Ethnic Korean Attracts Interest in Russian Music Community

South Korean Singer Bi to Make Japan Debut in February
And so Bi goes the way of Boa.  Actually, compared with other Korean singers, I think that ‘Sang Doo’ has the potential to make it big in Japan because he has the same charisma as Boa had going into her debut in Japan.  Time will tell.


Follow Bi’s potential success in Japan HERE! 

Rain Wins Grand Prix of 2004 KBS Music Awards
BOOOO! Miscount! How come Boa didn’t win anything?? I smell a conspiracy! Just kidding – I don’t really care …but seriously … BOOOO! Why didn’t Boa win anything?

Awards Ceremonies Close Out 2004 for popular television actors and pop singers in Korea

2005 Korea-Japan Visit Year to Boost Bilateral Tourism
CHA-CHING!  Just in time to mark the 40^th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan, Korea's Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation have dubbed the year 2005 as "Korea-Japan Visit Year".  Both countries hope to significantly increase the number of tourists from the other country in an effort to boost the tourism economy.
 

Korean Cars Lampooned By BBC's 'Top Gear' As Sales Skyrocket
“Show hosts ridicule Korean cars with a model car made of washing machines and refrigerators.” Oh come on now, Korean cars aren’t that bad…sure, they are the butt of all “bad car” jokes, but still! They have that 10-year warranty and those great super powered engines!!




 

Lee Byung-hun Stars in “Sweet Life”
“I felt an orgasm just looking at the people who felt what I felt and shed tears with me.” Okay … Anyway, it’s just an interview with Lee Byung-hyun in which he discusses his new project.





 

'Winter Sonata' to Begin Airing in Middle East Wednesday
Welcome to Korean television, Egypt!

Finale of “Sorry, I Love You” to Leave Fans Shedding Flood of Tears

I watched it.  I saw the ending.  It makes sense, but it still kind of sucks in my opinion.  It’s a typical ending to a typical Korean drama.  I’d the say the journey through the drama is far better than the last episode, but hey … for every beginning there is an ending, right?

"Sassy Girl Chun-hyang", Successful Start
…And to make up for the melodramatic tissue-fest known as, “Sorry, I love you,” KBS will now broadcast a more humorous take on romance.

Chae Rim Prefers to be Good Wife Instead of Big Star
Sweety, you can be my good wife any day.  Just promise me that you won’t get drunk and start accusing me of stealing your purse like you did in “Oh!  Pil seung.”

Cho Hoon-hyun: Emperor of Baduk

I personally was inspired to play this game because of the anime “Hikaru no GO.”  After doing some research I found that a lot of interesting people were and are still involved in the world of baduk, especially Koreans who compete professionally in Japan.  Albert Einstein even played baduk instead of Chess because it influenced his way of analyzing things.  For that same reason, many people in the field of marketing also study baduk.  This article is a profile of Cho Hoon-Hyun, a big name in the baduk world.

A Review of Past and Future Korean-Japanese Ties
This article is a brief overview of the long and tumultuous relationship between Korea and Japan.  Expect more articles like this in 2005, the so-called “Year of Korea-Japan Friendship.”

Bae Yong-jun Donates 500 Mln to Tsunami Victims and Child Cancer Patients
This guy is a good man.  Not only did he donate money back in October to help earthquake victims in Japan, but he is back at it again giving to those who have been affected by the recent tsunami. 
 

Why Are Korean Dramas so Hot in China?
Is it the shared Confucianist history and mindset or the way that Korean characters in dramas force the viewer to reflect upon themselves and their own relationships with their family members?  Either way, it is clear that Korean dramas are HOT HOT HOT in China at the moment.

Chow Says Kung Fu Is a Kind of Religion
Hey, my thoughts exactly those of Chow.  I also “hope to have the opportunity to co-star in a movie with Korea actresses Kim Jeong-eun or Jeon Ji-hyun.”  Don’t we all?

More Japanese See Korea as Friend than Foe: Poll

And people say Korean dramas are useless.  Let’s see you pessimists heal years of animosity between the two countries!  Actually, never mind … South Korea is lagging behind in this area.  I guess it’s kind of one sided for now.

Buy more Korean Manwhas!
Korean comics are finally being promoted more in the USA.  While the foreign market for Korean comic books up to this point has focused primarily on Southeast Asia, Korean comics are coming to the states.  Keep your eyes peeled and your wallets open.

Just a reminder … support Korean Manwha (comic book) creators by buying their comics.  The industry is already over-saturated in Korea and it is hard for comic book companies to stay afloat.  Let’s support their imaginative stories and art work by purchasing them.  Think of it as creative charity that gives back.  Sure, some of them are kind of just for girls and slightly cheesy, but titles like “King of Hell” will balance the genres out.

Koffee's Hit List of Korean Manhwa

King of Hell	Ragnorak	Rebirth
Priest	Kill Me Kiss Me	The Boss This is my personal favorite even though before all I could do was look at the pretty pictures of fist-fights. But now … it’s in English!!!!

Angry Little (Asian) Girls

And here we have an interview with Lela Lee, the creator of Angry Little (Asian) Girl