JYJ member Park Yu-chun discharged from military

Actor and singer Park Yu-chun of boy band JYJ on Friday was discharged from nearly two years of mandatory military service.Park was discharged late Friday from the Gangnam District Office in southern Seoul, where he served as a public worker in substitution for his military service. All able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 35 must serve in the military for about two years, as the country remains technically at war with North Korea. Park Yu-chun (Yonhap)While serving his duty,

Aug. 25, 2017

Actress Lee Young-ae donates to victims of military accident

Actress Lee Young-ae on Monday made a donation to help those affected by an artillery accident last Friday, the Army said Wednesday.“I hope parents can be reassured about safety in the military, and I hope this country becomes a safer place for our children to grow” said Lee.Lee, a mother of twins, said she decided to make the donation upon learning that a sergeant who died in the incident left behind an 18-month-old son.The sergeant was among two soldiers killed when a K-9 Thunder self-propelle

Aug. 23, 2017

2017 KCON Los Angeles draws 80,000 K-pop fans: organizer

KCON, a global Korean pop music and culture convention, wrapped up its Los Angeles event Sunday, bringing together tens of thousands of fans of cutting-edge South Korean musicians, fashion and other Korean-related cultural content.A crowd of 80,000 gathered at the three-day KCON LA 2017 held from Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Staples Center in the American west coast city, according to CJ E&M, organizer of KCON. (Yonhap)First launched in Irvine, California, in 2012, KCON is

Aug. 21, 2017

Geopolitical feuds hamper Korean Wave in China

South Korea's entertainment industry was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the diplomatic normalization with China in 1992. Its pop songs, dramas and movies flooded into the once banned communist country, which has become the springboard for "hallyu," or the growing popularity of South Korean popular culture. But they have recently emerged as a victim of politics. Korean showbiz faces the hardest time since entering China 25 years ago amid a raging anti-Korean sentiment and state restrictions

Aug. 19, 2017

[K-Talk] Se7en to begin tour of Japan in September

South Korean singer Seven, better known by his stage name “Se7en,” will begin a tour of Japan after a 7-month hiatus. Se7en will perform in Osaka on Sept. 15 and Tokyo on Sept. 17 and 18. The singer, whose real name is Choi Dong-wook, held concerts in Nagoya on Jan. 27, Osaka on Jan. 28 and Tokyo on Jan. 31. He met some 10,000 fans at the tour’s after-party on Feb. 2. His tour celebrated the release of his new album “Dangerman” in last December, which reached the 10th spot on the Japan Oricon da

Aug. 6, 2017

SM Town Live tour kicks off in Seoul

K-pop artists managed by leading Korean entertainment agency S.M. Entertainment kicked off their sixth concert tour around the globe in Seoul on Saturday. A total of 61 singers thrilled some 45,000 fans at the SM Town Live World Tour VI concert at Seoul World Cup Stadium. It was the first SM Town Live concert in Seoul in three years since its fourth tour opened in the city in August 2014.  K-pop artists signed by S.M. Entertainment perform at the “SM Town Live World Tour VI” concert held at Seou

July 11, 2017

[Newsmaker] Why do Korean idols face threats from fans?

A growing number of Korean pop stars received death threats in recent months, raising questions as to why such incidents occur.From Apink to Twice to BTS, South Korea’s most beloved artists have faced serious threats from various anonymous persons online and over the phone. This has put the local entertainment industry on edge, amid growing concerns over how celebrities can be better protected from such threats.Most are written out of anger. Irrational jealousy over celebrities who are dating or

July 6, 2017

Son Yeon-jae and F.T. Island's Choi Jong-hoon officially in a relationship

(Son Yeon-jae and Choi Jong-hoon's Instagram)National gymnast Son Yeon-jae and F.T. Island's Choi Jong-hoon are officially seeing each other, according to FNC Entertainment, Wednesday. The two stars came in to media attention on the day prior to the agency's announcement, following a local tabloid's release of photos of the two stars out on an apparent date.The photos showed the stars linking arms while walking with a bundle of gifts, flowers and a cake on May 27 -- the day before Son’s birthday

June 14, 2017

G-Dragon makes 'Billboard 200' a third time with latest solo album

G-Dragon of K-pop group Big Bang has stormed onto the Billboard 200 album chart, marking the artist's third time to do so, his management company said Tuesday.YG Entertainment said his fourth solo album "Kwon Ji Yong," released on June 8, ranked 192nd on the chart as of June 12, local time.  (YG Entertainment)The Billboard 200 ranks the 200 most popular albums of the week, based on online and offline album sales and the number of streamings. He previously grabbed a spot on the chart in 2012 with

June 13, 2017

Hwang Chi-yeul: Father and fans, source of my tenacity

Hwang Chi-yeul had been an obscure singer for about 10 years since he debuted in 2007 with his first full-length album "Five Senses." He appeared on various TV and radio shows for about one year after his debut, but had to disappear from the stage when his previous management company closed due to financial difficulties.He spent his 20s working part-time jobs, and taught at music schools as a vocal coach for a living until late 2014.But he experienced a reversal of fortune early last year when C

