[Musician Focus] Jang Ki-ha Expands His Capabilities

With the song ‘Cheap Coffee’, Jang Ki-ha gave a refreshing jolt to the Korean music industry. He has become a unique musician with his creative music style. He also expands his capabilities as a musician, an actor and a model. It seems that there are no limits in his capacity.

♦ Jang Ki-ha as a musician

Jang Ki-ha is the vocalist from ‘Jang Kiha & The Faces’, which was formed in May 2008. At first, the band consisted of Jang Ki-ha (vocalist), Lee Min-ki (Guitarist), Jung Joong-yub (bassist), Kim Hyun-ho (drummer) and Mimi Sisters (backup dancers and chorus). Mimi Sisters left the band.

Currently, the members for the band include Jang Ki-ha (vocalist), Jung Joong-yub (bassist), Lee Jong-ming (Keyboard player), Hasegawa Yohei (Guitarist) and Jun il-joon (drummer).

The single ‘Cheap Coffee’ first made the band become famous. The members handcrafted their own albums. The single recorded the sales of little more than 10,000 copies. The band won 3 prizes at the 6th Korean Music Awards.

His distinct singing style that can be likened to whispering and the unique lyrics were refreshing in the Korean music industry. It the historic tipping point for Jan Ki-ha as a musician.

♦ Jang Ki-ha as an actor

Jang Ki-ha plays poor guitarist Jang Yul in tvN’s ‘Potato Star 2013QR3’.

As it is his first time to shoot a drama, it seems difficult for him to be considered Jang Yul. But he still looks like the singer Jang Ki-ha. But with each episode, he becomes more natural playing the role.

He was lucky to shoot a kissing scene with Seo Ye-ji, his partner in the drama. He sometimes played a poor guy or a rich guy in different episodes.
Despite the fact that it’s Jang Ki-ha’s first time to act, he has given the chances to act play various roles. The more you watch the drama, the more you think that he is perfect for the role.

♦ Jang Ki-ha as a model

Apart from singing and acting, he has started doing modeling. s wear brand KELBURN for the 2014 S/S collection.

It is a little surprising that he is the model for the brand that mostly makes slim fit men’s clothes of trendy designs. Some may have worried about the decision.

But all the concerns disappeared since the photo shoot for the catalogue.

Famous photographer Zo Sun Hi and stylist Chae Han Suk worked on the photo shot where Jang Ki-ha managed to take poses like a professional model. It was almost unbelievable that it was his first time to do modeling. The clothes fit him really well as he is tall and slim.

About the reason for choosing Jang Ki-ha as the model, a KELBURN representative said, “We chose him as the model for the brand because we like his image of being smart and free. His image fits the comfortable and trendy styles of KELBURN. And as he never tried modeling, we thought it could be really refreshing to choose him as our model. It is good for KELBURN as the brand is making a new leap forward”.

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Written by Han Jihee, Photo by KELBURN, Translated by Lee Sarah

[Spot] Lee Jong-suk and Park Hae-jin’s New Drama ‘Doctor Stranger’

Two main characters Lee Jong-suk and Park Hae-jin

The press release for SBS’s new drama ‘Doctor Stranger’ was held on April 29th at SBS Mok-dong Office. At the release, the cast wore black clothes and yellow ribbons to offer their condolences for those affected by the Sewol ferry disaster. The atmosphere was rather toned down.

The production team and the cast including Lee Jong-suk, Park Hae-jin, Jin Se-yeon, Kang So-ra and Bora of Sistar participated in the event.  The medical melodrama is a story about a genius doctor who was born in South Korea but raised in North Korea and an elite doctor Han Jae-joon. They fight against conspiracy together.

Director Jin Hyeok offered his condolences to the victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. He said, “I’ll do my best to make a healing drama. I’ve been planning for the series for a long time. Writer Park Jin-woo joined me to produce a good drama. We want to make a story about passionate loves that you can risk your life and how you become a more matured person from them. I also want to tell the story from the perspective of an outsider or a stranger of society”.

