Nearly four decades ago, Venezuelan economist and musician Jose Antonio Abreu gathered 11 impoverished children in a parking garage in Caracas and started teaching them classical music.His notion was simple: free music education can lift the children out of poverty and crime, which in turn could tackle social problems plaguing the country.The initiative ― “El Sistema” or the System ― became hugely successful, so far affecting nearly 2.5 million youngsters mostly from low-income backgrounds and p

Sungmin, a member of K-pop boy band Super Junior, confirmed Tuesday that he will marry actress Kim Sa-eun in December, hours after Kim denied news reports about their betrothal. Sungmin himself announced his plan to marry Kim on Super Junior’s official homepage, apologizing to his fans for the fact that they had first heard the news through the news reports.  “I met a good woman and will marry her on Dec. 13. I am heartbroken that you might have been perplexed and surprised about the news,” Sung

Luhan, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, became the third Chinese idol to launch a legal battle against his label SM Entertainment, spawning speculation over the reasons behind their defections.Luhan filed a lawsuit against SM and its chief executive Kim Young-min, demanding the termination of the contract he signed with the nation’s largest talent agency in 2010. The exact reason for the lawsuit was not publicly revealed.K-pop insiders, however, speculate that the legal action resulted from mistr

With an array of new pop bands flooding TV screens every day, it is becoming more difficult for the newbies to stand out in the music scene. Aspiring idols, thus, are turning to acting to swiftly gain popularity from the public and broaden their presence in showbiz. Now it is common to see idol stars in the Monday-Tuesday and Wednesday-Thursday dramas on major TV networks.Among them are two girls -- Krystal of K-pop quintet f(x) and Sooyoung of megahit girl group Girls’ Generation -- who are vyi

South Korean actor Jung Kyung-ho said Tuesday that he is in a good relationship with his girlfriend Sooyoung, a member of the K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation. But he has no plans for marriage just yet. The 31-year-old actor’s remarks came during an interview with local media ahead of the premiere of his film “Manhole.”Asked about his marriage plans with Sooyoung, the actor said that he had not decided anything but he could get married early if there was a chance. Jung also talked about Sooyou

Rookie K-pop group Red Velvet is to return to the scene with its second EP “Be Natural” this fall, its agency SM Entertainment announced Tuesday. The album will be unveiled at noon on Oct. 13 through major music streaming sites, two months after the release of its debut EP “Happiness.” “Be Natural” is a remake of a song by the first-generation idol group SES. Group members Seulgi and Irene performed the song when they were in SM’s predebut team SM Rookies. The quintet is SM Entertainment’s first

Kris, a former member of K-pop idol group EXO, is about to sign a contract with a Chinese agency, local media outlets reported Tuesday. Korean daily Ilgan Sports reported that Kris is to sign a management contract with Hwai Brothers, one of the biggest talent agencies in China. It added that he failed to strike a deal with YUEHUA, the entertainment powerhouse that manages Super Junior’s ex-member Hangeng. Kris came under the spotlight when he filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment on May 15. H

YG Entertainment, home to some of the biggest names in K-pop, released a teaser image that reads “WHO’S NEXT?” on its official blog on Tuesday, heralding another YG musician’s imminent debut or comeback this October. The black-and-silver teaser photo -- with the caption “2014.10.10 0AM” alongside a question mark -- indicates that a YG artist or group will make a comeback or debut at midnight on Oct. 10. The poster does not specify who it will be. This year, the entertainment powerhouse has been

The embattled South Korean hip-hop artist MC Mong, who was once mired in controversy over draft evasion, will drop a new album in November, his agency DreamT Entertainment announced Tuesday. The 35-year-old rapper will unleash his sixth studio album, five years after he released his fifth full-length album “Humaniman” in 2009. A slew of well-known K-pop acts including veteran musician Lee Sun-hee, rapper Gary, singer Baek Ji-young, Huh Gak and Ailee participated in the recording of MC Mong’s upc

Wooyoung from the K-pop boy band 2PM said that the group has no problem with his bandmate Nichkhun openly dating Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany. “2PM is okay with Nichkhun seeing Tiffany. Our fans, of course, take it sensitively, but dating is an extension of (their) musical career for singers,” the 25-year-old idol said during an interview with a local media outlet. “It does not make sense for us to write and sing love songs without loving someone,” he said. The popular idol couple made their rela

Girls’ Generation, one of the most popular K-pop girl bands in Asia, is facing its toughest time since its debut in 2007 after Jessica claimed on Tuesday that she was “forced out” of the group by her agency. The news first went viral after Jessica accused her label SM Entertainment of unfairly dismissing her from the group without any warning through her Weibo account.The group’s fans refused to believe what Jessica claimed, and some even raised speculations that the account had been hacked. A f

Nearly three decades ago, Choi Sung-won of South Korea’s legendary rock group Deulgukhwa described the beauty of Jejudo Island in his signature song “The Blue Night on Jeju Island.” Choi suggested in his song that those who feel lonely or bored leave for Jejudo Island to see the blue sky and hear the sea whispering. Today, a growing number of Koreans are settling on the resort island of Jejudo, off the southern coast of South Korea. By July, more than 6,000 Koreans will have moved to the island

K-pop boy band 2PM will host an autograph session to celebrate the recent release of its fourth studio album in Seoul, JYP Entertainment announced Monday.The signing event will be held in the outdoor square in front of Galleria Department Store in Gangnam, southern Seoul. The session will run from 9 p.m. on Sept. 25. A total of 100 fans randomly chosen from those who bought 2PM’s latest album will participate. The fans who want to take part in the event can submit their applications at the Jongn

K-pop boy band EXO’s Sehun posted a photo on Monday to mark the successful ending of their concert run in China. “We have wrapped up our concert tour on Sept. 21 that began on May 23 without a hitch. EXO-L made it possible. Our crew who worked hard behind the scene made it possible,” Sehun wrote on his Instagram page. “And EXO members... I love you so much, and thank you,” he added. In the picture, EXO members pose for a camera surrounding a table with a cake. EXO held the concert series “EXO fr

Luhan, a member of the K-pop idol group EXO, plans to take part in the group’s upcoming concert in China. The idol did not participate in the concert held in Thailand due to poor health.  (OSEN)“Luhan has made a full recovery, so he can participate in the concert to be held in Beijing, his hometown,” said an official from his agency SM Entertainment.A week ago, Luhan apologized on his Weibo account for his absence ahead of the concert. “I want to apologize to our Thai fans and all of you. I have