Entertainment - The Korea Times

Actor Jang Hyuk to Marry in June

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter Jang Hyuk, 31, the popular actor of the movie ``Windstruck,'' will marry in June and become a father in February. SidusHQ, Jang's agency, announced Jang's nuptial through a press release Dec. 29. Jang and his fiancee Kim, 33, first met at a fitness club in 2002, she was a Pilates instructor at that time. ``2004 was a really difficult year for me, but she was with me. She supported me in my difficult times and I can't even find the words to describe how thankful and moved I am,'' Jang said in the press release. They got engaged last June and Kim is expecting a baby in February. Their wedding ceremony will take place June 2 at W Seoul - Walkerhill, after Kim's delivery. ``We already named the baby, Tae-hui. I hope the baby will be an open-minded person like the name,'' Jang said. ``Tae'' in Korean means grand and ``hui'' means happiness. Jang, a Busan-native born in 1976, debuted in the SBS TV drama ``Model'' (1997). He also starred in the movie ``Volcano High'' (2001) and drama ``Joyful Girl's Success Story'' (2002). He shot t

Dec 30, 2007

Actress Lee Seung-yeon Weds Businessman

By Chung Ah-young Staff Reporter Actress Lee Seung-yeon, 39, married a 37-year-old businessman at Sol Beach Resort in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, Friday. The couple met two years ago through one of their friends. Her husband Kim Moon-chul is an aspiring fashion entrepreneur based in the United States. About 400 visitors, including her close celebrity friends, blessed the wedding ceremony, which was not open to the public. Actor Yoon Da-hoon hosted the ceremony and veteran actor Lee Soon-jae officiated. The newly weds will take a one-week honeymoon trip to the U.S. after staying at the resort for a day. Lee is renowned for her role in the movie ``3-Iron.'' She started her acting career after winning third place in the 1992 Miss Korea beauty pageant. She took roles in TV soaps such as ``Our Heaven'' (1993) and ``First Love'' (1996). Lee also starred in the TV dramas ``Perfect Love'' (2003), ``Love and Ambition'' (2006) and ``Moonhee'' (2007). Lee also debuted on film with ``Piano Man'' (1996) but won most praise for her part in ``3-Iron'' (2004), directed

Dec 28, 2007

New TV Channel, OBS, Opens

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter OBS, a new broadcast channel, opens at 11:00 a.m. on Dec. 28, Friday. The station will broadcast a 9-hour special to celebrate the opening of the new channel. The name of the channel, OBS, stands for O Broadcasting System. The ``O'' means many things ― One, Our, Open, Opportunity and Orient. OBS, Gyeonggi Incheon TV, is a commercial broadcasting company servicing approximately 24 million viewers in Gyeonggi Province, Incheon and Seoul. In 2004, iTV, the predecessor of present OBS, had to close down because the Korean Broadcasting Commission refused to renewal their permit. It now reopens with more competent programming. OBS will rival SBS, another private terrestrial broadcast station, in drawing audience. Both stations are based in the metropolitan area and make contracts with local broadcasting stations to air their programs nationwide. Joo Chul-hwan, president of OBS, is former producer-director (PD) of MBC and professor of Ewha Womans University, Dept. of Mass Communication. This PD-turned CEO of OBS emphasizes that OBS' objectiv

Dec 26, 2007

Actor Kim Works to Enjoy His Calling

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter ``Enjoy One's Calling'' is the phrase written on actor Kim Kang-woo's cell phone. ``Talented people cannot beat people who know how to enjoy life. I went through hard times when I first started acting. But one day, I realized I was doing something I wanted to do and earning money for it. The point is to take pleasure in what I do ― acting,'' Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Samcheong-dong in Seoul, Monday. Kim, 29, debuted through ``The Coast Guard'' (2002), directed by Kim Ki-deok, when he was a senior at Chung-Ang University. ``The only role I could get without any acting experience was a soldier,'' said Kim. He was then noticed when he played Mu-cheol in the MBC drama ``Breathless'' (2003) and starred in SBS's ``Three-Leaf Clover'' (2005). Kim has been known as ``Mr. Right'' since then for the honest and diligent characters he played. ``It's funny. I didn't know that I had that kind of sincere image in me,'' he said. Kim also appeared in the films ``The Aggressives'' (2005) and ``The Beast and the Beauty''

Dec 25, 2007

Wonder Girls to Debut in US

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The Wonder Girls, the five-girl pop group and sensation of the year, are expected to perform in the United States for the first time next year. The group, created by singer and producer Park Jin-young (also known as JYP), will make a guest appearance at his concerts next February in New York and Los Angeles. ``The Wonder Girls will be appearing as guest singers in Park's concert and will sing their hit `Tell me.' It will be their first U.S performance and it will hopefully be an interesting and exciting experience for them. However, we don't have any specific plans for their debut in the U.S.,'' said JYP entertainment. The agency explained that no specific dates or plans have been confirmed yet, but that the Wonder Girls will be learning some new dance moves from Park himself and other well-known professionals as soon as they arrive in the U.S. The Wonder Girls have been one of the most popular groups this year with their hit song ``Tell me'' and their cute and sexy dance moves. Many people have created and posted UCCs (User Created Co

