The Kween and the Queen

[aftertherain]

I agree with everything you've said but this:

I think it's very clear thay MK was totally focused during her eligible years. She was not in school, she was not singing, modeling, making millions doing endorsement deals.

MK went to UCLA for one year in addition to skating before she put it on hold to focus on the Olympics. She may not have had as many endorsements as Yuna did, but she definitely did some promotions for Disney, was also in a commercial for Campbell's Soups, did some promotions for Maxxi Tires, and others.

[princess9]

Yes ATR but I think she took just a few classes and yes, she had endorsements but it is a fraction of the commercial work YUNA does. Clearly MK would have rec'd more, many more if she had Oly gold. Although I don't recall seeing Tara/Sarah everywhere but then they did not completely fit the ice princess mold. A little too young for many sponsors. I'm sure Michelle is a millionaire but YUNA is very wealthy, I hear. I hope she continues to help wherever she can. She will be a star all her life, whether she steps on the competitive ice or not. I somehow think she will pursue her singing career along with show skating. Well, Brian and company have hit the motherlode, LOL.

I

[sunny0760]

How do you compare their skating? Michelle did not win Gold at Oly but I find her to have been as complete a skater as she would ever be at 19. Will Kim eclipse Kwan? What similarities do you see between the two? I was just wondering how people see these two very popular phenomenons in FS. I read about what a superstar Kim is in Korea and see how her fans have, acc. to one GS poster "rule the internet" at present.

What is her stardom in Korea comparable to? What celebrity or personality does Kim compare to in terms of influence, earnings, etc. I have a hard time trying to picture it and a visit to this lovely Asian gem of a country is not in my budget. I also wonder if anyone has links to where she lives in Korea. Is there a "Hollywood" type place where the stars live? Just Curious as to the reality behind the hype...

I am not a Yuna expert so I don't know where she lives. I am positive 99.999% of Koreans don't know what her house looks like.
But I always have an impression that her stardom/influence/money she makes are a little/much exaggerated.

I think many Korean stars earned more money for the past few years and she does not live in a "Hollywood" type place. I am sure the same goes to Kwan too. Hollywood top stars' lifestyle, stalkers who follow them, Hollywood type of money is very unique and unusual.

I think Yuna is admired and loved here but don't think Yuna fans' are ruling the internet. I read and hear so many different opinions and ideas about Yuna. Positive/negative. You know Koreans are very Internet friendly.

[brownfox]

Anything that comes from the media/internet is exaggerated.

As I said I admire both. Yuna and Michelle are two different skaters.

[Basics]

I think it's very clear thay MK was totally focused during her eligible years. She was not in school, she was not singing, modeling, making millions doing endorsement deals. Mao has some opprtunities in Japan I imagine but she too does not really attend school. It's still all about skating and winning. She trains all the time. She badly wants to be the next Oly champion. Going down this road is what brought Kwan all those titles. I see Mao as possibly havving a resume like Kwan's when she is done. No one since Witt stayed to win another Gold in Olys but she was a very different person in a differnt era. You know all about Witt and the E. German sports machine. She was not really free to make her decisions and could not come west and make her fortune til the USSR fell apart in 1991.

Well, if you like this, Yuna too does not really attend school, and she trains like no other during regular season. She does other activities only during off-season. And, just let you know, Mao too does make a lot of money in Japan.

How can you put down someone who gave up her ordinary life, especially family and friends, in order to solely focus on training?

[brownfox]

yu-na is focused on her skating--however to me the primary difference between michelle and yu-na is the fact how yu-na and other skaters won the ogm--by
favoritism--like new rules favor mao-and possible evgeny and russian skaters. like the rules the last 4years favored canadian--
that means cheating--teachers pet in school -advantaged and overlooked mistakes-higher scores, and marks and not get into trouble,

michelles rules nevered favored her- in fact favor tara/sarah more credence even though didn't do jumps correctly.
see won ogm-they are great--really how much do you favor (cheat for them) rules wise, by that overlook mistakes
yu-na at the olympics skated great-her ogm is deserved not so much for others, if favored rules now-how about back than-
so to me ogm holds no merit unless skater went above and beyond what they should have done at the olympics-yu-na did- not so for kristi, scott, tara, ssarah, oksana
they did what they was supposed and no more with a few mistakes and won.
michelle skated decent like the rest since rules didn't favor her she didn't win. mao messed up a bit -to me just enough to help yu-na for ogm spreadc.
yu-na and michelle are diffrent people but skating styles somewhat alike --difference is michelle expessed more than yu-na where i can feel.
both are great skaters as well as mao-
enough of my rant regarding ogm favoritism/cheating.

