‘Flower Boys’ Kim Hyun Joong and Kim Kyu Jong pose with ‘Goong’ producer Song Byung Joon

A few days ago, SS501‘s Kim Hyun Joong paid a visit to his fellow member, Kim Kyu Jong, during Kim Kyu Jong’s rehearsal for the musical, “Goong“.
Additional photos from the visit were released today, which also included Hyun Joong’s meeting with Group 8 CEO and producer of “Goong”, Song Byung Joon.  Hyun Joong had previously worked with him for ‘Boys Over Flowers‘ and ‘Playful Kiss‘.
Although they both portray ‘flower boys’ in “Goong”, fiction wasn’t too far from fact, as Kim Hyun Joong and Kim Kyu Jong easily made hearts melt with their bright smiles and handsome looks.

Netizens reacted with “It’s so sweet to see them take care of each other“, “I really want to see all the members stand on one stage“, and “Always flower boys“.

Alex gets cast in “Thousand Days’ Promise”

 Earlier this month, we reported that Park Yoohwan was cast in a new SBS drama called ‘Thousand Days’ Promise’. It’s just been revealed that singer-turned-actor Alex will be joining him on the small screen as a supporting role.
On September 5th, a representative of Alex’s agency stated, “Alex has been confirmed to star in ‘Thousand Days’ Promise’. He recently had a script-reading and is giving his all for this drama.”
Alex will be starring as Kim Rae Won‘s friend ,who is an owner of a construction company. Having enjoyed his acting stint in KBS‘s ‘Smile, Donghae‘ earlier this year, Alex is raring to go for another opportunity.
Be sure to check him out when “Thousand Days’ Promise” airs sometime in next month.

2PM promises fans “explosive laughter” during their Chuseok special

2PM has assured their “2PM Show” viewers, “We will take ownership for explosive laughter this Chuseok holiday.”
SBS E!TV‘s “2PM Show”will be airing a Chuseok special, and the members sent a greeting to their viewers saying, “Spend your abundant Korean Thanksgiving healthily with us, 2PM.” The message included a hilarious clip of 2PM dancing in a circle while holding hands (ganggangsulae).
In the upcoming “2PM Show” special, fans will get to view a compilation of 2PM’s most entertaining moments on the program. They will be broadcasting all of the funniest audition clip, as well as the top three moments from the last eight episodes. The members’ unique characters will also be revealed through a ‘character alignment’ segment.
The “2PM Show” Chuseok Special will air on September 10th at 11 PM, and on SBS E!TV on the 11th at 12 PM.

Japanese fans feel the ‘Dream High’ fever at Saitama Super Arena

After drawing a crowd of over 3,000 fans to Japan’s Haneda Airport late last week, Bae Yong Joon and Kim Soo Hyun appeared for a sold-out “Dream High Premium Event” at the Saitama Super Arena. The actors were accompanied by their co-stars J.Y. Park, 2PM‘s Taecyeon and Wooyoung, as well as miss A‘s Suzy, who all shared a meaning meeting with their fans.
Though the drama “Dream High” finished its broadcast in August, its popularity hasn’t flagged one bit.
The event started with Bae Yong Joon’s greeting to the crowd, and  his speech was punctuated by screams of “Yon-sama“, a tribute to his earlier popularity with ‘Winter Sonata‘.  Kim Soo Hyun put on an excellent performance of the “Dream High” OST track “Dreaming“, which received much praise from the fans at the event.
Bae Yong Joon and J.Y. Park took some time to express their gratitude to their viewers and revealed behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the drama. They talked about some of the drama’s highlight scenes and their experience in working with one another.
Additionally, the main stars of “Dream High” — Kim Soo Hyun, Suzy, Taecyeon, and Wooyoung — had a special talk as they recanted episodes from the drama set, and shared personal stories from when they were filming the show.
The event came to an end with Kim Soo Hyun, Suzy, Taecyeon, and Wooyoung’s performance of the OST track, “Dream High“. They sang the song in Japanese, which delighted their audience. Lastly, Bae Yong Joon and J.Y. Park returned to the stage to give their final messages of gratitude to their fans.

