Visiting Korean superstar Bae Yong Joon (32) lost his trademark smile yesterday – and even shed a tear. The cause of his distress was news that 10 of his middle-aged female fans had been injured in a crush outside his central Tokyo hotel. Afternoon wide shows carried live coverage of his car’s attempted progress through the screaming crowds, and said the injured fans had been aged between 43 and 51. The mass hysteria, usually the domain of teenage girls, shows no signs of abating, with every possible sighting of the soap opera star, known as Yon-sama, crammed with “obaa-chans” for hours ahead.
• Meanwhile, younger fans in his home country were welcoming Japanese pop diva Hamasaki Ayumi (26). In her first performance in Korea, Ayu bared her midriff and sang her hits for about 15,000 fans at the first Asian Song Festival. She even sang the chorus of the song “Boys and Girls” in Korean. Also on the bill were local girl BoA (19), who has made it big in Japan, and other big Asian acts.