Monday, July 20, 2009
Lee Jun-ki and Song Hye-gyo Chosen as Foreigners’ Favorites
Actor Lee Jun-ki and actress Song Hye-gyo have been chosen as foreigners’ favorite Korean stars. Roughly 3,000 viewers from 60 countries, including the United States, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore, took part in a survey conducted by the entertainment program “Showbiz Extra” of Arirang TV to vote for their favorite Korean stars and Lee and Song finished first in the movie star category.
Lee outranked Rain and Gong Yu by a considerable margin, solidifying his status as a new hallyu star. Song took 49.5% of the vote, easily taking first place over other actresses. In the musician category, Girls’ Generation narrowly edged out BoA by less than 1% of the votes to rank as foreigners’ favorite female musician. As for the male singer category, Super Junior won 41.9% of support, defeating Asian star TVXQ, who earned 33.6% of the votes. SHINee was selected the most popular new artist, followed by 2PM and FT Island. Actor Kim Beom of “The East of Eden” and “Boys over Flowers” surprised everyone by winning the title of foreigners’ favorite new actor over another heartthrob, fellow actor Lee Min-ho of “Boys over Flower.”
source: KBS Global
Tags: Song Hye gyo/korean actress/Gong Yu/Lee Jun ki/Super Junior/Kim Beom
Rain Named PR Ambassador for Korean Food
Singer Rain (real name Chung Ji-hoon) was named PR ambassador for Korean food on July 13 at a ceremony that was held at the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
Singer Rain has been named PR ambassador for Korean food. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries appointed Rain on July 13 at the Gwacheon Government Complex. Over the next year, Rain will appear in video materials publicizing Korean cuisine and attend major events related to Korean food.
Rain said, "To me, Korean food is like a mother and my primary instinct. While holding overseas concert tours and filming movies, I always wished that Korean food was more competitive so that more people could enjoy it. I'm thankful for this opportunity to publicize it." The singer added, "Chinese and Japanese cuisines are very popular abroad compared to Korean cuisine. I want to publicize the health benefits of Korean food so that people all over the world can enjoy kimchi and tteokbokki."
Rain says his favorite Korean dish is tteokbokki, which he said made a perfect snack that he used to enjoy while at school.
The minister for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries expressed his appreciation to Rain for taking on his new role and said he hopes that, with Rain's help, Korean cuisine will become as big a star as Rain in the global arena. He also pledged active support to Rain's overseas fan meetings by treating his fans to Korean delicacies.
The appointment plates that were given to Rain that day were produced in the form of a roll and ceramic pot to publicize traditional Korean culture.
A ministry official said the ministry chose Rain as PR ambassador in a bid to nurture Korean cuisine into a global industry and globalize its taste so that people all over the world can enjoy it.
source: KBS Global
Tags: Rain/korean actor/korean singer
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Ku Hye-sun Draws Crowds with Her Paintings
Ku Hye-sun is becoming popular as a painter after rising to stardom as an actress in the Cinderella tale drama "Boys over Flowers." Ku's exhibition titled "Tango" has been at Gallery La Mer in Insa-dong, Seoul since last Wednesday. On display are 50 works including the illustrations in her novel of the same title and paintings made shooting the hugely popular KBS drama.
She said that after the drama ended, sometimes she completed two or three works a day. Asked what she thinks about being an actress, short film director, novelist and painter now, she replied, "I feel uncomfortable with being called a painter. I'd rather like to be regarded as a person who likes drawing." "Painting is not my main job, and I'll focus on acting from now on," she added.
Yet the exhibition sees about 700 visitors on weekdays and 1,000 on Saturday, according to her agency YG Entertainment. All proceeds are to be donated to charity. The exhibition runs through Tuesday.
Credit: englishnews@chosun.com
source: chosun
Tags: Ku Hye sun/Boys over Flowers/korean actress
Song Most Favored by Hong Kongers
Song Hye-kyo has become the South Korean entertainer favored most by Hong Kongers.
The development was revealed after a survey of 1,145 Hong Kong citizens conducted by the Hong Kong branch of the Korea Tourism Corp. June 11-14.
When asked about their favorite South Korean entertainers in a multiple-choice question, 40.4 percent picked the 27-year-old Song.
Lee Young-ae, who has been enjoying high popularity in Hong Kong and other Chinese communities in Asia with her starring role in "Jewel in the Palace,'' ranked second with 40.2 percent. Lee took first place in last year's survey.
Next came Jeon Ji-hyun (31.2 percent), Bae Yong-joon (16.2 percent), Rain (14.4 percent) and Ji Jin-hee (12.9 percent).
Asked about their must-visit destinations in South Korea, 68.2 percent chose Seoul. Jeju Island and Gangwon Province came second (42.6 percent) and third (24.7 percent), respectively.
Song, a model and actress, starred in a number of hit dramas, including "All In," "Autumn Fairy Tale" and " Full House."
credit to koreatimes.co.kr
Tags: Song Hye kyo/Lee Young-ae/Jeon Ji-hyun/Bae Yong-joon/Full House
Friday, July 3, 2009
Lotte World opens 'Star Avenue'
Taking a full step toward marketing Korea's most sought-after superstars among overseas fans, Lotte World opened yesterday "Star Avenue," a memorabilia hall that displays all things related to celebrities -- just not the stars themselves.
"We believed that we needed something to appeal to the rising number of tourists to Gangnam (southern Seoul) region," said Choi Hong-hoon, public relations team chief for Lotte World.