Kim Hyun Joong successfully completes his Asia tour

On August 27th, SS501‘s Kim Hyun Joong successfully concluded his one month promotional tour across Asia and returned to Korea. Starting with Japan last month, the star toured seven different countries across Asia, which resulted in blocked-up airports at every entrance. His popularity was definitely confirmed with each visit, as he reportedly ran out of staff to effectively control the crowd for every high-five event. Kim Hyun Joong has also been receiving love calls from record labels around the globe. Kim Hyun Joong revealed that he’ll be starting an Asia tour concert starting this December. “It was an enjoyable time that allowed me to meet my fans overseas, who are always supporting me and giving me so much love. I’ve gained so much strength from your love and I promise to work hard on my next album.” The star will be heading straight into preparations for his second mini-album.

SM Entertainment’s Kim Young Min talks about Hallyu and marketing strategies

On September 3rd, SM Entertainment CEO Kim Young Min met with reporters at a restaurant in Tokyo to talk about the success of his artists and the ‘new Hallyu wave’. Kim began, “Whether or not there will be another first-rate group like TVXQ will determine the path of future juniors hoping to make their way into the Japanese market. It’s important that we focus on the production of content that will make K-Pop stand out from what’s already in Japan.” He continued, “The power of TVXQ is just huge and impressive. Despite the controversy they’re undergoing, it’s because of what the five members accomplished that there’s a K-Pop market right now.” When asked about the ‘expiration date’ for K-Pop, he replied, “At minimum, K-Pop will be popular for about three to five more years. The reason K-Pop is so popular all over the world is because of the idol groups. I think that it’s either going to last for three to five more years, or continue on forever. In the case of Japan, I heard that Hallyu contents broke all of the sales records in one of Japan’s biggest CD and DVD rental and sales chain. The international market is always growing.” He continued, “The influence of social networking services is a considerable factor in our success. SNS is just a portion of our marketing, however, not a main tool. SNS is useful for marketing, but not a necessity.” On the topic of the anti-Hallyu movement, he replied, “I think that it’s a natural phenomenon since our culture is going into Japan. There will be people with those thoughts anywhere in the world. Instead of focusing on that, it’s more important for us to focus on the creation of better content and the creation of an improved culture.

JYJ announces concert dates for Spain and Germany

C-JeS Entertainment has just announced that JYJ has confirmed concert tours in Europe!

On September 5th, representatives revealed, “JYJ will be heading over to Spain in October and Germany in November for their first solo concerts.”

To start, JYJ will be performing at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain on October 29th. The venue has seen performances from the likes of Ricky Martin and Deep Purple, so fans are looking forward to another great performance on that stage.

JYJ will also be making their way to Germany and are currently in the midst of finalizing their contract with the Tempodrom, a stadium previously used by Paul Robert Potts, the winner of ‘Britain’s Got Talent‘. That concert is currently scheduled for November 6th.

Representatives stated, “After the release of their worldwide album, they’ve received love calls from all over the world, especially Europe. This time, we’ve focused on cities centered around Spain and Germany specifically to allow fans to see JYJ.”

The concert sponsor for Spain stated, “JYJ is receiving a lot of attention amongst European fans for their outstanding artistic traits. Not only that, their album was also released in English through Warner Music, a label familiar to European fans.”

The members of JYJ expressed, “We’re moved that we’re able to prepare concerts for fans that we haven’t met yet. With global anticipation on the rise for Hallyu, we’re going to put forth the best of our performances.”

SNSD Sooyoung’s sister to take lead role in stage version of ‘Winter Sonata’

Although SNSD‘s Sooyoung is a name well-recognized across South Korea, her older sister has yet to become a familiar face. But that may soon change, however, thanks to the lead female role Choi Soo Jin nabbed for the stage version of the famous TV drama, ‘Winter Sonata’.