Ohhhh what???????????????????????????????

[princess9]

Well, if you like this, Yuna too does not really attend school, and she trains like no other during a regular season. She does other activities only during off-season. And, just let you know, Mao too does make a lot of money in Japan.

How can you put down someone who gave up one's ordinary life, especially family and friends, to solely focus on training?

Dearest, they ALL work very hard. THEY ALL SACRIFICE a lot. Yuna is not unique in this respect. Every top skater works really hard for many years. Read stories of others and you will learn amazing things. Its sweet you are so devoted and enamored of yuna. She certainly has brought many new fans, many koreans and others to the sport. Maybe you will like others as well. No offense. Don't misunderstand. OK? Its a discussion thread and you seem not to understand my points. Sorry.

[Phoenix347]

Oh dear, another useless thread.

[YunaBliss]

What is her stardom in Korea comparable to? What celebrity or personality does Kim compare to in terms of influence, earnings, etc. I have a hard time trying to picture it and a visit to this lovely Asian gem of a country is not in my budget. I also wonder if anyone has links to where she lives in Korea. Is there a "Hollywood" type place where the stars live? Just Curious as to the reality behind the hype...

Yuna recently moved into an apartment in Yoido, which is a major financial district in Seoul dubbed "little Manhanttan" and close to broadcasting studios. The area has nice, upscale high-rise apartments, including several Trump Towers, but it is not the most expensive or luxurious neighborhood (the most expensive apartments/villas are in Kangnam). It's not that she cannot afford to live in the most expensive places (she will be making at least $10 million this year just from endorsements), but Yuna and her family still seem to maintain their "modest" lifestyle - with her family still owning a home in her hometown which is in a rural area outside of Seoul.

In terms of celebrity/influence, Yuna is definitely in the A+ category, and probably the biggest celebrity at the moment. There are a few top-tier actresses/idols (e.g. SNSD) that could be considered to be on par with Yuna in terms of stardom, but only Yuna is considered a national hero.

[brownfox]

Oh dear, another useless thread.

There's another thread on this forum that smells trouble. LOL.

Ohh...off season...

[princess9]

Oh dear, another useless thread.

Because people are afraid to apeak their mind and avoid getting bashed, LOL. Hey Phoenix, why don't you come up with a "useful" thread. What is useful to you? just wondering...

[princess9]

There's another thread on this forum that smells trouble. LOL.

Ohh...off season...

Brownfox, your posts speak volumes of why you are here and where you pop up. Do you have something more, um, interesting to add?

[princess9]

Yuna recently moved into an apartment in Yoido, which is a major financial district in Seoul dubbed "little Manhanttan" and close to broadcasting studios. The area has nice, upscale high-rise apartments, including several Trump Towers, but it is not the most expensive or luxurious neighborhood (the most expensive apartments/villas are in Kangnam). It's not that she cannot afford to live in the most expensive places (she will be making at least $10 million this year just from endorsements), but Yuna and her family still seem to maintain their "modest" lifestyle - with her family still owning a home in her hometown which is in a rural area outside of Seoul.

In terms of celebrity/influence, Yuna is definitely in the A+ category, and probably the biggest celebrity at the moment. There are a few top-tier actresses/idols (e.g. SNSD) that could be considered to be on par with Yuna in terms of stardom, but only Yuna is considered a national hero.

Thannx, I really imagined she's got a jet set life with all the money and fame. The Orser interview said she is like a rockstar in Korea. She is so influential, and unlike any one else in the sport in terms of stardom. Witt had a modest life at the top of her fame and really worked hard once she came here. Kwan is our megastar but her life and earnings are small potatos compared to Yuna Kim. I don't think its at all exaggerated. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when she walks into a store. I really cannot grasp this as there has never been anyone in figureskating like this. Not in any other country. !0 million this year in endorsements alone is huge. Her earning potential is vast. I think the huge sums of money are dazzling to all the insiders in the sport. Every skatetr, coach, whoever wants to be a part of this. American skaters are probably going to find more work in Asia for years to come. She is appealing but there is a lot of luck too in such a life, besides the hardwork.

Evan Lysacek in contrast will likely have a few endorsements and maybe get a TV special next year but Americans seem pretty blase about skating these days. I wish she would headline a tour over here. I am hoping Orser/Wilson get it going. I think they will if she goes pro. It may get us over here a big bump. I miss the pro competitions we had, and even some of the silly shows we had in the 90's. Any one here have her email or agents address to suggest she tour North America? LOL Yunabliss, you know where she lives. Seriously, I hope she turns pro and decides to live here part time as she and Michelle could probably revive Champions on Ice. I enjoyed their shows more than SOI format. Too bad for USA fans they went under.

