Luxury all the way for celebrity wedding SBS Entertainment’s “Night of TV Entertainment” has aired footage of the luxury wedding of top hallyu star Bae Yong-joon and singer-turned-actress Park Soo-jin.On the wedding day, Bae, 43, and his Park, 30, rode in a billion won car while the bride’s dress figured in the “several tens of millions of won” range. The newlyweds’ honeymoon home is a house in Seongbuk-dong estimated to be worth 8.5 billion won ($726 million).Meanwhile, Bae and Park held a private wedding at the Sheraton Grande Walkerhill’s Aston House on Monday.The wedding video showing the two hugging and dancing was posted on YouTube and soon went viral.Jul 30, 2015
Super Junior entertainer to serve military Choi Si-won from "Infinity Challenge" / Screen capture from YouTubeSinger and actor Choi Si-won will say goodbye to his legion of fans when he begins military service later this year.Choi, from idol boy band Super Junior, will serve in the military for about two years.The star, 28, will join after finishing his new TV series -- tentatively titled “She was Pretty” -- that will air on MBC in September. The exact date when his period of duty begins has not yet been set, according to media reports on Thursday.Scene from "Helios" / Screen capture from YouTubeChoi will be the seventh member of the 12-member band to serve in the military.He also has a successful acting career, appearing in more than 10 TV series and seven movies since his debut with the band in 2005. He recently shot the Hong Kong action movie “Helios.” Jul 30, 2015
Hwang Jung-eum, Park Seo-joon to star in 'She Was Pretty' Actors Hwang Jung-eum, left, and Park Seo-joon will star in a new drama, "She Was Pretty.” Hwang Jung-eum and Park Seo-joon both of whom starred in “Kill Me, Heal Me” will reunite in a new MBC drama, “She Was Pretty.” Park will play the role of a handsome magazine subeditor and Hwang will play his first love. There is more for K-drama fans here. The drama will also feature model/actress Go Joon-hee and Choi Siwon of Super Junior, who will star in supporting roles. “She was Pretty” will air Wednesdays and Thursdays in September.Jul 30, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Jang to have 3rd photo exhibit Jang Geun-suk / Korea Times file Fans of the actor Jang Geun-suk, 28, plan to hold photo exhibition to celebrate his birthday.It is the third time for fans to exhibit his photos. The exhibition will be held over two days from Aug. 1 at Gallery Won in Seoul. The photos were taken by his fans and the earnings from the exhibition will be donated to charity. Last year, Cri-J, Jang’s official fan club, donated 16.2 million won to Namsanwon, a foster care facility.Tree J Company, Jang’s management company said it has always appreciated the kind and good deed.Many of his fans come from abroad, including Japan, China, Peru and Thailand, the company added. Jul 30, 2015By Bahk Eun-ji
'Mrs. Cop' offers arresting appeal for Korea's 'ajumma' Kim Hee-ae in a scene from "Mrs. Cop" / Screen capture from YouTube A new TV detective series that pays tribute to Korea’s working moms -- known as “ajumma” -- is raising public interest.SBS airs the first episode of “Mrs. Cop” next Monday.The program’s official website describes ajumma as a “precious manpower that the nation’s police force must regret for not having hired.”“Having an intuitive precision 20 times that of men, ajummas can correctly guess who their husbands had illicit affairs with by checking out a single strand of hair left on their husbands’ clothes, a slightly tilted position of a passenger seat in their family cars, or by filtering out a perfume scent that’s not hers,” the site says. The series depicts detective Choi Young-jin (played by Kim Hee-ae), a skillful leader of the violent crime division in the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who struggles to be a good mother.“Living as a working mom or a police officer is difficult in Korea,” the program’s Jul 29, 2015
