelier's Kim Seung Woo Said
- A Good Friend who Cares

My initial impression of Yong Joon: good character, masculine too.
Before I actually met with him in person,
I had thought he was the sort who's good-looking
and would always say the nicest thing to people.

After I've met him, I saw that he's always wearing caps and would dress quite casually.
He also likes to joke.
I feel I like him like this.

Although we don't always have the opportunity to get together for a drink or two,
but we've gotten to know and understand each other.
Then I realized, he's really very manly,
and he's the sort who would look out for his brothers
[bb: Referring to good friends, it appears that old ties and friendships matter to him.]

He came to visit me at home late last year.
We had not met for some eight or nine months then.
He felt very sorry and he said to me, "I couldn't asked you out for a drink or to chat.."
Actually, we both understand how busy and hectic our schedules are.
But looking at how he was apologizing so sincerely,
I thought to myself: This fellow's really not bad at all.

In private, I call him "yonpari"
[bb: I think it's probably an affectionate term for a good friend.]
I thought this is not bad a term of affection.
Yes, he's definitely a yonpari who cares for his friends.

**************************************************************************

What Winter Sonata PD Yun Seok-Ho Said
- The Actor Bae Yong Joon as I Remember Him

I first met Bae Yong Joon in 1994, we were shooting Love's Greetings then.
Even at that time, he had already left me with a very deep impression.
He was cheerful, positive and had an elegant and princely air about him.

There were some interesting episodes when I was working with him.
When we were shooting the last episode of Winter Sonata,
there was a scene where he reunited with Choi Jiwoo [Yujin].
That scene was shot in Oedo,
and we were supposed to fly back to Seoul that night after completing the shooting.
However, over the course of filming,
because Yong Joon was not satisfied with his own acting,
so he called NG himself and asked for re-takes many, many times.
We were pressing so close to the flight time back to Seoul..
Eventually, we never did make it for the flight.
But because of his insistence and perseverance,
yet another wonderful scene was born.

**************************************************************************

What Winter Sonata Actress Kim Hae Suk Said
- Yujin's mother in the drama

When we were shooting Winter Sonata together,
there were a lot of opportunities to observe his acting.
He has given me the impression he's a positive, honest and sincere young man.
Once, he was shooting a scene he's very sad and supposed to be crying.
The director had already given his ok,
and all the actors around him were also amazed by his exquisite acting.
But he himself was not happy with his acting,
and he kept asking for re-takes until he was satisfied with his own performance.

Yong Joon would never be late for shooting.
And so long as the director called for it,
he would definitely give all his best to do the necessary preparation.
At that time, he didn't have as many managers around him to manage his affairs,
he gave me the feeling that his self-management was very strict and disciplined.

Now, he's already a mega-star.
Although some people have said he's changed,
but to me, he's still the same honest, sincere and polite young man.

**************************************************************************

What Ryu Seung Soo Said
- Yong Kook in Winter Sonata

Bae Yong Joon is always pursuing perfection,
and he's also the sort who would be so considerate and always be thinking about others.
And precisely because of this, he always feels very tired.

When he's working on The Image,
I was thinking he must be having a pretty tough time building up his body,
so I asked him out for a meal.
But he didn't want me to see how frustrated due to the diet and exercise plans,
he turned me down gently and said let's go eat after I'd lost the necessary weight.

The way he's always wanting so much to repay his fans for their love,
the way he's always trying so hard to meet their expectations is really touching.
I'm so moved by it.
But, the stronger his wish to repay everyone, the lonelier he gets.
And because he doesn't want to show his vulnerable side,
there's not one single moment he's at ease or resting.
I've said this to him once, "I won't be able to bear it if I were to live like you."

[bb: I feel so, so, so sad reading this part.
Have our love and so-called expectations become a burden to him?
I've said this before and I'll say it again:
Fellow fans, whatever you want to do, everything in moderation, please.
Sometimes, it's probably enough that we be there for him.]

**************************************************************************

What April Snow Director Hur Jinho Said

After seeing Bae Yong Joon at the set of The Untold Scandal,
I'd been hoping that he would play a character in my work.
His face and his eyes… give people a feeling of strength
and yet there's a certain gentleness and tenderness to it.
And at the time same, the aura he gives out is true, innocent, pure and healthy.

His strengths were all played up in the movie April Snow.
During the process of filming AS, I've requested him,
an actor of more than ten years of acting experience,
to do certain things just like I would demand of any newcomer to the industry.
And I've also asked him to carry out certain acting
that made him shy or somewhat uncomfortable.

The making of the movie was difficult and painful,
and he too would discuss and talk things over with me.
He has totally changed his way of working [memorizing lines beforehand, etc etc etc..],
he has completely transformed into the character himself.
At the shooting site, he became the character
and he showed us the truest of feelings and emotions as he felt them during that time.

There're times when he even noticed things that I failed to see,
he's actor with the sharp senses of a director.
I would want to work with him again on a movie in future.

You never know,
maybe one day I will act in a movie directed by Bae Yong Joon.

. . all i want for xmas is YJ . .

2005-12-06T23:15:00.000+08:00

All I Want for Christmas

I.. don't want a lot for Christmas
There's just one thing I need
I don't care about presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true...
All I want for Christmas is you ( --> Yong Joon )...

I don't want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don't care about presents
Underneath the Christmas tree
I don't need to hang my stocking
There upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won't make me happy
With a toy on Christmas day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you...
You baby

I won't ask for much this Christmas
I won't even wish for snow
I'm just gonna keep on waiting
Underneath the mistletoe
I won't make a list and send it
To the North Pole for Saint Nick
I won't even stay awake to
Hear those magic reindeer click
'Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding on to me so tight
What more can I do
Baby all I want for Christmas is you
You...

All the lights are shining
So brightly everywhere
And the sound of children's laughter fills the air
And everyone is singing
I hear those sleigh bells ringing
Santa won't you bring me the one I really need -
Won't you please bring my baby to me...

Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas
This is all I'm asking for
I just want to see my baby
Standing right outside my door
Oh I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
Baby all I want for Christmas is Youuuu...

All I want for Christmas is you baby...

. . another pressie . .

2005-12-06T22:48:00.000+08:00

Erm.. Santa.. just one more pressie in my Xmas list..

Pretty please??

*puppy eyes*

If you have internet over at North Pole, please click on the following link: Yesasia.com

*psst* Free delivery, save you and your reindeers trouble to come all the way!!

. . all i want for xmas . .

2005-12-06T21:58:00.000+08:00

All I want for Christmas is.........

The Image Vol. 1

Had been wanting to own this set since the moment it was released.. however however however.... it cost something like US$150, which is equivalent to SGD$253! *eyes popped*

*counting piggy bank*

Link: Yesasia.com

. . sighh . .

2005-12-06T19:44:00.000+08:00

*Sighhhhhhhhhh*

Source: Rosie from Joonsfamily.com

. . missing him . .

2005-12-05T08:27:00.000+08:00

Bae Wave kinda slowed down these past weeks since his last event in China, you can really tell that everyone everywhere is really missing him a whole lot as they are reposting his old pics, vidz and such.

I am, too, missing him a whole lot, hmm.. but I'm still pretty ok with it. I mean, we all knew it takes a whole lot of patience being his fan to wait for his next work to come out so I'm kinda.. trained.. haha! We all went 'berserk' the moment he had any events.. haha! So now during his 'hibernation' period, this is a good time to dig out all pics and vidz collected, slowly arranged them absorbing and recalling every moment that happened during his events, allowing me to appreciate each and every one.

