More than toys Larva character figurines, left, and Wingcle Bear key holders, right, are displayed at Toc, a shop dedicated to Korean born fictional character merchandise in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. / Courtesy of TocBrand characters becoming cultural iconsBy Chung Ah-youngA Hello Kitty doll clad in hanbok (a Korean traditional costume) is a popular souvenir among foreign tourists visiting Korea. However, Hello Kitty is a Japanese brand. Why can’t Korean fictional characters be sold here?The Korean character merchandise industry is striving to nurture homegrown brands to compete against Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse. As part of these efforts, two Korean fictional character shops - Cuvid and Tocharacter (Toc) - opened recently in Gwanghwamun and Bukchon last month with support from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). The shops are the government-supported businesses after it previously opened four shops dedicated to homegrown character products offering everything from toys to apparel. Toc, a character shop in Samcheong-dong, SeoulLim Chea-hwa, director of Toc, saidJun 28, 2013
Korea tourism program held in Laos, Vietnam Participants pose during the Korea tourism forum hosted by the ASEAN-Korea Centre at the Grand Luang Prabang Hotel, in Laos, June 25./ Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea CentreBy Shim Jae-yun The ASEAN-Korea Centre is hosting the ‘ASEAN Tourism Human Resources Development (HRD) Program’ in Vietnam on June 27 and 28.The program has been co-organized with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and provides lectures on “Korean Tourism,” “The Korean Wave and Culture” and “Korean Language.” The participants of the program will consist of 50 tourism and related industry professionals.The center has already hosted similar program in collaboration with the Laos Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism for 60 related people on June 24 and 25.The lecture on Korean tourism provides an in-depth analysis on tourism trends and prospects for the Korean market while the lecture on the Korean Wave and Culture gives an overview of Korean, and the language program includes practical expressions that can be utilized in day-to-day work when communicatJun 27, 2013
G-Dragon to release 2nd solo album G-Dragon, leader of the popular K-pop group Big Bang, will work with Missy Elliott to on his solo studio album, due for release on Aug. 18.Miss Elliott is a five-time Grammy award winner known for such hits as “Get Your Freak On.”Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment made the announcement via the official blog “From YG.” Yang said that G-Dragon wrote both the music and lyrics for the album and produced it, just as he did for his first solo album.Aug. 18 is also the 24-year-old’s birth date.The second album will contain about 10 songs. G-Dragon and Missy Elliott have discussed how to proceed over the phone and G-Dragon will first write the lyrics and rap and then mail the demo music to Miss Elliott. The American rapper then will add her rap to complete the song, YG said.G-Dragon will be completing his solo world tour this weekend in Singapore and will start shooting the music video and the album cover. Jun 27, 2013
Who is the highest paid actor? Park Shin-yangKo Hyun-jungBae Yong-joonBy Park Si-sooAs is the case with ordinary salaried workers, TV stars tend to become tight-lipped when it comes to talking about income. But once a year ㅡ in September or October ㅡ the National Assembly offers a glimpse of what they try to keep secret during a parliamentary inspection of government and state-run companies.The country’s biggest broadcaster KBS is state-owned, which means how much money it has paid to individual entertainers is disclosed during this scrutiny. The correspondent data of two other terrestrial broadcasters, MBC and SBS, is made public through an inspection of the Korean Broadcasting Association and other state bodies in the industry.According to data revealed in recent years, actor Bae Yong-joon is the nation’s highest paid star. The 41-year-old was paid a whopping 250 million won ($217,000) in 2007 for appearing in each episode of epic drama “Taewangsasingi,” whose English title is “The Legend.” The drama was made up of 24 episodes, meaning he earned a staggering 5.7 billion won frJun 26, 2013
Cruel reality behind Korean dramas A group of actors in supporting roles appear in a TV drama. Actors playing leading roles have earn ed international fame and massive wealth thanks to growing overseas demand for Korean dramas, but numerous supporting actors and film crew members still wrestle with poor salaries and workingconditions. / Korea Times fileB-list actors, shooting crew suffer from poor treatment and exploitationBy Park Si-sooKorean TV drama is making headway in building a global fan base.“Jewel in the Palace” from the country’s second largest broadcaster MBC hit the jackpot in Japan, China and Middle East nations, while “Boys Over Flower,” “Dream High” and several others produced by the biggest TV station KBS were recently exported to Mexico, Panama and Latin American countries.This has led to a steep income increase for A-list actors who normally play leading roles. Yet behind their beaming smile and red-carpet treatment are the notoriously poor salaries and working conditions facing supporting actors and film crew.In addition, they easily become targets of Jun 26, 2013
