The Boss wraps up first-ever Japanese showcase

Members of The Boss performing at the Japanese showcase "SEOUL TRAIN with RAINBOW & The Boss" [Open-World Entertainment]

Korean idols The Boss wrapped up their first-ever Japanese showcase over the weekend, according to their agency Open-World Entertainment on Monday.

Open-World announced through a press release that about 1,000 fans attended the event titled "SEOUL TRAIN with RAINBOW & The Boss" on May 28, performing five songs including "Shining World," their title track "Admiring Boy" as well as Japanese group V6's tune "Feel your breeze."

"This was an unforgettable showcase. It is truly a valuable memory. We didn't know that we would receive this much attention from the Japanese fans. We would like to thank them for the support and hopefully show our best in the future," The Boss members were quoted as saying.

The five-member boy band, whose name stands for The Boys of Super Space, made their debut in March of this year with their single album "The Admirer."

They are currently preparing for their return to the local music scene in June with the release of a mini album.

Members of The Boss at the Japanese showcase "SEOUL TRAIN with RAINBOW & The Boss" [Open-World Entertainment]

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Super Junior grabs 2nd win on televised music programs

Korean boy band Super Junior [SM Entertainment]

Korean idols Super Junior rose to the top of a televised music program over the weekend again.

The boys claimed their second consecutive win on KBS' music show "Music Bank" with their latest single "BONAMANA" from their fourth full-length album of the same name which they have been promoting since the album's release on May 13.

They thanked their fans for always supporting them and also their agency SM Entertainment, while member Shindong performed a belly dance to express his happiness.

They were competing against Wonder Girls' "2 Different Tears" while other contenders on the show included Rain, 4minute, CNBLUE and f(x).

Super Junior been enjoying a successful comeback to the local music scene, topping numerous online and offline charts with "BONAMANA" and selling over 700,000 copies of their album in just five days of its release, according to Hanteo's music charts.

Meanwhile, the "2010 Dream Concert" featuring Korea's top singers such as Rain, Lee Hyori, Girls Generation and SS501 aired instead of SBS' weekend music program "Inkigayo" on Sunday.

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ZE:A to embark on Asia tour this week

Korean idol group ZE:A [Star Empire Entertainment]

Korean idol group ZE:A will be kicking off their five-country Asia tour this week, according to their agency Star Empire Entertainment.

The nine-member boy band, who debuted in January 2010, will be starting the tour in Yokohama, Japan on June 2 and carry the tour into Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and Hong Kong in the following months.

It is considered unlikely for such a newcomer group to go on an Asian tour since groups usually wait about a year before touring for concerts.

"We are pleased yet surprised to receive passionate response from fans overseas," an official at Star Empire was quoted as saying. "We are very grateful for the enormous attention and affection."

ZE:A, short for Children of the Empire in Korean, is composed of members Kevin, Kwanghee Hwang, Siwan, Junyoung Moon, Taehun Kim, Heechul Jung, Minwoo Ha, Hyungshik Park and Dongjun Kim.

They made their debut last January with the mini-album "Nativity," whose title track was "Mazeltov," and followed it up with "Leap for Detonation" which was released in April.

The boys are currently rehearsing for their Japan concert to be held Wednesday and are said to be preparing a "surprise event" for Korean fans as well.

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Park Jae-beom signs with online media company DMW

Park Jae-beom (center) with DMW CEO Ned Sherman (left) [Digital Media Wire]

Korean singer Park Jae-beom, former leader of popular boy band 2PM, has signed with U.S. online media company Digital Media Wire (DMW) to manage his career.

DMW announced on its official website (www.dmwmedia.com) Friday (U.S. time) that its CEO and entertainment lawyer Ned Sherman will be "representing artist Jay Park with respect to his global entertainment career."

"We are thrilled to be working with Jay," said Mr. Sherman in the post. "He is incredibly talented and has the work ethic, talent, charisma and fan support to have a big career on a global level."

He went onto say that it is "rare that you come across an artist like Jay. He really loves and cares about his fans and it shows. We are working on a number of big projects which we will be announcing soon.”

The Seattle-born singer was at the peak of his career last September when it was revealed that he had written several controversial remarks -- including "I hate Korea" -- on his MySpace pages during his teenage years as a trainee at JYPE.

The matter caused an uproar around the country, leading to Park quitting the band and leaving Korea four days after his old comments surfaced on the Internet.

