Girl's Generation Hyoyeon to release first solo Scenes from a teaser clip of "Mystery" / Courtesy of SM Entertainment By Hong Dam-youngHyoyeon from K-pop girl band Girls’ Generation is about to release her first solo track.According to SM Entertainment, “Mystery” will be unveiled through the company’s digital music platform “Station” ― which releases digital tracks every Friday ― at midnight on Dec. 2.The song, her first solo since her debut in 2007, is the 43th tune to be introduced on “Station.”The agency described the song as Latin-flavored pop dance music accentuated by rhythmical beats and seductive lyrics, according to SM.“Hyoyeon’s husky vocals and powerful rapping double the charm of the song,” said the agency.The singer previously collaborated with fellow stars Jo Kwon of 2AM and Min of Miss A for their joint track “Born to be Wild” in August.She was also a dancer on Mnet’s dance competition show “Hit the Stage,” in which K-pop stars team with professional dancers to compete in a dance survival contest.She was thNov 30, 2016
Sexual harassment controversy of B1A4 growing B1A4By Park Jin-haiThe sexual harassment dispute between K-pop boy band B1A4 and Lee Se-young, a female cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL) Korea, keeps growing. A recent video uploaded on Saturday on SNL’s facebook page with the title of “B1A4 ‘SNL Korea’ Behind-the-scenes,” showed some of the female staff members, including comedian Lee, suddenly touch the B1A4 members in their genital areas and run off. The idol members were seen completely in shock.When the controversy over sexual harassment was first raised, SNL Korea posted an apology online, apologizing to B1A4 and its fans for the “extreme behavior” of the SNL Korea cast members but did not call it sexual harassment. That added fuel to the fire among the online community, where angered fans bombarded the site with comments saying that this definite act of sexual molestation on male idols has been brushed off as some careless behavior. Comedian Lee, belatedly, posted a hand-written apology on her social network on Monday, which stated, “I’m sorry for dNov 29, 2016
Jeong Seung-hwan sweeps local music charts Runner-up of “K-pop Star Season 4,” Jeong Seung-hwan, has swept local music charts with his debut album. / Antenna MusicBy Lee Jin-aBallad singer Jeong Seoung-hwan is dominating local music charts with his debut album “Voice.”“The Fool,” written by Yoo Hee-yeol, was released at 6 a.m. on Tuesday and hit No.1 on seven online music charts including Melon, Mnet Music, Olleh Music and Bugs. Another track, “In That Winter,” was second on Olleh Music, Naver Music, Soribada and Genie as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.Jeong, 20, was runner-up in season four of the SBS audition series "K-Pop Star" last year.Although he recorded soundtracks for hit TV dramas like “Another Oh Hae Young (2016)” and “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart, Ryeo (2016), “Voice” is his first official album as a singer under Antenna Music. Nov 29, 2016
SNL Korea blasted after female crew grope male idols B1A4 / Courtesy of WikipediaBy Ko Dong-hwanThe female crew of a Korean TV comedy is under fire after a SNS video shows them allegedly touching the “private parts” of idol singers hosting the show.In the video, posted on SNL Korea’s Facebook on Nov. 26, the weekly tvN show’s acting crew, chief producer and K-pop boy band B1A4 hold a backstage pep-talk meeting just minutes before the live show.Chief producer Ahn Sang-hwi praises the band’s five members’ acting skills and says the skits in front of live audiences will be “loaded with a lot of fun.” He then briskly presents the singers to the show’s regular crew.After Ahn introduces the band to the crew, three females from the crew rush at two band members, with plenty of body contact.The women appear to be touching the singers’ private parts because, after the crew finished embarrassing the singers with possible grappling and prodding, the two singers look dumbfounded with their hands covering their private parts.The singers stay looking confused for a few seconds, and the meetNov 28, 2016
Actresses rush to return to screen after giving birth Jun Ji-hyun in a fashioin brand Michaa commercial / Courtesy of HNS HQBy Park Jin-haiJun Ji-hyun, heroine of the megahit drama “My Love from the Star,” returns to the small screen in the SBS fantasy romance drama “Legend of the Blue Sea” this month, just nine months after giving birth to a son in February.Jun’s return, made headlines as much as the big budget drama itself, because of her sleek and glamorous look in a formfitting mermaid costume.In fact, she resumed work by shooting commercials in perfect shape three months after she gave birth.“Right after she gave birth, she started rigorous training to stay fit, preparing for her return,” said an insider close to the actress.Given the fierce competition in the entertainment business, actresses tend to return to their jobs as early as possible so as not to lag behind.“Many actresses return between three and six months, which is much faster than in the past,” the insider said.So Yu-jin in“ Happy Together”in February / Courtesy of KBSPark Jin-hee, who plays tNov 28, 2016
