June wedding for Baek Ji-young and Chung Seok-won

Singer Baek Ji-young and actor Chung Seok-won announced Thursday their wedding set for June.“They have been dating about two years since early 2011. They are getting married in June,” an official from Chung’s agency Forestar Entertainment said. The official added, “The two families have met recently and decided to have the wedding in June.” According to the agency, Chung and Baek have been discussing wedding plans since the beginning of the year. They chose June due to Chung’s busy schedule wit

April 18, 2013

Fall Out Boy, Blood Red Shoes to rock Pentaport

This year’s first-string lineup for the annual three-day Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival includes international headlining acts Fall Out Boy, Blood Red Shoes, Story of the Year, Skid Row and Peace as well as local acts YB, Deulgukhwa, Hot Potato, Peterpan Complex, Dickpunks, Soran, Yellow Monsters and Black Bag.Fall Out Boy is a four-member American pop punk band that first formed in 2001 as an underground band. Although Fall Out Boy released its debut album “Take this to your Grave” in 2003, it

April 18, 2013

[Newsmaker] K-pop veteran bounces back

The 63-year-old Cho Yong-pil has returned to the music scene with his first single in 10 years, titled “Bounce.” The track is a prerelease single from his upcoming 19th album “Hello,” which will be unveiled next week. “Bounce,” released on Tuesday, was ranked in the top 10 on all the major local music singles charts, including Bugs and Soribada charts where it overtook Psy’s global hit “Gentleman” and claimed the No. 1 spot. The versatile artist showed a completely different side of himself with

April 17, 2013

Corporate buying needed to boost art market in Korea

K-Auction, one of the top auction houses in Korea, decided to hold a sale devoted to large-scale paintings on April 24 in anticipation of corporate buyers’ desire to acquire artworks when prices appear to have hit rock bottom. Corporate buyers make up a very small portion of art collectors in Korea and most of them are hesitant to start collections or expand their existing ones because in Korea, art collections are largely perceived as speculative investments by the wealthy. “It’s very rare for

April 17, 2013

SM, YG to launch new international auditions

S.M. Entertainment and YG Entertainment, the two most influential entertainment agencies in Korea, are launching an audition boom in Japan, following the success of SBS’ “K-pop Star.” SM is coproducing a TV audition program called “Performance A” with the Japanese agency Yoshimoto Kyogo to discover new talent across Asia for the international market. The panel of judges will include well-known industry experts from around the world including Korea, Japan, the U.S. and France. Japanese broadcaste

April 17, 2013

2NE1 and will.i.am release ‘Getting’ Dumb’

Singers CL and Park Bom from 2NE1 featured on a track called “Gettin’ Dumb” on will.i.am’s new album along with apl.de.ap, former member of Black Eyed Peas. The song released on will.i.am’s official website on Tuesday starts with his unique house beats finished by the Korean pair’s clear and powerful voices. The album “#Willpower” will be release on April 23. 2NE1 and will.i.am are close ― they have released private pictures of them celebrating CL’s birthday together. Also, CL and will.i.am have

April 17, 2013

Singing legend’s return gets unexpected support from youngsters

Cho Yong-pil, one of the most popular and influential Korean singers of all time, made his long-awaited comeback after almost a decade. Cho’s return is bolstered by unexpected support from people in their 20s.The 63-year-old singing legend released his new single “Bounce” on Tuesday. The single topped Korea’s biggest online music charts including Bugs Music and Naver Music just moments after it was released.While Cho’s comeback was widely anticipated to have an impact, the overwhelming support f

April 17, 2013

Jason Mraz: ‘We’re gonna rock. We’re gonna turn it up.’