Choi Soo Jin, who will play the role of ‘Yoo Jin’, has also participated in musicals in the past, including ‘The Wizard of Oz‘, in addition to singing for soundtracks of popular dramas like ‘The Greatest Love‘.

‘Winter Sonata’, which will begin playing on September 27th at the Myungbo Art Hall, will also star Kim Tae Han in the dual roles of ‘Jun Sang’ and ‘Min Hyung’, which were filled by Hallyu star Bae Yong Joon in its initial 2000 broadcast.

Kangta wants to get married in two years?

On September 4th, the artists of SM Entertainment met with reporters after they successfully concluded their ’SM TOWN LIVE IN TOKYO SPECIAL EDITION‘ concerts in Tokyo, Japan.

Since Korea will soon be celebrating its Thanksgiving holiday, the artists were asked what they wished for the future. H.O.T.‘s Kangta answered, “My only wish is that I marry in two years,” and jokingly added, “This is a problem that only I have out of all the artists in SM Entertainment.”

SNSD‘s Tiffany gave a sweet response to the question, saying, “I want my SM family to be healthy, and I hope that everyone continues to cheer on and love SNSD and all the SM artists who have albums coming out in the fall.”

BoA replied, “I have more of a personal wish. I have a movie called ‘Cobu 3D‘ being released soon. “It’s currently in the editing process, but I hope that everything, including the editing, goes smoothly and that the movie can be announced to the public soon.”

In related news, the artists of SM Entertainment will soon be shifting their world tour from Tokyo to New York City, where they plan to hold a concert at Madison Square Garden for October 23rd.

Super Junior’s Leeteuk announces he will join the military next year

It looks like Super Junior will need to brace for another member departure, as Leeteuk announced his plans to enlist in the South Korean army.

In an interview following the successful ‘SM TOWN Live in Tokyo Special Edition‘ concert, Leeteuk revealed that he will be enlisting next year. “I plan to enter the military next year,” he said, jokingly adding that “I’m saying this so I don’t get hateful comments such as ‘Just go the the army’.”

“The Tokyo Dome was a dream stage for me,” he revealed. “It was always my wish to stand on it before I left for the army.”

He also spoke about his performance at the Tokyo concert and how it affected him personally. “I felt happy seeing the fans go crazy over the final ending performance, where we sang “Light“, a song personally composed by our senior Kangta.”

Baek Ji Young attends 2PM concert with her boyfriend

Celebrity couple Baek Ji Young and Jung Suk Won recently attended 2PM‘s second solo concert from their ‘2PM Hands Up Asia Tour‘ at the Seoul Jamsil gymnasium.

An associate who was also present at the concert told Star News, “Baek Ji Young and Jung Suk Won went to the 2PM concert, and they were clapping and cheering along to the songs, enjoying the atmosphere. They didn’t care about their surroundings during the concert and fully enjoyed their date“.

The two are also planning their first overseas photoshoot together. They’ll be leaving for Bangkok on the 6th and plan to stay there for about a week for their fashion photoshoot.

Baek Ji Young and actor Jung Suk Won (who’s nine years younger than Baek) officially announced their relationship back in June, and have since charmed fans with their affectionate communications on Twitter

Jay Park unleashes “Demon” MV!

Jay Park fans have known about “Demon” for some time now, and it’s finally been unleashed onto the industry through an official music video!

On September 5th, Jay Park released “Demon” as a digital single through online music sites Melon, Bugs Music, and Mnet.

Produced by Teddy Riley for Jay’s 3D dance film, ‘Hype Nation‘, the song is of the R&B Pop genre with English rap lyrics written by Jay Park himself.

The song tells the story of unrequited love of a man who has fallen in love with a devil.

In the video, Jay Park star wows with his crisp dance skills and smooth vocals, which seem to get better and better over time.

Without further ado, check out “Demon” below!

