Seungri of Big Bang To release solo album Seungri, a member of K-Pop group Big Bang, will have a comeback performance with the release of an EP on Aug. 19."It's been two and half years since Seung Ri's first solo album in January 2011. Six new songs will be on the new EP,” said Yang Hyun-suk, chief producer of YG Entertainment, in an official blog on Monday.Seungri wrote the lyrics and music by himself as he did in the first solo album.The title song “"Have Something to Say” is a lyrical house genre song.Seungri also plans to release a solo album in Japan on Sept. 25.Meanwhile girl group 2NE1, who is performing actively this month, will release a new song "Do You Love Me" on Aug. 7."Do You Love Me” by producer Teddy, is a song with strong feeling just like the song "I am the Best.” They will release a home -video type music video, shot on an old camera and a cell phone. Jul 29, 2013
Shinhwa's longevity introduced in US magazine Longest-surviving K-pop group Shinhwa By Huh Yoon-jin “The Atlantic,” an American literary and cultural commentary magazine, has introduced K-pop band Shinhwa as a representative example for its longest-lasting popularity in Korea.Titled “What the Backstreet Boys Could Learn From K-Pop Two Decades Old,” the article compared and analyzed the two-decades-old bands, Backstreet Boys and Shinhwa in its online edition on Tuesday. Backstreet Boys is a five-member American boy band that is also known as the best-selling boy band in history, which sold over 130 million records worldwide since their debut in 1993.Shinhwa is a six-member Korean boy band which made its debut in 1998 and is still enjoying popularity both at home and abroad. The magazine pointed out one of the biggest reasons for the decline of the Backstreet Boy’s popularity was a failure to adapt to a new music market. It claimed, “to attract new fans, the boy group of yesteryear (Backstreet Boys) may need to readjust its strategy” and suggested Shinhwa, theJul 29, 2013
Young Latin leaders learning K-pop Amaury Hechavarria Nistal, left, vice president of Jose Marti Cultural Center in Cuba, and Antonio Angel Soliz Tapia, third from left, anchor of radio station Batallon Colorados and head of Asian fan club AWy from Bolivia, pose along with other visiting Latin American leaders of SM Entertainment in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, on Friday.By Park Jin-haiYoung leaders from Latin American countries, mostly in their 20’s and 30’s, said that K-pop is huge in their region and its popularity is spinning off interest in other things Korean.“I am impressed by the size of Korean entertainment agency’s global business model and its advanced star-churning system,” said Amaury Hechavarria Nistal, 37, vice president of the Jose Marti Cultural Center in Cuba.He and seven others, including a head of Asian music fan club and government officials from Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Cuba, and Ecuador, toured the SM entertainment on Friday.Over the past decade, K-pop has grown steadily in the minds of Latin American fans, accompanied by the popularityJul 29, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Korean foods clad in local costumes “Goldfish Waffle” brings Korean street food to Londoners’ dining table. / Courtesy of CJ FoodvilleRed-bean dessert, ginseng go globalSteak bibimbap, launched by CJ’s bibigo, in the United States, caters to the meat-lovingAmerican taste./ Courtesy of CJ FoodvilleKGC’s product combines ginseng and chicken essence / Courtesy of KGCOrion’s Choco Pie with the Chinese name “Horyeowoo” has “in” or benevolence on its package, since it is one of Chinese’s supreme values./ Courtesy of OrionBy Park Jin-haiSpurred by the global popularity of Korean culture, hot dogs sprinkled with “kimchi” toppings are sold on the streets of New York and Londoners have “bung a bbang” or goldfish waffles made Korean-style for dessert.After over a decade of trial and error, the food and confectionary makers finally prove that they can create new markets with smart ideas that intertwine their foods with the culture of target markets.The latest example is the goldfish waffles. BasedJul 29, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Park Han-byul makes China debut Actress Park Han-byul has been successful in her first Chinese movie “Bunshinshaba 2.”Park's movie, directed by Ahn Byung-ki, has hit the Chinese box office, earning 9.1 billion won in the first week of its release. “Bunshinsaba 2” is a sequel to the hit movie “Bunshinsaba,” which opened the new age of horror movie in China. “Bunshinsaba 2” was directed by Ahn who is well known for his mastery of horror films. The combination of Ahn and Park garnered a lot of attention even before the filming was shown. The movie hit 300,000 viewer rate and chucked a remarkable record by earning 1 billion won on its first half day of release on July 16. The second day’s profit went up to 1.8 billion won, twice as much as the first day, which was a fifth of the total profit of 45 million yuan in all Chinese theaters. Thanks to the success, Park is receiving endless love calls and Director Ahn’s own horror-movie brand has been warmly received by the Chinese movie industry. Jul 29, 2013
