Japanese Magazine’ I Love Korean Dramas! No.9’ (March 2006 issue)

Frances and I had so many long convesations over YM on the popularity of Yong Joon in Korea and Japan. While reading Myonne's translation on Pak Minwoo's article about Yong Joon's popularity, I was so happy to learn that the conclusions that Frances and I were able to come up were the same as that of Pak Minwoo.

I know that all BYJ fans must have read Pak Minwoo and Myonne's translation, but i'm reposting Myonne's translation here for my "file" because I really like what was written on this article.

Myonne, thank you for much for doing the translation

I Love Korean Dramas! No.9’ (March 2006 issue)
Published by Tokimeki Publishing, Co. Ltd.
Written by Pak Minwoo (A journalist living in Korea)
Translated by Myonne and posted in BYJ's Quilt

++Want to tell those who think ‘Yon-sama is unpopular in Korea’++

To be sure, such enthusiastic BYJ fever as in Japan is not taking place within Korea. While tens of thousands fans in Japan and in other Asian countries cry for joy for BYJ’s visits, within Korea they do not have so much commotion. However, he has received as much respect and love as usual in Korea.

I will summarize the evaluation of BYJ who shows special presence as an actor in his own country.

＊＊Unchanging popularity, though not excitingly heated.

As for BYJ’s popularity in Korea, we have to think about it on the assumption that he has been an actor for more than ten years in Korea. Frankly speaking, a star named Bae Yongjoon is already a man like a family for Korean people. He always exists by your side and shows his tender smile to you.

Besides, unlike other talents, he is not prolific in works. Rather, considering his activity period, his works are fewer than average. Apart from the debut period, he has not appeared on different works in succession in a year. Even in the most popular period, he made a blank for a couple of years. So, he is the type of an actor whose topics are forced to be few.

So to speak, he is a man who is not willing to delete his own value himself. Patiently, slowly, and steadily, as if he made one step backward and then two steps forward, he has been polishing himself as an actor. Towards such BYJ, the fans in Korea have been pouring their unchanging love, though not much heated.

BYJ has not had an official fan club in the past and now as well.
Though he is so popular, why doesn’t he make a fan club?
It is because his fans are too different and wide-ranged in age group and in tastes. His fans love and send cheers to him for respective reasons.

Since it is impossible to bind such people in one place, he is not willing to make a fan club. But, there are sure to be a number of people who support him.

I will show you one data.
In 2003, when we could not realize his popularity overseas, BYJ was ranked in the 6th place as the star drawing power of the spectators in the poll by the film-makers, where the representatives of major film producing companies estimated the number of spectators only by the name of an actor. BYJ was judged to be in the 6th place with 380,000 people.

“Why? He is merely in the 6th?”

Suppose you think so, you know too little about the situation in Korean movies world.
Talking of 2003, it is the year when ‘Untold Scandal’, the first film BYJ starred in, was released. Then, even though he had had many track records on television, he was treated as a newcomer in the movie world. Nevertheless, he was abruptly ranked in the 6th as a considerable audience drawing power. It was the fact that should be specially mentioned.


＊＊One of the Korean Top Brands

All the actors who ranked above him are those who had years of experiences in movies. In Korea, evaluations for TV dramas and for movies are quite different. Movies are more highly regarded than TV dramas, and accordingly actors and actresses recognize it most honorable to get good evaluation on themselves in movies.

In such circumstances, it is really wonderful that the audience drawing power of a newcomer into movies, Bae Yongjoon, could meet those of big movie actors.

This is the result of the high evaluation on filmmakers’ side for his track records Bae Yongjoon had accumulated over years. As a matter of fact, his debut film “Untold Scandal” ranked as the 4th place with the number of spectator mobilization of the year.

Korean movie world was also a large success in that year. The famous works such as “Silmido” “Memory of Homicide” “Old Boy” were also released. “Untold Scandal” was a historical play, a genre, which was hardly any popular in movies, though. (In Korea, historical plays are quite popular on TV,, while there have been no work which hit on the movies.)

