Kim Hae-sook talks about BYJ

I remembered that I once translated Japanese sister Cranberry's sled from B.S.J. (satovic's circle) and posted it on KOB. Just for the record, I will repost it here.
(originally posted on KOB 12.25.2005)
photo from Amazon.co.jp

Annyong! Last week, Ms. Kim Hae Sook (Yujin's mother in “Winter Sonata”) came to Japan. As you all know, Ms. Kim appears frequently in Korean dramas – so frequent in fact, that you start to wonder if there is a shortage of actresses in Korea to play the mother figure. She ended up appearing in all four of Director Yoon Seok Ho’s drama series based on the four seasons, and is presently shooting “Spring Waltz”, which is the last drama in this series.And yes, although it was not a major role, she also played Jaeho’s mother as well.I think she always does a wonderful job in portraying maternal love in a variety of mother roles.Ms. Kim recently wrote a book of essays called “The Inside Story on Winter Sonata”. I attended the autograph signing & handshake session she held in Shin-Okubo (in Tokyo) on the 20th.For me, the rahmen-haired, overwhelming ‘onma’ she played in “Autumn in My Heart” left a stronger impression then Yujin’s mother. So, she caught me off guard when she appeared in front of us as a gorgeous actress. She certainly had the aura of a star, and was very beautiful. It seemed like she was on a very busy schedule, hence the event was short, but Ms. Kim was very talkative as she answered the MC’s questions rapidly. The interpreter must have felt very rushed. Even a chatterbox (‘oshaberi’ in Japanese) like myself (cranberry!) had to admit defeat! Ms. Kim said that she had visited Japan a few times in the past, but had suffered a sleepless night as she was worried about the attendance of the autograph session.The venue capacity allowed about 150 people, but as it turned out, the place was packed! Ms. Kim seemed very pleased, and somewhat excited.

Of course, she shared episodes on Yong Joon ssi as we had hoped. It is said that God only bestows one gift to each individual, but when it comes to Yong Joon ssi, he is “papekt (perfect)”! Not only is he good-looking, he is extremely diligent and thorough. He is caring towards those around him, and she claims she almost felt jealous that such a person exists. She said that he may give the impression of being soft with feminine qualities, but he is actually quite manly and very chivalrous. All of us in the audience nodded deeply in assent to this comment. We think we know everything about Yong Joon ssi that there is to know, but to hear the same information from someone who actually worked with him, makes it more convincing.Because dramas like “Winter Sonata” and “Autumn in My Heart” which are called mini series in Korea, are aired twice a week, she revealed that the exhaustion they experience for the shooting is beyond words. We remember seeing the NG video where Director Yoon Seok Ho fell asleep after giving his cue! As for Yong Joon ssi, he was not feeling well towards the end of “Winter Sonata” and had to receive injections to keep on working. The staff fell asleep while on their feet, and ended up destroying the set! It is no wonder that Yong Joon ssi fell asleep snoring, when he was shooting a scene where he was lying in bed! And of course, the battle against the severe cold…Mentioned also in her book, Ms. Kim claims that she never witnessed Yong Joon ssi rounding his shoulders, or massaging his hands even in the coldest weather. What a professional! We can just imagine how hard he must have worked.But I do remember seeing him walking at the ski resort with his hands in his pockets, fighting the cold.Oh, but of course that was him ACTING!!For Ms. Kim, the scene in “Have We Really Love” where she reunites with Jaeho who had gone blind, is especially memorable. In this scene, Jaeho suffers from both impaired sight and hearing, and therefore the mother had to communicate with her son by writing in the palm of his hand… Yong Joon ssi gave a beautiful performance in delivering the complicated and delicate emotions of this scene with great control and technique. She said that although it was not shown in the drama, she saw a trickle of tears running down his face in the end of the scene.

After reading the book, I learned that although Ms. Kim Hae Sook is now considered the “Mother of Korean Dramas”, she experienced much difficulties in the past. Once an actress who played lead roles, her career took a great tumble. In her recent book, she wrote of episodes that she never revealed to the Korean media. She said that it would please her if the stories about the times of difficulty would help the women readers of her book.We can guess that this work means a lot to her.She was very friendly as she signed my book, saying “Annyong haseyo, OO-san!”In the beginning of this book, 11 Korean actors who she had worked with gave congratulatory comments:Celebrities such as Choi Ji-Woo, Jang Dong-Geon, Won Bin, Song Hye-Kyo, Park Young-Ha….And needless to say, our prince appears at the very beginning.The photo must be the one that he always carries around with him when he gives out autographs.On the photo was his autograph and a heartfelt message.”I have had the pleasure of working with Mother Hae Sook in many works. I am very excited to hear that your book filled with your stories is coming to the world.I pray that this book will become a memorable one for many readers.”Bae Yong Joon Even in such messages, you are PA-PEKT! as always!

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Cranberry