Korean boom sweeps Japan
By Chris Betros and Mayumi Higashioka
South Korean superstars Lee Byung-hun, left, and Choi Ji-woo
TOKYO — There's no doubt who the biggest foreign celebrities are in Japan right now — Koreans. When Lee Byung-hun and Choi Ji-woo visited Japan recently, nearly 1,500 screaming fans showed up at Narita airport to greet them. That was nothing compared to the reception they got at the Tokyo International Film festival, where 300 photographers and 800 reporters crammed into their press conference to promote their romantic comedy "Everybody Has Secrets."
The couple, along with Bae Yong-joon, has swept through Japan this year like a fever. Choi first starred with Yong-joon in NHK's phenomenally popular "Winter Sonata." Now she and Lee are appearing in the Saturday night NHK drama "Beautiful Days."
"Every time I come to Japan, the number of people who come to my press conferences seems to increase," mused the 34-year-old Lee, known in South Korea for his killer smile.
The elegant 29-year-old Choi, who looked like she had stepped from the pages of a fashion magazine, said she found it gratifying to have so many fans in Japan. Born in Pusan, she majored in aerobics at Pusan Women's Professional College before beginning her acting career.
http:/www.japantoday.com/e/?content=newsmaker&id=204
By Chris Betros and Mayumi Higashioka
South Korean superstars Lee Byung-hun, left, and Choi Ji-woo
TOKYO — There's no doubt who the biggest foreign celebrities are in Japan right now — Koreans. When Lee Byung-hun and Choi Ji-woo visited Japan recently, nearly 1,500 screaming fans showed up at Narita airport to greet them. That was nothing compared to the reception they got at the Tokyo International Film festival, where 300 photographers and 800 reporters crammed into their press conference to promote their romantic comedy "Everybody Has Secrets."
The couple, along with Bae Yong-joon, has swept through Japan this year like a fever. Choi first starred with Yong-joon in NHK's phenomenally popular "Winter Sonata." Now she and Lee are appearing in the Saturday night NHK drama "Beautiful Days."
"Every time I come to Japan, the number of people who come to my press conferences seems to increase," mused the 34-year-old Lee, known in South Korea for his killer smile.
The elegant 29-year-old Choi, who looked like she had stepped from the pages of a fashion magazine, said she found it gratifying to have so many fans in Japan. Born in Pusan, she majored in aerobics at Pusan Women's Professional College before beginning her acting career.
http:/www.japantoday.com/e/?content=newsmaker&id=204