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April 15, 2013
Psy success hikes brands' image
The Korea Times
Psy smiles with food company CJ’s company logo as a backdrop during a press conference held ahead of his concert at Seoul World Cup Stadium Saturday. / Yonhap
In this time of an economic slowdown, Psy’s release last Saturday of his new single “Gentleman” brought rare good news for companies that have signed up the 36-year-old pop star for their commercials.
The stock prices of instant noodle maker Nongshim and alcohol maker Hite-Jinro shot up Monday as Psy’s new music video passed more than 50 million views on YouTube, and may replicate the worldwide sensation of “Gangnam Style.” Buyers expect this will lead to brisker sales in overseas markets.
Nongshim has revised up its sales target for the United States for this year by 29 percent to $570 million, and other corporate beneficiaries are considering following suit. The stock price of Psy’s management agency YG Entertainment surged, as did that of Aurora, a character products maker with exclusive rights to sell Psy-related goods worldwide. YG’s stock price rose 13.48 percent to close at 85,000 won, Monday.
The county’s biggest food company CJ Group had its brand and key products exposed to “a great number of overseas potential consumers” by sponsoring Psy’s concert at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, Saturday, which was streamed live via YouTube. An estimated 150,000 people watched the show through the video-sharing website, according to YG.
“Our corporate banners were hanging everywhere in the venue during the concert and many of them were seen by overseas fans,” said Min Tae-jung, a CJ spokesman.
“Given the number of viewers, the promotional effect we earned through the concert was worth 10 times the value of our investment into this.” The spokesman refused to say how much the company paid to sponsor the show. CJ’s stock price jumped 0.7 percent to close at 143,000 won.
Meanwhile, Psy’s new music video rewrote YouTube’s records for single-day hits on Monday by racking up around 20 million hits in its first 24 hours, destroying the previous record for single-day views of 8 million, set by Canadian singer Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend” video in May 2012.
The song landed at Number 61 for the week on Britain’s top 100 singles chart. “Gentleman” is also enjoying tremendous popularity on global iTunes’ charts. It went on sale online in 119 nations, Friday, and topped iTunes charts in 16, including Belgium, Cambodia, Finland, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, as of Monday morning. It came in 25th on the U.S. iTunes chart. |
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April 15, 2013
Hollywood buys rights to remake 'New World'
By Claire Lee The Korea Herald
A scene from “New World.” (NEW)
Korean gangster film “New World” will have a Hollywood remake, according to the film’s Korean distributor Next Entertainment World.
NEW said it recently signed a deal with Vertigo Entertainment, a production company located in Beverly Hills, California, to create the remake. The thriller was released in North America in late March, following its Korean release in February.
Screenwriter Will Fetters, who is working on Clint Eastwood’s next project “A Star is Born,” will be writing the script, NEW said.
Vertigo Entertainment, run by Korean-American film producer Roy Lee, is also in charge of producing American remakes of Park Chan-wook’s famous 2003 thriller “Oldboy” and Na Hong-jin’s 2008 film “The Chaser.”
The remake of “Oldboy,” directed by “Do the Right Thing” and “Love & Basketball” director Spike Lee, is scheduled to be released in North America in October of this year.
The second piece directed by noted screenwriter Park Hoon-jung (“I Saw the Devil,” “The Unjust”), “New World” is an engaging noir about a police detective (Lee Jung-jae) who conducts an undercover investigation into Gold Moon ― one of the biggest crime organizations in the country. |
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April 16, 2013
Psy to appear in Korea tourism TV commercial
YonhapNews
SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean rapper Psy will star in a public TV commercial for promoting Korea as an attractive tourist destination, his local management agency said Tuesday.
Psy has recently finished shooting a TV commercial series for the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) to lure more foreign tourists to the country as KTO's public relations ambassador, YG Entertainment said.
The 15-minute commercial will air in 70 countries around the world from early next month.
Meanwhile, the video of "Gentleman," a follow-up to Psy's global mega-hit "Gangnam Style," surpassed 60 million views Monday night, only two days after it was uploaded on YouTube.
YG officials say the video is expected to top 100 million hits Tuesday in the shortest period of time in YouTube history. |
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April 16, 2013
Girl's Day's Hyeri dating former boy band member: report
By Yoon Min-sik The Korea Herald
Hyeri, a member of a K-pop girl group Girl’s Day, is dating Tony An, her agency said Tuesday.
