Cooking battle show rekindles waning popularity From left, Sam Kim, Choi Hyun-seok, Lee Won-il and Lee Yeon-bok pose at a press conference for “Cook Representative,” Feb. 16. / Korea Times photo by Lee Jung-hyunBy Park Jin-haiThe soaring popularity of cooking shows was waning as TV channels aired their own shows almost every evening. Yet JTBC’s new cooking show “Cook Representative” is appraised to have opened a new chapter in the otherwise mundane cooking shows that have glutted TV schedules.Although it started out as a spinoff of the cable channel’s “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” sitting on a familiar format of a cooking competition with a 15-minute time limit with the same chef cast, the new TV show adopted a new element of a national competition to spice up the show with a competitive edge.In the first episode aired last Wednesday, celebrity chefs Choi Hyun-seok, Lee Yeon-bok, Sam Kim and Lee Won-il flew to Hong Kong and had Choi compete against a Hong Kong Michelin-starred restaurant chef to finish appetizers under the theme of “romanticism.”During the Feb 23, 2016
Tak Jae-hoon on comeback trail Tak Jae-hoon / Korea Times fileEntertainer Tak Jae-hoon will return to the small screen on Mnet’s new show “The God of Music” after a 27-month hiatus following his conviction for illegal online sports gambling.Lee Sang-min, a singer and television personality, hosts the show. Tak will join Lee in the show that will air online first in March.In 2013, Tak was jailed for six months, suspended for one year, for gambling hundreds of millions of won on illegal betting sites. He gambled 294 million won on English Premier League football games, according to prosecutors.Last year, Tak’s ex-wife filed a damages suit against three women she claims had affair with him, but Tak’s management company said his reported affairs were rumors.Tak and his ex-wife, Lee Hyo-rim, filed for divorce in 2014. Feb 23, 2016
Beast's Jang Hyun-seung angers fans Jang Hyun-seung /Courtesy of Jang Hyun-seung's InstagramK-pop boy band Beast’s Jang Hyun-seung is under fire for his allegedly poor attitude toward the band and his fans.The controversy had been simmering for some time, but the issue has gone viral after a fan post, titled “Fans have finally exploded over Jang Hyun-seung.”/Screen capture from YouTube“As a long-time fan who has loved Beast, I am writing this because I am not able to tolerate his attitude anymore and feel hurt by him,” a fan wrote on Monday. “Since April 2012, Jang Hyun-seung has shown a sluggish attitude toward group activities.” As evidence, the fan provided photos and videos of moments where Jang seems uninterested in the group’s activities.According to the evidence, Jang even forgot the words while singing. It seems he bungled his performance and danced as if he was uninterested. /Screen capture from YouTubeThe fan also pointed out that Jang did not attend a fan meeting in September 2015.Fans bought tickets for the two hour-long fan meeting wFeb 23, 2016
Park Hae-jin disappears from 'Cheese in the Trap' Actress Kim Go-eun, left, and actor Seo Kang-jun in a scene from tvN's "Cheese in the Trap" /Korea Times file By Kwon Ji-younFans of tvN’s popular drama series “Cheese in the Trap” are unhappy with the producers, who have taken the narrative’s focus off of its leading male character Yoo Jung, and placed it on supporting character Baek In-ho.The storyline over the past few episodes has followed Baek’s relationship with female leading character Hong Seol (portrayed by Kim Go-eun). Baek (Seo Kang-jun), a pianist and arch-rival of Yoo (Park Hae-jin), has developed feelings for Hong. Hong and Yoo are in a relationship.Poster for tvN's "Cheese in the Trap" /Courtesy of tvN Yoo, a senior in college, is now an intern at his father’s company, which has effectively limited the character’s appearance. “Cheese in the Trap” revolves around Hong’s experiences at school. Shooting for the drama series has already been completed.The 14th episode of the 16-part series will air Tuesday.Feb 23, 2016
Jung Ji-min and Gong Hwi to wed Jung Ji-min, Gong Hwi / Screen captures from InstagramComedian Jung Ji-min and singer Gong Hwi will tie the knot in April. They have been dating for a year after meeting at a church function.Jung, 32, has been starring in the popular comedy show “Gag Concert” on KBS 2TV since 2010.Gong, 28, wrote two songs for the show. He made his debut with the digital single “This tear is my prayer” in 2008.Feb 23, 2016
