Yoo In-na, Ji Hyun-woo split Yoo In-naJi Hyun-wooBy Kim Tong-hyungActress Yoo In-na and actor Ji Hyun-woo have ended their two-year relationship, according to Yoo’s agency.YG Entertainment, which represents Yoo, confirmed the widespread rumors that Ji and Yoo were no longer a couple.While YG did not comment on why Yoo and Ji broke up, a source close to the two said they frequently found it difficult to keep their relationship going with so much public pressure.The two began dating since filming the tvN period drama “Queen Inhyeon’s Man’’ in 2012. Rumors about a deteriorated relationship were stoked last month when Yoo didn’t attend a fan event for Ji upon his compulsory military service.May 14, 2014
Exo-M tops Chinese music chart By Park Jin-haiEXO-M, a six-member subunit of EXO performing in China, topped the Chinese music chart Friday with its new song “Overdose.” On CCTV’s global music section launched in March, the track sung in Chinese was voted as the most popular song in a week-long poll conducted through its website and ARS services. EXO has been promoting the song since they showcased their 2nd album on April 15 in and out of Korea. The Chinese language album was released on May 7 concurrently with its Korean version released in Seoul. On Sunday, EXO held a large-scale showcase “EXO-The 2nd Mini Album Comeback Show” at the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, which drew some 10,000 fans. May 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
'Han Gong-ju' draws 200,000 viewers By Park Jin-haiThe low-budget film “Han Gong-ju” exceeded 200,000 viewers on May 9 becoming the most viewed indie film in the shortest period of time. On its opening day on April 17, some 10,000 people watched the film. This increased to 100,000 in just nine days at an unprecedented pace, according to its distributor CGV Movie Collage on Friday. The movie, based on the infamous Miryang gang rape in 2004, depicts the tragic story of a victimized girl. As of April 29, it reached the 150,000 audience mark, breaking the record of “Jiseul,” which sold 140, 490 tickets in 12 days. Amid the opening of such large scale commercial films as “The Fatal Encounter,” “The Target” and “Amazing Spiderman 2,” it has succeeded in attracting average audiences of 2,000 on any week day. The film, directed by Lee Su-jin, has received a total of eight awards locally and overseas, including the 18th Pusan International Film Festival, Morocco Marakesh Film Festival and the Rotterdam FilMay 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Hallyu stars return to big screen Song Seung-heon, left, and Jang Dong-gun — will venture into new roles in upcoming films “Obessed” and “Crying Man” respectively. / Yonhap and Korea TimesBy Park Jin-haiTwo hallyu heartthrobs ― Song Seung-heon and Jang Dong-gun ― will venture into new roles in upcoming films.Song, 37, the star of “Autumn in My Heart,” will appear in the mellow romance movie “Obsessed” in May, while Jang in the action film “Crying Man” in June.At the press previews, held over two days, the two veteran actors of 20 years looked more tense than before. Both Song and Jang, are being put to the test for their new roles.Returning to the big screen in four years with “Obsessed,” Song is no longer a gentle, sweet lover. He is a married soldier who falls in love with the wife of his subordinate.Song Seung-heon plays a role of a married soldier who falls in love with the wife of his subordinate in “Obsessed.”He said that the movie itself was a great challenge for him.“It is the first time I May 11, 2014By Park Jin-hai
IU will release remake K-pop singer IU By Park Si-sooK-pop star IU will release an album, “A Flower Bookmark,” on May 16, her management agency said on Friday.Loen Entertaiment released a teaser photo of the album in which IU, in red skirt and indigo blue jacket, leans against a dark brown grand piano with her finger on a key, a concept which the agency explained is to create a retro and romantic atmosphere. It’s unclear how many songs will be on the album, but Loen said many of them are her versions of hit songs from the 1980s and ‘90s.“This album will help expand IU’s fan base, which is now concentrated on teenagers and young adults, into those in their 40s and 50s,” the agency said in a statement.Meanwhile, IU will host concerts at an auditorium associated with Sogang University in Mapo, Seoul, from May 22 to June 1 under the theme, “One Step Closer.”May 9, 2014
