Annual music festival binds Korea, China From left, Ailey and members from AOA and f(x) on stage of the 17th Korea-China Music Festival held in Beijing on Nov. 4 / Screen capture from YouTube, Courtesy of TwitterThe 17th Korea-China Music Festival, held in Beijing on Nov. 4, aired Sunday on KBS, showing more than 20 “musical units” from both countries performing in front of 1,200 people.The annual festival was held at Star Park Stadium, with 11 teams of musicians from each country. Korea sent soloists Lim Chang-jung, Seo In-guk, The One, Ailey, Ali, Roy Kim, as well as idol bands f(x), BTS, AOA, VIXX and Red Velvet.Chinese musicians included SNH48, Lay Zhang, Shang Wenjie, Liu Yan and Tan Weiwei.During the 100 minute concert, the singers not only performed their own numbers but also collaborated with other musicians from China.Lim performed “Gone with the Wind” and “Dance with the Wolf” with Chinese band SNH48, and The One and Tan performed an original sound track from Korean romance film “Classic.”The artists held Korean and Chinese flags as they marched into the stadium to sDec 7, 2015
Young contestant from New Jersey wows judges Yoo Jei on "K-Pop Star 5" / Courtesy of SoompiAmid a general slump in audition programs, “K-Pop Star 5” is showing its contestants have plenty of talent.Yoo Jei, 15, from New Jersey, is an example. On Dec. 6, she sang Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” wowing the judges.Judge Park Jin-young, head of JYP Entertainment, said the performance was the best he had seen on the show in the past five years.Judge Yang Hyun-suk, head of YG Entertainment, and Yoo Hee-yeol of Antenna, also praised Yoo’s performance.Yoo said she chose the song because she hailed from New Jersey, a train ride from New York.“I really love New York,” she said. “ I wonder what it would be like to live somewhere so grand.”The audition program, which airs on SBS, has been holding preliminary auditions in Korea and around the world since May. The show returned to the screens on Nov. 22. Dec 7, 2015
Scandal puts Bulgarian chef in a stew Mihal Spasov Ashminov from “Take Care of My Refrigerator” on JTBC / Courtesy of JTBCBulgarian chef Mihal Spasov Ashminov, who regularly appears on the JTBC cooking show “Take Care of My Refrigerator,” is engulfed in a scandal involving his Bulgarian restaurant and his allegedly false work experience.Media reports said on Monday that a woman, identified only as Oh, had tipped off a media outlet that she had sold the restaurant “Zelen” in Itaewon to Ashminov for 700 million won ($600,000) in 2005, but he had not paid.Income from his appearances on the JTBC show was being paid to Oh as a provisional attachment, the reports said.Oh also claimed Ashminov’s purported experience as a chef at the Westin Chosun hotel during 2002-2005 was fake, because he had worked only there as a waiter.But associates of Ashminov have denied Oh’s accusations about his work experience, reportedly disclosing a certificate of employment at the hotel.“It appears part of Oh’s argument is one-sided,” an associate was quoted as saying.A prDec 7, 2015
Psy's 'Gentleman' breaks 900 million views A scene from Psy's "Gentleman" / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentThe music video for Psy's "Gentleman" has been watched more than 900 million times on YouTube in less than three years after it was shared on the video-streaming website.The music video "Gentleman" was released in April 2013, and has logged 918 million views as of 8 a.m. Monday.The "Gangnam Style" sequel took just four days to break 100 million views. It has taken two years and eight months since then to reach this latest milestone.Unlike what the title suggests, Psy plays pranks on women in "Gentleman" while dressed in his usual flashy wardrobe.Other videos by Psy have also been successful. As of Monday, "Gangnam Style" has been viewed 2.46 billion times, "Hangover" 228 million times and his latest release, "Daddy," 30 million times.Psy is scheduled to perform at Seoul's Olympic Park on Dec. 24-26. (Yonhap) Dec 7, 2015