Park had been staying in the U.S. since, dancing with his b-boy crew Art of Movement and preparing for a debut in the U.S. music scene through collaborations with Dumbfoundead and noted record producer Teddy Riley.

He is scheduled to visit Korea early next month to shoot b-boy film "Hype Nation."

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Kwon Sang Woo: ‘I Acted While Motivating Myself’

Actor Kwon Sang Woo: "I was worried about acting as a student soldier because I might have looked awkward due to my old age, but I fully agreed with the significance of this movie and I became immersed in the movie while acting."

Director Lee Jae Han: "I want people to watch this movie from a viewpoint of humanism instead of analyzing the movie with some specific criteria."

The movie "Into the Fire," which is based on the real-life battle of Nakdong River during the Korean War, held its first official preview on May 27 (local time) by the invitation of the Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University in California, USA, and attracted the attention of American movie critics and local viewers.

The main actor Kwon Sang Woo (34) and director Lee Jae Han held a press conference in Sheraton Hotel in Silicon Valley the day before the preview and said, "This year is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War, so I hope that people can have an opportunity to think about the meaning of the war and its subsequent historical pain through this movie."

The following are the questions and answers.

Interviewer: How do you feel about tomorrow’s preview?

▲ Lee Jae Han: From the beginning stages of planning this movie, the Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University has given positive assistance to us. The reason that we are having a preview in the USA even before having one in Korea is because of a promise with Stanford University. People at Stanford also notified us of their intentions that they would give us full support for releasing the movie and for the commercial success of the movie. The movie is incomplete technically, but I am very much expecting that we can introduce the movie to the USA through tomorrow’s preview.

Kwon Sang Woo: I could not sleep well last night. I will watch the movie for the first time. I am nervous because the preview is being held in unfamiliar place, but I want to watch the movie thoroughly as an actor. I think that the message of this movie is very significant and I hope the significance can be introduced widely. Actually, I did not expect that the movie would be produced this well. I just agonized about how I could play the character properly. I am just happy that I was able to finish filming the movie without any big mistake.

Interviewer: There is a rumor that you are expecting it to be the Best Foreign Language Film in the Academy Awards.

▲Lee Jae Han: I also heard the rumor. We do not know what will happen. The movie is not yet released. I hope that this movie can be loved by people. I heard that many high officials from Stanford University and many intellectuals will come to tomorrow’s preview.

Interviewer: Did you have any problems while filming the movie?

▲Kwon Sang Woo: While I filmed this movie, I became more attached to it. Personally, I was worried about acting as a student soldier because I might have looked awkward due to my old age, but I fully agreed with the significance of this movie and I became immersed in the movie while acting. I think that it will be successful. I acted while motivating myself. I tried my best not to cause any trouble for the movie by pushing myself too hard and being tensed up.

Interviewer: Do you think that you can draw more attention to the film due to the sinking of the combat corvette Cheonan?

▲Kwon Sang Woo: The sinking of the combat corvette Cheonan is a very sad and tragic incident. I think that the incident is like what happened during the Korean War 60 years ago. I guess that all of us might feel the same about it.

Interviewer: What do you expect for the viewers?

▲Lee Jae Han: I hope that viewers look at people in the movie. I want people watch this movie from a viewpoint of humanism instead of analyzing this movie with some specific criteria. I tried to free myself from any ideology in this movie because I just wanted to make a war movie.

Kwon Sang Woo: I think that this movie has educational value for student viewers. I hope that it can teach the meaning of sacrificing one’s life and shedding blood for one's country to teenagers.

Interviewer: How many viewers do you expect to watch the movie?

▲Kwon Sang Woo: I hope more than 10 million people might watch the movie (smile). Other actors and staff members seem to expect around 8.5 million viewers. Along with director Lee Jae Han, we made this movie confidently and I think that it is very good movie which can appeal to people. I am confident about it.

Interviewer: Do you have any direct ties to the Korean War?

▲Lee Jae Han: My maternal grandfather died during the war in the Korean army. My parents experienced the horrors of war when they were children and have told me about their experiences many times. I think that watching this movie can be an opportunity to share the sufferings of our nation.

Interviewer: The release date of the movie overlaps with the World Cup.

▲Kwon Sang Woo: I personally love soccer very much. I want both that our soccer team can advance to the first round and that our movie can have great success.

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Ki Hoon and Eun Jo Meet Again in ‘Cinderella’s Step Sister’

Eun Jo, who is poor at exposing her feelings, could not control her emotions towards Ki Hoon and ran into the street to embrace him. When this touching scene was aired, it attracted every viewer’s attention.