Currently I'm also reading up the above book on Yong Joon and mind you, it's in Chinese! I never/seldom read Chinese books or newspaper and my dad always nagged me on this. But for Yong Joon... I actually read up this book, slowly but steadily.. hehe! I can say, for him.. hmm to be more precise, for Korean dramas, my Chinese actually improved a lot as I had to read the subtitles if I want to listen to the original audio.

About the book, I've learnt quite a few new things about him and the events happened during his acting days. One of which was when they were shooting Winter Sonata. They discovered a gruesome scene where a man hanged himself in an abandoned building which they were planning to shoot a scene. Freaked him and Choi Ji Woo so much, CJW refused to shoot further.

I wish to complete this book soon as I can't wait to discover more new stuffs about him. I think there are lotsa more of such books, but mostly in Japanese.. *sob* Wish I can read Japanese language.. *pout*

. . dreamt of him . .

2005-12-03T18:39:00.000+08:00

Hmm.. I had a close encounter with Yong Joon last night.... very close encounter.. in my dream.

Man, it all felt so very real, gave me the creeps when I saw his pictures in the forums I visited today. Kinda hard to describe the feeling.. but it felt really good to be near to him.

Hmm...

This is my 3rd time dreaming of him this year..

Have you ever dream of him before?

. . what a storm . .

2005-11-28T15:26:00.000+08:00

[Trans] Yesterday, BYJ Tornado Swept Past

Original in Chinese: Chen Bing Wen / Beijing Night Paper 12.11.2005
Translated into English: Happiebb / www.joonsfamily.com

Yesterday, BYJ Tornado Swept Past ....[Beijing]

As if he had already prepared for it, Bae Yong Joon looked at the hundreds of Bae-fans waiting for him at the multi-purpose hall at the Beijing Hotel and halted in his steps. He smiled at them and bowed slightly before walking up the stage with such graceful and elegant strides.

Once up the stage, he stood steadily with his bright and cheery smile and waved once again at the Chinese media and the Bae-fans who tried all ways and means to get into the press conference. Beautiful stance, beautiful smile brought about excited screams from the floor.

That was Bae Yong Joon, with his politeness and handsome smile, giving you a sense of warmth. Despite the distance, he felt friendly and gave rise to unlimited imagination. And before you knew it, he had already touched you, moved you.

For the China premiere of his movie April Snow, the handsome movie star who had created such a frenzy throughout Asia Bae Yong Joon stepped onto the soil of Beijing for the first time. His arrival brought about a Bae Yong Joon tornado, sweeping across the entire capital of China.

For his China trip, Bae Yong Joon had done his homework. During the dinner party, he met with the famous director Zhang Yimou and the just-as-famous movie man, Zhang Wei Ping, he was visibly excited. He presented his photo book to Zhang Yimou and asked for his autograph. [bb: I don't quite understand this part. If The Image was a present for Zhang, why would Yong Joon ask Zhang to autograph on it? I suspect the reporter made a mistake here, probably Yong Joon had asked Zhang to sign on the Hero DVD :) ]

He asked the interpreter to help convey to Zhang his wish: Zhang Yimou is the Chinese director he admires most, and he looks forward to working with him. Thereafter, he actually used mandarin to say it was Zhang's birthday that day. That moved Zhang tremendously. Bae Yong Joon accepted Zhang's invitation to attend the global premiere
of Zhang's movie Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles at Lijiang next month.

The beauty of Bae Yong Joon is in his mannerism and his grace. The must-have smile, and how polite and proper his conduct is. The cameras that kept flashing at Bae Yong Joon like snowflakes, surprisingly, made him rather shy and slightly embarrassed. He would raise his hand to touch and prop up his glasses, he would touch his hair a little, and even such gestures would bring about excited sounds from the floor.

And Bae Yong Joon would not disappoint you. His opening lines were all spoken in Mandarin: "Hello, everyone, I'm Bae Yong Joon. Thank you for your support, and thank you for supporting my movie." That immediately reduced the gap, the distance and everyone added points to his image mentally.

I was observing Bae Yong Joon, he sat very properly, he stood very 'correctly',
and when he was not talking, he would clasp his hands together and place them upon his legs and listen very attentively and intently. And if he stood up, he would smile first, raise himself to full length and then walk to wherever he needed to. He was ever so courteous and he would always give way to people, everything he did was proper, was appropriate.

The five big tour coaches of Bae-fans from Japan, Taiwan and Korea stood and waited outside the restaurant where he was having dinner. They stood unwavering in the cold,
just to catch one more glimpse of the man. Bae Yong Joon waved his thanks at them.
Bae-fans all behaved in an orderly manner; they would watch their idol get into the car before they boarded their own transport. The love and how unwilling they were to leave him were unspoken, but evident. The beauty of Bae Yong Joon is in his speech, the way he spoke and the things he said. Everything he said could touch the hearts of his fans.

Yesterday at about noon time, one could feel the fever of the fans the very moment Bae Yong Joon stepped off the plane. From old ladies in their sixties to young girls in their teens, thousands of people were waiting to receive him at the airport. Bae Yong Joon is truly an idol whose fans'age ranges from the very young to the not-so-young. The label "Auntie slayer" the Chinese media gave him seemed to please him. He flashed his killer smile once again and said in Mandarin, "I'm really thankful to them." Bae Yong Joon said, "This is the first time I've come to Beijing,
and I can see so many people coming to see me. I'm just so very sorry the time I could spend with them was too short, too little The next time, I will surely fight for more time with them. I will remember the power of their love." These words warmed the fans' hearts and kept echoing in their minds too.

Someone could not resist asking Bae Yong Joon what type of girls he likes Bae Yong Joon did not shy away from the question, he said he likes girls who are honest and sincere, and who are reliable and trustworthy. Basically, he's looking for the sort who is decent and good inside and out. His answer won him yet another round of applause.

The beauty of Bae Yong Joon can bring forth to people much imagination, the scope and strength are truly limitless. His looks has an appeal that is unisex, combining sensitivity, vulnerability, grace and elegance as well as a positive and cheerful disposition. All these combined in the body of a middle-aged man to become the object of desire for modern women.

I took the opportunity to interview some matured Bae-fans:

Why, why do you love Bae Yong Joon so much?

Their replies were just as interesting.

"Bae Yong Joon doesn't have that sort of aggression that most men have. He??s so gentle and tender. You will want to spoil him, care for him."

"He leaves me with much imagination. He will make you feel generous and tolerant, he will bring you warmth."

The fan club from Beijing presented flowers for Bae Yong Joon, they said, "To look at Bae Yong Joon is to feel happiness. It's a very unique feeling, this sense of happiness and joy cannot be replaced. There's no need for words between us.
The sense of warmth between us will just happen."

There's nothing magical about Bae Yong Joon.

What's magical is how he has a magnetic presence that slowly touches you and eventually overcomes you. It's irresistible, it's mesmerizing.

. . heartache . .

2005-11-28T10:45:00.000+08:00

Source: www.xiao-tong.net

2004 Japan Trip: If you remember, YJ was down with heavy flu when he first visited Japan last year, but in order not to disappoint his fans, he insist to visit Japan despite being so sick. He had to be on water drip (if that is what u called.. hmmm, pls correct me if I'm wrong) even on his rest time..

*heartache*

. . total awe . .

2005-11-25T01:13:00.000+08:00

You... have got to watch this clip.. seriously..

Was speechless when watching this clip coz I was in total awe. See the way he treats every lady he ever met or worked with, you will know why he is such a lady-killer. Got me right there just by watching the clip..

. . . He's da man . . .

Can't view? Click here to download -> Clip

. . winter sonata a big hit . .

