Abstract
Korean idol Bae Yong Joon seems to have lived up to the nickname “Yon-sama” coined by his fans in Japan.1 He was the first among many Korean idols to offer his condolences and financial aid, amounting to one billion won ($900,000), days after a massive earthquake and tsunami struck northeast Japan on 11 March 2011.2 Many of his fans were moved by the gesture, especially those living in Fukushima prefecture, directly affected by the disasters. It was not the first time the idol had shown his generosity; he also donated 300 million won to victims in Japan following an earthquake in Niigata in 2004. In April 2010, the idol was reported to have visited the Intensive Care Unit for premature infants at the Yokohama Children’s Medical Center, which was named after him following a donation of an undisclosed amount.
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© 2012 Ho Swee Lin
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Lin, H.S. (2012). Emotions, Desires, and Fantasies: What Idolizing Means for Yon-sama Fans in Japan. In: Galbraith, P.W., Karlin, J.G. (eds) Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137283788_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137283788_9
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