Dreamtea Entertainment released a statement to confirm rumors that the 19-year-old singer was dating An, a former member of a 1990s boy band H.O.T.
“The two have known each other for some time, and they started dating around March,” it said.
Hyeri’s agency added that Hyeri was under a lot of stress from all the attention and urged the media to refrain from groundless speculation.
The rumor about the two singers dating broke out earlier in the day, after a local tabloid reported that the two were involved in a romantic relationship. The paper also published photos in which the two appeared to be on a date.
An, 35, enjoyed his heyday as a singer from the late 1990s to early 2000s when he was with the wildly popular pop group H.O.T. After the team broke up, he started a second career as a businessman, and is now running his own agency, TN Entertainment. |
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April 16, 2013
Bae Doo-na stars in new film by Wachowski siblings
From news report via The Korea Herald
(Chung Hee-cho/The Korea Herald)
South Korean actress Bae Doo-na has joined the cast of Lana and Andy Wachowski’s upcoming sci-fi movie, “Jupiter Ascending.”
In an interview with a local magazine, Bae said she was once again starring in the Wachowskis’ film after successfully making it into the Hollywood scene with the siblings’ previous flick “Cloud Atlas.” She said she felt more comfortable working with them this time.
The new sci-fi adventure film, written and directed by the Wachoski siblings, features Mila Kunis (“Oz the Great and Powerful”), Channing Tatum (“Magic Mike”) and Eddie Redmayne (“Les Misérables”).
Filming is underway and Bae has joined the shooting at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Britain. The production will move to Chicago for completion after June, and the film is to be released in 3-D in July 2014. |
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April 16, 2013
Bae Doona to appear in the Wachowskis' next film
YonhapNews
SEOUL, April 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actress Bae Doona will appear in the Wachowskis' next film following her Hollywood debuting role in the siblings' latest work, "Cloud Atlas," according to a local fashion and beauty magazine Tuesday.
"I was cast in Lana and Andy Waschowski's new film titled 'Jupiter Ascending,'" Bae was quoted as saying in an interview with the bimonthly magazine, "High Cut."
"I came to have a family-like feeling toward the Waschowski siblings as I was with them for Cloud Atlas," Bae said. "The new film is a far easier and more enjoyable sci-fi film than Cloud Atlas."
Bae, best known at home for her lead role in "The Host," a Korean sci-fi blockbuster that hit the local box-office in 2006, debuted in Hollywood as a genetically engineered clone in Cloud Atlas, which was released in January.
Written and directed by the Waschowskis, "Jupiter Ascending" has Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis in the lead roles. The movie is set to open in cinemas across the world in 2014. |
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April 16, 2013
Supernatural romance
Joo Won, Ivy to star in musical version of 'Ghost'
By Kwon Mee-yoo The Korea Times
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Actors of the musical “Ghost,” from left, Kim Joon-hyun, Ivy, Joo Won,
Park Ji-yeon and Kim Woo-hyung pose for a photo at a press conference
announcing the Korean production of the show at Plaza Hotel in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Seensee Company
More than 20 years after its release, "Ghos" continues to be one of Korea's favorite films of all time. So it's understandable that the stage musical version of the Hollywood tear-jerker is generating significant interest months ahead of its local arrival.
When Ghost The Musical begins its run at southwestern Seoul’s D-Cube Arts Center on Nov. 24, it will be sexy songstress Ivy and television actor Joo Won clinching behind the pottery wheel, the production team revealed.
"There are revenge, comedy and spirits and it is a very Shakespearean story. Oda Mae Brown is a larger-than-life character and Sam and Molly's love story goes on with Sam's revenge to his friend Carl,’’ said lead producer Colin Ingram, after announcing the cast of the Korean production that will double as the show’s Asian debut.
Ingram was particularly proud about the special effects that convincingly recreate the movie’s famous scenes, including Sam walking through a door. Magician Paul Kieve adds a touch of mystery with his playful illusions like levitating pennies and self-folding letters.
Joo’s Sam and Ivy’s Molly will be complemented by some of the most established actors in the Korean musical scene.