On this episode of the KBS 2TV drama “Cinderella’s Step Sister,” which was aired on May 27, Ki Hoon gave four tips to Eun Jo to help her find a solution to save Daesung Chamdoga, which will face another problem. Eun Jo was puzzled at his tips at first, but the very next day, she could understand the situation when the heads of the family came to her and noticed that they would sell their shares of Chamdoga.

Eun Jo tried to stay calm, meditating on what Ki Hoon said to her, but she lost control of her mind when she heard her cousin's grandmother say, “How can you try to say something to us, even though your mother has shown such bad behavior?”

Ki Hoon comforts Eun Jo before he goes out to make a deal with Ki Jeong

Eun Jo went to another room and said to her mother, Kang Sook, while crying, “I will be beaten by people instead of you, but you have to go somewhere and never return. You will be a witch forever and I will be a daughter of a witch forever. But, I will be burned to death instead of you. Do not try to come back, ever.” Ki Hoon looked at her while she left this message to her mother and comforted her by saying, “I am afraid, too. But, I will not run away. Do not worry. I will come back after solving this problem.” Then, he tried to make a deal with his stepbrother Ki Jeong using a confidential document. But, Ki Jeong kidnapped Ki Hoon to stop him. Meanwhile, Eun Jo found a letter that Ki Hoon had written eight years ago and went out to find Ki Hoon. After seeing his car empty, she was filled with a sense of foreboding, so she looked at Ki Hoon’s computer and found files that contained the recorded conversation between Ki Hoon and Ki Jeong. She became assured that Ki Hoon had been kidnapped by Ki Jeong.

Scene of touching embrace between Ki Hoon and Eun Jon on the street

She brought the computer and tried to deal with Ki Jeong. Eun Jo said, “Now I am in front of the Public Prosecutors' Office. Even though you will take shares of Daesung Chamdoga and the name of Daesungdoga has to disappear, I think what I am going to do is the right thing. My late stepfather might think the same way. I do not want to make him ashamed. If in fact Hong Ki Jeong kidnapped his brother, it might be big trouble for you. I will give you some time, and you have to release Ki Hoon and let him call me. If you do as I tell you, I will not say anything about you kidnapping him.” Eun Jo warned Ki Jeong by making this suggestion and Ki Jeong released Ki Hoon. Eun Jo was shaking with anxiety, but after a while, she could meet Ki Hoon again.

Ki Hoon said, “Who asked you to do that kind of thing? Open the window and let me look at your face.” Then he smiled at Eun Jo. By looking at Ki Hoon, who was across the street in the middle of rushing cars only to see Eun Jo, Eun Jo ran to him and held him tight. The scene raised viewers’ pulse rates.

Many viewers came to support Eun Jo and Ki Hoon couple’s happy ending after watching the warm and touching love scene. The conclusion of the drama and whether they can save Daesung Chamdoga, which is in danger, and whether they can be happy will be broadcast on June 2 at 9:55 pm on KBS 2TV.

Writer: Contributing Reporter Roh Ji Won

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Singer Eru Completes His Military Service

After two long years of military service, singer Eru is finally out! He was released Friday morning on May 28th, greeted by a horde of reporters and his famous trot singing father, Tae Jin-ah.

Eru first enlisted in May of 2008 after giving up his American citizenship which would have freed him from any mandatory duties. He served as a public service personnel.

Eru said that he had a good break from the industry for the past two years and it was an overall good experience. However, he is ready to return as a singer and has even been collecting a lot of good songs during his break. He said that he was indeed excited and that an album could be released as early as July.

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Boa Continues to Heat Up the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play Song Charts

The famous Billboard Music Charts in the US has a Korean singer among the many other talented artists that has been leaving her mark week after week. Singer Boa was within the top fifty for the Hot Dance/Club Play Song Charts for the week of the 22nd for her song "Energetic". She was right at number fifty, making this her 12th straight week that she has maintained a spot in the top fifty.

She first entered entered the rankings during for the week of March 13th at number 40, climbed to her highest ranking so far, at 17th place for the week of April 24th.

This isn't her first time on the reputable charts. She also made it in 2008 for her digital single "Eat You Up", claiming her spot within ?the top fifty for 14 consecutive weeks. She was also the first Korean artist to have made it into the Billboard Top 200 -- 127th place to be exact -- for her US album "BoA" in March 2009.

