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Park Jin-hai

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.

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Shows & Dramas

MBLAQ to release Japanese single

Park Jin-haiK-pop boy band MBLAQ will return to Japan with its upcoming Japanese single “Still In Love.” Their 4th Japanese single is scheduled to be released on Feb. 26. “Still In Love” was written and composed by Daisuke Mori, who has collaborated with the legendary J-pop boy band SMAP. Another song, “Take it Back,” was also created by Japanese artists. Composer Nakamura Daichi worked with songwriter Her0ism, who previously wrote songs for TVXQ and Kara. In celebration of its official release, the band will hold fan meetings twice a day on March 12 and 13 in Osaka, and March 16 and 18 in Tokyo.

Feb 19, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Others

Graduation ceremonies brace for change

High school seniors carry their teacher in a palanquin during a graduation ceremony in Hyeong Seok High School in Jeungpyeong Country, NorthChungcheong Province, Feb 12. / YonhapEvolving from violence-marred events to festivals By Park Jin-hai, Kwon Ji-youn, Yoon Sung-won For as long as anyone can remember, high school graduation scenes were more about saying good-bye to the grueling years of college exam preparations and the confinement of school walls than about the commencement of a new life.Most, if not all, ceremonies for years have been marred by a spate of incidents that has drawn criticism from the public ― from egg throwing and burning textbooks to tearing each others’ school uniforms, taking pictures and sharing them on-line. So much so that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced last year that they would conduct crackdowns on the aberrant behavior of high school seniors on graduation day, including “naked celebrations,” and penalize the offenders. Some of the schools even had policemen guarding school yard entrances as a preve

Feb 18, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Graduation ceremonies brace for change
Shows & Dramas

Making 'hanok' common

RakKoJae, premium “hanok” guesthouse, was once used by Jindan Hakhoe, Korea’s first historical society. / Courtesy of RakKoJaeEngineer-turned hotelier devoted to upgrading traditional housing Ahn Young-hwanCEO of RakKoJaeBy Park Jin-hai“Hanok” or Korean traditional houses are being taken out of the history books to provide a new way of living.For a long time, the traditional architecture was disregarded in favor of apartment complexes that sprung up during the 1980s.But Koreans are rediscovering the charm of the centuries-old style of buildings and inviting them back into their lives.Jongno district office in central Seoul opened its first “hanok” library on Thursday. A day earlier, North Gyeongsang Province unveiled the blueprints to build 700 hanok on 250,000 square meters of land by 2027.Since 2008, the Seoul government as well as a number of other local governments, such as those in Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces, have been creating hanok communities, one of which is the Bukchon Hanok Village.Nestled within the quaint alleys of Bukc

Feb 18, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Shows & Dramas

KBS bans H.O.T music, image

Tony An, center in the second row, is seen in this file photo as a member of the now defunct-group H.O.T. / Korea Times fileBy Park Jin-haiKBS announced Thursday that it will temporarily ban now-defunct boy band H.O.T’s music and videos from its programming.The broadcaster said that its management had decided in December to not feature entertainers, accused of gambling including Tony Ahn from H.O.T, alongside Lee Su-geun and Tak Jae-hoon. An was charged with repetitive gambling and booked without detention.KBS added that it will also suspend appearances by actresses Lee Seung-yeon, Park Si-yeon and Jang Mi-inae, who received suspended jail sentences for abusing the anesthetic drug propofol, and singer Ko Young-wook, sentenced to five years in jail for raping and sexually assaulting minors.

Feb 14, 2014By Park Jin-hai
KBS bans H.O.T music, image
Shows & Dramas

Home shopping fashion brand goes global

Models showcase home shopping channel CJ O Shopping’s lingerie brand “Fedelia,” at the opening of the premier fashion show Salon International dela Lingerie, held at Porte de Versailles on Jan. 25 (local time). / Courtesy of CJ O ShoppingTop designers join to gain upgraded premium imageBy Park Jin-haiParisians watched female models walk on runways showcasing elegant and lacy work of underwear with oriental embroidery.For the first time, the Korean brand “Fedelia” graced the opening of the premier fashion show Salon International de la Lingerie held at Porte de Versailles on Jan. 25. The CJ O Shopping private brand created in collaboration with the former Christian Dior designer Cilia Boes, won the spotlight against competing 550 brand names from 38 countries. Earlier this month rival home shopping giant GS Shop held a lingerie collection at Pier 59 Studio in New York and launched three new brands for the spring/summer season.At a time when local fashion brands are faced with stagnant market growth, the home shopping channels with immense distributio

Feb 14, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Home shopping fashion brand goes global
Shows & Dramas

