Korean Media News

Yoo Ah In’s gun death in the drama “Fashion King” has the viewers talking about who the killer might be.

On the final episode of the SBS TV “Fashion King”, Yoo Ah In who was planning on living the luxury life in New York after selling his YGM shares to Jung Jae Hyuk (Lee Je Hoon) was gunned to death. However, the killer wasn’t revealed and viewers are talking about who it might be.

Many are pointing at Jae Hyuk or his father to be the killer with the reasons being that his father had once mentioned to Jae Hyuk; to have Lee Gayoung (Shin Se Kyung) for his own, Kang Young Gul had to be killed. Jae Hyuk also stole the letter that Kang Young Gul send to Lee Gayoung from New York, leading to the guess that one of the two might be the killer. Jae Hyuk might have killed Young Gul to protect his love and recover his pride.

There are quite a number who point at Gayoung to be the killer as well. First of all, Jae Hyuk didn’t know the location of the place only Gayoung and Young Gul knew and there was no evidence to show where he was in the letter he sent from New York either therefore, Gayoung seemed more likely to be the criminal than Jae Hyuk.

Young Gul called Gayoung and was shot to death by the killer while he was talking to her on the phone. Gayoung’s expression didn’t change even when he died and replied to him, “I miss you too”. Viewers doubt she didn’t hear the gun sound in the place where only the two of them knew and she didn’t event flinch when he died so she might’ve already known he was going to die.

Meanwhile, Young Gul’s tragic end caused a stir with the viewers.

Source: hancinema

Multi-talented J.Y. Park’s debut movie has finally set its premiere date.

Production company, CJ Entertainment announced that J.Y. Park’s new movie “The Five Million Dollar Man” will open to local theaters starting on June 28th. CJ also revealed the official poster to the film.

The movie poster shows J.Y. Park standing against a black backdrop with the words “Guess Who?”. J.Y. Park poses a ‘Superman pose’, exposing the black shirt with a gold ‘5’ or ‘$ ’ printed on it.

“The Five Million Dollar Man”, helmed by director Kim Ik-ro, tells the story of an aspiring singer who gets involved in a money-related incident and tries to solve the problem with the help of Miri (played by actress Min Hyorin).

Hip-hop duo Leessang has opened up a management company called Leessang Company in order to have more control over its own concerts.

“We’ve always been interested in culture and concerts. For singers, concerts are the venue where you can really connect with the fans, so it makes sense for us to want more control over our concerts,” said the band.

The duo said that currently existing management companies failed to live up to the duo’s expectations, which naturally led to the two members forming its own company. The group said that it will recruit existing artists to perform shows, while at the same time looking for new talent.

Leessang will release its unplugged album on May 25 and then on July 14 and 15 will hold concerts entitled “Leessang Theater 2.”


By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily

Singer Lee Hyori will hold a book launch event on June 18 to marks the release of her first memoir-style book “Closer.”

The event will take place at Welcome Theater in Jangchung-dong in central Seoul and some lucky 120 fans will be selected to meet with the star.

The book which will be sold from May 25 and contains the everyday life of Lee and her beloved pooch Soonshim whom Lee adopted from an animal shelter. The theme of the book is based on animal rights and animal shelters as well as Lee’s sentiments toward wearing animal fur.

“At the book launch, Lee as a writer will get the chance to talk about her work to the readers. She’s a renowned animals’ rights activist and by writing this book, she hopes to bridge the gap between society and animals,” said a spokesperson from Interpark.com, one of the online retailers selling the book.


By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily

SM Town’s third world tour kicked-off in Los Angeles on May 20 at the Honda Center in Anaheim with more than 12,000 local fans flocking to the K-pop event.

Artists such as BoA, TVXQ, SHINee, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation f(2) and EXO performed one act after another, showcasing some of their greatest hits.

