No rest for star actor Hwang Hwang Jeong-min, left, from "A Violent Prosecutor" / Courtesy of NaverActor Hwang Jeong-min, who has been awarded for two mega-blockbusters, “Ode to My Father” and “Veteran,” and is starring in “The Himalayas,” now in theaters, seems tireless, with another movie scheduled to hit screens early next year.“A Violent Prosecutor,” starring Hwang, 45, is a crime movie that opens in February.The movie features Hwang as a talented prosecutor who is wrongfully accused of murder and jailed for years. He meets a con artist in jail (Kang Dong-won), who he tries to take advantage of outside prison to seek revenge.“This is going to be something that’s loaded with fun and people can easily enjoy,” Hwang was quoted by a media report as saying: “I wanted to deliver audiences an image of a person with an unbreakable vocational spirit who is down at rock bottom.”A musical, “The Orchestra Pit,” starring Hwang and Oh Man-seok, is attracting large audiences. The musical presents an array of crazy incidents that happeDec 29, 2015
Movie critic names his Asian beauties Yura, left, and Tzu Yu / Courtesy of Facebook, Screen capture from YouTubeWhile British movie critic TC Candler on Sunday picked former K-pop idol star Nana as the most beautiful face of 2015, other stars from Korea and China were on his list.Taiwanese singer Tzu Yu from idol girl band Twice was No.13.Chinese stars following her included actress Zhu Zhu (No. 26), singer Ju Jingyi from idol band SNH48 (No.53), actress Liu Yifei (No.77) and actress and singer Liu Yan (No.89).Nana from TC Candler's "The 100 Most Beautiful Faces of 2015" video / Courtesy of tccandler.comKoreans following Nana included singer Yura from girl band Girl’s Day (No.17), singer Taeyeon from girl band Girls’ Generation (No.24), actress Go Ara (No.36), singer Hyeri from Girl’s Day (No.40) and singer Suzy from girl band missA (No.45). Also named were singer Jei from girl band Fiestar (No.48), former member of Girls’ Generation Jessica Jung (No.57), actress Song Hye-kyo (No.67), singer Seulgi from girl band Red Velvet (No. 71) and singer Song Ji-eun from girl band SECRET (No. 99).ADec 29, 2015
All the buzz is about EXID's Honey Honey of the K-pop girl band EXID / Korea Times fileWhile Seolhyun of AOA reigned in 2015, Honey of K-pop girl band EXID is expected to earn high popularity next year, a survey says.In Genie and mobile screen lock service Cash Slide’s survey of 1,026 customers, aged from their teens to their 30s, Honey was voted the No.1 star born in the Year of the Monkey expected to rise higher next year, which is the Year of the Monkey.Honey, 23, received votes from 46.2 percent of respondents.A second girl band member born in the Year of the Monkey and tipped to rise to stardom next year was Soyou of Sistar, with votes from 21.6 percent of respondents. Moonbyul of Mamamoo followed. Dec 29, 2015
Big Bang, EXO head year's music charts Big Bang tops digital charts this year. / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBig Bang and EXO topped digital and album charts this year, respectively. No K-pop girl bands were in the top 10.According to the final result counted from January to Dec. 25, Big Bang’s “Bang Bang Bang,” “Loser” and “Bae Bae” ranked first, second and fourth on Gaon’s digital charts that tracked downloads. Big Bang accounted for 10 percent of the top 100 downloads, including G-Dragon and Taeyang’s “Good Boy” and “Let’s Not Fall In Love” in the top 100.Girl group Miss A was 11th, followed by another girl group, Sistar, 12th in digital sales.EXO records the highest number of album sales this year. / Korea Times fileMeanwhile, in album sales, EXO’s second EP, “EXODUS (Korean version),” the repackaged version of the second EP "Love Me Right (Korean version)” and “EXODUS (Chinese version)" ranked first, second and third, respectively.Boy band Bangtan Boys (BTS) was fourth. Girls’ Generation Dec 29, 2015
EXID 하니, 내년 '대박'날 원숭이띠 걸그룹 멤버 1위 걸그룹 이엑스아이디(EXID)의 하니 / 코리아타임스걸그룹 이엑스아이디(EXID)의 하니(23)가 내년 솔로로 큰 인기를 얻을 것으로 기대되는 원숭이띠 걸그룹 멤버 1위에 뽑혔다. 음원서비스 지니와 모바일 잠금화면 서비스 캐시슬라이드는 지난 17일 캐시슬라이드 10~30대 고객 1천26명을 대상으로 '2016년 원숭이띠 해 솔로 데뷔하면 대박 인기를 얻을 것으로 기대되는 원숭이띠 걸그룹 멤버'를 모바일 설문 조사한 결과 하니가 1위(46.2%)에 선정됐다고 29일 밝혔다. 2위는 씨스타의 소유(21.6%), 3위는 마마무의 문별(17.0%)이 뒤를 이었다. 하니는 남성 응답자가 52%, 여성 응답자가 48%로 고르게 기대감을 나타냈으며 소유와 문별은 여성 응답자 비율이 각각 62.6%, 68.9%로 높았다. 여성 응답자 중 30대는 소유, 10대는 문별이 큰 인기를 얻을 것으로 예상했다. 응답자들은 이들이 두각을 나타낼 것으로 기대하는 분야로 하니는 예능 프로그램(58.6%), 소유와 문별은 신곡 출시(각각 63.5%, 48.8%)를 꼽았다. 올해 하니는 이엑스아이디 활동뿐 아니라 다양한 예능 프로그램에서 활약했으며 빅스의 보컬 켄과 듀엣곡 '빈틈'을 선보였다. 소유도 씨스타로 성공적인 활동을 펼친 데 이어 십센치의 권정열과 듀엣곡 '어깨'를 발표해 사랑받았다. 문별은 마마무의 히트곡 '음오아예'로 인기를 얻었다. (연합뉴스) Dec 29, 2015
