SHINee kicks off 3rd world tour K-pop idols shine with larger-than-life concert in SeoulBy Park Jin-haiA giant antique clock on a massive LED screen counted down to the start of the show.Against the dark background, the five members of contemporary boy band SHINee showed up one by one, their fans’ shrieks filling the dome-shaped stadium.SHINee’s much-anticipated third world tour, SHINee World III, officially started with two concerts at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul last weekend. The concerts were the band’s first in Korea in nearly two years.Jonghyun, Minho, Taemin, Onew and Key gave larger-than-life performances throughout the three-hour concert, making the fans’ two-year wait worthwhile.The band’s repertoire Sunday night included hits such as “Juliet,” “Lucifer,” “Ring Ding Dong” and “Dream Girl,” as well as Japanese songs and some new numbers.“We were greatly encouraged while preparing for the concert when we heard that all seats including those with partly blocked views were sold out,” SHMar 13, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Lovers' locks that hang on the fence at N Seoul Tower in Mt. Nam, Lovers’ locks that hang on the fence at N Seoul Tower in Mt. Nam, Seoul. More foreign tourists are visiting the venue especially after a scene from the drama “My Love From the Star” featured it./ Korea Times fileMar 12, 2014
4minute releases teaser photos 4minute’s teaser image for upcoming albumK-pop girl group 4minute released teaser photos of their upcoming fifth album, “4Minute World,” Wednesday. The photos were released on Cube Entertainment’s official Facebook page.The photos show each of the five members — So-hyun, Ji-yoon, Hyun-a, Ga-yoon and Ji-hyun — dressed in sleepwear. The girl group known for its bad-girl image and catchy music will release the album on March 17. One notable track is “What Are You Doing Today?” the second collaboration between 4minute and Brave Brothers.HyunA recently filmed for “Funny or Die” with British singer Rita Ora in Los Angeles, before appearing on “K-Pop Night Out” held on March 11 on the sidelines of the South by SouthWest music festival in Austin, Texas.Mar 12, 2014
'Simply K-Pop' in Shanghai March 22 K-pop artists, including Crayon Pop and Big Bang’s G-Dragon and Taeyang, will take the stage at the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena in China on March 22.Other K-pop artists that will take part in the “Simply K-Pop Tour 2014” in Shanghai include f(x), U-Kiss, Rainbow, Block B, A-Jax and VIXX.Overseeing the three-hour concert will be Korea’s Arirang TV and Shanghai’s Dragon TV. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and China Youth Development Foundation will sponsor the event, which will be hosted by Intercrew and F.M. Media.Several K-pop artists including 2NE1 have announced that they will perform in China this year.Mar 12, 2014
Actor Bae Yong-joon hits jackpot on protege's success Bae Yong-joonKim Soo-hyunBy Park Si-sooBae Yong-joon earned not only fame but wealth when his television drama “Winter Sonata” (2009) went explosive in Japan. Bae’s protege Kim Soo-hyun, star of “My Love from the Stars” (2014) is taking it further. China’s avid response to the drama has sent the stock price of actor Kim’s management agency to an all time high.Kim played the leading role opposite actress Jun Ji-hyun in the 21-episode drama, which ended Feb. 27.KEYEAST, the agency whose biggest shareholder is Bae with 31.7 percent, saw its stock price close at 2,655 won ($2.48) Tuesday, a 14.94 percent jump from the previous day.The agency said its stock price had increased a combined 84 percent, while the romantic series was on the air. Bae is said to have earned a staggering 32.5 billion won.Its stock price is forecast to stay bullish.“Kim appeared on Jiangsu Satellite TV’s entertainment show Super Brain last week. He was reportedly paid nearly 500 million for the one-off appearance on the program. This reflects how popular the drMar 12, 2014