On the nights that Joo takes a break, Kim Joon-hyun, whose past credentials include playing Radames in a Korean staging of "Aida’’ and Jean Valjean in a Japanese production of "Les Miserables,’’ and Kim Woo-hyung, another Les Miserables veteran, will alternate as Sam. Park Ji-yon, who was acclaimed for her role as Eponine in a recent Korean staging of Les Miserables, is the other Molly.
While he is now an in-demand actor on television, Joo cut his acting teeth in theater. He rose as a critic’s darling playing the role of Matthew in the 2007 version of "Altar Boyz’’ and as the angry and anxious teenager Melchoir in the 2009 staging of ''Spring Awakening.’’
His solid reputation in theater opened new opportunities in television. After starring in a series of successful dramas like "Bread, Love and Dreams’’ (2010), "Ojakgyo Family’’ (2011) and "Bridal Mask’’ (2012), Joo is now firmly established as a leading man. Of course his recent drama, "7th Grade Civil Servant,’’ tanked in the ratings competition, as comedy doesn’t seem to be his strength, it nonetheless seems certain that Ghost has landed a star capable of selling tickets.
"I was only three when the movie was first released, so I didn’t see it until I was in high school. I continue to be moved by the love portrayed in the movie and musical alike,’’ Joo said.
Kolleen Park, the musical director of Ghost, raved about Joo’s talent and work ethic.
"He came for the audition early in the morning on a day in January because he was shooting a television drama. I was skeptical at first and wondered whether he felt entitled to the role because he was popular and famous. But when he started to act and sing, I knew right away that he could hit every note precisely and has a quick understanding of the director’s intention,’’ she said.
Ivy, a solo singer, has frequently appeared in musicals. Her more notable roles include Lois Lane in the Cole Porter musical "Kiss Me, Kate’’ and Roxie in "Chicago.’’ Whether in musicals or theater, she has always depended on her sex appeal. So as formulaic as the character might seem, the role as Molly will represent a truer test of her range as an actress.
The musical version of Ghost wasn’t exactly a smash success when it debuted on the West End, where it managed to last for about a year and a half before the curtains closed on it in October last year. The Broadway run lasted only four months.
However, Seensee Company, which manages the local production of the musical, was confident that Korea could prove as the musical’s redemption.
Seensee’s biggest hit so far has been the licensed production of "Mamma Mia!’’ which has been staged over 1,400 times in Korea. It also staged Aida 500 times and Chicago 400 times.
"I remember watching the movie twice when it was first released in 1990. When I saw the musical version of 'Ghost,' I was confident that this show can touch the heart of Korean audiences, especially appealing for the middle-aged, who reminisce about the movie," Park Myung-sung, artistic director of Seensee, said.
He is also determined to re-create the original quality of the West End show by purchasing all sets and costumes.
The Korean rendition of "Ghost" will be staged from Nov. 24 to August 2014. Tickets will go on sale on Aug. 20 and cost from 60,000 won to 130,000 won. For more information, visit www.iseensee.com or call (02) 577-1987. |
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April 16, 2013
Bae Doo-na cast in new Wachowski movie
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
Bae Doo-na has been casted for the upcoming film “Jupiter Ascending” by the Wachowskis, according to local media reports, after she had worked with the siblings in “Cloud Atlas.”
“Working with Lana and Andy Wachowski in “Cloud Atlas” created some family-like feelings,” said Bae in a report.
She says the movie will be science fiction, which will be much easier to understand and enjoy than “Cloud Atlas.”
She also commented on the scandal with Jim Sturgess, portrayed as a couple in “Cloud Atlas,” after a photo of them crossing arms with one another was released online.
“I don’t think it’s not something I need to make an official comment about,” said Bae.
“I think many paid attention on the news because it is an interesting match, but it is burdensome for me and I’ll be thankful if [people] do not pay attention on it.” |
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April 16, 2013
Kim Jung-hwa to marry missionary
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
Actress Kim Jung-hwa will marry composer and missionary Yu Eun-seong in the fall, according to an exclusive report by Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.
Kim is currently preparing for the wedding and choosing the venue.
The relationship has been common knowledge among a volunteer group named Korea Food for the Hungry International for which both are public ambassadors.
Kim first got to know Yu last year when she published her book “Hello, Agnes,” which details her entertainment and volunteer experiences.
The memoir depicts her personal interactions with a Ugandan child named Agnes whom she has supported since 2009.
Yu composed an EP of the same title to be released with the book.
Afterward, they become close sharing their volunteer experiences and religion. |
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April 16, 2013
Tony Ahn, 36, is now dating Hyeri, 20
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
Tony Ahn, former member of H.O.T, is dating Hyeri of Girl’s Day.
The 36-year-old Ahn and 20-year-old Hyeri are said to have started their romantic relationship last month.
“We have confirmed with Hyeri that she was asked out by Ahn in March,” said Hyeri’s agency yesterday on Twitter. It apologized to fans for not knowing about her romantic relationship beforehand.
“Hyeri is shocked that the relationship is reported in the media, so we are asking you not to spread any unconfirmed rumors.”
The agency also added that they have consulted each other on their everyday life and work as they are still early in the relationship.
TN Entertainment, whose president is Ahn, was also careful about commenting on the news due to the 16-year age gap.
“We are worried about whether Hyeri could be hurt in any way due to the sudden news of the relationship,” said an official at TN Entertainment, according to a local report. |
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April 16, 2013
'Gentleman' tops world iTunes chart
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
On the fourth day since the release of “Gentleman,” the song reached No. 1 on the iTunes world singles chart yesterday.
The song pushed Pink’s “Just Give Me a Reason” to second place.
The number of YouTube views is also rising, marking more than 80 million views as of 1 p.m. yesterday.
“Psy is proving he’s more than a one-hit wonder,” said Billboard on Monday, raising expectations about whether the new song will top “Gangnam Style,” the first video clip ever to reach 1 billion views on YouTube. So far, it has totaled more than 1.5 billion.
Among the 24 million views “Gentleman” garnered on the first day of release, the United States took the most with 3.8 million views. Korea, Brazil, Mexico and Canada followed suit, according to local media reports.
Meanwhile, Ga-in of girl group Brown Eyed Girls, who appeared in Psy’s music video, has also been mentioned in many online comments. K-pop fans are asking more details about the “Abracadabra” dance that was featured in the video. |
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April 16, 2013
Lee Jung-jae says he is not gay
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
Actor Lee Jung-jae denied rumors that he’s gay on SBS talk show “Healing Camp” Monday.
“I think people say [those things] for fun and never really took those [rumors] seriously,” he answered to a question raised by emcees about rumors of a relationship between Lee and actor Jung Woo-sung.
When host Han Hye-jin said, “Oh, very much like a couple” after Lee said he meets Jung once or twice a week to eat together or watch a movie, Lee answered, “[I] don’t want to be entangled like that.”
“Jung and I have been close since 1998,” he added.
“Even without words, I know that he might [feel] this way or think that way,”
He also shared stories with comedian Yoo Jae-suk as they served their mandatory military duties together in Gwangmyeong, on the outskirts of Seoul.
At the time, the two lived close together and often carpooled to their civil-service jobs.
In recounting one memory, Lee said Yoo woke him up and changed him into his military uniform when he overslept. |
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April 17, 2013
Lee Si-young Tries for Spot on National Boxing Team
ChosunIlbo
Actress Lee Si-young will compete for a spot on the national team in a fight against Kim Da-som of Suwon in the final for the women's 48-kg category at the National Amateur Boxing Championships, which will take place in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, next week.
Lee picked up boxing while preparing for a role as a boxer in a 2010 TV drama and kept it up as a hobby. She drew attention after becoming a champion at an amateur boxing match among rookie boxers in 2011 and joined the boxing team of Incheon City in January.
If Lee wins the final next week, she will be the first actress to be a national boxing athlete in Korea and represent the country at international competitions for a year.
But even so, she will not be able to compete in the Incheon Asian Games next year because the 48-kg class is not part of the competition.
Lee plans to make herself eligible for the slightly heavier flyweight 51-kg class and compete at the National Sports Festival in October and in tryouts for the Asian Games in December. |
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April 17, 2013
Jung Jun-ho Sues Wedding Firm for Unpaid Fee
ChosunIlbo
Actor Jung Jun-ho has filed a lawsuit against a wedding hall operator over unpaid modeling fees.
Jung’s agency said it filed a lawsuit against an individual identified only by his surname Han who runs a wedding business in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, seeking W400 million (US$1=W1,115) in compensation.
Jung claims that Han owes him the money for modeling in adverts for his business hall for more than a year starting in 2011.
The amount is calculated based on the amount Jung normally charges for a year for modeling.
