Electronic dance music fest to open in Seoul next month

The hottest outdoor electronic dance music festival of the summer is once again happening in Seoul next month.This year’s Ultra Music Festival Korea, a.k.a. Ultra Korea 2014, will take place at the Sports Complex Stadium in Jamsil, Seoul on June 13-14.More than 80 internationally renowned and local EDM acts will be making their way to Seoul to perform at the two-day electronica festival. The final artist line-up was announced by UMF Korea on Wednesday.The first day of the festival will be headli

May 16, 2014

MC Mong prepares for return

Singer and TV personality MC Mong is preparing for a comeback, two years after he was cleared by the Supreme Court of the possibly career-killing accusation that he dodged military conscription. According to music industry insiders, the 35-year-old has recently signed a contract with label Wellmade Yedang and set up a plan to release a comeback album this fall.MC Mong won a two-year battle in 2012 when the Supreme Court acquitted him of the charge of violating the military service law, citing a

May 16, 2014

IU sweeps charts with covers album

Popular singer IU is sweeping the local music charts with her first covers album “A Flower Bookmark,” which was officially unveiled Friday.All seven tracks included in the album immediately topped the major music charts including Melon, Naver Music, Daum Music, Olleh Music and others upon their release at midnight. The title track “My Old Story” continues to retain the No. 1 spot while other tracks remain inside the “Top 10” list.“A Flower Bookmark” features IU’s reinterpretations and rearrangem

May 16, 2014

EXO-M's fan launches online petition

(OSEN)An EXO-M Kris' fan launched an online petition in support of the idol group's leader Kris who filed a lawsuit Thursday against his agency, demanding his contract be nullified. The fan opened the petition, seeking more participation and support from other EXO fans on portal site Daum Agora on Thursday. As of 2:00 p.m. on Friday, the petition has attracted 2,078 signatures.“This kind of lawsuit is not the first SM Entertainment has faced. Is it really a coincidence?” the petitioner wrote. SM

May 16, 2014

EXO-K’s Suho talks about ‘Kris crisis’ in interview

  EXO-M's Kris (SM Entertainment)Suho, a member of boy band EXO, finally opened his mouth about bandmate Kris’ sudden decision to file a lawsuit against group’s management company.“It is an irresponsible action. (He) should apologize to the members of EXO and the company,” Suho said in an exclusive interview with OSEN, a Korean entertainment news company.It was the first time that an EXO member had talked about Kris since his claims about SM Entertainment and lawsuit against the company.“All of

May 16, 2014

Why did EXO-M‘s Kris sue SM?

(SM Entertainment)As controversy swirls over EXO-M leader Kris‘ abrupt decision to launch a legal battle against his management agency, K-pop watchers are still struggling to grasp the reasons behind it. Kris, a Chinese member of the popular boy band EXO-M, filed a lawsuit Thursday with the Seoul Central District Court, demanding the termination of his exclusive contract with nation’s biggest talent agency, SM Entertainment.Kris claimed that his agency had never respected his opinions or health

May 16, 2014

Netizens' responses to EXO Kris’ lawsuit mixed

Netizens have had mixed reactions to K-pop group EXO Kris’ lawsuit against SM Entertainment. 　EXO members expressed confusion and accused Kris of betrayal, while Internet users and fans conveyed support for the idol.SM as of Friday morning has yet to make a public comment about the lawsuit’s effect on EXO’s concert on May 23.Kris filed a suit asking the Seoul Central District Court to nullify his contract with Korea’s largest entertainment agency Thursday, despite the boy band’s rising popularit

May 16, 2014

'Jessica & Krystal' trailer reveals their sisterhood

A teaser trailer for “Jessica & Krystal” on the On Style cable channel was revealed Friday. The footage featured the lifestyles of the two celebrities in the nation‘s entertainment business.Jessica and Krystal are members of Girls’ Generation and f(x), both K-pop girl groups widely popular around the world.In the trailer, the two quarreled, apologized and laughed like most sisters do, unveiling their real personalities as ordinary girls in their 20s, rather than K-pop superstars.The program will

May 16, 2014

Kim Sung-ryung returns to stage

Popular TV and film actress Kim Sung-ryung is returning to the stage after seven years away, following the recent release of her latest films “The Fatal Encounter” and “The Target.”Starting Thursday, Kim is starring in “Miss France,” a Korean adaptation of the French comic play “Jamais 2 Sans 2.” The last time she performed in theater was back in 2007, in “Melodrama.”In the play, Kim takes on three different roles at once. She first appears as Fleur de Senlis, the president of a local pageant co

May 15, 2014

Jung Woo-sung appointed as honorary advocate for UNHCR

Actor Jung Woo-sung (left) poses with UNHCR representative Dirk Hebecker after being appointed the honorary advocate of the agency in Seoul on Thursday. (UNHCR Korea)Actor Jung Woo-sung has been appointed an honorary advocate for the U.N. Refugee Agency in Korea, the agency said.Jung is the first celebrity to serve in the role since the establishment of the agency’s Seoul office in 2001. As the honorary advocate, the actor will help support some 45 million refugees worldwide, by participating in

