Star couple in teary farewell Lee Chung-ah, right, and Lee Ki-wooStar couple Lee Chung-ah and Lee Ki-woo went through a teary, temporary farewell as Ki-woo entered a military camp on TV reality show “Real Men” on Sunday. The program -- which invites celebrities to experience the hardships of military training -- showed Ki-woo saying goodbye to Chung-ah on the phone.TV viewers saw Ki-woo become emotional and tearful as he listened to her.The couple started dating in 2011 after working together on a tvN series.They made headlines on the cover of ELLE magazine in March.Nov 2, 2015
For this actress, beauty and brains do go together Yoon So-hui from "Hot Brain" on Sunday / Courtesy of tvNAfter actress Yoon So-hui boasted of her ability to solve maths problems on TV show “Hot Brain” on Sunday, media outlets have highlighted past TV footage about her impressive educational background.In March, Yoon, 22, appeared on tvN talk show “Taxi,” with two other actresses with“smart brains.”The program revealed that Yoon attended a school for gifted students at Pusan National University when she was a grade one middle school student.She then entered the prestigious Sejong Science High School from which she graduated early.She then attended the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which accepts only the nation’s smartest students.Past magazine photos with CeCi and InStyle show that Yoon is as glamorous as she is intelligent.Yoon recently appeared in the JTBC TV series “My Love Eundong,” which ended in July.Nov 2, 2015
Unilateral exports not answer to bringing 'hallyu' back to life By Choi Sung-joonChoi Sung-joon, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission“Seduction is always more effective than coercion,” said Joseph S. Nye, predicting that soft power, the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction, would be more important than the military or economic power in a new international order.The main source of Korea’s soft power is definitely “the Korean wave” content represented by K-drama and K-pop. Content consumed and distributed in the overseas market builds the country’s national image, and this leads to the export of consumer goods, and tourism as well. According to the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange, the Korean wave content has created an economic impact of 12.5 trillion won and employment for 102,000 people.Broadcasting has played a key role in the rise of the Korean wave. The drama “What Is Love” opened the era of content export and “Winter Sonata” and “Dae Jang Geum” started the Korean wave fever beyond China and Japan to reach Nov 2, 2015
Creators of 'killer' content will invigorate 'hallyu' Song Sung-gak, president and CEO of the Korea Creative Content AgencyBy Song Sung-gakRecently, the cultural content industry was greeted with good news. Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin, 21, won the gold medal at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition , which was held in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 21. The competition, which was founded in 1927 to commemorate Polish composer Frederic Chopin, is regarded as one of the three major music competitions in the world, along with the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia and the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium. Upon hearing this news, Korean netizens rejoiced, calling Cho’s achievement as a “Nobel Prize in music,” perhaps in comparison to the Nobel Prizes that scientists in China and Japan recently received.Classical music is an area in which Korean musicians can succeed overseas, as it is a type of content that they can share with audiences around the world. We are already seeing many Korean classical musicians performing brilliantly on the world stage. Classical music is a cultural iNov 2, 2015
BigBang re-signs with YG Entertainment /Courtesy of YG Entertainment K-pop boy band Bigbang has renewed its contract with YG Entertainment.“The five Big Bang members of G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P, Daesung, and Seungri have extended their contract early as they had about two months left,” YG Entertainment announced today.“This is their second time BigBang has renewed its contract since 2011. They are showing their loyalty and trust in Yang Hyun-suk.”Bigbang, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has held sold-out world tour concerts in North America and in Asia, with about 140 million people attending to the shows.The band released a series of singles “M,” “A,” “‘D,” “E” over four months from May to August. BigBang will continue their World Tour 2015~2016 with “MADE in Japan” shows from Nov. 12-15, starting at the Tokyo Dome.The band will meet local fans at Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Stadium on Nov. 7 for the 2015 Melon Music Awards. Nov 2, 2015
Stars cash in with cosmetics brands Actress Ha Ji-won has a cosmetics brand to her name / Korea Times fileCosmetic branded by popular actresses Ha Ji-won, Ko Hyun-jung and leading celebrity management company YG Entertainment are selling fast in Korea and China.Ha launched in June her cosmetic brand “J.One Cosmetics” in June. The brand’s Jelly Pack -- a facial mask pack that the actress dubbed a “corset pack” because it effectively tightens a wearer’s skin -- was introduced on TV shopping channel Lotte Home Shopping in early July and has been promoted on the channel 13 times until now.The product has sold out five times, and has sold 67,700 units and recorded 6 billion won in sales.YG Entertainment’s cosmetics brand “Moonshot” -- deriving from the American space shuttle Apollo 13 -- is expanding its outlets worldwide.Since its launch in Korea in October 2014, the company, led by former singer from the late 1990s, Yang Hyun-suk, has recently made the brand available in 25 stores in Singapore and Malaysia.The brand has been available at stores in Seoul, includingNov 1, 2015
Soo-young of Girls' Generation in sync with 'Sadness' in 'Inside Out' / Courtesy of InstagramSoo-young of idol group Girls' Generation is generating a buzz over a picture of her dressed as "Sadness" from the animation "Inside Out" for Halloween.SM Entertainment uploaded the photo taken during an inhouse Halloween party on its social media platform, Vyrl, Thursday.Soo-young had all the features of the depressed character in the film, wearing blue face paint, sporting a blue wig and blue gloves and carrying a blue ball.She did not forget to put on a sad face.Oct 30, 2015By Kim Bo-eun
Korea-Japan joint drama targets global audience Japanese actress Juri Ueno, left, and Korean actor Choi Seung-hyun of hip-hop boy band Big Bang pose during a press conference for the Web drama series “Secret Message” at the Imperial Palace Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of CJ E&MBy Kim Jae-heunCan Korea and Japan’s entertainment giants captivate global audiences through a new platform?Korea’s leading media content company, CJ E&M, has launched a joint Web drama series, “Secret Message,” with Japanese entertainment company Amuse Inc. and global messenger Line Corp., targeting an international audience.The drama, scheduled to premiere on Nov. 2, stars Choi Seung-hyun, also known as T.O.P, of hip-hop boy band Big Bang, and Japanese actress Juri Ueno in leading roles. Popular Korean and Japanese actors Yoo In-na, Jeong Yu-mi, Saki Fukuda and Keisuke Koide also star in the global project to attract fans from not only East and Southeast Asia, but also the Americas and Europe.“Secret Message” sketches a romantic story between Korean student Woo-hyun, played by Choi, and JapaOct 30, 2015
Ji Chang-wook launches China singing career /Courtesy of Glorious EntertainmentActor Ji Chang-wook, 29, will debut as a singer in China, Glorious Entertainment said Friday.The actor will release an album in the middle of November in China, and begin meeting fans with a solo concert.He has been singing the sound tracks for dramas and musicals he has starred in, including “Thrill Me,” “Jack the Ripper” and “The Days.”Ji began his career as a musical actor in 2006. He rose to fame in leading roles in dramas “Smile Again” in 2010 and “Warrior Baek Dong-soo” in 2011.Oct 30, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Jin Se-yeon wins heroine role in battle film /Korea Times fileActress Jin Se-yeon, 21, will play a heroine in the film “The Battle of Incheon,” which will be released next year.The film is about the decisive battle in Incheon during the Korean War, which began on June 25, 1950.Hollywood star Liam Neeson will play U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur, the driving force behind the operation to recapture Seoul.Lee Jung-jae will also star in the film. He will play Captain Jang Hak-soo of the navy. Jin will star opposite Lee Jung-jae.Oct 30, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
