First KCON in Europe coming to France in June The world's largest K-pop festival will open in France, its first European host, in June, organizers said Thursday.KCON 2016 France will take place on June 2 at Accor Hotel in Paris, CJ E&M, the entertainment arm of the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, said.Later that month, the festival will run for two days from June 24-25 at Prudential Center in New Jersey. It will then make its traditional stop in Los Angeles from July 29-31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center."We are organizing KCON in both K-pop's frontier markets like Europe and the Middle East and the world's No. 1 and 2 content markets, the U.S. and Japan," Shin Hyung-gwan, a CJ E&M official overseeing the festival, said. "We will try our best to help other industries like manufacturing, health care and education to grow with culture, and establish culture as a key growth engine for South Korea." (Yonhap)Apr 21, 2016
Song Hye-kyo interview: 'Song Joong-ki made my heart flutter' Actress Song Hye-kyo, star of the "Descendants of the Sun" / Courtesy of UAASong Hye-kyo shares thoughts on 'Descendants of the Sun'By Park Jin-haiThe impact of a single drama “Descendants of the Sun” seems to be lasting longer and stronger than any other hallyu, or Korean wave, drama than before.Although the two-month-long military romance reached its finale last week, the popularity of the drama is yet to wane, where every comment related to its stars graces headlines.Song Hye-kyo, the heroine of Descendants of the Sun and one of the most influential hallyu stars, finally shared her thoughts about the megahit drama.“Song Joong-ki played his role so attractively, which even made my heart flutter,” said Song, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, Wednesday. “After I finished filming in December, when the drama was aired, I watched it as a viewer and fell for his charms. After all, I’m really happy that the drama ended well.”To quench the thirst for the drama, KBS is airing a three-episode special program from Wednesday, which will show some of Apr 20, 2016
Seolhyun's 'past' revealed by classmate A netizen who claimed Seolhyun(above) as a classmate revealed the star's past when she was a middle school student in Bucheon, including photos. / Courtesy of online communityBy Ko Dong-hwanSeolhyun in an ad for online shopping mall GmarketA netizen who claimed K-pop star Seolhyun as a middle-school classmate has revealed the singer’s “praiseworthy” past, giving her fans another reason to like her.Online sources show Seolhyun, 21, from girl band AOA, graduated from Sunggok Middle School in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.“Most celebrities catch flak from telltales who reveal the star’s dirty past, but I have been waiting to say good things about Seolhyun,” the netizen said. “She was very kind and probably had no enemies at the school.”The comments were posted to an online community Tuesday. It appears they were written when Seolhyun debuted in K-pop in 2012. The netizen said: “I was going to reveal it when she had won a school uniform model contest in 2010, but she wasn’t popular back then, so I waited until she debuted as a singApr 20, 2016
Sarah Brightman to visit S. Korea in July for concerts World-renowned vocalist Sarah Brightman will visit South Korea in July for her first concert tour of the country in three years, the event's local PR agency said Wednesday.The British singer will make the "Gala With Orchestra" tour of three major cities in South Korea from July 24 to 27, Access Entertainment said.She will perform in Seoul's Olympic Park at 7 p.m. on July 24 , Daegu's EXCO convention center on July 26 and the Gwangju Universiade Stadium on July 27, it said.A 60-member orchestra will accompany her during the tour to maximize the aural experience.The crossover star has visited South Korea four times in 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2013.Programs in this year's event include "Time To Say Goodbye," "The Phantom of the Opera." "Nella Fantasia" and "Ave Maria," according to the agency. (Yonhap)Apr 20, 2016
Stars join fight against 'no-shows' Baek Jong-won(top) and Lee Yeon-bok / Screen capture from YouTubeBy Ko Dong-hwanStar chefs have joined the government’s campaign against “no-shows”, where people do not turn up for reservations or cancel at the last minute.Chef-entertainers Baek Jong-won and Lee Yeon-bok, who run restaurants and regularly appear in TV variety shows, had their say in a 90-second video as part of the campaign.“This is a shame and doesn’t make sense,” said Baek, CEO of 26 restaurant franchises nationwide. “We are the world’s worst in practicing no-show the most. Some 5.6 million entrepreneurs fear the customers breaking their promises.”Lee, a popular Chinese food cook, said: “From the moment we receive a reservation, we prepare our best to welcome the customer. But what if the customer doesn’t show up?”The Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency are running the campaign. The video also features a medical expert, an employee from Korea Railroad Corporation and a hospital patient. They say the no-show practice not onlApr 19, 2016