Lee Hyo-ri shares life on Jeju / Screen capture from FacebookSinger Lee Hyo-ri has shared her recent experiences on Jeju Island via social media.Singer Kim Dong-ryul uploaded photos of food with the singer and her husband Lee Sang-soon on Saturday, saying “Food made by Sogildaek (Lee’s nickname) is always great even without meat.”In the photo, the singer couple has set the table with a full vegetarian meal.Lee has been living on Jeju Island since she married in 2013. Lee said she became a vegetarian in 2011.She announced she was taking a break from her entertainment career for a year. Feb 23, 2016
Heartwarming TV shows win viewers' affections Ahn Jae-hong, from left, Ryu Jun-yeol, Ko Kyung-pyo and Park Bo-gum pose at a press conference for “Youth Over Flowers in Africa” on Feb. 18. / Courtesy of tvNBy Park Jin-haiA long-held belief held among makers of popular shows in Korea that joke-laden edits and scene-setting are necessary for a TV show to provide “pre-orchestrated” fun has finally been broken. More TV show producers now realize that heartwarming programs that show the true personalities of actors and performers can actually win the hearts of audiences whilst jacking up viewer ratings.Cable channel tvN’s “Youth over Flowers in Africa,” which aired its first episode last week, appeared to feature no artificial elements, in contrast to the controversial talent show “Superstar K” which has been accused of manipulating content.Instead, tvN’s new reality program takes the four male leads of the hit drama "Reply 1988” ― Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-pyo, Park Bo-gum and Ahn Jae-hong ― and portrays their journey to Namibia, southwestern Africa.The casFeb 22, 2016
Who will be Korea's new G.I. Jane? Cast of MBC's “Real Men: Women’s Army Special Season 4" / Courtesy of MBCTV military reality show “Real Men: Women’s Army Special” began its fourth season Sunday, with viewers waiting to see which of the eight female celebrities has what it takes to become a competent combat soldier.The cast of the MBC show includes singers ― Chinese Cao Lu from girl band Fiestar, Jun Hyo-seong from girl band Secret, Dahyun from multinational girl band Twice ― and actresses, including Lee Chae-young and Kim Sung-eun.They will undergo physically demanding training to qualify to become a petty officer in the Armed Forces Medical Command.Since August 2014, each season has uncovered outstanding trainees.While many trainees broke down in tears and showed signs of mental collapse, the “alpha dog” stars were braver, more charismatic and more willing to tough it out. Ra Mi-ran (Season 1)A veteran actress and a mother, Ra became the spiritual leader of the seven trainees. From time to time she cried thinking of her family back home, but throughout a monFeb 22, 2016
Korean producers take talent to China The production crew and cast of "The Greatest Love," producer Kim Young-hee's entertainment show on China’s Hunan TV, pose at a press event. /Korea Times fileBy Kwon Ji-younMore producers of Korean entertainment shows are taking their talent to China.According to several MBC staff on Monday, producers Shin Jung-soo, Kang Gung and Moon Kyung-tae will leave MBC to join former MBC producer Kim Young-hee in China. Kim is spearheading production of an entertainment show on China’s Hunan TV.There are concerns about the outflow of talent to China, although the move may also give entertainment hallyu (Korean wave) a boost.The three producers have produced some of MBC’s most successful entertainment shows.Shin directed “Come to Play” and “I’m a Singer,” Kang produced “We Got Married” and “Dad! Where Are We Going?” and Moon Kyung-tae directed “I Live Alone” and “Real Men.”An entertainment show produced by Kim and the other three producers will premiere in China this year.Two other producers -- one fFeb 22, 2016
Behind-the-stories of K-pop girl bands For foreign K-Pop fans who may want to know about K-pop bands’ pre-debut stories, The Korea Times reveals the stories behind several girl bands’ debuts.Idols have to go through a training period before making a debut. And some members of different girl groups are closely intertwined because they trained together.Some trainees who practiced under the same agency made their debuts in different bands in unexpected ways.Are you curious? Well, read on. Hyorin of Sistar (left), Song Ji-eun of Secret, Hani of EXID, and Uji of BestieSistar's HyorinHyorin was initially supposed to be a band with Secret’s Song Ji-eun, EXID’s Hani and Bestie’s Uji under JYP Entertainment.Before 2011, JYP Entertainment was preparing to introduce a four member girl group, which consisted of Song Ji-eun, Uji, Hyorin and Hani. However, the debut was canceled just before debut for unknown reasons, and all of them left the company.Hyorin was later picked up by Starship Entertainment and debuted in June 2010 as four-member girl group Sistar.Meanwhile, Ji-eun joined TS MedFeb 22, 2016