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Wonder Girls: 'Sunmi is Forever our Member'

The Wonder Girls, who recently returned from the US, appeared on the KBS 2TV talk show "Win Win" on Tuesday. As they had stayed in the US for a long while, Korean viewers had a lot to ask them. The members candidly responded to all questions.

MC Kim Seung-wu carefully asked about the departure of one of the group's members. The responses by Ye-eun, Sunye, Sohee and Yubin were tearfully emotional. Yubin started out, "Sunmi and I were roommates in the US. Sunmi used to say, 'I'm so worn out. I wanna quit.' But I just thought she was joking. If I knew her true heart, I would've comforted her. I'm so regretful."

Ye-eun said, "When she was quitting, I simply couldn't accept the fact. It was painful. I didn't want to acknowledge it. I ignored the reality for a while and tried to keep her in the group." Sunye said, "The happiness of the Wonder Girls is important, but we also had to respect Sunmi's personal happiness. We decided to support her decision."

Viewer questions followed on the news that Sunmi contacted the girls when they returned to Korea. Ye-eun said, "It's most hurtful when people ask if we still contact Sunmi. It's not a question of still..." She couldn't finish the sentence and shed tears. Yubin followed up, "Sunmi is forever the Wonder Girls. She sent a text message after our first performance in Korea. It was heartbreaking to see her message. She said 'I saw your show. Fighting!'" Yubin also teared up while making her comment.

The girls also sent out a video message to Sunmi. Sohee said, "Sunmi monitors our shows and gives feedback. We continue to root for her too. We keep in contact." Sunye said, "It's been a while since we last saw her. We're apart but we're thankful that she always cheers for us. Congratulations Sunmi for passing the school exam! The time we spent together will never go away. We can always meet up and have fun. I miss you, our dear Sunmi."

Writer: Honorary reporter Kim Min-ha

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Big Bang scores triple win at Japan MTV Music Awards

Korean idol group Big Bang performing at their concert "2010 Big Show" held in Seoul on January 31, 2010. [YG Entertainment]

Korean idol group Big Bang scored a triple win at the MTV World Stage Video Music Awards Japan over the weekend, according to their agency YG Entertainment.

YG announced through a press release Saturday that the five-member boy band picked up trophies for Best New Artist Video for "Gara Gara Go!!", their second single in Japan, and Best Pop Video for third single "Koe o Kikasete" at the award ceremony, held at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Stadium on Saturday.

The group's leader G-Dragon also collected Best Collaboration Video for "Rain Is Fallin'," a single by Japanese pop group W-inds which featured the Korean pop idol.

Big Bang, who made their debut in the Japanese pop market last June, has now swept the country's music events as they won Best New Artist at Japan Yusen Awards and Japan Record Awards last year.

Last week, the boy band also made history as they were announced the first Korean dance group to be featured on the main stage at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival 2010, to be held in Tokyo and Osaka on August 7 and 8.

Big Bang, discovered and trained by major talent agency YG Entertainment, is composed of G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Daesung and Seungri.

Since their 2006 debut with the single "Bigbang," they have been considered huge cultural icons for Korea's younger generation in not only in music but also fashion.

The boys will be staying in Japan to promote their fourth single "Tell Me Goodbye," which will be released on June 9.

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"Three Brothers" triumphs for 15th week

"Three Brothers" cast members Ahn Nae-sang, Lee Jun-hyuk and Oh Dae-hyu [KBS2]

KBS2's Korean drama "Three Brothers" triumphed on weekly TV charts to take its 15th consecutive win.

Figures by TNmS (Total National Multimedia Statistics) and AGB Nielsen Research on Monday indicated that the show scored viewership ratings of 34.3 and 32.7 percent, respectively, during the final week of May.

Meanwhile, with the country revving for the 2010 World Cup, the Friendly Football Match between South Korea versus Japan on May 24 was the second most-watched television program with ratings of 28.1 percent on TNmS' survey and 28.2 percent on AGB's poll.

Another friendly, between South Korea and Belarus which aired yesterday, placed third on with ratings of 27 percent on TNmS' chart and slightly lower marks of 24.9 percent on AGB's survey.

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Wonder Girls says "Mimi's happiness is important"

Korean pop group Wonder Girls [Asia Economic Daily]

Korean pop sensation Wonder Girls, who are currently promoting their latest album "2 Different Tears" with new member Lim, have said that former bandmate "Mimi's happiness is important" as much as the group's success.