The main characters for ‘Doctor Stranger’, Lee Jong-suk, Jin Se-yeon, Kang So-ra, Bora and Park Hae-jin

Jin Se-yeon plays the double role of Song Jae-hee, Park Hoon (Lee Jong-suk)’s first love and Han Seung-hee, the anesthesiologist at Myung-woo University Hospital. She said, “It’s a great opportunity to play a double role. I was attracted to the fact. It’s not easy though to differentiate one role from another”.

Kang So-ra plays chest surgeon Oh Soo-hyun at the hospital, Han Jae-hoon (Park Hae-jin)’s girlfriend. She said, “I really wanted to play the role when I read the script. It’s an honor to work with director Jin Hyeok”.

Bora plays a friend of Park Hoon from North Korea named Lee Chang-yi. Bora said she is excited about shooting a drama as it is her first TV series.

Director Jin Hyeok explained about the cast, saying “When I helped Lee Jong-suk make a debut with my drama ‘Prosecutor Princess’, I thought he could be a big star because he has a lot of talent even if he still needed to work harder. He has now become a main character in 5 years”.

About Jin Se-yeon, he said, “She is the youngest but she gets a lot of compliments”. He also said, “I decided to choose Bora for her role after I saw her performance at SBS Drama Awards”, showing his personal affection for her. Jin Hyeok thought Park Hae-jin would be perfect for his role as he had the cold image when Jin Hyeo first met her.

Kang So-ra said, “I have trust in the production team and the writer. I think I could show the diversity of the character. I also like the subject matter, hospital. It’s a place of life or death situation. The events happening at the hospital will be interesting”, raising the expectations about the drama.

Playing a chest surgeon, Kang So-ra said she watched a lot of medical documentaries. She also said, “People around me all envy me for working with the two attractive actors”.

Jin Se-yeon said, “It’s very difficult to understand medical terms. But the staff helped me a lot. Director Jin Hyeok recommended the movie ‘Shiri’ to me. I’ like to deliver a dramatic reversal”, showing her effort for the new drama.

Bora of Sistar and Lee Jong-suk are friends on the new drama

Bora said, “I’ll do my best because I don’t want to cause the other actors any troubles” I mostly shoot with Lee Jong-suk. I feel comfortable working with him because we are friends on the drama. I can ask him questions any time while shooting, which makes me feel relieved. I also learn a lot watching him acting”.
About the North Korean accent, she said, “The terms are so difficult. So I watched a lot of movies I can learn North Korean accent from. It’s fun to learn the new words. I feel good about playing a small role as it is my first time to shoot a drama and I’ve been preparing for acting since I made a debut as a singer”.

Chinese Model Zhang Liang and Park Hae-jin are personally know each other well

Chinese top model Zhang Liang also joins the drama, drawing a lot of attention. Zhang Liang said, “It’s an honor to come to Korea to shoot a drama. I feel so sad about the Sewol ferry disaster. I pray for the soul of the deceased”. Zhang Liang plays Park Hae-jin’s college friend, who’s a lawyer. He will make a short but bold appearance for Korean fans.
Director Jin Hyeok has directed ‘City Hunter’ and ‘Master’s Sun’ and writer Park Jin-woo has written ‘The Kingdom of The Winds’ and ‘Conspiracy in the Court’. Their new drama ‘Doctor Stranger’ will start to air at 10pm on May 5th.

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[Spot] Born Again As Genius Dcotor; Lee Jong-suk for ‘Doctor Stranger’

[Spot] ld-hearted Perfectionist Park Hae-jin for ‘Doctor Stranger’

Written by Han Jihee, Photo by Ryuma, Translated by Lee Sarah

[Movie Behind] Kings Walk Out of History: Hyun Bin, Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun and Ju Ji-hoon

We can often see Joseon kings in many recent Korean history movies.

 

They are getting younger and more handsome, changing our perceptions about the conventional image of kings. The kings from the movies are all different from tyrants to sincere kings who take great care of the public. Let’s meet the Joseon kings from 4 movies.

