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
지수 폭로에…풍문이던 '연예계 스폰서' 실체 드러나나 걸그룹 타히티의 지수(22)가 스폰서 제안을 받았다고 폭로해 풍문으로 돌던 스폰서 실체가 관심으로 떠올랐다. 지수가 지난 11일 SNS(사회관계망서비스)에 올린 글에 따르면 자신을 스폰서 브로커라고 소개한 사람은 '고급 알바'라며 "한 타임 당 200만~300만 원까지 받을 수 있다"고 제안했다. 답이 없자 "400?(400만원?)"이라고 더 올린 가격을 제시하기도 했다. 물론 이 메시지가 실체가 있는 브로커의 스폰서 제안인지, 스토커 수준의 누리꾼 장난인지 진위는 알 수 없지만 활동 중인 걸그룹 멤버에게 이런 문자를 수차례에 걸쳐 보냈다는 점에서 논란이 일고 있다. 연예계에서 일명 '스폰서'란 재력가가 여성에게 경제적인 후원을 해주고 성적인 관계를 이어가는 것으로 보통 신인 연기자, 무명 가수, 연습생 등이 유혹의 표적이 된다고 알려져 있다. 그러나 여성 연예인과 재력가의 스폰서 관계는 연예계의 어두운 이면으로 언급되면서도 실체가 확인된 사례는 드물다. 지난 2009년 탤런트 고(故)장자연이 자살 직전 '성상납과 술접대를 강요당했다'는 내용의 문서를 남긴 것이 알려진 후 출처 불명의 '찌라시'에는 여성 연예인들과 유력 인사들의 실명이 '장자연 리스트'로 오르내렸다. 그러나 이 사건도 검경 수사로 이어졌지만 성상납 강요와 사회 유력 인사들의 연루 등 수사 과정에서 제기된 의문은 풀리지 않은 채 일단락됐다. 영화와 드라마에서 단역으로 출연한 배우 김현아도 지난 2011년 스폰서 제안을 거절한 사실을 SNS에 공개해 주목받았다. 그는 "순수 스폰서가 아닌 매춘에 의한 스폰서 없이 배우로 자리 잡을 수 있다는 걸 꼭 보여주고 싶다"며 아는 매니저로부터 영향력 있는 스폰서를 붙여주겠다는 제안을 받은 적이 있다고 밝혔다. 배우 김부선도 지난 2013년 방송에서 성접대 요구를 받았다고 주장했지만 제안을 했다고 거론한 사람에게 명예훼손 혐의로 고소당했다.  Jan 12, 2016
Outraged stars to fight cyber bullies Junsu / Korea Times fileCelebrities and their agencies are getting bolder with cyber bullies, having determined to fight in court those spreading false facts and slandering the stars.Singer Junsu from K-pop boy band JYJ said he would legally challenge cyber bullies who slandered him and spread false information, according to the singer’s management company C-Jes Entertainment, Saturday. The online attacks reportedly increased after it was confirmed this month that he was dating singer Hani from girl group EXID.The company said it would identify and sue the bullies for defamation.“Our lawyer will analyze digital traces left by the bullies and decide whether to file a suit with the prosecutors’ office or to report the matter to Gangnam cyber police,” Yonhap news agency quoted a company official as saying.Lee Jung-jae in a scene from movie "Assassination" (2015)Actor Lee Jung-jae, also from the company, sued 50 cyber bullies in Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office in November 2015 on charges of spreading false information. The bullies began to attack Jan 11, 2016