The girls made the remark while appearing on KBS talk show "Win Win" aired Tuesday, when asked how they felt about Mimi leaving the group last February to attend college and go back to living a normal life.

The members explained that Mimi had often mentioned in the U.S., where they were working particularly hard to promote themselves last year, that she was a having hard time and seriously considered quitting her music career.

"Every time she said that, we would jokingly say 'Okay, don't do this, quit.'" said the girls on the show. "If we had known that she was serious, we would have been more supportive of her. We feel bad that we weren't."

"It was a really painful and difficult time," said a teary Yenny. "We tried hard [to get Mimi to stay] and even tried to ignore her decision to quit the group. But it didn't work."

"The happiness of the Wonder Girls is important, but I felt that Mimi's happiness is important as well," added the group's leader Sun. "It was a decision we made after a long discussion with Mimi."

The girls also said that they congratulated their former bandmate after she passed her college entrance qualification exam earlier this month and thanked her for monitoring the group's comeback performance and sending a text message in support.

On a different note, Wonder Girls' youngest member Sohee revealed on the show how she felt about Sulli, the youngest in another popular girl band f(x).

"These days, I find people who are younger than me so adorable," the 17-year-old star was quoted as saying. "I used to be the youngest person working but now it feels like I have younger siblings -- it's wonderful."

Wonder Girls recently made a splashing comeback with "2 Different Tears," their first full-length album since "The Wonder Years" in 2007.

With new member Lim replacing Mimi, the girls arrived in Korea last week and has been making appearances on various TV shows to promote the record.

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Japanese idols KAT-TUN want to meet Han Hyo-joo

Members of the Japanese boy band KAT-TUN [Johnny&Associates]

Japanese idols KAT-TUN have revealed in a monthly magazine that they want to meet Korean actress Han Hyo-joo.

According to an interview the group conducted with Japanese magazine TVnavi, the members talked about their upcoming Asia tour beginning this month in Thailand, Korea and Taiwan, as well as mentioning their interest in Han.

"We are looking forward to seeing a lot of pretty women in Korea. We heard somewhere that we are quite popular in the country," Tatsuya Ueda and Yuichi Nakamaru were quoted saying.

Tatsuya Ueda went on to say, "To be honest, I have someone who I would like to meet when I go to Korea. I want to meet the female lead from the drama "Shining Inheritance. She is so pretty."

"Since she is familiar with the culture in Japan she knows who KAT-TUN is. She is also interested in the band and wants to thank them for their interest," a representative from Han's agency BH Entertainment stated in response.

KAT-TUN, who made their debut in March 2006, have recorded numerous hit songs in the country including "Real Face," "Signal" and recently "Going!"

Actress Han has appeared in several movies and dramas including "Spring Waltz" and "Iljimae" since making her debut in 2004 through MBC sitcom "Nonstop 5." She then shot to superstardom after starring in "Shining Inheritance" last year which recorded ratings of over 47 percent.

She is currently starring in the historical epic "Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown."

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Big Bang first Korean dance group at Japan music fest

Big Bang members Seungri, G-Dragon, Taeyang, TOP and Daesung [YG Entertainment]

Boy band Big Bang will be the first Korean dance group to take the main stages of Japan's Summer Sonic Festival 2010 in August, according to the group's agency YG Entertainment.

YG announced in a press release that the group is set to perform on the Ocean Stage of the Maishima Summer Sonic site in Osaka on August 7 and on the Marine Stage of the Chiba Marine Stadium in Tokyo the following day.

The boys will be singing on the stage which is also set to be graced by international recording artists including Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, A Tribe Called Quest and Sum 41.

A representative at YG explained, "We are happy that the boys have been invited to this international music festival. The audience can expect to see an energetic performance."

The quintet will be the third Korean artists after rocker Seotaiji in 2001 and four-member rock band Nell in 2008, to take part in the event but the first local dance group.

The Summer Sonic Festival is an annual two-day rock festival held simultaneously in Osaka and Tokyo. The line-up consists of many Japanese rock musicians as well as international acts.

Big Bang made their debut in 2006 with their single "Bigbang" and is known as one of the biggest cultural icons in Korea. They have released numerous singles and albums featuring their biggest hits "Dirty Cash," With U," "Lies" and "Haru Haru."

The group officially launched their singing career in Japan in June last year and is currently promoting themselves in the country for two weeks.

They are also competing at the MTV World Stage Video Music Awards Japan, which will be held on May 29, under the categories for Best New Artist Video and Best Pop Video.

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