2005-11-24T13:21:00.000+08:00

Why is Winter Sonata a Big Hit in Asia?
By Diana Lee
Published by Koreanfilm.org
Source: http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Awinter.html

What is it about Winter Sonata that touches so many women of all ages throughout Asia? Upon a closer scrutiny, this Korean TV drama series offers more than a complex love story, intriguing plot twists, good acting, memorable scenes and lines, not to mention, breathtaking winter scenery backed up by melancholic music tunes. Under the crafty direction of Yun Seok Ho, the series presented a mastery of cinematic techniques tugging at one's heartstrings, like the sound and visual effects of a big screen effectively capturing one's imagination. Moreover, it addressed the perennial theme of love in all its complexity in our ever-changing society.

Unlike most tragedies with a sad ending, Winter Sonata reached a bittersweet conclusion even though everyone who had intimate connection with the two main characters paid the heavy price of emotional and mental agony. The story opened with Joon Sang portrayed by Bae Yong Jun in his finest performance and Yu Jin, played by the talented Choi Ji Woo, as two high school students who fell in love for the first time. Unfortunately, their ill-fated love suffered a cruel blow as our hero soon died in a car accident, leaving our heroine heart-broken and dispirited. Ten years later, Yu Jin found herself working on a ski resort project with Min Yeong who looked exactly like Joon Sang. Oddly enough, he was courting Yu Jin's high school rival, Chae Lin, deftly played by Park Sol Mi. Consequently, Yu Jin's uncontrollable attraction to Min Yeong jeopardized her engagement to her childhood admirer, Sang Hyuk, played by Park Yong Ha, who in conspiracy with Chae Lin, tried everything to separate the two destined lovers. When the truth came out that Min Yeong and Joon Sang were the same person and worse still, the suspicion that Joon Sang and Yu Jin were half-brother and sister, everyone involved was thrown into utter confusion, resulting in grief and detrimental pain.

Following the success of directing the TV drama series, Autumn Tales, Yun Seok Ho demonstrated his supremacy in making melodramas using symbolism, parallelism, repetition, and timing, as provocative ways to stir emotions and draw tears from the audience. The main symbols in Winter Sonata - the star Polaris (representing Joon Sang), the missing puzzle piece (representing Yu Jin in Joon Sang's life), and the first snowfall of winter (representing the meeting of the two lovers) - appeared repetitively throughout the melodrama to hammer the point of their significance they contributed to the story.

Furthermore, the excellent use of parallelism and repetition compounded the dramatic effects in scenes - whenever Yu Jin and Sang Hyuk were fighting, Min Yeong and Chae Lin were also arguing; when Yu Jin and Min Yeong strolled through their high school, each taking a different path, unaware of one another's presence; and when Yu Jin tried to tail whom she thought was Joon Sang in the crowd and later Sang Hyuk attempted to follow whom he thought was Yu Jin in the streets.

Although the drama is basically a love story, it tackled many contemporary themes:

:: character duality - Joon Sang personified the dark side and Ming Yeong, the bright side

:: identity problems - Joon Sang searched for the identity of his father and later Min Yeong questioned his own identity

:: different reactions to the loss of love - Yu Jin's sad disposition, Joon Sang's escapes to America, San Hyuk's suicide attempt, and Chae Lin's drinking binge incestuous love remained a taboo in modern age

:: fate prevailed no matter what others did to prevent the destined lovers from getting together

The main reason for Winter Sonata's popularity could be attributed to its bold exposition of the various aspects of love:

:: puppy love
:: first love
:: possessive love
:: lost love
:: parental love
:: true love

Everyone in the audience has experienced at least one or more of these different shades of love, where he or she could empathize with any of the characters at one time or another in this melodrama.

In high school, Choi Ji Woo and Bae Yong Jun in their roles convincingly demonstrated the beauty of innocence and sweetness of puppy love as they helped and defended each other. Then the puppy love blossomed into first love when their most impressionable memories consisted of things they did together for the first time. It was through this love that the gloom and anger in Joon Sang faded away when he was in the presence of Yu Jin.

The series also showed the negative impact of possessive love - Sang Hyuk for Yu Jin and Chae Lin for Min Yeong - in which Sang Hyuk and Chae Lin would do anything to keep their loved ones to themselves, including lying, scheming, and hurting others. When they finally lost their beloveds to the destined pair, they marched down a familiar path of self-destruction - Sang Hyuk tried to commit suicide and Chae Lin slumped into a drinking stupor. However, mature love requires making sacrifices - putting the beloved's happiness above everything else - as seen in Sang Hyuk-s release of Yu Jin to the revived Joon Sang, in Chae Lin's suggestion to Joon Sang to elope with Yu Jin despite everyone's disapproval of their marriage, in Joon Sang's decisions to place Yu Jin's well-being above all his needs, and in Yu Jin's respect for Joon Sang's resolution to bid their last farewell.

Even in modern times, family plays a dominant role in Asian culture. At the beginning, Joon Sang desperately sought parental love from a father he never knew, and later he could forgive his mother for all the wrongs she had done him.

Suppressing her feelings, Yu Jin chose Sang Hyuk over Min Yeong to abide the wishes of Sang Hyuk's family and her own mother. As the drama unfolded, the meddling of three families - Sang Hyuk's parents, Joon Sang's mother and Yu Jin's mother - caused more harm than good with endless sorrow and tragic consequences to their offsprings.

Like all great love stories, true love as written in the stars exists in the one and only couple made for one another. Obviously, Joon Sang and Yu Jin were destined to be together, for they both fell in love with each other, not once but twice and could love no one else.

In conclusion, Winter Sonata delivered a tearjerker with a moving tale and unforgettable characters. It brought a paragon mate for a modern woman to life, exemplified by Joon Sang - handsome, sensitive, intelligent, and successful in life. More importantly, he was able to love a woman with complete gentleness and understanding, even at the risk of his own welfare and happiness. In addition, the drama series successfully revealed the manifestations of love in real life, to which everyone in the audience could relate. As Winter Sonata makes its appearance around the world, its popularity will certainly grow, for it possesses all the elements of a classic drama.

Diana Lee (www.uniorb.com) has traveled extensively and worked abroad in Cameroon, China and Japan. Her work has appeared in several magazines, ezines and anthologies. Interested in various forms of writing, she has written essays, poems, and short stories.

. . winter sonata fever . .

2005-11-24T00:51:00.000+08:00

Winter Sonata Drama Fever
By Diana Lee (1-31-05)
Source: http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Japanwatch/wsdramafever.htm

When the director, Yun Seok Ho, produced Winter Sonata in 2002, he had no idea that he possessed a gold mine, which has been opening multiple doors to political, social, and economic changes throughout Asia. Yun Seok Ho has single-handedly accomplished in one TV drama series that politicians, social trendsetters, and entrepreneurs have tried so hard for many years only to achieve limited success.

The phenomenal hit of Winter Sonata has swept across Asia, making history along its path - melting the cultural barrier between South Korea and Japan; heightening the Korean image and promoting tourism to the peninsula; branding winter fashion overseas; and raking in astronomical profits for the South Korean entertainment industry. Extending across the continent, Winter Sonata catapulted its main actor and actress to world stage as international celebrities - Bae Yong Jun as the Asian heartthrob and Choi Ji Woo as the beautiful, talented idol.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Winter Sonata has done more politically for South Korea and Japan than the FIFA World Cup co-hosted by these two countries in 2002. In an earnest effort to overlook their bitter historical past, both governments promoted cultural exchanges before the World Cup event, but it wasn't until the huge success of Winter Sonata in Japan that triggered a craze for all things South Korean. Recognizing the important political impact on South Korea attributed by the ever-increasing popular TV drama, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism awarded the prestigious Presidential Prize to its director, Yun Seok Ho, for his immense contribution in promoting exports of cultural products.

