Park Min Young Revealing Bath Scene Attracts Eyeballs

Bathing scenes seems to be a normal occurence in saeguk dramas nowadays. In recent memory, Goo Hye Sun in King and I, Moon Geun Young and Moon Chae Won in Painter of the Wind, Jang Hye Young in Return of Iljimae. This not only ensures that the drama will make headlines but the actress too.

Pictures of Park Min Young in a revealing bath scene for Princess Ja Myung Go has indeed attracted lots of eyeballs after being released recently.

The filming for Park Min Young bath scene took place in mid-January at SBS Ilsan production center with only a handful of staff filming the scene including director Lee Myung Woo, camera director Yoon Dae Young and the lighting director.

The bathing scene that was filmed on that day happened in the aftermath of the mystical wardrum being destroyed by Princess Nak Rang (Park Min Young). But in her fierce fight with Princess Ja Myung (Ryeo Won), Princess Nak Rang got slashed and sustained a wound near her upper right breast. The bath scene which ensues sees her maid attending to her wounds. By releasing these pictures, SBS hopes that more attention can be drawn towards the drama when it finally airs in March. These pictures are indeed very revealing.

Rest of the bath scenes.

Princess Ja Myung Go was supposed to air after Terroir which ends on 17th February in the Mon-Tue timeslot. But SBS decided to postpone the airing date after some discussions and in its place will be edited versions of 2 dramas written by acclaimed screenwriter Kim Soo Hyun back in 2000 and 2004 respectively. The edited versions will cover 4 episodes in 2 weeks.

Although SBS has claimed that it hopes to bring some degree of warmth to viewers in these difficult times through the high quality works by Kim Soo Hyun, analysts believe that they are only trying to make sure that Princess Ja Myung Go will face less formidable competition from the onset of its debut.

It is only wise of SBS to postpone the airing date so that Princess Ja Myung Go will not be left in the dust by the established viewership base which competing dramas KBS Boys Before Flowers and MBC East of Eden already posseses.

SBS has poured lots of money into this 50 episodes saeguk drama and the opening ratings (not always so though) usually decides the future of the drama against its competitors. To make sure Princess Ja Myung Go gets maximum exposure, this was a decision that had to be taken. So with that in mind, Princess Ja Myung Go will make its debut on 9th March instead.

Joy and Woe for KBS as Boys Before Flowers Surfaces on Youtube

Not only is KBS Boys Before Flowers highly popular among television viewers in Korea as shown by the high ratings it has obtained, it is the same situation for viewers outside of Korea who are relying on video sharing websites like Youtube.com to be on the same page with their Korean counterparts.

But videos uploaded onto video sharing websites are not authorized in anyway by KBS. KBS and Group Eight have been working with Youtube.com to remove the copyrighted material in terms of picture slideshows and videos pertaining to Boys Before Flowers but are increasingly fighting a losing battle.

If you do a simple search or just view the video rankings, you would have noticed that videos of Boys Before Flowers are simply dominating the charts on Youtube.com. 1 particular cut of episode 10 has yielded an impressive viewcount of 160,004 hits after just 3 days. Similarly, videos of Boys Before Flowers are also dominating the monthly charts in addition to the weekly and daily charts. Many non-korean viewers are highly interested especially in videos that has english subtitles. Other than 1 So Nyeo Shi Dae Gee MV, all other videos belong to Boys Before Flowers showing its immense popularity.

Although KBS and Group Eight have every right to be delighted with the response, they are also worried about the copyright infringement committed by the uploaders which they can do little about. A KBS representative expressed, “We have asked Youtube to take down videos that infringes on our copyright and because its illegal. But there is a limit to the crackdown. For every video that is taken down, 2 - 3 more would be uploaded in its place.”

Some netizens are hoping that the crackdown can be stopped as the videos, some even with fan-made subtitles can go a long way in spreading Korean entertainment and culture to the rest of the world with relative ease.

KBS however expressed that there are legal and normal ways that can be taken to spread Korean culture to other parts of the world. They are not overly concern with the illegal uploads that infringes on the copyright but are highly worried that it paints a wrong picture to the rest of the world in that, Korea does not enforce proper intellectual property laws within the country.

