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
Webtoons emerge as source for dramas, films Park Hae-jin, left, and Kim Go-eun in “Cheese in the Trap” / Courtesy of tvNBy Baek Byung-yeulAfter the huge success of “Misaeng,” a 2014 TV drama based on cartoonist Yoon Tae-ho’s comic of the same title, “webtoons” or online comics have emerged as a major source for films and dramas.Recent examples of this include “Cheese in the Trap,” a television drama based on cartoonist Soonkki’s webtoon of the same title, and “Inside Men,” a film remake of another of Yoon’s cartoon creations.First aired on Jan. 4 through cable network tvN, “Cheese in the Trap” has become one of the most popular dramas, starring popular actor Park Hae-jin and actress Kim Go-eun.The drama set a record earlier this month as a weekday cable TV drama with a viewer rating of 6 percent. In its eighth episode last Tuesday, the drama took 7.1 percent of viewers, becoming the highest-rated program to air between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m.Lee Byung-hun in a scene from “Inside Men” / Courtesy of ShowboxThe political thriller fliJan 27, 2016
BigBang's 'Fantastic Baby' tops 200 million YouTube views BigBang’s hit song “Fantastic Baby,” part of their fifth mini album, “ALIVE,” has had more than 200 million YouTube views.The song was uploaded in March 2012.BigBang and Psy are the only Korean artists who have had 200 million views on YouTube.Additionally, BigBang’s “Bang Bang Bang” passed 100 million views on Jan. 19, making them the only boy band in Korea to have two music videos with more than 100 million views.BigBang finished their world tour, “MADE,” in Tokyo on Jan. 24 and are set to perform an encore concert at Seoul’s Olympic Gymnastic Arena from March 4 to 6. Jan 27, 2016
Lee Beom-soo lines up for “Superman Returns” Lee Beom-soo / Courtesy of C-Jes Entertainment Actor Lee Beom-soo, 46, will appear on a KBS reality TV show with his son and daughter.The family will appear on “Superman Returns,” a program about celebrity fathers spending time with their young children.Actors Song Il-gook and Ki Tae-young, comedian Lee Hwi-jae and footballer Lee Dong-gook have been starring in the show.Lee married Lee Yun-jin, a simultaneous interpreter, in 2010.Lee debuted with the film “Let’s Look Up the Sky Now and Again” in 1990. He is well known for his role in popular TV dramas “Surgeon Bong Dal-hee (2007),” “On Air (2008)” and “Giant (2009).”Jan 27, 2016
Actor Lee Min-ho mesmerizes Japan Top hallyu actor Lee Min-ho, 28, made a public appearance for 10,000 Japanese fans Monday at the Pacifico Yokohama National Convention Hall in Yokohama, Japan.The event was billed as “Minoz World: Minoz Mansion.”For more than two hours, the actor participated in a question & answer session with fans and screened a video of key scenes from dramas he starred in such as “The Heirs” (2013) and “Boys Over Flowers” (2009).Lee also sang six songs including “My Everything” and “Stalker” during the event.The actor helped organize the event, from stage preparations to planning the performance, said Starhaus Entertainment.Lee is enjoying immense popularity both in Korea and other Asian countries, after the success of dramas including “Boys Over Flowers” and “City Hunter.” Jan 27, 2016
Actor Ryu Jun-yeol not happy with 'Reply 1988' ending Were you disappointed by the way "Reply 1988" ended?Actor Ryu Jun-yeol, who played one of the male leads, Kim Jeong-hwan, in the tvN hit drama, is with you; the 30-year-old says he didn't expect the sudden twist, which "Reply 1988" fans accuse of being a cruel joke.Spoiler alert: Ryu doesn't end up with Deokseon, the female protagonist and Kim's long-time crush. Deokseon, played by singer Hyeri, runs into the arms of his rival Choi Taek, who had been somewhat of a peripheral character at the beginning."If it were a real situation, I wouldn't have given up on Deokseon," Ryu said on tvN's "Taxi," where celebrities share behind-the-scenes stories with cab drivers, Tuesday."Even in the show, I didn't want to give up on her, but that wasn't within my control," he said. "I found out about the ending really towards the end. I hadn't expected it at all."Ryu also said he could have played the role of Choi Taek, a "baduk" prodigy. "Baduk" is the Korean term for the board game Go."I told producer Shin Won-ho that I know how to play 'baduk,'" he said. "He was surprised, so I asked him if I shoulJan 27, 2016
Gang Dong-won aims at global outreach with YG Gang Dong-won / Korea Times fileTop actor Gang Dong-won, 35, said he has decided to work with YG Entertainment, because it has a strong overseas presence.“I believe the Asian film market will be integrated some day, and I hope those films I have appeared in will be released on the market,” Gang said during a press interview, Tuesday.The actor also said he saw eye to eye about the prospects about the Asian market with Yang Hyun-suk, who leads the top entertainment agency YG.“I thought YG would be best for me in that sense,” he said.Gang who debuted in 2004 with “Too Beautiful to Lie” and “The Temptation of the Wolves” hit stardom with the latter. With a prolific number of films behind him, he completed military service and returned to the industry in 2013.Gang has been promoting his new film, “Violent Prosecutor,” which premiers on Feb. 3. Veteran actor Hwang Jung-min, 45, also stars in the film, opposite Gang. Jan 27, 2016
Korean webtoons featured at French comics festival By Baek Byung-yeulA poster promoting Korean online comic strips at this year’s Angouleme International Comics Festival/ Courtesy of Korea Manhwa Contents AgencyKorean webtoons will be showcased at a prominent comics festival in France.At this year’s Angouleme International Comics Festival, which runs for four days from Thursday to Sunday, the streets of Angouleme, southwestern France, will display 18 online comics from Korea, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday.“This special exhibition is to commemorate this year’s 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea. We hope this exhibition will provide the opportunity for Korean cartoonists to boost interactions with European fans,” the ministry said in a statement. This event is the fourth of its kind at the French comics festival.Titled “Webtoon Playground,” the 18 webtoons include Yoon Tae-ho’s “Misaeng,” Park Yong-je’s “The God of High School,” Ha Il-kwon’s “Go Go Go,” Cho Seok’s “The SoJan 26, 2016