Riding the crest of a tsunami, Winter Sonata has reached a feverish pitch in Japan - it has captured the hearts of women, baffled the social analysts, and stunned the media. Although South Korean TV dramas have enjoyed popularity in many Asian countries for years, Japan is viewed as a latecomer in joining the "Korean wave." NHK, Japan’s public broadcaster introduced Winter Sonata as the first South Korean TV drama shown on its satellite channel in 2003. Because of its explosive popularity, Winter Sonata was aired twice in the same year. Knowing a 'golden egg' when it saw one, NHK rushed to publish novels based on the screenplay and program guidebooks, as well as to produce DVDs, CDs and videos for both entertainment and for learning Korean. In addition, NHK hosted a classical concert featuring Winter Sonata’s melodic tunes performed by many Korean musicians. Meanwhile, travel agencies offer tour packages that highlight shooting locations of Winter Sonata and rare moments to meet the stars. The members of the Winter Sonata's cast, including the singer, Ryu, have been repeatedly invited to Japan to make personal appearances for interviews and shooting commercials. The Winter Sonata fever reached its peak when Bae Yong Jun visited Japan last spring to promote "Scandal," a massive crowd (mainly women) turned unexpectedly into a stampede, injuring a dozen fans at the airport.

The social impact of Winter Sonata has been felt in countries as close as China and as far away as the Philippines - in terms of fashion, social trend, and social behavior. These days, fans tend to imitate their favorite stars, instead of just cheering for them on the sidelines. Even in Singapore, a nation known for its warm and humid climate all year round, fans wanted to learn how to wrap the wool scarf conspicuously worn by Bae Yong Jun and Choi Ji Woo. The Polaris star has found its mark as a symbol of everlasting love in an array of lucrative markets ranging from jewelry to telephone accessories.

Contrary to most entertainment nowadays with a strong emphasis on passion and sex appeal, the TV drama Winter Sonata depicts wholesome love in its purest form without any nude or lustful contents to mitigate the essence of true love. Yet, Winter Sonata's popularity continues to grow, baffling social analysts and entertainment commentators. With romantic fantasies, women show outpouring adulation for Bae Yong (the Japanese fans even gave him an honorific title, "Prince Yong") due to the actor’s own personal charm and his convincing portrayal of an ideal mate of modern times in Winter Sonata. Instead of being clad in shining armor on a white horse, the present day Prince Charming is armed with good looks, intelligence, thoughtfulness and success, yet can still be faithful and devoted to one lover. Unlike the commercialized macho image of a handsome stud surrounded by several gorgeous women to conquer, this Prince Charming displays distinguished qualities - sensitive and compassionate to others, understanding of woman’s emotional needs, attentive and dedicated to his woman, and always protective of her, not only from physical but also from emotional and mental harm. It's a tall order for any man, but not at all impossible.

In the past, South Korea was tooted for exporting manufacturing goods, but now it is known for exporting entertainment products. The sensational popularity of Korean TV dramas and movies overseas could be the advent of the second economic boom for South Korea. The economic effects of Winter Sonata in South Korea have enormously benefited the entertainment and tourism industries. The result from Korea and Japan alone is staggering - 1 trillion won in Korea and more than 2 trillion won in Japan (total: 27 billion dollars). Japanese visitors accounted for 41.6% of 1.99 million visitors to South Korea last year, followed by the Taiwanese as the second largest group of foreign visitors, according to Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO). As a result, flights from Haneda to Kimpo airports will be increased and Pusan will be adding extra ferry runs to some of the six Japanese ports. According to statistics for exports of South Korean TV dramas last year, Taiwan leads with 24.5%, followed by Japan with 19%, China with 18.6% and Hong Kong with 3.3%.

The Korean wave for TV dramas appears to have promises ahead as they recently started courting new audiences in other parts of the world. In Mexico, thousands of viewers organized fan clubs after seeing the hit TV dramas "Everything on Eve" and "Stars in My Heart." Egypt has already provided good reviews for "Autumn Tale" and will air "Winter Sonata" this year. Perhaps, the popularity of Korean entertainment will spill over to other nations in Central America, Africa, and even to other continents in the world.

Although Winter Sonata fever may not last forever, one thing is certain — as Winter Sonata makes its way around the globe in a Korean wave, this TV drama series and its cast will be remembered in the hearts of fans forever.

. . winter sonata again . .

2005-11-24T00:20:00.000+08:00

Yep, he got me and many fans missing him all over once again as there isn't much news about him these days. I've started to re-watch Winter Sonata again, still got me mesmerized despite watching it the 3rd time. I know some fans who watched many more times than me.. hehe! Nearly 2 years already, this drama still lingers on.. :)

. . byj in china & looking good . .

2005-11-11T21:01:00.000+08:00

Would you take a look at these pics?!!

Oh my.. I'm in total shock!! Don't u think he look so good in this?!! He looked different, fresher and all set to accept new challenges!! Many said he gained weight, but hmm.. I cant really tell.. haha! But definitely GOOD!! Why? Coz this shows that he enjoyed his well-deserved break in Japan and enjoyed himself! Plus, the chubbier the better to hug.. keke!

Currently he is in China promoting April Snow together with Director Hur and yep, he swept a big wind to China the moment he arrived. Who can resist him right? *dreamy look on face*

. . minus the glasses . .

2005-11-07T22:29:00.000+08:00

Yes, I love this man so much.. he made me sobbed smiling when watching this vid, it is just so hard to describe..

Click here to download -> Clip

. . byj on LA times . .

2005-11-04T03:50:00.000+08:00

South Korean Actor Drives Up Heart Rates and Sales in Japan

The star of a popular soap opera has become a one-man franchise that's worth billions.

By Barbara Demick, Times Staff Writer
Date: 2 November 2005
Source: LA Times

SEOUL : Like a sleepwalker shaken out of a dream, the woman is startled to be asked what she is doing out on a miserable night huddling for cover at the entranceway to a small office building as great rivulets of rainwater stream down around her.

"What am I doing here?" Masako Amino, a Japanese businesswoman in her 40s, repeats the question in a daze.

The answer is Bae Yong Joon, a South Korean matinee idol famous for driving otherwise sane women to madness.

Ever since his best-known television serial, "Winter Sonata," first aired in 2003 on Japanese television, an estimated half a million fans have come from Japan to visit locations where the show was shot, and even his manager's office on this hard-to-find back street. The chance to glimpse Bae drove thousands of sobbing, screaming fans to stampede outside his hotel during a visit to Tokyo last year.

This is Beatlemania transposed to Asia in the 21st century, with middle-aged Japanese women being by far the most maniacal.

"My husband is laughing at me, and I am amazed myself. I love opera. I love ballet," Amino says as she recovers her composure. The businesswoman, who with her husband runs a chain of stores in Italy, admits sheepishly that she has come all the way from Rome on a Bae pilgrimage. "There are others who are better-looking or better actors, but he has such a nice aura around him."

Unbeknownst to Amino, the object of her affection is upstairs in the offices of BOF Inc., his management company. In order to keep fans at bay, people are told he rarely visits. But in fact, he is there, having just finished a rare press interview in which he reflected with the same astonishment on his fame.

"I never thought I was the best. It was just something that happened. I suppose I am surprised myself," said Bae, speaking through an interpreter. "Nobody in my family ever expected me to become an actor. I was always reserved by nature."

The actor was handsomely dressed in designer jeans, a camel-colored jacket and a low-cut T-shirt revealing a broadly muscular, utterly hairless chest. His smile was so bright it seemed it would glow in the dark. He wore the tortoiseshell glasses that are the signature of the character he played on "Winter Sonata," a faithful and sensitive young man whose love affair is cut short when he suffers amnesia after a car accident.

