Korea Observer

My K-pop article "K-Pop Groups Make It To Oricon 2012 Rankings"  published in the Manila Bulletin issue today, June 26, 2012. 

Here is a big surprise ONLY for our Indonesia fans of Seoul!!!  Seoul is going to give away 30 tickets for the MBLAQ concert in Indonesia.

Experience the Chuseok holiday in Seoul this year! Just make a video of you and your friend cooking up a Korean dish and upload it onto our YouTube channel. You may be one of the five lucky teams to be selected to win a 'Delicious Seoul Story' trip to Seoul that includes airfare, hotel accommodation, a gourmet food tour, and classes with master Korean chefs! Entry Period Submissions must be entered between  12:00 Korean Standard Time (KST) on July 2, 2012 and 17:00 Korean Standard Time (KST) on August 10, 2012. Eligibility Only non-Korean citizens residing outside of South Korea can enter. Winners Announcement Winners will be contacted individually via e-mail and will also be announced on the website ( http://welcome.visitseoul.net)   on August 17, 2012 Korean Standard Time.  * The dates for the "Delicious SEOUL story" trip are set for September 17, 2012 - September 21, 2012 and cannot be changed.  If a winning team is unavailable for...

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - A 15-year-old girl from Brooklyn, New York, who suffers from a hereditary disorder affecting the nerves and muscles, fulfilled her dream of meeting her favorite K-pop group SHINee.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Several K-pop groups made it to the list of bestselling artists in Japan for the first half of 2012. Oricon chart has released the list of top 50 singles, albums and DVDs from January to June. Photos from www.newsen.com and Facebook pages of Big Bang & Super Junior

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Super Junior member Kangin will be returning to the boy band after two years and nine months through his participation in their new album. SM Entertainment confirmed that Kangin will be part of Super Junior's sixth album, his first activity after being discharged from the Korean military last April. (From left) Kangin at the police station in 2009, his discharge from the army and his recent photo taken in May (Photos by www. newsen . com and Kangin's Twitter)

2AM leader Jo Kwon's first solo album "I'm Da One" has been released. In addition, the music video for the title track "I'm Da One" has been uploaded on YouTube. Check it out.

Philippine clothing store BENCH is displaying its different branches with huge posters of Super Junior members Siwon and Donghae, who are the brand's latest endorsers. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will be giving away signed copies of Xiah Junsu's "Tarantallegra" album.  Joining the contest is easy.  Xiah Junsu's "Tarantallegra" album (Photo courtesy of Seoul, Korea Facebook page)

BY JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Before she became a member of K-pop girl group 2NE1, Sandara Park had a thriving acting and singing career in the Philippines. On June 27, fans of Sandara in Korea will be able to watch three of her Filipino movies.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin  MANILA, Philippines - Jo Kwon, leader of Korean boy band 2AM, unleashed two songs online last night ahead of the release of his first solo album titled "I'm Da One" slated on June 25. The songs released are the title track "Animal (Radio Edit)" and "Just a Kiss," an English song. The two are part of Jo Kwon's 10-track album. Jo Kwon's album (Big Hit Entertainment)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - After his successful album promo tour in the Philippines and four other countries and his concerts in the US, K-pop star Jay Park will start his "New Breed Asia Tour in Seoul." Jay Park will kick off the concert on Aug. 18 at the Olympic Hall of Seoul Olympic Park. This is a follow up to his first solo concert held in Seoul last March 3. Jay Park at the Yeosu concert (left) and at Incheon International Airport on June 14 his way to Singapore (Photos by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Some 10 Filipinos in South Korea have qualified as regional finalists in the DZMM World Caravan Global Pinoy Singing Idol contest. According to Fe Kim, a Filipino married to a Korean and president of the Filipino Korean Spouses Association, 21 Filipinos in Korea joined the elimination round last month held at the conference hall of the Philippine Embassy in Itaewon, Seoul. The 10 regional finalists of the Global Pinoy Singing Idol contest at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul (Photos courtesy of Jack Rusl )

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - K-pop girl group 2NE1 will hold their first world tour this year. YG Entertainment said that the tour dubbed "New Evolution" will visit 10 cities in seven countries in Asia, the Americas and Europe and the number of cities is likely to rise due to numerous requests. 2NE1 will be the first Korean girl group to hold a world tour (Photo by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP MANILA, Philippines - Gaon chart, Korea's version of the Billboard charts, released the single and album rankings for K-pop for the month of May. TaeTiSeo , the subunit of Girls Generation, topped the singles and album rankings.

