3 New Weekend Dramas to AirBy Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter All three major television networks will start new weekend dramas for the entire family in February. KBS will air ``Mom's Dead Upset,'' which deals with four-generations living together and the various incidents resulting from generation gaps. MBC will air ``A Beauty Unmatched, Park Jeong-geum,'' about a divorced single mom, while SBS will air ``I Am Happy,'' about a happily married couple. The first episode of ``Mom's Dead Upset'' will air at 7:55 p.m., Feb. 2. Written by Kim Soo-hyeon, the hit maker who wrote for dramas such as ``My Man's Woman'' (SBS, 2007), ``Love and Ambition'' (SBS, 2006) and ``Trap of Youth'' (SBS, 1999), the drama's expectations are high. The drama features powerful actors and actresses. Lee Soon-jae, who currently plays King Yeongjo on MBC's ``Lee San,'' Baek Il-seob, Kim Hae-ja and Kang Bu-ja are the grandfather, father, grandmother and mother of the family respectively while Shin Eun-kyung, Kim Jung-hyun and Lee Yoo-ri will play the younger characters. ``Everyone is someone's father or mother, daughter oJan 29, 2008
New Singers to Watch for in 2008By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Idol groups such as the Wonder Girls, Big Bang and Girls' Generation dominated the pop charts last year. This power of youngsters in the Korean pop music industry will likely to continue this year, steered by the big entertainment companies. Amid the overall slump in the K-pop industry, JYP, the entertainment company run by singer-producer Park Jin-young, hopes for another successful year. Referred to as ``the jewel of JYP,'' Joo is certainly the most prominent new face of the year. Joo participated in SBS's talent show ``Super Star Survival'' (2006) in collaboration with JYP. Though not the winner of the show, she got into the training program at JYP. Since JYP has produced many hit singers such as G.O.D, Rain and Wonder Girls, expectations on Joo were high even before her debut. Joo finally debuted through KBS Music Bank, the only pop-chart program aired on network television, on Jan. 11. It is rare for such a newcomer to be on the show, especially one who had not even released an album yet. Her title song ``Because of You'' shoJan 22, 2008
K-Pop Industry Undergoing SlumpBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Korean pop music may be as popular as ever, but popularity does not translate into record sales. The K-pop music industry continues to struggle with the decline in album sales over the past seven years. The year 2007 was no different. Based on the data of the Recording Industry Association of Korea, R&B group SG Wannabe's fourth album ``Arirang'' was the best-selling album of 2007. However, it only sold a total of 190,998 copies, as compared to SG Wannabe's previous hit albums in 2006 (341,642 albums sold) and 2005 (414,855 albums sold). Even more distressing for the K-pop music industry, only albums by SG Wannabe, Super Junior and Epik High managed to surpass the 100,000 sales mark. Super Junior, a wildly popular idol group, sold 164,058 copies of its second album ``Don't Don,'' while hip-hop stars Epik High sold 120,301 copies of its album ``Remapping the Human Soul.'' Other best-selling artists include Shinhwa member Shin Hye-sung, Seeya, F.T. Island, M.C. The Max and Toy. Surprisingly, the Wonder Girls debut album, which inJan 22, 2008
MBC’s New Sitcom: `Kokkiri’ By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter MBC will air a new sitcom named ``Kokkiri'' from Jan. 21. While the title of the sitcom, ``Kokkiri'' means elephant in Korean, however, this is not a sitcom about elephants. Breaking down the word ``Ko'' means nose in Korean and ``kkiri'' means together, and the show depicts the lives of a group of characters in the sitcom having nicknames ending with ``ko.'' Kwon Hae-hyo plays Guk Yeong-su (Psy``ko''), a high school Korean language teacher. He is on bad terms with Ju Bok-man (Gae``ko''), played by Lee Byeong-jun, a high school student in his 40s and the landlord. Ju's two sons and Guk's three daughters also live in Ju's house, and everyone becomes involved in various incidents and relationships, including romance. Comedian-turned-actor Kim Kuk-jin will play a jobless tenant living in Ju's attic. His roommate, Ju's younger brother, played by Moon Se-yun, is a man of misfortune. Joo Hyun and Kim Chang-sook, parents of the Ju brothers, will depict the life and loves of the aged. ``With this unique `ko' characters, `Kokkiri'Jan 16, 2008
Label Market Stimulates Underground Musicians By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter A Label Market dedicated solely for indie music or independent music is now open at Sangsang Madang, located near Hongik University. In the seven-story Sangsang Madang, this market/exhibition space embodies the cultural figures of the Hongik University area (Hongdae). The yellow and orange walls on the third floor of Sangsang Madang dispaly some 85 albums from various indie labels and bands. CD players and stools are installed for visitors to sample the music of these underground musicians. The market will run through Jan. 27. Albums of groups such as Nervous Shirt, The Moonshiners, Oh! Brothers, Cabinet Singalongs, Kebee, Plastic People and many more are available at the Label Market. There are independent labels by Chaekit Company, Soul Company, Cavare Sound, Coda Entertainment, Ruby Records, among others. ``The idea of Label Market came from the characteristics of the Hongdae area. There are lots of clubs where underground musicians showcase their music,'' Hong Hyun-sun, the manager of art market, told to The Korea Times. ``TJan 15, 2008
