Girls' Generation goes solo in November Girls' Generation will perform its solo concert in Seoul, Nov. 21-22.Top K-pop girl band Girls’ Generation will meet fans at its fourth solo concert slated for Nov. 21-22, Yonhap reported Friday.The concert, “Girls’ Generation 4th Tour - Phantasia - in Seoul,” will be at Olympic Park in southern Seoul.It will be the band’s first solo concert in Korea in two years and five months. While busy with individual activities, the band released chart-topping EP “Lion Heart” in August..Oct 16, 2015
Alex, Rainbow's Cho Hyun-young hook up Alex of ClassiquaiRainbow's Cho Hyun-young Singer/actor Alex, 36, of Clazziquai and girl band Rainbow’s Cho Hyun-young, 24, are in love, reports said Friday.The two met earlier in the year through an acquaintance and started dating four months ago, reports said. Alex and Cho are the latest musical couple. About a week ago, singer IU, 22, admitted she is dating rocker Chang Ki-ha, 33, of Kiha & The Faces.Alex debuted in the Clazziquai trio in 2004. He released a solo album in 2009 and has starred in popular dramas such as “Pasta” (2010) that aired on MBC.Cho debuted in 2009 as one of seven girls in Rainbow. She recently made a foray into acting, appearing in tvN’s “Rude Miss Youngae” Season 14. Oct 16, 2015
Special LP album pays tribute to dead rocker The late Shin Hae-chul / Korea Times fileAn LP album - “Welcome To the Real World” - will be released on Oct. 27 to mark the anniversary of rocker Shin Hae-chul’s death.Shin, one of South Korea's rock icons, died on Oct. 27 last year, 10 days after abdominal surgery at a hospital in southern Seoul.On top, the cover of LP album “Welcome To the Real World” Only 3,000 albums will be on sale, KCA Entertainment said Thursday, but each will be numbered, starting from 6660001. The album can be purchased through www.yes24.com.As the anniversary approaches, various music programs are holding special shows, including “Immortal Songs” on KBS. Oct 15, 2015
JYP CEO has a ball with Michael Jordan / Courtesy of InstagramJYP Entertainment CEO Park Jin-young could not hide his excitement in photos taken at a basketball court in China that captured the celebrity entrepreneur and American basketball legend Michael Jordan.Posted Thursday on Instagram was a photo of Park sitting on a courtside seat and Jordan standing in the center of the court with former NBA star Patrick Ewing from the New York Knicks and retired Chinese NBA player Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets.“Shook hands and introduced myself to my idol Michael Jordan,” Park wrote on his webpage with the photo. “One thing of my bucket list!”Park visited an exhibition match between the LA Clippers and the Charlotte Hornets, owned by Jordan, on Wednesday in Shanghai.Park posted other photos from the day, including with Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Clippers player Blake Griffin.Oct 15, 2015
Wedding may be in the air for Song, Liu Liu Yifei spotted in Incheon International Airport on Oct 4 / Courtesy of Naver blogChinese actress Liu Yifei made headlines in Korea after she visited the nation on Oct. 4, a day before boyfriend Song Seung-heon’s birthday, amid speculation the two might soon wed.Media outlets released photos of Liu, 27, entering Incheon International Airport wearing a black hat and sunglasses. The reports suggested Liu visited Korea for Song’s birthday.Song Seung-heon, left, and Liu Yifei Chinese media said on Wednesday the couple had met Liu’s mother in Wuhan on Sept. 30 after they visited the city to promote their movie “The Third Love.” Liu and her mother left the city on Oct. 2 and Song returned to Korea, reports said.Song’s meeting with Liu’s mother has sparked speculation the couple might be preparing to marry.Oct 15, 2015
Super Junior's Donghae enlists in Army on birthday Donghae of Super Junior / Korea Times fileDonghae of boy band Super Junior enlisted in the Army for his mandatory military service on Thursday, which also happens to be his birthday, the group's management agency said.The 29-year-old, whose real name is Lee Dong-hae, joined a boot camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, earlier Thursday, S.M. Entertainment said, adding after weeks of basic training, he will be on active duty for 21 months.He is the eighth member out of the 12 to start his military service, which is required for all-abled bodied South Korean men to deter threat from rival North Korea."(Donghae) entered the Army without an official farewell to his fans as per his wish," the agency said.On Wednesday, Donghae left a message on his social media account saying goodbye to Super Junior's fan club ELF."I'm sorry to leave you for a year and nine months," he wrote. "I think it's meaningful that I'm entering on my birthday. See you again with Eunhyuk."Eunhyuk, another member of the group, started his duty two days earlier at a separate camp in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.DonOct 15, 2015
Park Hyung-sik greets Japanese fans ZE:A member and actor Park Hyung-sik / Courtesy of Star EmpirePark Hyung-sik, 24, a member of boy band ZE:A who has gained popularity as an actor, has met his Japanese fans.The Monday meeting was spurred on by the popularity of Park’s most recent Korean drama, “High Society.” There were two rounds of meetings where Park sang the drama’s original song, “You Are My Love,” and ZE:A’s “Beautiful Girl.”The fan meeting will be aired on Japanese channel KNTV. Meanwhile, “High Society” will start showing on KNTV on Oct. 19.Oct 15, 2015
Kang Dong-won to appear on big screen /Yonhap Actor Kang Dong-won, 34, began shooting a new mystery film with the working title of “Veiled Time.”The new film will be directed by Eom Tae-wha, who gained notoriety with his indie film “INGtoogi” in 2013.“Veiled Time” is a fantasy melodrama about a girl who is saved from a mountain and a boy who grows up in a few days.The new film will be released next year. Oct 15, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
Yuri and Oh Seung-hwan break up Yuri of Girls' Generation / Korea Times fileYuri, 26, a member of K-pop group Girls' Generation, and her boyfriend, baseball player Oh Seung-hwan, 33, have broken up, according to various reports Thursday.Oh Seung-hwanYuri and Oh, who plays for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan’s Nippon Professional League, admitted that they were dating in April. But the long distance and the busy schedules made it difficult for the two to maintain their relationship, reports said.Girls’ Generation members have been busy this year with the extended album “Lion Heart” they released in August, and also with individual activities.Yuri is the latest of the Girls’ Generation members to become single and available again. Girls’ Generation’s Yoona broke up with singer/actor boyfriend Lee Seung-gi in August. Taeyeon officially admitted breaking up with Baekhyun of EXO. Tiffany also split with Nickhun of 2PM in May.Oct 15, 2015
BigBang draws 87,000 fans on N. American tour A scene from BigBang's "Bae Bae" music videoTens of thousands of K-pop fans flocked to watch South Korean boy band BigBang on their North American tour earlier this month, the group's management agency said Wednesday.The North American leg of the world tour "Made," named after the word spelled by four singles released in succession earlier this year -- "M," "A," "D" and "E" -- drew a total of 87,000 people, YG Entertainment said in a statement.Commenced in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Oct. 2, the tour held two shows each in the U.S. states of California and New Jersey before wrapping up in the Canadian city of Toronto on Tuesday.In Toronto, the quintet opened with "Bang Bang Bang," followed by "If You," "Loser" and "Sober," three tracks from the latest album, "Made." Some other hits performed were "Blue," "Haru Haru" and "Fantastic Baby," the agency said."A night with BigBang is a loud reminder that American exceptionalism is waning," wrote The New York Times on Monday after a show in Newark, New Jersey.Billboard also praised the show as having "created a powerful statement that positions (Oct 14, 2015