The internet subsidaries of the 3 major Korean tv broadcasters KBSi, iMBC, SBSi have been tasked to work actively with video sharing websites to remove uploaded material deemed to have infringed on their copyright.

Kangin Changes His Outlook on Women and Marriage

Things are looking up for Super Junior member Kangin who will be starring in his first leading role for Zero Flawed Task Force drama which will air over MBC Dramanet (cable channel) starting 14th February. In a press conference for the drama on the 5th, Kangin revealed that his perspective of women has changed since being paired with actress Lee Yoon Ji on MBC We Got Married.

Kangin explained, “Usually I would go for appearances when I date the opposite sex. But after being on We Got Married, I will first consider her financial status and how our next generation might look like.”

Kangin added, “I have just returned from my honeymoon in Japan (as seen in the pictures) for We Got Married. Since our concept was a frugal college couple, I really had to rack my brains to make our honeymoon feel alright instead of a badly done one (cheapskate). In the past, I would have wanted to get married as soon as possible. But there are actually many things to consider so I would think twice now plus there’s a lot of things that I still need to learn.”

Kangin ended, “It’s a reality that marriage cannot be sustained purely with just love. While mutual respect is a must, each party must also accomodate each other’s requirements before getting married and then live happily ever after.”

credit: talove1000 (pictures)

Ga-In To Debut As A Movie Actress

Ga-In To Debut As A Movie Actress

February 7, 2009 by coolsmurf

Brown Eyed Girls member, Ga-In will soon make her screen debut in the movie My Love By My Side alongside Kim Myung Min and Ha Ji Won.

Although Ga-In has had some experience from being in a MBC variety sitcom, My Love By My Side directed by Park Jin Pyo is her movie debut. Ga-In management, Nega Network announced on the 6th, “Ga-In has decided to act in the movie My Love By My Side. She is personally very nervous since its her first time taking on a movie roel. But just like how she trains hard to practise her singing, she will also work doubly hard on her acting for the movie.”

The movie My Love By My Side is about a man (Kim Myung Min) who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease (progressive neurodegenerative disease) and the self-sacrificing woman (Ha Ji Won) who takes care of him. Ga-In plays an athletic female high-school student who becomes disabled after an accident.

My Love By My Side will start filming on 10th February.

Choi Soo Jin, Sister of So Nyeo Shi Dae member Soo Young Attracting Eyeballs

I am not sure why siblings are allowed when the show’s title is called Introducing Star’s Friends. But male viewers are in for a treat this Saturday evening, 7th February when Choi Soo Young’s elder sister, Choi Soo Jin will appear in the latest broadcast of the MBC variety show. Pictures of the sisters have attracted lots of attention since it surfaced on the internet.

Netizens were mightily impressed with Choi Soo Jin appearance and remarked that good genes certainly runs in the family after seeing the pictures. Some suggested she should enter the entertainment industry like her sister. There were even some who mistook Soo Jin to be a member of So Nyeo Shi Dae to which her sister, Soo Young belongs after viewing the photos.

According to someone from the show’s production team, “Choi Soo Jin is even prettier in person than in the photos. And she is the most beautiful person (sounds familiar) that has been on the show since it started!”

It’s revealed that Soo Jin will showcase her talent by dancing and singing to impress the guys while her sister Soo Young also lends a helping hand.

You can also expect a lot of laughter on the same episode when S4 turns up, a parody of the current hit drama series Boys Before Flowers F4. To give Seung Ri and Daesung some encouragement and support, fellow Big Bang member G-Dragon and their boss, Yang Hyun Seok will also turn up in person.

Can you piece together who is who?

Tae Yeon and Hyung Don In Bangkok for Honeymoon

There were talks earlier that Tae Yeon might miss the recording of MBC We Got Married with her make-believe husband, Jung Hyung Don because So Nyeo Shi Dae was scheduled to perform in Bangkok, Thailand this Saturday. But that has been laid to rest with news that Jung Hyung Don has flew to Bangkok as well for a trip with Tae Yeon and filming will take place as per normal.

One official said on the 5th, “So Nyeo Shi Dae will leave the country on 6th February for a concert in Thailand and Jung Hyung Don will join them.”

