Chinese member leaves K-pop band Miss A Jia, one of the two Chinese members of South Korean girl group Miss A, left the team upon the termination of her contract, her entertainment agency confirmed Friday. "Our (exclusive) contract with Jia came to an end on May 20," JYP Entertainment said in a press release. "We appreciate Jia for her lengthy commitment and wish her well in her future career."Fei, the other Chinese member of the four-member act, succeeded in renewing her contract with JYP."According to the new contract, JYP will fully support Fei's future performances in Korea and China," JYP stated.The country's third-largest K-pop agency said Miss A, now with three members, will focus on each member's individual activities.Miss A, with South Korean members Suzy and Min, and Chinese members Jia and Fei, debuted in 2010 with the single EP "Bad But Good." The K-pop girl group has seen its team activities dwindle after the group's ace member Suzy debuted on the silver screen in the hit romance film "Architecture 101" in 2012. (Yonhap)May 20, 2016
Korea's first transsexual celeb marks 9th wedding anniversary /Courtesy of Ha Ri-su's InstagramBy Lee Jin-aKorea’s first transsexual celebrity, Ha Ri-su, celebrated her ninth wedding anniversary on Thursday with husband Mickey Jung.Ha, 41, who had sex-reassignment surgery in 1997, debuted in 2001 as an actress. She married rapper Jung, 37, in May 2007.Ha posted a photo on Instagram Thursday of her sitting in a car’s back seat with Mickey, with a memo: “Honey, thank you for being with me for nine years.”She said: “After helping our dog to deliver puppies, we are heading to the airport to work in Yeosu. Working is the best way to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary.”Ha had a tough beginning in show business due to her sexual identity. Conservative groups tried to block her appearances on TV and at other events. Nevertheless, she has successfully built her singing career with five albums, including “Temptation” (2001) and “Liar” (2002). May 20, 2016
Daniel Henney to star in season 2 of 'Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders' American actor Daniel Henney, who is of Korean and Irish descent, will continue into season two of the CBS TV series "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders," his management agency said Friday.Henney will play FBI agent Matt Simon, as he did in the first season, Echo Global Group said.The main cast of season one, including Gary Sinise, Alana de la Garza, Tyler James Williams and Annie Funke, will all carry over to the second season, which is scheduled to air in 2017.The "Criminal Minds" spin-off premiered in March on CBS as the most watched TV series in its time slot.Henney has also appeared in "Dear My Friends," an ongoing South Korean TV series broadcast on the cable channel tvN. (Yonhap)May 20, 2016
Indian criminals steal K-pop singer Suzy's identity Suzy / Courtesy of Suzy's InstagramBy Kim Da-heeAn Indian criminal group has used the stolen personal information of K-pop girl band Miss A’s Suzy.Indian media outlets reported Wednesday that police found a bankbook with Suzy’s photo while confiscating the belongings of a group of suspected criminals. The woman who used Suzy’s picture told police she created a bank account after downloading the picture from the Internet.“We think this happened because pictures of Suzy can be easily found on the Internet as a well-known celebrity,” Suzy’s agency, JYP Entertainment, said Thursday. “We are trying to get further details as this happened in India.” May 19, 2016
Actor Song Seung-heon posts his love for Chinese girlfriend / Screen capture from WeiboBy Bahk Eun-ji Actor Song Seung-heon has shown his love for his Chinese girlfriend Liu Yifei by posting on Weibo a poster of a film she featured in.Song uploaded the poster of “Night Peacock” with a heart-shaped emoji on Thursday.Song Seung-heon, Liu Yifei His posting is designed to stop Chinese social media rumors about the couple, particularly those hinting at their break-up.The couple were rumored to have pretended to be in a relationship to promote their film “The Third Way of Love.” May 19, 2016
'Show Me the Money' features star-studded cast Gil of hip-hop duo Leessang speaks at a press conference last Friday. / Courtesy of MnetBy Kim Jae-heun“Show Me the Money,” Mnet’s rap competition series, premiered its fifth season last Friday.The country’s sole hip-hop show, like its previous episodes, grabbed viewers’ attention from the beginning with its star-studded judging lineup featuring Dok2 and The Quiett of Illionaire Records; Kush and Zion T from YG Entertainment; Simon Dominic and Grey of Above Ordinary Music Group (AOMG), and Gil and Mad Clown.The Illionaire record stars made their second appearance after winning the show’s third installment with rapper Bobby of iKON. It is the first time producer Zion T has featured on the television show after moving to YG Entertainment from hip-hop label Amoeba Culture last April.“We really thought about it a lot when we were asked to join season five,” said The Quiett at a press conference at Amoris Hall in Times Square, Seoul, last Friday. “We also ran away many times but ultimately sat at the table for a talk with the prodMay 18, 2016
Police quiz comedian Yoo Sang-moo over alleged rape By Bahk Eun-ji Police will question comedian Yoo Sang-moo over the alleged rape of his girlfriend, reports said Wednesday.The woman, whose identity was withheld, told police the comedian raped her at 3 a.m. Wednesday, at a motel in Gangnam, Seoul. The woman called police five hours later to withdraw her statement, but a public defender was assigned to her. Police said the two were drunk and Yoo denied the allegation at the scene, saying his girlfriend refused to have sex. Koen Stars, Yoo’s agency, said: “Yoo’s girlfriend reported it to police as a joke while they were drunk.”But police said they had to examine the case once it was reported.May 18, 2016
8 cities added to BigBang's China tour South Korean boy band BigBang will restart its tour of China next month after its concerts there drew tens of thousands of people earlier this year, the group's agency said Wednesday.In March, BigBang met about 182,000 fans in "The 2016 BigBang MADE [V.I.P.] Tour" of eight Chinese cities. After China, the band started on a tour of four Japanese cities, which runs from April 22 to May 29.The boys will resume the China tour in June as a reward for the enthusiastic support of their Chinese fans, but the tour will visit eight different cities that the band did not visit in March, YG Entertainment said.Starting with Shenyang on June 3, the tour will take them to Foshan on June 10, Nanning on June 12, Qingdao on June 19, Harbin on June 24, Dalian on June 26, Chongqing on July 1-2 and Chengdu on July 3.About 110,000 members of BigBang's Chinese fan club "V.I.P" are expected to attend the "fan meeting" events, according to the agency.This time, the group will prepare games and other activities to entertain its fans as well as mini concerts, the agency said. (Yonhap)May 18, 2016
EXID reinvents itself with new album EXID / Courtesy of Banana CultureBy Bahk Eun-ji K-pop girl band EXID will return with its first regular album next month, five years after debuting, Banana Culture, its agency, said Wednesday.The five-member band launched with a digital single, “Holla,” in February 2012. The new album has a completely different style of music from the band’s previous hits, such as “Up & Down,” “Ah Yeah” and “Hot Pink,” the company said.EXID finished shooting the music video and the covers for the album last week.The band rose to stardom with “Up & Down” in 2014.May 18, 2016
Actress Park Si-yeon files for divorce /YonhapBy Lee Jin-aActress Park Si-yeon is filing for divorce from her husband surnamed Park, according to her agency, Mystic Entertainment, Tuesday.“Park is currently seeking to divorce,” the agency said. “We cannot state the reason of her divorce because it is a private matter.“Please do not spread any more rumors about her family in consideration of her young daughters. We will take firm action against the false reports.”The actress married Park, a businessman, in 2011 and has two daughters – born in 2013 and 2015.Park Si-yeon is best known for her leading role in the KBS drama “Innocent Man” (2012). In 2015, she debuted in Hollywood with a role in the action movie “Last Knights.” May 18, 2016
