[news] 30 Japanese tourists hurt during making of animated Yon-sama drama

source: Mainichi Daily News

SEOUL (Kyodo) -- Thirty Japanese women were injured in an accident Friday while watching the making of an animated drama starring South Korean heartthrob Bae Yong Joon, according to the Japanese Embassy and South Korean police and firefighters.

While most of the 30 women had only light injuries, one sustained a serious injury to her face, the Japanese Embassy said. The women were in their 30s to 70s.

Three South Korean men were also hurt in the accident.

According to Yonhap News Agency, high winds during the event at an outdoor set in a resort area of Gangwon Province in northeastern South Korea caused part of the set to fall down.

The Japanese spectators were hit by broken pieces and sustained injuries to the head, arms and legs, it said. They were treated at nearby hospitals.

Yon-sama, as Bae is fondly called in Japan, is popular among Japanese women in particular for his starring role in "Winter Sonata," a popular South Korean TV drama series. He does the voiceover for his character in the animated version.

There were reportedly some 1,700 Japanese female fans of Bae watching the event, as part of a tour organized by Digital Adventure, at the time of the accident.

(Mainichi Japan) March 13, 2010