tvN turns disadvantages into critical edge A poster of tvN’s reality travel program “Grandpas Over Flowers” and sci-fi drama “Nine.” The overseas demand for the broadcaster’s content and its production knowhow is on the rise. / Courtesy of tvNCJ E&M affiliate grows with new export items: format, knowhow Lee Deok-jae, executivedirector of tvNBy Park Si-sootvN, a cable television channel that began operating in 2006, is young and inexperienced. So are its directors and film crews.Yet the company, which is part of entertainment business giant CJ E&M, has successfully turned these apparent shortfalls into fodder for collective creativity and new export strategy for cultural content: exporting format and production knowhow.It’s a novel recipe in an industry long accustomed to exporting “finished” content.Early this year, the firm struck multiple deals at the world’s biggest TV content convention NATPE in Miami, the U.S. They include the survival game “The Genius” to the Netherlands; “Super Diva,” a singing contest open exclusively to hMay 9, 2014
Building cultural bridge Korean author Shin Kyung-sook, center, attends an event in the 2014 London Book Fair at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre on April 8-10. / Yonhap‘Strong female writers are asset for Korean literature’Barbara J. Zitwer, a New York-based literary agentBy Chung Ah-young Even Shin Kyung-sook, a Korean literary bestseller for her work “Please Look After Mom” needed Barbara J. Zitwer, a New York-based literary agent. So did Hwang Sun-mi, author of “The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly.”Zitwer, the head of the Barbara J. Zitwer Agency, a global literary and film agency, noticed their potential. The agency now represents prominent Korean authors, including Shin and Hwang, to sell their books to foreign publishing markets.Zitwer attended the London Book Fair last month, which was a great opportunity to sell Korean books to international publishers and readers.“I think the book fair 2014 was a historic moment for Korean literature. I think the ripples will resonate for years to come and the long-term benefits of the fair will be enormous,”May 8, 2014
Migrant women get support for starting business By Park Jin-haiThe Social Enterprise Support Network (SESNet) is running an annual program to boost the economic standing of women from other countries who reside in Korea.The eight-session program, supported by POSCO, will offer lectures on the basics of social enterprise and tips on how to start businesses as well as providing mentoring and consulting services from May 9th to July 31st. A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements for people and the environment, rather than only maximizing profits for shareholders. “It is the fifth such project, since 2010. Including up until last year, 32 teams or 80 percent of all program beneficiaries have started their own businesses, creating 119 new jobs,” said So Eun-sun, from SESNet. Among those, 24 teams started businesses in the social economy, including cooperatives, nonprofit organizations and charities. Anyone interested in building startups should make a team, comprised of a least two, and submit an application form before Friday to sMay 7, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Secret's member to release solo album K-pop girl group Secret’s member Jun Hyo-seong will release her first CD next Monday. It will contain three songs, led by “Goodnight Kiss,” according to her management agency TS Entertainment, Wednesday. The two other songs are “You Don’t Know About Women”and “I Don’t Like Night,” it said.“The title song is a combination of dance and hip hop,” the agency said in a statement. “Jun’s voice perfectly goes with the feeling and atmosphere of the song. We have high expectations for the disc.” The four-member Secret made its debut in 2009 with “I Want You Back” and gained popularity with its cute and sexy image. Jun is the band’s main vocalist.t.or.kr.May 7, 2014
'Flower Grandpa Investigators' to air Friday By Kim Ji-sooThe entertainment program “Grandpas Over Flowers” was almost an unlikely combination for success. Running on cable television tvN, the show with its four veteran Korean actors — Lee Sun-jae, Shin Gu, Baek Il-sup and Park Geun-hyung — and their actor porter Lee Suh-jin has achieved popularity.Naturally, the cable channel, tvN, has decided to create a spin-off program called “Flower Grandpa Investigators.” The new drama brings over Lee Sun-jae from the travel variety show.“Because there are rarely dramas and shows that put the central focus on senior actors, the new program is giving me great energy, so I will do my best to do better than the younger actors here,” said Lee Sun-jae at a press conference at the Press Center in Seoul.He stars along with actors Byun Hee-bong, Jang Gwang and K-pop group Super Junior’s member Kim Hee-chul. The four will play 20-something police officers who, through a mistake, are transformed into 70-something officers with Kim Hee-chul’s character being the only exception. The K-pop stMay 7, 2014By Kim Ji-soo
