Actor Jung Woo-sung (left) poses with UNHCR representative Dirk Hebecker after being appointed the honorary advocate of the agency in Seoul on Thursday. (UNHCR Korea)Actor Jung Woo-sung has been appointed an honorary advocate for the U.N. Refugee Agency in Korea, the agency said.Jung is the first celebrity to serve in the role since the establishment of the agency’s Seoul office in 2001. As the honorary advocate, the actor will help support some 45 million refugees worldwide, by participating in

EXO-M leader Kris has shocked fans throughout the K-pop world as he officially filed a lawsuit against his agency SM Entertainment, the country’s biggest K-pop talent enterprise, demanding that his exclusive contract be nullified. The suit was filed with the Seoul Central District court on Thursday, and although representatives at SM Entertainment have not yet released any official statements, it appears it came as quite a shock. A spokesperson told Yonhap News that they were “perplexed by the i

Sultan of the Disco. (Sultan of the Disco Website)Local indie band Sultan of the Disco, Korean traditional/rock music crossover band Jambinai and solo artist Gonne Choi will be making an appearance at the upcoming Glastonbury Festival in England next month.The artists will join internationally renowned headline acts such as Arcade Fire, Kasabian, Jack White, Robert Plant, Skrillex, Dolly Parton, Blondie and much more in the annual five-day music festival that will take place near Pilton, Somerse

The SNS account of EXO-M’s Kris has come into the spotlight as members of EXO unfollowed his Instagram account after he filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment.According to Sinayule, a Chinese entertainment news corporation, Kris sued SM Entertainment to end his exclusive contract. Kris claimed that he was restricted in terms of personal development and the management company was not suitable for him.(Instagram)One of the EXO members, Sehun, posted an image of a question mark with a “…” as a de

Kris, a Chinese member of boy band EXO-M, has had financial difficulties despite his tremendous workload because SM Entertainment exploited him financially, according to sources close to him on Thursday.“SM (Entertainment) controlled him like a pawn or a control-target rather than offering him opportunities as a celebrity,” an undisclosed source close to Kris told Yonhap News.The clash between Kris and his agency surfaced as Kris in the day filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, demanding a c

Kris, a Chinese member of boy band EXO-M, on Thursday filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, demanding a cancellation of their exclusive contract. The leader of the Chinese subunit of K-pop boy band EXO filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court. SM Entertainment has not yet released an official statement.  EXO-M leader Kris (SM Entertainment)“We are perplexed by the incident ... we will do our best to keep EXO’s activities on track,” an SM Entertainment spokesperson told Yonhap. Th

Actor Kim Nam-gil was confirmed on Thursday to take over actor Lee Jung-jae’s main character in the film “Rouge” alongside actress and Cannes Film Festival jury member Jeon Do-yeon. Kim will play Jae-gon, a police detective in pursuit of a suspected killer. Jeon will play Hye-kyung, the suspect’s lover. Despite the clash, the two cannot help but develop personal feelings for each other. Actor Kim Nam-gilKim has played major characters in multiple TV shows, including MBC historical drama “Queen S

Actress Jun Ji-hyun’s “good side” is on the left, said Lee Gil-bok, the director of SBS drama “My Love from the Star,” in an episode of reality show “Magic Eye” that aired on May 13. The comment came after show host Kim Gu-ra asked him which side of Jun’s face looks better. The director said the “left side.”“The number of right-handed people is generally higher than left-handed people… I think about 70 percent (of right-handed people) look better on the left side of the face,” said Lee, who has

“K-pop Star 3” contestants Sam Kim and Kwon Jin-ah, who finished second and third on the show, respectively, have both signed with Antenna Music, the agency announced Tuesday. Sam Kim (SBS)Kim and Kwon have become the first “K-pop Star” contestants to sign with the agency, home to alternative artists Lucid Fall and the Peppertones. The agency is run by CEO You Hee-yeol who was a judge on the SBS audition program for the first time this year.“We think that Kwon Jin-ah is a musician that has her o

Jung Yong-hwa, the main vocalist from the popular K-pop band CNBLUE, will head to Los Angeles this month to sing the South Korean national anthem at the Dodger Stadium.Jung is slated to deliver the national anthem as part of the “Korea Night” event, organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, during a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds on May 27.Jung Yong-hwa of CNBlue (FNC Entertainment)The event will be attended by Park Chan-ho, South Korea’s first-ever U.S.

 After the local release of her first Hollywood film, “Make Your Move,” and her latest Japanese EP, “Shout It Out,” iconic K-pop star BoA looks to continue ramping up her hallyu status with the launch of her first tour in Japan in more than four years, according to an announcement made by the singer’s Japanese label Avex Trax. The 14-year veteran K-pop star will kick off her tour in September with two shows at the Tokyo NHK Hall before performing in Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka. “It’s been a long ti

Model-turned-actor Kim Woo-bin broke up with his model girlfriend Yu Ji-an four months ago, Kim’s agency confirmed on Wednesday. Their busy schedules drew the actor-model couple apart emotionally, leading to a casual split, a local sports media reports.  Actor Kim Woo-bin and model Yu Ji-an (osen)Kim and Yu began dating in 2011 when working together as models. In September 2013, Kim made it public that he had been dating model Yu Ji-an for two years.Kim’s past comment about girl group f(x) membe

On SBS’ “Roommate” episode aired on Sunday, Park Bom revealed her beauty secrets: using a particular brand of thermal water spray frequently and sticking “meridian stickers” on her ears.Meridian stickers are known to help the circulation of blood by stimulating acupuncture spots with sharp points attached to the sticker.“Spraying this helps you get a smaller face,” Park said on the show, referring to the water spray. “Many of my actor and actress friends use this.”Later, Park was spotted sharing

Actress Yoo In-na and actor Ji Hyun-woo have broken up after a two-year relationship, their agencies confirmed on Wednesday. Yoo’s agency, YG Entertainment, did not disclose the reason and the exact date of the breakup.  Yoo In-na and Ji Hyun-woo (tvN)“(Despite the breakup), they decided to support each other’s careers,” a spokesperson of Ji’s agency was quoted as saying. The two K-drama stars had initially announced their romantic relationship upon finishing the recording of the final episode o

AKMU, the winner of SBS’ audition program “K-pop Star 2,” was found to have donated 300 million won ($290,000) to several charities.According to YG Entertainment, the brother-sister duo donated all the prize money they won on “K-pop Star 2,” including 100 million won ($97,000) they received from a record production support fund. (YG Entertainment)“As far as I know, AKMU gladly agreed to their parents’ suggestion to ‘return it to society’ when they received the prize money,” a YG official was quo