The opening ceremony was attended by several of the featured stars and hundreds of their adoring fans.
The Avenue, located on the first underground floor near the South Gate of Lotte World, is divided into five different spaces.
The "Star Showcase" corner exhibits costumes and accessories donated by the stars, along with a star magazine video featuring the latest celebrity news.
Nine stars are featured including Rain, Tong Vfang Xien Qi, Big Bang, Park Yong-ha, Song Seung-heon, Choi Ji-woo, Ji Sung and Kang Ji-hwan, along with Japanese celebrity Ikko.
"Star Center", located at the center of the avenue accommodates a huge, 360 degree, high definition screen which features clips of the celebrities.
"Music Star" hall allows visitors to choose and listen to their favorite songs which they can burn in CD format to take as souvenirs. Fans can also send letters using a touch screen program.
"Drama Star" features recreated film sets of popular drama series such as Daejanggeum and East of Eden, where fans can pose next to life-size models of their favorite stars.
Hours of operation for the Avenue are from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The entry fee is 10,000 won although anyone with a Lotte World Adventure "one-for-all" ticket will be able to enter free of charge.
Lotte World in Jamsil-dong of Songpa-gu, which is also home to a hotel, duty-free shop, department store and a musical theater, will celebrate its 20th anniversary on July 12.
When it first opened it was the world's largest indoor theme park. Since then, Lotte World has become a signature amusement destination not only for children, but for adults as well who had eagerly welcomed the opening of the adventure park.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Lotte World has organized a number of diverse and exciting events, including a "Lotty's Adventure Parade" featuring 200 brightly-lit, airborne actors and dancers.
On the day of the actual anniversary there will be a special event where 20 couples (who are 20-years-old) will cut a 20-meter-high birthday cake. There will also be a musical, samulnori (Korean farmer's dance), as well as a lucky draw for overseas trips.
Lotte World and its adjacent Magic Island were the first Korean theme park in 1995 to open at night and, since then, have introduced many daring new rides such as the Gyro Drop (1998), Gyro Swing (2001) and the Atlantis ride (2003). Lotte World went through a major renovation in 2007. As a further expansion of the business, Lotte World plans to open a water park in Jangyu, South Gyeongsang Province in 2011 and will also participate in a comprehensive entertainment complex development in Shenyang, China.
Credit to Lee Joo-hee (angiely@heraldm.com)
source : koreaherald.co.kr
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Wonder Girls Debut in U.S. at Jonas Brothers’ Concert
The girl band Wonder Girls debuted in the United States with the English version of its song “Nobody” on June 27. The band released the song as a digital single and performed it at the concert of the popular American band Jonas Brothers in Oregon.
Wearing glittery purple costumes, the Wonder Girls performed “Tell Me” by using cute dance moves and evoking cheers from some 20,000 people in the audience. Kevin Jonas, the leader of the Jonas Brothers, lauded the band for its perfect choreography and in an unprecedented move personally went onstage to introduce the Wonder Girls to the audience.
Kevin called the Wonder Girls “the most magnificent group in Asia” and invited the audience to get up from the seats to dance along with the Wonder Girls. When the group began performing “Nobody” wearing white dresses, the audience rose from the seats to enjoy the music. During the rehearsal, Joe Jonas even danced along with the Wonder Girls. After the concert, the Wonder Girls and Honor Society, which opened the concert, held a fan meeting. Following their activities in Oregon, the Wonder Girls will visit Seattle.
A person from JYP Entertainment said the Wonder Girls have taken on a big challenge and that everyone is looking forward to seeing whether the band’s hit songs will receive a favorable response in the United States as well.
The English version of “Nobody” was released in Korea on June 29.
source: KBS Global
Tags: Wonder Girls/korean singer/Jonas Brothers/Nobody
Kim Jung-hoon In Comical Role
The premiere of the Korean-Japanese movie "Cafe Seoul" starring singer Kim Jung-hoon from the duet UN was held June 28 in Tokyo. It was attended by filmmaker Masaharu Take, actor Kim Dong-wook from the TV drama "Coffee Prince," up-and-coming actor Takumi Saito, Chang Seo-won and Koo Bon-woong.
Prior to his military service, Kim Jung-hoon said in a video message that he chose that role in "Cafe Seoul" because he had always wanted to play a cynical role. He added that he received injuries while filming scenes where he is beaten by gangsters.
He also added that he enjoys the movies produced by Takeshi Kitano and Satoshi Miki, and that he would want to try his skills in a comical role someday as well as the role of a detective or murderer.
Takumi Saito, who also appears in "Cafe Seoul," said the movie is a masterpiece of an innovative genre, and that he was impressed to see the production crew of the movie eat from the same pot and discuss the movie over lunch when it was filmed in Seoul.
Kim Dong-wook said he decided to take the role because it was interesting to see how Japanese writers and director dealt with Korean culture and traditions and because it was an opportunity to learn. Kim added, "Saito and I received energy from stamina drinks."
Director Masaharu Take, for his part, said the movie had presented him with a valuable experience and added jokingly that he still craved the Korean chicken and ginseng soup "samgyetang."
"Cafe Seoul" is a story about the conflicts, strong ties and love of three brothers whose traditional bakery "Morandang" is threatened to be demolished soon. The movie will open in Japan on July 18, starting in Tokyo.
source: KBS Global
Tags: Kim Jung hoon/korean actor/Cafe Seoul/Takumi Saito/Kim Dong wook
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