Kangin, a member of the K-pop boy group Super Junior, posted a selfie he took with fellow member Leeteauk on his Instagram page on Sunday. 　“Kangteuk~ (a combination of ‘Kangin’ and ‘Leeteuk’),” Kangin wrote in the caption. 　The two are making sour faces and looking at the camera. 　Super Junior recently made a comeback with its seventh studio album, “Mamacita,” released on Aug. 29. They will hold concerts in Seoul from Sep. 19-21 and stage an Asia concert tour. 　(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

The South Korean historical drama “Joseon’s Gunman” topped the Chinese video charts for five weeks straight on Monday. The action-romance show became the most-watched video on daily, weekly and monthly charts of China’s video streaming site “QQ Video,” garnering about 8 million views every day.Since the 11th episode was broadcast on July 30, the epic drama has remained at the No. 1 spot on the daily and weekly charts for the fifth consecutive week, proving its immense popularity in China.Starrin

South Korean actor Lee Joon-ki shared his feelings about wrapping up his drama “Joseon’s Gunman” on Saturday.“I will do my best for our audience who has loved and supported ‘Joseon’s Gunman.’ I almost cried after reading the script for the final episode,” he wrote on Twitter.In the period drama, Lee plays Park Yoon-gang, a hero who turned from the last swordsman into a gunman to avenge his deceased father and protect his love in the late years of the Joseon Dynasty (1302-1901). The drama, first

Son Ho-young, a member of the first-generation idol group g.o.d, is dating the K-pop singer Amy, Korean news outlets reported Monday. 　Son and Amy have been in a relationship for four months now, according to showbiz insiders. The news made headlines after a local news outlet revealed photos of the two, reportedly on dates, having dinner and riding bicycles together. 　 (OSEN)According to the reports, the two first met as colleagues under the same agency. After that they became good friends who o

Seoul is the top sender of foreign students to U.S. universities, followed by Beijing and Shanghai, according to a report by Brookings Institution released Friday. The South Korean capital sent 56,503 students to the United States on full-time student visas between 2008 and 2012. The Chinese cities ― Beijing and Shanghai ― ranked second and third, sending 49,946 and 29,145 students, respectively, over the same period. Hong Kong was the fourth-largest contributor, sending 12,406 students, followe

K-pop idol duo TVXQ will embark on a Japanese concert tour to mark the 10-year anniversary of their debut, the group announced Saturday. 　The duo will tour five Japanese cities -- Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka -- for 12 performances, with the first to be held on Feb. 7 next year in Yahoo Oku Dome, Fukuoka. 　 (SM Entertainment)The duo unveiled its plan for the concert tour at the Japanese summer music festival “a-nation stadium fes. 2014 powered by in Jelly,” held Saturday in Tokyo. 　

Taecyeon from the K-pop idol group 2PM said on a TV show that he doesn’t envy Nichkhun for dating Girls Generation’s Tiffany. The remark came during an interview on the KBS entertainment show “Entertainment Weekly” that aired on Saturday. 　Asked if he envied Nichkhun for dating Tiffany, Taecyeon said, “I don’t really envy Nichkhun. As far as know, the couple do not see each other often due to their busy schedule anyway.”　Nichkhun and Tiffany made their relationship public last April.   　Regardin

일본 포르노 배우들이 자신들의 가슴을 만지고 기부금을 내게 하는 모금활동을 진행해 수만달러를 모금했다고 일본 언론 및 외신들이 31일 보도했다. 　일본 포르노 여배우 9명이 후천성면역결핍증(AIDS) 예방 기금을 모금하기 위해 ‘가슴 기부’를 통한 자선 행사를 펼쳤다. 이 행사는 30일 오후 8시부터 24시간동안 도쿄에서 진행됐다. 　(유투브 영상 캡쳐)행사에 참여한 이들은 손을 소독한 뒤 가슴을 조심스럽게 문질렀다고 AFP는 보도했다. 　여성 참가자들도 간혹 보였지만 대부분은 남성 참가자들이다. 　31일 오후까지 8시간 진행된 행사에서 참가자들은 배우들의 가슴을 2,300번 더듬었다. 한번 가슴을 만질 때마다 참가자들이 1000엔(약 1만원)을 기부했다는 가정 하에 최소한 2천만원 이상은 모금했을거라고 행사 주최측은 밝혔다. 　이 날 저녁 8시 행사가 끝나는 대로 총 모금 액수가 발표될 예정이다. 　이번 행사에 나선 AV 배우 세리나 리나(22) 씨는 도쿄 스포츠와 인터뷰에서 “많