Dec 21, 2007

You Hee-yeols Delicate Ballads Make Comeback

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Groups Big Bang and Wonder Girls and singer Park Jin-young with their young and hip melodies are topping the year-end charts, however, the return of a favored artist has hit the charts hard this winter. You Hee-yeol is back with his new album ``Thank You'' for the first time in six years, the album has reached the top as the best-selling album with more than 500,000 copies sold. ``Thank You'' is the sixth album in the series by the project group ``Toy,'' which he created in 1994. Various singers and songwriters participated as in the making of the series over the past 13 years. Sung Si-kyung, Lee So-ra and Yoon Jong-shin have taken part of the project and gained popularity ever since. You's popularity is quite a surprise as he performs slow, refined and delicate ballads, while the current musical trends are funky, cute, sexy and soulful. However, due to his soft, subtle melodies and emotional lyrics, You has continuously managed to gain support from both men and women. But one of the main reasons for You's successful return seems

Dec 16, 2007

How Stars Create Their Names

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter Some fans send presents and letters to their favorite stars, shouting their names and wishing they could get a closer look at them. But little they may know about the special meanings to the names of their favorite stars hold. ``Cover Story,'' a celebrity gossip program on the ``Story On' channel, offered fans the true story hidden behind the names of celebrities last Thursday. Gong Yoo, heartthrob of the hit drama ``Coffee Prince'' created his name by putting together the last names of his parents, Gong and Yoo. Having a name that represents his parents allowed him to work twice as hard and take responsibility for his works. Park Jin-young, who recently released a new album and the former producer of Rain was responsible of the world star's stage name. Coincidence or not, every time they recorded his songs, it began to rain. From that day, Park playfully called him Rain, and later on, it became his stage name. Park Hwa-yobi is also one of the stars who has a stage name related to the rainy weather. Her real name is Park Mi-yeong and

Dec 11, 2007

New Medical Drama `New Heart’ to Hit TV

By Kwon Mee-yoo, Han Sang-hee Staff Reporters The year 2007 was one of hit medical dramas like ``Behind the White Tower'' (MBC) and ``Doctor Bong'' (SBS). Yet another medical drama, ``New Heart,'' now brings the hospital back to the TV screens. Director Park Hong-gyun, who previously directed the hit drama ``The Age of Heroes'' (2004) and ``So In Love'' (2006), admitted some unease about adding another medical series to the list, but that he was taking slightly different approach, during a press conference Tuesday at a hospital in Seoul. ``While `Behind the White Tower' is about hospital politics and `Doctor Bong' traces the emotional and professional growth of young doctors, `New Heart' will mainly focus on the medical field,'' he said. Park added that they avoided using the tripod in order to fully capture the realism of the surgery and characters in action. ``New Heart'' differentiates itself from other medical dramas by focusing on heart surgeons. The drama captures the passion and pressures of the doctors dealing with the heart, an organ on which life is depen

Dec 5, 2007

Rain to Attend CineAsia in Macau

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff reporter K-pop superstar and actor Rain will attend the CineAsia film festival in Macau on Friday. J. Tune Entertainment, the singer's management agency, said the festival organizer Nielsen Business Media invited Rain to attend the three-day CineAsia Film Festival, which began Tuesday at the Wynn Macau Hotel. Rain will reportedly receive the Asian Male Star of the Year award at the CineAsia Film Festival, while Chinese actress Tang Wei, who stared in ``Lust, Caution," will receive the Asian Female Star of the Year award. Rain, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, will be starring in the upcoming Hollywood film ``Speed Racer.'' The film, directed by the Wachowski brothers of The Matrix fame, will mark Rain's Hollywood debut. Rain gained popularity around Asia for his roles in hit Korean TV dramas, such as ``Full House.'' He has also released four hit albums and performed in sold-out concerts throughout Asia. CineAsia is one of four annual exhibition industry conventions organized by Nielsen Business Media, along with ShoWest, ShowEast an

Dec 4, 2007

Epic-Drama Grabs Audience of Cable TV

By Kwon Mee-yoo Staff Reporter In late the Joseon era, Kim Gang-woo, a special crime investigator known as a ``Byeolsoongeom,'' places a thin vinegar-soaked Korean paper with faint red blotches on a stone. Suddenly, blood drops are revealed. This ``gocho'' reaction is reminiscent of the luminol test, the up-to-date scientific process seen on the ``C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation'' series. This is not another C.S.I. spin-off, but ``Byeolsoongeom,'' a Korean historical forensic science drama. Byeolsoongeom is presently airing on the cable television channel MBC Dramanet at 11:00 p.m., Saturday, but is not the first show to feature these investigators. In 2005, ``Mystery Documentary Byeolsoongeom,'' first aired as a pilot program on MBC during the Chuseok holidays and was included in the regular schedule in fall. It attracted a cult following, but failed to record high viewer ratings and so was cancelled after only five episodes. Fans continuously requested the return of Byeolsoongeom, and it was temporarily revived as a two-episode New Year's special in 2006. Finally