By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, Philippines - K-pop group Girls' Generation reached another milestone when their first Japanese studio album sold 1 million copies in Japan. The Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) issued on June 8 the list of certified works for May that includes the Korean group's "Girls' Generation" album which has reached "million" status after being released in June last year. Clockwise from the top) Girls Generation, Super Junior and Jang Geun Seuk. (Photos courtesy of www.newsen.com and Super Junior Facebook page)

2AM leader Jo Kwon greeted the Philippines by posting of photo of himself and Jinwoon. The photo was taken during 2AM's promo tour in the Philippines in April last year. 

JYJ's Kim Jaejoong certainly got time today as he posted several " selcas " on his Twitter account. 

f ( x)'s music video for their song "Electric Shock" was released today.

Here's another delicious Korean recipe from Maangchi.com, dakbokkeumtang (spicy braised chicken).

Filipino Workers Face Sacrifices In Korea, New Land Of Opportunity By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin  MANILA, Philippines --- To many Filipinos, South Korea beckons as the new land of opportunity. And the key to the gate of that land is the Employment Permit System (EPS). The EPS is the South Korean government’s program that allows small-and-medium Korean enterprises to hire foreign workers.

U-KISS members Kevin, AJ and Eli  joined Chef Seri in making different Korean dishes on KBS "Star Kitchen." 

(KBS World) Smoking in Gangnam Daero, an area with the heaviest foot traffic in Seoul, has been banned starting on June 1st. Public places like parks have often been designated as no-smoking zones, but this is the first time that a ban on smoking has been placed on the entire length of a street.

For those who are interested in the history of K-pop groups from 1996 to present, here's a Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_South_Korean_idol_groups#1996 The entry lists their debut year and member information.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - A collaboration between rapper 50 cent and K-pop group 2NE1? Hip hop magazine XXL thinks so, saying that the Grammy-winning rapper should work with the girl group along with 24 other artists including Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber. XXL listed the "25 Collaborations 50 Cent Should Consider" and named 2NE1 as one of them. 50 Cent and 2NE1 (Photos courtesy of the Facebook pages of 50 Cent and 2NE1, and www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Kim Kyu Jong, member of boy band SS501, has surprised his fans by announcing that he would be enlisting in the Korean army in July. He posted a handwritten letter addressed to his fans on his official website on June 1 to break the news. Photos by www.newsen.com

http://www. mb . com . ph /articles/361299/spins-spin-21-greatest-kpop-songs-of-all-time

By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, Philippines - Mark the date: October 24 . K-pop boy band Big Bang announced on May 31 that they will hold their Alive Concert Tour in the Philippines on October 24. Big Bang (Photo by Big Bang Facebook page)

Seoul Grand Park is holding its festival of festivals, the Rose Festival, from Friday May 25 to Sunday July 1, 2012 at its Theme Garden, which is located right beside the Seoul Zoo. Korea’s largest rose festival kicks off at the same time the park begins to open until 10PM every night.

Wonder Girls released the music video for their song "Like This," a cut from their new album "Wonder Party." Here's the music video:

Korean boy band Big Bang released the music video for their song "Monster."  Watch and enjoy: 

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - New York cable channel NY1 recently interviewed K-pop star Jay Park and noted his presence in the US market. Jay Park recently wrapped up his Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2012 concert tour in Washington, DC; New York City; Los Angeles and San Francisco. Jay Park in his APAHM Tour (Photos courtesy of www.verizonapahmtour.com/backstage)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin   MANILA, Philippines --- K-pop quintet the Wonder Girls will be making their comeback in Korea with the release of a new mini-album on June 3.  Titled "Wonder Party," the new mini-album contains six songs including five new tracks. These are the title track "Like This," "R.E.A.L," "Hey Boy," "Girlfriend," "Sorry," and "The DJ is Mine." Wonder Girls (Photos by JYP Entertainment)