Kim and Hwang Team up as Accidental CoupleBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The new drama ``The Accidental Couple'' may seem cliched or predictable, but with its stars each having blockbusters under their belts, things may turn out differently. The drama, which screens for the first time today, features movie icon Kim A-joong (``200 Pounds Beauty,'' 2006) as top actress Han Ji-sun and musical star Hwang Jung-min (``You're My Sunshine,'' 2005) as post office employee Gu Dong-baek. When Han gets into a car accident, she's not worried about Gu, who was almost hit, but only herself and her secret boyfriend who was driving the car. Desperate to cover up their relationship, she drags Gu in front of the wheel, letting her boyfriend escape, and lets the paparazzi take their photos. This incident instantly brings Gu to public attention, but things take a turn as Han asks Gu to continue acting as her boyfriend. ``Our drama also has F4,'' Jung Jin-young, the writer, said, referring to the four pretty boy characters in the hit drama ``Boys Over Flowers,'' at a press conference held last week in southern Seoul. ``The Apr 28, 2009
Young Singers Jumping Into Trot GenreBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Many singers are crossing the line between writing and acting, but some are actually trying different genres, particularly traditional trot. Singers like Seo-hyun from Girls' Generation, Dae-sung from Big Bang and Kim Jong-kook, Sung Jin-woo and even Kim Sung-soo from pop group Cool have released singles that carry the famous trot beat. Trot is a traditional pop genre based on a simple and cheerful beat and rooted from the Japanese genre known as ``enka.'' The delightful melody soon met distinctive vocals in which the voice lilts and makes drastic flips and turns, and it has become one of Korea's best-known and loved genres. Mostly enjoyed by older crowds, the simple melodies, fun and entertaining lyrics caught the young generation's attention with the debut of relatively young trot queen Jang Yoon-jeong in 2004, and the craze has moved on to many more singers over the years. Apr 28, 2009
Epik High Gets Serious About MusicBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter ``Expect the unexpected.'' That's what Tablo, frontman of popular hip-hop group Epik High, says fans can expect from their upcoming concert tour in the United States, Japan and Korea. But he might as well have been talking about Epik High's career. The trio, composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz, burst onto the Korean music scene six years ago, armed with catchy hip-hop tunes with socially relevant lyrics and a positive message. After five studio albums and numerous hit songs and awards under their belt, Epik High members surprised everyone with their decision to break from a major record label and go independent. The band met with The Korea Times last week at a studio in Hongdae, where members were in the middle of rehearsals for their upcoming concert tour and candidly talked about the ups and downs of starting their own company. ``When our contract ended, we had a lot of offers. The hardest thing about this project was deciding that money is not important and what was more important for us was music,'' Tablo said. Apr 26, 2009
KoreaToday Korean Fans Create Singular CultureBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter University student Kim did not start out as an avid fan of Korea's top male group TVXQ. In fact, she didn't like them at all. ``They were different and it was hard to understand what they were going for at first,'' the 19-year-old student, who wished to be identified by her last name, told The Korea Times. But now, she is one of the group's biggest fans, flying out eagerly to Japan to watch them perform at a concert. If you happen to find a crowd of excited teens grouped somewhere taking photos, reaching out for a glance with arms full of presents, it means a star is within the vicinity. In the late '90s, fans were more humble and passive; they would memorize lyrics, follow dance moves and dress up like their favorite stars. But now, they have become more systemized and active, from publishing advertisements on daily newspapers to donating money under the name of their singers and actors. ``The Internet has helped a great deal in what fans are doing now. Agencies don't need to give out additional information as they used to in tApr 22, 2009
City Hall to Bring Public Officials to TVBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The makers of hit dramas and some of Korea's favorite actors are getting together to bring the life, passion and love of public officials working at city hall. Created by producer Shin Woo-chul and writer Kim Eun-sook, who brought hit television series such as ``Lovers in Paris'' (2004), ``Lovers in Prague'' (2005) and ``On Air'' (2008), the new drama ``The City Hall'' portrays the story of public officials working in a small town finding their way to success, plus a bit of romance along the way. ``We were not going for a political drama. We just wanted to talk about people, and a lot of them, and that's how we set the backdrop in a city hall. The drama will be about people we meet and see everyday,'' said the producer at a press conference held in Incheon. Kim Sun-ah, 33, who played the quirky and lovable character Sam-soon in the hit drama ``My Lovely Sam-soon,'' will appear as Shin Mi-rae, a low-ranking official who's been making coffee for her superiors for the last seven years. Her life takes a turn when she wins a pageant and later Apr 21, 2009
