Super Junior gives lecture at National Assembly By Chung Ah-youngMembers of K-pop group Super Junior gave a talk on hallyu, or Korean wave, at the National Assembly on Thursday.Shindong, Eunhyuk and Sungmin were named guest speakers for the special lecture of the National Assembly Top Class Culture and Arts Course. They shared their experiences since their debut to the present and their efforts to make inroads into the international market and discussed what they think is the way forward for K-pop’s global phenomenon. The course is designed to increase the awareness of the Korean performing arts industry and the K-pop market targeting lawmakers and high-ranking officials working at the National Assembly.Jung Jin-suk, the secretary-general of the National Assembly, said that it was a good opportunity for those who are in the National Assembly to communicate with young artists who are forerunners of the global hallyu phenomenon and develop a future vision. Since making its debut in 2005, Super Junior has been one of the leading K-pop bands whose members are well-groomed not only in music but also other genres such as films andFeb 20, 2014
Generational shift in cartoon industry Conventional cartoons — comic books and magazines — seem to be giving way to the new generation of digital comics. / Korea Times fileKorean comics expand horizon from webtoons to graphic novels Lee Chung-ho, new president of the Korea Cartoonist AssociationWeb cartoonist Yoon Tae-hoBy Chung Ah-youngIt is no accident that web cartoonist Yoon Tae-ho renowned for “Misaeng” and “Moss” has been invited to the 2014 London Book Fair along with a slew of high-profile local authors such as Shin Kyung-sook, Hwang Sun-mi and Kim Young-ha.His inclusion in this lineup reflects how web comics or “webtoons” have become one of the nation’s cultural powers thanks to the widespread circulation of digital devices, particularly smartphones, and a thriving Internet culture. Also, Lee Chung-ho, 47, became the first “web cartoonist” to be elected as the new president of the Korea Cartoonist Association in last month’s general session. His election must have shocked established artists who grew through the apprenticeshipFeb 20, 2014
SM to hold global audition By Park Jin-hai SM Entertainment will hold “2014 S.M. Global Audition” in 18 cities in seven countries ― Korea, China, Japan, U.S., Canada, Indonesia, and Thailand ― Feb. 21. The three-month journey starting in Indonesia will continue through May 25. “Already some 20,000 have people applied for the Jakarta audition alone, while more than 15,000 people applied for the one in China, to be held in late February,” SM SM Entertainment, which has in its stable BoA, TVXQ, Girls’ Generation and Super Junior, has been organizing the event since 2006. Over the eight years, it has served as one of the most effective channels for idol-wannabes to debut and be elevated to stardom. Henry, a member of popular boy band Super Junior’s subunit Super Junior M, was recruited in 2006 through the global audition in Canada. The following year, girl group f(x)’s member Amber was discovered in the U. S. and boy band EXO’s Kris, a Canadian with Chinese origin, was from the Vancouver audition. Contenders can apply for six cateFeb 20, 2014By Park Jin-hai
EXO to add 1 more date in Japan EXOBy Kim Ji-sooK-pop super rookie group EXO has added one more date in Japan, upon demand from the fans, SM Entertainment said Wednesday.The 12-member group are to hold their first concerts and fan meetings from April 12-13 at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. But when more than the expected number of fans applied to win the tickets, the group’s agency added one more date of April 11. During those three days, EXO will meet Japanese fans in a total of five occasions including fan meetings.The agency said they expected about 100,000 fans to gather during that time.EXO just broke through previous records last year with their album “XOXO (Kiss&Hug), which sold more than 1 million. They also grabbed six awards including the 2013 Melon Music Awards and the 2013 MAMA.Feb 19, 2014
MBLAQ to release Japanese single Park Jin-haiK-pop boy band MBLAQ will return to Japan with its upcoming Japanese single “Still In Love.” Their 4th Japanese single is scheduled to be released on Feb. 26. “Still In Love” was written and composed by Daisuke Mori, who has collaborated with the legendary J-pop boy band SMAP. Another song, “Take it Back,” was also created by Japanese artists. Composer Nakamura Daichi worked with songwriter Her0ism, who previously wrote songs for TVXQ and Kara. In celebration of its official release, the band will hold fan meetings twice a day on March 12 and 13 in Osaka, and March 16 and 18 in Tokyo.Feb 19, 2014By Park Jin-hai
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
