[k news] bits and pieces

i was surprised to read early this morning the demise of one of the actors in 'Coffee Prince', Lee Eon. he played the role of Hwang Min Yeop, one of the princes in the drama who has a big crush on Go Eun Chan sister.

Lee's death came as a surprised to everyone as he was last seen last night attending the post-wrap up party with fellow casts of 'Strongest Chil Woo' [apparently had it last episode last night]. It was reported that the accident happened at 1:30am after Lee left the place of the party. Lee was riding his Ducati motorcycle when it hit the guardrail of an overpass. Lee died almost instantly. He was 27.

Aside from being an actor, Lee Eon was also a model and as DJ Sangmin at Club Mass in Kangnam.

***

in another news, so ji sub's new music video 'lonely life' is reported to be well received in korea. the music video was first launched in the internet on August 13.

the video is about a pure and innocent man who lost himself in the long and lonely life. the music video also features young so ji sup, yoo seung hoo [young damdeok in twssg] who looks fearful and feels sad in the video seeing himself in deranged state in the future.

the video comes in 2 versions. the first version features scenes from his upcoming drama, 'rough cut' with kang ji hwang. while the 2nd version with a rating of +19 shows ji sub strangling a woman to death. [reminds me of the W magazine that became controversial to some of ji sub's fan]

here's version 1 of the video



and the +19




sources :
1st news - lee eom thread @ soompi
2nd news - sjs thread @ soompi

[k news] BYJ, Rain's Personal Information Openly Distributed

I happen to see this articles in Japanese and Korean about 2 days ago. I tried using machine translator but could only decipher very little of what was written. So, all along I thought it was just some kind of an article about health insurance. Until I read what willenette posted on byj thread at soompi.

This health info does really contain a lot of information about these stars. I truly believe that the data bank of health insurance is scarier than that of the credit card. If this ever gets to the hand of some crazy people it could really do a lot of damage. But then if there’s nothing to hide why worry, right? But then again, personal info is personal info, you wouldn’t want millions of people knowing the details of your private life when you already are a public figure. That’s scary and depressing.

So far we haven’t read anything from BOF about this matter. I’m assuming that as of today, things are still under control. I suddenly remember the X Files scandal that were spread about 3 or 4 years ago. Though Yong Joon’s X File is not as shocking as the other stars and that it’s really unbelievable, that X files is pretty intriguing and scary. There were several lawsuits filed then.

***

thanks to willenette for sharing this on byj thread at soompi.

BYJ, Rain's Personal Information Openly Distributed
08 Aug 07 [DaGongBao]

Korean entertainer's personal information are frequently spread out illegally by people, but recently the Grand National Party was recently informed by the Korean National Health Insurance when they brought up the attention of the entertainers' personal information being distributed; those involved include Bae Young-jun, Rain, Ko Hyun-jung, Kim Tae-hee, Moon Geun-young and others. Those entertainers affected by this event have temporarily not made any response, but the Grand National Party has pledged to follow up on the situation.

Source: Da Gong Bao
Posted by karman1668@RainHK

- - - - - - - - - -

Another source: More than 10 or so entertainers' personal information (Lee Hyori and Yoon Eun-hye were also mentioned as the many victims here) have been distributed illegally, information such as health records and even information on an entertainer's girlfriend's abortion. Since 2002 to May of this year, thousands of similar situations have occurred and among which are more than 1,800 personal information and personal secrets of entertainers being distributed. 77 different staff members have been receiving warnings thus far, and the Korean National Health Insurance Group released a statement yesterday that the widespread of illegal information has been put to a stop since last September.