However, Han claims that Jung wanted to go into business with him and that he had paid the actor W100 million in modeling fees. "It is absurd for his management company to demand W400 million now," Han said. |
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April 17, 2013
Actor Kim Soo-hyun returns to screen as a goofy N.K. spy
Jin Eun-soo, Intern Reporter The Korea Herald
The first teaser trailer for the Korean movie “Eunmilhage, Widaehagae (Discreetly, Greatly)" starring Kim Soo-hyun was unveiled on Wednesday.
The 30-second trailer showed the hallyu star as a fierce North Korean spy disguised as the town fool, wandering around a neighborhood in Seoul on a great mission.
A excerpt from the trailer of "Eunmilhage, Widaehagae"
Kim plays the part of Won Ryu-hwan, an elite spy who beat out 20,000 competitors to be dispatched to South Korea with two other colleagues as special agents.
The movie tells the story of the three elite North Korean spies who are under orders to disguise themselves as a bum, an aspiring singer and a high school student. Their mission in the South is to be revealed sequentially through the next nine teaser videos.
The movie is based on a Daum webtoon series of the same name by Hun, which had more than 40 million hits on the portal site.
Viewers’ comments on the “fantastic casting” and Kim’s “high-end performance” of the goofy character have raised expectations for the upcoming movie scheduled to open in June. |
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April 15, 2013
Hollywood catching its big break in other countries
A GLOBAL MOVIE MARKET
by Scott Bowles, USA TODAY
Here's a look at how the rest of the world is buoying Hollywood:
Hollywood remains an American fixture, but it's becoming more of an international commodity as foreign markets feast on 3-D, big special effects.
LAS VEGAS — Even with Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker aboard, Battleship was sunk long before it reached U.S. shores last year.
The $200 million film inspired by a board game had no defense against American critics, who excoriated the picture for a stiff plot, weak source material and a wicked addiction to computer-generated effects. Fans agreed, docking the film at the box office with a take of just $65 million, making it one of 2012's biggest flops.
The rest of the world, though, was all aboard the Peter Berg-directed film, propelling it to $238 million and making it an international hit.
Where Americans once were the only game in town for Hollywood, U.S. audiences are taking a back seat to moviegoers across the globe — particularly in Asia. Just two decades ago, overseas box office routinely accounted for less than half of a movie's total haul. Today, international moviegoers make up almost 70% of a movie's overall business, the Motion Picture Association of America reports.
And as CinemaCon, the largest gathering of domestic theater owners, kicks off here Monday, exhibitors find themselves suddenly playing catch-up to the rest of the globe, which can barely build enough theaters and 3-D screens to meet demand.
From a financial perspective, do American moviegoers still matter? To a lessening degree, says Paul Dergarabedian, chief box-office analyst for Hollywood.com.
"It's like the blue-jeans industry," he says. "Once, Americans dictated the overseas market. Now, the market is influencing us."
Already, American moviegoers are feeling the international flair. Overseas box office, which once was a non-factor for studios, now typically accounts for 60% of a film's overall haul.
And foreign markets are getting the industry's highest-profile films first. Battleship opened in Asia and Europe more than a month before it reached the USA last May. One of last year's most anticipated films, The Avengers, opened May 4, a week after in premiered in 39 other countries.
While studios say some films must open first in foreign markets to thwart demand for pirated videos, the industry is finding the global cash hard to ignore. Over the past four years, international box office surged from $27.7 billion to $34.7 billion in 2012, according to the MPAA.
U.S. revenues also continue to climb, but that's largely because of rising ticket prices. Although last year set a domestic box-office record of $10.8 billion, attendance has dropped over the past decade, from 1.6 billion tickets torn in 2002 to 1.4 billion last year.
If the trend continues, analysts say, American audiences should brace for a larger diet of the fare that's hot internationally: Namely, films centered on big special effects and 3-D.
"Americans are still very important, because most of the product comes from here," says German-born Roland Emmerich, director of 1996's Independence Day and 2004's The Day After Tomorrow. The earlier film pulled in $817 million globally, including $511 million overseas. Tomorrow did $187 million domestically but $358 million in foreign markets.
He notes that even as its numbers dwindle, America remains the biggest single market for movies.
"You are the tastemakers," says Emmerich, director of this summer's White House Down, out June 28 (June 27 in Lebanon, New Zealand and Singapore). "At least until the Chinese take that over, too."