'Underdogs' work on Girls' new album

A scene from “Mr.Mr” teaser videoBy Park Jin-haiThe Girls’ Generation is back. The nine members will break their one-year hiatus with a new mini-album titled “Mr., Mr.”  The upcoming album has drawn much of attention from the music circles and fans, since the SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that the famous American music production duo “The Underdogs” participated in the album making. The R&B/pop production has done work with such celebrity pop icons as Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Britney Spears. Tuesday, the group released the 40-second teaser video, where members are seen in glitzy dresses while wearing oxygen masks in a hospital setting. Their electronic and hip-hop mixed music had the repetitive “Mista mista” hook.The group’s popularity is still high even after the news of its two members ― Yoona and Sooyoung were each dating actors Lee Seung-gi and Jung Kyun-ho. Billboard’s K-town article commented that anticipation is high to see what the group can accomplish after an exciting y

Feb 12, 2014By Park Jin-hai
'Underdogs' work on Girls' new album
Shows & Dramas

Kim Woo-bin to launch Asian fan tour

Actor Kim Woo-binActor Kim Woo-bin will meet fans through series of fan meetings around Asian countries.Starting from Hong Kong on Feb. 16, his first overseas fan meetings will take place in Taiwan, China and Thailand. “We’ve had calls from overseas fans to hold fan meetings, since Kim was starring in the drama ‘School 2013.’ Due to the success of following drama ‘The Heirs’ and movie ‘Friend 2,’ his Asian fan meetings could be made possible,” said his agency SidusHQ.In January, Kim held an event to inaugurate his fan club in Seoul, meeting some 3,000 fans that day.

Feb 12, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Kim Woo-bin to launch Asian fan tour
Shows & Dramas

K-bands ready to rock the world

Electronic rock band The Ratios perform at the end of the “K-Pop Night Out,” held during Europe’s music industry trade forum MIDEM in Cannes, France, in this Feb. 2 file photo. / YonhapK-rock pitches its global promotionBy Park Jin-haiAt the recently ended “K-Pop Night Out,” held during the Europe’s largest music market Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale (MIDEM) in Cannes, France, what graced the ending stage was also the electro rock sound of The Ratios.Its vocalist Kim Ba-da, former lead vocalist of legendary rock band Sinawe, heated up the scene with electro-rock bangers, heightened by soaring vocals, electro sequences and thrashing beats.Overshadowed by K-pop for so long, K-rock now starts to show that it can also contribute to the Korean wave, as more and more music fans and producers find it a fresh alternative to the same-old idol packed K-pop acts.This year’s lineup for the northern America’s largest music showcase South by Southwest (SXSW), the most noticeable was the advance of local rock

Feb 9, 2014By Park Jin-hai
K-bands ready to rock the world
Shows & Dramas

Gaon Chart to hold K-Pop Awards 2013

Prestigious local music chart Gaon will hold the K-Pop Awards Wednesday at the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul. Launched in 2010, Gaon was the first nationally certified music chart, supported by the Korea Music Content Industry Association and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This year’s ceremony will feature top girl groups 2NE1, Sistar, Girl’s Day, 4 Minute, Miss A, A pink and Crayon Pop, along with K-pop male idols like EXO and B.A.P, and hip-hop artists Dynamic Duo and San E.   The ceremony, co-sponsored by the Star News and Gaon Chart, will feature the giving of awards to the most beloved artists of the year and music staffs, based on the compiled data of digital music and album sales. During last year’s ceremony, the K-pop idols in attendance included Big Bang, Super Junior, TVXQ, Girls’ Generation’s subgroup TaeTiSeo (Taeyeon , Tiffany , Seohyun ), 2NE1 and Wonder Girls.

Feb 9, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Shows & Dramas

5.4 Club seeking tourism linking tourism, culture

Choi Jung-wha, center, president of the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), and Park Moo-jong, third from left, president and publisherof The Korea Times, pose with members of the 5.4 Club at the restaurant Congdu in central Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of CICIBy Park Jin-haiMembers of the 5.4 Club, a cultural tourism promotion organization, agreed at a meeting Thursday that the way to promote tourism in Seoul is to bridge tradition and modernity.  “It has been almost one year since we launched our club. Looking back, we have done many things to present more to see and experience for foreign visitors. But, there is more work to be done,” said Didier Beltoise, CEO of Cs, a consulting firm. He and his wife Choi Jung-wha, president of the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), co-founded the non-profit club in March 2013.     The 5.4 Club was launched by CICI last year under the motto “Feeling Korea through Five Senses and Four Themes.” Choi shared the ideas with its members about the club, including the recent Korea Imag

Feb 7, 2014By Park Jin-hai
5.4 Club seeking tourism linking tourism, culture
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