Shinhwa’s Kim Dong-wan to star in 10th anniversary of ‘Hedwig’

Kim Dong-wan during Shinhwa's 16th anniversary concert (OSEN)K-pop singer and actor Kim Dong-wan is to play the role of transgender rocker “Hedwig” from mid-August, officials in the local musical industry said.The musical team selected Kim for the lead role to mark its 10th anniversary in Korea as he is able to bring out the unique character of Hedwig while performing steady yet powerful vocals.“Kim Dong-wan is full of merits. On the outside he is manly and masculine but on the inside he is sens

July 7, 2014

Top 5 tattoo-loving hallyu stars

Tattoos are no longer a symbol of gangsters on the backstreets in Korea. They have rather become fashion items to represent one’s identity and philosophy. With such a trend, more and more Korean celebrities are getting inked with their own unique designs. The Korea Herald listed the top five hallyu stars who have tattoos. 1. Lee Hyori (OSEN)K-pop diva Lee Hyori has multiple tattoos on her neck, right wrist and right arm. (OSEN)(OSEN)While Lee tattooed the simple word “love” on the back of her ne

July 7, 2014

Joo Won to appear as guest on ‘Running Man’

South Korean actor Joo Won will appear as a guest on the hit SBS-TV variety show “Running Man.” The 26-year-old heartthrob will participate in the filming of the program in Seoul on Tuesday, eight months after he stepped down from the KBS-TV reality show “1 Night, 2 Days.” Joo’s appearance on the show comes following months-long efforts by the production team. Having wrapped up his work in the musical “Ghost,” the actor is gearing up for his upcoming drama “Nodame Cantabile,” in which he will pl

July 7, 2014

SNSD’s Yoona to play lead in ‘Nodame Cantabile’

Yoona, actress and member of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation, confirmed Monday that she would play the female lead in the drama “Nodame Cantabile.”  (OSEN)The idol will play Nodame, a talented yet eccentric piano student, a counterpart to Korean actor Joo Won who will play her boyfriend and conductor. Veteran actor Baek Yoon-sik and Dohee of K-pop girl group Tiny-G have also joined the cast, playing Nodame’s teacher and a music student named Sakura, respectively. Nodame Cantabile was original

July 7, 2014

KARA’s Han Seung-yeon in orange makeup

K-pop girl group KARA’s Han Seung-yeon is seen with orange makeup in the fashion magazine High Cut. This summer issue shows the K-pop star in pure white outfits with various orange shades of makeup. By Cho Han-na, Intern reporter (hnncho@heraldcorp.com)(Photo credit: High Cut)

July 7, 2014

YG to debut K-pop rookie band WINNER in August

South Korean entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment is to debut its long-awaited rookie idol band WINNER in August. WINNER, the five-member boy group unveiled by the agency in 2013, wrapped up its “WINNER WEEK” last Sunday with a sixth teaser video on the YG official blog that heralded the group’s debut on Aug. 1. The fledgling band has broadened its presence for the last three promotional weeks -- “TEST WEEK,” “NEW YORK WEEK” and “WINNER WEEK” -- while disclosing photo shoots taken in Korea

July 7, 2014

Lee Hyori introduces her sister on blog

K-pop diva Lee Hyori introduced her older sister on her blog on Saturday. “My older sister visited me on a rainy day. We look alike and share many (of the) same things,” Lee said. Both joyfully played cat’s cradle, the photos showed. Other photos showed Lee dyeing her and her husband’s nails with garden balsam, which is one of the traditional Korean ways to naturally color one’s nails. “A friend of mine gave me some garden balsam. My sisters and I used to dye (our) nails with the flowers every y

July 7, 2014

Lee Young-ae boasts casual yet chic style

Hallyu star Lee Young-ae showed off a casual yet chic style in a photo shoot with the magazine StyleChosun.  (StyleChosun)Wearing jeans and a T-shirt as well as Cartier accessories, Lee’s style was both casual and luxurious. (StyleChosun)More photos are available in the magazine’s July issue. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

July 7, 2014

Ada Liu alleges dating 2PM Chansung, Korean agency denies

Chinese actress and emcee Liu Yan (Ada Liu) sent shockwaves as she admitted to reporters that she is in a relationship with Chansung of K-pop boy band 2PM. Liu, 34, met the Korean singer when they were participants on the Chinese dating entertainment show “If You Love.” Since then they have been in a romantic relationship, the actress alleged in a press conference for the launch of her friend’s new project in China. She told the press, “I’m currently in a relationship. My boyfriend has met my pa

