Leessang to go on Asia-wide tour

Hip-hop duo Leessang will embark on their tour, “LEESSANG 1ST ASIA SHOWCASE,” through five Asian countries, starting with Singapore on Nov. 30. Members of the duo, Kang Gary and Gil, gained substantial fandom around Asia due to their appearance in SBS program “Running Man” and MBC program “Infinite Challenge.” “We are honored that many people are recognizing Leessang’s music, and we want to show the audience our own style,” the artists said in a statement. Unlike many other performances by young

Nov. 12, 2013

CNBLUE documentary slated for January

Popular boy band CNBLUE is to release a documentary titled “The Story of CNBLUE/ Never Stop” in Japan.The group is scheduled to attend the Tokyo premiere of the documentary on Dec. 16., but the documentary will be officially released on Jan. 17 in theaters across Japan.The film captures the band’s life before stardom when they were just an indie band in Japan and after they became popular with performances in Korea. The film features the daily life of the band, largely revolving around their act

Nov. 12, 2013

Charges fly over Ailee photos leak

The nude photo scandal surrounding singer Ailee took a twist on Tuesday as a U.S.-based Korean pop news site that uploaded the photos stuck to its story that it had taken the images from an online forum.On Sunday, allkpop posted a set of nude photos of the singer in an article titled “Purported pre-debut nude photos of Ailee leaked.” In response, Ailee’s agency, YMC Entertainment, released a statement which said, “The photos were from a camera test shoot for a famous underwear company that Ailee

Nov. 12, 2013

Lee Min-ho to conclude world tour in January

Actor Lee Min-ho will hold a finale performance for his 2013 world tour, “My Everything,” in Seoul next January. The actor released an album titled “My Everything” in May and embarked on a world tour spanning nine venues in six countries including Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and China. “Many fans in the country were disappointed because Lee Min-ho left Korea for his Asia tour after only one performance,” a representative for the actor stated. “Our original plan of finishing the tour in Kore

Nov. 11, 2013

‘Coup d’Etat’ makes top 50 best album covers list

The artwork on the cover of G-Dragon’s recent album has nabbed 20th place in Complex Magazine’s “50 Best Pop Album Covers of the Past Five Years.” The star’s second studio album “Coup d’Etat” is the only album by a Korean artist that earned a spot on the list. The album cover features a bright red background with a black symbol that can be interpreted as a modified peace sign. The symbol also resembles the emblem for voting in Korea. Complex Magazine writer Dale Eisinger described G-Dragon as a

Nov. 11, 2013

Norazo works with Noh Hong-chul for next single

Duo Norazo is collaborating with comedian Noh Hong-chul for their upcoming single “Wild Horse.” The single, set to be released on Wednesday, will be a lively, upbeat number similar to the group’s previous hit “Superman,” which was released in 2008 as part of their third studio album “THREE GO.” “Infinite Challenge” member Noh recently collaborated with indie band Rose Motel for the program’s popular annual music festival. This year’s performances were held at Imjingak in Gyeonggi Province where

Nov. 11, 2013

Hallyu becomes new engine for magazine industry

Just when people thought the era of print media was coming to an end, S.M. Entertainment, Korea’s most profitable showbiz agency, launched on Oct. 15 a monthly magazine called The Celebrity. Joining hands with Design House, which specializes in content production, the magazine features fashion, beauty, food, design, travel and other topics that revolve around celebrities. In its inaugural edition, the magazine featured some of the hottest celebrities in local show business including Seohyun of G

Nov. 5, 2013

Park Yoo-chun cast for leading role in ‘Three Days’

JYJ member Park Yoo-chun is set to make a small-screen comeback in February with the leading role in an upcoming SBS television series, “Three Days.”Park will play an elite bodyguard named Han Tae-gyeong who works for the presidential security service. The president mysteriously vanishes after three gunshots are heard at his villa, and Tae-gyeong is given the task of locating the missing leader. “We agreed to the role in the drama because of its well-written storyline,” the star’s agency C-Jes s

Nov. 5, 2013

g.o.d rumored for comeback in March

All five original members of first-generation idol group g.o.d are rumored to be reuniting next March for a commemorative 15th-anniversary album. “Kim Tae-woo, Son Ho-young, Danny Ahn, Yoon Kye-sang and Park Joon-hyung are currently discussing plans for a potential album and concert in commemoration of their 15th anniversary,” an insider source revealed to a sports magazine on Monday. “But there are a lot of issues to sort through, so there will need to be a great deal of patience.”The group deb

Nov. 5, 2013

DSP Media to hold anniversary concert

Entertainment agency DSP Media, which manages idol groups KARA and SS501, is holding a concert in commemoration of the company’s 22nd anniversary. “DSP Festival” will be held on Dec. 14 at Jamsil Indoor Stadium. The concert lineup currently includes KARA, SS501, Rainbow, Oh Jong-hyuk and A-JAX. “This festival will highlight the agency’s 22-year history,” a representative for DSP Media stated, adding, “The agency is currently organizing performances by other stars that have a history with DSP Med

