Hero Jaejoong denies dating Japanese model

TVXQ member Hero Jaejoong [Asia Economic Daily]

Hero Jaejoong of Korean idol group TVXQ has denied recent rumors that he is dating Japanese model Yano Mikiko, according to a Japanese magazine Women's Weekly.

The weekly publication reported in its recent issue that Hero Jaejoong had "enjoyed a date with Japanese model Yano Mikiko near Shibuya. They were wearing masks and Mikiko had her arm through Hero Jaejoong's."

Mikiko is a popular model who has appeared on the May cover of fashion magazine Non-No.

However, both parties denied the report. Incidentally, Hero Jaejoong had also been linked to Japanese actress Abiru Yuu last November.

Hero, whose real name is Kim Jaejoong, debuted in 2004 as part of five-member boy band TVXQ. The group became one of the most phenomenal K-pop acts in the country and throughout Asia, selling numerous records and recently making history in the Japanese music scene.

The band officially stopped working as a group in Korea last year and in Japan last month due to a legal dispute between three of its members -- Hero Jaejoong, Xiah Junsu and Micky Yoochun -- and talent agency SM Entertainment over their 13-year exclusive contract.

In April, Hero Jaejoong made a successful acting debut in a Japanese TV series "Hard to Say I Love You" alongside top Japanese actors Eita and Ueno Juri of smash hit TV series "Nodame Cantabile".

Reporter : Ko Jae-wan star@

Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@

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Source: Asiae
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Japanese Writer: ‘Young Woong Jaejoong Will Become Successful Actor’

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A Japanese drama writer praised Korean actor Young Woong Jaejoong, who is now acting in the Japanese TV drama "I Can't Be Honest."

According to a person at Image Factory, which is an importer of the movie “Halfway,” Kitagawa Eriko, who is a writer for the drama “I Can’t Be Honest,” sent a letter to the film company saying, “I strongly believe that Young Woong Jaejoong will establish his foundation as an actor by appearing in the drama ‘I Can’t Be Honest.’”

 

Kitagawa is a famous writer as she has written successful dramas including “I Can’t Be Honest” and “One Million Stars Falling from the Sky,” and she also debuted as a movie director with “Halfway,” which was released in Korea last month. 

 

Kitagawa continued to say in the letter, “Jaejoong is transcending national boundaries by acting in the Japanese drama 'I Can’t Be Honest.' I am enjoying working with him.” 

 

The drama “I Can’t Be Honest” began airing from April 15 on Fuji TV and it portrays stories of love and friendship between a man and a woman who became friends through Twitter. Young Woong Jaejoong is playing a Korean man who works at a medical instrument company in Tokyo and he appears in the drama together with star Japanese actors including Ueno Juri, Nagayama Eita, and Tamayama Tetsuji. 

 

The Movie “Halfway,” which was released on April 29 in Korea, tells stories of teenagers utilizing beautiful scenes and the director, Iwai Shunji--who made “Love Letter”--produced the movie.

Source: KBS
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Korean Wave: The New Generation

Official poster for SBS TV series "The Shining Inheritance" [SBS]

Korean dramas stir new waves in Japan

Fuji TV's program "Hallyu Alpha" (Mon-Fri 2:07~3:00), which started airing on January 11 in hopes of creating 'a new Hallyu generation,' has been receiving positive feedback. Back in 2004, Fuji TV had arranged a program called "Saturday Hallyu Wide Hour," airing dramas such as "Stairway To Heaven" and "Sad Love Song" but had cancelled it due to low ratings. This time, "Hallyu Alpha" tried to differentiate itself from other programs by playing uncensored versions of dramas, providing bilingual broadcast (in Japanese and Korean) and adding special features such as exclusive interviews with the cast and behind-the-scenes footage. MBC TV series "My Name Is Kim Sam-soon" kicked off the program, followed by KBS' "Woman In The Sun" in February.

Viewers responded to the show somewhat later -- "The Shining Inheritance," starring Lee Seung-gi and Han Hyo-joo, made bigger splashes than expected during its month-long run in March. According to local media reports, the premiere episode of "The Shining Inheritance," broadcast on March 2, scored a mere 5.3 percent in viewership ratings. But the figure constantly climbed, peaking at 9.7 percent on March 24 and the final episode aired on March 30 scoring a rating of 8.0 percent. Considering that the average viewership rating around 2 p.m. on weekdays -- which is when "Hallyu Alpha" airs -- is approximately four to five percent, the figure is the highest among all the dramas that have aired in the same time slot for the past ten years. Rumor has it that local television executives were very surprised by the ratings for "The Shining Inheritance." Lead actors Lee Seung-gi and Han Hyo-joo made headlines when they visited Japan in time with the show's airing in the country. Han, who plays the female lead Go Eun-sung, was particularly showered with attention as her telecinema movie "Postman to Heaven", co-starring TVXQ member Hero Jae-joong, had also opened in Japan.

