Jung Yong-hwa to feature on Elle China cover Jung Yong-hwa, a member of K-pop band CNBLUE, will grace the cover of next month’s Chinese edition of fashion magazine Elle.The February issue is a special edition marking the magazine’s 70th anniversary.Jung, 26, is first Korean male star to become a cover model, FNC Entertainment said.The edition will be published on Feb. 5, plus an interview with him.Jung was the only Korea song star to attend the 2015 Elle Style Awards in Shanghai last month. Jan 28, 2016
Hidden cameras bring fun to holiday TV From left, Lee Kyung-kyu, Noh Hong-chul and LeeteukWith the lunar New Year holidays a week away, a once popular ‘90s “hidden camera” entertainment show returns on Feb. 9.This “hidden camera” is not the voyeurism-seeking device prevalent with today’s smartphones, but a show plot in which a celebrity mocks a colleague in a fake outburst recorded with a “hidden camera,” only to reveal at the end that all was in good fun.MBC’s “Hidden Camera Battle: Game of Thrones” features three celebrities ― veteran comedian Lee Kyung-kyu, TV personality Noh Hong-chul and singer Leeteuk from Super Junior ― vying to make the best hidden camera presentation.Lee Kyung-kyu, right, led the hidden camera show on "Sunday Sunday Night" on MBC in the early 1990s and later for the second season. / Korea Times file Lee is expected to come up with the best hidden camera piece because he was behind the popularity of the 1991 weekly show “Sunday Sunday Night.” The show put a celebrity or a public figure into a dire, nonsensJan 28, 2016
Hani to co-host 'Baek Jong-won's Three Great Emperors' Hani of the girl group EXID will co-host "Baek Jong-won's Three Great Emperors," terrestrial network SBS said Thursday.She will join three existing hosts -- the celebrity chef Baek and comedians Lee Hwi-jae and Kim Joon-hyun -- starting Saturday at 6:10 p.m.Her inaugural episode will cover "doeji galbi," or Korean pork ribs."I'm thankful that I get to taste foods prepared by seasoned chefs every week," she told a news conference at SBS headquarters in Seoul. "I'll try to represent what women and the young generation like to eat."Producer Ahn Jae-cheol said many people had asked to add a female host to the current male-dominated show."Hani has a proven track record of showing great 'meokbang' from 'Law of the Jungle' and has great chemistry with people," he said.Hani said her eating habits have improved since joining Team Baek Jong-won."I used to eat a lot of salty foods. I loved adding fermented shrimp or salt to meals when eating out with EXID members," she said. "But since watching how the pros prepare food, I've been trying to savor the natural taste of foods." (Yonhap)Jan 28, 2016
Rest now, doctor orders popular host Jun Hyun-moo hosts morning radio show "Good Morning FM" on MBCFM4U. / Courtesy of iMBCTV announcer-turned-entertainer Jun Hyun-moo, who has one of the busiest schedules with six programs, has been forced to rest. Funnyman and actor Moon Chun-sik filled in for Jun, 38, on Wednesday and Thursday on the 7 a.m. radio show,“Good Morning FM” on MBCFM4U.“I had promised to fulfill all my commitments,”Jun said on his Twitter page on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, I have not done the jobs perfectly. I apologize to Moon for having to fill in my spot at such short notice. I will hopefully get better fast.”Having debuted as a TV announcer for YTN in 2003, and then moved to KBS in 2006 hosting various programs including variety shows. His busy schedule earned him a one-man show “The Jun Hyun-moon Show,” albeit a pilot, on KBS.Scenes from "I Live Alone" on MBC, where he is being treated for a strained vocal cordThe show reflected the star’s ambition, if not bravado, to become a top TV show host on par with Yoo Jae-seok and Kim Gu-ra. &nbsJan 28, 2016
Kim Rae-won, Han Suk-kyu team up Han Suk-kyu, Kim Rae-won / Korea Times fileActors Kim Rae-won and Han Suk-kyu have teamed up for a film “The Prison.”The film, directed by Na Hyun, is about a detective who tries to solve a crime in which his late younger brother was involved, and to which a prisoner holds the key.Kim, 34, plays the detective who voluntarily goes to jail to investigate the crime. Han, 52, will play the prisoner.Kim has starred in several films such as “Sunflower (2006),” and “Gangnam Blues (2015).”Han, one of Korea’s leading actors, will return to the big screen after a two-year break.He has been notable for roles in such films as “Green Fish (1997),” “Christmas in August (1998)” and “Shiri (1999).” Jan 28, 2016
