Hello! Project reveals fifth round of “Hello! Cover”

Hello! Project members have been participating in a special cover song project, titled “Hello! Cover”, and the fifth batch of songs has just been unveiled!

This time around, Morning Musume member Tanaka Reina is covering Melon Kinenbi’s singles, “Onegai Miwaku no Target” and “Kousui,” while Momusu leader Takahashi Ai will take on Matsuura Aya’s 2001 hit, “LOVE Namida Iro”.


The other two members of Hello! Project participating in the fifth round of “Hello! Cover” are Yajima Maimi (C-ute), who will be providing an additional cover of Ayaya’s “Egao ni Namida ~DEAR MY FRIENDS~”, and Natsuyaki Miyabi (Berryz Koubou), who tackled the Momusu song, “Furusato”.

All of the songs are currently available on iTunes for download.



source: allkpop

5dolls’ Hyewon poses in a school uniform

5dolls member Hyewon recently updated her minihompy with pictures of herself.

On March 1st, the idol revealed pictures she took in her school uniform, alongside fellow member Eun Gyo and her classmate. The girls are currently attending middle school and are set to graduate soon.

They’re also currently promoting the tracks, “It’s You” and “Lip Stain“, from their newly released mini-album.


Check out the pictures below:







source: allkpop

5dolls hopes to participate in “Idol Star Athletics & Swimming Championships” this Chuseok

Co-Ed’s Chanmi recently revealed her desire to participate in MBC’s “Idol Star Athletics & Swimming Championships“.

During their interview with Newsen, the Co-Ed idol was asked if she was partial to appearing on variety programs. Chanmi replied, “I wanted to participate in MBC’s program, but the timing was off; Co-Ed had concluded promotions at the time and it was before 5dolls’ official debut. Even if I wanted to do it on my own, 5dolls was still forming during this time, and maknae Eun Gyo had just joined, so it was difficult to fit in a solo schedule.”


When told that it would be held again this Chuseok, the 5dolls members exclaimed, “We really want to participate this time!” Soomi continued, “Chanmi is really great at everything, she’s a hard worker. She’s great at track and maintains her speed even for longer distances. I think she’s got a talent for variety shows.”

Chanmi replied, “SISTAR’s Bora is really good too. We need to practice!”


When asked about her feelings on almost being able to debut with SNSD, Chanmi explained, “I was a trainee for a long time. I had participated in the recording for SNSD’s title track, and even completed the photoshoot. Since I was young, I was upset at not being able to debut with them.”

She continued, “However, I was understanding because I knew that it hadn’t been that long since I started training. I supported the SNSD unnis and hoped for the best.”

The girls concluded the interview with an introduction of their sub-unit group, stating, “We’ll be able to show different sides to us that we weren’t able to show through Co-Ed. We promise to work hard in order to improve as both rookies and as singers.”

Meanwhile, T-ara’s Eunjung, Hyomin and Jiyeon will join 5dolls for promotions on all music shows this week, so stay tuned!


source: allkpop

IU and Kang Ho Dong team up for a “Home Plus” CF

It looks like IU is well on her way to becoming the next CF queen! She’s already released CFs for a wide range of products, including smartphones, online RPGs, candy, and French sportswear. And yes, she’s even done a chicken CF, which as every K-pop fan knows, scoring a chicken CF these days is practically akin to an official announcement that you’ve made it as a celebrity in Korea.


Recently, the teenage starlet released another CF, this time singing with popular funnyman and MC Kang Ho Dong for ‘Home Plus’, a discount retail chain. Needless to say, the 30-second CF is adorably hysterical. Check out the video below!




source: allkpop

T-ara’s Hyomin, Jiyeon & Super Junior’s Leeteuk attend the 45th Taxpayer’s Day event

On March 3rd, T-ara’s Hyomin, Jiyeon, and Super Junior’s Leeteuk attended the 45th Taxpayer’s Day event at the Namdaemun Tax Office. The idols were appointed to play the roles of ‘head of civil petitions’ in commemoration of the event.