JYP Entertainment reassures that Taecyeon will be able to perform in 2PM’s ‘Hands Up Asia Tour’

A few days ago, it was reported that 2PM‘s Taecyeon had injured his leg while performing on stage during 2PM’s first concert for their ‘Hands Up Asia Tour‘ in Seoul.

JYP Entertainment released a statement saying, “Taecyeon is currently resting while receiving treatment for his injury. Because the injury is not severe, Taecyeon expressed his determination to continue on with the Asia tour, and therefore, 2PM’s ‘Hands Up Asia Tour’ will carry on as planned. Taecyeon will meet his schedule while ensuring that he doesn’t overwork himself. We will watch over the condition of his knee and adjust his schedule if necessary.”

Having successfully completed their Seoul concerts on September 2nd and 3rd, the boys will now head to Taiwan for their October 8th concert. Afterwards, they’ll perform in Indonesia for November 11th,Singapore for November 19th, Malaysia for November 25th, the Philippines for November 27th, and Beijing for mid-November. They will then wrap up their Asia tour in December with a nationwide tour in Japan.

2PM and KBS‘s ‘Dream High‘ also have a promotion schedule planned, which will take place in Japan this month.

SM Entertainment artists take over Tokyo for ‘SM Town Live in Tokyo’

From September 2nd through the 4th, the Tokyo Dome shook with the cheers of 150,000 fans, all cheering for their favorite artists during the ‘SM Town Live in Tokyo‘ concerts.

For three days, SM Entertainment labelmates BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SNSD, SHINee, f(x), CSJH, Kim Min Jong, Kang Ta, and many others came together for the second time since January. Over 600,000 fans applied for tickets, leading SM to add another concert date.

The concert kicked off with an impressive opening video and then ballad performances by Kim Min Jong and Kang Ta. SNSD was up next with their own hit tracks, while TVXQ followed with Super Junior. tThe label’s maknae groups, SHINee and f(x), rounded out the stage.

Shindong, Eunhyuk, Minho, and Key also came out with a fun hip hop performance of “A-Yo“.

TVXQ and SNSD in particular impressed fans by conversing with them in fluent Japanese throughout the concert. There were a lot of collaboration stages between the groups as well, such as Jessica and Krystal‘s “Tik Tok” and Seohyun and Kyuhyun‘s “Way Back Into Love“.

Akigawa Masafumi, a Japanese popera singer, collaborated with Ryeowook, Yesung, and Onew for “A Thousand Winds“.

Fans were also delighted to see Sulli and Kang Ta interact for their “7989” stage, during which Kang Ta handed her a rose and drew jealous screams from fangirls and fanboys alike.

TVXQ’s Yunho talks about performing at the Tokyo Dome for the second time

On September 4th, the TVXQ duo met with reporters after they performed at the ‘SM Town Live in Tokyo‘ concert at the Tokyo Dome.

It’s the second time in two years for TVXQ to perform at this prestigious venue, the first being back in 2009. Yunho expressed how honored he felt to hold a stage there once again, as he said, “The Tokyo Dome is a special place for TVXQ in particular. We’ve received the opportunity to stand on it once again, but this time with our company family members. It’s a lot more meaningful this time around.”

He continued, “We had a period of hiatus, so we’re grateful that so many people showed up. As opposed to hoping for TVXQ to maintain their popularity, I want to continue to try new things. Since our juniors are doing so well and are making their way up, we have to act as seniors and continue to work our way out.”

Concluding, Yunho added, “More than anything, we enjoyed ourselves at the concert. It’s rare to find a concert where every single person is enjoying themselves so I hope that we’re able to continue this feeling into our future stages.”

TVXQ performed a string of their hit tracks including “Rising Sun“, “Mirotic“, “Superstar“, “Keep Your Head Down“, as well as a song off of their new September single, “B.U.T.”

JYJ to make Korean comeback this month, starting with “In Heaven”

The JYJ trio have announced that they’ll be making their comeback this month!

They’ll be releasing a music video teaser for their new song, “In Heaven“, through the C-JeS Entertainment homepage on September 6th.

