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Bae Yong-joon captures grand prize in Japan

October 21, 2013

(Yonhap) Actor Bae Yong-joon, the star of the hugely popular TV drama “Winter Sonata,” has received the grand prize at a hallyu awards ceremony hosted by the Japanese media industry, his management agency said.

Bae also received the best actor award in the Korean drama category of the Korean Entertainment 10th Anniversary Awards in Japan on Saturday, KEYEAST said.

“This event is all the more meaningful as I’m able to be with my junior entertainers that I like the most,” the actor said in a ceremony televised live on Japan’s TBS and DATV channels. “I think these talented entertainers will make the future of hallyu brighter,” he said, referring to the Asia-wide popularity of Korean pop cultural contents such as TV dramas and pop music.

The one-time event was organized by the Korean Entertainment 10th Anniversary Committee, comprised of Japanese television stations, drama productions and entertainment agencies, to honor Korean artists who have contributed to the development and spread of hallyu in Asia over the past decade.

For the best actress award, Yoon Eun-hye of popular TV dramas, including “Coffee Prince” and “I Miss You,” was chosen.

The organizers of the event also announced the winners of top prizes in the Korean music category chosen by a survey of 120,000 K-pop fans in Japan.

TVXQ and Kara received the best male and female K-pop groups, respectively, while Kim Hyun-joong and IU won each won the best male and female solo artist award.

“I will strive to become a better artist in singing, dancing and acting so I can contribute more to the development of hallyu,” Kim said as he performed his latest songs, “Your Story” and “Unbreakable.”