Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Bbaek Ga to File for Medical Discharge Due to Brain Tumor

Bbaek Ga (real name Baek Sung-hyun), a member of hip-hop group Koyote, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The 28-year-old rapper who has been performing alternative military service at a Seoul court since mid-October will apply for a medical discharge and undergo an operation, with a comprehensive medical checkup scheduled for Friday, his aides said Thursday. He started the alternative military service in mid-October. "We are going to submit documents necessary for a medical discharge to the National Defense Ministry. He will soon be hospitalized after medical checkups on Dec. 11," an aide said. Bbaek Ga was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of an adult's fist. He posted a letter Wednesday on his mini-homepage to his fans and colleagues. "I've decided to muster strength as there are beloved people around me. I'm really thankful to those people." His fans are visiting his mini-homepage to leave comments and messages to cheer him up and wish him an early recovery. Bbaek Ga is also an avid fan of photography and has recently released a photo es

Dec 10, 2009

Lee Byung-hun Sued by Female Gymnast

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Actor Lee Byung-hun is being sued by a former female gymnast, who alleges he deceived her with false promises of marriage. The actor is planning a countersuit for libel. According to the Seoul Central District Court, a 22-year-old Kwon with a Canadian passport filed a suit against Lee Tuesday demanding 100 million won in compensation on charges of deceit. The alleged victim used to be a member of the Canadian national team and met Lee while he was on a promotion tour of ``The Good, The Bad, The Weird,'' a movie in which he starred. She said she had moved to Korea to be with him, but he suddenly broke contact with her. BH entertainment ― Lees' agency ― said that several unidentified men had tried to blackmail the actor. ``Lee and Kwon went out with each other between last autumn and this spring. Some men kept calling us asking for 2 billion won, threatening to distribute groundless rumors about their relationship,'' the company said in a press release. ``Lee is busy filming IRIS, a popular TV thriller, but will soon take legal acti

Dec 9, 2009

Homeless Man Heals Self Thru Humanities

Ahn Seung-gap Writes Hopes in Biographical Essay After Years of Life on Street By Cho Jae-hyon Staff Reporter For 10 years, Ahn Seung-gap, 51, has been homeless. In early 1999 when he started sleeping out in the cold, he was a divorcee, credit delinquent, an alcoholic and a gambling addict. Not only homeless but also hopeless, he wanted to give up, feeling that life was too much to bear. He once attempted suicide. He tried to live a new life but repeatedly failed. Though he was a college graduate, he found himself sliding down a bottomless pit, while building hostility toward society. His descent began gradually leveling-out in 2006 when he entered the ``Vision Training Center,'' an institute set up by Seoul City in Yongdap-dong to provide comprehensive services for the homeless. There he witnessed city officials, social workers and volunteers sincerely working to make the center a warm shelter.

Dec 9, 2009

Woods Ads Disappear

No advertisements featuring Tiger Woods have run on U.S. prime-time television broadcast networks or 19 cable channels since late last month, after reports of his extramarital affairs, Australia's Sydney Morning Herald reported. The last prime-time ad featuring the 33-year-old golfer was a 30-second Gillette spot on No. 29, according to marketing and media giant Nielsen Company. Woods also was absent from ads on a number of weekend sports programs, including NFL games, Nielsen said. "Last weekend there wasn't any advertisement during those games," said Aaron Lewis, a spokesman at Nielsen. The No. 1 ranked golfer's standing with the public has plunged in the wake of reports of infidelity that followed a car accident outside his home near Orlando, Fla. Woods' ranking among celebrity endorsers plunged from 6th to 24th, according to the Davie Brown Index, which is used to gauge the ability of personalities to influence shoppers. Woods has endorsement agreements with Accenture, Nike, PepsiCo's Gatorade, Tag Heuer International watches, Electronic Arts and Procter & Gam

Dec 9, 2009

Did Pitt Cheat on Jolie?

