KpOp & JpOp 2013/01/29

DMTN Releases Comeback MV "Safety Zone"
After revealing many teasers this past week, DMTN has finally revealed their music video for their comeback song "Safety Zone."

Formerly known as Dalmatian, the group announced their name chance last week in order to have a fresh start. The name, which stands for desire, motivation, timing, and now, was created by member Daniel.

In addition to their recent name change, the group also had a member and management change last year. They are now under Two Walks Entertainment and promoting as five member group since Dari is currently serving his military service.
Romantic Wedding, Romantic Winter in Seoul
If you're a fan of Korean dramas, then you might want to consider spending Valentine's Day with your loved one in Seoul! In celebration of Valentine's Day, Seoul is offering a special opportunity to kdrama fans around the world!

You can spend an unforgettable 4 days/3 nights trip in Seoul, reenacting your favorite romantic kdrama scene!

A happy ending has become a signature of sorts for romantic kdramas!
- be surprised with a romantic Valentine's Day confession topped with a couple ring event!
- try on a Korean wedding dress with a wedding planner
- get your hair makeup done at boutiques frequented by hallyu stars
- participate in a photo shoot and take home your very own special wedding album
- secure your love with love locks at Namsan's N Tower
To win a chance to experience a romantic date and wedding in Seoul, submit a couple photo to Romantic Wedding Romantic Winter Event page by February 4.

Don't lose this opportunity to spend unforgettable and romantic 4D3N in Seoul!

Website: http://semkt.visitseoul.net/event02.asp
Deadline: February 4
Winners announcement: February 5
Vacation Period: February 13-February 16
Lee Kwang Soo Shows His Affection for Song Joong Ki
Actor Lee Kwang Soo showed his affection for his best friend, actor Song Joong Ki.

On January 26 Lee Kwang Soo put a picture on his Twitter and wrote, "My friend Joong Ki used to be this kind of person. He still is like this." He tweeted again, "I swear he's going to be like this in the future too. PS. A sudden nostalgic Tweet."

In the pictures, Lee Kwang Soo, Song Joong Ki, and singer Kim Jong Gook posed together for a friendly picture. In the last picture, the two actors comically wrap their arms and legs around Kim Jong Gook who grins broadly.

Netizens who saw this picture commented, "I am so jealous of how close Lee Kwang Soo is to Song Joong Ki", "Kwang Soo is sentimenta", and "Running Man friendship forever."
T-ara's Eunjung and f(x)'s Amber to Emcee Music Program
T-ara's Eunjung and f(x)'s Amber have been selected as the new MCs for MBC MUSIC's "Show Champion."

On January 29, "Show Champion's" production team announced that they have decided on Eunjung and Amber as the replacements for Shindong and Kim Shin Young.

Production director Park Chan Wook stated, "Eunjung has a lot of experience under her belt, having starred in several variety shows and emceed special programs. Amber has a very mysterious and androgynous charm. I believe the two will have good synergy with each other."

The two idol stars recently participated in a recording session to film their introduction. It's been said that they displayed great teamwork and fooled around like sisters.

Regarding their new MC posts, Eunjung and Amber expressed, "We're a little burdened because Shindong and Kim Shin Young sunbaenims had such great chemistry together. However, we too will show off our great teamwork and emcee skills."

Eunjung and Amber's first show will air tomorrow, January 30. To celebrate their beginning, they will hold a special performance onstage.
LeeSsang Completes Their First U.S. Concert Tour
Hip-hop duo LeeSsang recently performed in the U.S. as part of their "LeeSsang's First U.S. Tour Concert."

On January 24 the duo performed in the Best Buy Theater in New York and on January 26 in the Club Nokia located in Los Angeles, California.

Half of the fans who attended LeeSsang's concerts were of course native Koreans, while the other half was comprised of American fans who showed great support and interest for LeeSsang. It was reported that all of this was made possible for fans when LeeSsang received a love call from AEG Live and Powerhouse to come and perform in the United States.

LeeSsang had this to say about their experience, "To be able to give an independent concert in the United States was truly an honor. Even though the venues for the concert tour in the U.S. were smaller in comparison to those we've performed in back in Korea, we were so excited to be able to perform and will forever cherish the time we spent there. We were especially excited to meet our Korean-American fans, whom we rarely have had the opportunity to perform for. We were very surprised when we saw how many fans attended our concerts. We were so thankful then and we are again thankful today. While we were performing in the U.S., we realized that we wanted to work even harder to bring a greater concert experience in the future as performers and show everyone how LeeSsang is continuing to grow and develop."
"Gangnam Style" Creators PSY and Yoo Gun Hyung Partner Up for New Song
Did you know that PSY isn't the sole author of "Gangnam Style"? Well, if you haven't, now you do!

