GFriend's Yerin catches fan's secret filming

South Korea’s social media and online community are divided over a fan who was caught using a hidden camera at a GFriend fan event. On Friday, GFriend’s Yerin caught a fan who was secretly filming her with a pair of glasses fitted with a hidden digital camera at the group’s fan event held in Seoul.While sitting opposite the man, whose identity remains unknown, Yerin noticed something was strange about his chunky black horn-rimmed glasses. (YouTube capture)She persuaded the man to take the glasse

April 5, 2017

Seo Tai-ji confirms 25th anniversary concert

K-pop icon Seo Tai-ji will hold his 25th concert in September, according to the artist’s agency Tuesday. Singer Seo Tai-ji (Yonhap)“Seo Tae-ji will present a special performance at the concert for long-awaiting fans and people who still remember him,” Seotaiji Co. said. The agency had said in March that local production companies had approached the artist about a concert. The upcoming concert will be held on Sept. 2 and is part of Lotte Card’s cultural marketing project “MOOV Soundtrack.”It will

April 4, 2017

Gong Yoo tops brand value among film actors

Gong Yoo was ranked as the film actor with the highest brand value in February and March, according to recent research.  Actor Gong Yoo (Management Soop)Korea Reputation Center collected and analyzed over 36 million pieces of data on the 25 most talked Korean film actors between Feb. 17 and March 17. The result showed that Gong Yoo, who most recently starred in tvN’s hit drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” received the highest consumer participation rate among the 25 actors, which means

March 20, 2017

GOT7 releases ‘Flight Log: Arrival’

Boy group GOT7 released its sixth EP “Flight Log: Arrival” on Wednesday at noon via online music streaming sites. (JYP Entertainment)The boy group also unveiled the music video of the 13-track album’s lead track “Never Ever” on the same day.“Flight Log: Arrival” is the last release in GOT7‘s “Flight Log” trilogy that started in March 2016 with the EP titled, “Flight Log: Departure.” (JYP Entertainment)All seven members of the group -- JB, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom – w

March 13, 2017

Park Shin-hye to appear at preview of ‘Beauty and the Beast’

Actress Park Shin-hye will attend a special preview of the film “Beauty and the Beast” on Tuesday, ahead of the film’s opening here Thursday, according to Walt Disney Company Korea. Actress Park Shin-hye (The Korea Herald)The screening will be held Tuesday -- which is White Day, a follow-up to Valentine’s Day in Korea -- in collaboration with Swarovski, a fashion accessories brand. “Park Shin-hye will be there to celebrate the day together,” the company said.Park is the official model for the cr

March 12, 2017

Lee Byung-hun, Park Bo-gum consider roles in ‘Ansi Fortress’

Lee Byung-hun and Park Bo-gum have been offered lead roles in the upcoming film “Ansi Fortress.” Lee Byung-hun (left) and Park Bo-gum (right) (The Korea Herald)“Lee Byung-hun received an offer to star in the film, but nothing has been confirmed yet,” said Lee’s agency BH Entertainment on Saturday. Blossom Entertainment, which represents Park, also said on the same day that the actor was asked to star in “Ansi Fortress,” but has yet to make a decision.Kim Kwang-sik will direct “Ansi Fortress,” a

Feb. 26, 2017

EXO, BlackPink, Twice win big at Gaon Awards

EXO took home four trophies at this year’s Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards in Seoul. For the artist of the year award, the sixth annual ceremony divided the section into two parts: album and songs. The album category was awarded per quarter while the songs were awarded for each month.EXO took home the award for the second and third quarter, becoming the only band to receive multiple awards in the category. The band also won the fans’ choice award both as a group and as an individual, with its member Seh

Feb. 24, 2017

BoA to host ‘Produce 101’ season 2

Veteran K-pop singer BoA will host the second season of Mnet’s competition show “Produce 101,” according to the cable network Thursday.“BoA is an artist who has both charisma and a warm heart,” said Ahn Joon-young, the show’s director.BoA (S.M. Entertainment)With 17 years in the music business under her belt, BoA will act as a mentor, deliver tasks to participants and announce the results of each competition. “I’m very happy to join the second season of ‘Produce 101,’” said the 30-year-old singe

Feb. 23, 2017

BigBang's new album tops Japanese music chart

South Korean boy band BigBang has cruised to the top of Japan's Oricon chart with its new album "Made," its agency said Thursday.The band rose to the top of Oricon's Daily Albums Chart on Thursday, a day after the Japanese release of its latest album, YG Entertainment said. (YG Entertainment)The album consist of three new songs -- "Fxxk It," "Last Dance" and "Girlfriend" -- and 11 repackaged songs from its previous "Made Series" album, including "Bang Bang Bang," "Loser" and "If You."Earlier thi

Feb. 16, 2017

JYJ’s Junsu opens up about hotel controversy

Junsu of K-pop group JYJ attempted to clear the controversy involving him and Toscana Hotel employees via Instagram on Tuesday. A local media outlet reported Tuesday that Junsu had allegedly earned an unfair profit of $2.62 million from the hotel business. The employee came forward with multiple allegations of financial grievances after the hotel was sold to a real estate company in January. The 30-year-old singer called the report defamatory and said that he had never made money by harming othe