 

 
<The Fatal Encounter> Hyun Bin plays young Jeongjo
 
‘The Fatal Encounter’ is a movie about Jeongjo, the 22^nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. The movie focuses on the events happening in the first year since he came to throne. The motif of the movie is the most mysterious and cruelest murderer case in Joseon’s history, ‘정유역변’. The movie describes the political and fatal circumstances surrounding the king.
 
Jeongjo was the son of Crown Prince Sado who was put to tragic death by his own father. Jeongjo made various attempts to reform and improve the nation of Joseon by nurturing talented people and abolishing the social discrimination. He is one of the Joseon kings who experienced the most dramatic events. Hyun Bin plays Jeongjo, the smart king, who promotes scholastic research and makes sound judgements. Hyun Bin successfully expressed king Jeongjo who had to protect himself from the constant threats of assassination and conspiracy.
 
 

<The Face Reader> Lee Jung-jae, the handsome king with absorbing power.

Lee Jung-jae's exquisite acting skills in the movie ‘The Face Reader’ overwhelmed the audience. Grand Prince Suyang later becomes Joseon’s 7^th ruler. After Lee Jung-jae played the role, Grand Prince Suyang was at the center of attention. It may be because the character was attractive enough to draw attention.

Grand Prince Suyang snatched the throne from his young nephew Danjong and became the king strengthening the royal authority.

Considering all the characteristics, Lee Jung-jae, who has never played a baddie, created the attractive bad guy, contributing to the popularity of the movie.
 

<Masquerade> Lee Byung-hun becomes King Gwanghae from Ha-sun

The movie ‘Masquerade’ is a movie about King Gwanghae, who’s played by Lee Byung-hun. The actor plays the double role of King Gwang-hae and acrobat Ha-sun. In the 8^th year of King Gwang-hae when the fight for power and political chaos went extreme, Gwang-hae became more aggressive in fear of being killed and found a double in order to avoid the constant threat of assassination.

A humble acrobat who shouldn’t be a king becomes one of Joseon Dynasty. He then changes into a sincere king who takes care of his people. King Gwang-hae’s leadership that leads the public with love not his authority is well described in the movie.
 

<I Am a King> Ju Ji-hoon as Choong-nyung before becoming King Sejong

The movie ‘I Am a King’ comically depicts the events happening for the 3 months before Choong-nyung becomes King Sejong, using fictional imagination. Director Jang Kyu-sung says, “The plot is based on the imagination about the events that might have happened before Sejong becomes the king”. Ju Ji-hoon plays the double role of Grand Prince Choong-nyng and beggar Deok-chil.

In fear of becoming a king, Grand Prince Choong-nyung decides to escape the palace and climbs over a wall. The weak prince who can't even take care of himself suddenly becomes a beggar and does forced labor and begs people for food. He even gets the ‘straw mat punishment’, where he is wrapped with a straw mat and hit by others with a bat. He then becomes a great king who can understand the tough lives of the public.

 

 

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Written by Han Ji-hee, Translated by Lee Sarah

Male Duos' ‘Bromance’ Will Continue

These days, we can see many male duos who make dramas and movies more interesting and intriguing.

‘Bromance’ is a combination of ‘brother’ and ‘romance. The term refers to a close non-romantic relationship between two (or more). Male duos make dramas more interesting and please the eyes of female viewers.

So let’s meet the duos for the upcoming dramas and a movie.

 

TV Series: ‘Cunning Single Lady’ – Joo Sang-wook and L

Joon Sang-wook and L are the male duo in the drama ‘Cunning Single Lady’. Joo Sang-wook was able to distance himself from the cold and stubborn image and play Cha Jung-woo, the humane and round character. His best friend ‘L’, a part-timer at an Internet cafe gets chosen by Joo Sang-wook as his secretary. Their bromance begins like that.

At the press release Joo Sang-wook took care of L, whose acting career is still short and has lots to learn. Their relationship translates into that of the duo in the drama. Secretary Gil stays with Cha Jung-woo and supports him like a best friend sometimes or a brother. But their bromance will come to the end as the finale of the TV series is coming up.