Source: Eastern Daily
Posted by karman1668@RainHK

All Translations: dsl99a@Rain-USA & SexyBi
Credit : dsl / Sexy Bi

[k news] another wedding

october wedding!

now that news about ksw and sohn tae young on sept 28 has died down a bit news about another marriage surfaced. this time it involves the stars of twssg park sung woo a.k.a. joomuchi and shin eun jung a.k.a. dalbi. the two will marry on october 18.

when news about them was written on the paper before psw went to japan, psw admitted the relationship during the twssg event at kyocera dome in osaka. the two met in the set of twssg and their love developed. congratulations to both!

now, would yong joon be attending the wedding? i heard that since the news broke out, tour groups have been arranging tours again. i hope that this will not stop yong joon from attending the wedding. likewise, i hope that the tour groups will not take advantage again of this event.

edit : just read that the couple invited all stars of the drama to attend their wedding :) [i never doubted this]. likewise, their romance started in 2007 :)

here's an additional info, the couple has also been casted in 'East of Eden' [song seung hun is the main star of this drama] as a couple again. hee so expect more starst to attend their wedding ;) .

l to r : jo hyun jae, jae hee,
kwon sang woo, jang geun suk

in another news, heartthrobs jae hee [witch yoo hee] and jo hyun jae [untold scandal & love letter] enlisted for service on august 4 and 5 respectively.

soon to get married kwon sang woo is celebrating his 32nd birthday today, august 5. last saturday, ksw celebrated his birthday in korean with fans. star of 'hong gil dong' jang geun suk on the other hand celebrated his 21st birthday yesterday, august 4.

[k news] bits and pieces

news of hallyu stars buying property abroad is the topic of talk in some fora today. i read that the soon to be married kwon sang woo [stairways to heaven], bought a penthouse apartment in australia for 1.8m dollars [source : ReviewStar dated Jul 23]. according to ksw, he bought the property 2 years ago.

another hallyu stars who was reported to have bought property in LA is jang dong gun [all about eve, taegukgi, brotherhood of war].

with the money they are earning, i believe that it's alright for them property abroad. but would they be able to live in the property they bought when their bread and butter is in their home country? or could they be thinking of it as their retirement home?

again, it makes me wonder, could yong joon also be thinking of buying property outside of korea?

in another news...

the teaser poster for the movie 'rough cut' [originally known as 'movie is movie'] which stars kang ji hwang [hong gil dong] and so ji sub [i'm sorry i love you] was out yesterday. the movie is set to be released in seoul on september 11.

'rough cut' is the first movie of sjs in seoul after his release from the military almost 2 years ago. and it's kjh's follow-up project after the success of the drama 'hong gil dong'.

'rough cut' is a movie that revolves around a gangster character, kang pae [sjs] and a reckless actor, soo ta [kjw].

btw, did you know so ji sub and kang ji hwang invested some money in this low budget movie? hmm, could he be learning from the 'boss'. likewise, the sponsor for the promotional shirt is 'dressed to kill' and the wardrobe that they used in this film is being endorsed by ji sub, sieg fahrenheit.

[k news] bits and pieces

still on kwon sang woo [stairways to heavern, sad love song], news said that the actor said he proposed to her soon to be bride, sohn tae yong, while on a hot air balloon ride during a trip to Australia with close friends. [Source: KBS Global]. on the other news, it was written that due to the news of his upcoming marriage, the actor is facing not only numbers of foreign contract suspension but also a number of TV ads. the loses may add up to 10 billion won. [source : mydaily]. but earlier today, ksw posted on his official website , "Money, fame. If you just look up to these, there won’t be an end to it. Let’s work a bit more, let’s earn a bit more money, let’s accumulate more popularity. There are people who gives up their love because of that. I don’t want to do that." [liezle : nasty words from fans are still being written despite ksw's plea for understanding.]

song hye kyo [autumn in my heart, full house, hotelier] will be in singapore in august together with hyun bin to shoot a tv drama under kbs with a title "A World in Which They are Living". It was reported that they will stay in singapore for 10 days.

bae yong joon's manager, Yang Geun Hwan, left a message in BYJ Mobile Official Site to give update on him. mgr yang wrote, 'I get in touch with Bae Yong Joon who is staying in the U.S. by phone or mail. Although we are far away in distance, he always shows his concern in detail for the company and for all the family, I feel that he is still close near me. He seems to be doing well, taking time to rest and enjoying his hobby.Please do not worry about him.' . to read the whole message that tomato99 translated click here or here.

lee ji ah was spotted with her manager at the vip premiere of 'the good, the bad and the weird' which stars Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho and Jung Woo-sung last July 11. click here to watch the video and see the other stars who watched the vip premiere.

