South Korean singer and actor Kim Hyun-joong made an official apology Monday to his former girlfriend, fully admitting his assault charges. In response, his ex-girlfriend agreed to unconditionally drop the charges she pressed against him on Sept. 2, Kim’s lawyer said. Kim left a message on his official homepage to apologize to the woman. “I am really sorry that I mentally and physically hurt the person I loved and trusted for two years,” he wrote. “I feel so ashamed that I did what a man was not

JYJ. (C-JES Entertainment)K-pop boy band JYJ will hold a free concert on a major street in downtown Seoul on Oct. 5, the group’s agency said Monday. The concert is part of the upcoming “2014 Gangnam Festival,” designed to promote hallyu, the overseas Korean pop culture boom, Gangnam-gu Office said. It will take place on Yeongdong Road in front of the Korea Electric Power Corp. headquarters in Samseong-dong. Over 33,000 fans are expected to turn up, turning the area into a giant outdoor concert v

GLAM member Dahee. (OSEN)Police requested an arrest warrant for the two women charged with blackmailing A-list actor Lee Byung-hun on Tuesday. Gangnam District Police Station said it took legal action against K-pop girl group GLAM’s Dahee, 20, and a 24-year-old woman only identified by her surname Lee, on charges of attempted threat. Dahee and Lee have been under investigation for alleged blackmailing of the actor to reveal a video clip of the three exchanging lewd jokes unless they were paid 5

One of the two women charged with blackmailing A-list actor Lee Byung-hun was found to be Dahee, a member of K-pop girl group GLAM, according to news reports.Earlier on Tuesday, Korean news outlets reported that two women were investigated by the police on charges of threatening Lee, but the pair‘s identity was not released. Later that day, it was found that Dahee, 20, was one of the alleged blackmailers under probe at the Gangnam District Police Station. Dahee and an unidentified woman in her 2

The South Korean historical drama “Joseon’s Gunman” topped the Chinese video charts for five weeks straight on Monday. The action-romance show became the most-watched video on daily, weekly and monthly charts of China’s video streaming site “QQ Video,” garnering about 8 million views every day.Since the 11th episode was broadcast on July 30, the epic drama has remained at the No. 1 spot on the daily and weekly charts for the fifth consecutive week, proving its immense popularity in China.Starrin

South Korean actor Lee Joon-ki shared his feelings about wrapping up his drama “Joseon’s Gunman” on Saturday.“I will do my best for our audience who has loved and supported ‘Joseon’s Gunman.’ I almost cried after reading the script for the final episode,” he wrote on Twitter.In the period drama, Lee plays Park Yoon-gang, a hero who turned from the last swordsman into a gunman to avenge his deceased father and protect his love in the late years of the Joseon Dynasty (1302-1901). The drama, first

Seoul is the top sender of foreign students to U.S. universities, followed by Beijing and Shanghai, according to a report by Brookings Institution released Friday. The South Korean capital sent 56,503 students to the United States on full-time student visas between 2008 and 2012. The Chinese cities ― Beijing and Shanghai ― ranked second and third, sending 49,946 and 29,145 students, respectively, over the same period. Hong Kong was the fourth-largest contributor, sending 12,406 students, followe

South Korean hip-hop artist Jay Park, also known as Park Jae-beom, will release his second studio album “Evolution” on Sep. 1, his label SidusHQ announced Monday. The upcoming album consists of 17 tracks, including the title song “So Good.” Park helped write and compose all the tracks on the album, an official from the label said. Park worked on the title track in partnership with Cha Cha Malon, inspired by legendary Michael Jackson’s music. On July 25, the artist released his most recent self-c

K-pop girl group Kara’s former member Kang Ji-young is to make her way into the Japanese entertainment scene as an actress in partnership with a Japanese agency, Japanese news outlets reported Thursday. According to the news reports, Kang signed a management contract with Japanese talent agency Sweet Power to launch her acting career. Sweet Power is a Japanese entertainment powerhouse that manages a slew of Japanese top-tier actresses including Maki Horikita and Meisa Kuroki. “Kang will show her

Lee Sung-woo, a 38-year-old South Korean office worker, has become an online sensation after visiting Kansas City in the U.S. at the invitation of its pro baseball team the Royals early this month.He was given a hero’s welcome in the city and drew a great deal of attention from citizens and Royals’ officials, players and fans.The club invited him as he has been an ardent fan of the Royals for nearly two decades despite having no connection with the U.S. pro baseball team or the city. Lee Sung-wo

(Yonhap)Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to witness Pope Francis beatify 124 martyrs in downtown Seoul on Saturday under chants of “amen” and “viva il papa.” Up to 1 million people, according to the police, gathered in Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square -- usually a district bustling with office workers.(Yonhap)The square resembled a large outdoor cathedral on Saturday with attendees praying in silence and singing Bible hymns during the beatification ceremony.(Yonhap)The crowd enthusiastically wa

Winner (YG Entertainment)Rookie K-pop group Winner topped major music charts with its debut album Tuesday. As the YG Entertainment boy band dropped its debut EP “2014 S/S” at midnight on Aug. 12, one of the two main tracks, “Empty,” instantly appeared at the top of the nine major Korean music charts, including Mnet, Olleh Music and Naver Music. The other tunes on the album, including the other main track “Color Ring,” made the top five on the charts. The group’s five members ― Kang Seung-yoon, L

South Korean boy band 2PM will embark on a world tour concert series in major cities, its label JYP Entertainment announced Monday. The sextet is to kick off “2PM World Tour,” with the first concert to be held in Seoul from Oct. 3-4 shortly after its new album release. Following the two-day concert, 2PM will tour around several countries including Thailand, China, the U.S. and Indonesia to perform. 2PM is to return to the K-pop scene in September, with its fourth studio album and EP in Korea and

K-pop rookie band Winner unveiled a poster on Monday heralding the launch of their official debut in the entertainment scene. The fledgling group’s management agency YG Entertainment released a poster, titled “Winner ― 2014 S/S Debut Week,” on its official blog at midnight on Aug. 4.In the poster, the five members stand in line while looking ahead in dark suits, exuding charisma.  Winner’s “Debut Week” poster. (YG Entertainment)The poster also announces the group’s upcoming schedule this week, d

Organica, a Korean premium organic whole food company, unveiled a three-day detox program with juice made with superfoods on Tuesday as part of its efforts to lead the nationwide juice cleanse trend.The three-day juice cleanse program, called the “Just Juice 3-day Super Cleanse,” enriched nutrients and flavors by high-pressure processing methods and adding superfoods such as spirulina, turmeric, chlorella and chia seeds to its product lineup. The so-called superfoods are a loosely defined collec