Park Hae-jin's star soars in China /Courtesy of WM CompanyActor Park Hae-jin and the drama “Cheese in the Trap,” in which he stars have proved a smash hit in China.The new tvN drama this month toppedWeibo’s Korean-Japanese TV drama chart only a day after the first episode was aired.Costumes like the ones Park wears in the drama are already on sale at Chinese online shopping malls.The drama, based on a popular webtoon, is about the relationship between Hong Sul, played by actress Kim Go-eun, and her boyfriend Yoo Jung (Park) and their life on a university campus. Jan 28, 2016
Big three Korean entertainment agencies win 13 awards at iF Design Award South Korea's big three entertainment agencies said Thursday they won a total of 13 prizes at the iF Design Award 2016 in Germany, one of the world's three largest design awards events.S.M. Entertainment said three of its albums won prizes in the field of packaging design including boy band Super Junior's 7th album "THIS IS LOVE." The two other albums that won prizes were girl group f(x)'s album "4 Walls" and boy group EXO's "Miracle in December." S.M. said that it also won a prize in the interior architecture division with the lifestyle shop "Stadium" located at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul.YG Entertainment said it won a total of nine prizes in the divisions of album design, branding design and packaging design.Epik High's album "Feast," Taeyang's second album "Rise," and iKON's "Welcome Back" also won prizes for album design, YG said. Boy group Winner's "WWIC 2015 Concert" won a branding design prize while a YG family live concert CD and "Winner Season's Greeting DVD" won in the packaging division.JYP Entertainment also said that its girl group Miss A's album "ColoJan 28, 2016
Hyeri conflicted about 'Reply 1988' ending Singer Hyeri, who played the very lovely Deokson on the tvN hit drama "Reply 1988," has spoken up about the show's controversial ending.Spoiler alert: She turns down her childhood crush Kim Jeong-hwan to marry what had been a peripheral character, Choi Taek.Just like "Reply 1988" fans, Hyeri says she was baffled by the unexpected turn of events. "Well ... you know Deokseon's history. I didn't 'change' the course of the story per se, but I was really conflicted as to how I'd deliver that to viewers," she told Yonhap News Agency in an interview earlier this week.The member of the girl group Girl's Day says she first learned about Deokseon's future husband when she read the script for the 16th episode "The Irony Called Life - Part 1," when Choi cancels a meeting with Deokseon at the last minute. Hyeri didn't understand why that upset Deokseon so much."When producer Shin Won-ho told me, 'It's cuz he's her future husband,' I got really concerned actually," she said. "Mr. Shin said it was natural for me to feel confused. He said Deokseon is, too."Hyeri's explanation was that such ambiJan 28, 2016
Instagram site reveals new angle on stars (Clockwise from top left) Kim So-hyun, Cho Bo-ah, Nam Kyu-ri and Jang Hyuk / Courtesy of InstagramEntertainment agency sidusHQ, home to actors Kim Woo-bin and Jang Hyuk, has launched an Instagram site to entertain fans with exclusive videos and photos of their stars behind the scenes.The SNS site ― instagram.com/sidushq_star ― was launched Wednesday to “show fans the stars from an angle never before seen,” according to Yonhap, which quoted the agency.“We will reach out to fans in both Korea and overseas with photos and videos of the stars that are different from those so far posted on our official Twitter and Facebook web pages.”The agency’s stars celebrated the site’s launch with fresh posts. Actors Jang Hyuk, Nam Kyu-ri, Cho Bo-ah and Kim So-hyun put up short videos of themselves, encouraging viewers to visit the site. Actor Baek Sung-hyun showed a photo of himself with dark circle make-up, urging fellow stars to “post many ludicrous photos like this.”The posts were all recorded by the stars during filming of Jan 27, 2016
Park Hee-soon, Park Ye-jin marry Park Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon / Korea Times file Actors Park Hee-soon, 45, and Park Ye-jin, 34, have tied the knot without a wedding ceremony, reports said Wednesday.The couple, who have been together since 2011, recently registered their marriage and had a small celebration with family.Since debuting with short film “2001 Imagine” in 1994, Park Hee-soon has starred in several films. He is especially known for his role in “Seven Days” in 2007.Park Ye-jin made her acting debut in popular horror film “Memento Mori” in 1999. She recently finished TV drama “Last” on JTBC. Jan 27, 2016