For the tastes of American women, Bae might be a bit too girly. He is in some ways one of South Korea's new wave of kkotminam, or "flower men," as they call the pretty male models and actors now in vogue here. But at the same time he cultivates an ultra-masculine image, having posed shirtless for a $160 coffee-table album of photographs in which he displays his impressive pectorals. (In its initial release, 100,000 copies were sold in Japan in the pre-order period alone.)

"It is a love story," says Lee Young Gyu, a Seoul travel agent who drove Amino and a friend to the management office. "Women are looking for a love that they have not yet experienced."

It isn't always easy being Bae Yong Joon, shadowed everywhere by his adoring fans. Lest he appear ungrateful for the adoration that has made him rich, Bae doesn't gripe. But a colleague says the actor was particularly upset in Tokyo that he couldn't even go to the lobby of his hotel without fear of creating an incident. Perhaps because it is so difficult for him to go out, he often spends his time playing on-line computer games like Starcraft.

"My popularity doesn't give me much physical space. But I'm used to it. My only regrets are that I can't travel when I want to or take photographs," Bae said, referring to his favorite hobby.

As a Korean cultural icon, Bae is frequently asked political questions, especially touching on the brutal 1910-1945 Japanese occupation of Korea or the hot-blooded nationalist dispute over an uninhabited island claimed by South Korea and Japan. Perhaps that is one reason that Bae rarely gives interviews; an errant remark could damage the miraculous cash-generating franchise that he has become.

Billions of dollars are at stake. Literally. A Seoul-based economic forecasting firm, Hyundai Research Institute, credited Bae, or at least the Bae phenomenon, last year with a $4-billion upsurge in business between South Korea and Japan.

"I have so much responsibility," Bae said. "Fortunately, I am someone who refrains from opening my mouth before thinking about what I have to say."

In fact, after North Korea's Kim Jong Il, Bae might be the most recognizable Korean living right now. His face appears on etched crystal plaques sold for $160 each on Korean Air flights and on $2 socks sold by street vendors in Seoul.

His celebrity extends to Singapore, China and Taiwan and even to communist North Korea; defectors say that DVDs of "Winter Sonata" are smuggled across the border from China and watched secretly in violation of laws against the import of enemy culture.

If Bae is not worshiped at home with quite the same blind adoration as abroad, he is certainly appreciated. Many South Koreans, even those who aren't fans, consider him something of a national treasure for boosting the nation's image and economy.

"Bae Yong Joon has contributed to the improvement of Korea-Japan relations more than 10 ambassadors combined could ever achieve," said Chung Ghil Za, a 64-year-old South Korean homemaker. "He's a true patriot."

In Japan, the passion for things Korean has extended to the cuisine and language. The Japanese broadcaster NHK, which airs televised Koreanlanguage lessons, reported that sales of an accompanying textbook had more than doubled since 2003. Korean cultural centers in Tokyo and Osaka have experienced sharp enrollment increases in language classes.

Seo Hyun Seop, a former diplomat and cultural affairs critic, says that Korean dramas evoke for Japanese fans a nostalgic warmth missing not only in their own marriages, but in postindustrial Japan.

"These middle-aged Japanese women who hated Korea before and thought it smelled of kimchi and garlic now find all things Korean to be fresh and interesting," Seo said.

The question is, can it last?

The Korean National Tourism Organization is certainly hoping it will and is trying to encapsulate and preserve the Bae phenomenon.

In July, the government agency set up a separate division to promote tourism at locations used for television dramas. It is asking producers to build more durable sets that can be visited later and to pick particularly scenic locations for shooting such as Chuncheon lake, the location for much of "Winter Sonata" and now one of the country's top tourist destinations.

"We've been absolutely overjoyed," said Han Hwa Joon, who heads the new division. "It's proof that when you talk about a nation's culture, it is not just old palaces and relics. Popular culture is also very precious and should be treated accordingly."

But the South Koreans may have to find another Bae Yong Joon to be the bait for the droves of lovesick females.

Without quite saying so, Bae makes it clear he is tired of playing the romantic lead in syrupy soaps. Asked about his tastes, he cites the darkly subversive films of David Lynch and the actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. In his first feature film, "Untold Scandal," a 2003 adaptation of "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," he is the lecherously evil nobleman.

"My image is not who I am in the real world. I want to do different types of roles so people can see what I can do," Bae said. "I would like to play a comic role. I'd even like to be the bad guy."

. . just him . .

2005-11-02T15:23:00.000+08:00

Click on pics to enlarge!

. . new paper article 26-Oct . .

2005-10-27T10:54:00.000+08:00

*tsk tsk*

KOREAN HUNK'S FANS PROTEST
We're NO taugeh-plucking ah sohs*
*bean sprout-picking middle-aged housewives
By Chang May Choon

October 27, 2005

ON Monday, a petition containing one bean sprout went out via registered mail.

It was signed by more than 90 fuming fans of Korean superstar Bae Yong Joon and was addressed to a local weekly entertainment magazine.

They were protesting against the publication labelling them 'taugeh-plucking ah sohs' in a recent report.

The description sparked a furore on Internet fan sites.

No, they do not pluck taugeh (bean sprouts). They eat them instead.

And they are not ah sohs (middle-aged housewives).

Contrary to popular belief, these hardcore fans of the supposed Korean 'aunty killer' are anything but aunties.

The majority of the 500 members of his local fan club, Joon's Family, are career women whose occupations range from administrators to managers, lawyers, doctors and financial consultants.

They were initially shy to come out of their professional shells and dispel the aunty misconception and some declined to be photographed.

Still, four stepped forward - although they still withheld certain information, such as the name of their companies - in the hope of proving that they're no bean-sprout plucking matrons.

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

Tiffany Oh, 39, advertising and publishing company owner

SOME know her as the owner of an advertising and publishing company that lists Rolex and HSBC Bank among its clients.

Others know her as the very lucky fan who got a bear hug from Bae Yong Joon when he was in Singapore in March last year.

Ms Tiffany Oh, 39, is one of the 10 founding members of Joon's Family and the emcee for Yong Joon's fan gathering here.

Just as the Korean actor refers to his fans as family, Ms Oh, who is married to a European, also considers him family.

'Whenever he achieves something, we feel proud. When there are distorted reports about him, we are concerned.

'If he gets married or has a girlfriend, well and good. As long as he's happy, we will continue to support his work.'

What attracted her to Yong Joon is his personality, which she described as sincere, hardworking, humble and thoughtful.

She declined to give details, but she said she has communicated enough with his management agency staff to draw her own conclusions about him.

But no matter how special he is, Ms Oh said he cannot compare to her husband of six years.

'He has been very accommodating. He thinks I'm slightly nuts but he doesn't object as long as I don't go overboard.

'I won't be trooping to see (Yong Joon) at every opportunity. It must also be within time, reason and financial means.'

Wang Meiqi, 33, general manager of health and beauty chain

BY day, she is the general manager of a prominent local health and beauty chain, working 15 hours a day and overseeing a staff of over 60.

She holds an MBA, listens to jazz and watches opera.

But when night falls, Miss Wang Meiqi, 33, transforms into a devout fan of Bae Yong Joon.

She calls him a 'very major distraction in my life' and the one she looks to for inspiration.

'He's so perfect! He's charming and intelligent,' she gushed.

'He never takes the easy way out and he keeps pushing himself forward, which inspires me.'

Like most other die-hard fans, Miss Wang does not know Yong Joon personally. Her judgement is based on media reports and Internet postings.