The bands shook things up by also singing songs out of the K-pop genre. Super Junior’s Kyuhyun and TVXQ’s Chagmin paired up to sing Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are” while Girls’ Generation’s Jessica and Crystal of f(x) sang Katy Perry’s “California Girls” to the delight of fans.

Yet it seems that stars were not only found on the stage -- there were some heavyweights from Hollywood among the screaming fans, as well. Singer Quincey Jones was present as well as some 200 music producers and composers from The Underdogs, the producers behind Beyonce’s “Listen” and Chris Brown’s “Turn up the Music.” Actor Simon Curtis, who had previously tweeted his interest in Girls’ Generation member Sooyoung, was also present at the show.

The SM Town Live World Tour III will make stops in Taipei, Taiwan on June 9, and Tokyo, Japan from Aug. 4 to 5 before making its way back home to Seoul on Aug. 18.


By Carla Sunwoo
Source: JoongAng Daily

A present showing a fan’s love for JYJ member Jaejoong has been revealed.

Jaejoong recently attended the MBC new drama “Time Slip Dr. Jin” press conference in the Lotte Hotel in Sogongdong, Seoul, and fans had prepared a special present to show their support for Jaejoong.

Jaejoong’s fans came together, and prepared a press kit for Jaejoong’s role in “Time Slip Dr. Jin” Kim Gyung Tak, which included coffee, an uchiwa, a tumbler and others as a present. Among these, the present that captured the most attention was the USB flash drive made in the image of Jaejoong. With one glance, you can see that this doll-shaped flash drive bears Jaejoong’s special features including a mole, and was produced well.


Source : Star News
Translation : dongbangdata.net

Girl group 2NE1 and DSP Media’s soon-to-debut group A-JAX have been invited to perform at the popular Japanese music festival ‘a-nation musicweek’!

‘a-nation’ is an annual summer event by entertainment company avex where all the famous artists in Japan make an appearance. This time around, the festival will introduce artists from all around the world with ‘a-nation musicweek’. The event will be held from August 3 to 12 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, with each day features different theme. Some of the themes include “Band”, “Anime Songs”, “Idol” and “Rock”.

On the opening day of ‘a-nation musicweek’, 2NE1 will bring Japanese music fans to their feet by performing their hit songs. It has been also announced the group will appear on stage with Japanese hip hop group m-flo.

In addition, A-JAX will appear as a K-Pop representative rookie group and will serve as the opening act on August 9. It is a rare occurrence for a group that has not debuted yet to receive a love call of this nature. A-JAX has formally accepted the invitation.

Meanwhile, A-JAX will be opening in front of 32,000 audience members at the Saitama leg of KARA’s Asia concert tour, “KARASIA” on May 26 and 27.

It has been revealed that JYJ member Kim Jaejoong, who will be acting in his first period drama with “Time Slip Dr. Jin”, will be participating in the OST.

On May 21, staff of the new MBC drama “Time Slip Dr. Jin” said that Jaejoong, who plays the powerful officer Kim Gyung Tak will be participating in the “Time Slip Dr. Jin” OST.

Jaejoong’s song “Even Living Is Like A Dream” is a haunting song about the pain between Jin Hyuk (Song Seung Hun) and Yoo Min-ah (Park Minyoung). It is also noted that Jaejoong wrote the lyrics for this song.

News that “multi-talented idol” Kim Jaejoong who has been active both in singing an acting will be participating in the OST has made fans very happy. This song will be released online on 25 May, on various music sites.

The “Time Slip Dr. Jin” production team said, “Jaejoong’s gentle voice which is full of emotions creates music that matches “Time Slip Dr. Jin” very well. All the staff and team are praising in, and we’re really satisfied with the song.”


Source : Star News
Translation : dongbangdata.net

With their comeback just around the corner, Leessang’s latest track “My Love” is already receiving hot response, shooting atop the music charts.

Leessang pre-released the track “My Love” from their upcoming eight album ‘Unplugged’. This is the second track to be released off their new album after “Humility is Hard”. Since the release of “My Love”, the song immediately climbed on top of Korean music charts such as MelOn, Cyworld, Bugs, Soribada and more.

