Other Korean stars can't hold a candle to Bae
We all know how Korean stars Lee Young-ae and Ji Jin-hee became the talk of the town when their TV series Jewel in the Palace was shown last year. However, to CitySeen's surprise, it is Bae Yong-jun who has become the first Korean to make it to Hong Kong's Madame Tussauds.
Known as a ladykiller in Japan, Bae is one of the biggest stars to emerge from Korea's soap world. The heart-throb achieved his cult status in Japan after playing an architect in the TV tear jerker Winter Sonata four years ago.
His wax statue will be unveiled this month in the 'world premiere' room alongside Hollywood stars Jodie Foster and Pierce Brosnan.
'We don't always follow the trends of who's hot,' says Tussauds' marketing manager Kelly Mak Yuen-han. 'But we do like to recognise individuals who have contributed to their country's culture, and we felt that Bae Yong-jun would be a good choice.'
Ms Mak says that Bae agreed straight away to be immortalised in wax. But then who wouldn't when the tourist spot agreed to invest $1 million in his statue?
Fans of Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing are sure to be jealous - just $700,000 was spent creating the late local star's wax statue.
