Singer Rain to promote new album in Beijing March 28 Singer Rain in this promotional photo for “Rain Effect” / Courtesy of Cube EntertainmentBy Kim Ji-sooRain will hold a showcase to promote his sixth studio alum “Rain Effect” in Beijing next month.Cube Entertainment announced Wednesday that he will hold the “2014 Rain Effect Show in Beijing” at the National Gymnasium on March 28. The singer’s agency said that they are expecting around 9,000 fans to attend.This will be Rain’s first official album showcase since its release on Jan. 2. The singer, Jung Ji-hoon, topped domestic charts with “30 Sexy” and “La Song” from the album.The tickets for Rain’s showcase will open worldwide on Feb. 28.“Rain Effect” is his first album since his discharge for compulsory national military service last year. The singer and actor, who is dating actress Kim Tae-hee, has been actively promoting his new album and filming the Hollywood movie “The Prince.” He has also been cast as a guest star for the popular variety program “Running Man” that willFeb 19, 2014By Kim Ji-soo
Will China become bigger for hallyu? Actor Lee Min-ho poses after performing at CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala in this Jan. 30 file photo. He was the first Korean entertainer to make an appearance in the popular holiday program. In the wake of “The Heirs,” Lee has been zigzagging across major cities in China to meet with his fans. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Ji-sooTaiwan is the place where the word “hallyu” was first coined with the popularity of dramas and music. Then the Korean wave spread to the greater Chinese-speaking region in 2005 when Korean dramas such as the “Jewel in the Palace” (2005) exploded to grab mainland China.China’s 1.3 billion population and the growing affluence means its potential as the biggest consumer of Korean popular cultural content is an attractive goldmine for Korean entertainers.At the moment, China remains the second largest cultural content export destination. According to the 2012 figures released by the Korea Creative Content Agency, Korea exported a total of around $4.4 billion of cultural content overseas, with the Japanese maFeb 19, 2014By Kim Ji-soo
Fans celebrate new star's birthday By Chung Ah-youngKim Soo-hyunActor Kim Soo-hyun’s fans both at home and abroad are eager to show their support through donations for the needy in Kim’s honor.Key East, Kim’s agency, said Tuesday that to celebrate his 26th birthday on Feb. 16, fans have donated 4.22 tons of rice, 6,220 briquettes, 3,200 diapers, 1,200 tubs of ramen along with 5 million won in cash.Kim is currently garnering skyrocketing popularity for his role in the top-rated SBS drama “My Love from the Stars” along with Jun Ji-hyun. “I was deeply moved by my fans’ heartfelt gifts of donations. I will do the best in acting in this drama to respond to the support from the fans,” Kim said in a press release.Donations are becoming popular gifts from fans for their stars.Kim’s fans also sent a donation package of 1.5 tons of rice at the press promotion event for the film “The Thieves” in June, 2012.They gave 4.22 tons of rice to charity organizations for the underprivileged and planted 100 mango trees for public use when Kim held a showcase for the fiFeb 18, 2014
Sungmin to promote Seoul police Four popular entertainers, including Sungmin of the K-pop boy band Super Junior, will serve at a unit promoting the Seoul police, officials said Tuesday.The other entertainers are actors Yoo Ah-in and Choi Jin-hyuk, and singer Sungje, a member of K-pop’s Cho Shin Sung, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced.The four will start working for the agency in the near future to fulfill their mandatory military obligation of almost two years.Most fulfill their obligations in the military, but some are allowed to work for the police in an alternative service program.“They will be enlisted between May and August,” said an officer familiar with the situationFeb 18, 2014
FTISLAND to teach Korean on NHK FTISLANDPopular K-pop band FTISLAND will teach Korean on NHK starting in March.The five member band will have its own slot titled “FTISLAND’s Hangeul” in a program teaching Korean starting March 31. The five members will offer lessons in practical Korean phrases that are used in shopping, at concerts or just touring throughout Korea.Speaking at a press conference held at NHK headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Monday, lead vocalist Lee Hong-ki said, “We will try to make it as fun as if we were performing our music live to make it easier to memorize and use the phrases.”Other members Choi Jong-hoon, Lee Jae-jin, Song Seung-hyun and Choi Min-hwan said that they had fun filming the segment.Feb 18, 2014