He has also rekindled her interest in Mandarin and she spends most of her free time translating English news articles about him for a China-based fan site with 33,000 members.

She estimated that she has translated over 500 articles to date, and she also heads a team of 13 translators for the China fan site.

Miss Wang has also splurged a 'ridiculous amount' of money to jet-set the region to see him more than 10 times. Once she even paid for a friend to accompany her to Seoul.

But she kept her Yong Joon fixation secret for the first 1 1/2 years. She fell for him after watching him in Winter Sonata in 2002.

'I was a closet fan! I didn't want to be associated with a shi nai sha shou (aunty killer) because I'm very ang moh pai (westernised). It's a bit embarrassing when I usually listen to jazz and visit the opera.'

Not even her closest friends knew about it until six months later. Even today, only two of her colleagues are in the know as Miss Wang fears it may undermine her authority.

There is no sign of that famous Yong Joon smile in her office cubicle, except on specially printed name-cards that she keeps in her wallet to exchange with fellow fans.

In the cyberworld, however, she is a very active member of Joon's Family.

When she first joined the club last year, Miss Wang said she was surprised to meet mostly career women like herself aged between 30 and 40.

No wonder they all felt indignant to be labelled 'taugeh-plucking ah sohs'.

'It's so insulting because it insinuates that all fans are ah sohs with nothing to do.

'I've never bought raw taugeh, let alone plucked it. And I won't allow anyone above 12 to call me aunty.'

But the self-proclaimed single free spirit insisted she is rational enough not to harbour any silly fantasies about dating or even marrying him.

She dates occasionally, but she has yet to find a guy who matches her in independence and confidence. Her last relationship ended last year but it had nothing to do with Yong Joon.

'He's the perfect image of I want to be in life, not my partner to be,' she said.

'Anyway, he's not real. He's idealised in our minds.'

Wee Su Yin, 38, procurement account manager in an MNC

THERE is a reason why Ms Wee Su Yin's work desk is plastered with pictures of Bae Yong Joon's trademark grin.

She is a procurement account manager with a top American infotech MNC, and oversees a team of 10 buyers.

Whenever she is stressed at work, all she needs to do is to look up.

'He has a therapeutic effect on me. Just looking at his face makes me happy,' gushed the 38-year-old.

Though married to a real estate executive for seven years, she went crazy over Yong Joon after her friends convinced her after umpteen attempts to watch Winter Sonata two years ago.

Having grown up watching Hollywood flicks and listening to Boy George, she said she initially thought Korean serials were way too weepy for her liking.

But once she started watching, she could not stop.

Yong Joon is the image of her ideal guy - tall, clean-cut, gentlemanly and bespectacled - and while her husband also fits the criteria, he lacks Yong Joon's dazzling smile.

Not wanting her husband to get jealous, she said she is careful not to tell him too much about her regular involvement in gatherings organised by Joon's Family.

'He'll probably think I'm crazy!' she joked.

As for being labelled 'taugeh-plucking ah sohs', Ms Wee said: 'That's totally inappropriate because none of us in the fan club is like that. We are professionals in our own fields.'

Yvonne Chen, late 30s, remisier

NO matter how busy she is, remisier Yvonne Chen always has time for Korean drama serials.

No doubt she monitors the financial stock market from 9am to 5pm every day, then helps out her brother in his food business at night.

To unwind after a hard day's work, the single woman will turn on the TV and pop in a VCD of the latest Korean drama such as Harvard Love Story (Kim Rae Won, Kim Tae Hee).

'Korean dramas have become a part of my life. After all, we all need some form of entertainment.'

Her favourite actors are Bae Yong Joon, Jang Dong Gun and Choi Ji Woo. She said she is not a die-hard fan of Yong Joon's but she admires him for his acting and sincerity towards his fans.

She recounted how he once bent down to pick up a letter that a fan had dropped while trying to pass it to him when he was in Singapore last year to promote his movie, Untold Scandal.

'He actually bothered to pick it up, which shows he treasures his fans.'

. . back in action . .

2005-10-25T08:43:00.000+08:00

*phew*

Had been absence from the Bae scene for quite a while with occasionally popping in to Soompi and Joonsfamilyto keep myself updated, all thanks to the wonderful Bae gals who contributed endlessly despite their busy schedules..

Yeah yeah, had been on a so-called business thingie for the past 1 and a half month, together with working full-time in office, I'm totally exhausted right now! Luckily my leave starts next Tuesday till Sunday and I'll have a full stretch of Bae vacation!! Hopefully I can contribute more in the forums and make a big revamp of my Bae collection!

April Snow came with a big bang a couple of weeks ago, I wonder how it is doing in the local box office since I'm kinda out-dated. Well, haven't been reading good reviews, some worst (I'm sure u guys know about the Miss Infamous F******e from 8 days by now, so I shan't mention..) which I didn't even bother reading even though I bought it, on April Snow, so I won't be surprise if it was not as successful as expected in SG. Caught it twice, both the Charity premiere and Joonsfamily Bunggae. I enjoyed it.. in fact, the 'scent' of the movie still lingered in my mind every now and then. Am planning to watch that movie again, just me, Bae and my box of popcorn. I hope it is still showing next week.. *cross fingers*

Bae land is pretty quiet nowadays and I hope he is resting well and taking care of himself. With all the bad reviews, I'm sure he felt the pressure from the media. I hope he block them all out and just listen and be happy to those who supports him.

. . beautiful sex scene . .

2005-10-07T13:52:00.000+08:00

Honestly speaking, before watching the full April Snow movie, the one that I dragged the most is the initmate scenes. To me, it is awkward to see such mushy scenes on TV and screens for most movies, let alone with him in it!! I mean, as much as how good they are in the show on such scenes, it is hard for me to accept that they can be able to act so intimate! Won't they get turned on easily? Hahah~ Oops! Naughty me!

Thus not surprisingly, when watching Untold Scandal, it was soo awkward that I was going eeee.. ohhh nooo and almost hid under my friend's arm.. hehe! Too much for me I feel. I know there were a LOT of ppl who went ga-ga coz it was the first time we ever saw HIS cute butt.. hehe!!

This time, as I mentioned earlier, I dragged that kind of scene again in April Snow and thought I knew what to expect since I've seen some captures on it. But little do I know I actually loved that scene and watched it openly with both of my eyes opened, enjoying the moments in those scenes, it kept playing in my mind even till today!! It is not just sex I'm talking about, it's more of the feelings put into it. Those who watched it, will know what I am talking about. In other words, it was not erotic but pure beautiful sex.

One of the 5 fave scenes by Director Hur Jin Ho:

5. The bed scene: The bed scene between In-soo and Seo-young. In-soo and Seo-young, the sharing of love.

Director Hur: I think this is my first time using a close-up shooting like this. The breathing of the actors, the expression as they touch and caress each other… That's a nice feeling.

. . it finally snowed in sg . .

2005-10-07T13:26:00.000+08:00

[:: posted this on Soompi on 5th Oct.. hee! Was too tired that night to write another one and now in office, busy with work.. thus copied and post this in my blog. Did some editing here and there.. =) ::]

Yoo hoo~!!! Back from April Snow~!! *tsk tsk* Just let me briefly describe my April Snow day as each may differ!

Only managed to knock off from work at 6pm (show started at 7pm), me and my friend had to rush a good 60 mins journey (inclusive waiting for transport, walking in heels, withdrawing money, collecting tickets, buy some food to nibble, collect goodie bags) and manz.. it was a mad rush~!! Thoughtful Tiffany sent me an SMS while I was on the way but sadly I didnt get to meet them before the show as I was later than them!