It is quite amazing that ‘Untold Scandal’ had the splendid box-office record beyond such disadvantages. Director Lee Jeoyong of ‘Untold Scandal’ had always appointed top stars, but his debut film “ An Affair” had about 300,000 spectators, and with the following film ‘True Love Music” he had to suffer over a small audience. That is to say, he is a type of director who cannot draw spectators in spite with good quality of his works. But, with this “Untold Scandal” he has become a hit maker director at a stretch. It is because he thus encountered with Bae Yongjoon.

I’ll show you one more data.

‘ Monthly Chosun’, a major magazine in Korea, attached the special appendix ‘100 Korean Top Brands’ in January 2004 issue, in which 100 brands of Korea accepted in the world were introduced including Samson and others. Among the actors only Bae Yongjoon was selected in the list. This is the very certificate of his true value.
Before he became popular like this in Japan, he had already been regarded as an actor of top brand in Korea.

*His ‘Surprise’ First Debut Film

I mentioned above that movies are more highly regarded than TV dramas in Korea. It is because they think that producing people should be more particular about their work in movies than in TV dramas which are mostly evaluated by audience ratings.

Accordingly, fans are quite severe on movies. It is natural that they should want to see better works if they take trouble to go to the theater and pay their own money to watch them. Therefore, Korean movie fans are considerably critical on not only directing ability of the producer but also on performance of actors and actresses. Of all things, in case of movie actors, quite different from TV talents, the performing ability should be the top priority.

In the latest Korean movie world, there is a tendency which actors with a substantial theatrical stage experiences are highly evaluated.

On the other hand, actors of TV graduates are looked down on in respect of performance ability in many cases. Surely, it is a dream of those who have turned to movies from TV world to be accepted as an actor with high performing ability, but in fact, it is difficult enough and there are few examples of actors who have successfully moved from TV to movies. Not a few talents have been beaten away.

Those TV actors who repeat difficulties in rough and time-pressing shooting environments and in the audience rating priority, tend to act only by their natural images in most cases, and when they move into the movies with elaborate working process, they are forced to hit the wall which cannot be overcome only with their popularity.

Moreover, unlike on TV which we can enjoy with ease in our living room, in case of movies shown in a dark theater and on a big screen, the spectators are going to discern all the aspects of the movie currently shown in front of them. In order to satisfy such spectators, actors must have a considerable performing ability. They cannot fight on a big screen with imperfect performing ability.
It is reasonable that not a few talents have challenged only to have much failure.

In such circumstance, the case of BYJ can be said a rare successful example. He had been applying all of himself to be a true actor until then. It was finally rewarded.

While other talents were addicted to the instantaneous popularity and sold themselves in impossible schedules with various works, BYJ has selected his roles and works carefully, built his image, and polished his own ability. Those people surrounding him could not help being impressed by such prudence of his from the bottom of their hearts.
However, when such BYJ decided to advance to the movies at last, everyone of the movie persons as well as his fans was really surprised at the work he himself chose to appear in. Because it was a historical play in Chosun dynasty period by Director Lee Jeoyong who , though the artistic nature in his works was much recognized, had small box-office results.

“Bae Yongjoon will remove his glasses and appear in a historical period drama? And that, as a lascivious playboy!?”

His appearance in this movie was greatly apprehended.

All the more because we had known that he had made such prudent selections for the past ten years, his decision stirred up the big ripple around him. And other than anything, what was worried most was whether he could express the role faithfully.


＊Fans were so pleased with the success of his first movie.

BYJ had been not so much a star as an actor. He was a star based on the image with freshness and tenderness which he had created for the past ten years. To be honest, he had not a few factors unknown to be an actor with superb performing ability.

More frankly speaking, there were a lot of evaluations that his acting is reasonable enough but not specially stunning. Korean entertainment world sees that popularity and performing ability are two different things. Evaluations of the performing ability are thus severe in Korea.

Under such conditions, BYJ dared to fight a game on the movie in a disadvantageous genre. It was a serious bet.

What kind of result would this unimaginable selection of BYJ, who had constantly made prudent work choice, turn out to be? Worries were greater than expectations.

BYJ, however, blew off such worries splendidly. Not only his fans but also the critics were astonished and applauded at his performance and transformation. It was a birth of a movie actor, Bae Yongjoon.