On the afternoon of 7th February, So Nyeo Shi Dae will be part of SM Town Live ‘08 in Bangkok Concert at the Bangkok Rajamangkala National Stadium. The concert was supposed to take place last year but was postponed due to the political turmoil. Besides So Nyeo Shi Dae, DBSK, Super Junior, Shinee plus other artistes will take to the stage and party with their fans in Thailand.

It was revealed that Hyung Don decided on the trip to Thailand so that he could cheer and give strength his young wife, Tae Yeon, who will be performing for the first time in Thailand. Expect to see something like what was shown when Solbi went to see Andy at Shinhwa’s 10th anniversary concert.

We can expect to see Yuri and So Nyeo Shi Dae again on We Got Married soon. This will only be the second time that We Got Married is going overseas after Hwang Bo visited Kim Hyun Joong in Japan while promoting with SS501.

You can count on Soshified.com for the expected quick translations.

credit: juhyun@soshified.com/forums (translation)

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Tae Yeon and Jung Hyun Dong Confirmed for We Got Married
• [Info]Tae Yeon and Jung Hyun Dong Confirmed for We Got Married
• We Got Married Ep 41 : Hyung Don and Tae Yeon

Tablo and Kang Hye Jung Are Dating

It was revealed that actress Kang Hye Jung (27) is now in a relationship with Epik High leader, Tablo (29) and is now the headline story for today.

According to a close friend of Kang Hye Jung who revealed, “Kang Hye Jung and Tablo met during a gathering last year and only recently confirmed that they were dating. Both of them have similar tastes in terms of music, movies, etc and thus they already left a good impression on each other after their first meeting. After a few successful dates, they are now in a stable relationship.”

Compared with other celebrity couples who usually keep their love stories from the public eye, Kang Hye Jung is going the opposite direction by confirming her relationship with Tablo. Many fans have given the lovebirds their blessings. There were already rumors earlier of them in a relationship after eagle-eyed fans spotted the both of them dating around coffee joints in Kangnam.

YG Entertainment to which Kang Hye Jung is contracted under told reporters today that Kang Hye Jung did not want to conceal it at all and had admitted to their relationship. One representative expressed, “They are now dating blissfully and they would like to thank everyone for their concern.”

Overplaying of Soundtrack in Boys Before Flowers Criticized

Just 2 days ago, KBS Boys Before Flowers ascertained their high popularity with an impressive rating of 30.5% (TNS Media Korea). But on the other hand, the relentless use of songs from the official soundtrack in the drama has led to netizens commenting, “Are we watching a music video or a drama?”

In episode 10 shown on 3rd February, there was an insane amount of background music inserted and had an effect on the overall episode quality. In the total 69 minutes of footage, the total length of songs that were played amounted to around 20 minutes. T-Max Paradise, SS501 My Thoughts Are Bad, TB One More Time, etc were played at least twice in this episode.

If the production team overly promotes the soundtrack to viewers in the hope that they will buy it, then they have every right to be unhappy about this. There wasn’t any real need to do this since the soundtrack was selling like hotcakes and there were lots of pre-orders for it before its release. There were also cries of nepotism directed towards SS501 and T-Max singing for the soundtrack because their members Kim Hyun Joong and Kim Joon are part of F4 in the drama. And so naturally, their groups gets to sing it because of that.

Criticism was also directed towards the inappropriate use of music for some scenes in episode 10. Some expressed their discontent at the countless number of times that Ashily Lucky was played when Jandi appears in the episode.

Another inappropriate use was when Jandi chanced upon Ji Ho playing the piano and Ashily Lucky started playing again. Another example was when Joon Pyo dashes out of the car and goes towards Jandi to kiss her. But the moment was spoiled by T-Max Paradise suddenly playing in the background.

Netizens commented, “This is not the first time actually (overplaying and inappropriate use) but it was simply overdone in the latest episode”, “This is the 1st time that I felt that it was so agonizing listening to music while watching a drama”, “The soundtrack of this drama is a bit scary”, “I really hope that they can tie in the music with the scenes more appropriately in future”.