Angelina Jolie has allegedly accused Brad Pitt of cheating on her on more than one occasion, Metro, the online news in the United Kingdom, reported quoting author Ian Halperin, Ian Halperin makes a specific reference 'to a beautiful African model' in his forthcoming bombshell "Brangelina: The Untold Story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie." He alleges that Brad became acquainted with the stunner at the Cannes Film Festival back in 2007. He also claims the pair were spotted on at least one another occasion. Although Halperin does not present any concrete evidence to back up his shock claims, he says his tale has been cobbled together by chatting to hundreds of contacts close to the couple. ``I've interviewed 900 people, including former lovers of both Angelina and Brad and a lot of employees - current and former,'' claims Halperin. It's not the first time Halperin has delivered a celebrity sensation after the previous book on Michael Jackson. 브래드 피트 모델과 외도설 영국온라인 뉴스사 메트로는 헐리우드 유명 저널리스트 이안 할퍼린을 인용해 안젤리나 졸리가 브래드 피트가 자신을 속이고 바람을 피운 것이 한두번이 아니라고 비난했다고 전했다.

Dec 9, 2009

Koo Hye-sun Picked Best Actress by Taiwan Netizens

Actress Koo Hye-sun, 25, popular in Taiwan as a "hallyu," or Korean wave, star, has been picked as the best Asian actress by Yahoo! Taiwan, Koo's agency, YG Entertainment said Wednesday. Koo, who rose to stardom with her starring role in the KBS-TV drama ``Boys Over Flowers,'' claimed the top place in the "Asia Female Artist" category of the "Yahoo! Asia Buzz Awards 2009." She was one of the most "searched" stars by netizens in Taiwan, according to the agency. Koo will attend the awards ceremony to be held in Taipei, Friday. Koo has been wooed by Taiwanese producers to appear in dramas and music videos. Even before ``Boys Over Flowers,'' Koo won fame by starring in hit dramas such as ``The King and I'' and ``Pure in Heart.'' chojh@koreatimes.co.kr 구혜선 대만 최고 아시아 배우 구혜선 (25)이 포털사이트 야후 대만이 선정한 최고의 아시아 여배우로 뽑혔다. 8일 매니지먼트사 YG엔터테인먼트에 따르면 구혜선은 야후가 검색통계를 기반으로 집계한 '2009 야후! 아시아 버즈(buzz) 어워즈'에서 대만 국민이 가장 많이 검색한 스타 중 한 명으로 선정됐다. '아시아여자아티스트' 부문에서는 1위에 올랐다. 올해 6회째를 맞이한 '야후! 아시아 버즈 어워즈'는 한국, 대만 등 나라별로 진행된다. 홍콩이 아시아권 통계를 합산, 시상한다. 지난 1월 국내 방송된 KBS 2TV 드라마 '

Dec 9, 2009

Ninja Opening Another Door to Hollywood for Rain

Singer and actor Rain, who plays the title role as an orphan-turned-assassin in the movie "Ninja Assassin," said he was likely to be cast in another Hollywood film to be directed by a high-profile director. Rain returned home on Monday evening, following four weeks of Asian tours and other promotional events for the action-packed movie. He was greeted by hundreds of his fans at Incheon International Airport. In an interview in his van with the Hanook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, Rain said the next film in which he will appear has almost been decided. "The next film is likely to be a Hollywood film. What I can reveal for now is that it is a world-class project. A great director is likely to get together with the movie. I also expect my role to be significant," Rain said. Asked whether he would play a leading role in the new film, he said, "That's not important. I wish it will be a character or movie that can publicize me more. It would be a big surprise to everybody if the casting is finalized." Rain said that "Ninja Assassin" was faring well in North Ame

