Kim Jae-won (김재원)

Kim Jae-won Donates Charity Bazaar Proceeds

2007/12/10 | Source | Permalink |

Actor Kim Jae-won held a barbecue party and a Christmas tree lighting ceremony Dec. 8 with his fans.

Only those who applied for the charity event were notified of its venue. The participants received bottles of wine personally signed by Kim.

At the charity bazaar that was held that day a scarf was auctioned off for a whopping 230,000 yen. All proceeds were donated to the Japanese Bone Marrow Bank.

Kim, who has also been holding various charity activities in Korea, will launch the KJW Children Dream Foundation in Japan next year to help Japanese children. To mark the event, the actor will hold a fan meeting in Tokyo Jan. 19....| More

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'Forever, Asian Star Culture Expo In Japan' Opens in Tokyo

2007/08/02 | Source | Permalink |

The opening ceremony for the second FACE In Japan:Forever, Asian Star Culture Expo In Japan, was held in grandeur on the 1st at the Tokyo Dome City Freedom Hall. This expo is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and the Korean National Tourism Organization.

Following this, the appointment ceremony for publicity held at the Tokyo Dome hotel had invited Korean star Ryoo Si-won to come as a publicity representative. The first expo, which was successfully held last March in Jeju Island, had Bae Yong-joon for the publicity representative.

At this expo, Ryoo Si-won remarked, "I find it an honor to be appointed as a publicity representative. I hope this event will make Korea and Japan, and even the all of Asia to have a closer relationship. It is not just about making Korean culture known, but it is also an opportunity to learn the Japanese culture, and to make a mutual cultural interchange possible.

He said, "the language a...| More

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[YEAR-END REVIEW]Looking back on Korean culture scene

2006/12/27 | Source | Permalink |

Popsters go solo to ride Korean Wave

One of the most conspicuous phenomena of 2006 was the "going-solo" trend among former boy band and girl band members. In fact, this year's K-pop scene has been crowded with what seems like an endless procession of "first solo albums".

Son Ho-young and Kim Tae-wu, former members of now disbanded G.O.D., released their solo debut albums in October, only a few weeks apart. Son has taken a sexier image with his debut album "Yes", which features a mixture of R&B and hip-hop tracks, while Kim showed off his strong vocals in his album "Solo Special". Aside from those two, Jun Jin of all-male pop group Shinhwa, Brian of male R&B duo Fly to the Sky, former Baby Vox member Kan Mi-youn and girl group Sugar's Ayoomi stood alone as solo singers this year. Unlike G.O.D., whose members went solo after their groups disbanded, several members of Shinhwa have taken on solo careers while their group is enjoying a hiatus.

Encouraged by K-pop's massive success ...| More

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'Hwang Jin-i boom' sheds light on role, life of 'gisaeng'

2006/11/09 | Source | Permalink |

Given the already established role of "gisaengs", or female entertainers, in the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), one can easily draw the idea that they existed to entertain "yangbans", or aristocrats, of the Confucian system.

This prevailing description of gisaengs, however, has recently been replaced by a new view that portrays them as multitalented entertainers of exquisite artistic talent and sophisticated social skills.

The shift in view goes on to highlight the life and career of big-name gisaeng Hwang Jin-i as a cultural icon of the times, who left a distinct mark in Korean history with her creative artworks.

Hwang was not only a gisaeng but also a painter, poet and calligrapher of the late 16th century, who rubbed shoulders with some of the era's most intelligent figures such as scholar Seo Kyung-duk and well-known monk Jijok.

The artistically inclined gisaeng, above all, was praised for her breathtaking beauty. According to historical documents, poets who encountered he...| More

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Drama success relies on expression of emotions

2006/10/30 | Source | Permalink |

JINJU, South Gyeongsang Province - There is no question that Korean TV drama led "Hallyu", or the Korean Wave, that swept the whole of Asia. When talking about how this was possible, a Korean TV drama producer says it is the delicate expressions of emotions that made success in the Asian entertainment market possible.

"The rising popularity of Korean dramas throughout the Asian regions came from detailed depictions of emotions. I think Korean TV drama's huge success was possible because of this", said Ko Dong-seon, drama producer for MBC, the nation's second largest broadcaster here. Goh is known for his successful debut drama, "Sweet spy (2006)".

Asked whether Korean dramas' lack fresh and interesting themes, Goh said it is true that Korean drama productions don't easily attempt to cross boundaries and stick to typical love stories.

"Korean dramas are now in danger of copying items already used in earlier dramas, since they are mostly dealing with similar love stories and sim...| More

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