Actors Jung Woo, Kim Yu-mi to tie the knot Jung Woo, Kim Yu-mi / Screen capture from FacebookActors Jung Woo, 34, and Kim Yu-mi, 36, will have a private wedding this week, FNC Entertainment said Wednesday.Jung Woo posted a handwritten letter on his Twitter page saying the couple had decided to have a private ceremony because he did not want his personal life to affect his acting.“Please help us celebrate my new start with my partner Kim Yu-mi,” he said.Jung Woo made his acting debut with film “Running 7 Dogs” in 2001. He gained fame by starring in popular TV drama “Reply 1994” in 2013.Jung and Kim have been in a relationship since they starred in director Kim Ki-duk’s film “Red Family” (2013). Jan 13, 2016
Actor Kim Soo-hyun stars in mobile game Kim Soo-hyun / Courtesy of Keyeast EntertainmentHallyu actor Kim Soo-hyun will be the main character in a mobile game, Keyeast Entertainment said Wednesday.The new social networking game, “Kim Soo-hyun Star Academy,” will let gamers play as an amateur artist who works with Kim’s character in movies, entertainment shows and photo shoots. The game will also provide romance with Kim and feature his voice.Keyeast has provided the game’s content, co-produced by Keyeast subsidiary Contents N and major Chinese mobile gaming company Chukong Technologies.The game will be available Thursday in China in Android and iOS. The game will gradually be available throughout Asia. Jan 13, 2016
Hallyu star drives Toyota ad campaign in U.S. Toyota commercial / YonhapHallyu actor Lee Kwang-soo promotes the new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in recently released ads in the United States.The Japanese carmaker has uploaded two ads featuring the actor/entertainer - a 15-second version and 30-second version - to its official YouTube channel. They are in five languages: English, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.In the film, Lee, 30, drives an obstacle course and overcomes challenges.Toyota will release a series of commercials on its social media channels, King Kong Entertainment said.Lee began his career as a fashion model in 2007 and made his acting debut in soap opera “High Kick Through the Roof” in 2008.He enjoys wide popularity as a cast member of SBS variety show “Running Man.”Jan 13, 2016
Park Ki-young and husband to divorce Park Ki-young Singer Park Ki-young has agreed to a divorce with her lawyer husband, media reports said Tuesday.Park’s legal representative said she and her husband filed for divorce at Seoul Family Court in December, according to enews24. The couple agreed to separate “to help each other’s future.”Park, who will have parental rights for their daughter, will continue her singing career, the report added.The couple met in 2006 when Park was a client in a legal dispute against her management company.Park, who made her singing debut in 1998, revealed on a TV talk show in 2012 that she and her partner broke up six times before they married in 2010.Park gave a birth to their daughter two years later.Jan 12, 2016
Stars face conscription this year From top, Yoo Ah-in from movie "Veteran," Lee Seung-gi from TV drama "Gu Family Book" and Joo Won from "Yong Pal"A handful of popular male actors are expected to serve mandatory military service this year.Yoo Ah-in, 30, is most likely to serve, according to media reports.With his SBS TV drama “Six Flying Dragons” scheduled to end before April, he is expected to receive notice of conscription before June.He will no longer be able to delay entering the military unless he has some exceptional reasons, according to Sports DongA.Yoo has been active in theaters and on TV screen throughout 2015, starring in the blockbuster action movie “Veteran,” which attracted a national audience of more than 13 million, and historical period drama “The Throne.”Lee Seung-gi, 28, has crammed his work into early this year so he can enter the military before Chuseok holiday season in September, according to the report, quoting an associate of the star. Lee is now shooting a movie.Joo Won, 28, who won the “Grand Award” at the 2015 SBS Drama Grand Awards in Jan 12, 2016
