Girls' Generation gets 'A+' for their work Girls' Generation from their concert "Phantasia" held at Olypmpic Park in Seoul in November / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentOfficial music ranking site Gaon Music Chart says Girls’ Generation has topped K-pop girl bands this year, scoring a perfect “100” in song copyright fees and album sales.Gaon analyzed girl bands that released songs and albums online and through stores during the year and concluded the eight-member band from SM Entertainment were the most active and fruitful.The band released a single album, “Party,” in July, followed by “Lion Heart” from their fifth studio album in August. Both songs were ranked in the top five on Gaon. Band leader Taeyeon released her first solo album, “I,” in October, which Gaon ranked No.1. The band’s unit group, TTS -- Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun -- released album “Dear Santa” earlier this month, which ranked ninth on the site.Three albums the band released this year sold over 398,000 copies, more than the combined album sales this year of Apink, Red Velvet and EXID, whicDec 23, 2015
Lee Jong-suk to star in Korean-Chinese drama Lee Jong-suk / Korea Times fileHallyu actor Lee Jong-suk has been cast in a new Korea-China TV drama.Tentatively titled “Jade Lover,” Wellmade Yedang and Hong Kong media group DMG have a 40 billion won budget for the show.It will be Lee’s first drama in more than a year, his agency said. The fantasy romance-drama will be filmed in Shanghai, starting next month.“Lee has sufficiently rested since ‘Pinocchio’ from earlier this year, and he’s also looking at scenarios for other domestic movies and TV dramas for next year,” a Wellmade Yedang official said. “Soon, he’ll decide on which project to join and will return to South Korean TV.”Dec 23, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
K-pop oldies Turbo reboot with 'Again' From left, Kim Jung-nam, Kim Jong-kook and Mikey from Turbo / YonhapMale K-pop electronic dance music band Turbo from the 1990s have returned with a new studio album, “Again.”As the nation embraces pop culture from the 1980s to 1990s, led by hit TV drama “Reply 1988” on tvN, the band’s comeback has intensified the trend, rekindling people’s memories of the stars who once reigned on K-pop charts.The band, which had two members on debut in 1995, has returned with three - Kim Jong-kook, the band’s iconic vocalist and star of TV variety show “Running Man” on SBS, and two rappers, Kim Jung-nam and Mikey. Jong-kook and Jung-nam jammed together until the second album, “New Sensation,” released in 1996. Mikey took Jung-nam’s spot from the “Summer Remix” album released in 1997. Scenes from Turbo's "Again" music video / Screen capture from YouTubeTurbo released a music video for the album’s title song online on Sunday. The video features a cameo by actor Cha Tae-hyun and TV entertainer Lee Kwang-soo Dec 23, 2015
니컬러스 케이지, 소장 공룡뼈 도난품으로 드러나자 반환키로 니컬러스 케이지 / AP연합할리우드 영화배우 니컬러스 케이지가 자신이 소장해온 대형 공룡뼈가 몽골에서 도난 당한 밀반입품으로 드러나자 이를 반환하기로 했다. 7천만 년 전 서식한 티라노사우르스 바타르의 머리뼈는 케이지가 2007년 미국 뉴욕 맨해튼에서 실시된 한 화랑의 경매에서 27만6천 달러(3억2천300만 원)에 구입한 것이다. 이에 따라 이 뼈는 미국 정부를 거쳐 몽골 정부로 반환될 것으로 보인다고 뉴욕타임스(NYT), 로이터통신 등이 22일(현지시간) 보도했다. 이 두개골은 8년 전 경매시장에 나올 때 수집가들의 관심을 모았으나 최종 낙찰자가 케이지라는 것도, 몽골 고비사막에서 도난 당했다는 사실도 그동안 드러나지 않았다. 뉴욕 연방지방검찰청이 국내로 불법 밀반입된 몽골 유물에 대해 2012년 수사에 착수하면서 베일이 벗겨지기 시작했다. 검찰은 선사시대 유물의 암거래에서 주요 역할을 해온 P씨를 구속 기소했고, 그의 진술을 토대로 17점의 유골·화석류를 시장에서 회수할 수 있었다. 프릿 바라라 뉴욕 연방지방검찰청 검사장실은 지난주 케이지가 소유한 공룡 두개골을 회수한 뒤 몽골로 돌려보내기 위해 소송을 제기했다. 소장에 케이지의 이름은 거명되지 않았으나, 그의 대변인은 케이지가 구매자라고 확인했다. 케이지는 작년 7월 국토안보부로부터 공룡뼈의 '실체'를 처음 통지받았으며, 수사 내용을 듣고 자발적으로 반환에 동의했다고 검찰은 밝혔다. 그는 기소되지 않을 것으로 알려졌다. 티라노사우루스 바타르는 티라노사우루스 렉스와 비슷한 백악기 육식공룡으로 화석은 몽골에서만 발견되고 있다. 몽골은 1924년부터 공룡 화석의 반출을 법으로 금지하고 있다. 미 검찰 관계자는 케이지의 공룡뼈에 대해 "그것은 몽골 국민의 것"이라며 "개인 수집가나 애호가들에게 팔릴 수 없Dec 23, 2015
BigBang to attend 'Gaon Chat K-pop Award' BigBang /Courtesy of YG EntertainmentK-pop band BigBang will attend “The 5th Gaon Chart K-pop Awards” to be held on February 17 at Jamsil Students Gymnasium in Seoul.Gaon Music Chart weekly chart ranks the nation’s sales of songs and albums. Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the chart aspires to be as significant as to the music industry as Billboard in the United States and the Oricon charts of Japan.BigBang’s appearance at the Gaon awards will be a long-awaited return for the fans. The band has announced that it will miss the year-end music award festivals on three networks _ KBS, MBC and SBS _ to focus on its new album.BigBang raced to the top of the nation’s major online music charts with its comeback project “MADE,” released earlier this year.The “MADE Series” was issued in 5 parts, with a song released at the beginning of each month starting in May. The band’s music video for “Bang Bang Bang” was the most-watched K-pop video of the year on YouTube.The band has also been performing arDec 23, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Drug