'Underdogs' work on Girls' new album A scene from “Mr.Mr” teaser videoBy Park Jin-haiThe Girls’ Generation is back. The nine members will break their one-year hiatus with a new mini-album titled “Mr., Mr.” The upcoming album has drawn much of attention from the music circles and fans, since the SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that the famous American music production duo “The Underdogs” participated in the album making. The R&B/pop production has done work with such celebrity pop icons as Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Britney Spears. Tuesday, the group released the 40-second teaser video, where members are seen in glitzy dresses while wearing oxygen masks in a hospital setting. Their electronic and hip-hop mixed music had the repetitive “Mista mista” hook.The group’s popularity is still high even after the news of its two members ― Yoona and Sooyoung were each dating actors Lee Seung-gi and Jung Kyun-ho. Billboard’s K-town article commented that anticipation is high to see what the group can accomplish after an exciting yFeb 12, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Kim Woo-bin to launch Asian fan tour Actor Kim Woo-binActor Kim Woo-bin will meet fans through series of fan meetings around Asian countries.Starting from Hong Kong on Feb. 16, his first overseas fan meetings will take place in Taiwan, China and Thailand. “We’ve had calls from overseas fans to hold fan meetings, since Kim was starring in the drama ‘School 2013.’ Due to the success of following drama ‘The Heirs’ and movie ‘Friend 2,’ his Asian fan meetings could be made possible,” said his agency SidusHQ.In January, Kim held an event to inaugurate his fan club in Seoul, meeting some 3,000 fans that day.Feb 12, 2014By Park Jin-hai
Documentary on Seoul premiered Film director Park Chan-wook, from left, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and his younger brother Park Chan-kyong pose at a premiere of Seoul’s documentary “Bitter, Sweet, Seoul.” / YonhapBy Park Si-soo“Bitter, Sweet, Seoul” a “crowd-sourced” documentary about the capital is now available at www.youtube.com/seoulourmovie following its premiere at a theater.Film director Park Chan-wook and his younger brother Chan-kyong were commissioned by the city government to make the movie from a total of 11,852 video clips ㅡ 5,329 from abroad ㅡ submitted for three months from August last year.The Park brothers picked 154 clips and edited them to create the film that runs 65 minutes. Forty one clips were chosen as the best submissions for prizes.A city spokesman said, as the title suggests, the movie does not solely portray beautiful aspects of the city. “It portrays the past and the present, and the tears and laughter of people living their lives, and honest and inspirational moments that happen in various parts of the city,” the spokesmanFeb 11, 2014
Brown Eyed Soul to release new album Brown Eyed SoulBy Park Si-sooKorean R&B band Brown Eyed Soul will release its fourth full-length album on Thursday. The album celebrates the 10th anniversary of the band’s debut and will contain hit songs of the four-member band, the band’s management agency said on Tuesday. On the same day, it released a teaser video of the new album, in which a man dances to music from a cassette tape player on an unmanned island.“The new album was made with retro sound that was popular in the 1960s and 70s,” the agency said. Brown Eyed Soul will host its 10th anniversary concert at Olympic Park Gymnastics Gymnasium in southern Seoul on Feb. 22-23.Feb 11, 2014
Sohee to debut as actress SoheeBy Park Si-sooSohee, a former member of K-pop girl group Wonder Girls, has signed a contract with BH Entertainment as the first step toward making her debut as an actress.The signing comes two months after the 22-year-old left JYP Entertainment, the third biggest incubator of K-pop musicians in Korea. BH manages several top actors, including Lee Byung-hun, Go Soo, Han Ga-in, Han Hyo-joo and Han Ji-min.“There are so many people who wonder about my future career. I’ve decided to work with BH to convert my career into acting,” she wrote on her Twitter account on Monday. “I’ve been loved by a lot of people. I’ll never forget this. As an actress, I will do my best.”BH Spokesman Kwon Oh-hyun expressed high expectations about Sohee, saying she is “talented not only in singing but also acting.”Feb 11, 2014
