Lee Si-young to play tomboy who falls in loveBy Noh Hyun-gi “Wild Romance,” a new comic KBS drama, offers a fresh type of romantic pairing _ a scandalous baseball player and his female bodyguard. Yet, even a quick look at the characters reveals that it is too similar to “Coffee Prince,” a hit drama from 2007. Yu Eun-jae, played by actress Lee Si-young, is a zealous fan of Blue Seagulls, a baseball team, and despises Park Mu-yeol played by actor Lee Dong-wook, the short stop of the rival team, Red Dreamers. Yu gets hired as Park’s body guard to silence a drunken fight between the two that was filmed and became viral online, causing rumors. Claiming that the fight was an exercise in self-defense, their love-hate relationship blossoms. A judo champion with short hair and a preference for menswear, Yu greatly resembles Go Eun-chan, the heroine of “Coffee Prince” played by actress Yun Eun-hye. In the romantic drama about a newly opened coffee shop, Go, a tomboy, pretends to be a guy to work at the cafe and falls in love with her rich playboy boss, Choi Han-gyeol played by actor Gong Yoo. The drama was wildly successful, Jan 3, 2012
Traffic Broadcasting System looks beyond pop for ‘hallyu’ content“I think it’s problematic to think that K-pop is all of hallyu.” Everyday life of Seoul or the traditional aspects of the culture that tbs aims to feature, can be part of hallyu for curious outsiders. By Noh Hyun-gi It is easy to assume that Traffic Broadcasting System (tbs)’s programs only deliver news on traffic congestion and accidents. Surprisingly, traffic news makes up only about 20 percent of the content on tbs’ two radio channels (FM and eFM) and its lesser known TV channel according to the newly inaugurated president, Sung Kyung-hwan. Sung, 56, was named the new president of tbs on Dec. 16. He started his career as an announcer at MBC in 1987 and served in various positions including the director of the MBC Announcer Department and the president of the MBC Academy. “I heard a radio program on tbs by chance and I was surprised at the questionable quality of the program. A couple years ago, tbs was one the most watched and the main competitor for all the other stations; I wanted to lead it to retain its former glory,” Sung said to explain his motivation for applyiJan 1, 2012
’Kim Jun-su school’ set up in CambodiaBy Kim Rahn With the help of K-pop boy band JYJ member Kim Jun-su, a school has been built in a small village in Cambodia, a relief body said Friday. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Korea said that it recently held the ceremony for the completion and opening of an elementary school that was established in a village of Vealvong in Pusat Province, Cambodia, using the hallyu star’s donation. After five months of construction, the school building is made up of six classrooms, separate rooms for special programs, restrooms and clean water supply facilities. The project was made possible through the efforts of Kim’s mother, Yun Young-mi, the group said. “Kim’s mother visited the town last month together with other volunteers. When she asked the residents what they needed the most, almost all of them answered a school. She told this to her son, and Kim was touched by the people who wanted to build a school for their children’s future despite their difficult living conditions. He donated the funds to cover the complete costs for the construction,” an ADRADec 30, 2011By Kim Rahn
Secret marriage, lawsuits, rumors: stars make headlinesBy Noh Hyun-gi For the most, entertainers make us laugh with their talents. But they are often the scrutiny of the limelight themselves, prompting news, sometimes rumors and controversies. Here are the top entertainment news items that made headlines in 2011. I. Marriage and divorce of Seo and E On April 21, Sports Seoul, a local newspaper, revealed that legendary singer Seo Tai-ji, 39, and actress E Ji-ah, 30, were once lawfully married and were filing for a divorce. Specifically, E had filed for alimony and division of property amounting to 5 billion won through a Korean law firm, Barun Law, earlier this year. According legal sources, the couple got married in 1997 in the United States, shortly after Seo announced his retirement as a singer, disbanding the sensational music group Seo Tai-ji and the Boys. The couple had lived in Atlanta and Arizona. The news quickly kicked off a controversy as both the singer and the actress had been thought to be single. Particularly, E had recently admitted dating actor Jung Woo-sung. E dropped the alimony and division of pDec 28, 2011
’Tree With Deep Roots’ writers thank King SejongBy Noh Hyun-gi A peaceful era is the ultimate goal of governance but that could require some hellish work on the part of the ruler, especially when the work also involves creating “Hangeul” or Korean alphabet. “Tree With Deep Roots,” a 24-episode drama that recently concluded on SBS, grippingly depicted the struggles of King Sejong (1397-1450) in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Based on a two-part historical novel of the same name, the drama drew ratings of over 20 percent. “We thought long and hard about what Hangeul symbolizes, and we decided that it represents power,” said Kim Yong-hyun and Park Sang-yeon, the writers who co-authored the drama about the birth of Hangeul. The duo was also behind another popular drama, “The Great Queen Seondeok,” which aired on MBC in 2009. The program focused on three clashing parties; the king played by Han Seok-gyu who wants to invent characters for his people, “Milbon,” a group of high-ranking officers who try to stop the project to retain power over the lower classes and a few commoners including So-i and Gang Chae-yun, played byDec 26, 2011
