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Bae Yong-joon's 'Scandal' Causing Scandal in Japan

The Sports Hochi carried an article Monday titled "Fully Naked Yon-sama (Bae's Japanese nickname) Unavailable to Those Under 18".

Bae Yong-joon's bedroom scenes are igniting controversies in Japan because the Japanese Film Ethics Commission has given "The Scandal", in which Bae played the leading role, an R-18 rating movie due to explicitly sexual scenes.
The Sports Hochi carried an article titled "Fully Naked Yon-sama (Bae's Japanese nickname) Unavailable to Those Under 18", saying that "The Scandal" was labeled an R film by the Film Ethics Commission on May 2. The Japanese newspaper reported that Bae had discarded his established image as a sincere man like the one he played in "Winter Sonata", which has been broadcast on NHK, and has transformed into a playboy who engages in sexual relations with several women. The movie contains a lot of erotic scenes, added the Sports Hochi. In Japan, film ratings are divided into five categories: general; PG-12; R-15 and R-18. "The Scandal" was given the same rating in Korea.

The Sports Hochi said that Bae Yong-joon had taken off his trademark glasses and lost 8 kilograms for the role. In regard to the hot bedroom scenes in the movie, the newspaper quoted Bae as saying he didn't want to resist doing the scenes because they were absolutely necessary for the flow of the story.

According to the newspaper, the Japanese distributor CineCanon also emphasized that the movie has some sexual expressions, but it is a sophisticated love story, saying that many women burst into tears during a preview. The Sports Hochi added that it is certainly a movie that might cause scandals. The newspaper showed keen interest about whether the mega-popularity of Bae Yong-joon would continue after the movie is released, saying it is expected that thanks to "Winter Sonanta", Bae's Japanese fans would rush to watch the movie, but it is curious about the responses of fans to the bedroom scenes.

Kim So-ra

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