Comedians invited to original SNL Shin Dong-yup, left, and Yoo Se-yoonBy Park Si-sooHosts of the Korean version of Saturday Night Live (SNL) will fly to New York City this week to watch the live taping of an episode of the original SNL.A spokesman for tvN, a cable channel that produces SNL Korea, said on Monday top comedian Shin Dong-yup and Yoo Se-yoon will depart for NYC on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, at the invitation of NBC, a major American broadcaster that created the widely beloved late-night live television sketch comedy show in 1975.“The two will visit the live studio for SNL and meet with its directors,” tvN said in a statement. “They will discuss a variety of production issues with the directors. They also plan to participate in events promoting Korean culture.”SNL Korea first went on air in December 2011. The program has since garnered significant attention here with acid political satire and jokes heavy on sexual innuendo.Jan 27, 2014
Skin color remains big barrier In the top photo, a student drapes his arm around his friend at Wonil Elementary School in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, in this file photo taken on Oct. 26, 2011. / Korea Times filesBiracial kids still have hard time associating with classmatesBy Park Si-sooMin Kyung-joon (alias) is a “good boy” in many aspects.The freshman at a middle school in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, has been acknowledged by his teachers for his outstanding academic achievement and affable personality. Min is also very actively engaged in sports, which explains why he is one of the top players of an intramural soccer club.Notwithstanding his good standing, he still has a hard time associating with his classmates, mainly because of his “exotic” appearance. The 15-year-old’s father is Pakistani and his mother a Korean native.“That’s a huge disadvantage in making new friends among young children,” said Kim Young-im, a counselor who has interviewed numerous biracial children, including Min, in Ansan, home to one of the country’s largest population of low income immigJan 27, 2014
Shinhwa fetes 16th year with concert Veteran K-pop group Shinhwa will hold a 16th-anniversary concert in March, the Shinhwa Co. announced.The group, which debuted in March 1998, will take to the stage March 22 and 23 at the Olympic Gymnasium in Bangi-dong, Seoul. Shinhwa member Andy, who was implicated in a gambling scandal last year, is not expected to perform, the company said, showing that he is repenting for his actions.Shinhwa—comprised of Eric, Jun Jin, Dong-wan, Min-woo, Hye-sung and Andy—is still going strong in the K-pop industry, which continues to feature younger groups. Last year, the group celebrated its 15th year together with its 11th full-length studio album,“The Classic.” The song “This Love” from the album also topped various local music charts.Jan 26, 2014
Winner of 'X Factor' performs on Australia Day Dami Im, 25, is the first Asian-Australian to win a music audition program when she triumphed in the “X Factor Australia 2013” last October. She performed in Sydney, Sunday, on Australia’s National Day. / Korea Times fileBy Kim Ji-sooThe South Korea-born winner of an audition program in Australia last year is seeing her popularity continue to grow.Dami Im, the winner of “X Factor Australia 2013,”performed on Australia’s National Day, Sunday, at Blues Point, Sydney, along with Jessica Mauboy, the dance group Justice Crew and another audition star and runner-up Taylor Henderson.Im’s win last year in the audition program was a surprise as she was eliminated during the boot camp for forgetting the lyrics of a song. But she came back when another contestant dropped out. Her rendition of “Alive” the song that she sang to grab the win topped the online iTunes chart in Australia. Her album featuring a collection of her best songs from the television audition show ranked third on the ARIA chart as of the end of 2013.IJan 26, 2014By Kim Ji-soo
Leessang wraps up Asia showcase Popular hip-hop duo Leesang wrapped up their first Asia showcase with unexpected success. According to their agency Leessang Company, the duo ― Gary and Gill ― met fans from four Asian countries through the “2013-2014 Leessang 1st Asia Showcase.” The tour, started out in Singapore on Nov. 30 last year, went through Taiwan and Hong Kong and wrapped things up in Malaysia on Jan. 11. “The showcase was made at the request of overseas fans, wanting to know more about the duo other than their appearances in popular variety shows,” said a manager of the agency.Gary, 35, has earned popularity across Asia through SBS’s “Running Man,” while Gill has also been known for starring in MBC’s “Infinite Challenge.” “This is large for a hip-pop act. Also meaningful is that it is not from typical K-pop idols but from musicians of a different genre,” said his agency. Some 3,000 fans crowded each of the performances. CJ E&M, organizer of the event, said they were surprised to see fans singing along with the act, adding Jan 26, 2014By Park Jin-hai