PSY's partner in crime, Yoo Gun Hyung, also reaped in the goods by sharing the royalties for the song and decided it was worthwhile to team up again.

It's been belatedly revealed that on January 15, composer Yoo Gun Hyung boarded the plane and headed to the United States to meet with PSY for their next collaboration.

Previously, PSY mentioned in his interview with MTV, "I'm currently working on a track and I wish that it receives as much love as 'Gangnam Style.' The follow up track will not feature any artist. I want to prove that I can do it again."

Many insiders in the Korean industry as well as other other countries are anticipating the collaboration and if it will surpass the success of "Gangnam Style."

Composer Yoo Gun Hyung actually started his career in the entertainment industry as a member of popular idol group Untitled in the 1990s. He also contributed his compositional talents with PSY's "Celebrity" and "Right Now" as well as Seo In Young's "Cinderella" and DJ DOC's "I'm This Person."
2PM's Junho Celebrates Birthday At Concert
2PM recently gave a passionate performance for fans in Japan on their "Legend of 2PM" tour stop in Nagoya. Tickets to their concerts scheduled for Nagoya on January 24 and 25 sold out within one minute of them becoming available online.

It was reported that once 2PM took over the stage with their powerful performance and charisma, the fans went wild.

It was also reported that fans surprised staff by singing along to songs not yet released to the public from 2PM's upcoming album that they performed for their 10,000 fans.

On January 25, 2PM members surprised Junho with a birthday surprise and sang him happy birthday with all the fans in the arena. Fans who attended the concert held on January 25 were given yellow lights to wave while singing happy birthday to Junho. It was a memorable experience for Junho, as the entire stadium was filled with 10,000 yellow lights.

After they wrapped up their concerts in Nagoya, 2PM expressed their sentiments saying, "It was an amazing time for us to be able to feel the love and support of our many fans. Just as much as our fans continue to expect great things from us, we will always strive to be the 2PM that does our best. Thank you so much."

2PM will be headed to Osaka next for their concerts scheduled for January 28 to 30. Then they will go off to Tokyo to give concerts on April 20 and 21.
"School 2013′s" Lee Jong Suk Trained to be an Idol for 3 Months
Actor Lee Jong Suk revealed that he trained to be a member of a idol group.

On the January 26 broadcast of KBS "Entertainment Weekly," the actor confessed, "I trained for about three months to be in an idol group."

The actor shared on what made him want to be an actor. "It's not like I saw 'Full House' in middle school and wanted to be an actor. I actually thought Rain was so cool that I wanted to be a singer."

When he had made it into an agency it did not go the way he planned. "I went into an agency who offered to train me in acting, and they put me in modeling. I think I went into the wrong company because they made me debut as a model," he explained. "I left the model agency and entered a music one. There I prepared to debut in an idol group. After training for three months I ran out."
Lee Jong Suk, End of 'School 2013' 'Bye Bye, Go Nam Soon!'
Actor Lee Jong Suk shared his thoughts on the conclusion of KBS drama "School 2013."

Today, Lee Jong Suk posted on his me2day, "This will be the last time I am Go Nam Soon. Be happy!! I love you. Congratulations on graduating," along with a picture.

In the picture, Lee Jong Suk is in the school uniform for "School 2013," looking at the camera. His pink lips and sharp nose are especially eye-catching.
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Internet users who saw this commented, "See you in your next work!," and "What do start my week off with now."

Photo Credit: Lee Jong Suk me2day
Lee Jun Ki Suffers From a Lack of Affection and Practices Kissing By Himself
Lee Jun Ki fans, are you listening? Lee Jun Ki recently revealed that he suffers from a lack of affection!

On this week's episode of the talk show, "Healing Camp," Lee Jun Ki is featured as the main guest. During the show, Lee Jun Ki confessed, "I suffer from a lack of affection. When I go back to being the real Lee Jun Ki after acting, I feel this huge emptiness."

He continued to say, "When I'm home alone, I even practice kissing by myself," to everyone's great surprise.