’History of Salaryman,’ comic tribute to breadwinnersBy Noh Hyun-gi Korean corporate life is unique yet similar to the Japanese office culture and something Westerners may find tricky to decipher. Promising to provide a glimpse into that singular world, a new drama, “History of the Salarymen,” combines comedy and action in a plot featuring corporate spies. Actor Lee Beom-su plays the main character Yu Bang, who after years of unemployment, volunteers to be a lab mouse for Cheonha, a pharmaceutical conglomerate led by Jin Si-hwang played by veteran actor Lee Duk-wha. At the high security lab to develop new drugs, Yu meets Choi Hang-wu, played by Jeong Gyu-won, a director from a rival firm. Choi signs up for the experiment undercover to steal the new drug. Jung Ryeo-won plays the immature heiress of Cheonha, Baek Yeo-chi. Against the background of a worldwide gloomy economic outlook and high unemployment rate, the characters will inspire laughter and empathy from those in and even out of the workforce. Yu, who has a strong provincial accent, is becoming desperate after so many years out of work. Choi is an arrogant Stanford graduatDec 25, 2011
KTO offers virtual dates with K-pop starsBy Noh Hyun-gi K-pop stars are at the forefront of “hallyu” or the Korean wave, and they are stepping up as spokesmen and spokeswomen for Korea. Recently, the Korean Food Foundation announced holding a recipe contest with Super Junior this month, and Wonder Girls released a promotional track on Korean food, “K-food Party,” as the ambassadors of Korean Agricultural Exports. Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) is jumping on the bandwagon with interactive features that will present potential tourists with fascinating virtual experiences. The institute opened “Holiday Greetings from K-stars” at the Tourism Information Center (TIC) Monday. K-pop star Miss A accompanied Lee Charm, the CEO of KTO, at the opening ceremony. What caught many visitors’ attention was the preview of the movie “Annyeong” featuring K-pop stars, Miss A and 2PM. It is an interactive movie about a three-day trip to Korea. Shot from a first-person perspective starting with a scene on the airplane to Korea, the user can start by typing in his or her name. Then, Taecyeon from 2PM greets the user Dec 20, 2011
Foreign media expanding coverage on Korean cultureBy Do Je-hae The growing popularity of Korean culture is resulting in more coverage of the country by international media, according to industry officials. A total of 248 journalists from 115 news organizations visited Korea this year, according to the latest press release by the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS). “The visiting journalists usually stayed for one week, spending time at major tourist and industrial sites, while preparing news reports on Korea,” a KOCIS official said. “We will make use of important international events such as the Yeosu Expo and the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit in 2012 to disseminate Korean culture through foreign press,” KOCIS director Seo Kang-soo said. The journalists who visited Korea this year came from all corners of the world. In June, a TV crew from Hong Kong braved the stormy weather to travel to Ulleung Island to shoot footage for a documentary on Korea’s economic development. Recently, Belgian TV channel RTBF visited the Korea National University of Arts to prepare a documentary on Korean classical musicians. Dec 18, 2011By Do Je-hae
Yoon Jung-hee named best actress of 2011 by LA criticsKorean actress Yoon Jung-hee was chosen as the best actress of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) for her lead role in the award-winning South Korean film "Poetry." The association announced a list of the 2011 award winners, including Yoon, on Sunday (L.A. standard time). Yoon won the honor, beating her close competitor from Hollywood, Kirsten Dunst, the winner of the best actress award at this year's Cannes Film Festival for her performance in "Melancholia," the association said. It marked the second straight year a Korean actress has received the best actress award from LAFCA following Kim Hye-ja, who received the award in 2010 for her role in Bong Joon-ho's "Mother." Founded in 1975, the LAFCA is comprised of Los Angeles-based, professional film critics working in Los Angeles print and electronic media. It votes every December to choose award winners. Directed by Lee Chang-dong and released in 2010, "Poetry" depicts a woman in her 60s who develops a belated interest in poetry while battling Alzheimer's disease and guilt over a heinous famiDec 12, 2011
English book on Korean TV dramas publishedA new book on the development of Korean TV dramas has been published in English, the Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS) said Monday. “K-DRAMA: A New TV Genre with Global Appeal” is a comprehensive guide to the past and present of Korean television dramas, which have been gaining popularity outside Korea as well, particularly since 2000. The 114-page book covers a wide range of topics related to the genre. The first two chapters talk about the global appeal of Korean television dramas and the foreign media’s response to them. Chapter three touches on the history of Korean TV dramas, starting with the 1960s through the 2000s, when the so-called “K-drama” phenomenon started to emerge as part of the growing “hallyu” movement in Asia. Chapter four recounts the famous dramas that first triggered the K-drama syndrome in Asia, such as “Start in My Heart” or “What is love” in the 1990s. The book concludes with profiles of major K-drama stars, like Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, co-stars of the 20-part KBS series “Winter Sonata,” which ignited a Korean TV drama crDec 12, 2011By Do Je-hae