IU to return in May with remake album K-pop singer IUBy Park Si-sooK-pop singer IU will return to the stage next month with a remix album, her agency said Thursday. She plans to mark her comeback with a solo concert on May 22 at a mini auditorium associated with Sogang University in northern Seoul.“She wants to get closer with her fans. This concert will materialize her wish,” LOEN Entertainment said in a statement. “IU will return with ‘good’ music and fresh performances.”Including the comeback concert, she will hold a total of eight concerts by June 1.Having made her debut in 2008 with “Lost Child,” she instantly earned massive popularity for her beautiful voice and adorable appearance, winning many music awards. She has diversified her career by featuring in several TV dramas and entertainment shows.Apr 10, 2014
So Yoo-jin becomes mother Baek Jong-won and So Yoo-jinBy Park Si-sooActress So Yoo-jin has given birth to a baby boy, her management agency said on Thursday. The child was born at a general hospital in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul, on Wednesday afternoon, it said, adding So and her son are both doing fine.“They are in good health,” Star-J Entertainment said in a statement. “She plans to take care of herself and baby for a while and then return to work.”The 33-year-old tied the knot with Baek Jong-won, a famous chef and CEO of multiple restaurant franchises who is 15 years her senior, in January last year.Making her debut in 2000 through SBS TV’s drama “Duk-ee,” she shot to stardom after appearing in MBC TV’s “Delicious Wedding Proposal” the following year. Apr 10, 2014
Girls' Generation in crisis Scandals reveal management loophole, cracks in unity By Park Si-sooIs Girls’ Generation in crisis? Will it disband in the near future?Eight years have passed since the nine-member K-pop girl group burst onto the domestic music scene. During that time, it has grown up as undisputed K-pop kingpin adored by scores of fans at home and abroad thanks to their cute and sexy image powered by addictive songs and fascinating choreography.Last November, it won the best music video prize with its song “I Got a Boy” at the inaugural YouTube Music Awards in New York, a landmark achievement signaling that the group has ample potential for success in the U.S. and other countries.But for now, the girls’ lives are “maturing”: teens when they debuted, the girls are now women in their mid-20s. Possibly the management agency SM Entertainment has been lax in its management or the members are collectively resisting the agency’s rules designed to forestall public love affairs or unsavory scandals.Citing tepid public response to its latest song “Mr. Mr.,&rApr 10, 2014
Korea, Vietnam to produce drama By Kim Ji-sooA Korean cable TV company and a Vietnamese state broadcaster will work together to co-produce a drama about a Vietnamese girl who comes to Korea to study.CJ E& M said Tuesday that it has signed a contract with a Vietnamese TV (VTV) to produce “Forever Young.”Comprised of 36 episodes, Forever Young will portray the story of a wealthy Vietnamese girl, Thuy Linh, who comes to Korea to study and live with students from other countries. VTV’s general entertainment channel VTV3 will begin airing the drama in December.CJE&M has been actively exporting Korean reality variety entertainment programs and even produced shows overseas.Korean dramas have long been popular in Vietnam, leading to co-productions such as this one.Apr 9, 2014
Boys to take charge of K-pop in second quarter EXO will return with a showcase to be held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium, Seoul, on April 15. / Courtesy of SM EntertainmentBy Kim Ji-sooWhile the first few months of the year in K-pop may have been dominated by girl groups, the boys appear poised to capture the lion’s share of the headlines in the months ahead with new albums and singles scheduled for release.One of the most anticipated will come from EXO, which scored big last year with the single “Growl” from the “XOXO” album. The album sold more than 1 million copies in 2013, putting the 12-member group on the K-pop map.The group will hold a showcase on April 15 at the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium for its new mini-album titled “Overdose,” and said that it will work with the newly launched Samsung Music to promote the songs and dance moves. The title track from the album is also “Overdose,” jointly produced by the Underdogs and Kenzie.Beast, a six-member boy group, is expected to release a new album this month.Infinite, in its concert on March 28, said that it will also release a new albApr 9, 2014
