Bae Yong-joon promotes book on Korean culture

Top Hallyu star Bae Yong-joon did not disappoint fans who gathered on Tuesday, appearing at an event held to promote his new book on Korean culture despite having been hospitalized for the past five days.

Bae, admitted to the hospital last week for sepsis, started a press conference by apologizing for causing concern over his health and assured fans he was recovering.

His agency had said the actor had grown weaker after working on his photo essay, tentatively titled "Journey in Search of Korea - Bae Yong-joon", which introduces 11 cultural artisans, Korean traditional food and cultural content, along with travel locations.

"It was not easy writing the book during the past year and it was even harder trying to finish it before the copy deadline," the 37-year-old actor said. "But I feel good now that the book has been published."

He also spoke about the lessons he learned traveling to write his book while all 11 artisans who attended the event also spoke about their experiences with the actor.

Bae went on to apologized for an error in the back of his book where he mentioned a West pagoda instead of an East pagoda -- asking readers to consider the book as a beginner's introduction to Korean culture rather than a professional guide.

The book will be sold in Korea starting tomorrow and in Japan on September 30 where Bae is set to attend a promotional event for the book at Tokyo Dome.

Reporter : Kang Seung-hun tarophine@asiae.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr