Korea Observer

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Boy band Super Junior and their company SM Entertainment dominated physical album sales in 2012. Rankings of album sales by company and artist were posted on Korean music chart site Instiz, which showed percentage sales top K-pop artists got last year. Photos by www.newsen.com

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Posted on Manila Bulletin Online on March 4, 2013 MANILA, Philippines - K-pop boy band 2PM lived up to their promise that they had something special prepared for Filipino fans at their concert last March 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Posted on Manila Bulletin Online on March 2, 2013 MANILA, Philippines - It's been close to two years since boy band 2PM released their last Korean album in 2011 and they said they're currently working to finish a new album, telling fans to be prepared to be blown away.

2PM's first concert in the Philippines was a blast. Here's the video of the finale: 

By JONATHAN. HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Nichkhun, member of K-pop boy band 2PM, is the newest endorser of Philippine clothing brand BENCH. BENCH made the announcement this morning on its Twitter and Facebook page. 2PM's Nichkhun on BENCH billboard in Magallanes, Makati (Photo courtesy of @anjell_27 on Twitter)

BY JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin  MANILA, Philippines - When members of Korean boy band 2PM hold concert in Manila on March 2, they will be the first artist under JYP Entertainment to do so.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Actor Kwon Sang Woo, who rose to stardom through the Korean drama "Stairway to Heaven," topped the list of Korean celebrities with the best six pack or washboard abs. (Clockwise from top left) Kwon Sang Woo, Julien Kang, Song Seung Hun, 2PM's Chansung, MBLAQ's Lee Joon and Cha Seung Won (Photos by www.newsen.com)

Want to meet the Hottest boys?  Be among the first online buyers of tickets to the 2013 2PM LIVE TOUR in Manila "What time is it" concert and get the chance to join the Meet & Greet! Those who get tickets via SMtickets.com until February 14 are qualified to be drawn as one of the 150 lucky fans!

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Korean boy band 2PM will be holding their first ever concert in the Philippines in March. JYP Entertainment announced that the 2PM Live Tour 2013: "What Time Is It?" will be held on March 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Boy band 2PM (Photos by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - The Japan concerts of Korean boy bands Big Bang and 2PM were selected as one of the best of 2012 by the Oricon music chart. Oricon's editor-in-chief recently published a list of the best 11 concerts in Japan which included the boy band's performances. 2PM (top) and Big Bang performing at their concerts in Fukuoka (Photos courtesy of JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment)

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

Nichkhun, member of Korean boy band 2PM, has been recognized as the most influential person at the 1st Annual Kerd Awards in Thailand. The Kerd Awards selected the most influential people in the Thai entertainment industry. The awarding ceremony was held on March 30 at the Grand Ballroom of the Crystal Design Center in Bangkok. Photos courtesy of www.pingbook.com

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines – The list of nominees for the MTV Video Music Awards Japan 2012 is out and six K-pop groups are included. 2NE1, KARA, Girls Generation, 2PM, CNBlue and SHINee got nominated along with music heavyweights like Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Bruno Mars. (Clockwise from top left) KARA, Girls Generation, SHINee &2NE1 (www.newsen.com

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines – K-pop group Girls Generation topped Forbes Korea’s “Power Celebrity 40” ranking for the second straight year. The list is based on the celebrities’ income, influence and reputation. Photos courtesy of www.newsen.com

2011 was an exciting year for K-Pop fans and the Korean music industry. In August, Billboard opened a new chart for K-Pop music, Billboard K-Pop Chart. Following the J-pop Chart, this is the second release of a country based music chart from Asia. And only a few months later, Google operated webcast provider YouTube launched its K-Pop Channel online.  The news created a buzz among fans and industry experts alike as it was the first time that YouTube had created an exclusive channel for any one country. The main reason for the decision was based on the fact that there are over 5 million K-Pop related webcasts on YouTube, but only 600,000 of these can be found using the search word ‘K-Pop’. A separate K-Pop channel was in demand to facilitate the search for Korean music for K-Pop fans worldwide. 

Korean boy band 2PM member Nichkhun is getting the heat from Korean citizens because of a controversial Thai TV commercial that depicts the Rising Sun Flag, the military flag of Japan used during World War II.  Nichkhun (center) performing on stage while the Rising Sun Flag is depicted on the LED screen at the back

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines – Rookie boy band Block B learned a painful lesson about sensitivity following a public outrage against their behavior in a TV interview where they were accused of making fun of flood victims in Thailand and showing immature behavior. Block B issued an apology on their official website for their behavior during the interview, with leader Zico shaving his head to show remorse. Block B (Photo courtesy of www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN M. HICAP Manila Bulletin  MANILA, Philippines – Three K-pop fans, one from Singapore and two from the Philippines, won in a K-pop sing and dance contest held by Korean TV channel KBS World in Seoul, South Korea to celebrate its eighth anniversary on July 1.

JONATHAN M. HICAP Manila Bulletin  MANILA, Philippines -- A decade ago, Korean dramas were the main driver of hallyu, or the Korean wave, with such hits “Winter Sonata,” “Jewel in the Palace,” “My Name is Kim Sam Soon” and “Coffee Prince." But with the explosion of the internet and social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in the past few years, Korean pop music, or K-pop, has overtaken Korean dramas to become the  top purveyor of the Korean wave worldwide.

From Manila Bulletin newspaper: By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, Philippines (Feb. 14, 2011) — If Koreans were given a choice to pick celebrities they want to be their dates on Valentine’s Day, they would spend the red-letter day with Girls Generation (aka SNSD), Big Bang, actor Hyun Bin and actress Kim Tae Hee. [caption id="attachment_136" align="alignnone" width="402" caption="(Clockwise from the top) Girls Generation, Kim Tae Hee, Hyun Bin and Big Bang. (Photos courtesy of SM Entertainment, SBS, MBC and YG Entertainment)"] [/caption]