Yonsama Lunchbox on Sale in Japan

Gosire Bento

Two of the largest convenience store chains in Japan said Tuesday they will be selling special lunchbox sets of Korean food produced by ``hallyu (Korean wave)'' star Bae Yong-joon, better known as Yonsama in Tokyo, next month, Yonhap News reported Tuesday.

Digital Adventure and 7-Eleven said they will be putting the lunchboxes, dubbed "Gosire Bento," on the shelves for three days from April 24, store representatives said. The sets will be sold through pre-orders collected from June 26 through the Internet and store chains.

The lunchbox sets are the third of their kind to be produced by the South Korean actor who gained explosive popularity in the Land of the Rising Sun after playing the hero in the local TV series "Winter Sonata." Previous lunchboxes, stocked from June to Christmas last year in Japan, sold over 160,000 sets and were especially popular among middle-aged female Yonsama fans.

The latest lunchbox will be sold at 2,500 yen (about $26) _ the highest price that any lunch set has been sold for in Japan. It features 16 different dishes from Korea's ancient Goguryeo Dynasty, including bulgogi and kimchi.