K-Pop star Rain joins the military

As with most men in South Korea, a year before they turn 30, they are expected to join the military for their mandatory two years.

And the next pop star who has to serve their compulsory military service is Rain.

With tears in his eyes, Rain told his fans, “Thank you for coming. I’m sorry to make such a fuss while leaving. I’ll be back from my duties soon. Thank you for the 10 years of love.”

Rain is known for his music but also starring in the Korean film “I’m a Cyborg, But that’s OK” and in America, he starred in “Speed Racer” and “Ninja Assassin”.

 

JYJ to perform in Spain and Germany

K-Pop trio (and former members of DBSK/TVXQ) will be holding concerts in Spain and Germany on October 29th.

The trio’s agency C-JeS Entertainment said JYJ will be performing at Palau Sant Jordi Stadium in Barcelona on Oct. 29th and on Nov. 6, the band will perform in Germany at a location that has not yet been confirmed.

“Dragon Wars” director Shim Hyung-Rae’s production company is closed

The Chosunilbo is reporting that director Shim Hyung-rae is broke. The comedian-turned-actor known for directing the 2007 sci-fi movie “D-War” (Dragon Wars) lost his production company which closed down after eight years of starting it. His company’s building was seized by the court after 43 employees petitioned the Ministry of Employment and Labor demanding their unpaid wages.

The bad news comes after Shim’s last film “The Last Godfather” earned under its production budget.

The Chosunilbo also mentions that he is being sued by a saving bank for failure to repay a W2 billion loan he took to produce “D-War”.

BoA to make her Hollywood film debut in “COBA 3D”

 

K-Pop/J-Pop music artist BoA will be making her Hollywood debut in “COBA 3D”.  According to IMDb, the film is about “a pair of star-crossed dancers in New York find themselves at the center of a bitter rivalry between their brothers’ underground dance clubs”.

The film will star “Dancing with the Stars” dancer Derek Hough, “What I Like About You” actor Wesley Jonathan”, Izabella Miko, Will Yun Lee and Miki Ishikawa.

TVXQ to continue with only two members: U-Know and Max

With the whole debacle between TVXQ continuing and no plans for Junsu, Jejung, Yuchun (who have since formed the group JYJ) to return, SM Entertainment has released a statement of what will happen to the two remaining artists of TVXQ: U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin. “After the 3 TVXQ members left, for over a long year, both U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin have refrained from musical activities. The two members as well as the company wanted to keep TVXQ alive, thinking about the never changing hearts of our loyal fans who have waited a long time. As indicated by the ruling, all of TVXQ’s activities need to be done through SM, unfortunately, the three members that left have regretfully not responded to any of our offers for activities as TVXQ. After long and careful consideration, we made this decision. For U-know Yunho and Max Changmin, who never left and kept their dreams as TVXQ, we have decided together with the two members to keep TVXQ alive. No matter what happens, we believe that TVXQ should continue for the love and trust of the fans who created TVXQ together with us. We are not ruling out any possibilities in the future. Continuing TVXQ is the best way to repay the fans who love and waited for TVXQ.”

In August 2009, Junsu, Jejung and Yuchun sued their management claiming that their contract signed between TVXQ and SM Entertainment was unfair.  A lower court sided with the three and ruled that certain parts of the contract should be invalidated and thus it allowed the three to pursue an individual music and advertisement career. The trio have since created their own group called JYJ and have recently collaborated with Kanye West and are being promoted on the Billboard (USA) Website.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a group has claimed their management/label was unfair to them. In the ’90s, Korean pop group H.O.T. were the hottest boy band similar to TVXQ and similar circumstances, the three members left the group and thus ending H.O.T. According to Time Magazine, ex-H.O.T. singer Tony An said, “We would complain that we never had enough money” and Lee Su Man of H.O.T. would say: ‘I even pay for your gas, what are you complaining about?’”.  According to the publication, while their albums would sell over a million copies, each member were paid only $10,000.

Unfortunately, with no resolution, it will appear as if the former bandmates may ended up going against each other in the music industry.

Korean Actor Jang Dong-gun and Director Sngmoo Lee Will Appear Exclusively at Pacific Media Expo for The Warrior’s Way

PASADENA, CA – Pacific Media Expo (PMX) welcomes acclaimed movie actor Jang Dong-gun as its first Korean Guest of Honor. Jang Dong-gun, along with director Sngmoo Lee, will be appearing at PMX on Sunday, November 14, 2010 for a panel and autograph session. This will be Jang and Lee’s only convention appearance before The Warrior’s Way opens in theaters nationwide on December 3, 2010.

“We at Pacific Media Expo are extremely honored to have an actor of Mr. Jang Dong-gun’s caliber as our guest. We are happy to be the first convention to host his debut into American cinema. We welcome him with open arms,” says Mike Tatsugawa, PMX’s Founder and CEO.