With regards to the criticism, Group Eight expressed, “The reaction from fans towards the songs from the soundtrack has been very good, so we decided to increase the use of the songs. We will accept all praise and criticism directed towards the drama through our forums and then adapt accordingly.”

Group Eight also dismissed rumors of a possible extension to Boys Before Flowers and assured viewers that the 24 episodes will be sufficient.

YoonA To Appear On Family Outing After T.O.P.

The exit of another idol star will see the entry of another following the latest recording of SBS Family Outing. Following hot on the heels of Big Bang member T.O.P. whose episodes will air on 8th and 15th February, So Nyeo Shi Dae member YoonA will be the next guest family member on Family Outing.

YoonA will be the 21st guest family member to appear on Family Outing but is only the 3rd female guest among them after fellow group member Tae Yeon and actress Lee Soo Kyung. The recording will begin tomorrow, 5th February, lasting 2D1N at a local village located in Chungcheong Province with her episodes airing on 22nd February and 1st March respectively. The recording will tie in with the first full moon day of the lunar year (9th February) as the concept.

PD Jang Hyuk Jae explained the reasons for inviting YoonA, “She (YoonA) has a postitive vibe about her and it fits in well with our show. We wanted a female guest this time because we had been having male guests all this while.”

Soshified will definitely be subbing this I guess.

Jung Joon Ho Added to Spy Thriller Drama IRIS

Charismatic actor Jung Joon Ho recently confirmed his participation in IRIS and joins an already impressive looking cast on paper which include the likes of Lee Byung Hun, Kim Seung Woo, Kim Tae Hee and Big Bang member T.O.P..

IRIS has already generated quite a huge interest because of its 20 billion KRW budget and its stellar cast of Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Hee. The addition of Jung Joon Ho recently has once again increased the drama anticipation.

Jung Joon Ho has been widely acknowledged as a charismatic actor in the industry over the years thanks to his roles in his drama and movies. In IRIS, Jung Joon Ho will act opposite Lee Byung Hun as his colleague in the same organization with their relations along the lines of friend and foe.

According to someone from the production company, IRIS will begin filming in March in Akita province in Japan. The first scene that will be filmed there will be a big-scale action scene involving Kim Tae Hee, Jung Joon Ho, Lee Byung Hun and T.O.P.. The station that will broadcast IRIS (20 episodes) is yet to be decided but it is estimated to greet viewers in the latter half of 2009.

Lee Min Ho and Park Bo Young Photos Generates Interest

Lee Min Ho had predicted earlier in a report that there would be scandals written about him together with Park Bo Young, Choi Eun Seo and Moon Chae Won. Well, one of them has come true after photos of him together with Park Bo Young surfaced on several Korean portal sites on 2nd February.

Lee Min Ho has possibly become the breakout star of 2009 thanks to his Goo Joon Pyo role in Boys Before Flowers. The same goes for Park Bo Young whose movie Overspeed Scandal with Cha Tae Hyun has been setting new box-office records in Korea almost weekly despite being released last December.

The photos of Lee Min Ho and Park Bo Young together has generated much interest among netizens. Both were seen together in the movie Our School E.T which aired last year. In one of the photos with the background resembling a sandy soccer pitch, Lee Min Ho is seen sporting a wide grin and has his hand over Park Bo Young’s shoulder, posing a “V” (victory) sign. Lee Bo Young has an awkward expression etched on her face though. On closer inspection, Lee Min Ho looked like a giant towering over Park Bo Young with Min Ho’s hand seemingly able to cover the whole of Bo Young’s face with ease.

Netizens were once again mightily impressed by Lee Min Ho’s height (1.86m) and many expressed their wish in seeing Lee Min Ho and Park Bo Young paired up together in a drama in future. Certainly 2 stars worth looking out for!

And this concludes everything.

Handphone Movie Trailer With Nudity Creates Uproar

If I thought that the Korean media would be more prudent with their editing of news articles after the Son Ye Jin incident, I have to conclude that they might never be. On the same day, a trailer for a new thriller movie Handphone accompanied a news report and was posted by a news agency online. Sounds normal? Well, the problem was the movie trailer had nude scenes in it.

(Watch with discretion. Clip may be gone soon.)

