JYJ Park Yoo-chun denies dating rumors with a golfer

JYJ’s Park Yoo-chun denied a recent report that he is dating pro golfer Ahn Shin-ae.Park’s agency CJES Entertainment dismissed the rumors: “Park met Ahn Shin-ae with other acquaintances while he was learning to play golf, but they are not in a relationship.” Park’s agency and Ahn’s representative requested the public to refrain from speculating over untrue stories. The media spotlight was sparked by a local media report claiming that they were in a serious relationship.Ahn worked as an official

Oct. 23, 2013

Singer Naul to showcase art

Brown Eyed Soul member Naul will hold a solo art exhibition at Bangbae-dong’s Gallery Toast from Oct. 25 to Nov. 17. The exhibition, titled “COLLAGEARL,” will showcase collage pieces made from recycled materials such as cloth, sand, wood, paper and furniture artfully arranged together on a canvas. Also included in the exhibition will be Naul’s famous LP Collage series, digital print pieces and eco-friendly bags and phone cases the singer designed himself. “The materials used for my collages are

Oct. 22, 2013

Lee Seung-gi to visit Croatia with veteran actresses

Entertainer Lee Seung-gi is heading to Croatia for tvN’s “Backpacking Project Part 2, Actress Special.” Lee is once again joining producer Na Young-suk after leaving the talk show “Strong Heart” in April of 2012. The program is considered the second season of “Grandpas Over Flowers,” which followed veteran actors Shin-goo, Park Geun-hyung, Baek Il-seob, and Lee Soon-jae on trips led by actor Lee Seo-jin. The group traveled around Europe and then ended the season with a trip to Taiwan with a spec

Oct. 22, 2013

Park Ji-yoon’s ‘Mr. Lee’ conquers music charts

Veteran singer Park Ji-yoon’s newly released “Mr. Lee” has pushed aside tracks by IU and Busker Busker to rank No. 1 on eight major music charts including Olleh, Daum, Bugs and Naver. The track ranked No. 2 on Melon and Cyworld. “Mr. Lee” is a track off the EP “Mr.” which was released online Monday. Park also held a showcase commemorating her comeback on Monday where she performed her song for the first time. The track was composed by hip-hop artist Primary and features rapper San E. Considering

Oct. 22, 2013

Winterplay’s ‘Two Fabulous Fools’ released abroad

Jazz-pop duo Winterplay’s album “Two Fabulous Fools,” which was originally released in Korea in July, has been released in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau after the artists recently signed an agreement with music label Universal Music. The duo already has a growing fan base in Asia and is planning end-of-the-year performances in December. Along with the album itself, the music video for title track “Yoboseyo Baby” will be released in Hong Kong. The artists are also planning various promotiona

Oct. 21, 2013

Taeyang releases solo album teaser

Big Bang member Taeyang released a teaser image promoting his new album on YG Entertainment’s official blog on Saturday night. The promotional image is an intense black-and-white shot of Taeyang wearing a black turtleneck covering half of his face with black symbols tattooed on his forehead. The artist sports dramatic black eyeliner that adds to the dark atmosphere. This upcoming album will be Taeyang’s first in three years after he released his first studio album “Solar” in 2010. That album far

Oct. 21, 2013

Bae Yong-joon wins grand prize at Japan’s hallyu awards

Bae Yong-joon, as known as “Yonsama” in Japan for his huge popularity among Korean TV drama fans, received the grand prize at the Korean Entertainment 10th Anniversary Awards in Japan on Saturday, his agency KEYEAST said Sunday. Bae also won the best actor award in the category of Korean drama. At the ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the airing of “Winter Sonata” -- a KBS TV that fueled the “Bae Yong-joon syndrome” in Japan -- Bae expressed gratitude. “This is a meaningful event, being a

Oct. 20, 2013

Hallyu infiltrates the world of academia

The World Association for Hallyu Studies (WAHS) is hosting the “1st World Congress for Hallyu” Oct. 18-19 in Seoul with the aim of investigating hallyu as a force that should be pursued as an academic study. The association has invited a number of scholars, culture ministry officials and experts in the areas of Korean culture studies from 26 countries to speak on the latest developments of the Korean cultural wave and its impact on the global community. “Hallyu has been catapulted into the world