Mighty Mouse roars back to life after long break /Courtesy of All Mighty RecordsBy Lee Han-sooK-pop hip-hop duo Mighty Mouse is making a comeback after three years and five months.Sangchu and Shorry J will return on April 26 with their new song “NICE 2 MEET U,” the band’s agency, All Mighty Records, said Tuesday. The song was composed by Zico from K-pop boy band Block B. The band wrote the song’s lyrics.This is the first song the two have released with their newly established entertainment company. Apr 19, 2016
S. Korean comedy team performs in Sydey's Opera House South Korean babbling comedy team Ongals has become the country's first comedians to perform in the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the management said Tuesday.According to the Korean Artist Development Agency (KADA), the team's overseas publicist, Ongals performed on Monday in the prestigious Sydney Comedy Festival Gala at the Sydney Opera House.The Korean quartet was among the 15 teams that performed in the opening show of the annual festival in which a total of 220 teams has been invited.In the Opera House fully packed with about 2,000 people, the four-member team drew big applause by showing off exaggerated physical comedy, breathtaking magic, high-skilled juggling, effortless circus, and exceptional beatboxing skills.The annual gala has sold-out four years in a row despite its high price tag of AU$99.50-119.90."After the show finished, we received a flurry of interview requests from local newspapers. I realized the universal language is not English but laughter," said member Cho Jun-woo.The team has been invited to perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for the Apr 19, 2016
Jessica Jung to release solo album Jessica Jung / Courtesy of Coridel EntertainmentBy Bahk Eun-ji Former Girls’ Generation member Jessica Jung will release a solo album next month, Coridel Entertainment said Monday.The singer recently completed shooting the music video, the company said.Jung, who left SM Entertainment last year, held her 28th birthday party with about 500 fans at Sogang University on Sunday.Apr 18, 2016
Park hae-jin - 1st Korean to grace Chinese postage stamp Seen are stamps featuring actor Park Hae-jin that are to be released in China in early May. / YonhapBy Park Jin-hai Actor Park Hae-jin will become the first Korean to be featured on a Chinese postage stamp next month, his agency Mountain Movement said, Monday.The stamp is part of the Dream China project jointly organized by China’s Ministry of Communications and the China Post to recognize the 100 most influential figures in China.Previously, stamps featuring Korean boy band Super Junior-M were put on sale in 2008, but that was a one-time charity event for the victims of the earthquake in China that year.“It is exceptional in that China issues stamps and phone cards featuring a person only when the person is regarded as having an exceptionally positive effect on society,” an official at Park’s agency said. “It is a great honor for Park to join renowned Chinese celebrities who are loved by all.”The stamps will feature various images of the actor in dramas he has appeared in and will be sold throughout the country.The first batch of 100 limited Apr 18, 2016
Meet the real 'Descendants' soldiers Members of "Akh Unit" from ROK Special Warfare Command / Courtesy of FacebookBy Ko Dong-hwanJust before the final episode of the KBS TV drama blockbuster “Descendants of the Sun” went to air last Thursday, Facebook users learned about the Korean military unit on which the drama’s special warfare command is based.On April 7, the Republic of Korea Army’s Facebook site showed six photos and a 50-second video of Korea’s “Akh Unit” training for the United Arab Emirates.Showing the soldiers training to fight terrorists, the post said, “The real ‘Descendants of the Sun’ are here!” with a hashtag referring to the exercise’s title, “Desert Snake 2.”One photo shows 10 soldiers naked from the waist up. The post introduces each person by name.The video has been viewed more than 150,000 times.Active since January 2011, the Akh Unit is an arm of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. Members are selected from the ROK Special Warfare Command. With about 150 members, the unit is based at Al Ain, Abu DhaApr 18, 2016
