Hyun Bin enjoys popularity in Japan

Amid rising popularity of South Korean television series “Crash Lansing on You,” which is a love story between South Korean heiress and North Korean soldier, in Japan, the lead actor Hyun Bin is re-publishing a photo book titled, “Days in the Marine Corps” in Japan on Sept. 7 after six years since its first edition in 2014. The photo book, which is filled with photos of Hyun Bin while serving in the Marine Corps, was first published in Japan in 2014 and is being re-published on the back of the popularity of the TV series.

With three weeks left until the official release date, the photo book has topped Amazon’s TV star chart on Tuesday with a volume sold during pre-sales period, according to Japan’s Amazon.

“Crash Landing on You” was released on Netflix Japan in February this year and once topped the list of most-watched series on Netflix Japan, becoming the most popular South Korean TV series in Japan following “Winter Sonata.” Nihon Keizai Shimbun recently ran a column, saying, “Let’s find a solution to the worsening South Korea-Japan relations in this TV series.”

bsism@donga.com