Sesame Street, all grown up From left, Kate Monster, Carly Anderson, Princeton and Nicholas Duncan of “Avenue Q,” which will raise its curtain in Charlotte Theater in Seoul on Aug. 23, pose for a photo. / Courtesy of Seol & CompanyMusical 'Avenue Q' is smart and witty example of puppetry for adultsBy Kwon Mee-yoo Many who grew up watching American children’s series “Sesame Street” retain a special affection for Big Bird, Cookie Monster and the rest of the lovable gang. This is not only because they taught us about counting and the alphabet, but perhaps they also remind one of more innocent times.But what would happen if the lovable puppets “grew up” and began yapping about more mature subjects? Would we still love them then?That is the question posited by the 2003 Broadway musical “Avenue Q,” which features Sesame Street-inspired puppets entering adulthood. The brainchild of Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the musical has been touted as a witty satire that raises more mature questions about dating, the workplace and other areas.The unusually and exceediJun 26, 2013
'Larva' pioneers new markets in South America Major licensing agents, game companies and media agents from the world showed interest in “Larva” at the Licensing International Expo, which took place on June 18 to 20 in Las Vegas./ Courtesy of Tuba EntertainmentBy Chung Ah-young“Larva,” the popular animation series, which features a pair of slugs ― Red and Yellow ― captivated South American countries at the Licensing International Expo, which took place on June 18 to 20 in Las Vegas.Tuba Entertainment said that it has completed merchandising contracts with Brazil, Chile, Argentina and other countries on the continent. The animation will be seen from 2014 in the region along with relevant tie-in products. With a wide fan base from kids to adults in Korea, the animation drew attention at the license fair in which some 1,000 animation studios and game firms gathered to trade licenses. The company said that South and North American countries and China showed great interest in purchasing the license for Larva merchandise.Major licensing agents, game companies and media agents from Brazil, Chile, Mexico, ArgentinJun 25, 2013
New kinds of donations Junho from 2PM, right, poses with Felmeta in Ehiopia last year. His care for Felmeta has inspired many of his fans and others to follow his goodwill activities. / Courtesy of World Vision KoreaHallyu stars serve underprileged, fans follow By Chung Ah-youngJunho from 2PM, a promotional ambassador for World Vision Korea, an international relief organization in Seoul, visited Ethiopia last year to meet patients suffering from elephantiasis and spent time singing and dancing with children. Since then, he has supported a number of Ethiopian children, including Felmeta whom he affectionately refers to as “dongsaeng” or younger brother. His care for Felmeta has inspired many of his fans and others to follow in the footsteps of his goodwill activities. Besides Junho, other hallyu stars have recently joined overseas volunteer activities to help others in the world. The effects of their participation and contribution in humanitarian activities are far-flung and immediate because their fans are quick to follow their moves.JYJ is one of the socially engaged K-pop groups which haJun 25, 2013
There are no such things as 'quality' part-time jobs By Kim Tong-hyungHere’s your midweek update on stories in entertainment and media you might have missed while reading about disputed maritime borders, the Snowdenger’s cat paradox, or because your life is undoubtedly a lot more fulfilling than ours. The ‘quality part-time job’ farce Bang Ha-nam, minister of(drone) laborWhen pressed to address critical issues, President Park Geun-hye has a habit of pairing two different words into one because they sound nice and announcing them as “Big Thoughts.” And this has meant no thoughts were actually thought at all.There has yet to be one convincing explanation about what “creative economy” actually means, although there is an entire ministry dedicated to it. Culture Minister Yoo Jin-ryong recently admitted that the concept of “cultural prosperity,” another Park slogan, was vague.Labor Minister Bang Ha-nam does show more conviction in describing “quality part-time jobs,” which are at the center of Park’s plans to somehow boost household and chaebol incJun 25, 2013
Returning dramas show cable might The cable TV drama “Reply 1997” was a sleeper hit last year. / Korea Times file“Rude Miss Young-Ae” actress Kim Hyun-sookBy Do Je-haeThe popularity of cable television dramas is changing the landscape of the industry with quality content and varied characters.Major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS were traditionally the main suppliers of TV dramas for local and international audiences. But viewers have become increasingly frustrated with them for either borrowing storylines from Japan or repeating the tedious formulas of family secrets and love affairs.Serialized TV dramas were a foreign concept in Korea until a few years ago, but that has changed rapidly with the sweeping success of some serialized dramas carried by cable channels.Two of the most popular cable TV dramas will return starting next month for additional seasons. CJ E&M recently announced the return of “Rude Miss Young-Ae” on tvN for its 12th season. There is much anticipation among fans for the upcoming season, as Young-ae may finally get married after years of failed relationships.YJun 24, 2013
