Choi Si-won hits 4 million followers on Twitter

(OSEN)Choi Si-won, a member of the K-pop group Super Junior, broke the record for the number of Twitter followers among Korean celebrities on Thursday.Choi had 4,018,648 followers as of 8:00 a.m. on Thursday. He is the first Korean celebrity to break the 4 million mark.Choi writes daily status updates on Twitter, communicating with fans all over the world. His Twitter account is also well-known for having a variety of photos of him posing with A-list celebrities such as movie director Steven Sp

May 1, 2014

Manager of YG club faces trial for alleged illegal business

(OSEN)The manager of a Hongdae club reportedly co-owned by YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk will face trial this month for allegedly registering the club as a restaurant, therefore making it an illegal business, Yonhap reported.The 33-year-old club manager, only identified by his surname Kim, operated the club spread across two basement floors in a building owned by Yang. The entertainment agency chief is known to have participated in the club business in the form of a joint investment, accord

May 1, 2014

ZE:A to reunite in May

Korea’s famous boy band ZE:A will make a comeback in late May after a 10-month hiatus since the release of their EP album “Illusion” in August last year.According to news reports, despite their respective busy schedules, the members are expected to reunite as a full group and prepare for their new album.“There is a chance that the schedule might be changed, but the members had set the date for their comeback at sometime around the end of May. They are currently putting in their best efforts for

May 1, 2014

Sistar Soyou feels beyond Bora in team hierarchy

Korean girl group Sistar’s Soyou said her presence within the team hierarchy surpassed superstar Bora, thanks to the recent success of her recent duet track “Some” with Jung GiGo. Soyou’s comment came during MBC’s variety show “Radio Star” on April 30, when show host Kim Gura began praising Soyou, 22, for her recent success in the K-pop scene. When another “Radio Star” MC, Kim Guk-jin, asked her if she feels more self-confident these days, she said, “I don’t feel so self-confident but I feel lik

May 1, 2014

Former foreign minister Hong dies at age 77

Hong Soon-young, a retired diplomat who served as South Korea's foreign minister, unification minister and ambassador to five countries, died Wednesday at age 77, officials said.Hong, who was the foreign minister from 1998-2000, was considered one of the best known diplomats in South Korea. He entered the foreign service in 1961 and served in various other posts, including ambassador to Pakistan, Malaysia, Russia, Germany and China.Hong served as unification minister from 2001-2002. (Yonhap) 

PeopleApril 30, 2014

Film fest explores women’s experiences after 2008 global financial crisis

The annual International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul (IWFFIS) returns this month, paying special attention to women’s experiences after the 2008 global financial crisis worldwide.Celebrating its 16th edition this year, the upcoming festival will bring 99 films from 30 countries, including documentaries by Chinese women filmmakers, films about women’s experiences in the neo-capitalist economy, and a retrospective of veteran Japanese actress Kyoko Kagawa.“This year’s theme is ‘The Vision of 99

FilmApril 30, 2014

John Mayer contemplating ways to aid Sewol victims

American singer-songwriter John Mayer, scheduled to stage his first concert in Korea this month, has expressed his sympathy for the victims of the deadly Korean ferry sinking.Mayer revealed on his Twitter on Tuesday that he has been contemplating ways to provide aid and support for the victims and their families of the ferry disaster.“In Japan and loving it, but thinking about the people of Korea, my next stop. Having conversations about how we can help while there,” wrote Mayer.John Mayer is sc

PerformanceApril 30, 2014

Author Bae Su-ah to attend PEN World Voices Festival

Korean author Bae Su-ah has been invited to the PEN World Voices Festival, an annual literary festival underway in New York, LTI Korea said.Bae is one of about 150 writers from 30 countries who have been invited to the weeklong event, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Two other Korean writers, Hwang Sok-yong and Kim Young-ha, participated in the festival in 2009 and 2011, respectively.During the festival, Bae will read excerpts from her short story “Highway with Green Apples.” It

BooksApril 30, 2014

Managing expectations

Kim Myung-min knows how to act. He has managed to captivate viewers on screens big and small, perfectly morphing into whichever characters he was given. The star of two MBC dramas, “Great White Tower” (2007) and “Beethoven Virus” (2008), is now tackling the role of a cold-hearted hotshot lawyer who, after suffering from amnesia, turns into an opponent of social ills in a new MBC drama that went on air Wednesday.In “A New Leaf,” he plays Kim Suk-joo, a high-flying attorney at a major law firm who

