Korea Observer

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin K-pop girl group 2NE1, composed of CL, Park Bom, Sandara Park and Minzy, will be launching their second world tour next year and the Philippines is one of the stops. YG Entertainment, 2NE1′s agency, announced that the girls will start their 2014 World Tour in March.

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)

Billboard magazine announced its 2013 Year-End Charts list, which includes the year’s top artists and songs. For the K-pop Hot 100 chart, Billboard chose SISTAR19′s “Gone Not Around Any Longer” as the No. 1 K-pop song of 2013.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The Gwiyomi song, “Harlem Shake,” breaking news including the explosions at Boston Marathon, natural disasters including typhoon “Yolanda” and silly memes defined the viewing experience on YouTube in the Philippines for 2013. The viewing experience on YouTube for 2013 in the Philippines was defined by (clockwise from top left) Gwiyomi craze, ‘Harlem Shake,’ Psy’s ‘Gentleman,’ Lee Grane on ‘The Voice of the Philippines,’ Ylvis’ ‘The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)’ and typhoon ‘Yolanda’ (Screen capture by Bulletin Entertainment)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin 2NE1′s Sandara Park and her brother, MBLAQ’s Thunder (also known as Cheondung), have launched an online campaign to raise money for people affected by Typhoon “Yolanda” in the Philippines. Sandara Park and brother Thunder (Photo courtesy of Sandara’s Twitter account)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin The G-Dragon-Missy Elliott collaboration song has been chosen as one of the 50 Best Songs of 2013. Complex magazine has released its list and it includes songs by Jay-Z, Ariana Grande, Lil Wayne and Eminem.

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Korean pop group 2NE1 will be appearing as guests in the new season of the American dating show “The Bachelor.” The reality TV show will premiere on Jan. 6 next year on ABC with 32-year-old Juan Pablo Galavis, a former professional football player, as the bachelor. “The Bachelor” Juan Pablo Galavis (top) and 2NE1. (Photos courtesy of “The Bachelor”/ABC and 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 Three Korean celebrities were found guilty by a court of betting on illegal online gambling. The Seoul Central District Court ordered entertainer Boom, singer Andy of boy band Shinhwa and comedian Yang Se-hyung to pay fines based on the amount of money they gambled. (From left) Boom, Andy and Yang Se-hyung. (Photos by www.newsen.com)

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin Hallyu actor and singer Jang Geun Suk has donated 100 million won (P4.12 million) to help survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda” in the Philippines. Jang Geun Suk, who currently stars in the Korean drama “Beautiful Man,” gave his donation to UNICEF. Korean star Jang Geun Suk (Photo by www.newsen.com)