'Forever, Asian Star Culture Expo In Japan' Opens in Tokyo

The opening ceremony for the second FACE In Japan:Forever, Asian Star Culture Expo In Japan, was held in grandeur on the 1st at the Tokyo Dome City Freedom Hall. This expo is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and the Korean National Tourism Organization.

Following this, the appointment ceremony for publicity held at the Tokyo Dome hotel had invited Korean star Ryu Shi Won to come as a publicity representative. The first expo, which was successfully held last March in Jeju Island, had Bae Yong Joon for the publicity representative.

At this expo, Ryu Shi Won remarked, “I find it an honor to be appointed as a publicity representative. I hope this event will make Korea and Japan, and even the all of Asia to have a closer relationship. It is not just about making Korean culture known, but it is also an opportunity to learn the Japanese culture, and to make a mutual cultural interchange possible.

He said, “the language and the culture may be different, but everyone can exchange and understand feelings. I am singing and acting in Japan, and I want to show a better image of myself consistently in the future.”

The tape-cutting event which started at 1 PM, was a great success due to about 5,000 fans of Ryu Shi Won rushing to the event despite the unbearable heat. As if to reflect the high popularity of Korean entertainment, celebrities from all fields participated in the event and made it stand out even more.

The third wife of the former president of Indonesia, Dewi Sukarno, who is Japanese and known to have good relations with Korea, along with the famous actress Utsumi Midori, participated in the tape-cutting ceremony, and about 300 interviewers had an intense media battle to get the news.

The expo will be held until the 20th, and will show featured sets from popular dramas and movies such as “Winter Sonata,” “Hotelier,” “Dae Jang Geum,” “I’m Sorry, I Love You,” “A Moment to Remember,” “April Snow,” “Beautiful Days,” etc. It will also showcase treasured personal belongings of celebrities such as Bae Yong Joon, Lee Min Woo, Um Tae Woon, Ha Ji Won, Kim Jae Won, Kang Ta, Jo Hyun Jae, Kim Min Joon, Shin Hyun Joon, Lee Dong Gun, etc., and it is called “Asian Star’s Fantasia.”

On the 14th and 15th, there will be a special venue held at the Tokyo Dome. Both venues will be hosted by Yoon Son Ha, and on the 14th, Dong Bang Shin Gi, Lee Dong Gun, Ha Ji Won, Jo Hyun Jae, Big Mama, Kangta, etc. will be on stage. On the 15th, Shin Hyun Joon, Kim Jae Won, Kim Min Joon, Jo Han Sun, M, Tei, and Big Mama will take the stage, and the stars from the sitcom, “Unstoppable High Kick,” will meet with Japanese fans.

Han Jae Gwan, the chairman for the expo said, “this Japanese event is no longer solely about Korean entertainment, but it is about an exhibition where Asians can share their culture and enjoy each other’s culture mutually.” I hope to have a meeting place for Asian stars to share mutual understanding and common grounds, so that Korea’s cultural industry will represent our national image, and work to hold a place in the world.

The organization for the expo plans to continue having events in the United States, Hawaii, China, etc. next year, with this Japanese event as the starting point.