April 30, 2014

Lena Park’s EP reduced to single as nation mourns

The 38-year-old Korean-American gospel-singer-turned-K-pop-star Lena Park (also known as Park Jung-hyun) has finally made a belated return with “Syncrofusion.” However, instead of releasing an EP album as originally intended, she decided to release only one single. Park was initially going to release “Syncrofusion” as a three-track EP on April 18. However, considering the tragic ferry sinking that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of young high school students, the singer’s agency announced tha

April 30, 2014

Hooni Kim, deconstructed

Danji and Hanjan owner-chef Hooni Kim is in town to star as a judge on cable channel Olive’s third season of “Master Chef Korea,” in which aspiring chefs from around the nation compete to make it to the top. Already knee-deep into filming, the famous New York City-based Korean-American chef looks comfortable in his role as mentor-judge, ready to dish out constructive criticism and help contestants grow with some tough love. “I think I am very highly critical about food and cooking,” Kim, 41, con

FoodApril 30, 2014

“Triangle” may be Kim Jae-joong’s last acting before military enlistment

JYJ member and actor Kim Jae-joong admitted on Wednesday that MBC TV show “Triangle” most likely would be his last show before military enlistment. “(Triangle) probably will be my last appearance in a TV show before leaving for military conscription,” the K-pop star said in a press conference for the drama held in southwest Seoul on Wednesday. “I do not have the exact date at hand, but I think we will release the next JYJ album in the second half of this year and finish the related activities be

April 30, 2014

Kim Soo-hyun earned $17.5mil within 2 months in China

(OSEN)South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun has earned 110 million yuan ($17.5 million) in China in the past two months, a magazine reported on Wednesday.Since “My Love from the Star” became a sensation in Asia, Kim, who starred in the drama as lead character Do Min-jun, his income has skyrocketed. Kim’s value is measured by the second, quipped China’s weekly magazine South Entertainment Weekly.The advertisement market reflected Kim’s soaring fandom in China as the actor recently inked a deal with Sam

April 30, 2014

4Minute HyunA picks vivid lip makeup as her beauty secret

HyunA of Korean girl group 4Minute said vivid-colored lip makeup is one of her top beauty tips.“I give emphasis to the lips,” the K-pop star said when was asked to share her makeup know-how in an interview with fashion magazine Elle. The interview accompanied HyunA’s photo shoot for Elle, where she flaunted her sexy curves and slim waist. She also identified her strong self-esteem as her source of sexiness. 　By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)

April 30, 2014

Tabloids eye Jin Yi-han’s past self-acclamation on his “sexy collarbones”

Local tabloids on Wednesday were filled with reports about the rising actor Jin Yi-han’s past comment about his “sexy collarbones.”During an interview on weekly celebrity news show “Section TV,” aired on April 6, Jin Yi-han jovially regretted that his armored costume hides his “sexy collarbones.”The comment originally came as a response to a question about his sexy six packs, one of the early sources of his popularity. The blushing actor then jovially replied, “They (my six pack) are gone now …

April 30, 2014

2 Korean movies among top 12 female vengeance movies: Time

Two Korean movies, “Lady Vengeance (2005)” and “The Housemaid (2010),” are among the top 12 female vengeance films selected by the online edition of Time. “We present a dozen movies, from Hollywood, France and South Korea, that treat the vengeful-woman theme with fondness or dread, as comedy, melodrama or stark tragedy,” the U.S. weekly magazine wrote on Tuesday.In contrast to the magazine’s criticisms on Korean melodramas -– “classic Hollywood fare gone totally nuts” -– it gave Korean crime mov

April 30, 2014

Fortress likely to get UNESCO listing

A mountain fortress southeast of Seoul is highly likely to make it onto UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites, the government said Tuesday. An experts’ panel under the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that deliberates on new additions to the list has recommended Namhansanseong Fortress for inscription in its recent report, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. A final decision is due in June when the committee meets in Qatar, but it seldom overturns recommendations from the Internati

CultureApril 29, 2014