Korean rapper Verbal Jint drives to a drunken beat Drunk driver: Hip-hop artist Verbal Jint. /Courtesy of Brand New MusicBy Lee Jin-aRapper Verbal Jint has had his license suspended for drunk driving.The musician posted a message on Instagram, Sunday, saying he was caught driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.067 percent in Mapo District, Seoul on Thursday.His license is suspended for 100 days.“I have no intention to come up with excuses because I’m at fault,” said Verbal Jint.“I deeply regret my reckless actions, neglecting the possibility of a drunk driver becoming an assailant. I’m writing this post because I believe this is something that cannot and should not be hidden.”Verbal Jint is an influential rapper and producer for Korean hip-hop record label Brand New Music.He is best known for his songs “You Look Good” (2011), “You Deserve Better (Pretty Enough)” (2012) and “Good Start” (2013). Jun 20, 2016
Big-name stars return to small screen Lee Min-hoBy Park Jin-haiAfter the much-hyped drama “Descendants of the Sun” and its lead actor Song Joong-ki dominated the local entertainment industry in the first half of this year, big-name stars prepare to return to the small screen to captivate drama fans both domestic and abroad for the rest of the season.A-listers itching for their comebacks in the second half this year include Lee Min-ho, Song Seung-heon, Lee Jong-suk, Kim Woo-bin, Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Young-ae.The first heartthrob coming to the small screen is Kim Woo-bin, who will return in the upcoming KBS2 romance drama series “Uncontrollably Fond,” premiering July 6.The 26-year-old model-turned-actor, who has recently worked on movies, returns to the small screen after three years since he played the role of a bad boy millionaire in the 2013 show “The Heirs.”Kim Woo-bin in “Uncontrollably Fond” / Courtesy of KBS Kim will star as Shin Jun-young, a popular singer-actor who falls in love with documentary producer Noeul, portrayed by K-pop singer and actress Suzy. FoJun 20, 2016
Park Yu-chun 'has bathroom fetish' K-pop boy band JYJ’s Park Yu-chun names “conversation,” “bathrooms” and “sigh” as three beautiful things on a Japanese radio show in 2008. /Courtesy of TwitterBy Kim Da-heeAmid the controversy that actor and K-pop boy band JYJ's Park Yu-chun allegedly sexually assaulted four women in restrooms, netizens have claimed Park also has a strange fascination with bathrooms.They said that Park associated bathrooms with beauty on a Japanese radio show in 2008. Asked what came to his mind when he thought of “beautiful” things, he cited “bathrooms” as one of his three answers.At a meeting with Japanese fans in July 2014, he also seemed obsessed with bathrooms.Asked about what he did when he came home drunk, he said: “I went to a bathroom alone or slept in a bathroom.”Park Yu-chun says Siamese twins sharing a toilet is the most interesting scene in the 2014 TV documentary “Human Documentary: Love” on MBC, which he narrated. /Courtesy of TwitterAnd while narrating an MBC documentary about Siamese tJun 20, 2016
4Minute members bid farewell upon breakup The leaving members of K-pop quintet 4Minute bid farewell to fans on Sunday, capping the breakup of the hit South Korean girl group of seven years.Of the four members who left their agency Cube Entertainment last week, Jiyoon posted a photo of a thank-you message to 4NIA, the fan club of 4Minute, on the social photo-sharing network Instagram."4NIA, I miss you," the 25-year-old wrote in the handwritten letter. "I am sorry to leave without a happy ending, but I will make up for your support. (You are) simply unforgettable."The singer's post came a day after the other three leaving members -- Gayoon, Jihyun and Sohyun -- uploaded similar photos to their Instagram pages. The move came after the band ended its seven years of activities last week."At this time every year, we posted thank-you letters to celebrate (4Minute's) anniversary, except this year -- I am so sorry," Sohyun wrote in the letter. "I'd like to thank and say sorry to 4NIA for its unchanging love and support for the past seven years."Gayoon and Jihyun also shared photos of their own handwritten letters of gratitude on InstJun 20, 2016
Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo reunite at China fan meeting South Korean actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo, the stars of the mega-hit drama "Descendants of the Sun," have reunited at the actor's fan meetings in China, his talent agency said Monday.The actress, known as the medical volunteer who falls in love with an Army captain in the KBS 2TV series, made a cameo at a university gymnasium in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu on Friday, Blossom Entertainment said."I had looked forward to meeting Song Joong-ki even before filming the series because so many people had sung his praises," the actress said. "Through working with him, I realized how genuine and thoughtful of a person he is. I think he's a great friend."The actor responded likewise, saying he has relied on the actress for help during the series' production."She has been such a reliable and kind partner and colleague," he said.At the event that drew more than 6,500 fans, the two re-enacted major scenes from the blockbuster-scale TV series. They also drew each other's portrait in under a minute and sang a duet of "Always," the theme song of the rare South Korean TV sJun 20, 2016
