New 'Yonsama lunchbox' goes on sale in Japan

Two of the largest convenience store chains in Japan said Tuesday they will be selling special lunchbox sets of Korean food produced by Korean Wave star Bae Yong-joon, better known as Yonsama in Tokyo, next month.

7-Eleven and Digital Adventure 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 preorders collected from June 26 through the Internet and store chains.

The lunchbox sets are the third such to be produced by the South Korean actor who gained explosive popularity in the neighboring country 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 2500 yen (about $26), the highest price that any lunch set has been sold at in Japan, featuring 16 different dishes from Korea's ancient Goguryeo Dynasty, including bulgogi and kimchi.

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