The Asian theatrical market is already nipping at the USA's heels. While European moviegoing has remained static over the past five years, business bustles in Japan and China.
According to the 2012 MPAA industry study, the Asian market grew 15% last year to $10.4 billion. In China, revenue skyrocketed 36% to $2.7 billion, surpassing Japan as the largest international market.
The foreign market, analysts say, has become an insurance policy of sorts for the industry's most expensive films, which have lost some luster with Americans but remain hot property for international moviegoers.
Take 3-D, which analysts say accounts for between 40% and 60% of a movie's U.S. take. But in Asia, where screens are being built at an average of nine per day, 3-D accounts for about 80% of revenues.
"China, Russia, Brazil, those markets have exploded," says Paul Hanneman, president of international distribution for 20th Century Fox. He says that international box office "used to be the poor stepchild because domestic (ticket sales) led the way. Now we see adventures, fantasy and blockbuster action films perform huge business" overseas.
The studio's Life of Pi, for instance, earned a healthy $124 million last year domestically. But the studio tweaked its promotion of the film by region to make it more palatable and wound up raking in an additional $484 million overseas, including $90 million in China.
In Europe and parts of Asia, Hanneman says, the studio focused its campaign on the spiritual elements of the best-seller adaptation. In the booming Latin American market, the studio played up the film's family element.
"You have to learn to work across cultures," Hanneman says. "There is a lot of money still to be made in this market. But the American market is still very important. I don't think you're going to see movies that appeal only internationally."
Still, observers say U.S. audiences will increasingly see films that cater to foreign tastes, including those featuring:
• More international casts. South Korean star Byung-hun Lee is a relative unknown here, but he's a hot action star in Asia and helped buoy the international debut of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which did $80.3 million overseas — twice what it did domestically.
"You see the same thing in movies like The Fast and the Furious," Dergarabedian says. "There's an international cast that has a following most Americans don't even know about."
• Destruction of world landmarks. Foreign film fans can't get enough of things that go boom, but the targets need to be recognizable. The White House is in the cross hairs twice this year, in White House Down and last month's surprise hit Olympus Has Fallen, while Big Ben takes a fall in Retaliation. "If you blow up a house in France, no one cares," Emmerich says. "But if it's the Eiffel Tower, suddenly people pay attention."
• A cartoon flood. Along with 3-D, animation is doing gangbusters business across the globe. "With animation, you can add local talent," says Hanneman, whose studio raked in $2.8 billion internationally with its four animated Ice Age movies. "It can be dubbed by a star in your country."
Not that Americans are giving up the aisle seat.
"The buzz still starts here, the biggest stars are still from here," Dergarabedian says. "And $11 billion (last year's domestic box office) in business isn't chump change. We'll just have to accept that the movies have become a global business, and that doesn't have to be a bad thing."
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April 17, 2013
Rain to meet President Obama
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
Singer Rain will meet U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House next month, according to an exclusive local media report.
Rain and other Korean celebrities who are serving their military duty as entertainment soldiers will attend a fashion show for the hanbok, a traditional Korean garment. It is said to be one of the events scheduled during Korean President Park Geun-hye’s first official visit to the U.S.
President Park, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations and other high-level officials are going to attend along with President Obama.
The report says that the hanbok fashion show is one of many events the government is considering to promote the beauty of Korean culture.
One of the officials was quoted as saying that they are planning to have Barack and Michelle Obama try on hanbok at the event. |
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April 17, 2013
Ivy set to compete with Lee Hyo-ri
By Lee Sun-min Korea JoongAng Daily
Singer Ivy is bringing a new album to the stage, according to her agency Polaris Entertainment.
She plans to return to the entertainment world in the next couple of months, and she has been making a sequel to the album “Interview,” which was released last year.
The EP will have up to five songs.
“The title track will be dance music which is fresh and unconventional, and we expect to bring out [charm] that might not be expected from Ivy,” said the agency, according to local media reports. “It will be a gift to fans that have been waiting to see an Ivy-style performance.”
Roughly 60 percent of the work for the new album is said to be completed.
It seems inevitable that Ivy will be in fierce competition with Lee Hyo-ri, who is making a return to the music scene with her new album set to be released in May. Lee, a former member of ’90s girl band Fin.K.L, has also said that her the EP will contain dance music. |
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