Korean man falls in love with a pillow

Lee Jin-gyu and his lover. Photo: The Daily Chilli

SKOREA - The media reported on Tuesday that a 28-year-old South Korean man married a large pillow with a picture of a female anime character at a church in Japan.

However, Lee Jin-gyu, the guy who fell in love with his dakimakura - a kind of large, huggable pillow from Japan with an image of a popular anime character on it, told South Korean media on Wednesday that he has not yet married his "girlfriend."

"My love for Fate is unchangeable but I will take more time to think about our marriage," the man told the press. Lee's pillow caried an image of Fate Testarossa from the Magical Girl anime series.

Lee became famous after appearing in a Korean cable TV show titled Martian Virus in January. The TV show viewed Lee's "ordinary" dates with his pillow at amusement parks and restaurants. He said they have been dating for six years.

"He is completely obsessed with this pillow and takes it everywhere," said one of Lee's friends.

"They go out to the park or the funfair where it will go on all the rides with him. Then when he goes out to eat he takes it with him and it gets its own seat and its own meal," he added.

Lee was in the limelight after the show - but not in a good way. He received prank calls and his blog was showered with insults, including some directed at Lee's parents.

"I don't think it is right to hurl insults just because my thoughts are different from theirs. A TV show is a TV show. Some of the content was exaggerated a little bit," Lee told the press.

Lee said that he is currently looking for a job but his love for Fate will stay the same even after he finds one.

"Liking a virtual character is a matter of personal taste. I hope our society could become a place where different opinions can co-exist," he added.

- The Korea Herald/ANN