Art blossoms in heavily fortified area

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province ― Mount Soisan, a lowly hill just tens of meters across from a three-story building constructed by North Korea in 1946 as the Communist Party Headquarters, had a U.S. Army barrack and several secret bunkers that were used during the Korean War (1950-1953). Until 2001, civilians were prohibited from climbing the mountain as it was in the civilian control area adjacent to the demilitarized zone. “Underneath where you stand are bunkers used during the war. This mountain i

PerformanceAug. 28, 2014

Super Junior return as ‘real men’

More than two years after announcing they were sexy, free and single, 10 of the original 13 Super Junior members, including the group’s newly returned leader Lee Teuk, are officially back in action with the release of the group’s seventh studio album, “Mamacita.”Coming more than two years since the release of the group’s previous full studio album, “Sexy, Free & Single,” Super Junior finally unveiled the digital release of its latest album on Friday. Although last year the group released two J-p

Aug. 28, 2014

Megan Fox returns to Korea in a turtle franchise

Hollywood actress Megan Fox arrived in Seoul on Tuesday to promote the Korean release of action comedy film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Fox was joined by director Jonathan Liebesman and producers Andrew Form and Brad Fuller at the press conference on Wednesday at a hotel in Seoul. The 28-year-old actress plays April O’Neil in the film, an intrepid reporter in New York City who teams up with four teenage anthropomorphic turtles to fight against the evil villain Shredder and his organized crim

PerformanceAug. 28, 2014

‘Audition shows are about people’

This is the 14th in a series highlighting women and their accomplishments in the various facets of the Korean entertainment industry. ―Ed.Mnet show writer Kyung Hyun-ju has been in the game for a while. In her 13 years as a writer, she’s spent the last 10 at Mnet ― a place she says allowed her to grow as a writer.The first show she wrote for at the cable channel was a blind date program, which ended up running for four seasons. After just three, Mnet made her a main writer, something unheard of

Aug. 28, 2014

Batman or Birdman? Venice festival opens with superhero film

VENICE (AFP) ― The Venice film festival opened with a bang on Wednesday with a brilliant superhero dark comedy that delves into the cinema and theater worlds to explore the drug that is fame.The first flick to compete at the world’s oldest film festival, Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance,” stars Michael Keaton of “Beetlejuice” and “Batman” fame.In one of 20 films vying for the coveted Golden Lion award, Keaton plays a washed-up actor wh

FilmAug. 28, 2014

‘Supernova’ Sung-Je joins Army

Supernova member Sung-je entered military boot camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, on Thursday afternoon.After finishing basic military training for four weeks, he will serve in the military for about two years, working in a special PR unit for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.As Supernova has been active mostly in Japan, about 1,000 of his fans visited Nonsan to see him off. The singer entered the camp after having a brief fan meeting.Sung-je is the second member of Supernova to joi

Aug. 28, 2014

HyunA tops Taiwan’s charts with ‘RED’

HyunA tops Taiwanese charts with ‘RED’HyunA has made it to the No. 1 spot on Taiwan’s music charts.According to the biggest music site in Taiwan, “KK BOX,” HyunA’s “RED” has kept its position at the top of the chart for three consecutive days from Sunday.The song first entered the charts on Aug. 21 and topped the “K-pop new songs” and “K-pop single” charts four days after it was released.HyunA has proved her popularity in Chinese-speaking countries and is now working on filming commercials and d

Aug. 28, 2014

Rain and Krystal make romance in drama

Rain and Krystal will appear in a romantic drama this fall, their agencies said.The first teaser of SBS’ new drama “My Lovely Girl” was revealed on YouTube on Wednesday.The impressive video is about 23 seconds long, and shows Rain and Krystal sharing their feelings like they were destined to meet.After the romantic video was uploaded on YouTube, “My Lovely Girl” became the most-searched-for phrase on the Korean Web portal Naver. The drama is about two pained individuals who will find healing thr

Aug. 28, 2014

GOT7 to drop Japanese debut EP in Oct.

Rookie K-pop band GOT7 will release its Japanese debut EP on Oct. 22, its label JYP Entertainment announced Wednesday. 　 (JYP Entertainment)The debut EP “Around the World” is to include the hip-hop track “So Lucky,” composed and written by 2PM’s Jun. K, and a title song that Korean, Japanese and American producers jointly worked on. 　JYP Entertainment also launched the seven-member band’s Japanese website for fans to access more information about the artists and a detailed schedule for the upcom

Aug. 28, 2014

YG Family to hold joint concert in China

A group of artists under YG Entertainment, dubbed YG Family, will hold a collective concert in October in China, the entertainment powerhouse announced Thursday. 　YG Family is to be reunited for the concert “YG Family 2014 Galaxy Tour: Power in Beijing” to be held on Oct. 19 in China’s capital. The viral sensation Psy will take part in the concert, raising expectations that he might reveal his upcoming track “Daddy” in a performance. Psy recently wrapped up filming its music video in Seoul and B