After receiving their appointment certificates, the three participated in a brief photo session. Hyomin stated, “This is a great honor. There were many who received great awards today, and I’d like to congratulate all of them. We (T-ara) will work hard to enhance our national prestige.”

Jiyeon added, “It’s a great honor for T-ara to be appointed such a position. We will make sure to work joyfully.”

The T-ara members and Leeteuk later moved to the second floor office and worked for a day as the heads of civil petitions.


Meanwhile, actor Hwang Jung Min and actress Han Hyo Joo received a presidential citation at the 45th Taxpayer’s Day event for being model taxpayers.







source: allkpop

J. Reyez & Joseph Vincent deliver a smooth cover of GD&TOP’s “Baby Good Night”

Korean-Canadian hip hop artist J. Reyez is back with another song, and he’s teamed up with famous YouTube crooner Joseph Vincent to deliver a smooth English cover of GD&TOP’s “Baby Good Night“.

Joseph Vincent melted hearts as he took G-Dragon’s parts and glossed them with an R&B flair. Meanwhile, J. Reyez delivered smooth raps that held true to the ’sexy vibe’ of the track. Additionally, Brian Puspos – who’s known for being on “America’s Best Dance Crew“ as a member of the SoReal Cru, but has since moved on to be a part of The ArchiTEKS – made a special appearance as a background dancer for the vid.


It’s a solid cover that was as clean and crisp as the champagne mentioned in the lyrics. Check the impressive track below!



source: allkpop

Won Bin parodies “Secret Garden” for ‘SK Telecom’ CF

Actor Won Bin, who was selected by SK Telecom to become their exclusive model, amused fans by parodying the famous ’sit-up scene’ from SBS’s “Secret Garden” in his latest CF.

Co-starring alongside “Music Bank” MC Kim Min Ji, Won Bin teases the ‘pretty health trainer’ by performing sit-ups as slowly as possible in order to enjoy the moment. Once his trainer is switched to a muscular male, however, Won Bin changes his attitude and performs sit-ups at the speed of light.



A representative commented, “Won Bin synchronized well with his castmates and captivated the scene with his smooth charisma. The filming took over 12 hours to complete and he did an enormous amount of sit-ups in that time, but since he exercises regularly, he did them without any problems.”

SK Telecom’s Park Hye Ran, department head of the brand’s strategy team, added, “Won Bin is a big figure in the Hallyu wave and is one of the representative stars of Korea. His image fits well with SK Telecom, who aims to become a leader in a new and smart generation.”

The full CF will be released on March 5th.






source: allkpop

Park Hee Soon & Park Ye Jin revealed to be dating

The Korean media is buzzing over a new celebrity couple, actor Park Hee Soon (42) and actress Park Ye Jin (31).

Despite having an 11-year difference in age, as well as being industry seniors and juniors, the two have been revealed to be dating for about a month now.

Park Hee Soon’s agency, Yuleum Entertainment, commented, “They began dating a month ago, and as they are a couple who are just beginning, please watch over them with warm gazes.”


Park Ye Jin is currently under another agency the CEO of Yuleum Entertainment runs, making her and Park Hee Soon ‘agency family members’. The two were said to have met often at company dinners, and later developed feelings for one another. Before they went public with their relationship, the couple enjoyed dates in the car, and were sometimes seen outside of Park’s new apartment in Hannam-dong.

One entertainment representative commented, “The topic of marriage is inevitable considering their ages, but they are not at that stage yet. They match quite well as a couple, so I hope people support them instead of giving any pressure.”





source: allkpop

Korea’s Fair Trade Commission fines 15 music distributors for collectively rigging prices

The Fair Trade Commission has decided to fine 15 music companies for $19.9 million USD for collectively rigging the prices of their products and services.

This fine will go hand-in-hand with a court order and prosecution.

On February 28th, the FTC declared, “Through a meeting held from February 23rd through the 25th, we have decided to take appropriate action against the following 15 online music-related companies: SK Telecom, Loen Entertainment, KT, KT Music, Mnet Media, Neowiz Bugs, Sony Music Entertainment Korea, Universal Music, Warner Music Korea, Yejun Media, Pony Canyon Korea, SM Entertainment, SBS Contents Hub, King Pin Entertainment, Direct Media.”