The news report was about actress Lee Se Na who had bared her upper body in the Handphone movie trailer, with the movie trailer included. The trailer was a 2min 19sec uncut version which was released on the movie website.

In the trailer, Lee Se Na who plays a newbie actress in the movie is shown engaged in a sexual act with her boyfriend played by Kim Nam Gil. You can actually see part of Lee Se Na’s breasts which lasted for a few seconds.

Because of the explicit nature of the footage, the movie trailer didn’t quite manage to clear the censorship board examinations and was prohibited for airing at the cinemas. Clearance was only given for it to be aired online. And even then, only those above the age of 19 could view it on the official movie website after they login with a Korean social security code for verification.

But thanks to the carelessness of the news agency, the unedited trailer can be watched by anybody. Although the trailer has since been pulled from the website with only the report remaining, the damage had already been done. Many netizens have criticized the reporter for his irresponsible reporting.

credit: horai0405@UT (video)

2009 S.M. Entertainment Global Audition Will Kick Off In Korea

S.M. Entertainment will be joining forces with its subsidary company, S.M. Bravo in organizing the 2009 S.M. Entertainment Global Audition. Stars currently under the S.M. Entertainment label include the likes of KangTa, BoA, DBSK, CSJH The Grace, Super Junior, Jang Ri In, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Shinee, Go Ara and Lee Yeon Hee. The auditions will kick off first in various cities around Korea.

S.M. Entertainment Global Audition first started in 2006 and took place in over 15 countries including China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, America, Canada, etc and is a large-scale overseas event. Starting with Korea on the 14th of this month, the global audition will then proceed to China, Japan, countries in South-East Asia, Canada, America, etc, hoping to discover the next big thing.

S.M. Entertainment Global Audition was conceptualized with the main focus on discovering talent from overseas. But after getting bombarded with calls and requests from interested talents in Korea, S.M. decided to hold auditions in Korea as well and there are plans to make this permenent in future.

From 14 - 28th February, 2009 S.M. Entertainment Global Audition in Korea will kick off the first stage in Seoul, Jeonju, Daejeon, Pusan, Suwon, Gwangju, Daegu. For those who cleared the first stage, they will then go on to the 2nd stage where they will be tested with the newly imported S.M. Bravo system.

Regardless of your nationality or age, anyone who aspires to be a singer, actor/actress, model (fashion, CF), dancer or song composer (lyrics) can sign up. There are 2 ways to sign up for this, 1 is by sending in your resume and photo through email on the day before the audition. Another way is to report on the day itself with the necessary stated documents between 2 - 4pm.

For those who cleared all the stages of the audition, they will get to sign a contract with S.M. Entertainment and become a trainee. All training expenses including food, lodging, etc will be borne by S.M. Entertainment. Stars who came through the global auditions include DBSK Micky YooChun, CSJH The Grace Stephanie, Super Junior Ki Bum and Han Kyung, So Nyeo Shi Dae Tiffany, Trax J. Henry from Super Junior-M was the winner of the 2006 S.M. Entertainment Global Audition back then and is now very active in China.

For more information or enquiries, check out the official website.

Boys Before Flowers Surpasses 30%

KBS2TV Boys Before Flowers bested its record once again and for the first time, it went past the 30% mark in episode 10 shown last night.

According to TNS Media Korea, despite a pretty depressing episode, Boys Before Flowers registered 30.5% yesterday, an increase of 0.8 percentage points from its previous record of 29.7% set on Monday. Competing dramas MBC East of Eden and SBS Terroir obtained 25.5% and 6.1% respectively.

As you can see from the picture above, Gal Eul was moved by Yi Jung’s actions in helping her to recover from her previous relationship. She was however hurt to know later that Yi Jung just treats everything as purely an act, and nothing more, after she goes to gives him chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

In other developments, Jandi and her family is left in dire straits after Joon Pyo’s mother discovers the link between Joon Pyo and them. Jandi however does not want to burden Joon Pyo and refrains from telling him much. But the soulmate relationship between Jandi and Ji Ho is strengthened in this episode.