When the show first starts, it is said that Lee Jun Ki made a grand entrance as he came on the set, riding a white horse with "Gangnam Style" playing in the background. It is reported that Lee Jun Ki kids and jokes around during the episode while dancing and singing, which is quite expected as fans don't get to see that side of him as much through his dramas.

Lee Jun Ki even shared a personal story about how he thrust a knife in front of his family because of his huge heartache over a failed love, which put everyone in shock.

Lee Jun Ki's "Healing Camp" will air on January 28.
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Super Junior's Rise to International Fame - A 2012 Recap

Super Junior is a multi-talented music group from South Korea. Since the very beginning, every member has worked very hard to be where they are today. Practicing from day to night, they continued to refine their singing and dancing abilities. Who would have thought they would one day be known as "kings of the Hallyu Wave". In this one year, Super Junior has continued to gain recognition for their abilities from all over the world. From sold out concerts, to starring as main leads in dramas, the members are slowly branching out to different areas of entertainment and are continuing to excel in everything they set their hearts and passion on.
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In January of 2012, Super Junior attended the 26th Golden Disk Awards. The Golden Disk Awards is a yearly awards show where the Music Industry Association of Korea presents awards to those with outstanding music achievements in the music industry. They came back with a total of 4 awards, the Disk Daesang, Bonsang, Popularity Award, and Ceci award. As of January 11, 2012, their winnings have decorated them to be the Korean artist with the most won awards in GDA, with a total of 13 awards in the history of the GDA or of Super Junior.

A week later, on January 19, Super Junior won the Daesang and Bonsang award at the 21st Seoul Music Awards. Super Junior's award streak continued on throughout the year, both as a group and as individuals. Later in the year, in November, Super Junior won Album of the Year, Naver LINE Award, and Best Global Group Award at the MNET Asian Music Awards (MAMA). In December, Shindong won the MBC Music Star Award at the Melon Music Awards. Leeteuk was also awarded the Entertainer of the Year award at the year-end SBS Awards, and also the Popularity Award at the MBC Entertainment Awards. The Golden Disk Awards, Seoul Music Awards, Melon Music Awards, and Mnet Asian Music awards are the biggest 4 music award shows in Korea and to win at all these ceremonies are considered one of the highest achievements one can get in the music industry. Additionally, Super Junior's prominence in the overall entertainment industry as reflected by Leeteuk's and Shindong's awards, confirm them to be the well-rounded entertainers they are well-respected to be.

Earlier in April, Super Junior fulfilled a dream they have always had - performing on European shores. With the welcoming arms of their devoted ELFs, Super Junior performed in front of 7,000 fans in Paris. Their stay in the City of Light was then later turned into an exquisite photo book collectible. Later in April, Kangin returned from his military service. With that, the group was back with 11 members, with Heechul still serving his military/civil service stint.

In May, Super Junior successfully ended their Super Show 4 world tour in Seoul with Encore Concerts on May 26th, and 27th. They started last November in Seoul, and had 24 successful, sold-out shows worldwide. They are also the first Korean artists to hold 2 solo concerts in Macau. Prior to that, they performed in back-to-back concerts within those two weeks, performing with the rest of SM artists at SMTown in Los Angeles, and then taking part in a history-making most globally watched K-Pop concert in history on the 21st, with MBC and Google tag-teaming to put together the Korean Music Wave concert held on the Google campus/Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The event, in which Super Junior was likely the most anticipated group in the lineup, was streamed live on YouTube, allowing fans all over the world to tune in.

In June, news of a comeback was released. Soon after, individual pictures of each member were released every single day. With the image concept, "Beautiful Men", Super Junior released their music video, "Sexy, Free & Single" in July. A manlier and sexier image was shown and this album was well received. Super Junior's 6th Album, Sexy, Free & Single featured 10 tracks. Affirming that they are not only a group who sings pre-made songs, Eunhyuk showed his songwriting prowess on this album by penning the lyrics to Gulliver. "Sexy, Free and Single" went on to dominate the physical album sales of 2012. Ranking #1 for 3 years in a row, Super Junior as the kings of digital album sales sold 117,718 physical copies of their album.

In August, Super Junior released a repackaged version of their 6th album, adding the tracks: "SPY", "Outsider", "Only U", and "Haru". Again, featuring their musical composition talents, Donghae and Leeteuk collaborated in composing "Only U", which was said to be a song for ELF. The release of the repackage album led to the release of a second lead music video for Super Junior's 6th album featuring the song "SPY".