The fines for each company are: SK Telecom (fined $1.96 million USD), Loen Entertainment (fined $9.69 million USD), KT (fined $811,000 USD), KT Music (fined $1.16 million USD), Mnet Media (fined $1.98 million USD), and Neowiz Bugs (fined $1.11 million USD), Sony Music Entertainment (fined $1.19 million USD), Universal Music (fined $814,000 USD), and Warner Music Korea (fined $96,000 USD).

Five of the above companies (SK Telecom, Loen Entertainment, KT Music, Mnet Media, and Neowiz Bugs) will be formally accused of their crimes. Loen Entertainment’s CEO Shin Won Su, KT Music’s CEO Kim Min Wook, and Mnet Media’s CEO Kim Sung Soo will be prosecuted separately.

The FTC alleges that the companies decided to rig the market once Non-DRM (Digital Rights Management) digital songs were allowed to be downloaded, starting May of 2008 – previously, only DRM songs were allowed on the market. Non-DRM songs allow for infinite downloads, which led companies to discontinue products and certificates that catered to Non-DRM songs.

Thirteen of the companies listed above also stopped distributing songs to services which offered infinite downloads, thus rigging the market.

A representative of the FTC revealed, “In order to block competition coming from smaller businesses, the companies listed above rigged their own prices. By rigging the prices in compliance with one another, they placed great harm on the consumers and other businesses in the industry. Indeed, by equalizing the prices of their products, they’ve made the music industry believe that such a phenomenon was permanent. They have completely set up a blockade against the production of products that fit in different price categories. This is a violation of the consumer’s right of choice.”

The representative continued, “With this action, we hope that consumers will be able to spend less in order to enjoy a greater diversity of products. This is the first action being taken for the online music industry. No one is free when prices are rigged, so we hope other companies support this effort.”

source: allkpop

QTV cancels JYJ’s reality show, “JYJ’s Real 24″

Cable channel QTV has officially canceled the broadcasting of JYJ’s upcoming daily reality shows.

On March 1st, C-JES Entertainment posted a notice on their official homepage, which stated, “This is a notice regarding the cancellation of QTV’s broadcasting. We would like to inform fans that JYJ’s reality show detailing their daily lives has been canceled.”


“JYJ’s Real 24” was originally scheduled for broadcast in the beginning of February, but it met with various delays. CJES Entertainment eventually received notice that QTV would not be able to broadcast the show; further inquiries on how such a decision came about have been left unanswered.



C-JES continued, “We would like to apologize to the fans who anticipated the show with all of the reports and promotions that QTV put out. QTV will be giving C-JES the footage, and we will be working our hardest to make sure that the show airs as soon as possible.”

JYJ’s representatives meanwhile stated, “Today, we received a one-sided notice from the broadcasting company that they would be canceling the broadcast. We’re already a month into the filming, so it’s very disappointing to learn of this. It’s also upsetting and frustrating that JYJ isn’t able to promote normally. With such an unreasonable decision, not only are the fans hurt, but JYJ as well.”


Meanwhile, a representative of QTV clarified, “JYJ’s reality show was canceled because schedules did not fit. For a while, we’ve been trying to balance publication rights as well as timing, but we’ve had to rearrange the lineup for a program being produced for April/May.”

They continued, “We never even planned a broadcast date for the program. We were merely trying to buy publication rights for their program to broadcast, it was not a program we produced.”

Regarding netizens speculating external pressure to cancel the show, QTV responded, “That was already ruled in the court, we have absolutely nothing to do with such rumors.”

source: allkpop

Big Bang hits 100,000 mark in unit sales

In retrospect, it was probably a smart move for artists to reshuffle their comeback schedules, as Big Bang dominated the Korean music market in both online and offline sales.

On February 28th, Hanteo reported that Big Bang has sold a record-breaking 100,000 units of their latest mini-album. On February 28th alone, they sold 58,000 copies. This is an enormous achievement, as it normally takes top groups a full year to sell 100,000 units.


