Bae, who loves to take photographs, intends to pack his bags and travel across South Korea with his camera, photographing all the beautiful sights his homeland has to offer. He will then compile it into a book, so that people would not only know of the commercial Korea or what you see in dramas, but something deeper.

Bae has requested that you share with him special places in Korea that you think would be good to include in his book. Being one of Korea's top hallyu stars has kept him so busy that he probably does not have time to travel.

Below is his translated message to fans...

Hello everybody. I hope that you have been doing well.

Even though the weather was unpleasant today, I thought that the cool breeze was refreshing. The cold rain and wind also seemed to suggest a change of seasons. I realized that time had passed very quickly and a sense of urgency began to take over. You see, while resting I had made a mental note of all the things I wanted to do. And so I now write this letter to you.

First, I would like to apologize for causing you to worry about me. My surgery was a success and there were no complications. After spending a few days in the hospital, I am now recovering from the operation. My recovery has been progressing very quickly and I am now able to sit in front of my computer and write this letter to you. I promise that I will never cause you to worry like this again, and I am very grateful for your support. I hope that you will always take care of your health.

Among the things that I would like to do, there is one idea that I would like to share with you now.

I once mentioned that I would like to create a book that introduces Korea to the reader. I admit that part of the reason behind my book idea is my love for taking pictures. However, for a while now I have also wanted to exhibit the beauty of Korea.

I understand that many of you in Asia began to show interest in Korea at the time you began to support me. Some of you even visited Korea. However, I have wished for some time that your travel destinations included more sites which are not related to drama filming locations.

I wished that there was some way to say the following to you and other tourists who were able to experience some of the greatness of Korea but who then had no choice but to leave the country due to a lack of relevant information:

"Even for Korean citizens who have lived in Korea their whole lives, exposure to Korea's natural landscape, culture, and history is a moving experience. Please capture the beauty of Korea with your camera. This is where I was born and where I grew up. This is the beauty of Korea which was shown in the dramas and movies I appeared in."

This made me think about picking up my camera and starting a journey myself. Then I got the idea of making a book which would share the beauty of Korea through my photographs of the country.

I started to think about places which I would recommend to tourists. But I could only think about famous places and the few sites that I have personally visited. And I know that there are many wonderful places which I have either not visited or do not know about. To make matters worse, I could not find any satisfactory and helpful sources of information. Then I realized that I could try asking you for help! I was wondering what you thought about making the book together with me.

What do you think? Please give me your thoughts.

Please tell me about the various places you have visited in Korea. Any information, whether in the form of a letter or photograph, would be greatly appreciated. Even an old traditional restaurant in the countryside or a sunset you witnessed while stretching outside of your car would be suitable for the book. I would even like to hear about the fun episodes that occurred while you were here in Korea. I would also like to hear from those of you who live in Korea and who have had the opportunity to experience the true value of our country during your journeys.

Perhaps you are curious about Korea and you haven't actually visited the country. That is good for the book too. Please tell me which aspects of Korea you would like to know more about, which places you would like to visit, what types of food you would like to eat,
I will use all of my efforts to focus on the creation of this book after listening to all of your ideas. I hope that the book will cause people who are interested in Korea to want to stay in Korea for a long time.

My camera, notebook, and pen are now ready to start the project. As soon as I hear from you, I will pack my bags. For now, please send your emails to webmaster@byj.co.kr. Later, I will try to set up another method of receiving your ideas.

It feels good to finally write down what I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. I now will wait with great anticipation for your input. I will carefully study everything you send.

Please remain healthy and happy.

Love,
Bae Yong Joon

August 19, 2008

re:change of email add: go to post #7 for the update.

that's a good new then, ive seen this few days that Bae Yong Joon starts to explore new things such as his new restaurant and now this. i just wish him good luck for doing so many things.

I bet his email is added on your address book tn1! rofl...

This is good stuff! This will be a good travel guide... I hope the book will be written in English, so that foreign fans could also enjoy the book! I hope too that PowerBooks or National Bookstore will be able to stock their stores with this coz definitely I'll be buying one! Maybe I'll start pre-ordering now! rofl... I'm planning to visit Korea after I save millions! rofl

oh! he should include travel costs or overnight fees for inns and stuffers... lol

... oh tn1, kindly put credit to the translator of BYJ's message... thanks

Credits to javabeans for the animated gif

4jpz Wrote:I bet his email is added on your address book tn1! rofl...

This is good stuff! This will be a good travel guide... I hope the book will be written in English, so that foreign fans could also enjoy the book! I hope too that PowerBooks or National Bookstore will be able to stock their stores with this coz definitely I'll be buying one! Maybe I'll start pre-ordering now! rofl... I'm planning to visit Korea after I save millions! rofl

oh! he should include travel costs or overnight fees for inns and stuffers... lol

... oh tn1, kindly put credit to the translator of BYJ's message... thanks

how did you know , i wish that too, so that i can buy that book of his, that book would be my first souvenir or remembrance that actually came from him lol...

and oh, sorry but they didnt put who was the translator in BYJ's message but i do reword it (not the BYJ message) but the news

okay

This is a good time for you to email him... maybe he'll credit all his contributors on his book and when you purchase the book, you'll go gaga over your name! rofl

Credits to javabeans for the animated gif

wow, that is soo cool!!!! he's my fave in Hotelier drama....i think he needs a haircut though ^^ he looks soooo much cuter in short hair

4jpz Wrote:okay

This is a good time for you to email him... maybe he'll credit all his contributors on his book and when you purchase the book, you'll go gaga over your name! rofl

lol...i dont know what to tell him cause ive never been to korea before (how i wish) but you gave me an idea, i could tell him to input fees lol...but idk maybe ill think more hahaha...

btw, here is the latest news about BYJ message (found it in soompi)

[KOB notice]Please tell BYJ about 'The Beauty of Korea'
2008-08-21

Greetings BYJ family members,

First of all, we appreciate your sincere and deep interest in BYJ's letter.
Your warm support becomes energy for BYJ's recovery.

We made an e-mail address to receive your ideas and opinions about 'The Beauty of Korea'.
Anything about Korea will be welcomed: beauty, travel episode, food, and questions about Korea.

Please see below for details.
Thanks.

BOF

< How to tell BYJ about 'The Beauty of Korea' >

1. E-mail address:ilovekorea@byj.co.kr

2. E-mail details:
1) Name (ID of byj.co.kr if applicable)　　　　
2) Contact number and e-mail address
3) Idea or opinion (please state clearly the specified pl*ace name or location)

3. Time limit:
Aug. 22, 2008 ~ Sep. 11, 2008 (for three weeks)


* We will collect the ideas received throughwebmaster@byj.co.kr until Aug. 21(24:00),
so if you sent an e-mail to the webmaster e-mail address, you don't have to worry about it.

However, we recommend not using the webmaster e-mail regarding this matter from Aug. 22.

Your kind understanding will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

Hey, it's the 23rd now so tn1 you better make an update on the main post re: the change of email address coz some BYJ fans might get frustrated! lol... upto 9/11 only!??! wah! that's a short span of time but I bet lots of emails already have been received... since we haven't been to Korea, so we can't contribute that much, eh? but yeah the costs/fees in US$ will be good, not in KRW (Won) coz that'll be in millions! rofl

Credits to javabeans for the animated gif

yeah ive already update the main post and millions eh at first i was like "_____" then ive realized the why you said millions lol...

cant contribute much, as much as ive wanted to send him an email but idk what to tell him lol...guess it is only a dream again hahaha