May 15, 2014

EXO-M’s Kris wants out, files suit against SM

EXO-M leader Kris has shocked fans throughout the K-pop world as he officially filed a lawsuit against his agency SM Entertainment, the country’s biggest K-pop talent enterprise, demanding that his exclusive contract be nullified. The suit was filed with the Seoul Central District court on Thursday, and although representatives at SM Entertainment have not yet released any official statements, it appears it came as quite a shock. A spokesperson told Yonhap News that they were “perplexed by the i

May 15, 2014

Sultan of the Disco, Jambinai to play at Glastonbury

Sultan of the Disco. (Sultan of the Disco Website)Local indie band Sultan of the Disco, Korean traditional/rock music crossover band Jambinai and solo artist Gonne Choi will be making an appearance at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival in England next month.The artists will join internationally renowned headline acts such as Arcade Fire, Kasabian, Jack White, Robert Plant, Skrillex, Dolly Parton, Blondie and much more in the annual five-day music festival that will take place near Pilton, Somerse

May 15, 2014

Members of EXO unfollow EXO-M’s Kris on SNS

The SNS account of EXO-M’s Kris has come into the spotlight as members of EXO unfollowed his Instagram account after he filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment.According to Sinayule, a Chinese entertainment news corporation, Kris sued SM Entertainment to end his exclusive contract. Kris claimed that he was restricted in terms of personal development and the management company was not suitable for him.(Instagram)One of the EXO members, Sehun, posted an image of a question mark with a “…” as a de

May 15, 2014

'SM restricted basic rights of EXO-M leader Kris'

Kris, a Chinese member of boy band EXO-M, has had financial difficulties despite his tremendous workload because SM Entertainment exploited him financially, according to sources close to him on Thursday.“SM (Entertainment) controlled him like a pawn or a control-target rather than offering him opportunities as a celebrity,” an undisclosed source close to Kris told Yonhap News.The clash between Kris and his agency surfaced as Kris in the day filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, demanding a c

May 15, 2014

EXO-M’s Kris sues SM to end exclusive contract

Kris, a Chinese member of boy band EXO-M, on Thursday filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, demanding a cancellation of their exclusive contract. The leader of the Chinese subunit of K-pop boy band EXO filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court. SM Entertainment has not yet released an official statement.  EXO-M leader Kris (SM Entertainment)“We are perplexed by the incident ... we will do our best to keep EXO’s activities on track,” an SM Entertainment spokesperson told Yonhap. Th

May 15, 2014

Kim Nam-gil to replace injured Lee Jung-jae in film “Rouge”

Actor Kim Nam-gil was confirmed on Thursday to take over actor Lee Jung-jae’s main character in the film “Rouge” alongside actress and Cannes Film Festival jury member Jeon Do-yeon. Kim will play Jae-gon, a police detective in pursuit of a suspected killer. Jeon will play Hye-kyung, the suspect’s lover. Despite the clash, the two cannot help but develop personal feelings for each other. Actor Kim Nam-gilKim has played major characters in multiple TV shows, including MBC historical drama “Queen S

May 15, 2014

Jun Ji-hyun’s face is prettier on the left: “My Love From the Star” director

Actress Jun Ji-hyun’s “good side” is on the left, said Lee Gil-bok, the director of SBS drama “My Love from the Star,” in an episode of reality show “Magic Eye” that aired on May 13. The comment came after show host Kim Gu-ra asked him which side of Jun’s face looks better. The director said the “left side.”“The number of right-handed people is generally higher than left-handed people… I think about 70 percent (of right-handed people) look better on the left side of the face,” said Lee, who has

May 14, 2014

‘K-pop Star’ contestants Sam Kim, Kwon Jin-ah sign with Antenna

“K-pop Star 3” contestants Sam Kim and Kwon Jin-ah, who finished second and third on the show, respectively, have both signed with Antenna Music, the agency announced Tuesday. Sam Kim (SBS)Kim and Kwon have become the first “K-pop Star” contestants to sign with the agency, home to alternative artists Lucid Fall and the Peppertones. The agency is run by CEO You Hee-yeol who was a judge on the SBS audition program for the first time this year.“We think that Kwon Jin-ah is a musician that has her o

May 14, 2014

CNBLUE’s Jung Yong-hwa to sing national anthem at Dodger Stadium

Jung Yong-hwa, the main vocalist from the popular K-pop band CNBLUE, will head to Los Angeles this month to sing the South Korean national anthem at the Dodger Stadium.Jung is slated to deliver the national anthem as part of the “Korea Night” event, organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds on May 27.Jung Yong-hwa of CNBlue (FNC Entertainment)The event will be attended by Park Chan-ho, South Korea’s first-ever U.S.

May 14, 2014