Dramas Feature Professionals, Comics By Kwon Mee-yoo, Han Sang-hee Staff Reporters The New Year will be another one full of drama, as broadcasters prepare unique stories to grab audiences' attention. Korean dramas have always been at the forefront of domestic entertainment, for if a certain drama gains popularity, the actors ride on its success. Dramas about Professionals Last year, many TV soaps tried to portray the life of various jobs such as that of the baristas in ``Coffee Prince,'' or intelligence agents in ``Air City'' and ``The Time Between Dogs and Wolfs'' and auctioneers in ``Auction House.'' These dramas received favorable reviews ― some of them recorded high ratings ― from audiences who'd had enough of cliche scripts and melodramatic scenes. Continuing this trend, more professionals, from doctors to reporters and directors, are brought to the TV screen this year. MBC's ``Before and After Plastic Surgery'' opened this year's battle. As the title indicates, this is a drama about plastic surgeons. The first episode, which aired at 11:40 p.m. last Sunday, was about an actress who undergoes Jan 8, 2008
Male Stars Join Military This YearBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter This year, some of the hottest male stars in Korean entertainment will temporarily leave the spotlight to enter the military as part of the two-year service compulsory for all Korean males. ``Coffee Prince'' star Gong Yoo met with around 1,000 fans in a special meeting Sunday. He asked fans not to worry while he was serving in the military, but became emotional during the event. Gong's red-hot career will have to be put on hold for the next two years. The actor, who recently gained popularity for his role in the hit MBC drama, will enter the military Jan. 14. Last week, actor Chun Jeong-myoung, who appeared in the film ``Hansel and Gretel,'' and pop group NRG member No Yoo-min started their military training. Hallyu stars Zo In-sung, Cho Hyun-jae, Yang Dong-keun, Lee Dong-gun and Kim Rae-won are also expected to enlist this year. The K-pop music industry will also suffer the temporary loss of Shinhwa members Eric Mun and Kim Dong-wan, singers Eru and Sung Si-kyung, as well as former H.O.T. member Tony An. As they prepJan 8, 2008
August Rush Profitable for CJ EntertainmentBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter CJ Entertainment earned 4 billion won in net profits from the fantasy musical film ``August Rush,'' which topped the Korean box office last month. CJ Entertainment said it invested in the film, which was produced by major Hollywood studio Warner Brothers. Of the film's $30 million budget, CJ Entertainment contributed 5% or $1.5 million. As part of the deal, CJ Entertainment has co-production credits and holds the domestic distribution rights for ``August Rush.'' ``August Rush" earned $75 million (70 billion won) from its worldwide distribution. CJ Entertainment announced on Tuesday that it is expected to earn 4 billion won in profits from the film, excluding its investment. The musical film, which drew mixed reviews in the United States, did surprisingly well in Korea, attracting an audience of 2 million. It has earned 2.5 billion won since it opened Nov. 29. CJ Entertainment said its investment in the Hollywood film does not just entail financial investment, but also participation in the film's production and developmentJan 8, 2008
Ex-G.O.D. members Fly High on ScreenBy Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Entertainment in 2007 was all about versatility. Fans could watch news anchors dance and sing, while some singers created their own shows and even starred in movies. Among these talented and ambitious celebrities, former G.O.D. members are leading the way toward true multi-entertainment. Park Joon-hyung, Son Ho-young, Yoon Kye-sang, Danny Ahn and Kim Tae-woo are all former members of the hit five-member pop group formed in 1999 by producer and singer Park Jin-young (also known as JYP), and released hits ``To My Mother'' and ``Lie.'' The group announced their withdrawal in 2004. While lead singer Kim Tae-woo is serving in the military, the other members have gone a long way from their original pop career. Park, also known as Joon Park in the United States and former leader of the group, has literally crossed borders with his acting. He has already filmed a role in ``Speed Racer,'' directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix), as a Yakuza racer who competes with the protagonist, played by Emile Hirsch. Park also landed a part in the movie Jan 1, 2008
Epic Dramas Continues to Boom This Year By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter KBS starts the New Year with two new epic dramas, ``Hong Gil-dong, the Hero,'' a Korean Robin Hood story and ``The Great King Sejong,'' another drama portraying the king of Joseon. Both dramas are set back in the time of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). ``Hong Gil-dong, the Hero'' is a comical remake of novel of the same name written by Heo Gyun under King Gwanghaegun's reign (1575-1641). The rather young director Lee Jung-sub, 36, defines the soap opera as being a ``totally new epic drama.'' He prepared for this drama for about a year with writers Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran, also known as the ``Hong Sisters'' of ``Sassy Girl, Chun-hyang'' (2005) and ``Couple in Trouble'' (2006). Scenes from the preview were rather shocking. The protagonist, Hong Gil-dong (played by actor Kang Ji-hwan) has curly hair and wears sunglasses while Heo I-nok (Sung Yu-ri), the heroine, looks like Chun-li, the tomboy character from the popular game ``Street Fighter.'' Lee Chang-hui (Jang Geun-seok), the known-to-be-dead crown prince who takes on a morJan 1, 2008