In September, Super Junior became the honorary ambassadors for Gangnam District. In October, Eunhyuk had his first solo photo shoot for Singles Magazine. Also, Eunhyuk was put into SM Entertainment's dance unit team, "Younique". This album was released through the partnership of SM and Hyundai. This is the first time a car company has collaborated with an entertainment agency to release an album.

Also in October, Leeteuk, the forever leader, finally enlisted for his military service. With Leeteuk gone, and 2 other inactive members, the group is now down to only 10 active members. Two months into his service, Leeteuk was included to cast in a musical for the military, allowing the Korean public to once again see him as an entertainer even during his obligatory duties as a Korean citizen.

In November, Super Junior's 4th photo book was released. Title "Super Junior Boys in the City Season 4", it features pictures of Super Junior minus Kangin and Heechul, during their Paris activities. The book also contains essays and stories about their feelings about their debut, Leeteuk's enlistment, and their friendships. These were personally written by the members themselves. This photo book was released to commemorate Super Junior's 7th anniversary and was released simultaneously in Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. November 5 marked Super Junior's 7th anniversary. Having lasted 7 years is a major feat since the average lifespan of music groups is 5 years.

As for acting, Kibum returned to the small screen by starring in the drama "I Love Lee Tae Ri". Other members have also been offered opportunities to further enhance their acting careers. In June, Donghae was casted for "Miss Panda and Mr Hedgehog". In September, Siwon was casted in "The King of Dramas" for which his acting was well-received by viewers. In all of the other dramas Siwon has starred in, this one has shown a more comical side of him. In July, the members appeared in an episode of SNL Korea. This is the first time the group has starred in a show with a rating of 19+ and if you have seen the episode, you can see why. In addition, many of the other members have started to star in musicals. Kangin made his comeback by starring in "Goong". Kyuhyun starred as the male lead in "Catch Me If You Can". Sungmin starred in "Jack The Ripper" and Eunhyuk starred in "Fame". A lot of them have showed that through many hours of long practices, determination, and perseverance, one can achieve success.

As for businesses, a few of the members have started venturing out into the business world. Yesung opened up a glasses store called "WHYSTYLE", and a cafe called "Mouse Rabbit". Eunhyuk opened a branch of the national coffee and pastry franchise "Tous Les Jours". Donghae ventured in a waffle house called "The Grand Place". Shindong opened "Epic Lounge" and Siwon recently also invested in national coffee chain "Twosome Coffee". All businesses are proven to be a success, since many loyal fans visit these places every single day.

Most recently, the members are getting ready to promote new music through their subgroups, Super Junior M and Super Junior K.R.Y.

Marked with the title "Kings of the Hallyu Wave" this is only the beginning. With continued support from loyal fans all over the world, Super Junior will continue to grow and excel in all their future projects. There really is no stopping them. Whatever it is they set out to do -- acting or modeling, singing or dancing, hosting or even venturing out to businesses, for Super Junior anything and everything can be done.

Writer: Michelle Wong (The Super Junior Handbook) | Edited by: KpopStarz | Photo Credits: SM, KpopStarz
Big Bang Comes Back Home to Finish Their World Tour
Big Bang successfully performed in many countries around the globe!

On Januray 27, Big Bang had their "Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour: The Final" encore performance at the Olympic Park Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul.

On that day, G-Dragon said, "It is kind of bittersweet that today is the last day of our world tour. The world tour started here a year ago and I am so glad to have finished safely. We learned a lot throughout our time spent on tour and we will finish the finale successfully."

Taeyang looked back the past year and said, "After this concert, we will finally end our world tour. We saw the possibilities and the future for our music and it was very meaningful."

Seungri was trilled to complete the world tour with success, "It was amazing to see 800,000 fans at our concerts. To see the new possibilities with our own eyes was inspiring."

T.O.P added, "I heard about K-pop fever but this time I could actually felt it with my own flesh. We will end with a great concert. I've learned a lot."

For Big Bang's world tour in the United States, Europe and Asia, over 800,000 fans attended the concerts. Big Bang realized their global popularity by selling out tickets in South Korea, Japan (five cities), China (three cities), Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines and Malaysia.