N. America out of reach for hallyu Lady Gaga at the “K-Pop Night Out” on March 11 held on the sidelines of the South by SouthWest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas. A total of 15 Korean acts took part in the SXSW this year in a bid to promote not only K-pop but Korean rock bands in one of the largest U.S. music festivals./ Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Culture gap, strong pop industry base stand in wayBy Kim Ji-sooMuch of Asia is in love with the Korean television drama “My Love from the Star,” so much so that the love has reached the shores of North America.But it traveled via a Beijing-Washington course.The Washington Post in its March 7 edition dealt with the popularity of the drama in China, but it was a writer from Beijing. After the story appeared, the Korean press duly reported on it.The popularity of hallyu is strong in Asia, but is slow to pick up in the United States or the larger North American market.In the 2000s, producer Park Jin-young of JYP Entertainment took his hottest stars, the Wonder Girls, to break into the U.S. market butMar 12, 2014By Kim Ji-soo
LA web festival to screen kimchi animation An image captured from the “Kimchi Warrior” web series, directed by Kang Young-man. The series will be screened at the LA WEBFEST 2014 in California, March 26-30.By Park Jin-haiKimchi superhero animation will be screened at one of the largest U.S. web series festivals. According to the LAWEBFEST 2014, Korea-born director Kang Young-man’s “Kimchi Warrior” episodes are included in its final play list for the five-day event scheduled for March 26-30. It is the first time that a Korean director has been invited to the festival. Kang’s two episodes, each running 5-6 minutes, contain blend of martial arts, comedy, and the promotion of good health. Web series are three-to-six minute-long serialized videos in various genres that are rapidly spread through YouTube and SNSs.“It is a unique blend of martial arts, comedy, and the promotion of good health. Based on the premise of ‘Popeye,’ our hero obtains supernatural strength by consuming the most prominent Korean dish to defend mankind from the world's most notorious diseases such as swine Mar 11, 2014
Lee So-ra to return with new album Lee So-raBy Park Si-sooBallad singer Lee So-ra has released her first full-length album in six years, her management agency announced on Tuesday.The 45-year-old musician’s eighth album went on sale last week, the agency said. The album contains eight songs and Lee has made a “great deal of effort” to change her musical style, it added.Lee launched an online promotion of her new album on Monday by opening promotional websites on Facebook and Tweeter. She made her debut in 1993 as a guest vocalist for acoustic indie band Strange People. She released her debut album in 1995, whose title song was “I am Happy.” She won the Korean Music Award for Best Female Vocalist in 2005.Mar 11, 2014
TVXQ tops Japanese weekly chart TVXQBy Park Si-sooPopular K-pop boy band TVXQ are at the top of Japan’s Oricon weekly chart with their new album “TREE,” according to SM Entertainment on Tuesday. This marks the fourth time the band, comprised of U-Know and Max, has conquered the chart. The latest album went on sale March 5 and has sold 225,000 in Japan, the agency said.“What’s more meaningful is that its three most recent albums put the band on the top of the chart,” Oricon said on its website. “TVXQ is the second foreign musician, after U.S. rocker Bon Jovi, to conquer the chart with three albums in a row.”Mar 11, 2014
Korean medicine looks toward Russia A Korean practitioner of traditional Oriental medicine performs acupuncture on the neck of an Uzbekistan patient in this photo taken in Tashkent in December 2012. The Central Asian country is considering introducing traditional Oriental medicine to improve its public healthcare services. / Courtesy of AKOMPractitioners pressed to beat domestic doldrums, says lobby groupKim Pil-gun, president of the Association of Korean MedicineBy Park Si-sooConfidence, boldness or sometimes sheer recklessness has driven a number of domestic players into overseas markets.But for licensed practitioners of traditional Korean medicine here, it’s less of those three and more of desperation as they pursue globalization.Leading the pursuit is the Association of Korean Medicine (AKOM), an umbrella group of some 20,000 licensed practitioners of traditional Korean medicine.The demand for Korean version of Oriental medicine has been on the rise in Russia, Slovakia and other Central Asian countries. This growing overseas demand is a rare opportunity that the AKOM is seizing to tackle a daunMar 11, 2014
