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Kwak Yeon-soo

Korea Times Digital Content Reporter

Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.

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K-pop

SHINee's Taemin confirms solo album for Feb. 11

By Kwak Yeon-sooA teaser image of Taemin's second EP “WANT” Courtesy of SM EntertainmentTaemin, a member of K-pop boy band SHINee, is set to release a new solo album in Korea next month, his management agency said Tuesday.The 26-year-old will drop his new mini-album “WANT” on major local music streaming sites Feb. 11. “WANT” has seven tracks mixing different genres fronted by the title track “WANT,” according to SM Entertainment.Although the label did not disclose further details about the genres and concepts for the new record, it hinted that Taemin will, once again, attempt at pushing the limits of K-pop and show off his low-key sexiness.This will be a follow up to his second studio album “MOVE” released in October 2017.Taemin went solo in August 2014 with the mini-album “ACE,” six years after his debut as a SHINee member. Since then, he has released two full-length albums in Korea and two mini-albums in Japan. He has showcased strong vocal skills accompanied by edgy performances in previous hits such as &ldquo

Jan 29, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
SHINee's Taemin confirms solo album for Feb. 11
K-pop

NCT 127 aims for global reach with 'The Origin' tour

NCT 127 members perform during the concert “NEO CITY: SEOUL ― The Origin,” held at KSPO DOME in Seoul, Sunday. Courtesy of SM EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooNCT 127 threw its first solo gig titled “NEO CITY: SEOUL ― The Origin,” leading 24,000 fans through two days of concerts held at KSPO Dome in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. Making their debut in 2016, NCT 127 is made up of 10 members.“Holding a solo concert is like a dream come true and the proudest moment of our career,” NCT 127 member Taeyong said during a press conference ahead of the show, Sunday. His bandmate Jaehyun added, “We are grateful and honored to throw our first concert at KSPO DOME, but we also have a dream of performing on bigger stages.” NCT 127 sent the crowd into a frenzy as it performed 24 songs, from its first single “Fire Truck” and big hit “Regular” to the latest “Simon Says.” The set list included “Limitless,” a song with tremulous bass and killer choruses, “Cherry Bomb,” an urban hip-hop piece with mys

Jan 28, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
NCT 127 aims for global reach with 'The Origin' tour
Shows & Dramas

Netizens divided over JYP Entertainment and Mnet's 'Super Intern'

JYP Entertainment's CCO Park Jin-young, left, and producer Won Jong-woo speak during a press conference promoting Mnet's new show “Super Intern.” Courtesy of MnetBy Kwak Yeon-sooMnet's new audition show “Super Intern,” featuring JYP Entertainment's search for interns, is drawing a mixed reaction from netizens. After “Super Intern” was unveiled Thursday, many pointed out that viewers have grown tired of survival programs and that a lot of candidates are allegedly trying to occupy the job because they want to meet their idols and gain social media fame.One comment stated, “Imagine having to do a survival program just to try to get an internship. The idea is just dumb,” and another, “Why are entertainment labels obsessed with survival shows?” On the other hand, others sided with the candidates and the label, saying, “The applicants are no joke. They know so much about the industry.”Its first episode received an average viewership rating of 0.3 percent. During the press conference promoting “Super Intern”

Jan 25, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Netizens divided over JYP Entertainment and Mnet's 'Super Intern'
K-pop

Seventeen makes impressive presence on music charts

Seventeen members pose for a photograph during a media showcase promoting their sixth EP “You Made My Dawn” in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of Pledis EntertainmentBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe 13-piece act Seventeen's new single “Home,” an urban future R&B song telling of the warmth of home, is off to an incredibly hot start on digital platforms.The group's main track has entered the Top 10 on major local music streaming charts and the U.S. iTunes' all-genre Top Albums chart just a few hours after its release. “Home” is one of the album's three tracks that brings together all 13 members with the hook's lyrics going “Cuz I'm your home home home home where you can cry and where you can always come to.” Members Woozi and Seungkwan co-composed the song.“Before we make each album, all members discuss what message we want to deliver in the lyrics. For this album, we wanted to write about love, growth and, most importantly, consolation that everyone could relate to,” Woozi said during the press showcase for promoting their sixth mini-album &l

Jan 22, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Seventeen makes impressive presence on music charts
K-pop

Multinational girl group Cherry Bullet debuts with 'Q&A'

Cherry Bullet members pose for a photograph during a media showcase promoting their debut album “Let's Play Cherry Bullet” in Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooCherry Bullet, a new 10-member K-pop girl group under FNC Entertainment, debuted on the K-pop scene with their first mini-album, “Let's Play Cherry Bullet,” Monday.During their group debut, the members said the name represented a dual-sided identity. The rookie girl group ― consisting of members Haeyoon, Yuju, Mirae, Bora, Jiwon, Kokoro, Remi, Chaerin, Lin Lin and May ― has already made its name known to the public through a reality TV show and a number of TV commercials, forming a solid fan base. The multinational 10-piece act includes four non-Koreans: Kokoro, Remi and May from Japan, and Lin Lin from Taiwan.“We are very excited to be able to debut as the label's first girl group in six years following AOA. We will do our best to join their ranks,” Bora said during the group's showcase for a “Q&A” in Seoul, Monday. The track, “Q&A,” is a vibrant, energeti

