Woman admits Lee Jin-wook sex assault claims false /The Korea Times FileBy Lee Han-sooKorean actor Lee Jin-wook, who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in her 30s, has been cleared of the charge.The woman, whose identity has remained secret, admitted on Wednesday that the allegation was false, according to the Suseo police station.“It is true she confessed to false allegations,” police said. “She made the admission after we went through her statement and found no evidence of the alleged sexual assault.”Police plan to compile a report of the investigation and the lie detector test result before issuing a warrant for a false allegation.The woman sued the actor for sexual assault on July 14 after she drank with him at her apartment on July 12.Earlier Saturday, the woman’s lawyers, Hyunjai, resigned over an alleged breach of trust.With Lee’s name cleared, netizens are now in hot dispute over whether the woman’s personal information should be released. Jul 27, 2016
SHINee gears up for September album release K-pop boy band SHINee will release a new album after a Seoul concert in early September. / Courtesy of S.M. EntertainmentBy Yeo Ye-rimK-pop boy group SHINee will make its Korean comeback after more than a year with a new album.According to SHINee’s agency, S.M. Entertainment, the group will release the album after the five-member band’s fifth concert, “SHINee WORLD V,” at Seoul’s Olympic Gymnastics Arena on September 3-4. SHINee debuted in 2008 and has since gained great success with hit songs including “Replay (2008),” “Lucifer (2010),” “Ring Ding Dong (2012)” and “Sherlock (2013).”This year, the group has toured nine cities in Japan for the “2016 SHINee World Areana Tour.”Jul 27, 2016
S. Korean rappers indicted over marijuana charges Two South Korean rappers have been indicted on charges of smoking marijuana, prosecutors said Wednesday.The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said rapper Iron, 24, is suspected of smoking the banned substance three times between December 2014 and March last year. Rapper Kidoh, 24, is also suspected of smoking the drug at a bar in Bangkok, Thailand, in October.Prosecutors said they have indicted five other hip-hop artists over similar allegations.Under South Korean law, the use of marijuana is banned and comes with a maximum of five years in jail or a fine of up to 50 million won ($43,300). (Yonhap)Jul 27, 2016
'Hit the Stage' is an idol dance battle The cast members of Mnet’s new dance competition show “Hit the Stage” pose at a press meeting, July 22. From left are hosts Jun Hyun-moo and Lee Soo-geun and idol dancers U-Kwon, Taemin, Hyoyeon, Ten, Shownu, Bora, Hoya and Momo. / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Jae-heun“Hit the Stage,” Mnet’s new dance competition show, premiers today, bringing eight dancers from the top K-pop groups for a battle on the stage.“K-pop and hallyu went global and they are popular these days and I wondered why dance is excluded,” said chief producer Lee Eung-gu during the press meeting at 63 Convention Center in Yeouido, western Seoul, last Friday. “Psy’s music became popular because of the dance. So we decided to make a dance show.”In the series’ first lineup, the idol dancers vary in experience from Hyoyeon of Girls’ Generation with nearly nine years of experience to Ten from NCT of S.M. Entertainment who debuted only three month ago. The other dancers are Taemin of SHINee, Bora of SISTAR, Hoya of Infinite, U-kwon of BlockJul 26, 2016
HyunA to embark on Asia tour in September South Korean idol singer HyunA will tour Taiwan and China in September after the release of her first solo album, her agency said Tuesday.The 24-year-old former member of girl group 4minute is scheduled to release her mini-album "A'wesome" on Monday. The tour will kick off in Taipei on Sept. 4 and later take her to the Chinese cities of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Chengdu for concerts and meetings with an estimated 10,000 fans, Cube Entertainment said."There's a lot of interest in this upcoming tour because she's received so many requests for concerts from her overseas fans," an official from the agency said.The tour, which may include stops in other cities, is expected to serve as a stepping stone for a more international career, the official added.HyunA, who featured in the music video for rapper Psy's megahit "Gangnam Style," co-wrote the words to her upcoming album's title track, a hip-hop song whose name roughly translates to "What do you think?" (Yonhap)Jul 26, 2016