EXID signs with China showbiz agency From left, Hani, Hyerin, LE, Junghwa and Solji from EXID / Courtesy of InstagramK-pop girl band EXID has signed with China’s entertainment company Banana Project in a bid to extend its popularity outside Korea.Banana Project founder Wang Sicong signed the deal with Korea’s music producer and composer Shinsadong Tiger at a press conference in Shanghai on Monday.The event was broadcasted live via Chinese online broadcaster and video platform PandaTV.Wang, son of Wang Jainlin, chairman of Chinese real estate developer Dalian Wanda Group, said the band would hold a fan meeting in Shanghai in March. The band will also release an album in Korea and China in April, according to My Daily.Wang said that although the band has signed with a Chinese company, the band would mainly be active in Korea.The band made its debut in 2012 and released its latest single “Hot Pink” in November 2015.EXID's signing with Banana Project was brooadcased live via Chinese online broadcaster and video platform PandaTV. Yedang Entertainment, the band’s management company, toJan 12, 2016
Where are all the women? TV still dominated by malesBy Kwon Ji-younPoster for JTBC’s “Old House, New House” / Courtesy of JTBCOver the last few years, TV shows have delved into household tasks long considered the domain of women — but what’s conspicuously absent on the small screen is women themselves.There have been shows about fathers taking care of children, male chefs cooking food and male TV personalities designing homes.MBC’s “Dad! Where Are We Going?” and KBS’s “The Return of Superman” both featured men looking after their children while their mothers took the day off, and male celebrity chefs including Baek Jong-won, Choi Hyun-seok and Sam Kim cooked up a storm in entertainment last year.With “cook TV” steadily losing luster, broadcasters now have their sights set on turning interior design into the latest entertainment fad. Even there, the central figures are men.So where are all the women?“2015 was all about men,” comedian Kim Sook told a talk show. “The chefs who spearheaded the cooking craze were Jan 12, 2016
Park So-dam to play heroine Park So-dam / Screen capture from InstagramRising actress Park So-dam will play a heroine in a TV drama, opposite actor Jung Il-woo.Tentatively titled “My First,” the drama is about passionate young people in their 20s who happen to live together. It is based on the novel “Cinderella and Four Knights,” published in 2011.Park, 24, made her debut in a short film “No More No Less” in 2013. She also appeared in two popular films “Veteran” and “The Priests” last year.The drama will air in the second half of the year. Jan 12, 2016
Singer Yoo Seung-jun shares feelings on Weibo Naturalized Korean-American singer Yoo Seung-jun said Tuesday he is grateful for being offered a chance to perform on stage after he was banned from entering his home country South Korea for allegedly evading conscription."I'm happy to be able to sing on stage. I hope your 2016 is filled with laughter," he wrote on the Chinese social networking site Weibo as he posted a photo taken on stage in China.Yoo, who was highly popular in South Korea in the late 1990s, acquired U.S. citizenship in 2002 at the expense of his South Korean one.The move triggered a firestorm of criticism, as his change of nationality exempted him from the military duty required for all able-bodied South Korean men.In a petition filed with the Seoul Administrative Court last month, Yoo asked to have the entry ban lifted, saying it violates his human rights. (Yonhap)Jan 12, 2016
Liam Neeson visits Korea for movie shoot Liam Neeson / Korea Times fileIrish actor Liam Neeson has arrived in Korea for a two-week movie shoot, reports said Tuesday.The actor, widely known for the film “Taken” in Korea, will be staying at the W Seoul Walkerhill in eastern Seoul.It will be the first time Neeson has made a movie here, although he has made several promotional trips. He will play American general Douglas MacArthur, who commanded the United Nations Command during the 1950-53 Korean War in the South Korean movie “Operation Chromite.”The U.N. and South Korean forces captured Incheon On Sept. 15, 1950, through an amphibious invasion. The Battle of Incheon saved South Korea from the brink of defeat and played a decisive role in pushing the North back.The movie, directed by John H. Lee, will center on a secret intelligence unit that spied on North Korea to prepare for the historic battle. Jan 12, 2016