Aug. 28, 2014

Sistar’s Soyou flaunts perfect body in Saipan

Soyou, a member of the K-pop girl group Sistar, shared a photo taken on the exotic island of Saipan that shows her Coke-bottle bodyline on Thursday on her Twitter account. 　She took the photo while resting after filming the music video for Sistar’s upcoming track “I Swear.” “I am enjoying my break time in Saipan. Today, stay tuned for Mnet’s ‘M! Countdown’ to watch our comeback performance,” she said alongside the photo. In the photo, Soyou is lying on a bench playing with her mobile phone and l

Aug. 28, 2014

Kim Hyun-joong delays military service, fans wonder why

South Korean actor and singer Kim Hyun-joong reportedly delayed his mandatory military service until next year due to his schedule, a local news outlet reported Thursday.　Kim was notified that he should enlist in the army on Oct. 7, but postponed due to his concert tour schedule, according to the reports. 　Kim is currently touring five countries -- Thailand, China, Peru, Mexico and Japan. Kim, who just wrapped up a show on Aug. 24 in Thailand, is to travel to China on Aug. 30 for another concert

Aug. 28, 2014

Heechul turns into ‘Frozen’ character

Heechul of K-pop boy band Super Junior and Kim Jae-kyung of girl group Rainbow transformed into the main characters of the hit film “Frozen.” 　In a photo released on Wednesday on Kim’s Instagram, the two wear costumes for the sisters Anna and Elsa from the animation film. 　Heechul looks like a woman with his make-up, showing off flawless skin. 　Heechul and Kim are to costar in the MBC entertainment show “Tell me your wish” to be aired from September. 　(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 28, 2014

Jung Yong-hwa seizes China’s heart with ‘Three Musketeers’

Singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa appear on tvN's epic television series "Three Musketeers." (tvN)TvN’s new epic television drama “Three Musketeers,” starring singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa, is rapidly gaining popularity in China. Since its launch on Aug. 17, the Korean drama has maintained the No. 1 spot as the most frequently searched for K-drama on Weibo. The drama also appeared on the list of the most frequently searched for words on Baidu, China’s main search engine. The success of “Three Musketeers”

Aug. 28, 2014

HA:TFELT Ye-eun posing for DAZED & CONFUSED

   HA:TFELT Ye-eun, a member of Wonder Girls, posed for fashion magazine DAZED & CONFUSED. The idol recently released her debut her first solo album. Ye-eun poses in alluring black-and-white photos, wearing black underwear, sheer knitwear and a denim jacket. In an interview, the idol revealed more about her music, her stay in New York and the places she wants to visit.The photos and interview can be seen in the September issue of DAZED & CONFUSED. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcor

Aug. 28, 2014

Kim Soo-hyun models fall fashion

The actor Kim Soo-hyun appeared in fall outfits for the fashion brand ZIOZIA. The pictures show him with a new hairstyle and different look. Kim is wearing jackets with unique details, wine-colored jackets and trench coats. Behind-the-scenes pictures of the shoot and an interview given by Kim can be seen on ZIOZIA’s official homepage and Facebook page.  By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: ZIOZIA)

Aug. 28, 2014

D.O. enjoys perfume

D.O. of the boy band EXO challenged himself to be a perfumer during a pictorial shoot with lifestyle magazine The Celebrity.“I enjoy perfume very much, so I have tried many items on but nothing was perfect for me,” D.O. was quoted as saying while participating in a fragrance blind test.“I was always looking for the one perfume that expresses who I really am,” he added, showing anticipation toward the challenge.The singer also shared his thoughts about acting in the popular drama “It’s Ok, That’s

Aug. 28, 2014

JYJ to sing another song in Incheon Asian Games

K-pop idol group JYJ has been scheduled to sing one of its hits during a performance at the Incheon Asian Games opening ceremony.But JYJ will sing one more song besides “Only One,” the theme song of the event, according to some news reports.“When the torch enters the main stadium, JYJ is to sing the theme song. After that, the group is to perform another song of its own,” the director of the Incheon Asiad organizing committee was quoted as saying.The song to be performed is still unknown as JYJ

Aug. 28, 2014

Nichkhun says he’s happy with Tiffany

Nichkhun of 2PM talked about his romantic relationship with Tiffany of Girls’ Generation during an interview with SBS “Midnight TV Entertainment” that aired on Monday.“You must be very happy nowadays, right?” the reporter asked Nichkhun, implying his romantic relations with Tiffany.Smiling shyly, the singer replied, “Yes, I’m happy nowadays.” Nichkhun also talked about his debut as a designer for a bag brand.“I personally enjoy drawing and making things, so being a designer was perfect for me,”

Aug. 28, 2014

Choo Sa-rang pops out of open window 'Sinna Choo!'

A photo of child-starlet Choo Sa-rang was released on Facebook on Wednesday, wowing her online fans. In the photo, Choo is smiling and sticking her head out the open window of a car. Choo has rapidly gained popularity through her appearance on the KBS reality show “Superman Is Back” with her celebrity parents, K-1 fighter Choo Seong-hoon and model Yano Shiho. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Aug. 28, 2014