The groovy singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, who is behind the hit tracks “I’m Yours,” “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” and “Geek in the Pink,” will soon be returning to Seoul to serenade his countless local fans in a night that promises to be yet another evening of peace, love and music. As Mr. A-Z gears up for his sixth concert performance in Korea, the star shared his thoughts behind his tremendous popularity in Korea. “I actually have yet to figure that out, and I do study that everywhere I go. But

April 16, 2013

‘Unchained Melody’revisited on stage

Whether you are a fan of the hit 1990 movie “Ghost” or musicals in general, the upcoming Asian premiere of the West End’s “Ghost the Musical” will likely come as a delight. For one, you get to hear the famous “Unchained Melody” live on stage, as well as witness the famed pottery wheel sequence. Two, it is being delivered in Korean and stars an all-Korean cast ― including “Bridal Mask” heartthrob Joo Won and talented up-and-coming actress Park Ji-yeon (“Mama Mia!” “Les Miserables”). Major local m

April 16, 2013

New K-pop star couple: Tony An and Hyeri from Girls’ Day

Thirty-four-year-old former idol star Tony An and 18-year-old Hyeri from Girls’ Day announced their relationship Tuesday. The couple was spotted on a date by news media on Sunday. With the 16-year gap in ages, the news of their relationship has caused much sensation.  “I worry that Hyeri might get hurt by this unexpected situation,” An said in news reports. An, owner of agency TN Entertainment, was a member of former super star idol group H.O.T. in the ‘90s.Hyeri graduated from Seoul Arts High S

April 16, 2013

Mudam Luxembourg collection shows the latest in contemporary art in Seoul

The art collection of Mudam Luxembourg, a contemporary art museum in Luxembourg, is on display in Seoul as part of an exchange exhibition with ArtSonje Center. Mudam Luxembourg, founded in 2006 in Luxembourg City, attracted a record number of visitors in the first year of opening with its extensive collections of contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman and Julian Schnabel. ArtSonje Center is showcasing 30 works by 19 artists whose works reflect on various aspects of contemporary l

April 15, 2013

‘Les Miserables’ powerful and moving on Seoul run

Following the towering success of Tom Hooper’s film adaptation in the box office, the musical “Les Miserables” again managed to capture the hearts of Seoulites on stage this weekend.The musical’s culminating number “One Day More” ― delivered in Korean by an all-Korean cast ― was greeted with tumultuous applause and standing ovation at Blue Square’s Samsung Electronics Hall Sunday, with members of the 1,700 audience members repeatedly cheering as the actors took their bows. It took 27 years to st

April 15, 2013

Psy’s ‘Gentleman’ reaches 51 million views and counting

One of the biggest questions regarding Psy on everyone’s mind is whether or not his newly released “Gentleman” could be the next “Gangnam Style,” which has surpassed 1.5 billion views on YouTube. The music video for the Korean rap star’s follow-up single has already broken the record for the most views in 24 hours, exceeding 20 million hits, more than double the previous record of 8 million held by Justin Bieber. As of Monday afternoon, the music video for “Gentleman” had reached an unprecedente

April 15, 2013

Works by ‘interdisciplinary artist’ on view at Kukje Gallery

Los Angeles-based artist Sterling Ruby is one of the hottest artists in the global art market today. His spray painting fetched between $35,000 and $45,000 in 2008 and tripled in price by 2011 to an estimated $100,000 to $150,000 in three years. Kukje Gallery in Seoul has brought major works by the artist ― selected as one of the “50 Next Most Collectible Artists” by the U.S. art magazine Art+Auction last year ― in a solo exhibition in Seoul, following on the heels of another exhibition of works

April 14, 2013

Psy’s ‘Happening’ concert attracts worldwide attention

Back on his home turf where the 12-year veteran in the Korean entertainment scene is known for more than just the galloping choreography of “Gangnam Style,” the unexpected global K-pop phenom Psy electrified the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Saturday night, attracting around 45,000 local fans as well as more than 130,000 online viewers. The atmosphere at the World Cup Stadium was filled with intense excitement and anticipation from the tens of thousands roaring out and chanting for Psy during the e

April 14, 2013