iKON rocks Budokan a month after Japan debut iKON /Courtesy of YG EntertainmentK-pop boy band iKON demonstrated their popularity in Japan with concerts in Budokan, a city renowned as a concert mecca, just a month after debuting in the country.It is the shortest time for foreign musicians to hold a concert in the landmark city after debuting in Japan.The seven-member band started their first Japan arena tour, “iKON Japan Tour 2016,” in Fukuoka on Feb. 11, after topping the Oricon daily album chart with their Japanese debut album, “Welcome Back,” released last month.After the Fukuoka concert, they performed in Budokan Monday, drawing 13,000 cheering fans.The YG Entertainment band performed songs from their album, including “Welcome Back”, “Rhythm Ta,” “My Type” and “Airplane.”“Thanks to you guys, we were able to hold a concert in Budokan just a month after our debut in Japan,” iKON members told Japanese fans.iKON will continue their arena tour that is expected to draw 146,000 fans. The next concerts will be in Kobe on Feb. 20 and 21.Meanwhile, theFeb 16, 2016
New movie shows plight of 'comfort women' Scenes from "Spirit's Homecoming" / Courtesy of Naver A new movie based on a true story about a woman forced by the Japanese Army to become a sex slave during World War II is set to do great business at the box office when it is released later this month.“Spirit’s Homecoming” illuminates the story of Kang Il-chul, now 89, through the character of a 14-year-old girl named Jung-min (Kang Ha-na), taken by Japanese soldiers in 1943 to be a sex slave.Director Jo Jung-rae decided to make the film after meeting Kang while volunteering at the House of Sharing, a residential facility for survivors of sexual slavery ― also known as comfort women ― in 2002.The movie had a premiere screening on Feb. 4 and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, with netizens saying, “It is a must-see movie for all Koreans” and “I shall remember the pain and suffering experienced by the comfort women by watching this movie.”Jo had difficulty persuading investors and distributors because of the movie’s historical sensitiveness and made up half the prFeb 16, 2016
JYP teams with fashion company / YonhapJYP Entertainment has signed a memorandum of understanding with casual clothing maker Avista for a joint-venture company.The project will combine entertainment content and fashion.Avista is a Korea-based company producing and selling casual clothes and accessories. It operates three fashion brands _ BNX, TANKUS and Kai-aakmann.“We plan to operate a content distribution channel and places to satisfy customers’ diversified tastes,” a JYP official was quoted as saying Tuesday. He said the new company will operate online.Avista said it has focused on the Chinese market because of the popularity of hallyu, or Korean wave, in the country.“The business of the joint venture will be also focused on the Chinese market,” it said.Details of the deal will be unveiled in two months, Avista said.Feb 16, 2016
Dynamic Duo ready to take off for U.S. tour Dynamic Duo, led by popular Korean hip-hop musicians Gaeko and Choiza, will begin their North American tour next month, Amoeba Culture said Tuesday.Titled “Dynamic Duo Grand Carnival – 2016 United States Tour,” the rappers will meet fans in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles from March 13 to 19.It is the band’s second U.S. tour after their first in Atlanta and New York last year.Gaeko uploaded a teaser image of the tour on his Instagram page to express his excitement.The duo released their eighth album, “Grand Carnival,” in November, after a two-and-half-year break.The rappers made their debut with hit song “Ring My Bell” in 2004.Choiza recently revealed his romance with Sulli, a former member of K-pop band f(x).Feb 16, 2016
Former SS501 members back after seven years Double S 301 /Courtesy of CI Entertainment Three members of former K-pop boy band SS501 have returned after a seven-year break as Double S 301 with a new album, “ETERNAL 5.”SS501 -- a five-member band that included Kim Hyun-joong, Heo Young-saeng, Park Jeong-min, Kim Kyu-jong and Kim Hyung-joon -- went on hiatus after their contract with DSP Media ended in 2010. Three members of the group -- Heo Young-saeng, Kim Kyu-jong and Kim Hyung-joon -- worked as a sub-unit group named SS301 in 2008, releasing the album “U R Man.”The members of SS301 held their comeback showcase in Art Hall at Lotte Card Art Center, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Monday. “We heard that the tickets for the showcase sold out within three minutes,” the trio said during the show. “This made us work harder so as to return our fans’ love.”The new album title hints that SS501 continues to remain a five-member group, although they are working separately. The album consists of five songs: the title song, “Pain,” “Dirty Love,” “21 Gram,”Feb 16, 2016