Making 'hanok' common RakKoJae, premium “hanok” guesthouse, was once used by Jindan Hakhoe, Korea’s first historical society. / Courtesy of RakKoJaeEngineer-turned hotelier devoted to upgrading traditional housing Ahn Young-hwanCEO of RakKoJaeBy Park Jin-hai“Hanok” or Korean traditional houses are being taken out of the history books to provide a new way of living.For a long time, the traditional architecture was disregarded in favor of apartment complexes that sprung up during the 1980s.But Koreans are rediscovering the charm of the centuries-old style of buildings and inviting them back into their lives.Jongno district office in central Seoul opened its first “hanok” library on Thursday. A day earlier, North Gyeongsang Province unveiled the blueprints to build 700 hanok on 250,000 square meters of land by 2027.Since 2008, the Seoul government as well as a number of other local governments, such as those in Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces, have been creating hanok communities, one of which is the Bukchon Hanok Village.Nestled within the quaint alleys of BukcFeb 18, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Hallyu stars fly to meet Chinese fans By Kim Ji-soo Rising Korean actor Kim Woo-bin hosted his first overseas fan meeting in Hong Kong, Sunday, attracting nearly 1,700 people to the Sunshine City Plaza. The 24-year-old former model-turned-actor leapt to stardom for his role in “The Heirs.”“Kim’s potential for success in Asia was proven by the event,” said an official of his management agency SidusHQ. Kim will soon host fan meetings in Taiwan and China, before going on to Thailand.Three top actors ― Jo In-sung, Lee Min-ho and Lee Jong-seok ― went to Shanghai also to meet their fans.Jo starred in the drama “That Winter, the Wind Blows”; Lee in “The Heirs”; and Lee Jong-seok in “I Can Hear Your Voice.” The three dramas that were highly successful with Korean audiences are receiving attention from Chinese drama viewers.Actor Lee Jun-ki, who has 12 million Weibo followers, was in Guangzhou, China, over the weekend as part of his Asia tour.Leading K-pop stars such as super rookie EXO appeared on a special entertainment program on Chinese FunFeb 17, 2014
'We write songs' Yong Jun-hyung, from left, of K-pop boy band BEAST, Zico of Block-B and Kim Jae-joong of JYJ poseat a recording studio in Gangnam, Seoul, on Feb. 12. The trio are quickly gaining recognition here as star-turned-prolificsongwriters. Yong is the most prolific songwriter out of the three, having created 60 songs. “Making a song is like a game,” said 25-year-old. / Yonhap Feb 17, 2014
Henry appears on 'Real Men' By Kim Ji-sooHenry, a member of Super Junior-M, got his first taste of what the Korean military may be like when he appeared on the Feb. 16 edition of MBC’s “Real Men” variety program.Henry joined singer K.Will and actors Chun Jung-myung and Park Gun-hyung. Not only did the Canadian singer show up at boot camp with a large suitcase fit for overseas travel, he showed off his faltering Korean and easy-going nature that were at odds with the barracks’ culture in Korea. The four replaced original members Song Jin-young, Jang Hyuk and Ryu Soo-young.Super Junior-M is the Chinese unit spun off from the K-pop group Super Junior, and includes five members from Super Junior along with Henry and Zhou Mi. In addition to the group’s activities, Henry last year released the mini solo album “Trap.”Feb 17, 2014
Lee Tae-ran to marry next month Lee Tae-ranBy Park Si-sooActress Lee Tae-ran, 39, will marry a businessman of the same age at a wedding hall in Shinsa-dong, Seoul, on March 1, her management agency said on Monday.The groom is Shin Seung-hwan, CEO of a tech startup. The couple was introduced to each other by their mutual friend and have been dating for about one year, according to the agency. “Shin is a very diligent, creditable person with a strong sense of responsibility. I was attracted to him because of this” Lee was quoted as saying in a statement released by the agency. “Our wedding ceremony will be very humble. Only family members will be invited to the event. In this regard, I would like to apologize to my friends.” She added the ceremony won’t be open to the media as well.Feb 17, 2014