Leessang proves their musicality by having boldly attempted a new challenge with a different type of music. The two new tracks showcase what’s to be expected from their full album ‘Unplugged’ which will be released on May 25th.

KBS 2TV’s upcoming drama “Big” released a couple cut of the lead stars Lee Min Jung and Gong Yoo.

In the revealed photo, Lee Min Jung and Gong Yoo pose together for the first time. Lee Min Jung looks lovely with her short wavy hair while Gong Yoo is shown holding a controller for a video game console. An official explained that the couple’s expressions pretty much explains what their relationship is like in the upcoming series.

In the drama, Gong Yoo attempts at two roles; one of a streptococcal doctor and a 18-year-old adolescent teenager. Lee Min Jung will play the innocent teacher and the doctor’s fiancé Gil Da Rin.

This show brings a whole new level to the concept of distance dating, while some excellent swoon-worthy moments serve as padding for the inevitable drama to come. We get a bit more introspective as our characters navigate love over a three-hundred year divide, with one word or glance speaking volumes more than exposition ever could. I love that the sense of falling in love is so palpable here, helped along by sparkling chemistry, music that conveys a sense of longing, and a general, all-around synergy. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 
EPISODE 8 RECAP

The privacy screen moment between our two lovebirds ends, leaving Dong-min huffing and puffing enough to blow the house down. He returns to the filming set in the same foul mood, with Na-jung there to jokingly refer to him as “Your Highness,” and to ask how the lunch resolution went.

Dong-min all but orders her to have a drink with him after the shoot, but changes his tune when the director comes. After assuring him that the lunch went well he offers up a story suggestion… how about poisoning Queen In-hyun to death?

But the director points out that a king who wants to kill his ex-wife just because he’s sick and tired of her, as Dong-min said, makes him a psycho. Dong-min comes back with this long tirade about how King Sukjong was a psycho anyway with all his waffling about on wives. Ha.

Hee-jin is next to arrive on set and gets the news of some script changes due to the actor playing Lady Jang’s brother being in the hospital. There are some other changes that furrow her brow (uh oh), and she goes straight to the director… who has no idea what she’s talking about.

She recounts what she’d previously memorized about the gapsul hwanguk event, where King Sukjong purged the Soron faction for conspiring against Queen In-hyun and reinstated her to the throne (with Lady Jang being demoted as a result). The script reflects a slightly different version of the events, even though the end result is the same. The only problem is, the director and staff seem completely unaware that there was ever another version of the event. Only Hee-jin remembers.

Luckily, she’s quick on the uptake and remembers that Boong-do had mentioned a score to settle with Minister Min, and correctly guesses that he might have altered history.

So she turns to the internet to read the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, and is shocked at how different the events are. What she reads is what we saw in the previous episode, with Boong-do manipulating events so that Minister Min was caught red-handed in his attempt to kill the queen. The end result is the same, with Minister Min and his cohorts being exiled, but there’s a tiny addition where Kim Boong-do was cleared of charges and reinstated.

Soo-kyung is still at the cafe with Boong-do, and finally picks up her phone after multiple attempts by Hee-jin. She’s forced to hand it over to Boong-do, who claims he hasn’t left yet because he needs Soo-kyung – as to the ‘why,’ it’s a secret.

She’s eager to tell him about the changed events in her script, to which he calmly replies that he had to save his own life and tried to change the fate of others as little as possible. Now that it’s all settled (Queen In-hyun is back on the throne), he feels relieved. He quotes another proverb (“The planning lies with man, the outcome with heaven”) which has her scratching her head. He’s quick to try and put it in simpler terms, but she thinks he’s making fun of her intellect.

He defends himself – he wasn’t making fun of her, he was reproaching himself. As for the history matter that only the two of them know, he seems much less concerned than she is.

Now we find out what Boong-do needed Soo-kyung for – he wants to know what Hee-jin needs most, because he wants to give it to her. Soo-kyung: “You want to give her a present?” Aww.