Hanji culture festival opens in Sydney A festival for traditional Korean paper, known as "hanji," opened in Sydney on Monday for a two-week run to introduce its beauty and attraction to Australian visitors.The "2016 Hanji Culture Festival in Sydney" opened at the Korean Cultural Center, where hanji fashion shows, workshops and other related events are being held.A Korean traditional dance was performed at the opening ceremony, with 10 Australian models appearing in a fashion show wearing 50 hanji ensembles for some 250 attendees.The festival was co-organized by the Korean Cultural Center in Sydney and the Jeonju Hanji Forum in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Jeonju, 243 kilometers south of Seoul, is an ancient city famous for its rich cultural legacy. Some 60 hanji crafts including dolls and bamboo fans are currently on display at the exhibition hall of the cultural center.Hanji is traditional Korean paper that is handmade by processing the bark of the mulberry plant. Before modern times, hanji was the only paper used in Korea. Today, it is used for handicrafts and costumes. Starting in Shanghai in 2007, hanji culture festFeb 16, 2016
Convicted TV personality heads for China Amy / Korea Times fileTV personality Amy, who was ordered to leave Korea after being found guilty of drug abuse, will move to China from the U.S. in late February.She will appear on a Chinese television program, the details of which have yet to be fixed, local media reports.Amy, 34, whose Korean name is Lee Yoon-ji, told local media that she would leave for China soon, where she plans to return to the small screen after months of introspection and contemplation.“After I was ordered to leave Korea, I did a lot of thinking and regretting,” she said. “Now my mind and body have recovered to some extent, and I am no longer having trouble sleeping.“I want to prove myself worthy to my family by returning to my job.”Amy left for Los Angeles through Incheon International Airport on Dec. 30 last year after the Seoul High Court dismissed the Korean-American suit against the head of the Korea Immigration Service.Immigration ordered Amy to leave Korea for violating drug laws a second time after receiving a suspended jail term for abusing the psychotropic drug propofoFeb 15, 2016
Ryu Jun-yeol turns abusive in 'No Tomorrow' Ryu Jun-yeol, second from right, from movie “No tomorrow” / Courtesy of NaverBy Kwon Ji-younRyu Jun-yeol, who catapulted to stardom on tvN’s “Reply 1988,” will play a villain in the film “No tomorrow.”The actor, 29, will star alongside Bae Sung-woo, Park Hyo-joo, and Lee Hyun-wook in the crime thriller, set for a March 3 release.The film is based on the so-called “salt farm incident” that made headlines in Korea in 2014. It was reported that two disabled people were forced to work under slave-like conditions on salt farms, which led to wider inhumane labor conditions across the salt industry being exposedThe narrative follows the mysterious deaths of island salt farm workers, and the efforts of a television reporter, the only witness and survivor, who falls into a coma while working on a story about the salt farm.Ryu and Hyeri from "Reply 1988" / Courtesy of tvNRyu will play the salt farm owner’s son, Ji-hoon, who physically and verbally abuses the workers.In “Reply 1988,” he played a student who falls Feb 15, 2016
Star's husband files for divorce Lee Min-kyoung, center, with members of Diva / Korea Times fileThe husband of musical actress and former K-pop singer Lee Min-kyoung from girl band Diva has filed for divorce after a two-year marriage.Samuel Cho, 42, filed for divorce in a court in California, Maeil Business Newspaper said Monday.The daily paper quoted a Cho acquaintance as saying the couple had been living separately since January 2014.Cho is a Korean-American, with a Korean father and a Japanese mother.The couple has a two-year-old daughter.Lee was pregnant when she married Cho in October 2013. Their secret marriage was revealed a few months later.Lee was with the band from 1999 until it disbanded in 2005. She then became a musical actress, starring in “Singin’ in the Rain” and “On Air Season 2.”Feb 15, 2016
Actress Do Ji-won collapses while filming Do Ji-won from “My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol” on MBC / Courtesy of MBCActress Do Ji-won from the popular MBC TV drama “My Daughter, Geum Sa-wol” was rushed to hospital unconscious in last weekend.Do, 50, showed symptoms of cerebral infarction and collapsed unconscious while preparing to film a scene, according to media reports.She was treated at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.A cerebral infarction is a type of ischemic stroke resulting from a blockage of blood to the brain.Do’s agency, Namoo Actors, told online daily TV Report that cerebral infarction was not the cause of the incident.But the company refused to give further details.It said Do was treated briefly at the hospital and would return to filming soon.Feb 15, 2016