K-pop system incubates foreign stars Indonesian boy group S4 was trained under the K-pop grooming system for a year at the Rainbowbridge Agency prior to its debut. The group has beennominated for four World Music Awards. / Courtesy of Rainbowbridge AgencyIndonesian boy band S4 captures Korean looks, feelBy Park Jin-haiIndonesian boy band S4 ― comprised of “sexy” Firly, “sweet” Jeje, “sentimental” Arthur and “smart” Alif ― evokes images of Korean pop-stars.Their outfits, hairstyles and hand gestures, as well as the symmetric and spacious background settings in their music video are similar to those of 2PM. Their song resembles the hook-heavy dance songs of Korean acts.The fact is that the four-member group, winners of the Korea-Indonesia audition project “Galaxy SuperStar Season I,” received yearlong training in Korea before their debut in October 2012.Their title song, “She Is My Girl,” was composed by K-pop song hit-maker Kim Do-hoon, who composed songs for Korean idols like 2AM, G.NA and Davichi.Hyun-a, Korean female singer famous for heJan 26, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Lee Min-woo to release album Singer Lee Min-woo, known by his stage name M and a member of K-pop group Shinhwa, will release his solo album “M+TEN” to mark the 10th anniversary of the group’s debut next month. It will be his first solo album in five years since his mini album “Minnovation” in 2009 and will have five tracks, including the title track “Taxi.”While maintaining his membership of the group, he has pursued a solo career under the stage name “M” releasing his own albums ― four studio albums, two mini albums and one single since 2003. This new album combines disco and punk on tunes with vibrant rhythms and Eric from the group is featured as a rapper. Comedians Kim Jun-hyun, Yoo Min-sang and expat celebrity Sam Hammington appear in his music video.Jan 24, 2014
Rain, Tae Jin-ah collaborate RainTae Jin-ahSinger and actor Rain will appear with veteran trot singer Tae Jin-ah on major television music shows over the weekend.The two singers decided to perform together after a video compiling Rain’s “La Song” with Tae’s song “Companion” became popular on the Internet. Rain offered to sing an onstage duet with Tae after seeing the video clip, which the latter accepted. Rain and Tae, who pursue different music genres, sang La Song together on KBS’s Music Bank on Friday and are expected to perform on MBC’s Music Core on Jan. 25 and SBS’s Music Trend on Jan. 26. Rain will leave for the United States thereafter to discuss his role in a film. He recently released his sixth studio album “Rain Effect” which includes La Song. Since his discharge from military service in July, he has kept a low profile because of a series of misconduct allegations including dating top actress Kim Tae-hee whilst serving on active duty. He has however appeared on stage overseas including a concert tour of Japanese cities in November.Jan 24, 2014
Korea emerging as film location spot This scene from "The Bourne Legacy" was filmed at subway stations in the Gangnam area, southern Seoul. / Korea Times fileHallyu boom, incentives attract foreign filmmakersBy Chung Ah-youngWhen Hollywood spy movie “The Bourne Legacy” starring Jeremy Renner was released in 2012, Korean moviegoers quickly recognized subway stations used as locations in the Gangnam area, southern Seoul. Many Koreans found themselves attached to the film while other foreign viewers might have developed interest or curiosity about the capital through it.“The Bourne Legacy” was the first Hollywood feature film shot in Seoul. In the past, Seoul had less exposure in foreign productions than other Asian cities such as Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai. Not only Seoul but other cities such as Busan are attracting a growing number of foreign filmmakers in recent years.The increasing attention on the nation as a location for film shoots is mainly derived from the steep growth of the Korean film market which has become the world’s fifth largest motion picture industry, drawing 200 millJan 24, 2014
Top K-pop singers differ by region EXOBy Chung Ah-youngThe popularity of K-pop singers turns out to differ by region worldwide, a recent poll showed.The poll indicates that EXO seems to have the largest number of K-pop fans in North America, while SHINEE prevails in Europe and f(x) and Kim Hyun-joong as leader of SS501, are most popular in Asia.CJ E&M surveyed foreign fans from 20 nations who participated in an online poll for M Countdown, a cable network music show, on their favorite K-pop singers from January to December last year. According to the poll, f(x) topped with 16.4 percent of the votes, followed by Shinhwa with 15.1 percent, Kim with 9.3 percent, EXO with 6.5 percent and SHINEE with 5.4 percent in the overall ratings. By nation, fans from the United States, Canada and Australia cast the largest number of votes for EXO ― 11.1 percent in the U.S.; 12.1 percent in Canada; and 13.4 percent in Australia.In European countries, SHINEE seemed to be the most popular among other K-pop stars. The group received the biggest number of votes in the United Kingdom with 15.4 percent and in France with 11 percentJan 24, 2014