After 20 years, S.M. Entertainment to expand overseas base Kim Young-min, CEO of SM Entertainment / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentS.M. Entertainment will continue to tighten its stranglehold on overseas markets, as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, its CEO said Monday.Kim Young-min, who took the helm after founder Lee Soo-man relinquished the post in 2005, attributed the agency's success to its pioneering spirit."S.M. is what coined the terms 'hallyu,' 'K-pop' and 'Oricon chart No. 1' here," he told Yonhap News Agency in an interview. "S.M. continued the upswing by becoming the first South Korean entertainment company to be listed on the local bourse in 2000 and break the 1 trillion won ($858 million) mark in market value in 2012."S.M. started the first generation of Korean idol groups in the 1990s, with its signature boy band H.O.T. holding its inaugural China concert in 2000. Two years later, teen pop star BoA overtook Japanese music charts and the agency continued its trailblazing journey to France, where it held the first-ever K-pop concert in 2011.Its annual growth rates averaged 32 percent over the past 20 years, according toDec 7, 2015
'Single eyelid' new look of rising actresses Park So-dam, above, from "The Priests" and Han Ye-ri from “A Dramatic Night”Actresses Park So-dam and Han Ye-ri have drawn public attentions after appearing in recent theater movies “The Priests” and “A Dramatic Night,” respectively.The attentions, however, didn’t solely derive from the actresses’ impressive performance in the movies: It was also accounted for by their mystical, non-chiseled-looking faces with a “single eyelid” that has mesmerized the public.The fandom toward single-eyelid actresses is rather new in Korea. Korean women have long preferred double eyelid to single eyelid since as early as 1970s because double eyelid makes eyes look bigger, or, more western. Having double eyelid plastic surgery has been a popular beauty treatment for many Korean women.A media report has interpreted the public’s rave at single-eyelid stars as a sign that the nation’s standard of beauty has begun to diversify. Some reports also said actresses with single eyelid tend to have more versatility in playing roles,Dec 6, 2015
Acting couple now proud parents /YonhapActors So Yi-hyun and In Gyo-jin, who married last year, became parents of a baby girl on Friday,Keyeast Entertainment said Sunday.So, 31, and In, 35, had been friends for 10 years before they got together.So made her debut in the popular TV drama “Yellow Handkerchief” in 2003.In made his debut in the TV series “Lifetime in the Country” in 2000. He appeared in “Make a Woman Cry” in April. Dec 6, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
G-Dragon's star soars on Instagram /Screen capture from InstagramG-Dragon, a member of BigBang, is enjoying great popularity on social media.As of Sunday, more than 7 million people were following his official Instagram account. The singer, 27, posted an image of his account that shows the number of followers on his Instagram page, saying, “Always Welcome! 7M.” /Screen capture from InstagramG-Dragon was named on Thursday as one of the K-pop stars with the most followers on Instagram.Dec 6, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Retro dominates music charts Psy from "Napal Baji" music video / Screen capture from YouTube Retrospective songs are dominating online music charts, with original sound tracks from popular TV hit “Reply 1988” and numbers by K-pop star Psy sweeping the top spots.According to Korea’s popular online music websites like Melon, Soribada and Monkey 3, OSTs for the TV series, including rock band Hyukoh’s “Girl,” soloist Lee Juck’s “Don’t Worry” and male duo band December’s “All I Can Give you is Love,” are among the top five on the charts as of Sunday morning.Psy’s “Daddy” and “Napal Baji,” two titles from his latest album “7 Cider,” also joined the top ranks.Many of the songs smack of retrospective styles of Korean pop culture.Hyeri, second from left, in the poster of "Reply 1988" “Girl” is Oh Hyuk’s rendition of the original version by Lee Moon-se in 1985. And, with “Reply 1988” being praised for its portrayal of the grassroots sentimeDec 6, 2015
Baseball star marries weather reporter /Screen capture from InstagramLotte Giants’ baseball player Kang Min-ho and weather forecaster Shin So-yeon married on Saturday.Shin, 28, posted a wedding photo on her Instagram page, saying she had a wonderful day, and that her heart was overflowing with gratitude.The wedding held at the Lotte Hotel in Busan.Kang, 30, and Shin met when she threw the first ball at the opening game in 2012.Dec 6, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