Wang Biho Makes Fun of So Nyeo Shi Dae at Gag Concert

Wang Biho is a famous gagman on KBS2TV Gag Concert who is perhaps known to many for making fun of DBSK last October and drawing flak from their Cassiopeia fanclub, prompting him to ‘raise the white flag’ and expressed that it was all done for fun and he was actually good friends with them. His latest target this time was DBSK’s juniors, girl group So Nyeo Shi Dae.

Wang Biho (original name: Yoon Hyeong Bin) appeared in KBS2TV Gag Concert and in his segment, Balsam Village School, he made fun of So Nyeo Shi Dae by calling them the ‘Female Super Junior’ and pronounced their hit song ‘Gee’ as ‘Gi’ instead, creating a sudden and explosive laughter in the audience.

Wang Biho continued his venomous gags, “I am a So Nyeo Shi Dae fan and have memorized all 9 members’ names,” he went on listing, “Jessica, Soo Young, Hyo Yeon, YoonA, So Hee, Sun Ye, YeBin”. Nothing wrong except that So Hee, Sun Ye, YeBin are actually members from the Wonder Girls.

He also mentioned, “Their new song Gee is 3 mins and 20 secs long (200 secs). But if you remove all the instrumental sections and chorus, each person only gets about 7 seconds. He received a lot of applause from the audience when he said, “Honestly, do you girls even know how to sing the entire song?”

He didn’t finish here. He then told YoonA, “You made a name for yourself through acting (You Are My Destiny). The ratings were really good and you even received an acting award”, but after praising her with this comment, “frankly, it’s better to be active solo, right?” throwing her into confusion.

He then made Tiffany feel embarrassed with another remark, “Tiffany is extremely pretty, but she isn’t very bright though”. The reason for this comment was a picture in which she made a mistake in her dance choreography. Everybody had their right hand raised but Tiffany was the only one dancing with her left hand. The audience burst into laughter upon seeing the evidence.

credit: Cph@soshified.com (translation) + soshisubs (video)

Boys Before Flowers Almost Hitting 30%

KBS2TV Boys Before Flowers has maintained its stranglehold on the Mon-Tue drama timeslot yesterday and it looks like its only a matter of time before it gets elevated into a national drama based on the its latest ratings trend.

According to TNS Media Korea, Boys Before Flowers set another new record rating for the series as it obtained an impressive 29.7% yesterday, only 0.3 percentage points short of hitting 30%. This was an increase of 3.8 percentage points from its previous record of 25.9% set last Tuesday. And all eyes will be on tonight’s rating. The magical 30% mark might just be achieved tonight.

At the same time, rivals MBC East of Eden and SBS Terroir got ratings of 23.3% and 6.0% respectively. For East of Eden, it’s looking highly unlikely that it will claim back the No.1 position judging from the huge reaction over Boys Before Flowers now. But I am still going to keep watching it regardless.

There was a fair bit of coverage for the yet to be couple of Yi Jung (Kim Bum) and Gal Eul (Kim So Eun) in the episode yesterday. Yi Jung spots a crying Gal Eul on the streets, the latter still sobbing over her airhead boyfriend Su Pyo who is a player. Yi Jung brings her to her pottery workshop and consoles her with the use of a pottery metaphor, there are things that you have to go through to become stronger, regardless of whether its a smooth or painful journey.

That’s not all. Yi Jung decides to wind down and brings Gal Eul along. He gives her a makeover and then brings her to the club where coincidentally, the cheating boyfriend Su Pyo is also there. Yi Jung proceeds to show his stuff by playing the saxophone, charming all the girls in the club, including Ga Eul.

As for the conclusion, hopefully it will be revealed in episode 10. But judging from the previews, it appears that Gal Eul will be hurt by Kim Bum’s actions.

Jong Kook, Eun Hye, Ji Hoon Mentioned in East of Eden

In episode 45 of East of Eden, while Lee Dong Chul was finding kids at the orphanage to play a soccer game, I really ROFL. He actually said Jong Gook, Ji Hoon, and Eun Hye. Really cheeky of the screenwriter to include that.

Well if you didn’t know yet. Kim Jong Kook and Yoon Eun Hye were in a scandal after working on SBS Xman. Thereafter, Eun Hye was then linked with Joo Ji Hoon after working on Princess Hours/Goong. There were numerous debates online between both groups of fans supporting their favourite couple.