June 13, 2017

YG artists flood market with new albums

Artists managed by YG Entertainment, one of the largest K-pop agencies in South Korea, are pouring out new albums back to back in the first half of this year.Starting with Akdong Musician in January, five other YG artists have presented new albums in a row -- Winner and Sechskies in April, Psy and iKON in May and G-Dragon in June. Girl group Black Pink will be the next to drop an album on June 22, according to the agency. (Yonhap)Recently, there has been some bad news. Big Bang member T.O.P was

June 13, 2017

BTS to celebrate 4th-anniversary at ‘2017 BTS Home Party’

K-pop act BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, will celebrate the fourth anniversary of its debut in “2017 BTS Home Party” on Tuesday.The upcoming event is a part of the group’s annual event titled, “BTS Festa,” which the group celebrates its big day every day, starting from June 1. BTS unveils new group photos for “2017 BTS Festa” (Big Hit Entertainment)For this year’s celebration, BTS has previously gifted new contents such as Jungkook and Jimin’s duet song “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” special choreog

June 12, 2017

Actress Park Shin-hye begins Asian fan meeting tour in Hong Kong

South Korean actress Park Shin-hye has kicked off her fan-meeting tour of Asian cities in Hong Kong, her agency said Monday. "Park had a happy time with her local fans at Hong Kong's KITEC on Saturday," S.A.L.T. Entertainment said in a release.The actress performed six songs, including a song from the medical series "Doctors" where she played Yoo Hye-jung, a neurosurgeon, during the event.  (Yonhap)In the "Dr. Yoo's consultation section," she put on a doctor's gown and listened seriously to the

June 12, 2017

T.O.P’s mother expresses distrust in police reports

T.O.P’s family is disputing police reports that said the star is “asleep” under the influence of drugs he took. On Wednesday morning, T.O.P’s mother teared up in front of the reporters gathered at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, where T.O.P is hospitalized. She told the reporters, “My son is in bad shape. It’s as if he is dying. Police told the media that he’s drowsy from sleeping pills but that’s misinforming the public.”(Yonhap)“He was brought to the hospital unco

June 7, 2017

'Produce 101' tops TV chart for eighth-straight week

Season two of "Produce 101," Mnet's all-male idol audition show, topped a TV popularity index for the eighth straight week, data showed Tuesday. "Produce 101" scored 264.3 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program from May 22-28. (Yonhap)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, online search tallies and buzz on social media.In the show, a group of

June 6, 2017

Sistar tops music charts with swansong track

Sistar's new and final song "Lonely" on Thursday rose to No. 1 on major South Korean music streaming charts."Lonely," an acoustic R&B song released Wednesday afternoon, topped seven music streaming charts, including Melon, Olleh Music, Naver Music and Bugs Music, as of 8:30 a.m. The track was produced by Sistar's longtime collaborator Black Eyed Philseung. (Yonhap)The seven-year-old K-pop team announced earlier that it will disband after releasing its final single album. Hyolyn and Soyou are exp

June 1, 2017

G-Dragon to release new album next month

G-Dragon of boy band BIGBANG will release his first individual album in four years on June 8, his agency said Wednesday. (Yonhap)The YG Entertainment, however, did not give any details of the upcoming album.Debuting as a BIGBANG member in 2006, the singer whose name is Gwon Ji-yong made a solo debut in 2009 with "Heartbreaker." He has since released two more albums: "One of a kind" in 2012 and "Coup d'etat" in 2013.Following the release of the new album, the singer is to begin a concert tour of

May 31, 2017

VIXX, Gugudan to attend Seowon Valley K-pop charity concert

Seowon Valley, a golf club on the northern outskirts of Seoul, will hold its annual K-pop charity concert this week, bringing together leading artists from a wide range of genres, according to the company Thursday.This year's Seowon Valley Charity Green Concert will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the country club in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with the largest-ever lineup in its 17-year history. (Jellyfish Entertainment)Idol stars, including VIXX, Gugudan, Momoland and Lee Teuk of Super Junior, alon

May 25, 2017

'Grandpas over Flowers' exported to Italy, Turkey

A popular variety show featuring grandfathers traveling overseas has been sold to Italy and Turkey, a local cable channel said Wednesday.The network tvN said it has sealed a deal to export the format of "Grandpas over Flowers" to Italy and Turkey. In 2014, the same program was sold to the U.S. as the first Korean variety show to be exported to the country. (Yonhap)The show, which aired on tvN from 2013-15, features four veteran actors in their 70s and 80s going on a backpacking tour.It is in tal

May 24, 2017

'Produce 101' tops TV chart, 'Ruler' enters at No. 2

Season two of "Produce 101," Mnet's all-male idol audition show, topped a benchmark TV popularity index for the sixth straight week, while new period drama "Ruler: Master of the Mask" made a splashing entry at No. 2, according to data Wednesday."Produce 101" scored 264.3 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program from May 8-14. (Mnet)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of view

May 23, 2017