Photo: skinnylawyer / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me most about Bae Yong-joon is not just that Winter Sonata made him the face of the Korean Wave, but how cleanly he walked away. Few stars at the peak of their fame have the discipline to stop acting and reinvent themselves as a business leader, yet he did exactly that with KeyEast. I read that gentle, composed screen presence as a kind of quiet confidence, and the 2008 Order of Cultural Merit feels well earned. He shaped how an entire generation of Japanese fans saw Korean drama, and that cultural footprint outlives any single role.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Bae Yong-joon
- Name (Japanese)
- ペ・ヨンジュン
- Reading
- ぺ・よんじゅん
- Born
- August 29, 1972 (age 53)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rat
- Origin
- Mapo District, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / film actor / model / television actor / businessperson
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Sungkyunkwan University
Awards & achievements
- 2008 Order of Cultural Merit, 5th class
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.byj.co.kr/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/yongjoon_bae/
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A8%E3%83%B3%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A5%E3%83%B3
Frequently asked questions
When was Bae Yong-joon born?
Born August 29, 1972 (age 53).
Where is Bae Yong-joon from?
Bae Yong-joon is from Mapo District, South Korea.
What does Bae Yong-joon do?
Bae Yong-joon works as actor, film actor, model, television actor, businessperson.
Actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-21
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.