Feb. 8, 2017

Lee Min-ho to join military this year

Lee Min-ho’s agency said Tuesday that the actor will enlist in the military this year.Officials from MYM Entertainment denied earlier reports that said Lee was planning to start his mandatary military service in March or April, adding that nothing has been decided yet. But the company added that the actor is slated to enlist this year, since his age -- 29 -- makes it difficult for him to delay it any longer. Lee Min-ho (MYM Entertainment)Korean law stipulates that all able-bodied men are to serv

Jan. 31, 2017

[Video] Sulli unfazed despite controversy

Singer-turned-actress Sulli on Thursday once again updated her Instagram with suggestive photos, stoking controversy.Once known for her sweet, innocent image, the now 22-year-old Sulli has been filling her social media feed with provocative images of herself recently.(Sulli's Instagram)She often takes photos in revealing clothing or suggestive poses. Some claim she seems mentally unstable. Others accuse her of encouraging Lolita fantasies.Those in her defense say she has a right to express herse

Jan. 12, 2017

AOA album gets lukewarm reception

AOA made its stage comeback Thursday at cable channel M.net’s M Countdown, but the group’s new album was met with a lukewarm response on Korean music charts.As of Friday, four days after the release of the album “Angel’s Knock,” the seven-member group’s lead song “Excuse Me” ranked No. 68 on the Melon chart and was pushed out of the M.net and Genie charts. It barely made it to the top 100 of the chart by Naver, a Korean web portal operator.  AOA (FNC Entertainment)This marked a stark contrast to

Jan. 6, 2017

Han Suk-kyu nabs top actor award

Han Suk-kyu receives the award for top actor at the SBS Awards Festival Drama Awards Saturday evening in Seoul’s Sangam-dong. (SBS)Han Suk-kyu took home the top prize for his role as a quirky, genius doctor on the popular TV series “Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim” at the 2016 SBS Awards Festival Drama Awards on Saturday evening. 　Han addressed the importance of embracing diversity in his acceptance speech, in a ceremony held at the SBS Prism Tower in Sangam-dong, Seoul. 　“A lot of people tell you t

Jan. 1, 2017

AOA gives glimpse of choreography for ‘Excuse Me,’ ‘Bing Bing’

Girl group AOA (FNC Entertainment)K-pop girl group AOA released a video with the choreography for its new songs on Saturday evening.　The seven member group was featured dancing in a “motion poster” for the songs “Excuse Me” and “Bing Bing,” set to be the title tracks for AOA’s first LP “Angel’s Knock.” The album was released Monday at midnight.   　Snippets of the group’s on-stage choreography were revealed through the moving posters, released on AOA’s official social media accounts.　AOA is set t

Jan. 1, 2017

Future of hallyu beyond China?

The hallyu wave has made Korea one of Asia’s biggest entertainment powerhouses. Famous for K-pop and “Gangnam Style,” Korea’s entertainment industry is setting its sights on captivating new audiences, and new consumers.　Most recently riding the wave of success in China, the future expansion and growth of hallyu -- or Korean cultural content -- is seeking new export outlets.　The industry that was once all about penetrating the Japanese market has shifted its focus. While the exportation of Korean

Jan. 1, 2017

Twice breaks Gaon, Hanteo album sales records

K-pop girl group Twice (JYP Entertainment)Despite having only debuted one year ago, the ladies of Twice have already become the fastest selling girl group ever on both the Gaon and Hanteo music charts. 　Twice’s latest EP, “TWICEcoaster: Lane 1” released Oct. 24 and in less than two months the album has sold more than 220,000 copies, making it the fastest selling album by a girl group in Korea. 　The EP features the lead single “TT,” and the “TT” music video went on to become the fastest K-pop vid

Dec. 19, 2016

EXO unveils ‘For Life’ holiday album

K-pop group EXO (S.M. Entertainment)The K-pop megastars of EXO are in the spotlight again this holiday season, dropping their new winter EP “For Life” on Monday. 　The five-track album, with its eponymous lead single, was released in both Korean and Chinese. It features both upbeat pop and soulful ballads as well as Christmas-inspired tracks including “Winter Heat,” “What I Want for Christmas” and “Falling for You.”　Along with the album release, EXO unveiled the Korean and Chinese music videos fo

Dec. 19, 2016

China rejects Korean pop culture, welcomes Japanese animation

BEIJING (Yonhap) -- China has become hostile toward South Korea’s entertainment content, but is welcoming to cultural products from Japan despite its strained political ties with both countries, sources close to the matter said Sunday.Relations between China and South Korea took a hit earlier this year after Seoul announced the deployment of an advanced US anti-missile system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense on its soil. While South Korea and the US argued the system would only be used

Dec. 4, 2016

'Descendants of the Sun' takes top honor at Asian Television Awards

 KBS 2TV series "Descendants of the Sun" received the top prize at the 21st Asian Television Awards (ATA), the network said Saturday. The mega hit drama was named Best Drama Series at the award ceremony that took place at the Suntec Convention Center in Singapore on Friday evening. The 16-episode drama was sensationally popular not only in Korea but also around Asia, especially in China. At one point, its viewership hit 38.8 percent on its home turf.  (KBS)Its popularity made Song Joong-ki and S

Dec. 3, 2016