[Olympia]

I don't think threads like this are "useless" at all. They give us all a chance to talk about skaters we love. Also, seeing the really expressive writers articulate what makes a skater good can be very enlightening.

As I've said, the really unprecedented level of YuNa's fame in terms of what a skater means to her home country reminds me a lot of the impact of J.K. Rowling. I've spent some time in the world of children's publishing. Experts in that world were bewildered and amazed by Rowling's success. There had never been a situation like Rowling's before--the bookstores opening at midnight for Harry Potter parties when a new book came out, the crowds, the sheer amount of money involved, the record number of copies printed. Generally a children's book sells 10,000 to 50,000 copies in hardcover: hers sold millions in the first printing alone.

YuNa's fame in Korea seems to be at that unprecedented level. It's a result of "perfect storm" conditions:
1. She truly is a great skater, both athletic and artistic
2. She's a gracious and telegenic personality who's come to be at home in the spotlight, so her fame can cross over to things like singing and modeling
3. Korea has never had a contender in international skating before and their first one out of the gate wins Olympic gold
4. There are no other current world-class Korean skaters sharing the spotlight with her (unlike Japan, for example)
5. Her skating doesn't even reflect the work of a Korean coach (the way Russian skaters do with Mishin or Moskvina, for example).
All these factors make her a phenomenon unto herself. Whether she stays in competitive skating or leaves now, she's the kind of star we haven't seen ever, just as J.K. Rowling will remain a unique star whether she ever publishes anything again. The nice thing is that, like Rowling, she has provided opportunities for her colleagues. I can't tell you how many good, obscure children's fantasies got reprinted and noticed because of the "Harry Potter effect," or how many more kids, especially boys, became eager readers because of Rowling. Likewise, suddenly skaters from elsewhere have invitations to skate in lucrative, well-attended shows in Korea. And maybe, as Princess9 suggests, someone smart will get Kim to skate in North America and revitalize shows over here. Heck, they should give Kim a TV special. Who says American viewers are only interested in American headliners? Let them include a few guest stars from here and just give Kim the airwaves. I'd stay home to see it!

All this is not to say that Kim is the greatest skater ever. Every fan has his or her own idea of who "the greatest ever" is, because there's no way to measure it. (Kwan still tops my list, though I am really wowed by Kim in many ways.) But to make another parallel, skaters like Michelle or Dorothy Hamill are often called "America's sweetheart." But someone on here pointed out that Kim is considered "the daughter of Korea." That's a level of meaning that no skater has probably ever achieved in her home country up to now. Maybe it will never happen again.

[janetfan]

IYuNa's fame in Korea seems to be at that unprecedented level. It's a result of "perfect storm" conditions:
1. She truly is a great skater, both athletic and artistic
2. She's a gracious and telegenic personality who's come to be at home in the spotlight, so her fame can cross over to things like singing and modeling
3. Korea has never had a contender in international skating before and their first one out of the gate wins Olympic gold
4. There are no other current world-class Korean skaters sharing the spotlight with her (unlike Japan, for example)
5. Her skating doesn't even reflect the work of a Korean coach (the way Russian skaters do with Mishin or Moskvina, for example).
All these factors make her a phenomenon unto herself. Whether she stays in competitive skating or leaves now, she's the kind of star we haven't seen ever, just as J.K. Rowling will remain a unique star whether she ever publishes anything again. The nice thing is that, like Rowling, she has provided opportunities for her colleagues. I can't tell you how many good, obscure children's fantasies got reprinted and noticed because of the "Harry Potter effect," or how many more kids, especially boys, became eager readers because of Rowling. Likewise, suddenly skaters from elsewhere have invitations to skate in lucrative, well-attended shows in Korea. And maybe, as Princess9 suggests, someone smart will get Kim to skate in North America and revitalize shows over here. Heck, they should give Kim a TV special. Who says American viewers are only interested in American headliners? Let them include a few guest stars from here and just give Kim the airwaves. I'd stay home to see it!

All this is not to say that Kim is the greatest skater ever. Every fan has his or her own idea of who "the greatest ever" is, because there's no way to measure it. (Kwan still tops my list, though I am really wowed by Kim in many ways.) But to make another parallel, skaters like Michelle or Dorothy Hamill are often called "America's sweetheart." But someone on here pointed out that Kim is considered "the daughter of Korea." That's a level of meaning that no skater has probably ever achieved in her home country up to now. Maybe it will never happen again.

Very nice thoughts Olympia.
Somehow I missed this during the Olympics but here is NBC's Olympic fluff piece on Yuna:

http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=Kmyt...eature=related