Attendees are encouraged to register for Pacific Media Expo early for Mr.Jang Dong-gun’s panel. Autographs will be given only to those who come to Jang and Lee’s panel. Go to http://PacificMediaExpo.com/info/reg.html to register.

About Pacific Media Expo:

As America’s first major media trade show dedicated primarily to Asian-Pacific popular culture and entertainment, Pacific Media Expo (PMX) is an industry event sponsored by the Pacific Media Association. Pacific Media Expo will be held November 12-14, 2010 at the Pasadena Hilton. The convention will feature honored guests, live performances, panel discussions, autograph sessions, Asian cinema, animation, and Korean drama video rooms, and art exhibitions at one of the country’s only exhibit halls dedicated solely to Asian media and pop culture.

Estrella Lin reveals the dark side of the Korean entertainment industry

Taiwan singer Estrella Lin recently wrote a book exposing her experience working in the Korean entertainment industry.

According to the publication Chosun:

In the book, Lin details how she was asked to provide sexual services and subjected to inhumane treatment. She was also asked to change her year of birth from 1980 to 1985 as she was considered too old.

Lin wrote that any popular singers in Korea, regardless of gender, are pimped for sexual services but claimed that despite being frequently asked to sleep with investors, she stubbornly refused.

Korean actress Jang Ja-yeon who took her life in 2009, wrote in a seven-page suicide letter of the dark side of the Korean entertainment industry.  Jang Ja-yeon wrote that her agent had regularly beaten her and forced her to have sex with a string of VIPs, including directors, media executives and CEOs and with many entertainers in Korea having taken their lives, more and more news of the dark side of the Korean entertainment industry is being exposed.

Korean publication looks into why the growth of suicide amongst its entertainers

In a recent article on Chosun Ilbo, with the death of actor/singer Park Yong-ha, the publication looks into why suicides have increased amongst Korean entertainers.

Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

The roster of recent celebrity suicides in Korea is getting longer and longer, with Lee Eun-ju, U;Nee, Jeong Da-bin, Ahn Jae-hwan, Choi Jin-sil, Choi Jin-young and now Park Yong-ha killing themselves since 2005. The numbers swell if actors or actresses who were either unknown when they took their lives or rose to fame only by committing suicide are included.

Although there are no accurate statistics, Korean celebrities seem more prone to suicide than stars in the U.S., Europe or Japan. They experience the same pressures as their counterparts overseas in terms of the fickleness of fame and irregular lifestyles. So what is it that drives them so often to take their own lives?

◆ Suicide Capital of the World

For one thing, Korea as a whole has the world’s highest suicide rate. For every 100,000 Koreans, 21.5 commit suicide, as against the OECD average of 11.1. Experts say celebrity suicides can provide insight into why Koreans tend to be more prone to taking their own lives.

“Koreans tend to form their sense of identity through how they are perceived by others and may give up and make drastic choices when they’re no longer able to show their best side to others,” said Hwang Sang-min, a psychologist at Yonsei University. “And that tendency is stronger among celebrities, whose livelihood depends on their popularity.”

Read more of this article from Chosun

Fans all over Asia mourn the death of actor/singer Park Yong-ha

With the shocking suicide of South Korean actor/singer Park Yong-ha, fans from all over Asia mourned his death.

Park recently performed in Japan and also released a chart-topping album, so many questions have risen of how can a talent who was loved by many, kill himself?

Chosun reported:

Park had split with his manager, who became the head of an entertainment agency, late last year and often talked about his disappointment in relationships with people when he began managing his own affairs. He appears to have suffered added pressure when he found out that his father had cancer, several of his acquaintances said

Police said Park had hung himself on his bedpost with an electrical wire. His mother, who found the body, called emergency services immediately, but it was too late. Police said suicide was the most probable cause since there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle. Park left no will or suicide note to give a clue to the motive.

Two or three days before his death, Park apparently told friends that his work and life were “too difficult.” Police heard testimony from Park’s friends that he suffered from insomnia due to stress and was taking sleeping pills. According to the wishes of the family, no autopsy will be conducted.

A rep from Park’s Japanese record label told newspapers:

Japanese media focused on the fact that Park was about to start his first Japanese concert tour in five years. A spokesman for the company that released his album in Japan told Nikkan Sports, “Nothing seemed strange about him when he came to Korea on Saturday after completing his concert in Saitama. He seemed very happy about the concert tour in Japan.” Park released his fifth album in Japan last month and was getting ready for a 14-city tour there.

Actor/singer Park Yong-ha found dead

Actor/singer Park Yong-ha was found dead on early Wednesday morning. The popular actor/singer was one of the talents who emerged strong in the Korean wave in Asia (especially in Japan as the actor appeared in the popular drama “Winter Sonata”) was found dead, hanging on a cord of his cell phone charger by his mother according to various news reports. Park Yong-ha was 33-years-old.

Reports are that Park Yong-ha committed suicide but a police investigation is pending. If it is a suicide, Park will be another well-known talent from S. Korea to join a growing number of talents who have committed suicide in the past five years.

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