 

TV Series: ‘Doctor Stranger’ – Lee Jong-suk and Park Hae-jin

‘Doctor Stranger’, which will be aired from May, is a story about two doctors. Lee Jong-suk plays genius doctor Park Hoon, who was born in South Korea but raised in North Korea. However, Park Hoon fails to fit in and becomes an outsider. Instead, he becomes a genius cardiothoracic surgeon and makes money to find his first love Song Jae-hee (Jin Se-yeon) back.

Park Hae-jin plays Han Jae-jun, an elite doctor working at the same hospital with Lee Jong-suk. He comes into conflict with Lee Jong-suk. It has not been revealed yet but they could become a great team to fight against a conspiracy. There are high expectations for the two actors makeover and their charismatic acting styles.
The first episode of ‘Doctor Stranger’ will be aired on May 5^th.
 

TV Series: ‘You’re All Surrounded’ – Cha Seung-won and Lee Seung-gi

Police detectives show their bromance in the drama ‘You’re All Surrounded’. Lee Seung-gi plays Eun Dae-gu, a rookie police detective in the Violent Crimes Unit. He’s a hot-tempered and straightforward handsome man who never filters his words.

Cha Seung-won is making a comeback with the new drama since his last one in 3 years. He plays ‘Seo Pan-seok’, the captain of the Violent Crimes Unit 3. Pan-seok is known for closing the toughest cases and catching the notorious criminals. The battles between the senior and rookie police detectives will be interesting enough to draw more viewers.

The first episode of ‘You’re All Surrounded’ will be aired on May 7^th.
 

 
Movie: ‘Obsessed’ – Song Seung-heon and On Joo-wan

‘Obsessed’ is an upcoming film about a couple having a passionate and secret love affair in 1969, at the end of the Vietnam War. The movie will depict the love battles between the two attractive men, Song Seung-heon and On Joo-wan, over a woman named Ga-heun (Im Ji-yeon).

Song Seung-heon plays romantic Kim Jin-pyeong, an elite military officer, who has a passionate love with Jong Ga-heun (Im Ji-yeon), the wife of his junior officer, Kyung Woo-jin. Woo-jin takes advantage of his young and beautiful wife and uses her to promote himself to the commander. He verbally abuses his wife and shows the great ambition to achieve successful career.

The movie ‘Obsessed’ will be released on May 15^th.



Written by Han Jihee, Photo by MBC, SBS and NEW, Translated by Lee Sarah

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[Idol Selection] Who are the Prettiest Members of Girl-bands?

Many of the members of girl-bands are usually very pretty and thin. Then who are the prettiest members of all? Well, there must be many disagreements. But why argue? They are all pretty and cool anyway.

Then who are most popular member? We’ve selected some of them. Have a look just for fun!
 

 
★ Acting and singing. What next? – Yoona

It is so meaningless to pick only one pretty member of all of the members of Girls’ Generation. 9 different members have various and unique charms. But Yoona may be the one people talk about more.

Yoona is known for her beautiful smile that can’t be forgotten easily. And she looks exactly like a mysterious doll when she doesn’t smile. Yoona has just started going out with Lee Seung-gi. She’s so lucky because she’s got Lee Seung-gi! There’s nothing that she can’t do. She’s so versatile!

 

 
★ The iconic pretty girl-band member – Goo Ha-ra

Making a debut in 2007 as a group of 4 members, KARA is hugely popular across all Asia. Goo Ha-ra joined the group in July in 2008. The group started to attract more fans with ‘Rock U’ and has become one of the most popular groups. We’re for sure that Goo Ha-ra contributed to some part of that.
Goo Ha-ra’s face shape reminds of that of a cat. She has big eyes and a sleek and pretty nose. She was also very pretty as a young girl. Well, we can’t hide our jealousy. She is just a pretty doll!