Speaking through Star News, representatives revealed, “Preceding the release of their next album, which will hold new Korean songs, JYJ will be releasing the music video for one of their new tracks, ‘In Heaven’. We’re currently working with our distributors.”

“In Heaven” has been performed at their concerts for some time now and is a favorite amongst fans thanks to its sorrowful theme and the members’ perfect harmonization.

Member Junsu will be working with labelmate actress Song Ji Hyo for the music video.

Meanwhile, JYJ also has a concert tour coming up at the end of the year

B1A4 releases comeback teaser image for Jinyoung

The boys of B1A4 have announced that they’ll be making their comeback this month with their second mini-album!

On September 5th, the teaser image for leader Jinyoung was released through their official homepage along with a list of exciting dates.

The digital release for their second mini-album is set for September 16th, but until then, fans can enjoy the image teasers of Baro, CNU, Sandeul, and Gongchan on the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th respectively.

The boys had debuted with a colorful, cute style, but it seems that this time around, they’re aiming to try for something more trendy and fun.

After School’s Lizzy reveals her graceful side

After School‘s Lizzy recently uploaded a selca showing off a graceful but cute look that accented her simple elegance.

On September 3rd, Lizzy tweeted, “Being a graceful Park Lizzy before I head to bed,” along with the picture above. Lizzy is wearing a pure white dress with her luscious hair down in curls, shyly smiling at the camera.

Netizens who came across the photo commented, “I thought that she only had a cute side, but she’s very composed as well“, “I like this kind of image also“, “Anything is cute on you. Fighting Lizzy“.

Lydia Paek continues working with YG Entertainment

To the delight of many fans, Korean-American Lydia Paek revealed via Youtube today that she has been working with YG Entertainment as of late.

Well-known in America as a Youtube star and member of QUEST Crew, Paek entered the k-pop radar when she co-produced and co-wrote Park Bom‘s “Don’t Cry” with Teddy earlier this year. Previously introduced through her friend Shaun Evaristo, who choreographs for Big Bang and 2NE1, Paek seems to have more projects with YG coming up in the future.

“I have been getting this question asked to me a lot, and it’s if I’ve been working with YG Entertainment, and the answer to the question is yes!” Lydia exclaimed in the video blog. “I’m so excited and I’m working really hard. I will definitely definitely keep you guys updated on that. I feel so blessed to be a part of that company.”

Paek certainly earned some new fans through her involvement with “Don’t Cry”; are you excited for her future work with YG Entertainment?

APRIL KISS’s explosive powerful & sexy charisma floors fans

Rookie girl group APRIL KISS may just be starting out, but the ladies have already been catching many kpop fans’ eyes as they made their round of music show debut performances this weekend.

On September 1st, APRIL KISS, composed of six charismatic girls, made their debut on Mnet ‘M! Countdown‘ with their title song, “Hello Bus“, catching plenty of spotlight for their debut performance. They followed up the next day with a performance on KBS Music Bank, then wrapped up on Inkigayo last night.

APRIL KISS has been garnering much attention since their pre-debut days, back when they were hailed as ‘female 2PM‘. Composed of Soo Min, Kooji, Haejeun, Sara, Julie, and Seeho, APRIL KISS members are all experienced in different genres such as super model, CF model, and musical actress.

“Hello Bus” is a track featuring strong beats and an addictive melody that makes a very strong impact on the listeners. The song portrays the sexy charisma that APRIL KISS members each have, and with the right choreography, the girls were able to put on a spectacular debut performance.

APRIL KISS members impressed the fans with their stable vocals even though it was their first time on stage. Not only that, but the girls had the guys going wild for more as they flaunted their excellent physique and slim figures.

Netizens commented after watching their performance, “They are amazing“, “Other girl groups should be nervous“, “‘Hello Bus‘ and APRIL KISS fighting“, “Finally a rookie group to be excited about,” giving positive feedback on the new girl group.