Unlikely fan of Korean drama in US Uwe E. ReinhardtPrinceton professor says Korean dramas mirror ethical transition in AsiaThe left photo is the first page of Reinhardt's lecture presentation downloadable for free from the Internet.Telling about several Korean dramas, he wraps up the nine-page presentation withexplanations about "kimchi."By Park Si-sooA lecture presentation written in English popped up on Facebook several weeks ago, instantly taking Korean users of the social network website by surprise.Why? It was all about Korean drama and, more importantly, written by prominent economics professor Uwe E. Reinhardt at Princeton University in New Jersey, United States.So does this mean Korean drama has become a subject for academic study at the prestigious American school? Titled “Introductory Korean Drama,” the nine-page presentation begins with Reinhardt offering a form of self-reproach about his limited ability to accurately anticipate change in the global economy.“After the near-collapse of the world’s financial system has shown that we economists really do not know how the worlFeb 11, 2014
Yoari challenges Beyonce with $32 Yoari, center, leader of Yoari Band performs with the band’s members during the “Korea Night” event held on the eve of the World EconomicForum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 21. The band created an online sensation in 2010 by perfectly reproducing “Sweet Dreams” by U.S. pop star Beyonce using only four musical applications for the iPhone./ Courtesy of the Federation of Korean IndustriesBy Park Si-sooDon’t be trapped by the dogma that music with high sound quality can only be made using high-priced instruments. Korea’s five-member Yoari Band has proven otherwise.The pop music band, led by vocalist Kang Mi-jin, whose stage name is Yoari, created an online sensation in 2010 by perfectly reproducing “Sweet Dreams” by American pop star Beyonce. The band used only four musical applications for the iPhone ㅡ Virtuoso Piano, Music Studio, BeatMaker and ThumbJam. It spent only $32.96 or 35,300 won downloading all of them.To date, the band’s playing of the song has drawn more than 2 million hits on YouTube. “Awesome! NiFeb 11, 2014
Korean dancers ready for int'l competition Black MonkeysKorean dance crews have been selected to join “Keep On Dancing,” the international street dance competition, which will be held in Beijing, China in May.The Seoul Art College (SAC) said that Korean dancers the Black Monkeys, Jinjo Crew, Real Marvelous and Original River won local rounds of the competition. The finalists will be given flight tickets, accommodation and other rewards. “Keep On Dancing” is one of the world’s top three dance competitions since its inception in 2004 in China. Meanwhile, the SAC will hold the Street All-round Championship Performance on Feb. 15 at the K-Seoul Hotel in Seoul.Feb 10, 2014
Park's Weibo hits 5 mil. followers Park Shin-hyeActress Park Shin-hye has attracted more than 5 million followers on her Weibo account, proving her soaring popularity in China.She has recently starred in “The Heirs” along with hallyu heartthrob Lee Min-ho. The drama has had more than 900 million views on Yuku.com, the Chinese portal site. S.A.L.T. Entertainment, her agency, said that her active interaction with Chinese fans on SNS seems to be contributing to boosting her popularity in China as she believes that the service is a crucial part of her communication with them. She won the Most Popular Foreign Artist award in China’s 2013 TV Drama Awards and toured Asian countries to hold fan meetings for the first time last year.Feb 10, 2014
Webtoon's backgrounds created in 3D Kakaa Studio, a local venture firm, provides a technology to create 3D backgrounds for web comics. / Courtesy of Kakaa StudioBy Chung Ah-youngDigital comics, called “webtoons” here, already dominate the nation’s cartoon scene, replacing traditional book form work. An array of webtoons has been adopted into films, novels and stage works, providing more opportunities for amateur artists. However, the digital works are not as easy as conventional mediums for some artists. To help them concentrate on developing creative content, Kakaa Studio, a local venture firm, developed a technology to create 3D backgrounds for web comics. The technology enables cartoonists to choose a color tone, which fits their characters and stories. Through the 3D space, cartoonists can see their background views in advance from diverse angles equipped with building exteriors, interiors and the composition of the buildings and details of the props.“The popularity of webtoons continues to grow. The digital comics are offered in full color. Thus various color tones and details are needFeb 10, 2014
