Actor takes girlfriend's mother on Korean tour Song Seung-heon and Liu Yifei / Courtesy of Naver blogActor Song Seung-heon took the mother of his girlfriend, Chinese actress Liu Yifei, on a trip to Korea in October, media reports said Monday.Song, 39, took the Chinese star, 28, and her mother to Namhae, in South Gyeongsang Province.They also visited Southcape Spa & Suite, a luxurious resort that became popular in July when actor Bae Yong-joon and actress Park Soo-jin had their honeymoon there.Liu Yifei spotted in Incheon International Airport on Oct. 4, a day before Song Seung-heon's birthday. Song and Liu revealed their romantic relationship in August. The couple made headlines in October, when they visited Liu’s mother in Wuhan, China.They were in the city to promote the movie “The Third Love,” in which they co-starred.Liu reportedly visited Korea a day before Song’s birthday, sparking speculation that the couple might marry.Dec 14, 2015
Kim Dong-wan gives 100 mil. to sex slaves Kim Dong-wan /YonhapKim Dong-wan, 36, a member of first generation K-pop band Shinhwa, has been helping Korean victims of the Japanese military’s sexual enslavement of women, Star News reported Monday.The entertainment news outlet cited Nanoom House (House of Sharing), a house for living comfort women in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, as saying the singer donated 40 million won on Monday.Kim donated 30 million won to the house in 2013 and another 30 million won last year.Kim said he decided to donate money when he learned that a Korean survivor of sexual slavery during World War Ⅱ had died at the beginning of the month.He also wants part of the money to go toward a memorial hall for the victims.Only 46 Koreans are left of 238 victims registered with the government. Dec 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Ahn Jae-wook to return to small screen Actor Ahn Jae-wook / YonhapActor Ahn Jae-wook, will return to the small screen with a KBS weekend drama titled “Five Children.” Yonhap reports.The drama, which will start airing in February, is about a single mother and a widower who find a second love.Ahn, 45, a top hallyu actor whose 1997 drama “Star in My Heart” etched his name across Asia, will play a widowed dad raising his two children.It will be his first TV drama since “Light and Shadow” (2012) on MBC.The new drama is also his first since his marriage to musical actress Choi Hyun-joo, 35, in June.Dec 14, 2015
Hallyu actor gives philanthropy lecture Jang Keun-suk at Hanyang University in 2013 / Courtesy of FacebookHallyu actor Jang Keun-suk visited Hanyang University on Thursday to deliver a lecture about his charity work.Jang, 29, visited his alma mater to give the lecture at a class about understanding philanthropy.The university established the class this semester to teach about the importance of donations and charity works.Students reportedly asked for Jang to be invited.He has been acknowledged at the university for his donations to the school.Wearing a dark blue suit, Jang spoke for about an hour about the philosophy behind charity work.In October, the school acknowledged Jang and five of his alumni for their contributions to promoting a charity culture.Dec 14, 2015
Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Yuna top brand awards /Korea Times fileActor Kim Soo-hyun and former figure skater Kim Yuna won grand prizes at the 2015 National Brand Awards for improving Korea’s brand image.The Institute of Nation Brand Promotion chooses and awards individuals and corporations who contribute to enhancing the national image.Kim Soo-hyun won the prize in the culture sector, and Kim Yuna won it in the sports sector.Actor Kim earned worldwide fame for the dramas “My Love from the Stars” in 2014 and “Producers” this year.China, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand paid an estimated 4 billion won for rights to “Producers.”.The actor was also in the top 5 of “The Most Influential Star in China”list this year.Figure skater Kim Yuna is the first female figure skater to achieve the "grand slam," winning the World Grand Prix Final, Four Continents Championships, World Championships and the Winter Olympics. She was also named in TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2010.The awards ceremony will be at the National Assembly Hall on Thursday.Dec 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Jung Yong-hwa to attend Elle Style Awards Jung Yong-hwa /Courtesy of FNC EntertainmentJung Yong-hwa, leader of K-pop band CNBLUE, will attend the 2015 Elle Style Awards in Shanghai, reports said Monday.Jung, the only Korean song star to be invited, will also perform at the event.Actresses Li Bingbing and Yang Mi, actor He Ge and model Liu Wen will also attend. Dec 14, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Singer-songwriter-turned-psychiatrist talks about life, career and revival of '80s hit song Kim Chang-ki / Courtesy of Curious Music PeopleBy Ko Dong-hwan Kim Chang-ki, a former member of folk band Zoo from the late 1980s, is not one to reminisce about the old days.Now a psychiatrist, musician and radio DJ (in a daily CBS Radio music show “Your Window by Kim Chang-ki” from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.), he is skeptical about people’s urge to return to their “past glory.”“In hard times, people like to reminisce the good times in their memories and seek comfort in them,” Kim, 53, said, linking the tendency to what Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud called “in the service of the ego.” “They may appear comforting, but I would hate to dwell too much on those happy memories. My 20s were unstable and cloudy.”Zoo’s 1988 hit song, “Hyehwa-dong,” recently experienced a revival when it was used in the soundtrack of the nation’s most popular tvN television drama, “Reply 1988,” a story set in the neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong, northern Seoul, in 1988 about a high school girl who searches forDec 14, 2015
New 'Star King' struggles amid low viewer rating Hosts of the show “Star King,” Leeteuk from K-pop group Super Junior, left, and Kang Ho-dong, pose during a press conference at SBS in Mok-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 1. / Courtesy of SBSBy Kim Jae-heun Korean TV talent show “Star King” returned with a new on format Dec. 1. But its audience appeared to be tired of the program’s banal auditions as its viewer rating ranked below the top 20 among all entertainment shows.“It is harder for popular brands to renew,” said series producer Shim Sung-min during a press conference at SBS in Mokdong, Seoul, Dec. 1. “We have reorganized the show in order to maximize audience participation throughout the episodes. “The new Star King series stars two teams consisting of celebrities and audience talent reporters and matches them against each other for a 3 million won ($2,539) winning prize.The production crew said that its new system has brought the series one step closer to the audience, as the show’s original concept is to make ordinary talented people into stars.SBS, the host network Dec 13, 2015
Singer tunes in to home shopping channel /Screen captures from CJ O ShoppingSinger-songwriter Lucid Fall successfully sold his new album on a home shopping channel on Friday.Lucid Fall, real name Jo Yun-suk, offered his seventh album on CJ O Shopping, along with tangerines he grew on Jeju Island.Jo is the first singer to offer an album on a home shopping channel.During the show, 1,000 packages of his album with a kilogram box of tangerines were sold in just nine minutes. A fairy tale book he wrote “Blue Lotus,” was also included.Jo’s colleague musicians Yoo Hee-yeol and Jung Jae-hyung performed with Jo during the show.Jo said he chose home shopping channel because he wanted to offer tangerines with the album. He said tangerines easily went bad, so the thought home shopping would be the best channel to sell them quickly. Dec 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Film title to be changed for legal reasons /Screen captures from InstagramThe title of a film starring actress Lee Mi-yeon and actor Yoo Ah-in will be changed from “Happy Facebook” to “Happy Log-in” before its premiere to avoid a potential trademark dispute.CJ Entertainment said the film could not be released with the former title, because it used Facebook’s name.The film is a love story about six men and women who have different careers, personalities and ages.Kim Joo-hyuk, Choi Ji-woo, Kang Ha-neul and Lee Som also star.The film will premiere early next year. Dec 13, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