[k news] kwon sang woo (plus my thoughts)

kwon sang woo [stairways to heaven & sad love song]has been the talk of the town since last week especially when he announced the he's getting hitched on september 28 at shilla hotel. the lady who will be tying the knot with sang woo is a 28 year old actress and former Miss Korea sohn tae young [to marry a millionaire]. ksw gave a presscon last friday [sept 18] and he said that it was a love at first sight and that sty treated her mother so nicely.


furthermore, according to Sports Chosun, the two met earlier this year at a small party with mutual celebrity friends. It is said that they have received the approval of their families. Kwon was quoted as telling a friend "I have met my life partner and I can imagine spending the rest of my life with her" and that he wants to speed up the wedding and make a home. to read more click here.

many of ksw fans were surprised about this news and are expressing their anger and disgust over his announcement and choice of woman. it was reported that sty had 3 failed relationships. likewise, fans are speculating that sty is preggy that is why they're having the marriage in a few months.

when ksw had the presscon at seoul plaza hotel, he was alone. it was said that sty didn't join because she's being harassed by the media. and this brings the fans to raised their eyebrows.

i wonder how ksw is feeling right now. fans do not approved his upcoming marriage to sty. fans feel that what he said in the presscon were scripted. fans are hurling some nasty words about sty. and that fans and media are trying to dig into her past 3 relationships.

at this moment, i pity ksw. after some scandals with his former agency that resulted to lawsuit, a failed movie [fate], a failed drama [bad love], a junked drama [big things], now this, a marriage in september to sty whom fans do not seem to favor.

this leads me to think about yong joon. what if sooner or later he announces to the family that he will soon get married. i know that there will be fans who will not approve regardless of who the lady will be. though i also know that there will be fans who like to see him settle down. i just hope that those who are not in favor will have an open mind and give them their blessings. i wish not to read stuffs like what i read in ksw's thread. it's not our idol's obligation to get our approval, it's not our right to choose who he/she has to marry. our idol is not our property regardless how much money we spent buying their official goodies and going to their homeland to support them. our relationship with them is one way.

anyway, i used to like ksw. he belongs to my kimchi boys before. i wish him and his future wife lots of luck, happiness and lots of cutie babies. ^^

p.s. mariko showed me this clip. this is from the presscon of ksw at seoul plaza hotel last july 18. check the first few seconds of the clip and you will see mr. shin. yong joon's loyal bodyguard. mariko and i are wondering what he's doing there. could it be that he has taken up another job now that yong joon is in the US? but there are other bof artists who need him. i remember seeing him escorting lee ji ah in 'dressed to kill'. hmm....

[k news] bits and pieces

since there aren't much news on yong joon, let me share this news that i gathered at soompi. ^^

So Ji Sub [Misa and What Happened in Bali] returned to Korea after a short trip to Japan for the premiere of ‘Gegege 2’ where in he played the role of a ‘yashi’. It seems that Ji Sub got good exposure in his most recent visit to japan. He was on tv news and Innolife even covered him. He might be in Japan again sometime in September.

so ji sub at the premiere of 'gegege 2'

Park Yong Ha [WLS and On Air] who is one of the most successful Korean stars to penetrate the Japanese market will have a concert on September 3 at Saitama Arena. Poster for this event came out with 2 unidentified Korean stars as guests. But some fans are already guessing who the 1st mysterious guest is. They’re saying that it’s So Ji Sub, one of PYH’s best buddies. If SJS will be attending fans are already guessing that he might just sing since he loves hip hop.

poster for pyh's concert in saitama

Best friends, Song Seung Hun [Autumn in My Hear] and So Ji Sub might compete with each other on the small screen in fall. Both of their drama, 'East of Eden' for SSH and 'Dr. Stop' for SJS are said to be airing in September on the same time slot. 'East of Eden' will be brought by MBC while 'Dr. Stop' will be aired by SBC.

so ji sub vs song seung hun

Yoon Tae Young, Hogae in 'TWSSG', will be seen in the upcoming drama ‘Alien Baseball Team’ . He will be together with two other 'TWSSG' actors, Park Seong Min who played Saryang and Park Jeong Hak, who played Gen Koh . Airing of ‘Alien Baseball Team’ is set to be in 2009.

