Red Velvet debuts high on music charts

SM Entertainment’s rookie girl group Red Velvet is making a splash at home and abroad with its debut track “Happiness.” 　The tune debuted at No. 3 in Singapore, No. 4 in Malaysia, No. 5 in Thailand and No. 9 in Hong Kong. It also landed in the top 10 on iTunes singles chart after its release on Aug. 5. 　The quartet will launch their official debut with an onstage performance on the KBS’ “Music Bank” on Aug. 8, followed by SBS music program “Inkigayo” two days later. 　Red Velvet is SM Entertainme

Aug. 7, 2014

EXO Chanyeol unveils selfie for EXO-L

 K-pop idol group EXO’s Chanyeol released a selfie on Tuesday to mark the launch of EXO’s official fan club EXO-L. 　“Finally, EXO has its official fan club, named EXO-L! Isn’t the name so pretty?” he wrote on Instagram alongside his selfie. 　“It is finally the time for us to be one. WE ARE ONE!”　EXO-L, the band’s first-ever fan club, was launched on Tuesday and the number of those who joined the fan club surpassed the 300,000 mark in just a day, proving EXO’s ever-growing popularity.　Meanwhile,

Aug. 7, 2014

G-dragon refuses to be an actor despite YG’s suggestion

Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment agency, has revealed that he had hoped G-dragon would go into acting.During the launch for YG’s new boy band WINNER on Wednesday, Yang was asked about his thoughts on the individual projects for artists in his agency.“Actually, I wanted G-dragon to start acting. However, he had a strong desire to stick to music. T.O.P and Seungri wanted to be actors, and I supported it,” Yang replied, talking about the members of Big Bang, another boy band in YG Entertainme

Aug. 7, 2014

Girls’ Generation photobook to be released

Girls’ Generation photobook will be released soon to celebrate their 7th anniversary. The photobook, titled “GIRLS’ GENERATION in Las Vegas,” is a collection of Girls’ Generation pictures taken in Las Vegas. The photobook includes pictures taken in the desert, night views and the girls enjoying their time in the city. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: SM Entertainment)

Aug. 7, 2014

Top 7 Korean celebrities with best pregnancy photos

Showing off a pregnant belly is no longer an embarrassing thing in Korea. Capturing the beautiful moment has rather become a rising trend. Against this backdrop, The Korea Herald has listed the top 7 hallyu stars who took the most beautiful maternity photos. 1. Moon So-ri  (COSMOPOLITAN)Actress Moon So-ri elegantly mixed beauty as a mother and chicness as a celebrity. Her tight black dress highlighted her pregnant body line. While the overall style might have turned out simple due to the plain d

Aug. 7, 2014

EXO-L sparks envy from other SM stars

A slew of K-pop idols are green with envy of the immense popularity of EXO as the band’s first-ever fan club sees the number of members growing at a startling pace since its launch.A day after EXO-L, the band’s official fan club, was launched, Super Junior’s Kyuhyun took a screenshot of his real-time chat with fellow idols and posted it on his Twitter. 　On the Kakaotalk group chat, Kyhyun starts the conversation by saying, “Joonmyun (the real name of EXO’s Suho) pretends to be busy. He may be to

Aug. 7, 2014

Gong Hyo-jin still fabulous in ‘men’s sweater’

Actress Gong Hyo-jin showed off her fashion sense by wearing a men’s item of clothing in the SBS drama “It’s Ok, That’s Love.”The grey men’s sweater is from British clothing brand “All Saints.” Gong styled her outfit in a loose-fit, giving her a boyish and chic look.The actress also matched the sweater with black slacks, which is one of the most popular fashion items for both men and women in Korea.“The modifier ‘fashionistar’ is something that I do not want to lose. I want to show everything ab

Aug. 7, 2014

Girls’ Generation Jessica launches fashion brand BLANC

K-pop idol Jessica, who is also known for her great fashion sense, has launched her own fashion brand called BLANC. The Girls’ Generation singer tried to design chic items that wouldn’t be influenced by fast-changing trends.  A range of eyewear will be the first items to be released and each item hasits own style taken from major cities -- Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York and Paris.Jessica is planning to release a fragrance as well as a new 2015 F/W collection. The singer added that s

Aug. 7, 2014

Taecyeon plays smartphone game with kids

(Taeyeon's Twitter)Taecyeon of K-pop boy band 2PM on Wednesday released a photo of himself playing with several children on Twitter.With the photo he wrote, “These kids are so into iPad games.”In the photo, the singer is playing a game on his iPhone with the child starlets of KBS 2TV drama “Wonderful Days.” The 50-episode drama, starring Lee Seo-jin, Kim Hee-sun and Taecyeon, will air its final episode on Aug. 10. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 7, 2014

TaeTiSeo preparing for comeback

TaeTiSeo ― the popular Girls’ Generation spin-off group consisting of members Taeyeon, Tiffany and Seohyun ― is gearing up for a new album release, SM Entertainment announced Wednesday.“TaeTiSeo is currently working on a new album and preparing for a comeback,” said an SM official. “The release date has not been confirmed yet, but will be announced in the future.”TaeTiSeo. (SM Entertainment)The trio is expected to make its return by the end of this year, according to news reports. Though the for