'Nudity race' on red carpet By Park Si-sooMission: grab public attention.Where: on a red carpet surrounded by TV cameras and photographers.Actress Yeo Min-jung, 22, smiles sheepishly after the left shoulder strap of her gown fell twice toreveal her breast on the red carpet for the Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festivalon on July 18. She said that she only intended to show her black thong during her walk on the red carpet.Actress Ha Na-kyung wears a revealing but glamorous black dress at the 3rd Blue Dragon Film Awards at this file photo. / Korea Times fileHow: stroll elegantly wearing a skimpy dress and do whatever ― stumble or tamper with the dress in advance ― to get a private part of body exposed, and say with a bashful smile that it was a sheer accident.Side effect: the feeling of post-event humiliation. But nothing grabs attention more easily.Does it look like an idea for comedy program?Entertainment industry insiders don’t completely deny the existence of such a fine-tuned scenario for red-carpet action. In addition, they don’t rule out the possibJul 28, 2013
Morning of Owl tops b-boy world Members of Morning of Owl, a Korean b-boy team, pose in this promotional photo. They took the top award at the R-16 (Respect-16) Korea on July 14-15 at Seoul Olympic Stadium. / Courtesy of Morning OwlBy Isaac KimA deafening roar echoed throughout the stadium as the crowd watched the most innovative and craziest dance moves unfold before their eyes.The R-16 (Respect-16) Korea took place in a two-day event July 14-15 at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. Here, eight top b-boy crews from around the world participated in the tournament to prove themselves to be the best. Despite their hard work and effort, only one crew would take the title of champion: Korea’s own Morning of Owl.Crew leader and head choreographer Lee Seung-ju said adequate preparation was the secret behind their triumph.“Korea is a nation of strong b-boys, so all of the crews had incredible skills and they were really good. However, we prepared a lot and we had faced them in battles before so we knew each other’s strategies and strengths,” Lee said in an interview with the Korea Times.“BeJul 28, 2013
Goguryeo open to different cultures Diverse forms of dancing are depicted in Goguryeo mural paintings. The most characteristic scene of Goguryeo dance is found at Dance Tomb (fifth century A.D.) in Jian, Jilin Province of China./ Courtesy of Academy of Korean StudiesBy Woo Jung-younProfessor Woo Jung-youn of International Korean Studies at the Academy of Korean StudiesWearing a hat decorated with golden ornaments, A white horse is slowly circling. As it flutters its wide sleeves, It now looks like a bird from the east. The above is the poem “Goguryeo” written by Chinese poet Li Po (702~762 AD) after watching a Goguryeo dance performance in the Tang dynasty. This dance genre, called Goryeo Dance, constituted an important part of music and dance genres performed at a royal banquet in the Sui and Tang dynasties. It was named so because Goguryeo was also called Goryeo in contemporary societies. Written and material evidence suggest that Goguryeo music and dance developed in close relation to Chinese and Xiyu music and dance. In particular, it is Goguryeo mural paintings that provide us with Jul 26, 2013
Hallyu Line Jung, Oh to join ‘Medical Top Team’Jung Ryeo-wonOh Yeon-seoActress Jung Ryeo-won will team up with hallyu star Kwon Sang-woo in the upcoming drama series “Medical Top Team.”Directed by Kim Do-hoon, who shot the popular epic “The Moon Embracing the Sun,” the drama will be aired in October on MBC. Renowned for her supporting role in “My Lovely Samsoon” in 2005, Jung will take the lead role of Seo Ju-young, a cardiothoracic doctor, with a strong charisma and humanity. “The character Jung will play is a perfectionist who overcomes difficult situations and finally becomes a top cardiothoracic surgeon. She has decided to take the role as she can learn many things from the character,” her agency said. Also, Oh Yeon-seo will join the drama in the role of Choi Ah-jin, the youngest cardiothoracic surgeon in the hospital. Meanwhile, Kwon will play the role of Park Tae-shin, a lead character who is a specialist in cancer surgery.Jul 26, 2013
Voices that care Cantabella Children’s Chorus from the United StatesLa Schola from SwitzerlandWorld Vision Korea brings int'l youth choirs for helping children Artistic director Kim Hee-churlBy Chung Ah-youngIn 1960, Korean children who were left in disarray after losing their parents during the Korean War (1950-53) were living in an orphanage supported by the World Vision, an international relief agency. Among some 15,000 orphans, 43 musically-gifted children ― 36 girls and seven boys ― found their way through music after joining the inaugurate World Vision Korea Children’s Choir. The choir members toured the world to give singing performances anywhere ― prisons, military units, hospitals and churches ― to those who need comfort through music. Their performances contributed to lifting the national image which was regarded as a war-stricken, hopeless nation into the promising land home of new hopes from children who lost their parents but grew through support and education when the performances were aired across the United States in 1961 through television.InJul 26, 2013