abusing TV star to leave Korea Lee Yoon-ji / Korea Times fileThe Korean Immigration Office has ordered TV personality Lee Yoon-ji, better known by her stage name Amy, who has been found guilty of drug abuse, to leave the country before Dec. 31.Lee, 34, reportedly will leave for Guam, a U.S. territory, on Dec. 30, according to media reports Tuesday. She originally planned to depart for China but the immigration office ordered that the Korean-American star must go to the country of her citizenship.On Nov. 25, a Seoul High Court appeals court dismissed Lee’s suit against the head of the office in 2014.She was fined 5 million won ($4,300) in September last year after it was confirmed she bought Zolpidem, a common prescription sleeping drug, without prescription.Lee, better known by her stage name Amy, debuted as a TV actress in 2008. / Courtesy of Naver blogThe office had also ordered her to leave the country before March 27 this year.The departure order came after Lee broke her conditions after she was sentenced eight months’ jail, suspended for two years, for abusing the psychotropic drug Propofol iDec 22, 2015
Radio DJ legend lights up TV variety show Bae Chul-soo from JTBC's "Non-Summit" / Screen capture from Naver tvcastRadio show host Bae Chul-soo showed on Monday his legendary reputation as a DJ has bought him praise and respect when he appeared as a guest on the TV variety show “Non-Summit.”On the weekly JTBC program -- where 12 celebrities from different countries debate a topic -- Bae, 62, talked about whether sticking to classic pops might tarnish one’s social standing, or was it a legitimate musical taste.A former member of rock band “Songolmae,” meaning falcon, from 1979 until 1991 and host of MBC’s ongoing global pop music show “Bae Chul-soo’s Music Camp” since 1990, Bae talked about world singers who have been on his radio show.Songolmae, with Bae second from left / Korea Times fileHe also joined a discussion about which songs were good for a marriage proposal or for ex-girlfriends over the Christmas holiday season.Italy’s Alberto Mondi, Ghana’s Samuel Okyere and Germany’s Daniel Lindemann performed Songolmae's hit song from 1982. Bae, despite the Dec 22, 2015
Song Il-gook and triplets to leave 'Superman Returns' /Korea Times fileActor Song Il-gook and his triplet sons _ Dae-han, Min-gook and Man-se _ will leave the KBS2 reality show “Superman Returns.”There has been speculation that Song and his sons will depart from the popular entertainment program, but it has now been confirmed that they will no longer be involved.“Song Il-gook and the boys filmed their last episode yesterday,” the producers of the show announced on Tuesday. “Their last episode will be aired next February." “We apologize for the confusion over the widespread rumors about his leaving."“Please understand that we could not confirm whether they would leave or not, because we were discussing the exact timing."“We'd like to thank all those who have loved Song and the boys, and we have been happy to be with them for one-and-a-half years.”Song and his sons joined the show in July last year. The boys’ cuteness has contributed to the show’s popularity. Dec 22, 2015
Top Chinese model denies romance with Choi Si-won Liu Wen, left, Choi Si-won / Screen capture from InstagramChinese model Liu Wen has denied she is romantically involved with Choi Si-won, an actor and a member of K-pop band Super Junior, Chinese media reported Monday.Choi and Liu starred in the Chinese version of TV variety show “We Got Married” as a virtual married couple for about three month since April.During the shooting, a show host asked Liu: “Are you and Choi actually together?” Liu avoided he question, and asked the audience, “Have you eaten? If you don’t, cook will provide you food.”The episode sparked a romance rumor among Chinese fans.Liu’s management company has denied the romance, saying,“Choi and Liu are not actually dating, but they just acted as a couple for the show. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but Liu is a single now.”Choi is serving his mandatory military service in Korea, after shooting a popular MBC drama “She was Pretty.”Dec 22, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Sung Yu-ri uses voice to help child refugees Actress Sung Yu-ri / Korea Times fileActress Sung Yu-ri is using her voice to help child refugees from Syria, Yonhap reported Tuesday.She was asked to do the voiceover for international non-governmental organization World Vision’s “Happy ANDing” campaign, and recently finished recording.The campaign aims to heighten public awareness.“I have learned a lot about the child refugees through this campaign, and I hope many people will open their hearts and join in,” said the former K-pop girl band Fin.K.L member-turned actress, 34.Money raised from the video donation drive will be used to help child refugees sheltering at emergency relief sites. Dec 22, 2015