Japanese students fall in love with Lee Seung-gi and Han Hyo-joo

Korean actress Han Hyo-joo and TVXQ member Hero Jaejoong in film "Postman To Heaven" [CJ Entertainment]

Many fervent viewers poured out their comments about the show on the viewers' board for "The Shining Inheritance." And it is worth noting that a majority of these viewers were high-school students and young people in their twenties and thirties. This is quite unexpected because in the past, Hallyu fans were mostly composed of women in their forties. This could be because "The Shining Inheritance" was broadcast in March, overlapping with spring break for students. As the Japanese school year starts in April with the spring break in March, it was possible to lure middle school, high school and college students on their school breaks to the front of television sets. For "Hallyu Alpha", it is encouraging that they turned the younger generation -- who had previously thought that "Hallyu is just something that older ladies like" -- into Hallyu drama fans.

"Hallyu Alpha" has been showing medical drama "New Heart" since April 1, after which MBC TV series "The Last Scandal of My Life," starring actor Jung Joon-ho and the late actress Choi Jin-sil will air. With Korean blockbuster "IRIS" (starring Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-hee) and "Hard To Say I Love You" (starring Hero Jaejoong) lined up for the second half of the year, can it be said that the new generation of Korean Wave has already begun? We hope that "Hallyu Alpha" will build a strong foundation for the new round of Korean Wave.

Reporter : Im Da-ham (Tokyo correspondent)

Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@, Jang Kyung-Jin three

Source: Asiae

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Hero Jaejoong makes successful acting debut in Japan

TVXQ member Hero Jaejoong (far right) in Japanese TV series "Hard to Say I Love You" [Fuji TV]

 

Hero Jaejoong of Korean idol group TVXQ has made a successful acting debut in a Japanese TV series which premiered on Fuji TV last week.

According to statistics released by a local research firm, the first episode of drama "Hard to Say I Love You" scored a 11.9 percent viewership rating, coming in second behind Asahi TV's popular crime drama "Omiya-san" with 15.4 percent.

"You", which airs every Thursday evening at 10 p.m., is a story of friendship between five young men and women who became acquaintances through Twitter, a popular social networking and micro-blogging service around the world.

Hero Jaejoong appears as a Korean medical equipment salesman alongside top Japanese actors Eita and Ueno Juri of smash hit TV series "Nodame Cantabile".

Hero, whose real name is Kim Jaejoong, debuted in 2004 as part of five-member boy band TVXQ. The group became one of the most phenomenal K-pop acts in the country and throughout Asia, selling numerous records and recently making history in the Japanese music scene.

TVXQ has been making headlines as of late for announcing that they will no longer be working in Japan as a group and that the members will go their separate ways to pursue individual careers.

The band had officially stopped working as a group in Korea since last July due to a legal dispute between three of its members -- Xiah Junsu, Hero Jaejoong and Micky Yoochun -- and talent agency SM Entertainment over their 13-year exclusive contract.

The three members had asked the court to nullify their contract with SM, claiming that their contract period was "too long", and the court had ruled in favor of them, ordering provisional disposition of the contract.

However, the legal battle heated up again when SM filed an objection against the court's decision and sued the three singers for KRW 2.2 billion won, demanding financial compensation for damages the agency allegedly suffered from the members' investment in cosmetics business and their cancelled concert in China.

Last Thursday, Xiah, Hero and Micky announced through their Japanese management agency AVEX that they had formed a new group through which they will be pursuing their music careers.

Reporter : Ko Kyoung-seok kave

Editor : Lynn Kim lynn2878

Source: Asiae

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TVXQ's Xiah, Micky, Hero form new group

From left, TVXQ members Xiah Junsu, Hero Jaejoong and Micky Yoochun receive an award at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) on November 21, 2009. [Asia Economic Daily]

 

Boy band TVXQ members Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun and Xiah Junsu, currently embroiled in a legal battle with major talenthouse SM Entertainment, have formed a separate group through which they will pursue their singing careers.

"Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu have formed a new unit and they have signed with us to carry out their musical activities," Japanese management firm Avex stated on its official website on Wednesday.

"They have also decided to hold dome events in an expression of gratitude toward their fans...... We will update you on further details as soon as they are set," Avex added.

A separate report by Japanese sports daily Sports Hochi stated that the three singers will hold a total of four dome events in June -- two at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka and two at the Tokyo Dome.

The report also quoted a related official as saying the three will not sing any TVXQ songs at the events but their own songs which have already gone into production.

The move comes as a surprise to the Korean music industry and the boys' fans since the three had long expressed that TVXQ would remain intact despite its conflict with SM.

SM expressed its disappointment at the news, saying the three singers "irresponsibly abandoned TVXQ by starting up a unit without considering the outcome of the lawsuit and the responsibility they would possibly have to undertake thereafter."

SM, in charge of discovering and managing the five-member band, had filed a 2.2 billion won lawsuit against the three singers on Monday, objecting against a court's decision ordering provisional disposition of their working contracts as well as demanding compensation for the damages the agency and the remaining two members suffered from the action.

In late July last year, Hero, Micky and Xiah had asked a court to nullify their 13-year exclusive contract with SM to which the court ruled that the agency will not interfere in their individual activities.

The five-man band had stopped working as a group in Korea ever since and later announced on April 3 that the group would no longer pursue a singing career together.

TVXQ had enjoyed great success throughout Asia and the Japanese music industry in particular, becoming the first foreign artist to top the Oricon singles charts six times with their 27th single "Share the World/We are!" released last year.

They made music history in Japan again in early April, when they placed their single and album simultaneously within the top three slots of Oricon's singles and albums chart, the first time for a foreign artist to do so in 15 years.

Reporter : Park Kun-ouc kun1112@asiae.co.kr

Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr

Source: Asiae

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SM Entertainment Fires Back With a Lawsuit Against the Three TVXQ Members

After months of legal dispute between entertainment giant SM Entertainment and the three members (Jaejoong, Junsu, and Yoochun) of the five member group TVXQ, the group recently had announced stepping on the brakes of all their activities in Japan. Fans thought that was big news. Well, the situation has proven to have become even stickier.


After winning the lawsuit in 2009 over allegedly unfair profit distribution, SM Entertainment announced on the 13th, that they're lashing back with a legal lawsuit of their own. The company released a statement saying that they have done the best that they can to maintain the group as a whole. However, being that the three members had recently filed for an injunction, and because they have halted all activities as a group, the company was left with no choice but to retaliate. SM Entertainment is objecting against the trio's stance on the contract terms between both parties and is seeking to verify the contract's remaining validity.

Source: KBS

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SM takes legal action against TVXQ members

From left, TVXQ members Xiah Junsu, Hero Jaejoong and Micky Yoochun receive an award at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) on November 21, 2009. [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

SM Entertainment, the talent powerhouse in charge of discovering and managing boy band TVXQ, has taken legal action against three of the group's members whose exclusive contract with the agency was nullified last year.


"On April 12, we filed an objection against the court's decision ordering provisional disposition of the contracts as well as a lawsuit to reclaim their validity," the agency stated through a press release Tuesday.


SM explained they had held off from taking legal action against Hero Jaejoong, Micky Yoochun and Xiah Junsu last year "in an effort to see the group continue to exist" but made the move this week after "the three failed to officially express any intention of resuming their activities as a group and TVXQ recently halted their activities as a group in Japan."


Hero, Micky and Xiah had asked a court last July to invalidate their exclusive 13-year contract with SM to which the court ruled in favor of the young singers in an interim ruling, declaring that the agency will not interfere in their individual activities.


The five-man band had stopped working as a group in Korea ever since, although carrying on their activities in Japan including making TV and magazine appearances as well as releasing albums, until announcing on April 3 that the group would no longer pursue a singing career together.


Hero and Micky are currently in shooting for dramas while Xiah is preparing for a solo album release.


Since their debut in 2004, TVXQ has been one of the most successful K-pop acts in Asia who reportedly have the largest fanbase in the world.


They had enjoyed great success in the Japanese music industry in particular, becoming the first foreign artist to top the Oricon singles charts six times with their 27th single "Share the World/We are!" released last year.


They made music history in Japan again in early April, when they placed their single and album simultaneously within the top three slots of Oricon's singles and albums chart, the first time for a foreign artist to do so in 15 years.


Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr

Source: Asiae

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