July 7, 2014

‘Doctor Stranger’ gets nearly 400 million views in China

‘Doctor Stranger’ gets nearly 400 million views in ChinaThe South Korean TV series “Doctor Stranger” has gained popularity throughout China with the number of hits coming close to 400 million on the country‘s major online video services, a local entertainment agency said Monday.The drama series recorded 330 million views on Youku and 50 million views on Todou, both of China’s leading video streaming and downloading services as of Sunday night, according to WM Company, which manages one of the dr

July 7, 2014

Art project celebrates Korea-Australia friendship

The Australian Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday launched the “Australia-Korea Friendship Tree” art project to celebrate 125 years of contact between South Koreans and Australians.The project will explore the connection between the two nations through old and new artistic mediums. Smartphone users will be able to scan posters around Seoul to access a digital model of a tree, where they can view 125 images of Australian-Korean friendships, watch music videos from both countries, and even upload their o

Expat LivingJuly 6, 2014

For musical fans, once is not enough

Ever wondered why the hottest stars in the musical scene are all men? Or who are the people raging frantic ticket wars for some shows, often leading online reservation systems to crash immediately after sales begin? A new survey offers some clues. The poll, conducted last month by Interpark, a leading ticket reservation site for musicals, on behalf of The Herald Business, a sister paper of The Korea Herald, found that only 12.6 percent of the nearly 3,000 musical fans who responded watch a show

CultureJuly 6, 2014

Film remembers late Cardinal Kim

A documentary on the late Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009) will open in theaters on Aug. 7 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his passing. “The Cardinal,” directed by Jeon Seong-woo, presents the life of the late clergy member, through interviews with him in his last three years and many accounts from those who knew him. The documentary will focus on acknowledging the cardinal as a human being, beyond his public image. The official poster of “The Cardinal.” (Mountain Pictures)“The

FilmJuly 6, 2014

[Band Uprising] Taste the satisfying bitterness of Sweet Revenge

As the Korean music market begins to receive more international recognition, the local band scene is looking to rise up and represent the next generation of Korean music. This is the 19th installment of a series of interviews with Korean rock, acoustic and alternative bands. ― Ed.More than just innocent faces and dainty voices, members of the all-female band Sweet Revenge are here to prove that an act doesn’t have to scream and shout to create rock and roll.“The basic concept of our band is to h

PerformanceJuly 6, 2014

Paul McCartney returns to stage after hospitalization

ALBANY, New York (AP) ― Paul McCartney returned to a concert stage Saturday after being sidelined for two months because of a virus, spinning out songs from the Beatles, Wings and a solo career that has spanned more than 50 years of rock ’n’ roll.McCartney, who turned 72 two weeks ago, looked none the worse for wear. He made no immediate reference to his absence. One oblique reference could have been his performance of the song, “On My Way to Work,” which he said he hadn’t done live before. Paul

PerformanceJuly 6, 2014

Jang Na-ra tells of awkward past relationship with Jang Hyuk

Actress Jang Na-ra confessed that she didn’t even talk to actor Jang Hyuk 12 years ago when they costarred in the hit rom-com drama “Successful Story of a Bright Girl” in 2002.“I did not (privately) chat with him, except when we talked during the filming of the drama back then,” the singer-turned-actress said Sunday during an interview on the MBC show “Section TV.” “We did not even know each other’s mobile numbers. I am not the (kind of) person who can approach someone first. That’s why we could

July 6, 2014

Haru is my muse, Epik High’s Tablo says

Tablo, a member of the South Korean hip-hop group Epik High, revealed two photos of his baby girl, Haru.  (Instagram)The 33-year-old rapper introduced his daughter as his “muse” in the captions to the photos taken at his recording studio. The celebrity father and his starlet baby are capturing the hearts of viewers while starring in the KBS-TV babysitting reality show “Superman Is Back.” 　By Ock Hyun-ju (laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

July 6, 2014

Super Junior’s Choi Si-won turns into cyclist in film

Choi Si-won of K-pop idol group Super Junior unveiled a photo titled “with my friend” on his Weibo account last Saturday.  (Weibo)Choi is posing for a camera with Shawn Dou, a Chinese-Canadian actor on the film set for “Breaking Through the Wind.” The duo are smiling, wearing sportswear and making V signs.  　The two are costarring in the upcoming film, directed by Hong Kong director Lin Chaoxian.　The 28-year-old heartthrob will play a Korean-Chinese cyclist in the film about young cyclists overc

July 6, 2014

JYJ to embark on Asia tour from August

K-pop idol band JYJ plans to meet Asian fans in eight cities across Asia including Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Vietnam, starting in August. (C-JeS Entertainment)The trio will begin its concert tour “The Return of the King” with the first concert to be held on Aug. 9 in Seoul. The first round of tickets to the upcoming concert sold out in just 20 minutes. The second round of ticket sales is slated to open on July 8. The concert tour will come shortly after the release of the group’s second s

July 6, 2014