Korea Observer

SNSD’s Hyoyeon asked to name Korean actress ‘drooling from drugs’ in Burning Sun club : Kim Sang-kyo (left) and Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyeon at Burning Sun club (Kim Sang-kyo’s Instagram)  K-pop group Girls’ Generation member and DJ Hyoyeon was dragged into the Burning Sun club scandal that forced Big Bang member Seungri to retire from the entertainment industry in March 2019. He

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Gallup Korea has released the result of a survey that determines the most liked personalities by Koreans in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The survey asked 1,700 respondents aged 13 years old and above who their favorite celebrities, film stars, singers, athletes, comedians and presidents are. (Clockwise from top left) Actor Kim Soo Hyun, singer Cho Yong Pil, comedian Yoo Jae Suk, athlete Kim Yuna and film actor Choi Min Sik (Photos: www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop stars descended on the famous Gangnam area in Seoul for the opening ceremony of K-Star Road, home to various entertainment agencies, shops, restaurants and attractions. The K-Star Road is a kilometer stretch in Cheongdam and Apgujeong in Gangnam that features giant toys that carry the names of K-pop groups such as Girls’ Generation, 2PM, FT Island, CNBLUE, SHINee and Super Junior.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop idol groups Super Junior, Girls’ Generation and Red Velvet will be coming to Manila in April for a concert. Dubbed “Best of Best in Manila,” the concert will be held on April 12 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin 2PM’s Nichkhun, 25, and Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany, 24, are now officially a couple, with their respective management, JYP Entertainment and SM Entertainment, confirming the matter in a statement and asking fans for understanding and support. (Top) Nichkhun and Tiffany during the secret date in Gangnam last month; both were emcees at the Korean Wave Music in Bangkok in 2011 (Sports Seoul and MBC)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop quintet 4Minute notched their first TV music chart triumph since making their comeback with their new mini-album “4Minute World,” which contains five tracks including the lead single “Whatcha Doin’ Today.” The girl group performed the title track on SBS “Inkigayo” on March 30, competing with other artists including CNBLUE, Girls’ Generation, 2NE1, Orange Caramel, Boys Republic and JJCC. 4Minute showing their first comeback trophy (Twitter)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Seoul, South Korea – Korean music TV shows showcasing the most popular K-pop singers continue to draw local and international fans. Bulletin Entertainment  witnessed how these fans would even brave the coldest of weathers to see their idols in person.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Forbes Korea magazine has released its annual “Korea Celebrity 40″ list, which ranked the country’s most influential and popular celebrities according to product sales, media exposure, broadcasting activities and professionalism. (Clockwise from top left) Girls’ Generation, Big Bang, EXO and miss A’s Suzy (Facebook, www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Japanese girl group AKB48 and boy band One Direction won as Artists of the Year at the recently concluded Japan Gold Disc Awards 2014. Several K-pop artists also emerged as winners in the prestigious awards, including TVXQ, Girls’ Generation and BAP.

Girls’ Generation made another successful comeback with the release of their new mini-album “Mr.Mr.” last Feb. 24. The album, which contains six songs, including, “Mr.Mr.,” “Goodbye,” “Europa,” “Wait A Minute,” “Back Hug” and “Soul,” quickly rose to the top of several Korean music charts on its way to achieving “all-kill” status.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin 2NE1, CNBLUE and Girls’ Generation are going head to head this month, with each group releasing separate albums on Feb. 24. SM Entertainment was the first to lay claim on the date, when it announced the release the new album of Girls’ Generation titled “Mr.Mr.” (From the top) 2NE1, CNBLUE and Girls’ Generation (YG Entertainment, FNC, SM Entertainment)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Twelve artists who topped Korea’s premier music chart in 2013 were recognized at the 3rd Gaon Chart K-pop Awards held on Feb. 12 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, with each getting a Song of the Year award for their respective hits. (Clockwise from top left) SISTAR, EXO, Cho Yong Pil, 4Minute, IU and Girls’ Generation. (www.newsen.com)

Top K-pop act Girls’ Generation will be making their much-awaited comeback this month with a new mini-album.

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 Boy band EXO and SHINee’s Choi Minho became the most searched K-pop group and Korean personality in the Philippines in 2013, respectively. Google Philippines released its annual year-end Zeitgeist, a collection of the top search queries by Filipinos on google.com.ph. (Clockwise from top left) SHINee's Minho, EXO, Jang Geun Suk, Girls' Generation, Yoo In Na and SHINee. (Photos courtesy of www.newsen.com and EXO's Facebook page)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The government of South Korea will be donating $5 million (about P219 million) worth of humanitarian assistance to the victims and families affected by Typhoon “Yolanda” in the Philippines. K-pop fan clubs, on the other hand, are helping in the relief efforts through donation drives and volunteering. Fans of (from the top) Girls’ Generation, CNBLUE, 2PM, DBSK and others are helping in providing assistance to the victims of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in the Philippines (Photos from Facebook pages of Girls’ Generation, CNBLUE and 2PM, and www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin “No Breathing,” the Korean film that was shot partly in the Philippines, has earned $2 million at the box office since its release last Oct. 30. The movie has garnered 318,766 in attendance and has earned 2.15 billion won (about $2 million and P87.6 million) in South Korea as of Nov. 5, according to data from the Korea Film Council’s website. Clockwise from top) Lee Jong Suk, Yuri and Seo In Guk in ‘No Breathing’ (Photos from ‘No Breathing’)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop group Girls’ Generation bagged the Video of the Year in the inaugural YouTube Music Awards held Sunday night in New York City (Monday morning in Manila). Girls’ Generation’s “I Got A Boy” was voted Video of the Year, beating out Psy’s “Gentleman” Demi Lovato’s “Heart Attack,” Epic Rap Battles of History’s “Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney,” Miley Cyrus’ “We Can’t Stop,” Justin Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj’s “Beauty and a Beat,” Lady Gaga’s “Applause,” One Direction’s “Best Song Ever,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert’s “Same Love,” and Selena Gomez’s “Come & Get It.”

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop acts Girls’ Generation and Psy bagged nominations in the first-ever YouTube Music Awards. “These video and artist nominations are based on YOUR views, likes, comments and subscriptions over the last 12 months from September 2012,” according to YouTube’s official blog. Girls’ Generation and Psy (Photos courtesy of SMTOWN Facebook page and YG Entertainment)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The Korean film “No Breathing” that was partly shot in Davao in the Philippines will be released on Oct. 31. (From left) Seo In Guk, Yuri and Lee Jong Suk at the “No Breathing” press conference. (Photo by www.newsen.com)