Jan 21, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Multinational girl group Cherry Bullet debuts with 'Q&A'
K-pop

Former K-pop star's return sparks controversy

By Kwak Yeon-sooKorean-American singer Yoo Seung-joon ― also known as Steve Yoo in the United States ― who has been banned from entering South Korea permanently for evading mandatory military duty, released a new album via online music streaming sites on Friday. His comeback has sparked a backlash on social media. Yoo, one of the highest-selling K-pop artists in the 1990s, has been at the center of controversy after he acquired U.S. citizenship in 2002 which consequently exempted him from the mandatory military service. He was accused of being a draft dodger.His decision to become a U.S. citizen backfired as he failed to live up to his commitments. Earlier, he had said on several occasions that he was ready to serve the military service in Korea. In Korea, nearly all able-bodied men over the age of 20 are obliged to serve for 21 months.The South Korean immigration service ultimately banned him from entering the country amid worsening public opinion about him. Cover of Yoo Seung-joon's new album “Another Day”Yoo's new album titled “Another Day” contains four tr

Jan 20, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Former K-pop star's return sparks controversy
Arts & Theater

Patron of Ahn Jung-geun rediscovered in theater

The musical “Pechka” will be performed at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, Feb. 20. Courtesy of K-Value CreatorsMusical highlights forgotten independence activist's lonely journeyBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe year 2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, set up by independence activists to fight Japanese colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.Among heroic independence fighters, Ahn Jung-geun holds a reputation at home for the 1909 assassination of Ito Hirobumi, a four-time prime minister of Japan and the first resident governor of Korea. Ahn was arrested on the spot and executed in the following year. Nonetheless, not much is known about the numerous independence fighters who were active in Vladivostok, Ussuriysk and Partizansk from the end of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom until the nation's liberation in 1945, as well as the lives of Korean residents in the Russian Far East. Choe Jae-hyeong Courtesy of Ahn Jung-geun Memorial MuseumChoe Jae-hyeong, who

Jan 17, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Patron of Ahn Jung-geun rediscovered in theater
K-pop

Lee Min-hyuk poised to transcend BTOB with solo album 'Hutazone'

BTOB's Lee Min-hyuk performs “YA” at a media showcase to unveil his first solo album “Hutazone” in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Cube EntertainmentBTOB's Lee Min-hyuk drops solo album ahead of military dutyBy Kwak Yeon-sooLee Min-hyuk, the rapper of K-pop boy band BTOB, debuted as a solo artist with the album “Hutazone,” Tuesday, making him the fourth member to go solo (after Seo Eun-kwang, Jung Il-hoon and Lee Chang-sub). This is his first solo album since he debuted with the band seven years ago. Regarding the album title, Lee explained “Huta is actually a Chinese expression that means 'to hit in mid-air,'” during a media showcase held at YES24 Live Hall in Seoul, Tuesday. “Like a baseball player who swings his bat in mid-air countless times to become a better player, I want to build up myself in the same way.”The 29-year-old discarded his sweet, friendly image to show off his masculine, sexy side. “I wanted to seek an image makeover. I wanted to stand out and look like a celebrity so I pierced my ears for the first ti

Jan 15, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Min-hyuk poised to transcend BTOB with solo album 'Hutazone'
K-pop

GFriend celebrates 4th anniversary with brand new album

GFriend members pose for a photo at a press showcase promoting their second full-length album “Time for Us” held in Seoul, Monday. YonhapBy Kwak Yeon-sooK-pop girl group GFriend ― comprising of Sowon, Eunha, Yerin, Yuju, SinB and Umji ― celebrated their fourth anniversary on Tuesday by releasing a new studio album with the sentimental yet powerful single “Sunrise.” The lead track on “Time for Us,” the follow up to last year's “Time for the Moonlight,” “Sunrise” is a song that is packed with orchestral sounds as the sextet layer their vocals over the melody. Its lyrics compare a beloved person to the sun that is yet to rise. “This is the first album since our first full-length album LOL, released in July 2016, and our first release since Sunny Summer last July,” member Umji said during a press showcase for promoting their second full length album at YES24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul, Monday.The song was released alongside a sophisticated music video that features the six members serving up intense choreography with

Jan 15, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
GFriend celebrates 4th anniversary with brand new album
K-pop

89,000,000 'hallyu' fans worldwide

Japanese fans cheer during MAMA in Japan, the global Korean pop music awards ceremony, held at Saitama Japan Saitama Super Arena in this Dec. 12 file photo. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Kwak Yeon-sooThe number of global fans of “hallyu,” or the Korean Wave, has exceeded 89 million in 113 countries, a government-affiliated foundation said Thursday. The Korea Foundation's global hallyu data from 2018 revealed that there are an estimated 89.19 million fans of Korean culture around the world, a 22 percent increase from 2017's estimated 73.12 million fans. The foundation said that last year's jump was largely in part due to the popularity of Korean boy group BTS.BTS has risen to unprecedented stardom in the U.S., reigniting hallyu and toppling Asian stereotypes. The group topped the Billboard 200 albums chart last year and becoming the first Korean group to receive a Grammy nomination. The increase in the number of fans also comes as a result of rising accessibility of various genres of Korean pop culture, including K-pop, K-beauty and K-food.It also reported that there were 1,843 hal

Jan 11, 2019By Kwak Yeon-soo
89,000,000 'hallyu' fans worldwide
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