Canadian gamer in bar scuffle Guillaume Patry from JTBC's "Non-Summit" / Courtesy of JTBCCanadian e-sport player and TV personality Guillaume Patry has been involved in a barroom scuffle.On Monday at about 4 a.m., a Korean man, identified only as Kim, in his 20s, approached Patry, 33, in a bar in Itaewon, Seoul, where the star was with two Korean women.The meeting turned into a scuffle, with Patry reportedly grabbing Kim’s collar, according to media reports.Patry from video commercial for game app "Hearthstone" / Screen capture from YouTubeYongsan police took Patry into custody. He admitted grabbing Kim’s collar, and was later released.Patry is a regular guest on JTBC’s entertainment show “Non-summit,” where foreigners from 12 countries lock horns about various social issues.Dec 28, 2015
Sick BTS members cancel Japan concert V, left, and Suga from BTS / Courtesy of FacebookK-pop idol boy band BTS has canceled their Japan concert planned on Sunday to Monday due to two members suffering from dizziness.V and Suga from the band, according to the band’s official SNS site on Sunday, demanded they will proceed with the concert but medical experts in Japan said the singers must rest.The band’s management company, BigHit Entertainment, said on the site they chose to cancel the show rather than to push forward with the plan with the band missing two members and failing to impress audiences.“CT scanning on the two members showed they were suffering from no serious causes other than dizziness. The illness appeared to be due to the members’ excessive physical movement on stages,” an insider from the company said on the site.The concert, “2015 BTS Live Hwa Yang Yeon Hwa on Stage ~ Japan Edition ~,” was planned to take place in World Memorial Hall in Kobe.Dec 28, 2015
Lee Min-jung to star in drama with Rain Lee Min-jung / Korea Times fileActress Lee Min-jung will star in the SBS TV drama “Comeback, Mister,” after a two-year break. The wife of actor Lee Byung-hun gave birth to the couple’s son in March.The drama is based on the Japanese novel “Mr. Tsubakiyama’s Seven Days,” published in 2002.It is about manager Kazuaki Tsubakiyama, who dies from overwork the night after the opening of a major sale at the department store where he works. Tsubakiyama returns briefly to this world.Rain, whose name is Jung Ji-hoon, will play Lee Hae-joon, the dorky manager of department store, who becomes the handsome manager of women’s apparel.Lee will play Shin Da-hye, who falls in love with Lee Hae-joon.Lee made her debut in a supporting role in the film “Someone Special” in 2004. She became popular after starring in the popular drama “Boys Over Flowers” in 2009. Dec 28, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Kim Hyun-joong's parents offer to raise child Kim Hyun-joong from KBS TV drama "Boys over Flower" (2009) / Screen capture from YouTube/ Korea Times fileWhile singer and actor Kim Hyun-joong’s legal fight with his ex-girlfriend over his physical harassment and who the father of her baby is has continued for more than a year, his parents say they will raise the child if Kim’s ex-lover cannot.On a TV celebrity news show on Sunday, Kim’s father, Kim Hong-seong, said, “We hope a court will decide whether my son or his ex-girlfriend will provide a better environment for the child.”A lawyer for Kim’s ex-girlfriend, identified by her surname Choi, said last Monday that Kim, 29, who was drafted in May to serve 21 months in the military, and Choi confirmed at Seoul National University College of Medicine that Kim was the father of the child with 99.9 percent accuracy.The legal conflict started in August last year, when Choi, 31, sued Kim for physically harassing her, causing an injury that put her in hospital for six weeks.She said in the suit his violence had caused her to lose the baby.ProsecutorDec 28, 2015
Rain lights up Chinese landmark skyscraper with his name /Courtesy of Rain CompanyThe large slogan “LOVE ♥RAIN, ♥ RAIN♥” beamed from Shenzen’s tallest building -- the KK100 (KingKey Financial Center) -- during singer and actor Rain’s world tour concert titled “The Squall” at Shanghai Grand Stage on Dec. 26.The KK100 is the world’s 14th tallest building.The concert was aired in China via YY webcast, which recorded more 1.57 million views as soon as the concert started.A YY official said Rain had set a record on the Chinese Internet, with the webcast drawing about 2 million online viewers and more than 600,000 comments during the two-hour concert.Meanwhile, Rain will continue his world tour concert, flying to Shenyang, Hong Kong and Beijing.He is scheduled to star in the SBS drama “Come back, Mister” which will go to air in February. Dec 28, 2015
