2005-2162

Culture
Jang Dong-gun
Song Seung-heon
Lee Byung-hun
Won Bin
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Four For One, One For All
Quartet of Korean Wave superstars gathers for big show at Tokyo Dome
Japanese fans of the Korean Wave are about to get a
special gift.
Four stars who were at the vanguard of the wave
— Lee Byung-hun, 39; Jang Dong-gun, 37; Song
Seung-heon, 33, and Won Bin, 32 — have teamed up for a live
show dubbed “Four of a Kind,” set to run at the Tokyo Dome
on Dec. 17.
This Hallyu, or Korean wave event, unprecedented in its
scale, was reportedly conceived independently by the four
superstars, who are close friends and often meet privately.
The highlight of the event will come when all four actors
perform together. The well-known Japanese producer and
lyricist Yasushi Akimoto will produce the show, and Hur Jinho,
the Korean film director known for the 1998 movie Christmas
in August who recently directed Season of Good Rain
starring Jung Woo-sung and Chinese actress Gao Yuanyuan,
will make a short feature to be used at the performance.
The Tokyo Dome event will also provide a venue for the
fans to hear from each of the stars about their lives at the
moment and their future plans.
“It’s been a long time since I’d met fans at a live show like
this. I’m looking forward to seeing what it will be like,” Jang
was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency.
Lee concurred, adding, “It will be a very special event. See
you all soon.”
Lee won widespread popularity in Asia with his roles in
the 2001 TV drama Beautiful Days and the 2003 hit TV series
All In, and he recently made his Hollywood debut in the
action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, released this year.
Jang earned recognition for his performances in the films
Friend (2001) and Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War (2004) and
recently made headlines by announcing a relationship of two
years with Ko So-young, one of the most popular Korean
actresses of the late 1990s.
It was Song’s role in the 2000 hit drama Autumn in My
Heart, in which he played opposite the prominent Korean
actress Song Hye-kyo, that first won him notice.
And last but not least, the youngest in the group, Won Bin,
who appeared in Autumn in My Heart as a new face then rose
to fame with his role in Taegukgi, was recently featured at this
year’s Cannes Film Festival in the acclaimed film Mother,
directed by Bong Joon-ho (The Host).
Though the details of the event are still under discussion
by the four actors’ management agencies due to their busy
schedules, it promises to be an unforgettable evening for the
stars’ rabid fans. By Park Sun-young
December 2009 korea 43