She’s sure that whatever it is, Boong-do can’t afford it due to Hee-jin’s expensive tastes. She wants to know what his budget is, though he’s insistent that it doesn’t matter… and pulls out a few one-million won checks. Soo-kyung is floored, until he pulls out another, even bigger stack of bills. (Where did he get all this cash money from? Did he time-warp into a bank vault?)

With wide eyes, she wonders what kind of man walks around with that kind of cash sans a wallet. Smart cookie Boong-do doesn’t know what that is until he sees someone using one nearby, and tells her that he didn’t have the time. I love that he knows what to say to appease Soo-kyung, and when.

And the icing on the cake? He remembers how touched Hee-jin was at his heroic timing, and wants to do something corny and romantic like that for her to go with the gift. He asks Soo-kyung for advice, and my heart just flutters.

Back in Joseon, Minister Min is being carted off to exile. His main henchman Ja-soo edges near the cart and receives the order to investigate Boong-do, a man who entered a room and disappeared like smoke. If Minister Min is to die, he wants Boong-do to go with him.

Hee-jin is stuck filming into the night, and a frenzied Soo-kyung arrives on scene during one of the breaks… and begins to frantically wave her arms about in an attempt to mime her conversation with Boong-do along with her complete disbelief. Even better – Hee-jin starts signing back, so both girls are just flailing about. Hahaha.

When they can finally speak, Soo-kyung is properly frazzled. She doesn’t have words to explain her day with Boong-do so she mimed it – how can an actor not understand? (Ha!) She’s conflicted about Boong-do’s seemingly perfect perfection, and doesn’t know whether to encourage Hee-jin into this relationship or not. In the end her shoulders slump, and it’s with an air of defeat (like there’s no way she can’t like Boong-do) that she tells Hee-jin to go find her boyfriend, who’s waiting for her.

Hee-jin heads out, with Boong-do in a car a few feet away. He eyes the key studiously, before repeating the steps he’s memorized to start and drive the car. Haha. Scholar versus Car, welcome to the thunderdome.

He heads straight for Hee-jin, and remembers how to stop just in time before poking his head out of the window so she can recognize him. (I love that he has the steps memorized in numeric order. How much do you want to bet that he practiced the heck out of this grand gesture?)

She’s completely shocked – what is he doing driving a car? We’ve gone through nine steps in the Boong-do School of Driving, and the tenth step is to hand over the key to Hee-jin. Aww. Did he get her a car?

Closing her fingers around the key, he tells her to accept it as payment for her kindness to him. Gesturing to the car, he asks if this is what she wanted more than anything (she had to sell her previous car for rent money). Proudly, he tells her that learning to drive was much easier than riding a horse. Ha.

Hee-jin is speechless at first. Why does he do these things straight out of a manhwa? “Your friend said that if I did something this corny, you would love it,” he explains. Double aww. Add a side of swoon to that too, super sized.

At first she’s ecstatic, but then a thought occurs to her: did he steal it? He replies that he’s not a thief, but she points out that he has to steal clothes all the time. Ha. He reminds her that the clothes thing is different, and that he wanted to give her something more – but the car took all the money he had. He brandishes the one bill he has left over.

He explains how he got the money… by selling his father’s relic. Awww. It once belonged to King Taejo, the first king of the Joseon Dynasty, which is a pretty big deal. Even he knows it, because he thinks that he might have gotten scammed on the amount he was given for it. Boong-do: “Whether it’s now or then, the merchants have their tricks.” Ha.

She’s definitely moved by the gesture, though he notes her hesitancy and claims it’s not in keeping with her character, which he describes as “Someone shameless, but charming.” Oh boy. Boong-do is lucky Hee-jin is so positive, because he’s got a bit of a ways to go in the compliments department.

