Season two of "Produce 101," Mnet's idol survival show, topped a benchmark TV popularity index for the third straight week, while most big dramas performed sluggishly, data showed Tuesday.The second season of "Produce 101" scored 268 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program from April 17-23. (Mnet)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, online s

South Korean actor Yoo Ji-tae will appear in Danish auteur Lars von Trier's upcoming film "The House That Jack Built" as a cameo, the film's Korean distributor said Wednesday. At9 Film said that Yoo finished shooting in late March in Sweden, without specifying the actor's role.  (Yonhap)He is best known to the international audience for his lead role in Park Chan-wook's "Old Boy." Yoo's directorial debut "Mai Ratima" clinched the Jury Prize, the second top honor, at the 2013 Deauville Asian Film

South Korean rock musician Jeon In-kwon became engulfed in a plagiarism controversy on Wednesday amid allegations part of his hit song, "Don't Worry, My Dear" is similar to a 70s German rock number.A post raising questions about the originality of Jeon's song surfaced on a South Korean internet community.(Yonhap)The post alleged that the chorus of "Don't Worry, My Dear"sounded especially similar to that of Black Fooss' "Drink doch eine met." The title means "let's have a drink" in English.The 62

YG Entertainment, one of South Korea's leading music labels, has signed a trainee deal with an 11-year-old former contestant on SBS TV's audition show "K-pop Star," the company said Wednesday.(SBS)"We signed with Han Byul, who's shown talent in 'K-pop Star 6.' The trainee is young so she will receive systemic training three to four times week while continuing with school," YG said.Han, who appeared in the final season of the popular SBS TV show earlier this year, is half Korean and half Swedish.

Prosecutors said Tuesday they have summarily indicted singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol last month. (Yonhap)The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office said it sought a fine of 2 million won (US$1,700) against him. A summary indictment does not require a formal trial. The member of K-pop boy band SS501 was caught on March 26 as he fell asleep for about 15 minutes in his car while waiting for a traffic light to change in southern Seoul, acco

South Korean pop diva Lee Eun-mi dropped her new song "Albatross" on Tuesday, releasing her first brand new music in three years, her agency said. (Yonhap)The piano-accompanied ballad was released at noon on major streaming services, including Melon, Bugs Music and Olleh Music, according to Neobiz, which represents Lee. The song was written by long-time collaborator Yoon Il-sang, who first worked with Lee on her hit song "I Have A Lover" released in 2004. In October of last year, Lee released he

"MAN x MAN," a new South Korean TV drama starring Park Hae-jin, has received a heavy spotlight from Chinese entertainment outlets despite the show being unavailable in the neighboring country, according to the star's agency Tuesday. (Yonhap)On Monday, entertainment pages of Chinese portals -- including Sina.com, Sohu.com and Eastday.com -- featured stories on the new Friday-Saturday JTBC series as one of their prominent headlines of the day, Mountain Movement, Park's agency, said."MAN x MAN" (pr

Season two of "Produce 101," Mnet's idol survival show, topped a benchmark TV popularity index for two weeks in a row, while most major weekday dramas fared poorly, data showed Tuesday.The second season of "Produce 101" scored 265.7 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program from April 10-16. (Mnet)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, online se

K-pop singer-songwriter IU on Friday expressed confidence in her new album "Palette" and thanked fans for pushing her pre-released song to No. 1 on music charts despite zero promotional activities. (Yonhap)I had no idea that the pre-released song would be loved this much. I'm so happy that 'Through The Night' reached No. 1 on the music charts even without publicity," IU told reporters at a media event held at the Shinhan Card FAN Square in northern Seoul.IU released her fourth full-length album

SBS TV's comedy program "People Looking for a Laugh" issued an apology Friday over a skit that many people found offensive and racist.  (Yonhap)In the segment "Real Gag" aired on Wednesday, comedian Hong Hyun-hee colored her face black and dressed up in what appeared to be African tribal dress with a cheetah-print top and a skirt made of cabbage. The skit made crude jokes about her appearance and gave the impression of disparaging people of color.Soon after the segment went on air, it invited an

"Triple H," the new project group led by Hyuna, former member of the now-disbanded girl group 4minute, will debut with its first EP album "199X," the group's agency said Friday. (Yonhap)The group, which also consists of Hui and E'Dawn of boy group Pentagon, will release the album on May 1, said Cube Entertainment, which manages the artists.The album will have five tracks, including the title piece "365 Fresh" -- a punk-style number reminiscent of the 1990s.Hyuna and E'Dawn took part in the writi

"Queen of Mystery," KBS 2TV's comic detective series, maintained its lead in the mid-week drama race, becoming the only late night show with a double-digit rating amongst its competitors, data showed Friday. (Yonhap)Episode six of the Wednesday-Thursday series "Queen of Mystery" recorded a 10.9 percent nationwide viewership Thursday night, according to Nielsen Korea. The figure represents a 3.2 percentage-point increase from the previous day.SBS TV's "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors" stood at 8.3 per

Production of "Housewife Detective," a South Korean drama starring actress Jang Na-ra and 2PM's Chansung, has been suspended due to budget issues, sources said Thursday. (M Star Media Group)"We're waiting for filming to resume, as the production company has asked us to wait amid production cost issues," said a representative of one of the lead stars, who asked not to be named.The unfinished drama is about an single mother going through economic difficulties working as an assistant to a private d

U-Know Yunho of K-pop idol duo TVXQ finished his mandatory military service Thursday, promising fans a comeback for the team in the near future. (Yonhap)"Please look forward to the complete TVXQ to return. Now is the start," the 31-year-old singer told an estimated crowd of 800 fans and reporters in front of the Army's 26th Mechanized Infantry Division at Yangju, north east of Seoul.The singer, whose original name is Jung Yun-ho, said he cherishes his experience in the military: "It was an oppor

South Korean singer and TV celebrity Jung Joon-young and Jiyeon, a member of girl group T-ara, on Wednesday denied a news report that the two were going out.  (Yonhap)"After confirming with Jiyeon, we've learned that the two are not seeing each other," MBK Entertainment, which represents T-ara, said. It did though confirm that the two made a recent trip to Southeast Asia together with friends."It's true that they went to Southeast Asia with mutual acquaintances, but the two are just friends. The