Aug. 6, 2014

Orange Caramel releasing 4th single ‘Do It Like I Do’

After School subunit group Orange Caramel is slated to release the trio’s latest single “Do It Like I Do,” on Aug. 18, according to an announcement made by Pledis Entertainment on Wednesday.The girl group is well known for its oddball concepts, and based on the array of still cut images from the music video that have been released, the ladies’ upcoming fourth digital single looks as though it will live up to Orange Caramel’s quirky standards.  Orange Caramel. (Pledis Entertainment)In March, the

Aug. 6, 2014

Apink tops Oricon preorder chart 　

Apink (A-Cube Entertainment)K-Pop girl group Apink topped the Japanese Oricon Chart for preorders, its agency A-Cube Entertainment said Wednesday.“The debut EP ‘NoNoNo’ ranked No. 1 in the combined daily preorder chart in Tower Records, which is the largest retail music chain in Japan,” the agency told reporters. The agency hopes that Apink will revive the popularity of K-pop girl groups in Japan.The group will debut in the Japanese music market in October with their 2013 hit “NoNoNo.”Universal

Aug. 6, 2014

The 3 richest men in K-pop

Lee Soo-man, Yang Hyun-suk and Seo Tae-ji ranked top three on the value of real estate holdings among Korean entertainment figures, market research showed Wednesday.SM Entertainment chief Lee Soo-man ranked No. 1 among the 18 people in Korean entertainment who currently own buildings worth 10 billion won ($9.7 million) or more by market value, according to Chaebul.com, a website that tracks the wealth of the rich. The combined value of his two buildings in Apgujeong, Seoul, is 65 billion won, ba

Aug. 6, 2014

Kim Soo-hyun to perform for Incheon Asiad

Actor Kim Soo-hyun will perform on stage for the opening ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games slated for Sept. 19 to mark the kick-off of the global sports festival, his agency said.Kim has been known for his talent in both singing and acting since his debut in 2007. The multi-talented star is raising speculations from fans over what kind of performance he will stage.OSENThe upcoming ceremony will led by veteran director Im Kwon-taek and produced by popular film director Jang Jin. The opening cer

Aug. 6, 2014

JYJ’s ‘Back Seat’ banned from broadcasting

　JYJ, a leading K-pop group that recently returned to the stage after three years, was hit hard by a ban on its title track “Back Seat.”Public broadcaster KBS banned “Back Seat” from airing due to what it claimed to be inappropriate lyrics, prompting JYJ’s management agency, C-Jes Entertainment, to consider requesting a review in deliberation.“We passed deliberation for MBC and SBS. But we are contemplating on whether or not to request for a review of deliberation (with KBS),” the management age

Aug. 6, 2014

Jun Ji-hyun richest female celeb in property assets

Jun Ji-hyun, the star of the mega-hit TV series "My Love from the Star," ranks No. 1 on the value of real estate holdings among female celebrities in South Korea, market research showed Wednesday. The combined value of buildings owned by Jun in southern Seoul was estimated to be worth 13.15 billion won ($12.72 million) as of end-July, according to Chaebul.com, a website that tracks the wealth of the rich.  The appraisal, used in setting tax rates, is based on construction costs and the property'

Aug. 6, 2014

Miss A Jia’s fashion editorial

             A fashion editorial in bnt featuring miss A member Jia was released today. The K-pop idol sported a sexy, bohemian image, wearing a black bra top and short pants. She also tried on some funky clothes while posing in front of a retro-patterned background. Jia revealed that she was very close to K-pop idol HyunA and that she wanted to appear in the famous variety shows “Running Man” and “We Got Married.” By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: bnt)

Aug. 6, 2014

Jun Ji-hyun richest female celeb in property assets

Jun Ji-hyun, the star of the mega-hit TV series “My Love from the Star,” ranks No. 1 on the value of real estate holdings among female celebrities in South Korea, market research showed Wednesday. The combined value of buildings owned by Jun in southern Seoul was estimated to be worth 13.15 billion won ($12.72 million) as of end-July, according to Chaebul.com, a website that tracks the wealth of the rich.  Jun Ji-hyun accepts an award from the Korea Tourism Organization during a cermony held in

Aug. 6, 2014

Lee Hyori sexually harassed in New York

Singer Lee Hyori appears on SBS talk show "Magic Eye." (SBS)K-pop star Lee Hyori was sexually harassed in New York, the singer alleged in SBS talk show “Magic Eye” that aired Tuesday. Lee said she was bending over to try on a pair of shoes at a shoe store in New York when a stranger approached from behind and grabbed her buttocks. “I freaked out and looked back right away, only to see the foreign man walk away across the street of Soho. … I chased after him but was at loss because of the languag

Aug. 6, 2014

Rock band Buzz to return after 8 years

Veteran rock-ballad band Buzz will add itself to the string of regrouped veteran music groups, such as g.o.d. and Fly to the Sky, who have recently made major comebacks, with the release of a new single this week.Buzz, whose original members have united for the first time in eight years, on Monday revealed a teaser music video heralding their return, slated for Friday.The video shows comic clips of various people who all end up singing a classic Buzz single at a “noraebang,” or karaoke room.  Bu

Aug. 5, 2014