Can military comedies be funny anymore? By Kim Tong-hyung MBC’s ‘Real Men’Korean men talk as if they would rather die than serve their mandatory military duty again. And yet, they can’t seem to get enough of national service-inspired comedy shows on television, such as MBC’s ``Real Men.’’But it remains to be seen whether these shows will begin to feel less funny in the wake of a tragic accident at Taean Beach, South Chungcheong Province, last week, where five high school students drowned during a summer camp modeled after soldier training exercises.Their deaths touched off public anger over the negligence of school officials and camp operators, who were businessmen with no military credentials and thought it was appropriate to send students into water without swimming vests.There are critics who attempt to expand the question as to why these camps were so popular in the first place, expressing discomfort about a country that continues to romanticize military culture.``Korea is among the most militarized societies among developed economies, solidified by the high proportion of Jul 21, 2013
Shilla's plan for traditional hotel rejected for 3rd time By Kim Ji-sooHotel Shilla’s plan to build a “traditional” business hotel has been put on hold again. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has decided to withhold President Lee Boo-jin’s plans to erect a four-floor traditional “hanok”-style hotel within the Jangchung-dong compound on the grounds that it might possibly conflict with some sections of the Seoul City Walls. The eldest daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee came up with the ambitious plan to replace its existing duty free shop with the business hotel while building a new duty free shop on the parking lot area.This is the third time that the plan has been halted. The scheme to add a business hotel and a new duty free shop in Jangchung-dong hotel area was the first project that Lee undertook after taking office as hotel president in 2010. Management of the hotel saw the addition of a traditional business hotel as part of a strategy to diversify the hotel’s business, strengthen its brand image and to actively seek more foreign tourists.The hotel presented its request both in AuguJul 21, 2013
Hollywood takes liking to Korean films “Hello Ghost”Unique storytelling attracts US filmmakers for remakes By Chung Ah-young“New World”The first trailer for Spike Lee’s “Old Boy” remake of Park Chan-wook’s signature thriller is already creating a buzz among cineastes around the world. Starring Josh Brolin, Lee’s much-hyped work is expected to become another gruesome thriller revolving around a man who was locked away for 20 years in a prison that was originally based on a Japanese manga. Before releasing the film in October, there has been much debate over whether it contains the famous live octopus-eating scene from the original or not.Adaptation is always a risky task as striking a balance between alteration and originality is tricky. Nevertheless, producing a remake has been a common practice in the cinematic scenes.Particularly, in recent years, Hollywood is remaking a slew of Korean films as the Korean movie industry has grown into one of the world’s biggest film markets. The new “Old Boy” finds its way into cinemas in October in the world.TJul 21, 2013
Agricultural exports to Indonesia rise The state-run promoter of agricultural products has opened an office in Indonesia to facilitate exports of Korean food products to a potential market of 250 million people.The Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Corporation (aT) said that the office is located in Jakarta, and an opening ceremony for it was held on Thursday with representatives of aT, Jakarta-based Korean businessmen and Korean embassy there in attendance.Indonesia’s imports of agricultural products are on the rise as a result of economic development. The promoter believes that this rise is a great boon to domestic makers of halal-certified products since nearly 88 percent of Indonesian people are Muslim. Halal certification is conferred on meat, vegetable and other food products that have been slaughtered, harvested or processed in a way recognized by Islamic Law.“The halal-certified food market of Indonesia is huge,” said Kim Jae-soo, president of aT. “Korea’s agricultural exports to Indonesia stood at $150 million last year. The Jakarta office will help increase this.”  Jul 19, 2013
Baek to release 2nd album in Japan Singer Baek Ji-youngSinger Baek Ji-young, 37, is going to release her second album “This Love, Do Not Forget” in Japan on Sept. 25, PIA news has announced. The album is actually a Japanese version of “Do Not Forget,” that was the theme song for the popular Korean drama “IRIS.” Baek is famous for having sung over 10 OSTs in Korea, and holds numerous hit songs as a solo performer.But in Japan, she made her debut last May with the song “The Woman,” which was the theme OST song of the popular TV Drama “Secret Garden” that starred Korean heartthrob Hyun Bin. Her first Japan showcase that took place at Akasaka Blitz will be released on DVD along with her second single album.Jul 19, 2013