To the end of his hardships for ten years, BYJ began to bloom as an actor. The persons involved in movies were pleased with a new birth of an actor with sure acting ability, but the joy of his fans who had been watching his growth was much greater.

BYJ, who has made slow but steady steps forward for his dream , overcoming various temptations and distresses surrounding him over ten years; and his fans who have unremittingly watched him with warm hearts・・・
This success of a big hit of his debut film ”Untold Scandal” was overwhelmingly delightful for both of them.

The joy of his fans, however, was never a frivolous one. It should be called their expectation, rather than joy, for what he will newly show us to move our hearts from now on. The success on his movie became the cause to recognize him not as a star but as an actor.

Under such circumstance, we heard the explosive popularity of “Winter Love Song” and BYJ in Japan.

At first, our hearts simply bounced with joy. It is a pleasant news for every Korean that a Korean drama and a Korean actor had acquired an enormous popularity overseas, and that, in Japan, where there had hardly been any exchange of popular culture until then.
However, when the popularity turned out to be not a momentary fashion but a huge sensation, all Koreans wondered ‘Why?’

To be sure, “Winter Love Song” is a good drama, and BYJ is a talented actor with good ability. Still, why like that??

*What his fans wish for・・・

If I try to answer this question concisely, I would say it’s nothing less than ‘the difference of growth and emergence’.

For his fans in Korea, BYJ is an actor who is still under growth. What his Korean fans have in mind toward BYJ is not momentary yearning but their gratitude to the efforts he has shown and their profound and secret love for him who responds to it without fail. Those fans in Korea who have been watching him by his side like his family, are not enthusiastic but have deep-rooted concern and love.

On the other hand, for his fans in Japan, BYJ is a dazzling star who appeared one day all of a sudden. His Japanese fans who had not known him for the past ten years, suddenly met ‘perfect’ BYJ who was equipped with everything. And they were mesmerized by his star-nature which was quite immaculate to them. This emergence of a new star of the type which has never existed before was quite shocking to them.

To say further on, Japanese fans were charmed by the image which BYJ had accumulated for his ten years and by the aura emitting from there. In this sense, “Winter Love Song” can also be said the last program of a series of his image-making over ten years.

After “Winter Love Song” he advanced to the movie world in Korea. He completed the first curtain of his activity on TV. It may be quite natural that Japanese fans who saw a complete form of BYJ on TV were instantly captivated by a star called BYJ.

The difference of temperature of his fans in Korea and in Japan, therefore, may come out of the difference of an actor in ‘growth’ and in ‘emergence’.

BYJ gave a pleasure of gradual surging to his Korean fans who have been watching him, and gave a joy of impact to his Japanese fans who met him in his abrupt emergence.

The time lag made us accept that BYJ began to bloom as an actor in Korea, and made them recognize that BYJ appeared as a star like a comet in Japan. In other words, probably BYJ is an actor who is promising from now on in Korea while he is currently shining star in Japan.

An actor and a star cannot be said which is superior or inferior. Either of them receives strong support and deep love from his fans. An actor delights his fans with his works while a star pleases his fans with his own charms. Accordingly, the way of fans’ gaze becomes different. The fans who look at an actor are warm but sometimes severe towards him. On the other hand, the fans who look at a star are full of fathomless love.

The difference of the gazes at BYJ in Korea and in Japan is nothing but a difference in what aspect they want to ask for in BYJ as’ an actor’ or as ‘a star’. And this is the very fact given rise to only when BYJ possesses splendid talents and dazzling star-nature at the same time.

If a person is simply an actor, or if he is simply a star, he could express only one aspect of himself. BYJ, however, while being a star, shows you his performance backed with solid acting ability. This is Bae Yongjoon, and I think it is hardly meaningful to inquire in which side between in Korea and in Japan he is more popular.

Whether BYJ is an actor or a star, there is no difference in the pleasures he gives to his fans.

What his fans wish for is only one thing・・・they want BYJ to be an actor as well as a star. And I think they sincerely wish that he will be loved forever in both countries, in Korea and in Japan.