Scandal-maker Choi is hit-maker for TV A scene from “Ssulzun” / Courtesy of JTBCBy Yun Suh-youngChoi Soon-sil, the close confidant of President Park Geun-hye who caused a national uproar for her deep involvement in state affairs to abuse power for personal gain, is a hit-maker in the entertainment realm.The so-called "Choi Soon-sil gate," reminding the people of U.S. President Nixon's Watergate scandal in 1972, is boosting viewer ratings for local TV programs. By airing episodes related to Choi or TV personalities parodying Choi, local broadcasters are having a heyday, enjoying an unusual boost in viewership.“We Want to Know About That,” aired by SBS on Saturdays, dedicated its entire one-hour program to the history of the relationships of Choi and her father Choi Tae-min, who are known to have controlled President Park from behind the curtain for over 40 years. It closely examined Choi Tae-min, a shady religious leader, through testimonies of those who knew him, including Kim Jae-kyu who assassinated President Park's father, Park Chung-hee, and Park Chung-hee himself.Kim was revealed to have kept Nov 28, 2016
MAMA goes on despite China's hallyu ban JYP boy band GOT7 will participate at the 2016 Mnet Asian Music Awards at the AsiaWorld-EXPO, Hong Kong, Friday. / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Jae-heunTae YeonBewhYThe eighth Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) hosted by Entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M will take place in Hong Kong this Friday despite toughened regulations on hallyu (Korean wave), in China.China has reportedly prohibited all hallyu content in the country and banned Korean stars from appearing on Chinese TV shows in retaliation against Korea’s decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system here. Not only were the new Korean drama series not approved to air by the Chinese government, but even Korean celebrities already featured in Chinese advertisements or on their entertainment shows were either replaced or edited out.As CJ E&M is hosting its biggest music festival in Hong Kong for the fifth time and its show will be aired live all over the world, only one question remains ― whether the Chinese government will air the awards in its territory.“It has been 20 years since we started the hallyNov 27, 2016
K-pop girl band 2NE1 breaks up Girl band 2NE1 / Korea Times fileBy Kim Jae-hunNam Tae-hyunThe four-member girl band 2NE1 officially broke up Friday, seven months after member Minzy left the group in April, and seven years after it was formed by YG Entertainment. Their official contract with YG, one of the nation’s top three entertainment agencies, expired in May.According to the entertainment company, the three remaining members ― rapper CL, and vocalists Park Bom and Dara ― agreed to disband. Dara and CL signed new contracts with YG as soloists, while the group’s main vocalist Park Bom was determined to leave the agency.2NE1 members had a two-year hiatus after Park was embroiled in a drug-smuggling scandal.Earlier, YG said the three-member girl band would continue to sing without Minzy. But the agency shifted its decision after a rumor that the company had a connection with the aides of Choi Soon-sil, the main player in a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. Park was allegedly able to avoid prosecution because of the company’s ties with Choi. Nov 25, 2016
Experts discuss future of online content classification Lee Kyong-sook, left, chairperson of the Korea Media Rating Board, speaks during a press conference at the International Classification Forum (ICF) 2016 at the Press Center in Seoul, Thursday. George Sotiropoulos, right, assistant secretary of the Australian Classification Branch, and David Austin, CEO of the British Board of Film Classification also participated in the event. / Courtesy of Korea Media Rating BoardBy Kwon Mee-yooIn addition to traditional media such as film and television, online platforms have become an inextricable part of modern media consumption. However, in the era when more than 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, it is virtually impossible to classify all content and filter out harmful content for children with a conventional rating system.At the International Classification Forum (ICF) 2016, held at BEXCO in southern city of Busan, Friday, international experts from the United Kingdom, Australia, Finland and the Philippines introduced their classification systems. They also discussed cooperation in online content classification.Lee Kyong-Nov 25, 2016
Moon, Soyul first K-pop idol couple to marry Korean singer Moon Hee-jun, left, will marry Soyul of Crayon Pop in February. / Courtesy of Korea Times file, Chrome EntertainmentBy Lee Jin-aMoon Hee-jun from H.O.T and Soyul of Crayon Pop will tie the knot in February, becoming the first K-pop idol couple to marry.Moon, 38, made the surprise announcement through a handwritten letter at his online fan café. Even though he did not state who his wife-to-be is, reporters soon discovered he will be marrying Soyul, 25.Their agencies confirmed on Thursday that the two have been dating for seven months and will wed in February.“The two confirmed their love for each other and decided to take another step for their relationship,” said Moon’s agency, Koen Stars. “Please congratulate the new start of the ‘first K-pop idol couple.’”Moon debuted in 1996 as leader of former boy band H.O.T, one of the first-generation idol groups in Korea. He is host of JTBC entertainment program “We Will Eat Well” and KBS program “Immortal Song 2: Singing the Legend.”Soyul, whose name is ParNov 25, 2016
