Korea Observer

FYI for LMH: What You Need to Meet Lee Min Ho

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin 2NE1′s “All or Nothing” world tour got off to a big start on March 1 and 2 at the SK Handball Arena in Seoul, South Korea, with an estimated 12,000 domestic and international fans in attendance.

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.

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By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin 2NE1 swept the Korean music charts following the release of their new album “Crush” last night. The single “Come Back Home” landed at No. 1 on several Korean real-time charts to achieve “all-kill” status.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Top Korean actress Choi Ji Woo, credited for popularizing hallyu (Korean Wave) in Japan, the Philippines and other parts of Asia through her dramas, “Winter Sonata (2002)” and “Stairway To Heaven (2003),” has signed an exclusive contract with YG Entertainment. She joins the agency’s huge stable of talents that includes actors Cha Seung Won, Im Ye Jin, Jang Hyun Sung, Jeong Hye Young, Ku Hye Sun and Yoo In Na. Korean actress Choi Ji Woo (www.newsen.com)

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.