Live Nation Entertainment, who teamed up with Big Bang for the world tour, highly praised the group for their performance at the first concert in Seoul. Live Nation Entertainment has branches in 50 countries worldwide. They decided to co-invest in the world tour, appreciating the growth potential of Big Bang.

Check out their photo album for "Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour: The Final" on their official Facebook page.

Jan 25 Video

Jan 26 Video

Jan 27 Video
f(x)'s Sulli Shows Her Baby Skin in Latest Selca
Girl group f(x)'s youngest member Sulli showed off her baby like skin.

On January 27, the singer put up on her me2Day, "The airplane is so high. Here is Changsha, China. I received a letter from a fan, and the Korean is written well! The mango was delicious too. Thank you all very much." She also added a picture of herself.

In the pictures, Sulli poses with the gifts. She holds the mango to her face and cutely holds the letters up with her mouth. Her fresh face shows her milky baby face.

Netizens who saw the picture commented, "Sulli is honest about her natural face", "She has big eyes", and "She's keeps getting prettier".
G-Dragon: "I Wish K-Pop Would Go Back to Its Roots"
Big Bang's G-Dragon revealed his musical principle at the press conference of "Big Big ALIVE Galaxy Tour: The Final." He said, "I think that Korean music is often limited to and localized in a certain genre. So when I write songs, I try not to limit myself to the popular appeal."

G-Dragon seemed rather worried about the fast pace of musical consumption in Korea. He explained, "I tend to listen to music from different genres for longer period of time than I do with easy-to-consume K-pop that's more monolithic in genre. I wish K-Pop would stop following popular trends so hastily and go back to its roots, where it was producing memories as well as music. I feel like the music industry in Korea is more restricted in its variety than that of other countries."

Netizens commented on G-Dragon's opinions, "I think he has a point," "This is so true. There are less songs that last long," and "I hope G-Dragon's statement affects the music industry even just a little bit."
Eat Your Kimchi Reviews B.A.P's "Rain Sound" MV
This week for Music Monday, Eat Your Kimchi reviewed B.A.P's "Rain Sound."

Due to Martina being away for family reasons this week, Simon reviewed the music video by himself.

Since Simon usually likes fun music videos that will make him dance or laugh. This kind of slower and emotional song just didn't interest him too much. A lot of the acting also seemed awkward to him.

Watch the full review.

Check out the full music video!

Visit their site at http://www.eatyourkimchi.com to vote for what they will review next week!
SISTAR's Bora and DMTN's Daniel Get Injured During "Idol Star Athletics Championship"
During the recent "Idol Star Athletics Championship" held by MBC, SISTAR's Bora and DMTN's Daniel were injured during the women's and men's 70 meter dashes, respectively.

On January 28, SISTAR's agency Starship Entertainment stated, "Bora is currently being treated for her injury. It is, however, not serious and therefore her schedule will not be affected."

Unfortunately, DMTN's agency 2Works Entertainment had a different news. An official stated, "Daniel was in a lot of pain, so we took him to the emergency clinic immediately. We suspect that his old knee injury may have resurfaced."

Unlike Bora, Daniel's injury is expected to affect DMTN's promotion schedule. DMTN was planning to release their new album "Safety Zone" on January 29, 2013.

2Works Entertainment added, "Daniel is currently undergoing several tests. Depending on the results, we will decide on the schedule."

Meanwhile, Bora and Hyorin, as SISTAR 19, will start promoting their new song starting January 31, 2013.
Sunmi Updates Fans With Dazzling Picture
Wonder Girls' past member Sunmi updated her fans with a picture.

Recently in an online community forum, a picture was posted under "Sunmi's Recent Photo."

In the pictures, Sunmi has blonde wavy hair, showing a matured look from before. She seems to have gotten much prettier from when she was working as a Wonder Girls member.

Internet users who saw this commented, "She's getting prettier," "She's a woman now," and "Is she the Sunmi we know?"
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Photo Credit: Online Community
Shin Se Kyung, Funny Faces While Getting Makeup Done
Actress Shin Se Kyung revealed picture taken with comical expressions.

Today, Shin Se Kyung posted on her Twitter, "Done with filming!" with several pictures.

In the pictures, Shin Se Kyung is wearing a flower-patterned dress, getting her makeup. She is either opening her eyes widely or frowning, making funny faces.

Internet users who saw this commented, "I didn't know Se Kyung had this side to her," and "She's pretty no matter what."
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Photo Credit: Shin Se Kyung Twitter