The first star to be listed is Kim Hyun Joong. Called ‘the little Bae Yong Joon’ in Japan for his resemblance to the original hallyu star, Kim is currently enjoying a reputation that also rivals that of Bae.
Kim was acknowledged as Korea’s representative solo singer in Japan after his album rose to the top of the Oricon Weekly Foreign Album Chart, and as he’s planning to release an official Japanese single album in January with Universal Japan, J-Pop and Japanese advertisement officials have their eyes fixed on him, trying to gauge when they can carry him away for their keeping.
The second on the list is Lee Min Ho. Lee started to concentrate his activities in Chinese-speaking countries since September, when City Hunter came to a close, and gathered a solid fanbase for himself with fanmeetings and modeling spots in the country.
The heat is expected to reach out to Japan. As City Hunter is a dramatization of a manga that hasn’t even been remade in Japan yet, and as it made a big success in Korea, it’s only going to be a matter of time before Lee takes over Japan, also.
Of course, we can’t leave out the Prince of Asia, Jang Keun Suk. With his drama You’re Beautiful, Jang is enjoying a popularity in East Asian regions including Japan and China that matches that of Bae Yong Joon in his heyday. His cute image and friendly approaches show him to be of a character never before seen by overseas fans, providing them with a breath of fresh air.
Yoo Ah In is also quickly rising as a new leader. The DVD for the drama Sungkyunkwan Scandal, which stars Yoo, recorded the highest rental rates in Japan, proving that he will be having many rewards to reap in the future.
Although Yoo is the latest addition to the list of ‘hallyu kings’, his appearance in the upcoming drama Fashion King may indeed come to crown him as a king if it succeeds.