'Coin Locker Girl' wins top movie awards Kim Go-eun in a scene from "Coin Locker Girl" / Courtesy of NaverKorean crime movie “Coin Locker Girl” has drawn global attention, winning awards at two international movie festivals.The movie won the Jury’s Choice Award in the Bucheon Choice: Feature category at the 19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival that ended Sunday. The movie also won a Gryphon Award and the British Film Institute Certificate at the 2015 Giffoni Film Festival in Italy that ended Sunday.The Italian film festival said the movie, directed by Han Jun-hee, dramatically portrayed the life of the movie’s protagonist, Il-young (played by Kim Go-eun), who was abandoned as a baby at a subway station and grows up to work for a criminal gang. It praised the film’s storyline, actors’ performance and camera techniques that worked together well to captivate viewers.The film has attracted more than 1.4 million viewers in Korean theaters. Jul 29, 2015
AOA to release single album in Japan AOAK-pop girl band AOA will release its third mini-album in Japan titled “Heart Attack,” FNC Entertainment said Tuesday.The album will carry three songs including “Heart Attack,” which swept the music charts in Korea in June, but also Japanese versions of “Confused” and “Joa Yo!”The eight members of AOA, which stands for Ace of Angels, will travel first to Nagoya on Thursday, Osaka on Friday and Tokyo on Saturday to promote the new album. The eight are Choa, Jimin, Yuna, Hyejeong, Mina, Seolhyun, Chanmi, Youkyung.The band debuted in Japan in October with the EP “Miniskirt” and released a second EP “Like a Cat” in February. Jul 29, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Actor Lee Jong-suk's photo book on sale in 29 Asian nations Hallyu heartthrob Lee Jong-suk’s photo book, “Asia Tour Story ~With~” will be sold in 29 Asian nations, his agency, Wellmade Yedang, said Wednesday.The book features photos of the actor, 26, during his tour of seven Asian cities -- Seoul, Beijing, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Taipei, Shanghai and Hong Kong -- from September 2014 to May 2015.The photos capture fan meetings and what went on behind the scenes.Lee has surged in popularity through Korean dramas including "School 2013,” "I Hear Your Voice" and “Pinocchio.”The 200-page book, which also comes with a 120-minute video, will be sold starting Aug. 1 through www.lotte.com and global.lotte.com. Jul 29, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
Idol singer Tiffany to interview Tom Cruise Tiffany / Screen capture from YouTubeIdol singer Tiffany will interview American actor Tom Cruise.Cruise arrives in Korea Wednesday to promote his new Hollywood action movie “Mission: Impossible ― Rogue Nation.” The movie opens in theaters Thursday. It is Cruise’s seventh visit to Korea.Tom Cruise / AP-YonhapTiffany, from eight-member girl band Girls’ Generation, proved her interviewing skills with Hollywood actors Tom Hiddleston and Brad Pitt.Tiffany and Cruise’s conversation will be shown on TV entertainment news show “Entertainment Tonight” on KBS2 Saturday.Cruise last visited Korea in 2013 to promote his thriller movie “Jack Reacher” (2012) Cruise will arrive late Wednesday and give a news conference at the Grand Intercontinental Seoul Parnas the following morning. Later that day, he will join a red carpet reception at Jamsil Lotte World Mall.On Friday, Cruise will talk to Korean fans along with the movie’s director, Christopher McQuarrie, at the Lotte Cinema theater in Lotte World Tower.Jul 29, 2015
SHINee to release repackaged album 'Married to the Music' Cover of SHINee's repackaged album SHINee will release a repackaged version of their fourth album “Odd” with four new songs including a new title track “Married to the Music” on Aug. 3, SM Entertainment said Wednesday.The album will include 11 songs previously listed in “Odd,” in addition to the four new songs.The group swept local music charts with “Odd,” released back in May. The album won them top spot in the iTunes album charts in six Asian nations, as well as top spot on Billboard’s world album chart. The music video for the song “View” was chosen as the most viewed K-pop music video in the United States and across the world in May.Jul 29, 2015By Kim Ji-soo
