Boys Over Flowers (earlier post - "Boys Over Muju Resort") won the most popular drama category in the Seoul Drama Awards 2009 and its male leads, members of F4, have now become the heart-throbs of thousands of teenage girls all over East and South-East Asia. So it's no wonder that Lee Min-ho's (이민호) public appearance in Singapore to officiate at a store's opening in October had to be cancelled due to crowd control issues. But at the start of the "K-drama" invasion , at the beginning of this decade, the cast of the Korean F4 were still in school. Who then was the Korean drama lead that stole the many thousands fluttering hearts of ladies (the mothers, aunties or elder sisters of to-day's die-hard and ardent fans of the Korean F4)? - none other than BYJ!
Bae Yong Joon (배용준)(BYJ) became the darling of thousands of ladies after the launch of the TV drama, Winter Sonata (겨울연가) in 2002. This TV serial was so popular that 80% of Japan was watching it at its peak and very soon the fever spread to the whole of East and Southeast Asia. This was indeed a phenomenon, something that no one could have dreamt of because prior to the onslaught of the Korean wave, Japan was then the nation that was casting great influence through the export of her J-pop and J-culture to many of the countries in the region.
Well who could have dared imagine that one day thousands of Japanese housewives would idolise a Korean artist when Japan was actually the dominant power that was exerting her control and influence over the Korean way of life during the earlier part of the twentieth century (Korea was under Japanese rule from mid-1910 to mid-1945). I still can recall seeing, some years back, many Japanese K-fans browsing over pin-ups of Bae Yong Joon in the souvenir stalls at the traditional Nakamise shopping arcade that line the path towards the Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo.
The success of Winter Sonata can be attributed to the many ingredients that went into the making of this delicious Korean "cake" - a beautiful and very touching love storyline that boast a handsome hero and his pretty damsel (Choi Ji-woo (최지우)); good acting from a charming cast; melancholic yet romantic music; soothing tunes with sentimental lyrics. And to top it all up, the "icing" - a breathtaking winter scenery that servers as the romantic backdrop for numerous of the memorable and touching scenes. The location that provided this "topping" is Nami Island (남이섬).
Namiseom is an island located on top of the Cheongpyeong Lake. It was formed with the completion of the Cheongpyeong Dam in 1943. It has an area of 460,000 m2 and is about one and a half hours' drive (63 km) from Seoul. It was named after General Nami (1441-1469) who was promoted after suppressing a riot but denounced and executed as a traitor subsequently.We boarded the ferry for the trip (which took less than 30 minutes) from Gapyeong Wharf, disembarked at Nami Island Wharf and walked through the white arch gateway that leads to the Central White Pine Tree Lane, passing the tomb of General Nami
on the left. Along here is where you will find numerous exhibition halls.
This lushly green island boast a wide collection of trees and plants; offering animals like deer, squirrels, rabbits, ostriches and birds a pristine sanctuary. In the case of man he not only enjoys a serene, clean, green and fresh environment but he has also available to him facilities for recreation and relaxation, including, among others, a bike center, swimming pool, electric car tour and pleasure boats.
This placed used to be visited mainly by locals before Winter Sonata. But after the spread of the "WS fever" the island has become a target of invasion by thousands
of tourists from East and Southeast Asia. If you refer to the Nami Island Tour Guide's map of the island you can follow the trails of Winter Sonata as the main filming locations are clearly marked on it using little red hearts, while posters, statutes, etc. are used to pinpoint the actual locations on the physical path. Well which ardent Winter Sonata fan could resist the temptation of having a photograph taken at each of these memorable spots on this romantic island. One of the most popular scenic spot for such an undertaking is the one with the island's Metasequoia path (a forest path surrounded by white birches and Korean white pines) as the background (seen in the above right photo). And I am very certain that when you are here you will take one such shot for the album.
Will be leaving for Hokkaido in less than a week's time so my next posting will most probably be around Christmas. Meanwhile here's wishing one and all a Merry X'mas.
[ Thank you to auntie Poh Choo for the photo of BYJ taken during a visit of his to Singapore ]
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