Korea Observer

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Top agency KeyEast Entertainment has denied that actor and singer Kim Hyun Joong inflicted injuries on his girlfriend, who filed assault charges with the police last week against the star. (Photo: www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Korean star Kim Hyun Joong won at the Yahoo! Asia Buzz Awards for the fifth year in a row. The actor and singer won the top idol award at the ceremony held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong. Kim Hyun Joong at his drama showcase (Photo by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The dream of many SS501 fans finally came true when the members of the boy band reunited at a concert. Heo Young-saeng (center) with fellow SS501 members (from left) Park Jung-min, Kim Kyu-jong, Kim Hyung-jun and Kim Hyun Joong. (Courtesy of http://blog.naver.com/qhalclsrn12)

Hallyu stars Bae Yong Joon and Yoon Eun Hye won the top acting awards at the Korean Entertainment 10th Anniversary Awards in Japan held on Oct. 19 at Makuhari International Exhibition Center in Chiba City.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Kim Hyun Joong and girl group KARA claimed the top spots on the latest Billboard charts while other K-pop artists are also enjoying chart success in Japan.   According to the latest Billboard charts, Kim Hyun Joong's third mini-album "Round 3" debuted at No. 1 on the World Albums chart. Photos: www.newsen.com

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop acts Kim Hyun Joong and TVXQ's respective singles have been certified gold in Japan. Kim Hyun Joong's third Japanese single "Tonight" and TVXQ's new single "Ocean" have sold at least 100,000 copies each, according to the latest certifications issued by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ). Kim Hyun Joong and TVXQ (Photos by KeyEast and TVXQ Facebook page)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Korean star Kim Hyun Joong is celebrating his 27th birthday today, June 6, and has released his third Japanese single as a gift to fans. The singer released his maxi single "Tonight" on June 5 and in just one day, it sold 101,818 copies to rank second on Japan's Oricon daily singles chart. It also contains two other songs and was released in five different CD covers. Photos by KeyEast Entertainment

MANILA, Philippines - Hallyu star Kim Hyun Joong won the best actor award at the 5th Okinawa International Movie Festival (OIMF) held recently in Japan. The Korean actor was honored for his music video "Lucky Guy," his first Japanese single. Photo by www.newsen.com

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Hallyu star Kim Hyun Joong has decided to withdraw from his comeback TV drama following a dispute between TV station KBS and a production company. Kim Hyun Joong (Photo courtesy of Key East Entertainment)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin  MANILA, Philippines - Hallyu stars Kim Hyun Joong and Song Seung-heon will be immortalized in wax at Madame Tussauds wax museum in Busan, South Korea. The wax figures of the two Korean stars will be unveiled in December, according to an announcement by Madame Tussauds Busan. Kim Hyun Joong and Song Seung-hon (Photos courtesy of Madame Tussauds Busan)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila, Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Nine-member K-pop group Girls Generation achieved another milestone in Japan with their single "Mr. Taxi" reached double platinum status in Japan.  (Clockwise from top left) Girls Generation, Kim Hyun Joong,  T-ara  and Bae Yong Joon. (Photos by SM Entertainment, Oricon, www.newsen.com and Keyeast)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines – The 2010 hit series “Secret Garden” was voted as the most favorite Korean drama by international fans, according to a survey.

MANILA, Philippines -- The first-ever “high-five” experience in the country happens when Kim Hyun Joong visits the country in The Hi-Five Touch Event on Aug. 25 at the TriNoma Activity Center to promote his brand new album “Break down,” distributed by PolyEast Records.

By JONATHAN M. HICAP Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines - Korean singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong has finished promoting his first solo album in Korea and will now start his Asia tour. www.newsen.com

By JONATHAN M. HICAP Manila Bulletin (www.mb.com.ph) MANILA, Philippines - Popular Korean singer and actor Kim Hyun Joong will visit the Philippines in August. Photos 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.

Singer Kim Hyun Joong appeared on the episode of KBS 2TV’s “Happy Together” that aired on June 23, and talked about his individual ideal type of woman.

By JONATHAN M. HICAP  Manila Bulletin MANILA, Philippines – It’s very rare for K-pop stars to admit that their looks were enhanced by plastic surgery. But hallyu star Kim Hyun Joong, leader of SS501, surprised his fans and viewers when he announced on a Korean talk show program that he underwent nose surgery or rhinoplasty.