Would Avengers fight NK leader in heart of Seoul? By Park Si-sooWhat if the new Avengers movie portrayed Korea negatively?How would Seoulites, for instance, feel about it after days of yielding their city for location filming?If Marvel Studios says “tough luck,” so be it. But what about Mayor Park Won-soon and others who talked about value effects worth 2 trillion won from the “Age of Ultron”?If Park loses his bid for reelection in June, he would be out of office in 2015 when the movie is out.Besides, he didn’t exactly say whether it would be minus 2 trillion won or plus 2 trillion won. Right now, the secrecy in which the film is being made gives away little inkling about what the movie will be about except for the Ultron we know from the comics.One thing for sure is this kind of movie goes with the good-prevailing-over-evil plot formula.In the sequel, the Avengers are good guys, while Ultron is bad. Then, who would be the most likely candidate for the role of a bad guy from Korea?It’s hard to blame us for being paranoid. Oftentimes, North Korea has been the villain country and its leaders —Apr 9, 2014
Designing hangeul Calligrapher Kang Byung-in teaches foreigners and Koreans how to write both traditional Korean writing and how to design it at CQ Forum’s 17th Session held in Jung-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Corea Image Communication InstituteCalligrapher promotes beauty of hangeulFew may readily identify Kang Byung-in, but his calligraphic writings have donned popular items such as soju labels and TV drama titles.Calligrapher Kang, 52, has written titles for popular dramas the “Woman Who Marries Thrice” (2014), “Faith” (2012) starring hallyu star Lee Min-ho, “The Innocent Man” (2012) starring actor Song Joong-ki, “The Great King Sejong” (2008) and “Mom is Enraged” (2008).He has designed the brand logo for soju Chamisul, the Korean liquor Hwayo and the writing on the veil that wrapped the Sungnyemun while it underwent reconstruction. He also has produced art works such as “Arirang” (2012).As a calligrapher, he paints hangeul with a design for faster and more sentimental communication.How he does tApr 9, 2014By Kim Ji-soo
Eating vicariously? Lee Soo-kyung of a cable drama series “Let’s Eat.” / Courtesy of tvNFood-centric TV shows becoming hot trendHa Jung-woo in “Hwanghae”Choo Sa-rang in “Superman Returns” Yoon Hoo in “Where Are We Going, Dad?”Webtoon-based film “The Hungry Woman”By Chung Ah-youngYoon Hoo, the son of singer Yoon Min-soo, was catapulted to stardom by “eating voraciously” on MBC’s high-rating reality show “Where Are We Going, Dad?” Choo Sa-rang, the daughter of Korean-Japanese combat sports star Choo Sung-hoon, is winning the hearts of viewers mainly for her “eating” scenes on KBS’s variety program “Superman Returns.” Ha Jung-woo is often portrayed as an actor who is good at “meokbang,” a new broadcasting term in Korean, which means “eating well” on screen. Watching someone eat on TV is becoming a bizarre trend in Korea. As “meokbang” gives viewers vicarious pleasure, a growing number of TV shows are competitively obsessed with providing eatiApr 8, 2014
'Fatal Encounter' slated for N. American release in May By Kim Ji-sooA poster for “The Fatal Encounter”Will top Korean actor Hyun Bin ignite “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, in films in North America?His soon-to-be released film, “The Fatal Encounter,” is expected to be shown on 25 screens in North America starting May 23, Lotte Entertainment said Monday.The release in North America follows just a month after the film’s release on April 30 in Korea. It is the actor’s first work since being discharged from the military in April 2013.The film depicts the historic assassination attempt on King Jeongjo of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). The movie deals with the factional fighting during the reign of Jeongjo, played by Hyun, who as a boy had to watch his father Crown Prince Sado die after being sealed in a rice chest on the orders of his grandfather King Yeongjo. The movie is also the feature film debut of director Lee Jae-gyu. The director is known for television work including “Damo” (2003), “Beethoven Virus” (2008) and “The King 2 Hearts” (2012).The film will bApr 7, 2014
Jackie Chan turns 60 Korean actress Kim Hee-seon, left, sings with action movie actor Jackie Chan at a charity concert marking Jackie Chan's 60th birthday in Beijing, capital of China, Sunday. / YonhapApr 7, 2014
