Korea Observer

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin KARA’S Seungyeon will be in Manila this weekend as a special guest at the MBC Music’s “Dream K-pop Fantasy Concert 2″ to be held on Feb. 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. “She will be here to support A-Jax,” a representative of the organizers told  Bulletin Entertainment . KARA’s Seungyeon (left) will be a special guest at the Dream K-pop Fantasy Concert 2 in Manila on Feb. 2 (www.newsen.com and All Access Productions)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Korean actress Kim Soo Hyun (also known as Yoo Ri El and Claudia Kim) has been cast in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” according to Korean media. Reports were abuzz in South Korea that the actress has been chosen to be in the sequel to the 2012 blockbuster “Avengers,” which raked in $1.5 billion at the box office. Kim Soo Hyun and the “Avengers: Age of Ultron” poster (Photos courtesy of www.newsen.com and Marvel Studios website)

Euromonitor International is pleased to release the Top City Destinations Ranking, covering 100 of the world’s leading cities in terms of international tourist arrivals. Continued economic growth helped these cities collectively experience a gain of 6.6% in 2012, outpacing the 4.2% growth of overall international arrivals.  Within the top 10, six cities are located in Asia, demonstrating the importance of the region to international travel. Overall, 32 of the top 100 city destinations are in Asia Pacific, 12 more than in second-placed Western Europe. 

Link to my original article on Manila Bulletin online:To contact the author, send email to sangchusan(at)gmail.com

The American reality show “The Bachelor,” recently shot an episode in South Korea featuring the K-pop group 2NE1, as part of the show’s fourth episode that aired Monday night in the US (Tuesday morning in Manila). Juan Pablo and the girls performing on stage with 2NE1 in an episode of “The Bachelor” (Photos courtesy of ABC)

Link to my original article on Manila Bulletin online:To contact the author, send email to sangchusan(at)gmail.com

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin American rapper Snoop Dogg is set to appear in the new music video of rapper Psy. This was relayed by YG Entertainment via its official blog site, YG Life, noting Snoop’s recent visit to South Korea. Psy with Snoop Dogg and G-Dragon (courtesy of YG Life, Psy’s Twitter and Internet community site)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The Korean Film Archive (KOFA) has released its list of top 100 Korean films in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The list was chosen by 62 film scholars, film critics, industry professionals and officials through a survey. The top 100 Korean films were chosen by critics and industry professionals )Photo courtesy of Korean Film Archive)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Korean rapper Psy and boy band EXO bagged the most-prized trophies at the 28th Golden Disk Awards held on Jan. 16 at the Kyunghee University’s Grand Peace Palace. Psy took home the Digital Daesang, or Song of the Year, for “Gentleman,” his follow-up track to his viral hit “Gangnam Style.” (Clockwise from top left) Psy with SHINee’s Minho, EXO, BEAST, SHINee and Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Tiffany. (Photos courtesy of www.newsen.com, isplus.joins.com and No Cut News)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Korean girl group KARA will be left with only three members with the departure of Nicole and Jiyoung. Nicole officially left KARA today with the expiration of her exclusive contract under DSP Media, the group’s agency. Nicole (left) and Jiyoung (Photos courtesy of www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Billboard has released its “14 Artists to Watch in 2014″ list and it includes Korean boy band EXO. “They’re not household names… yet, but these 14 music makers – including pop stars in the making, soulful UK upstarts, an up and coming rapper, and a few hot groups – are primed to do big things this year,” according to Billboard.com. EXO (Photos courtesy of EXO’s official Facebook page)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin If plans push through, the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) will be held in the Philippines this year. According to the Global Hallyu Data 2013 report released by the Korea Foundation, there are plans to hold the awards show in the country on Nov. 26. The 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) drew celebrities including (clockwise from top left) Paris Hilton and G-Dragon, Girls’ Generation, Rain and EXO (Photos by www.newsen.com)

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By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, continued to spread in many countries with the number of fans reaching 9.28 million in 2013. The number of hallyu fan clubs and groups worldwide reached 987 last year, according to the Global Hallyu Data 2013 report released by the Korea Foundation.

My friend and I met last night to have dinner and watch a movie at Alabang Town Center.  Bulgogi Brothers 

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Super Junior leader Leeteuk was in tears and in deep sorrow at the funeral for his father and grandparents that was held this morning in Seoul. His sister, Park In Young, relatives and friends were at the Korea University Guro Hospital mortuary to bid their final farewell to Park Yongin, 57, Leeteuk’s father; and grandparents Park Hyeon Suk, 84, and Cheon Kyung Tae, 79. Leeteuk at the funeral (Photos by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The Korean government will implement a new law that will protect aspiring K-pop artists and actors against abuse by unscrupulous entertainment agencies. Under the new law by Korea’s National Assembly, those who will establish an entertainment agency in South Korea will have to get approval from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Actress Jang Ja-yeon, who appeared on ‘Boys over Flowers,’ committed suicide in March 2009 (Photos by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The numbers are in and local films dominated the box office in South Korea in 2013. Korean films captured nine of the top 10 highest-grossing films of the year, based on figures from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Park Shin Hye, Ryu Seung-ryong and Kal So-won in the top top-grossing film ‘Miracle in Cell No. 7′ (Photos by the film’s official Facebook page)

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By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Actress Lee Bo Young bagged the Daesang, or Grand Prize, at the 2013 SBS Drama Awards for her role in the hit drama “I Hear Your Voice.” The awards recognized stars who appeared on SBS projects for the year. Besides winning the Daesang, Lee Bo Young also took home the Producers’ Award and Top 10 Stars Award. 2013 SBS Drama Awards winners (from top left) Lee Bo Young, Jo In-sung, Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Lee Jong Suk and Kang Min-hyuk (Photos by www.newsen.com and SBS)