South Korean singer Son Dambi revealed a photo she took with sexy diva Lee Hyori on Friday.　“Hyori is always cool,” Son wrote on Instagram. In the photo, the two smile, with Lee putting her arms around Son’s shoulders.　The first-generation idol Lee recently returned to the entertainment scene as a show host for the TV talk show “Magic Eye.” Son stars in the drama “What Happens to My Family?” 　(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)

South Korean actress Jang Na-ra released photos she took with her elder brother before going out on Friday.“I am going out with my brother. My brother’s hand shakes as if he has a tremor (when he takes pictures),” Jang wrote on Twitter. The slightly blurry photos feature the siblings making playful poses together. Jang is starring in the drama “Fated to Love You,” which portrays a romantic love story of a highly unlikely couple -- the sole heir of a business tycoon and an ordinary girl. 　(laetic

Thousands of people gathered at a heavily guarded religious compound Sunday to attend the private funeral of the late business shipping tycoon blamed for April's ferry disaster.More than 3,000 family members and followers of the Evangelical Baptist Church streamed in to the sprawling compound owned by the Christian sect in Anseong, about 80 kilometers south of Seoul, for the two-day funeral service of Yoo Byung-eun.Yoo -- the co-founder of the sect and an ex-convict -- was found dead on a remote

South Korea's antitrust watchdog plans to launch an investigation into consumers' complaints about the overpriced auto parts used in imported foreign vehicles, its top official has said."Consumers' complaints are growing over excessive repair costs of imported vehicles... We are going to look into auto part prices of imported cars in September and October," Noh Dae-lae, head of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), told reporters during a meeting Thursday. His remarks were embargoed until Sunday.He s

Japan's strengthened defense capabilities will not lead to an unauthorized military landing in South Korea, a Japanese foreign ministry official said, addressing neighboring countries' concerns over his country's recent rearmament moves.After years of preparations, Japan's Cabinet approved on July 1 a reinterpretation of the country's constitution to increase the role of its armed forces, the Self-Defense Forces, allowing it to fight overseas alongside its allies. It was Japan's major turnaround

South Korea ranked eighth in terms of global trade volume during the first half of 2014, one notch higher than the previous year, a report showed Sunday.According to the report by the Institute for International Trade, a research agency, South Korea's trade volume came to US$546.4 billion during the January-June period.The amount is the eighth largest among the 71 major countries surveyed by the agency. South Korea's exports grew 2.5 percent on-year to $283.3 billion during the first half, the s

The US military on Saturday made an airlift of humanitarian aid to the besieged town of Amerli, home to thousands of Shia Turkomen cut off by jihadist rebels from receiving food, water, and medical supplies."At the request of the government of Iraq, the United States military today airdropped humanitarian aid to the town of Amerli," said Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby. "The United States Air Force delivered this aid alongside aircraft from Australia, France and the United Kingd

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a newly built industrial factory and expressed great satisfaction, Pyongyang's state news agency reported Sunday.Kim was satisfied with the plant as he "could hardly find any trace he saw last year," and that the plant "did not look like a factory but a rest home," the North's Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) said in an English-language report monitored in Seoul.He had toured the same factory late last year and named it the October 8 Factory to mark the da

The government and the ruling party are considering hiking the 2015 budget by about 5 percent, a move apparently aimed at boosting the economy while keeping the country's fiscal status sound. The expansion is lower than the 6 percent increase requested by government ministries and agencies. It is also much lower than the about 10 percent increase in spending that experts have expected since the government unveiled its economy stimulus measures in July."We were briefed on the government's stance

Rookie K-pop band GOT7 will release its Japanese debut EP on Oct. 22, its label JYP Entertainment announced Wednesday. 　 (JYP Entertainment)The debut EP “Around the World” is to include the hip-hop track “So Lucky,” composed and written by 2PM’s Jun. K, and a title song that Korean, Japanese and American producers jointly worked on. 　JYP Entertainment also launched the seven-member band’s Japanese website for fans to access more information about the artists and a detailed schedule for the upcom

A group of artists under YG Entertainment, dubbed YG Family, will hold a collective concert in October in China, the entertainment powerhouse announced Thursday. 　YG Family is to be reunited for the concert “YG Family 2014 Galaxy Tour: Power in Beijing” to be held on Oct. 19 in China’s capital. The viral sensation Psy will take part in the concert, raising expectations that he might reveal his upcoming track “Daddy” in a performance. Psy recently wrapped up filming its music video in Seoul and B

Soyou, a member of the K-pop girl group Sistar, shared a photo taken on the exotic island of Saipan that shows her Coke-bottle bodyline on Thursday on her Twitter account. 　She took the photo while resting after filming the music video for Sistar’s upcoming track “I Swear.” “I am enjoying my break time in Saipan. Today, stay tuned for Mnet’s ‘M! Countdown’ to watch our comeback performance,” she said alongside the photo. In the photo, Soyou is lying on a bench playing with her mobile phone and l