Korean celebrities on SPOTV for NBA finals Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, bottom, drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James in the second half in Game 6 of the NBA basketball Finals, Thursday, in Cleveland. / AP-Yonhap By Ko Dong-hwanThe National Basketball Association’s championship series that has edged to game seven has attracted global attention.Fans include Korean celebrities who love the sport so much they became temporary TV commentators.From the start of the NBA finals on June 2 until the sixth game on June 16, Korean TV cable sport network SPOTV invited four celebrities to comment on the games between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.HaHa, center, with SPOTV commentators / Courtesy of InstagramReggae musician and TV variety show actor HaHa was on hand for the first game, actor Oh Chang-seok joined in the fourth game followed by basketballer-turned-TV personality Seo Jang-hoon and JYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young for games five and six respectively.“I agreed to take on the commentator role because I thought I was going to the U.Jun 19, 2016
'Doctors': the next 'Descendants of Sun'? Park Shin-hye, left, and Kim Rae-won, who star in SBS’s new medical romance drama “Doctors,” pose for a photo during a press conference held in Seoul, Wednesday. / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiAfter the KBS megahit drama “Descendants of the Sun” swept the viewership ratings and became one of the biggest Hallyu, or Korean Wave, leaders, local broadcasters are vying to come up with a successor.Noteworthy among upcoming dramas is SBS’s new medical romance drama “Doctors,” starring Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won, which is set to air its first episode on June 20.On top of the star power of the two leads, the Monday and Tuesday drama has gathered much anticipation as it was penned by Ha Myung-hee, known for her talent in making ordinary things extraordinary as previously seen in “High Society” (2015) and “Can We Get Married?” (2012), and directed by Oh Choong-hwan, producer of “My Love from the Star” (2013).The 20-episode medical drama depicts a coming-of-age story of Yoo Hye-jung, played by actress Park Shin-hye, aJun 17, 2016
Korean drama 'Signal' sees critical success in China Poster for "Signal" / Courtesy of tvNKorean TV series "Signal" has done just as well in China as it did on its home turf, South Korea's content agency said Friday.The time-travel crime series was viewed more than 100 million times cumulatively on the Chinese video website Tencent since April 18, when it was uploaded onto the paid platform, the Beijing office of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said.The series concluded with a solid 12.5 percent viewership on the South Korean cable channel tvN in March, with anything above 3 percent considered successful for a South Korean cable series.Unlike "Descendants of the Sun," with a plot that was significantly altered in the Chinese version, all 16 episodes of "Signal" passed Chinese censorship without changes."It's worth noting that the entire series was approved by the Chinese censors so the episodes available in China are exactly the same as the ones broadcast in South Korea," KOCCA said.Although "Descendants of the Sun" had the same premiere date in South Korea and China, "Signal" was brought to China only after concluding its SoJun 17, 2016
K-pop star Park Yu-chun faces second allegation of sex assault K-pop boy band JYJ's Park Yu-chun / Courtesy of C-JeS EntertainmentBy Kim Da-heeActor and K-pop boy band JYJ's Park Yu-chun, who was facing allegations of sexually assaulting a woman at a bar early this month, is embroiled in another sexual assault case, cable news channel YTN reported Thursday.A woman in her 20s, whose identity was withheld, has filed a complaint against Park, 30, for sexually assaulting her in a restroom at a bar in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Gangnam police said. She claimed the star assaulted her last December at the bar where she worked.“After Park told me he could not hear my voice clearly, he took me to a restroom inside a room,” the woman alleged. “He then raped me, although I expressed my unwillingness.”She said she did not file her case earlier because she feared retaliation. “After finding a woman sued him for sexual assault last Friday, I took courage,” she said.Park’s agency, C-JeS Entertainment, said the new allegation is untrue. It said it will wait for the results of the police investigation.The woman who sued PaJun 16, 2016
Actor Lee Min-ho wins 'Asian Cinema Pioneer' prize Actor Lee Min-ho earns the "Asian Cinema Pioneer" prize at the Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony in Shanghai on June 13. / YonhapBy Kim Da-heeTop hallyu actor Lee Min-ho has been named the Asian film industry’s most influential figure, Lee’s management agency said Wednesday.MYM Entertainment said Lee earned the "Asian Cinema Pioneer" prize at the Weibo Movie Awards Ceremony in Shanghai on Monday night.About 100 million subscribers of Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, voted for the winners.“The prize is meaningful because local Chinese people voted for him,” the organizer said.Lee, who has about 28,830,000 followers on Weibo, jumped to stardom with his role in KBS2 TV soap opera “Boys Over Flowers” in 2009. He then established a solid foothold as a top actor by starring in many films and TV dramas, including “City Hunter” and “The Heirs.”Lee is set to star in a romantic fantasy series tentatively titled "Legend of the Blue Sea" with Jun Ji-hyun, the heroine from hit TV drama "My Love from the Star" (2013-14).&nbsJun 15, 2016