Actor Park Hae-jin to launch official fan club in Sept. South Korean actor Park Hae-jin will launch his official fan club at a Seoul university in September, his agency said Tuesday.Park, who most recently played the enigmatic male protagonist Yoo Jung in the cable TV series "Cheese in the Trap," will hold a fan meeting at Yonsei University on Sept. 25 to launch "CLUB Jin's," his first official fan club in his 10-year acting career, according to Mountain Movement.Fans from 27 nations, including China, Japan, Iran, Norway and Mexico, have already joined the club, which began recruiting members in June.Mountain Movement said it is in talks with airline, accommodation and other relevant officials to provide discounts to fans planning to visit Seoul for the launch.It also plans to fully reveal Park's schedule and companies he works with to prevent the growing number of scams against his fans.Park is scheduled to hold his last 10-year anniversary fan meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday. (Yonhap)Jul 26, 2016
'Babel 250' aims to create new common language The cast members of tvN’s new reality show “Babel 250” pose at a press meeting, Monday. From left are Tanon Varaya, Angelina Danilova, Matheus Oliverio da Silva Rego, Lee Ki-woo, Michelle Marie Bertolini Araque, Nicolas Portier and Chen Lin. / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Jae-heunThere are 6000 languages known to exist in the world, but only 250 languages are actually in current use. CJ E&M’s cable TV tvN wants to add one more with its new reality show “Babel 250” and strives to make it a new global language after English, Spanish and French. The television show takes its title from the biblical Tower of Babel and those 250 languages.“Although we say Babel is our new common language, it is impossible to make one,” said program director Lee Won-hyoung during a press meeting at Stanford Hotel in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, Monday. “We wanted to show that people can communicate with a limited vocabulary like we do with English when we travel. But it was hard in the first three episodes as people had to know each otherJul 25, 2016
Seohyun of Girls' Generation cast in Chinese web drama SeohyunSeohyun, a member of K-pop girl group Girls' Generation, was cast as the lead actress of the Chinese web drama "Canvas the Emperor," the film's local promotion agency said Monday. The film is a joint production of Korea and China.The film is based on a popular Chinese drama series about a young boy Tang Zhong (Zhang He) who makes his debut in the entertainment industry on behalf of his twin brother. Seohyun will be playing Dong Puti, the female lead character who falls in love with Tang. This is Seohyun's starring debut in acting. She previously played a supporting role in SBS's "Passionate Love" in 2013.The film will be directed by Korean producer Hwang In-roe who is best known for hit TV shows "Goong," "Mischievous Kiss" and "The Return of Iljimae." It is his first Chinese production.The movie will be filmed entirely in Korea starting late August.South Korean actors Song Ha-yoon, Baek Jun-seo and Choi Youn-so will also star in the film. Jul 25, 2016
JYP Entertainment artists gather for 'Encore' From top, Wonder Girls, 2PM, Miss a, GOT7, TWICE/ Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentBy Yeo Ye-rimJYP Entertainment artists have combined to record a collaboration song “Encore,” released on Monday.The release was timed to fit with the upcoming “JYP NATION Concert, MIX&MATCH” at Indoor Jamsil Stadium on Aug 6-7.Poster of the song “Encore.”/ Courtesy of JYP EntertainmentJYP Entertainment founder Park Jin-young produced the song. Thirteen artists were involved, including Yubin, Ye-eun and Hye-rim from Wonder Girls, Min from miss A, Nichkhun and Junho from 2PM, Mark, Jackson and Yugyeom from GOT7, and Mina, Momo, Jungyeon and Nayeon from TWICE.The participating artists were chosen by fans on Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V.A mixture of pop, R&B and hip-hop, “Encore” embraces the unique styles of the artists. It is the first joint song by JYP artists since 2010, when“This Christmas” was released. Jul 25, 2016
Producer in hot water for 'healthy pornography' comment “Produce 101” producer Han Dong-chul has apologized for his remarks. / YonhapBy Yeo Ye-rimHan Dong-chul, producer of Mnet’s K-pop girl band audition show “Produce 101,” is under fire for referring to the show as“healthy pornography.”Online star magazine High Cut asked the producer how he would attract male viewers for the male version of “Produce 101” scheduled for next January. “The reason I made ‘Produce 101’ was to make healthy pornography for guys,” he said. I.O.I “You know how the participants were all cute and adorable like your younger sisters or cousins?"“I wanted to make a type of porn that gives you such feelings."“Any show of good quality will attract viewers regardless of their gender."“The male version will be healthy pornography for female viewers."“But because it has a lot of entertainment and fun elements, males will also watch.”On July 22, Han officially apologized for his inappropriate comments.But netizens continue to complain Jul 25, 2016