Big sales numbers in Korea are generally lower than that of other countries thanks to the prevalence and ease of illegal downloading. Last year, B2ST gained attention for being the only rookie group to have sold over 100k units, but that was with the release of four mini-albums and a grueling promotion cycle. According to Hanteo, the top seller in 2010 was Super Junior’s “BONAMONA“, which sold 129,000 units.

Big Bang also accrued another achievement, as they entered the ‘U.S. Top 10 iTunes album charts’ for the very first time, peaking at #6. Congratulations to Big Bang!


source: allkpop

JYJ’s Junsu, SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong participate in charity soccer match

On February 28th, Sahmyook University invited celebrity soccer team, FC MEN, for a special charity soccer match against the university’s ‘Sahmyook Union’ team.

FC Men attended last year’s charity event as well, and its members are comprised of JYJ’s Junsu, Hero, Yoochun, SS501’s Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Song Joong Ki, and many others.


On the 28th, the team’s leader Junsu and Kim Hyun Joong presented $10,000 USD in donations to the less fortunate. They also participated in various other events, like autographed giveaways.

Junsu stated, “As it’s a match for the less fortunate, I will take part it in with a joyful heart. I hope that this event is able to help the youth band together for the betterment of society.”




source: allkpop

It’s MBLAQ “Again” on Music Bank

Having just released their repackaged album, “BLAQ Style – 3D Edition“, the MBLAQ boys kicked off a new wave of promotions on this week’s KBS’s Music Bank.

Their follow-up track, “Again“, is a mashup between electronica, hip hop, and R&B, which features a strong, synthetic melody with a fast and impressive beat, allowing the members to break away from their past sensual images from their “Cry” and “Stay” performances to showcase their stronger and more masculine sides.


Fortunately for fans, Mir made his return to the stage after temporarily resting from his herniated disk injury earlier in the month. With the group back on their feet as the dynamic five once more, fans can now sigh in relief and enjoy MBLAQ’s powerful and synchronized choreography for their new song.

Check out their performance down below!




source: allkpop

2NE1 mentioned in fashion editorial from American ‘Vogue’!

That’s right! Girl group 2NE1 was recently referenced in the American edition of ‘Vogue‘ magazine.

In its March issue, ‘Vogue’ covered a story about fashion in South Korea titled, “South Korea: The Epicenter of the Shopping Universe“. In this article, Vogue states that “South Korea is fashion’s new Japan” and quotes Scott Sternberg from Band of Outsiders that South Korea is “at the forefront of consuming cute, chic, clean style.”

Carla Sozzani of 10 Corso Como, who recently opened a partnership with Cheil Industries, even praised Seoul for being more thrilling than New York or Paris at this time. She said, “It’s like [how] Milan used to be, and it’s very exciting for me.”

The article went on to state that the younger demographic in Korea these days are more individualistic and are seen sporting a rock-chic look. It stated, “…but the younger set are feeling rock-chic right now and are likely to be dressed in , say, a Junya Watanabe jumper with an Alexander Wang tee (see the pop band 2NE1).”


This article is very exciting for a couple reasons. First, it seems that South Korea is finally getting international recognition as a formidable fashion force. Second, the mention of 2NE1 in a major American (if not global) fashion magazine shows the increasing strength of the Hallyu Wave. Hopefully, as South Korea attracts more attention as a ‘fashion epicenter’, we’ll get to see more appearances of Korean celebrities worldwide.

Check out the article from Vogue below!





source: allkpop

Yoon Eun Hye looking good in a baseball jacket

Fashionista and actress Yoon Eun Hye has garnered attention once again for a chic photo of herself.

Yoon Eun Hye tweeted,

“[Park Han] Byul gave this Starly (Park Han Byul’s clothing line) baseball jacket as a gift! I had wanted to buy it~ keheehee So pretty~ Thanks~ Han Byul!!“

The picture is drawing attention due to its sexy appeal, even though the actress is wearing a typical baseball jacket.


Yoon Eun Hye and Park Han Byul share a special friendship, since they’ve been working together on their upcoming movie, ”My Black Mini Dress“. This movie is scheduled to hit theaters in March. The two will also be appearing together in a future episode of tvN’s “Talk Show Taxi“.


source: allkpop