Bae Yong-joon chats with Hatoyama

By Park Min-young



Actor Bae Yong-joon on Tuesday and Wednesday met 45,000 Japanese fans at Tokyo Dome to promote the animation version of the popular TV series "Winter Sonata" which starts on cable television this month and the release of his travelogue "A Trip in Search of Korea`s Beauty" in Japan.

Miyuki Hatoyama, wife of Japan`s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama who is known to be an "avid fan" of Korean culture, was included in the audience and had a friendly chat with Bae after the event for about 10 minutes.

"We talked about the cultural exchange between Korea and Japan. She greeted me in Korean," Bae told the press after the event.

The 36-year-old actor said he read about 150 books and did not get enough sleep for three months while writing his book. Due to overwork, he was hospitalized for five days last month.

"I was afraid that I might not be able to attend the two-day event. I even went though H1N1 flu tests, which fortunately turned out to be septicemia," he said.

He added that the book will be released in English and also in Braille. The Braille book will be distributed for free.

The top-rated Hallyu actor however noted that Koreans should reconsider using the word "Hallyu," or "Korean Wave."

"It sounds too unilateral. It would be better for Korea if we use the word `cultural exchanges` instead," he said.



(claire@heraldm.com)