Oct. 15, 2013

Imposter poses as Tiger JK’s manager

An imposter posing as hip-hop star Tiger JK’s manager has wreaked havoc on the singer’s scheduling, causing the artist to be unable to book shows and leading to the circulation of harmful rumors. “We originally thought that we weren’t getting booked for shows because we were just a small label. We just started out so we don’t even have a separate team that handles promotions and communications,” Tiger JK’s manager said in a phone call with The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “But we realized that someo

Oct. 15, 2013

Kim Jae-joong releases teasers for new album

JYJ member Kim Jae-joong unveiled teaser images for his first studio album, “WWW,” on C-Jes Entertainment’s official Facebook page on Monday. “WWW” is set to hit stores on Oct. 29. Three teaser images were revealed: a photo of the star’s tattooed back bound in white bandages, an IV pack with a watch inside, and a wall covered in scribbles. The title of the album is short for “Who, When, and Why,” a theme chosen by Kim himself. He participated in writing the lyrics and portrayed his own philosoph

Oct. 15, 2013

‘Infinite Challenge’ song festival to open at Imjingak

High-rated MBC reality comedy program “Infinite Challenge” will be holding a song festival in Imjingak, 7 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.The show’s production team told The Korea Herald that it could not confirm the location or other details ahead of the press conference slated for Thursday, but fans said they were able to pinpoint the location after several witnesses reported seeing stages set up around the area. This year marks the fourth edition of the song

Oct. 15, 2013

K-pop star Rain to hold concert in Japan

Korean pop icon Rain will visit Japan next month for his first concert tour after being released from military service, his agency said Tuesday. The “2013 Rain Zepp Tour: Story of Rain” will begin with performances in Nagoya on Nov. 14-15, Rain’s management agency Cube DC said.The tour marking the 11th anniversary of Rain’s debut will also take him to Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo, it said.The 31-year-old K-pop star was released after completing 21 months of mandatory military service in July.Rain, w

Oct. 8, 2013

KARA could be reduced to trio

Despite the recent release of the group’s fourth studio album “Full Bloom,” KARA fans received surprising news in the past week when rumors began to surface that member Nicole would be leaving the group. On Sunday, representatives of KARA’s agency DSPmedia finally announced that the rumors were indeed true and that Nicole had expressed her intention not to renew her contract with the agency. It added that she would officially end her activities as a member at the beginning of next year. The agen

Oct. 7, 2013

K-pop fills the autumn air

The fall season has not only ushered in cooler weather, but a wide variety of concerts and performances by top K-pop artists. Many artists have been taking their act abroad, demonstrating the popularity of K-pop overseas. Rain chose to make his first public appearance after being discharged from the military not in Korea but on the final episode of a popular Chinese audition program called “Kuaile Nansheng.” The episode aired on Sept. 27, showing the performer decked out in sunglasses and singin

Oct. 1, 2013

Comedian to debut as mixed martial arts fighter

Comedian Yoon Hyung-bin has announced that he will debut as a mixed martial arts fighter for Road FC, the biggest mixed martial arts organization in Asia. Yoon is the second celebrity to become a fighter for the organization, the first being fellow comedian Lee Seung-yoon. “From the outside it looks like we’re just giving and taking punches, but from practicing to going to matches, I learned a lot from other fighters,” Yoon said in a statement. “I think, as a man, this kind of challenge is worth

Oct. 1, 2013

Actor Baek’s ex-girlfriend hospitalized after overdose

Actor Baek Yoon-sik’s ex-girlfriend was taken to a hospital in an ambulance on Monday after overdosing on sleeping pills. Baek recently made headlines after admitting to a romantic relationship with a woman 30 years his junior, identified as a broadcast reporter.However, the woman made a number of allegations against Baek and his sons on Saturday, which apparently resulted in the couple breaking up. In an interview, the woman revealed that while she was in a relationship with the actor for more

Oct. 1, 2013