She asks if he’s insulting her, even though she knows he isn’t, and he replies that it’s a positive thing: “I sincerely think that you are charming.” Hee-jin puffs up at the compliment, even more so when he explains that if his father were still alive, he’d repay her kindness as well. Besides, it’s not like he can take the car back to Joseon.

When she finally accepts the gift, he laughs outright. She is shameless, but he’s right – she’s super charming while she’s at it. She decides to show him what real driving is and takes the car for a happy spin around the parking lot, laughing all the while as she circles around the standing Boong-do. Be still, my heart.

Things take a more serious turn as she begins to see Boong-do in a different light, and we can practically see her falling in love. Who can blame her?

So it’s with desperation and a hint of sorrow that she tries to name him as a con artist and a swindler – because any of those options would be better than him being from another era. She admits how hard it is to find someone you like, even if you don’t understand why. She asks again if everything was a lie, wanting so much for it to be true.

Boong-do seems to know this, and responds that yes, everything was a lie. She knows as well as he does that it isn’t, and calls him a liar. Aww, sad.

Ushering him into the car, she explains that he may think it’s just for transportation, but there’s another purpose… and kisses him.

Afterward she’s back to her bubbly self, though Boong-do’s face looks troubled and serious. Just as she’s about to leave the car he grabs her close, and after a slightly hesitant test kiss on his end, the two share a gentler, longer kiss.

They’re interrupted by a crew member whose job specialty is bad timing, and Boong-do muses that maybe selling that relic wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Hahaha. Hee-jin knows she has to leave, though no part of her wants to go.

She wants to know what he’ll do from here, and he explains that he’ll return to Jeju so that he can be found (still in exile) and reinstated to his position in Hanyang. She worries that he’ll have to return to daily life and get married while he’s there, even though he assures her that he’ll come back in about a month, once things are settled in his time. “Do you have any reason to come here anymore?” Hee-jin asks.

Boong-do: “My lover is here. Isn’t that a reason? Didn’t I say that I would try my best to be your lover?” Hee-jin’s jaw pops open. Wasn’t that just for today? He reminds her of the conversation they had on the plane, where she asked how things would end if they became lovers.

He tells her that several days of thought haven’t sorted out an answer, but until he knows, he’ll keep looking for her. Only if she agrees, and as long as he doesn’t misunderstand with whom he’s to do her special brand of goodbye kissing with. D’aww.

Hee-jin’s got a hope in her head and a song in her heart the next morning, greeting a drowsy Soo-kyung from her spot on cloud nine. Her manager can’t figure Boong-do out and asks for the truth – and hilariously, Hee-jin tells her the whole truth. You know, that he’s from the past. She knows Soo-kyung won’t believe it, and it’s enough to get her off the subject for now.

A kind old man sweeping the streets spots Hee-jin and laments that she hasn’t moved out of her crummy neighborhood even with such a nice car. While driving she touches her lips, remembering the kiss, and we flash back to see the end of her conversation with Boong-do. She wanted to go on a real date when they meet again in a month and spend the whole day together, only he didn’t know what a “date” was. She told him she’d explain when they see each other again.

And Boong-do, in modern-day Jeju, travels to his time-skip spot and finds his Joseon clothes hidden where he left them. I guess he did wear a topknot toupee when he was the Dark Avenger, because now he’s walking around with a modern haircut in Joseon clothes, and it’s just funny.

He uses the talisman to jump back while he’s sitting on a bench, which lands him flat on his bum in Joseon. Ha. Multiple arrows fly at him the second he gets up. Poor guy can’t catch a break.

An assassin charges him from the trees with a sword, while Boong-do remains unarmed. He hasn’t had a chance to tuck his talisman into his clothes, which results in it getting sliced in half before his eyes. Oh no!!

Something strange happens as a result, and Boong-do grips his head as the world around him grows fuzzy. The assassin uses this opportunity to attack and slices Boong-do on the chest, causing our scholar to fall to the ground, unconscious.

Memories of his fight in the library – when the talisman first saved his life – come and go. He wakes up in a bed to see his loyal servant Han-dong keeping vigil, though he doesn’t stay conscious long.

