Ryu Seung-bum and Gong Hyo-jin have ended their 10-year relationship, according to the agency representing the celebrity couple. “They decided to remain good friends,” the agency Soop Management said on Wednesday.The couple broke up their relationship in April. They had a hard time making a decision, the agency said.Ryu and Gong began to date in 2001 when they played a couple for a TV drama. The couple broke up in 2003 but reunited in 2008. Ryu is one of the Korean movie industry’s best known ac

S.M. Entertainment-produced ‘For You in Full Blossom’ in the gray zoneWhen news broke that music giant S.M. Entertainment was venturing into the production side of television with the establishment of subsidiary S.M. Culture and Contents, some might have cringed. Past S.M. Entertainment drama co-production “Paradise Ranch” failed to bring in high viewer ratings, not a good harbinger for S.M. Culture and Contents’ first endeavor, SBS’ “For You in Full Blossom.” The upcoming series’ stars, however

 Korean comedian and rapper Haha’s agency said Tuesday that he will soon announce plans to marry singer Byul.The 33-year-old will host a press conference on Wednesday to reveal details about his wedding, according to QUAN Entertainment.The agency said Haha, whose real name is Ha Dong-hoon, had been dating Byul since March. “Haha and Byul were attracted to each other because they had so much in common,” said an employee from QUAN Entertainment.The wedding will take place on Nov. 30, according to

Actress goes from nine-tailed fox to ‘amnesiac, single, girl ghost’Never mind that actress Shin Min-a is one step closer to becoming the girl you sign on to play supernatural heroines, her latest endeavor, MBC’s “Tale of Arang,” bears all the trappings of a great success. A mash-up of horror, mystery, comedy and romance, this refreshing period piece set in the Joseon period is in good stead to top the Wednesday and Thursday prime time ratings race. “I play an amnesiac, single, girl ghost,” the 2

Korean actor Lee Seung-kyu died following a motorcycle accident early on Saturday, his agency said on Sunday.“Lee was involved in a motorcycle accident and hit his head on the guardrail. He was killed on the spot,” said an official from Lee’s management Taepoong Entertainment. According to news reports, Lee had been heading home after watching the Olympic bronze medal soccer match between South Korea and Japan with his friends.The 30-year-old actor made his debut in 2000 in the situation comedy

Lee Min-ho stars in thriller blending action, fantasy, melodramaActor Lee Min-ho has yet to reprise the success he saw with his breakout performance in the hit KBS series “Boys Over Flowers.”After he won fans over as a prickly, rich brat in the rom-com, he seemed to play it safe with yet another sweet romance opposite Son Ye-jin in MBC’s “Personal Taste” before following it up with the action-packed “City Hunter.” Neither series racked up the massive ratings of “Boys Over Flowers,” putting him i

Long-favored StarCraft pro league tournaments come to an end as the final match of the franchise will be held on Saturday in Seoul.StarCraft is a real-time strategy game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and it has won major popularity among many gamers around the world since its release in 1998. And Korea emerged as the key venue for StarCraft pro gamers, on the strength of solid popularity among local users. Blizzard is estimated to have sold more than 4 million copies of the game title in K

PYONGYANG (AP) -- Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters.　 Performers dressed as some of America’s most memorable cartoon characters danced and pranced as footage from "Snow White," "Dumbo," "Beauty and the Beast" and other popular Disney movies played on a massive backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV Saturday.The inclusion of characters popular in the West -

A look into the real-life 40-something man-about-townIn the much-talked-about, much-watched “A Gentleman’s Dignity,” men are portrayed as skincare-conscious 40-something dudes who hang out at cafes and are not afraid to gush over their non-alcoholic beverages or be seen shopping together. With viewer ratings up in the 20 percent range, this oft-called male version of “Sex and the City” is a hot commodity, but are the attractive, sensitive, metrosexual leading men in the show a far-fetched image

U.S. government’s marine science agency has officially declared that mermaids do not exist, according to local news reports.“No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found,” the National Ocean Service wrote online last week.The post appears to be a response to pouring inflow of public inquiries following a TV show called “Mermaids: The Body Found” aired on Discovery Channel’s Animal Planet network in May.The agency acknowledged the timing of the post was "arguably" tied to the documentary,