Anyways, managed to collect the tickets and goodie bag in time in a booth (as seen in above pics)~! Goodie bag consist of a double-sided poster of AS, AS folder and some sponsered stuffs like a packet of tissue, Nivea moisturizer and a breast cancer ribbon pin (as part of the money for the movie that day will be donated to the foundation) in a nice Sony handcam paper bag! (probably will take some pics of them later!)

There are so many ppl~! Even local celebrities! But because there was another movie's premiere tonight, I dunno they came to attend which one, but there was a huge April Snow poster outside, so I presume they went to the April Snow's premiere in another room. After me and my friend took our seats and settled ourselves down comfortably, suddenly the person sitting beside me turned and asked if anyone I know visit Soompi frequently and I told her I do and suddenly she kept laughing and immediately, I know she is Yon.. haha! I remembered she told me that she will be sitting VERY near me but little do I know, it would be sooooo near!!! Kekeke!!! Got to know her friend also! So fun~!!

Okie, the movie, shan't reveal too much, but it is a thousand thumbs up~!!! Seriously, the whole cinema almost flooded with drools all over.. hahah~!! The moment our dear Yong Joon's face appeared on the BIG screen, many clapped!! I think it came from Tiffany and Happiebb gang! Many others were giggling including me, especially the intimate parts~! To summarise.. I feel the whole movie is very tastefully made and u can really feel the pain of the characters~! And I agree that you will have to watch a few times to be able to get totally absorbed into the show~! I'm more into wanting to know the story and ending today. I think I'll be more into emotions next Sat when I will be catching it again~!! I wonder how many times will I want to watch.. hehe!

After the show, Yon intro-ed me to Tiffany and BB who were sitting quite a few seats above us. Finally I get to meet them.. hehe! Sorry Yon, Tiffany and BB.. didn't had a proper introduction and had to rush off coz my friend needs the loo badly.. hehe! It was really nice meeting u guys and hope we can meet again next Sat~!! I heaved a sigh of relief after watching the movie because after so many months of waiting and agonising what the ending will be.. I finally got the answers today~

. . 8 days No. 783 . .

2005-10-06T17:00:00.000+08:00

BAESIDE SHAKEDOWN!
Magazine: 8 days - NO. 783 6 OCT - 13 OCT, 2005
Source: http://www.8days.sg/thisweekissue/cover_01.htm

BAE YONG-JOON is back to prettify the big screen in his new tearjerker, April Snow. FLORENCE FONG bravely dives into the media hordes at the Seoul world premiere and spots him grabbing his co-star Son Ye-Jin's, er, bazonkas.

This is by no means an easy thing to admit: I was once in love with auntie magnet, Bae Yong-Joon. I say once, because as someone who has always fancied herself as fairly hip (I've stopped shopping at Sheng Siong supermarket, I go to NTUC now), I refuse to acknowledge that I once liked the same man as millions of taugeh-plucking ah sohs. Besides, I have grown weary of the 33-year-old's carefully glossed lips and tear-glistened eyes.

What is it about BYJ, as he's popularly known? For jealous men who dismiss him as gay, I've only one explanation — he's the male equivalent of busty, sweet-faced virgins. Those slightly nerdy glasses, straight nose, kissable lips — a handsome mug perched on a buff bod that looks equally dashing in suits and birthday suits. The perfect gentleman.

So even though I am now past the height of my Bae-lust, I couldn't pass up on the chance to visit his hometown and of course, catch him in the world premiere of his new Winter Sonata-esque movie, April Snow, in Seoul.

In the movie, Bae plays a concert lighting director who discovers his wife's (Lim Sang-Hyo) been having an affair after she's involved in a car accident with her lover. As the adulterous pair lies comatose in a dingy hospital, Bae meets Son Ye-Jin, the wife of his wife'’s lover, and falls for her.

April Snow is a 180-degree departure from his last movie, Untold Scandal, where he shocked everyone by baring his butt as a cheeko 18th century Casanova. Hamsups will be thrilled to know there are two sex scenes to look forward to in April Snow (more on that later). Aunties will be glad to find their idol clad in smart jackets and all choked up with emotion…

. . sleepy . .

2005-10-06T01:15:00.000+08:00

Juz got back from April Snow Charity Premiere..

I'm so sleepy right now..

Will sleep now and dream of Yong Joon and update about the premiere again tomorrow..

Night all..

*yawn*

. . angry . .

2005-10-05T10:38:00.000+08:00

[:: Read below and be prepared to hop in anger *grr* ::]

China Starts to See Backlash Against Korea Wave
Posted by Sunset in Quilt

China is beginning to see a backlash against a Korean pop culture boom there, and parts of the Chinese press and some local stars are decidedly hostile.

During an audit of the Korean Embassy in Beijing, Uri Party lawmaker Chung Eui-yong said while there was nothing wrong with being proud of the Korean boom in China, it was an exaggeration to think Korean soap operas dominated the entire mainland. Korea should take a more modesty attitude in its relations with China, Chung added.

Rep. Kim Boo-kyum from the ruling party pointed to Chinese attempts to curb the spread of the Korean pop culture there, saying that the Chinese government applies strict standards to the import of cultural products with regulations and a set of official "opinions on the introduction of foreign capital into the cultural industry."

Korean Ambassador to China Kim Ha-jung replied some of Korean culture originally came from China, and many Chinese people criticized Korea's claim to authorship of it.

Chinese actor Zhang Guoli on Saturday complained the Korean historical soap "Daejanggeum (the Jewel in the Palace)," a runaway success on the mainland, portrayed acupuncture as a Korean invention although it was developed in China. Zhang said the press should give less coverage to Korean stars and more to Chinese performers.

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan also urged the Chinese media to support Chinese stars so they can compete with Hollywood and the Korean wave, saying all Korean newspapers were promoting Korean stars.

What is the matter with those people in the movie industry~?! Can't they just leave Koreans alone?! So what if Korean movie industry is enjoying the hypes in many foreign countries other than themselves? They had been under the shadows of Hollywood and Hong Kong for so long, this time they are able to outshine most of them after some hard work and they got criticised and bashed by them??

Seriously speaking, being a Chinese myself, though a Singaporean, I was totally embarrassed by the actions of those in the articles. How can they be so narrow-minded? Correct me if I'm wrong, but most of the time, I'm hearing that Korean actors and actresses looked up to those experienced China directors and Hong Kong actors and hope to be like them!

Recently while watching a Kdrama, Let's go to School, Sangdoo, there were a couple of times HK actors were featured. First, the little girl misttook Joey Wang Zu Xian as her biological mother as her heart locket contains a picture of her and cried whether she learnt the truth. Then there was this one scene where Sangdoo was walking on the street when suddenly, in the background, showed a poster of Jackie Chan's movie on one of the public buses. I rewind back to confirm it was his movie and for a moment, felt proud for Chinese. Now, I'm totally embarrassed by them..

Does Jackie Chan even knows that or not? Or they only judged by the recent figures and reports from media due to April Snow? Yes, we have 2 Korean movies (Bittersweet Life and April Snow) fighting box office sales with The Myth (even Jackie Chan's movie starred a Korean actress, Kim Hee Soon!), but so what? If they are good enough, why scared? It's all about competition and whoever is better, wins the race. So what should they do now? Improve.. improve.. and be better than each other!!

No offence to anyone in particular when writing this entry, but really had it with the critics over Korean wave that is soaked with nothing but jealousy!!

. . sg promos . .

2005-10-03T13:15:00.000+08:00

I neeed to post this~!! I'm so excited about the upcoming April Snow in Singapore, I'm literally jumping with joy in office after reading this post from Soompi! I'm so happy that Singapore is having so many promotions for April Snow, although not as much as Japan, but it's enough to make me go wild~!!