The Jeju officials are just happy to have him back, though he’s been unconscious for ten days. He expresses confusion at his surroundings, though the minister tells him that he’s in his private residence – he’s been reinstated, after all, and is no longer an exile.

But Boong-do’s confusion goes deeper than just the four walls around him. He seems surprised to even be in Jeju at all. “Why am I in Jeju, and why the reinstatement order?” he asks, eyes wide. Oh crap. This seems like some mystical mumbo jumbo caused by the torn talisman.

Boong-do doesn’t remember anything about his exile, and I wonder if his amnesia extends back to the library fight (judging from the flashback). So when Han-dong arrives to express happiness that his lord is in one piece, Boong-do only responds with more confusion. How did he get here?

Han-dong explains that the evil Minister Min sent an assassin to kill him, which sends us to a scene with Ja-soo receiving word of the failed assassination attempt. Boong-do was saved from death this time not by the talisman, but by guards that happened to be nearby.

He’s too excited to notice anything amiss about Boong-do, and exclaims that Minister Min will be coming to Jeju for exile soon, too. Our scholar looks like he’s checking his reactions very carefully, but this is all coming as news to him. (Also, where did he get that topknot?)

Back with Ja-soo, the assassin minion hands over the only thing he found at the scene – the two halves of Boong-do’s talisman. I love that Ja-soo is like, he carries a talisman with him? Which sounds akin to, He still plays with toys?

Boong-do asks Han-dong what day it is, and is shocked that it’s April 30th. The last day he remembers is the first of March. The last two months are a complete blank in his memory.

As he explains to his servant that his last memory was being stabbed in the library (in his first confrontation with Ja-soo), the same assassin who stabbed him puts the two pieces of the talisman together and begins to read the characters aloud.

 
COMMENTS

An interesting turn, and that’s something I never thought I’d say about the amnesia plot device. Here’s the thing – the world has been so well established to where the mystical time-traveling bits seem like part and parcel to daily life, so in that sense, we believe in the power of the talisman just like Boong-do. When it was slashed in half I knew there’d be some sort of repercussion, because that’s just how the world has been set up. Because of that, I don’t believe that Boong-do’s amnesia was something randomly chosen from the grab bag of drama cliches inasmuch as it’s being used to hammer home the point that mystical circumstances beget mystical problems. It’s actually (gasp) being used believably.

Now that Boong-do has been playing with history, the choice to make Hee-jin’s career revolve around the historical events he’s living through – albeit in a TV drama – makes a lot of sense. It keeps Hee-jin intimately in tune with history enough to know when things change, and without a reason for her to care about historical events (so, if she worked any other kind of job sans historian), she’d be more out of the loop, and so would we. Her job isn’t just window dressing for her love story or something for her to do during scenes where she’s not with Boong-do; it’s been clearly thought out and serves a purpose. Love.

Time travel gets existential and funky when you start to think about the ramifications of what is and isn’t kosher to do in the past, though I like that Boong-do knows that he should meddle as little as possible. Still, it’s a pretty big deal that he changed the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty overnight, and that no one in the world remembers how history used to be, except for Hee-jin. I wonder what qualifies her to get a free memory pass – if it’s just a matter of knowing Boong-do, then Soo-kyung would remember the past events too, wouldn’t she? I’m guessing it comes down to who knows whether he’s a time traveler or not, and as of right now, Hee-jin is the only one to fill that quota.

With this new development things could take a more dramatic turn, though I’ve been loving the easy balance of comedy and drama so far. None of it ever feels forced, so when Boong-do was reciting the Ten Steps To Impress Your Girlfriend, I was laughing and swooning all at once. I like that they’re both frank in their own way about their future – they may not know all the answers, but they know that they want to face the questions together. Now with a broken talisman, the future becomes even more uncertain. To be separated from your lover by three-hundred years, and for him not to remember that you exist? That’s quite the pickle.