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
Rhyu Si-min gets the laughs Rhyu Si-min from JTBC's "Non-Summit" / Courtesy of JTBC Former politician Rhyu Si-min made his first appearance on a variety show ― and outshone the other funnymen.Rhyu was a guest on JTBC’s “Non-Summit” on Monday. On the show, where foreigners from 11 countries discuss social issues, Rhyu joined a discussion about how to write a cover letter as a job-seeker. He gave advice to the participants, who had produced their own cover letters.A member of the National Assembly from 2003 until 2008 and minister of health and welfare from 2006 until 2007, Rhyu said he would never serve another term as a politician.Rhyu was a former chairman of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party / Korea Times file“I think my current occupation as a writer suits me,” he said.Online daily OSEN said “Rhyu might have been seen inapproachable because of his image as a politician, but his appearance on the show has subverted the image.Rhyu is a regular guest on JTBC’s talk show “Surgeon” and has written about 60 books. He also hosts a podJan 26, 2016
'The Greatest Love' tops China TV ratings Scenes from "The Greatest Love" on Hunan TV / Courtesy of Blue Flame, Hunan TVKim Young-hee / Korea Times fileTV program director Kim Young-hee’s first Chinese TV show “The Greatest Love” topped the ratings on Saturday.The variety show’s first episode posted a 1.59 percent rating on Hunan TV, according to Yonhap news agency, which cited China’s TV rating monitoring agency CSM.“Korean TV shows whose formats were exported to China and became blockbuster hits, namely, ‘I Am a Singer,’ ‘Dad, Where Are We Going?’ and ‘Running Man,’ all recorded a 1.4 to 1.5 percent rating with their first episodes and more than 2 percent with the following episodes,” Kim said.“I will do my best to get the same result with my show.”Kim emphasizes “filial piety” in the reality show. Under this central theme, six Chinese celebrities ― Huang Xiaoming, Joe Chen, Zheng Shuang, Du Chun, Bao Beier and Gary Chaw ― each visited their home towns and spent five nights with their parents.Kim’s debut in ChinJan 26, 2016
G-Dragon covers Winner's new song G-Dragon / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentK-pop band Winner’s new song, “Sentimental,” which G-Dragon of BigBang has presented in a pre-release version, will be released on Wednesday, YG Entertainment said Tuesday.Nam Tae-hyun produced the song.G-Dragon participated in the band’s album in a bid to support Winner.Singers and bands such as Akdong Musician and Katy Kim joined the cover song project with G-Dragon.Winner will release a mini album with two title songs, “Baby Baby” and “Sentimental,” on Feb. 1. Jan 26, 2016
Global 'hallyu' fans swell to 35 million in 86 countries The number of global fans for the Korean culture "hallyu" have exceeded 35 million in 86 countries, a government-affiliated foundation said Tuesday.As Korean wave becomes global, the number of enthusiastic fans for Korean culture and food last year increased 63 percent to be 35.59 million over the previous year's number of 21.82 million, according to global hallyu data 2015 published by the Korea Foundation (KF). The growing popularity of hallyu, which had initially started in Asian countries, has been now making rapid inroads into other parts of the globe in recent years. Also, the number of hallyu fan clubs rose to 1,493 last year in 86 countries, a 21 percent up from the previous year's 1,229.KF, the subsidiary of the foreign ministry said the data was published through a survey of the K-pop situations around the world, helped by the foreign ministry and Korean diplomatic missions abroad.The hallyu boom last year focused on the K-pop music and Korean cuisines in some countries, but specifically, the K-pop craze has expanded to Korean Web dramas and the Korean style of hiphop, callJan 26, 2016
Mamamoo to release album in February Mamamoo / Courtesy of Rainbow World K-pop girl band Mamamoo will release a single on Jan. 29, ahead of a full-fledged album in late February, Yonhap reports.It will be the band’s first album since its second mini-album “Um Oh Ah Yeh” last July, according to its agency Rainbow World Tuesday.The four-member group debuted in June 2014 with“Hello,” and then began to climb the charts with“Um Oh Ah Yeh.”Jan 26, 2016
Kangta to appear on Chinese show Kangta / courtesy of SM EntertainmentKangta, a member of first-generation boy band H.O.T., will appear on “2016 CCTV New Year’s Gala (Chunwan)” next month.The show has a largest audience for any entertainment show in China.Kangta, whose name is Ahn Chil-hyun, will sing the title song of CCTV’s entertainment program “Ding Ge Long Dong Qiang” with top model Lynn Hung.The show will air in China on Feb. 7. Jan 26, 2016