April Snow promotions in Singapore
posted by lynn72_sg in www.BYJ.co.kr

First of all, let me show you gals the magazines that have his articles...

S'pore Magazines
1) Citta Bella - this is a chinese magazine.....he is not on the cover, but there are 4 pages of photos and write up on BYJ..

Pic 1 || Pic 2 || Pic 3 || Pic 4

2) First - this is a magazine on movies only..BYJ is on the cover!!!!
Pic 1 || Pic 2 || Pic 3 || Pic 4 || Pic 5 || Pic 6
(photos from Jos & Tiffany from Joon's Family forum)

3) Feminine Magazine - a malaysia chinese magazine but available in S'pore too...BYJ on cover!!!!!
Pic 1 || Pic 2
(photos from Caroline of soompi forum)

There are also some evemts going on for April Snow... For eg...

1) Bishan Junction 8-this is a shopping mall..
a) They have posters on the glass door, as well as giving April Snow Folder for shoppers who make minimum purchases of S$30...

b)They are also giving out April Snow tickets and a special screening of Untold Scandal tickets at the same place...But both types of tickets have been fully redeemed by shoppers already!

c) A competition to showcase BYJ fans collections....the 6 shortlisted will be know either on Monday(03/10) or Tuesday(04/10). Good luck to all sisters who have joined in this competition...And the 1st prize is a 6days package tour to Korea!!!!the winner of the 6days tour to korea will be announced on 16th October....

2) Cinema - GV cinemas has a few outlets in Singapore...
a) They have come out with a special preview on the 11th October....the special preview package which costs S$24 comes with 2 movie tickets and 8 postcards...But this special preview tickets were sold out in less than 2 days....(i didn't managed to get the tickets...sob! sob! sob! sob!) There is an April Snow Combo set...(which consists of coke, a box of popcorns and 4 April Snow postcards) - picture of the postcards and popcorn paper containers.

Postcards || Popcorn's container(front) || Popcorn's container(side) || Popcorn's container(back) || Popcorn's container(side)

3) Other promotions
- S'pore Postal office have 2 promotions going on for April Snow...one of it is to sms to a number and if you win, you get to bring your friend on cruise for a high tea in November and watched the making of April Snow on board...!

- Pay our telephone and utilities bill at the S'pore Post, send parcel by speedpost to other countries and get the stamp...(altogether need to get 4 stamps) and you can get a chance to be the first 1000 to get an April Snow folder...and a chance to win 2N cruise to Malaysia...

- Some magazines are also having contests to win April Snow posters...!

So happy to see so many promotions going on for April Snow even though BYJ did not come to S'pore...And hopefully with all these promotions, the box office in Singapore will be good!

. . breath . .

2005-09-26T20:38:00.000+08:00

Haven't even watched the movie yet, the soundtrack is already tearing me up...

Breath by Group S is really beautifully written..

Click here to download -> Flash Clip

. . countdown . .

2005-09-20T12:01:00.000+08:00

Added a countdown ticker above to remind me the number of days left to 5th Oct where I can watch April Snow~!!

*woo hoo*

Well, not that suitable for April Snow or BYJ, but thats the best I can find.. anyone else has better to introduce?

. . ost + pics . .

2005-09-16T13:27:00.000+08:00

Was viewing BYJ's album of pictures and listening to one of the main theme from April Snow OST, 'Breath' by Group S, suddenly a surge of emotions came rushing and goosebumps popping up from my skin, caught me by surprise. Not sure how to describe the emotions I felt, it's a mixed of touched, sad, happy..etc, only true fans of his may understand how I felt I guess.

Give it a try.. you may be able to feel how I felt..

URL to the pics: Click here

URL to song: Click here

. . piece of advice . .

2005-09-15T11:04:00.000+08:00

As April Snow will be showing in Singapore soon, I'm sure every SG fan is going to be so excited and looking so forward to watching this movie. Those who are not fans but due critics and reports all over hyping up the excitement, many will be darn curious and will wanna watch and see what the fuss is about. The below article would serve as an advise to all movie-goers to avoid disappointments.

For myself, I've gotten prepared and not hope for perfection but appreciate what is being done in front and behind the screen of this movie. No one movie is perfect and no directors or actors should be penalised if one do not feel satisfied after watching it. It's only a matter of individual's opinions and judgemental skills. So let's all watch this movie with open minds..

Source: 1st September 2005 Yonhap News by Shim Sun-ah

There is an old Korean saying that there is nothing to eat at a party which is too noisy. The proverb means if the exterior of something is too impressive, it could be rather empty inside. Moviegoers would be wise to keep this in mind in the case of the new film "April Snow."

Boasting the combination of veteran director Hur Jin-ho of "Christmas in August" and "One Fine Spring Day" and Bae Yong-joon, the star of the hit South Korean drama "Winter Sonata", the film has gained much attention ahead of its opening in South Korea and other Asian countries. But the result is not a good addition to Hur’s filmography due to its humdrum plot and a weakly-nuanced performance by its two lead actors.

Hur's previous two offerings were acclaimed by critics as romance genre works that subtly depicted the freshness of just-started love and the cruelty of variable love, respectively, without much dialogue. So many of his fans might have anticipated another Hur-style romance film with more commercial possibility due to Bae's presence.

. . charity gala premiere . .

2005-09-15T10:44:00.000+08:00

It's OFFICIAL~!!!
I'm going for the Charity Gala Premiere on 5th Oct!!!

I'm so overjoyed!

: : Simply Bae Yong Joon : :

. . back again . .

. . aftermath of Rain . .

. . it's Rain-ing tonight . .

. . hdd crashed . .

. . back in action . .

. . thank you guys . .

. . grandma . .

. . dae han min guk . .

. . world cup . .

. . aera interview part 2 . .

. . aera interview part 1 . .

. . drop dead gorgeous . .

. . music player guide . .

. . ppilku . .

. . jae-ho and yong joon . .

. . its been a while . .

. . music box & yiruma . .

. . seoul far seoul good . .

. . yj and his thoughts . .

. . BYJ & SSH . .

. . BYJ & SJS . .

. . you took my breath away . .

. . wax figure in mdm tussaud . .

. . gorilla and yong joon . .

. . fans and their artworks . .

. . big smile . .

. . LYA, soon in sg . .

. . clarification . .

. . lg flash with syj . .

. . april snowing in france . .

. . habit habit . .

. . ah ah *shake head* . .

. . waiting . .

. . the image in an expert's eye . .

. . the real YJ before ur eyes . .

. . yong joon and his cammie . .

. . wicked wicked . .

. . memories of april snow . .

. . yong joon & piano . .

. . paparazzi . .

. . toothache . .

. . under construction . .

. . the wait is over . .

. . 1st step to GKFG . .

. . one says it all . .

. . april snow for real? . .

. . shooting starts . .

. . 2006 kyeongnam . .

. . this kiss . .

. . tall lean him . .

. . engaged . .

. . happy vday . .

. . korea and me . .

. . divert attention . .

. . missing the man . .

. . wls trivia . .

. . sharing and friendship . .

. . same watch as him . .

. . politics and him . .

. . one fan's encounter . .

. . quiz . .

. . treasured words by YJ . .

. . back from BKK . .

. . merry xmas . .

. . answers . .

. . spot the difference . .

. . new layout . .

. . my trust in you . .

. . andre fashion show . .

. . morning yj . .

. . what they thot of him . .

. . all i want for xmas is YJ . .

. . another pressie . .

. . all i want for xmas . .

. . sighh . .

. . missing him . .

. . dreamt of him . .

. . what a storm . .

. . heartache . .

. . ah ah shake head . .