Rain to meet fans on Aug. 2 in Seoul Singer Rain salutes fans on July 10.World star Rain, also known as Jung Ji-hoon, now discharged from the military and single will meet fans in Seoul next month. He completed his mandatory service on July 10. According to his agency Cube Entertainment on Friday, Rain is invited to an event organized by his fans on Aug. 2, 4 p.m. at the Peace Assembly Hall of Kyung Hee University. Then, Rain will go on to Thailand on Aug. 24 to attend and perform at the Impact Muang Thong Thani’s “Sonic Bang 2013” festival, in Bangkok. This festival is expected to be Thailand’s biggest international music festival where famous pop stars such as Jason Mraz, Placebo, and Pitbull are also invited. The agency added that the festival was scheduled before he was discharged from the military. The specific schedule of Rain’s return as a singer-actor is not yet decided. Also, Rain recently signed a contract with Rocknation, an agency founded by Jay Z, he is also planning to discuss his American come back.Jul 19, 2013
'Character' industry lacks strategy Korean animation character Pororo statues set in lines outside the COEX exhibition halls in the capital’s Gangnam district where “Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2013” is being held. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the little penguin character.‘Asians love cute little characters, Americans aggressive ones’By Park Jin-haiWith 10-year-old Pororo, Pucca and Robocar Poli in the lead, domestic character companies are aggressively expanding overseas.Armed with active government support, the sales of local character brands in the nation also surpassed those of foreign-born ones for the first time in 2011.Aspiring animators with the hope of repeating the global success of Pororo created a whole bunch of cute and children-friendly characters.Vital at this stage for domestic animators is to have the right marketing strategy, with the right licensing agents on its side to turn their ideas into products to put on store shelves.Larva, an animation character produced by Tuba Entertainment, is printed on various customer items, Jul 19, 2013By Kim Ji-soo
Government recruiting 'hallyu' experts By Kim Ji-sooThe Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it will be recruiting regional international cultural experts” through July 31.Done in conjunction with the Korea Arts Management Service, the inaugural project is to recruit would-be experts in the cultures of Africa, Central and South America, Middle East and Central Asian region so that they would be the “agents of ‘hallyu’ or Korean wave.”Once selected, the international cultural experts will be dispatched to some 10 Korean Cultural Centers overseas from September 2013 through June 2014. The 10 centers will be in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa. The budget for the program is estimated at 400 milllion won.“We chose these centers because its countries the private sector involved in culture and ‘hallyu’ or Korean wave have not made much inroads,” said Hwang Hyeon-jeong, an official the ministry said.The program at the Korea Cultural Center in Egypt will be eight-months long, leaving room fJul 19, 2013By Kim Ji-soo
Kim Jun-su takes 8 iTune charts Kim Jun-su, 26, a member of the K-pop group JYJ, has taken the top spot on iTunes charts in 8 nations, his agency C-Jes Entertainment said Tuesday.His second solo album topped the iTunes album chart in Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Thailand and iTunes Dance chart in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.“As there are various genres in album including dance title song ‘Incredible’, the album got interest and response by fans in the world,” the C-Jes Entertainment said in a statement.Kim will start his solo concert in Thailand Saturday, and will go on to Shanghai July 28. Then he returns to Korea, for two dates in Seoul, Aug. 3-4, and in Busan, Aug. 10-11. The tickets for the Busan concert are available on Interpark.Jul 18, 2013
Noh ranks 1st on Tower chart Noh Min-woo′s first Japan single solo album, “Iconic Oh Disco ㅡ Rockstar,” ranked first in the Tower Records Osaka′s offline album chart. After Noh topped the weekly album chart on Hottracks with the release of his single solo album in Korea, his albums were displayed in an exclusive section at Tower Records′ Sibuya and Osaka branches, which was a privilege that is usually given to well-backed idols. Noh who is also an actor became popular in Japan after his drama “Full House Take 2” was aired twice through main channels on Japanese television. His showcase in Seoul last May drew fans not only from Korea, but also Japan, China, Taiwan and other countries across Asia, proving his popularity outside of Korea. He adopts a stage name as “Icon” when he sings. On Aug. 9, Noh plans to hold a live concert and launch his official fan club at the “Rockstar ㅡ No Min Woo Fanclub Open Anniversary Live & Talk” in Tokyo Japan.Jul 18, 2013