Nov. 5, 2013

Lee Joon-gi to go on Asia tour

Actor Lee Joon-gi is planning a large-scale tour, “Lee Joon-gi Asia Tour JG Night,” to meet fans in Korea, China and Japan. The tour will not be just meetings with fans, but will be organized as a concert-like event complete with Lee performing on stage. The star will start the tour in Seoul on Dec. 14 and then meet fans in Beijing, China, on Jan. 4 and Shanghai on Jan. 11, before traveling to Guangzhou on Jan. 15. In Japan, the actor will take the stage in Nagoya on Jan. 27, Osaka on Jan. 28, a

Oct. 31, 2013

Brown Eyed Soul releases commemorative single

R&B group Brown Eyed Soul has broken its three-year hiatus by releasing a new digital single, “Always Be There,” to commemorate its 10th anniversary. The track was released at noon on Thursday and within a two-hour span it beat tracks by Troublemaker, IU, K.Will, Ailee and Busker Busker for the No. 1 spot on major music charts including Melon, Bugs and Naver Music. The artists are also planning a commemorative tour, “Thank Your Soul,” that will begin at Ilsan’s Kintex from Dec. 20-25 and move on

Oct. 31, 2013

Team A to follow Big Bang as YG’s next big winner

Team A, the winner of the “WIN: Who is Next?” reality survival TV program, performs live in the final battle show on Friday at SK Handball Stadium in Seoul. (YG Entertainment)And the winner is: Team A. The finale of YG Entertainment’s reality TV survival program “WIN: Who is Next?” concluded on Friday night during the show’s live final battle performances, which aired on Mnet, with Team A (leader Kang Seung-yoon, Song Min-ho, Nam Tae-hyun, Lee Seung-hoon and Kim Ji-woo) receiving the majority of

Oct. 29, 2013

Gu Ha-ra named PR ambassador of blood donation

KARA member Gu Ha-ra has been named the PR ambassador for blood donation for the Hanmaum Blood Bank, which is affiliated with the Korean Industrial Health Association. She will begin official activity as an ambassador on Thursday at Myeong-dong Blood Bank Caf in Seoul. Asked how she feels about receiving the title, Gu said, “I’m interested in volunteer work. I am happy that I am able to work together to raise awareness about life-saving blood donations.”There will be a short ceremony as well as

Oct. 29, 2013

Yoo In-na joins ‘Man from the Stars’ cast

Actress Yoo In-na has joined the cast of SBS television series “Man from the Stars” alongside A-list actors Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun. The series portrays a good-looking alien, Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun), who has been living in Korea since the Joseon era. Four centuries later, he falls in love with top hallyu actress Chun Song-yi, played by Jun Ji-hyun. Yoo plays the role of her best friend since childhood, Yoon Se-mi, who is torn between being Song-yi’s best friend and being jealous of her s

Oct. 29, 2013

AOA to perform at ‘Sundown Festival 2013’

Upcoming new girl group AOA is set to represent Korea at Singapore’s “Sundown Festival 2013” on Nov. 16. AOA, which stands for Ace of Angels, consists of eight members: Choa, Jimin, Yuna, Youkyung, Hyejeong, Mina, Seolhyun, and Chanmi. The group also includes a sub-unit, AOA Black, where five of the eight members play instruments instead of focusing solely on dance performances. “Sundown Festival 2013” is a music fest that features performances by rock and pop musicians from all over Asia. Aside

Oct. 29, 2013

‘Nine’ slated for American television

“Nine,” a hit television series on cable channel tvN, is set to be remade into an American series led by Fake Empire Productions, known for producing major television series including “Gossip Girl,” “Carrie Diaries” and “The O.C.” Over the years, U.S. production companies have purchased drama formats largely from Europe, but recently companies have been looking all over the world for potential hits. “Homeland” is a drama-thriller series based on the popular Israeli series “Hatufim” and currently

Oct. 28, 2013

G-Dragon named ‘Style Icon of the Year’

K-pop giant G-Dragon won the grand prize at the 6th 2013 Style Icon Awards in Seoul on Thursday.Known for his charismatic performances and songwriting, the leader of boy band “Big Bang” has been among the so-called best dressers in the pop scene for years. He recently bleached his hair platinum for his music video for “Coup D’etat,” which topped music charts at home and abroad. The singer was named the “Style Icon of the Year” at the awards ceremony held in Sangam-dong and broadcasted in 11 coun

Oct. 25, 2013

BoA still going strong in Japanese music market

K-pop diva BoA’s local single “Message/Call My Name” ranked eighth on Japan’s Oricon Chart on Wednesday, the day of its release.Three Koreans -- BoA, along with singers TVXQ and Kim Hyung-joon formerly of SS501 -- ranked in the top 10 on the major music chart. BoA made her debut in Japan in 2002, just two years after debuting in Korea, and has been sweeping the Japanese music charts ever since. BoA was part of the first wave of K-pop singers to secure a large fan base in the country, producing h

Oct. 24, 2013