 
★ A beautiful girl with an easy going personality – Yura of Girl’s Day

Girl’s Day is famous for the close relationships between the members. They all look bright and cheerful all the time. Yura, especially, attracts a lot of fans with her pretty appearance and unique personality that can be considered odd a little. But still that is one of her charms.

 She also starred on SBS’s ‘To the Beautiful you’ and KBS’s ‘The Clinic for Married Couples: Love and War. She will be born as a great actress with time. Girl’s Day will make a comeback and we’d like to check out her new look soon.

 
★ The beauty of maturity – Park Cho-rong of A Pink

Making a debut in 2011, A Pink has become one of the most popular girl-bands. A Pink is so popular that it is the favorite girl-band of soldiers. Park Cho-rong gets prettier and prettier and many are recognizing her beauty.

All of the members have clean and pure images. Park Cho-rong is not only pretty but she holds a healthy image as the leader of the team and the oldest member in the group. Their new song ‘Mr. Chu’ is becoming more and more popular.

 

★ The prettiest of all! – Suzy of Miss A

Miss A made a debut with the song ‘Bad Girl, Good Girl’. The members wore tight leggings and comfortable dancing costumes. Suzi became so popular with her beautiful appearance because her face looks rather natural than artificial.

She starred in dramas like ‘Dream High’, ‘Big’ and ‘Gu Family Book’. She earned the most well-known nickname ‘National little sister’ after the popular movie ‘Architecture 101’. Suzy finished the stage even after the ankle injury while singing at a concert that was held on April 12^th in Beijing during Miss A’s Asia Tour.

 

[Idol Selection] The Most Handsome Members of Boy-bands

 

Written by Han Jihee, Photo by KBS, DSP Media, A CUBE Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, Translated by Lee Sarah

 

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[Spot] Showcase for EXO's 2nd Mini Album 'Overdoes'

Million seller EXO has made a comeback.

The showcase for EXO’s second mini album ‘Overdose’ was held at 8pm on April 15^th in Jamsil Arena.

Jun Hyun-moo was the MC for the comeback show where EXO sang its new songs like ‘Overdoes’ and ‘RUN’ and hit songs like ‘Growl’, ‘Wolf’ and ‘MAMA’, drawing enthusiasm from the audience.

Chanyeol said, “I’m really happy to have a comeback show in 2 years since the debut”. When Baekhyun said, “Our fans made us so happy last year. We’ll make you happy this year”, the audience roared.

EXO’s performance for its title ‘Overdose’

What is the title like?

‘Overdose’ is an urban-style dance song based on Hip-hop and R&B. A story of a man who is addicted to a fatal and strong love is realistically described in the lyrics. Music production team ‘The Underdogs’ that has worked with pop stars like Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake and famous composer ‘Kenzie’ participated in the production of the song.

The music video of ‘Overdoes’ was released for the first time. It takes the form of one-shot music video. The members of ‘EXO-K’ and ‘EXO-M’ alternately show splendid performances in an unknown place. Their group dance of all 12 members was perfect. The dance moves were cool enough to make them look manly.

Chanyeol said, “I had fun hiding from the other members not to be caught on the video to take the one-shot video”. Baekhyun said, “It was hard to shoot a scene where Dio lies down on the floor and the other members walk to make a formation. When Jun Hyun-moo asked who made the mistakes most Baekhyun said, “It’s probably me”, making everyone laugh.

Kai’s charismatic performance for ‘wolf’

Fancy stage costumes and performance 

The concept of the stage costumes for this showcase was ‘simple, elegant and retro’. They minimized the color to black and white focusing on simplistic beauty. The costumes had big sleeves, reminding the medieval ages. Black baggy pants also helped to make the retro style.

A lot of focus has been on new dances for EXO’s new songs. There have been popular dance moves like the ‘Wolf Dance’, ‘Tree Dance’ and ‘Cave Dance’. It can be little difficult to mimic the dances for ‘Overdose’

6 members start the song making the formation of a pyramid then stand in a line and dance like they’re jump roping. They keep change their positions looking perfect. The dances have become harder but are more casual. There is a point dance where 2 members make a team and hitting on the head of the other person.