Yong Tae Young and Park Seong Min
at the gosa of their drama in 2009

The first official photos of the upcoming drama of Song Il Gook "Land of the Wind" have been released earlier. The star of 'Jumong' is playing the role of Jumong's grandson, Moo-hyool. This is the 3rd period drama for SIG. The drama is based on the original story from a comic by Kim Jin.

SIG as Moo hyool in 'Land of the Wind'

Rain arrived in Narita Airport on June 30, 2008 for a fans' meeting last July 1 at the Tokyo JCB. He was reported to have been greeted by some 1,500 fans. Reports said that the fans' meeting were attended by some 2,500 to 3,000 fans.

Rain @ Tokyo JCB

Korean newspaper Newsis reported that the drama 'TWSSG' will be brought on stage in commemoration of the 9th anniversary of Takarazka Musical Drama in Japan.

TWSSG stars, Bae Yong Joon, Moon Sori and Lee Ji Ah

[k-news] bof artists

Seems like bof artists are busy with cfs and filming ^^. here's latest news about them ^^

So Ji Sub. His movie with Kang Ji Hwang entitled ‘Movie is Movie’ wrapped up last night. He flew today to Japan where he will be attending the premiere of ‘Gegege 2’ where he’s playing the role of a ‘yashi’. On July 5, he will have an autograph signing at Lotte in Jamsil for the line of clothing he and Lee Ji Ah are endorsing, Dressed to Kill [D2K]. His on and off drama ‘Cain and Abel’ has been shelved [not sure if this will still continue to be produced] but recently on the news, it was reported that he will do SBS drama ‘Dr Stop’ is the terminology for the doctors who work in wrestling or boxing competitions. The doctors' main work is to make diagnosis or doing the judgment if the competitions or competitors are or not discontinued because of certain conditions like seriousness of competitors' injuries [source Dr Stop thread @ soompi].


Lee Na Young. One of the most sought after CF endorsers will soon be seen on the big screen with Odagiri Joe as the lead actor . The title of the movie is ‘Dream’ which is directed by award winning director Kim Ki Duk. Dream is sold in international markets by Showbox.

Lee Ji Ah. I’m sure those who have seen here in TWSSG are curious to know what her next project will be. Aside from doing CFs, she’ll soon be acting with Kim Myung Mhin [White Tower] and Jang Geun Suk [Hong Gil Dong] as a violin student in ‘Beethoven Virus’. She will play the role of 27 years old "Du Ru Mi", a frank and lively talented girl who plays the violin by the ear. She may seem womanly and elegant on the surface but she is tomboyish girl who even dares to share adult videos with her male friends. Beethoven Virus will have 16 episodes and will be brought to us by MBC. [source : BV thread @ soompi]

Choi Kang Hee. One of the busiest bof artists. She has a radio program [not sure though is it’s still on air] , busy with charity works, and her current drama which is under SBS 'My Sweet Seoul aka My Bittersweet Like’ is currently airing in in SBS. In this drama she is together with Lee Sun Gyun, Ji Hyun Woo, and Kim Yong Jae.

Heo Yi Jae. After her drama with Oh Ji Ho entitled ‘Single Dad’ she’s been said to be doing some CFs and she is co-hosting/emceeing in a Sunday tv show of SBS ‘Inkigayo’.

Lee Se Na. One of the 3 new artists of BOF will be in the upcoming drama of MBC, 'The Lawyers of the Great Republic Korea' with Lee Soo Kyung, Han Eun Jung, Lee Sung Jae, Ryu Soo Young. She was also in the music video 'Brown Eyes' with of young Damdeok.

and here's the latest news and photos of Ji Sub. He arrived in Haneda airport this afternoon to attend the premiere of 'Gegege 2'. [i've a feeling that mgr yang is with him^^].

so ji sub photos in japan
courtesy of saturn

with the cast

last 2 photos courtesy of brokore

photo courtesy of dcinside