Wonder Girls to Debut in USBy 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 CoDec 21, 2007
You Hee-yeols Delicate Ballads Make ComebackBy 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 seemsDec 16, 2007
How Stars Create Their NamesBy 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 andDec 11, 2007
New Medical Drama `New Heart’ to Hit TVBy 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 depenDec 5, 2007
Rain to Attend CineAsia in MacauBy 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 anDec 4, 2007
Epic-Drama Grabs Audience of Cable TVBy 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. FinallyDec 4, 2007
TV Drama Taewangsasingi Goes to JapanBy Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter The last episode of the TV series ``Taewangsasingi'' (The Four Guardian Gods of the King) airs tonight. The drama's legacy, however, is expected to live on, especially now that it is showing on the small and big screens in Japan. The ``blockbuster'' TV drama is garnering a cult following with the likes of J.K. Rowling's ``Harry Potter'' empire, with novels, books, CDs and DVDs among other products pouring onto the Korean and Japanese market. Conquering Screens Weaving together age-old myths and remnants of ancient Korean history with sophisticated computer graphics, ``Taewangsasingi'' has led the renaissance of period dramas on TV. It has transcended the boundaries of conventional Korean TV soaps and signaled the rise of a new genre ``TV picture,'' which combines the advantages of TV dramas and movies, according to director Park Jong-won of ``Eight Days,'' a mystery thriller set during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) that is currently airing on cable movie channel CGV. Spanning 24 episodes, ``Taewangsasingi'' enjoys the narrative structurDec 4, 2007
Actor Kim Kang-woo Wins in TurinBy Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Actor Kim Kang-woo won the Best Actor award for his role in ``The Railroad'' (Gyeonguiseon) at the 25th Torino Film Festival in Italy, Saturday. ``The Railroad,'' directed by Park Heung-sik, also won a special award given by the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). Kim's agency Namoo Actors quoted the 29-year old actor as saying: ``I'm very glad to have received this big award, but what I cannot forget is the response from the audience.'' He was referring to the screening of ``The Railroad, which was attended by 500 people at the film festival last week. ``As I saw the audience squeeze into the seats, laughing and crying along with the movie, I realized that movie allows people to communicate regardless of borders,'' Kim said. ``The Railroad'' is about two lost souls (played by Kim and actress Sohn Tae-young), who find themselves stranded at the last railroad stop before the Demilitarized Zone on a snowy night. As they spend the night together, they learn to reveal their inner pain to each other. The 45-yDec 2, 2007
Andy Delights Hallyu FansBy Kwon Mee-yoo Korea Times Intern Idol stars are expanding their horizons and Andy Lee of boy band Shinhwa is one of them. But fans, even those from abroad, are remaining loyal. About 250 fans from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong gathered at Ja-U Theater, Daehangno in Seoul Sunday afternoon to see the musical ``Music in My Heart'' starring Lee. Chiang Pei-hsin, 21, from Taiwan came to Korea on a seven-day trip to see the musical. She highly praised the show saying, ``I came to see Andy, but I got much more than just Andy. The show was very interesting and humorous. The songs were beautiful and all the actors were so good.'' Having first seen Lee in the Korean variety show ``X Man,'' Chiang is a big fan of Korean television shows. Sponsored by Seoul Tourism Marketing Division of Seoul Business Agency, ``Music in My Heart'' invited Chinese fans to the show and special fan meeting with Lee. Chinese subtitles were provided to help understanding the storyline of the musical. Lee's new single was also first aired to the public at the fan meeting. The musical is a romantic cNov 27, 2007
Actress Lee Seung-yeon to WedBy Kwon Mee-yoo Lee Seung-yeon, 39, heroine of the movie ``3-Iron,'' will wed Dec. 28. Looking both nervous and happy at a press conference held Thursday, a tearful Lee said that she will be a good wife, daughter-in-law and daughter. Lee also said she wants to have two children and continue acting after the marriage. Lee met her fiance Kim two years ago at a social gathering. Kim is a fashion entrepreneur based in United States and is two years her junior. Kim, however, did not attend the press conference and Lee wants to keep information about her husband-to-be from the public. The couple plans to wed outside Seoul city. Their wedding will be held at Sol Beach Resort in Yangyang, Gangwon Province. Lee only started her acting career after proving herself as one of Korea's top beauties. After taking third place in the 1992 Miss Korea beauty pageant, she soon made it to the screen, starting out with roles in TV soaps such as ``Our Heaven'' (1993) and ``First Love'' (1996). More recently she starred in TV dramas such as ``Perfect Love'' (2003), ``Love and Ambition'' (200Nov 23, 2007