EXO members are singing the Chinese version of ‘RUN’

After the showcase, Suho said, “EXO-K and EXO-M will be separated for a while but we’ll also be together form some special stages. So please wait for us. We’ll do our best in China”.

Chanyeol said, “I’m really happy to hold a showcase in 2 years. I feel fresh. Please give us more love and we’ll show that we’re better now than before”.

Baekhyun said, “You’ll be happy for the entire 2014 because of us. Thank you so much for coming to see us. We’ll work harder”.

  
EXO is singing the remake of ‘I like you’ by Weather Cast

EXO’s second mini album ‘Overdoes’ includes 5 new songs like ‘Moonlight’ ‘Thunder’, ‘Run’ and the title ‘Overdoes’.

As the members said, the 2 teams will perform separately for this album. ‘EXO-K’ will make a comeback with KBS 2TV’s ‘Music Bank’.

‘EXO-M’ will hold a press release on April 19^th in China and its comeback show will be CCTC’s ‘Bangshangbang (全球中文音乐榜上榜)’, China’s first music charts program.

EXO’s 2^nd mini album will be on sale on April 21^st.

Written by Han Jihee, Photographed by Ryuma, Translated by Lee Sarah

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From 8 to 20, the Age Gaps Between Couples in Korean Dramas

It’s not very difficult to see couples of older women and young men in Korean dramas. You can see the couples like them in tvN’s ‘Witch’s Romance’, JTBC’s ‘Secret Love Affair’ and MBC’s ‘Cunning Single Lady’.

The couples are catching everyone’s eyes with their big age gaps. Their different love stories that transcend the age differences are loved by the viewers and are making a new trend of TV series.

★ 8 year-age gap - Lee Min-jung and Seo Kang-joon from ‘Cunning Single Lady’

The couple’s age gap is 8 years. They look like they are similar ages but their actual age difference is 13 years. Kook Seung-hyun is a son of a rich family who is bright and playful, who asks Lee Min-jung “Do you like me?’. His character is straightforward, which is loved by many viewers.

Seung-hyun is a calm guy who shows his love for Na Ae-ra (Lee Min-jung). But he sometimes shows the mianly side of him, expressing his love actively, which drew many female fans. But Ae-ra’s ex-husband still loves her and he wouldn’t give up on her. We would have to watch the end to see if Lee Min-jung and Seo Kang-joon will stay in love with each other.

★ 14 year-age gap – Uhm Jung-hwa and Park Seo-joon from ‘Witch’s Romance’

The first episode of ‘Witch’s Romance’ was aired on April 14^th. Ban Ji-yeon (Uhm Jung-hwa) voluntarily remains a single and falls in love with a younger man Yoon Dong-ha (Park Seo-joon). Their age gap in the drama is 14 years but their actually age difference is 19 years.

When we watch romantic comedies, we tend to focus on the first kiss of a couple. Uhm Jung-hwa and Park Seo-joon had their first kiss in the first episode, which is drawing attention on whether their love story would continue to the finale of the drama. The arrogant single lady and passionate guy in his 20s will find themselves drawn to each other and fall in love. Their love story is expected to be fresh and funny.

★ 20 year-age gap – Kim Hee-ae and Yoo Ah-in from ‘Secret Love Affair’

‘Secret Love Affair’, a story of a couple whose age gap is 20 years is one of the most popular dramas these days in Korea. Oh Hye-won (Kim hee-ae) is the director of planning at an Arts Foundation who gives her heart to Lee Sun-jae (Yoo Ah-in), a young genius pianist who is falling for her.

Placing much importance on morals and ethics, Hye-won, however, sees her desire for the young man grows with time. In the 9^th episode, Kim Hee-ae says, “I can’t even buy you nice clothes because I’m afraid that people might criticize us”. She’s been very careful with her growing feelings for Sun-jae so far. But attention is still growing about whether their love could continue.

Writtey by Han Ji-hee, Photo by  MBC, tvN, JTBC, Translated by Lee Sarah

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