Actress Yoo In-na has joined the cast of SBS television series “Man from the Stars” alongside A-list actors Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun. The series portrays a good-looking alien, Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun), who has been living in Korea since the Joseon era. Four centuries later, he falls in love with top hallyu actress Chun Song-yi, played by Jun Ji-hyun. Yoo plays the role of her best friend since childhood, Yoon Se-mi, who is torn between being Song-yi’s best friend and being jealous of her s

Upcoming new girl group AOA is set to represent Korea at Singapore’s “Sundown Festival 2013” on Nov. 16. AOA, which stands for Ace of Angels, consists of eight members: Choa, Jimin, Yuna, Youkyung, Hyejeong, Mina, Seolhyun, and Chanmi. The group also includes a sub-unit, AOA Black, where five of the eight members play instruments instead of focusing solely on dance performances. “Sundown Festival 2013” is a music fest that features performances by rock and pop musicians from all over Asia. Aside

“Nine,” a hit television series on cable channel tvN, is set to be remade into an American series led by Fake Empire Productions, known for producing major television series including “Gossip Girl,” “Carrie Diaries” and “The O.C.” Over the years, U.S. production companies have purchased drama formats largely from Europe, but recently companies have been looking all over the world for potential hits. “Homeland” is a drama-thriller series based on the popular Israeli series “Hatufim” and currently

K-pop giant G-Dragon won the grand prize at the 6th 2013 Style Icon Awards in Seoul on Thursday.Known for his charismatic performances and songwriting, the leader of boy band “Big Bang” has been among the so-called best dressers in the pop scene for years. He recently bleached his hair platinum for his music video for “Coup D’etat,” which topped music charts at home and abroad. The singer was named the “Style Icon of the Year” at the awards ceremony held in Sangam-dong and broadcasted in 11 coun

K-pop diva BoA’s local single “Message/Call My Name” ranked eighth on Japan’s Oricon Chart on Wednesday, the day of its release.Three Koreans -- BoA, along with singers TVXQ and Kim Hyung-joon formerly of SS501 -- ranked in the top 10 on the major music chart. BoA made her debut in Japan in 2002, just two years after debuting in Korea, and has been sweeping the Japanese music charts ever since. BoA was part of the first wave of K-pop singers to secure a large fan base in the country, producing h

JYJ’s Park Yoo-chun denied a recent report that he is dating pro golfer Ahn Shin-ae.Park’s agency CJES Entertainment dismissed the rumors: “Park met Ahn Shin-ae with other acquaintances while he was learning to play golf, but they are not in a relationship.” Park’s agency and Ahn’s representative requested the public to refrain from speculating over untrue stories. The media spotlight was sparked by a local media report claiming that they were in a serious relationship.Ahn worked as an official

Brown Eyed Soul member Naul will hold a solo art exhibition at Bangbae-dong’s Gallery Toast from Oct. 25 to Nov. 17. The exhibition, titled “COLLAGEARL,” will showcase collage pieces made from recycled materials such as cloth, sand, wood, paper and furniture artfully arranged together on a canvas. Also included in the exhibition will be Naul’s famous LP Collage series, digital print pieces and eco-friendly bags and phone cases the singer designed himself. “The materials used for my collages are

Entertainer Lee Seung-gi is heading to Croatia for tvN’s “Backpacking Project Part 2, Actress Special.” Lee is once again joining producer Na Young-suk after leaving the talk show “Strong Heart” in April of 2012. The program is considered the second season of “Grandpas Over Flowers,” which followed veteran actors Shin-goo, Park Geun-hyung, Baek Il-seob, and Lee Soon-jae on trips led by actor Lee Seo-jin. The group traveled around Europe and then ended the season with a trip to Taiwan with a spec

Veteran singer Park Ji-yoon’s newly released “Mr. Lee” has pushed aside tracks by IU and Busker Busker to rank No. 1 on eight major music charts including Olleh, Daum, Bugs and Naver. The track ranked No. 2 on Melon and Cyworld. “Mr. Lee” is a track off the EP “Mr.” which was released online Monday. Park also held a showcase commemorating her comeback on Monday where she performed her song for the first time. The track was composed by hip-hop artist Primary and features rapper San E. Considering

Jazz-pop duo Winterplay’s album “Two Fabulous Fools,” which was originally released in Korea in July, has been released in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau after the artists recently signed an agreement with music label Universal Music. The duo already has a growing fan base in Asia and is planning end-of-the-year performances in December. Along with the album itself, the music video for title track “Yoboseyo Baby” will be released in Hong Kong. The artists are also planning various promotiona

Big Bang member Taeyang released a teaser image promoting his new album on YG Entertainment’s official blog on Saturday night. The promotional image is an intense black-and-white shot of Taeyang wearing a black turtleneck covering half of his face with black symbols tattooed on his forehead. The artist sports dramatic black eyeliner that adds to the dark atmosphere. This upcoming album will be Taeyang’s first in three years after he released his first studio album “Solar” in 2010. That album far

Bae Yong-joon, as known as “Yonsama” in Japan for his huge popularity among Korean TV drama fans, received the grand prize at the Korean Entertainment 10th Anniversary Awards in Japan on Saturday, his agency KEYEAST said Sunday. Bae also won the best actor award in the category of Korean drama. At the ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of the airing of “Winter Sonata” -- a KBS TV that fueled the “Bae Yong-joon syndrome” in Japan -- Bae expressed gratitude. “This is a meaningful event, being a

World congress for hallyu studies to present effects of hallyu on academic level