Protecting Music Through Copyrights EducationBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Trying to stop illegal music downloading on the Internet may seem like an impossible task, as young and old Internet users alike freely download copyrighted songs without awareness of the criminal implications. In the past, music companies would chase after people who illegally downloaded music, but this proved to be largely ineffective in deterring other downloaders. Now, the music industry has changed tactics. According to Lee Deok-yo, the CEO of the Korean Association of Phonogram Producers (KAPP), the industry is fighting against rampant music piracy through an information campaign featuring pop stars like Wonder Girls and FT Island, and improving technical protection for digital audio files. ``We have sued people who have downloaded contents illegally, but we soon realized our actions would not help in rooting out the already widely-known and practice. The downloaders were young, high school and even middle school students, and it was quite a shock for them to be sued by an organization at that age. They didn't know what they were doApr 21, 2009
Pussycat Dolls in Seoul in JuneBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Seoul will get a taste of Doll Power when American pop group Pussycat Dolls finally arrive for their first ever concert here in June. The Pussycat Dolls will be performing June 6 at the Olympic Cycling Stadium, Olympic Park, southern Seoul, as part of their ``Doll Domination'' world tour. The Pussycat Dolls are Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts, Kimberly Wyatt, Jessica Sutta and Melody Thornton. Known for their sexy style and provocative dance moves, the Dolls have been churning out hit songs since they released their debut album, ``PCD,'' in 2005. Their hits include ``Don't Cha,'' ``Buttons,'' ``Stickwitu,'' and ``When I Grow Up.'' The Pussycat Dolls started out as a burlesque dance ensemble formed by choreographer Robin Antin in Los Angeles in 1995. The troupe performed 50s and 60s pop songs while dressed in lingerie at nightclubs such as The Viper Room and The Roxy and attracted great media attention appearing in movies such as ``Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle,'' magazines and TV shows. In 2003, the troupe was re-cast as aApr 21, 2009
Korea Can Learn From Japanese Drama ProductionBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Korea and Japan have been at center stage when it comes to television dramas, and the Korean Broadcasting Institute has revealed the differences of the two close yet distant countries' drama production. According to the report ``Comparison on Drama Making of Japan and Korea,'' led by researcher Kim Young-duk, the acting fees given to local star actors exceed those in Japan, decreasing the competitiveness in the drama production market. While local actors' pay account for 60 percent of the drama budget, Japanese actors based on a similar budget receive only 20 to 30 percent the amount. ``Excessive fees can lead to oversized production costs, which may also lead to poor profits. Korea must come up with a rational fee estimate system by observing objective data,'' the report suggested. The reason why Japanese actors don't get paid excessively is because of negotiations carried out based on accumulated data. Japan emphasizes what is called ``potential ratings,'' which is basically possible ratings based on the actors' series ratings and nuApr 20, 2009
Big Stars Appearing in DocumentariesBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Documentaries have been regarded as serious and educational, and only recently did viewers and producers alike appreciate the impact of these programs. Many have examined interesting topics ranging from dinosaurs to polar bears and noodles, and now cameras have turned toward local stars like Myung Se-bin, Kim Myung-min and soccer star Park Ji-sung. Myung has been out of the spotlight since her marriage and divorce, but she reappeared as a gisaeng, or Korean female entertainer, with the documentary ``Gisaengjeon'' last Sunday on SBS. The actress was transformed into a beautiful gisaeng in the program, complete with the hanbok ― Korean traditional outfit ― exquisite hairstyles, accessories and make-up. ``They had to hide from the public, despite their rich history in art, tradition and culture. I wanted to bring back their story and re-evaluate them,'' the producer of the program, Jung Gu-il, said. The documentary touched the graceful yet tragic lives of gisaeng, comparable with Japanese geisha. While geisha culture still exists in JaApr 15, 2009
Singers Use New Unique PR StrategiesBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The "old boys" of K-pop ― Seo Tai-ji and Jo Sung-mo ― and hip-hop group Epik High are employing unique ideas and marketing strategies to lure music fans. Jo recently released ``Second Half,'' his first album in four years, after finishing mandatory military service. In a departure from the practice, he appeared in music channel Mnet's music documentary ``Hidden Track by Jo Sung-mo'' to announce his new single. Singers usually avoid introducing their new tracks in public before the album's actual release. ``It's hard to introduce all of my songs in one album and I also wanted to show how hard singers work to bring one out to the world,'' Jo said. The program started before his album's release this month, introducing his new songs one by one, showing Jo playing the guitar and recording, along with his personal comments of how he wrote and sang the songs on the album. The program proved to be a great success, with more than 60,000 copies sold on its day of release. Meanwhile, three-man band Epik High held an on-line showcase thApr 14, 2009