When Hallyu Stars Bank on Advertising Only

Despite numerous box office bombs and once-in-a-blue-moon TV soap appearances, some actors and actresses enjoy wild successes as commercial models, firmly establishing an aura of mystery even among celebrities. In Japan, even popular celebrities rarely appear in more commercials than dramas, while stars in U.S. rarely shoot commercials except for luxury goods. But in Korea, [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Koo Hye-sun Aims for Next Big Hit

Koo Hye-sun, the 26-year-old rising actress from the recent hit TV drama “Boys Over Flowers,” has embarked on a new career as a filmmaker. Her debut film, titled “The Madonna,” was screened at this year’s 13th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival, which ended last Sunday.
The film tells the story of a priest who assists in [...]

Popularity: 4% [?]

KOFIC Releases Korean Cinema Today July-August Issue

The Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) edition of KOFIC’s quarterly Korean Cinema Today magazine, has just been published. With the title ‘Expand the Market Expand the Views’ this edition focuses on international co productions and international Korean film business.
The title article in particular looks at successful co production and cinematic international changes with the [...]

Popularity: 7% [?]

TVXQ Replaces SNSD with Jun Ji-Hyun

The boys of TVXQ (aka DBSK or Tohoshinki in Japan) said goodbye to the girls of SNSD and welcomed Hallyuwood actress Jun Ji-hyun as their new partner and love interest for Samsung’s new Anycall Haptic phone (aka the Instinct outside Korea).
In each of the new CF, a color was given to each TVXQ member to [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

Korea’s 100 Most Influential People for 2008 (100-51)

International fashion and entertainment magazine Premierre-Elle released on their website Korea’s 100 Most Influential People for 2008. The article had a nice mix of corporate people and entertainers and surprisingly, a lot of showbiz personalities topped the list. Here’s the run-down of the list from 100-51:
100. Seo Taiji - Singer, Musician
99. Kim Yong-ha - Author
98. [...]

Popularity: 9% [?]