Dec 8, 2009

Woods 7th Mistress

Tiger Woods suffered a new blow as it emerged his seventh "other woman" is a porn star, according to the Daily Star, the U.K. tabloid. Blonde bombshell Holly Sampson, 36, has appeared in several X-rated movies. And the tally of birdies is heading towards double figures, with more women set to come forward, the Daily Star said. Sampson has not spoken publicly about her alleged affair with 33-year-old Tiger. Hollywood sources insisted it would only be a matter of time before she reveals all. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods' wife Elin Nordegren has reportedly moved out of their Windermere mansion after Woods was linked to the alleged seventh mistress. 타이거우즈의 7번째 여인은 포르노 스타 포르노 배우인 홀리 샘슨 (36)이 타이거 우즈의 7번째 여인으로 알려짐에 따라 골프황제가 더 큰 곤욕을 치르고 있다고 영국의 타블로이드 데일리 스타가 보도했다. 샘슨은 여러 성인영화에 출연한 것으로 보도됐다. 데일리 스타는 타이거 우즈의 더 많은 연인이 계속해서 나타남에 따라 두자리 수를 넘을 것으로 보인다고 밝혔다. 샘슨은 아직까지 우즈와의 관계에 대해 공식적으로 밝히지 않았다. 헐리우드 소식통은 샘슨이 모든 것을 밝히는 것은 시간문제일 뿐이라고 전했다. 한편 우즈의 부인 엘린 노드그렌은 우즈의 7번째 여인이 등장한 뒤 윈더미어의 자택을 떠난 것으로 알려졌다.

Dec 8, 2009

Spears’ 3rd Marriage

It seems imminent for Britney Spears to marry for the third time. A British entertainment daily, Daily Star, reported Tuesday that Spears was spotted to wear a large and colorful ring on her finger and said that she would soon marry his boyfriend Jason Trawick, 37. The report is highly believable as the news on her marriage has come from her close aides. According to the aides, Spears, 28, told his close friends and family members about the marriage in person. Spears was quoted as saying that she wanted to spend her remaining life with Trawick. The couple is also reported to have started preparation for the upcoming wedding. "Spears is excited about a romantic marriage. Trawick works hard to show how much committed he is," the Mail said in its online. The dating news of the two came for the first time last October. But it did not lead to the marriage because Trawick has been very prudent, news reports said. Meanwhile, the pop princess had earlier married school pal Jason Alexander and their wedding lasted 55 hours. Her second marriage to Kevin Federline ended

Dec 8, 2009

Actor Gong Yoo Finishes 2-Year Military Service

Popular actor Gong Yoo, 30, was discharged from his two-year mandatory military service Tuesday. As a member of the corps tasked to publicize the National Defense Ministry, Gong had served as a DJ on a radio program for soldiers. "I feel good. I have been signing autographs for my colleagues and officers who previously refrained from asking for my autograph so as not to bother me," he said. "I would like to sleep late and travel around. I also want to eat steamed rice cooked by my mom at home." About 300 fans, including those from Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong, greeted him at the defense ministry building in Seoul. The actor whose popularity peaked with the TV drama ``Coffee Prince'' in 2007 has been one of the favored actors among young women for his exquisite fashion sense and model-like figure. 공유 군 제대 인기배우 공유 (30)가 화요일 2년의 군복무를 마치고 제대했다. 공유는 국방홍보원 홍보 지원 대원으로서 국군방송 DJ를 맡아 왔다. 그는 ``기분이 좋다. 전역할 때가 되니까 간부 분들이나 불편하게 안하려고 사인을 안 받던 친구들이 몰려서 어제부터 사인 계속 하고 나왔다''면서 ``여행가고 싶고 늦잠도 자고 싶고, 엄마가 해주는 집 밥도 먹고 싶다"고 말했다. 이날 그의 전역 현장에는 국내 팬 뿐 아니라 일본, 태국, 홍콩에

Dec 8, 2009

People & Events

People & Events

Bbaek Ga to File for Medical Discharge Due to Brain Tumor

Lee Byung-hun Sued by Female Gymnast

Homeless Man Heals Self Thru Humanities

Woods Ads Disappear

Did Pitt Cheat on Jolie?

Koo Hye-sun Picked Best Actress by Taiwan Netizens

Ninja Opening Another Door to Hollywood for Rain

Woods 7th Mistress

Spears’ 3rd Marriage

Actor Gong Yoo Finishes 2-Year Military Service

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