Last post for 2007

The following Hallyu stars would like to wish everyone a Happy 2008!

[WARNING: They are in Korean though]

Gong Yoo's New Year's Message

Cha Tae Hyun's New Year Greetings

Sung Yu Ri's 2008 Greetings

Both me and my wife at HelloHallyu would also like to wish everyone a "Wonderful, Happy and Korean-drama filled 2008!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MBC Drama Awards 2007

With 8 awards, Bae Yong Joon's The Legend was the biggest winner in the just concluded MBC Drama Awards 2007. Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo kept the banner high for The First Shop of Coffee Prince with wins in the Female and Male Top Excellence awards respectively.

Here's the full list of winners. . . (all images are credited to chosun.com)

MBC DRAMA AWARDS 2007

DAESANG
Bae Yong Joon (Legend)

Bae attended the ceremony on crutches as he was still recovering from his injuries sustained from the filming of The Legend. That's the price for his drama's 8 awards. I am sure he'd feel that it was well worth it.
MALE TOP EXCELLENCE
Kim Myung Min (White Tower)
Lee Seo Jin (Yi San)

A very happy Lee Seo Jin with his award.

FEMALE TOP EXCELLENCE
Gong Hyo Jin (Thank You)
Yoon Eun Hye (The First Shop Of Coffee Prince)

'Go Eun Chan' shedding her tomboyish get-up for the feminine 'princess' look.

MALE EXCELLENCE
Lee Jun Ki (Time Between Dog And Wolf)
Gong Yoo (First Shop Of Coffee Prince)

FEMALE EXCELLENCE

Han Ji Min (Yi San)

Nam Sang Mi (Time Between Dog And Wolf)

MALE NEWCOMER

Kim Min Sung (Ah Hyun Dong's Madam)

Han Sang Jin (Yi San)

FEMALE NEWCOMER

Lee Ji Ah (Legend)

Lee Ha Na (Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack And Defense Battle)

MALE POPULARITY (netizens)

Bae Yong Joon (Legend)

FEMALE POPULARITY (netizens)

Lee Ji Ah (Legend)

GOLDEN ACTING AWARD HISTORICAL DRAMA

Lee Soon Jae (Yi San)

Choi Min Soo (Legend)

GOLDEN ACTING AWARD MINISERIES

Jang Hyuk (Thank You)

Lee Sun Gyun (White Tower)

GOLDEN ACTING AWARD SERIAL DRAMA

Choi Myoung Gil (By My Side)

Lee Yoon Ji (By My Side)

GOLDEN ACTING AWARD

Kim Byung Ki (Ah Hyun Dong's Madam)

Park Won Sook (Winter Bird)

BEST COUPLE (netizens)

Bae Yong Joon - Lee Ji-ah (Legend)

TV DRAMA (voted by viewers - SMS)

Legend SPECIAL

Best Kisses in 2007 K-Dramas

No Korean drama is complete without one classic smooching scene. Who can forget the time when Han Kyul (Gong Yoo) disregarded his sexual orientation to plant that kiss on a stunned Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye) in The First Shop of Coffee Prince.

Here's what Korean TV viewers thought were the best kissing scenes in K-dramas for the year 2007. The results were based on a survey carried out by Naver.com (the English version of the news can be found at HanCinema)

Unexpected kiss scene ("Prince Hours")

To kiss or not to kiss ("Thank you")

Love is wafted on the rain ("Que Sera, Sera")

Wretched tearful kiss scene ("Merry Mary")

Refreshing Cucumber flavoured kiss ("War of Money")

A low-rated but heart-fluttering kiss ("Capital Scandal")

Gong Yoo's coming out ("Coffee Prince")

I strongly suggest that you read the English translation of the survey results at HanCinema since the way Naver.com described the kisses, or how it got translated, is kind of interesting to say the least. Trust me, you will understand why the kisses were described in such a way after reading the article.

Personally, I found Gong Yoo's coming out kiss in the Coffee Prince as one of the most sweet and, for want of a better word, powerful kissing scenes I have seen in any Korean drama this year.

It's not an everyday occurence to see a guy who's doubting his own sexuality planting a kiss on another guy who happens to be his mate (as in best buddies). Credit to the director in making the scene both believable and touching.


Here's a photo collage that was taken off the source article from Naver.com.

OST - Pretty Insun

This is the main theme for the KBS drama Pretty Insun. Don't you think it is a really 'touching' song? I may not understand a single word of it, but it does strike certain chords deeo within me.

Pictures - Hong Gil Dong

HelloHallyu is back to normal service after a festive weekend of feasting on turkey ham and beer basted pork knuckle. It was a great weekend. Anyway, I am kinda rusty having been out of touch with the Korean entertainment scene, barring watching Jumong, over the last few days.

To bring myself and everyone up to date, my X'mas, or post-X'mas offering, is a batch of photos from the press conference for the upcoming KBS drama Hong Gil Dong that took place yesterday.

(All images are taken from chosun.com)

The costumes alone is already reason for me to look forward to this drama. Don't they remind you of anime characters coming to life? Kang Ji Hwan certainly looks cool and yet comical with his rose tinted glasses. And Sung Yu Ri is so. . . kawaii!!!

I have a feeling that Hong Gil Dong will take the slot for Pretty Insun on KBS World once the latter ends. Keeping my fingers crossed since I have been disappointed before.

Oh, did I tell anyone that I am following Pretty Insun too? Time constraints meant that I have only seen the first 2 episodes of Pretty Insun. But I definitely liked what I have seen so far.

Darn, so many good Korean dramas, but so little time! Thank God for DVD recorders!!!

Jumong, I mean, Song Il Kook, is getting married

The ever so sauve Song Il Kook (Prince Jumong) will wed his love in Mar 2008.

(Source: Edaily SPN)

According to the chinese.chosun.com, Song Il Kook will be getting married in Mar 2008. Song met his bride late last year. Due to his busy schedule, which included the filming of Jumong, Song was only able to 'romance' his love via the handphone through SMS (texting). It was only after the end of filming that he was able to go all out to capture the heart of his fiancee.

Doesn't this sound like a K-drama script. Talk about art imitating life.

MBC Awards 2007

The MBC Awards 2007 will be held on 30 Dec. The awards will be a fitting end to a year which the broadcaster brought to us wonderful dramas such as The First Shop of Coffee Prince (Coffee Prince) and The Legend. More importantly, the awards will give recognition to all the artistes for all their hard work and effort in bringing their onscreen characters 'alive' and endearing to fans around the world.

Here's the nominee list:

Top Excellence

Actor
Kim Myung Min (White Tower)
Bae Yong Joon (Legend)
Lee Seo Jin (Yi San)
Choi Min Soo (Legend)

Actress
Go Hyun Jung (H.I.T.)
Gong Hyo Jin (Thank You)
Yoon Eun Hye (The First Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Choi Jin Sil (Bad Woman Good Woman)


Excellence Award

Actor
Gong Yoo (The First Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Lee Sun Gyun (The Firsst Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Lee Jun Ki (Time Between Dog And Wolf)
Jang Hyuk (Thank You)

Actress
Nam Sang Mi (Time Between Dog And Wolf)
Wang Hee Ji (Ah Hyun Dong's Madam)
Chae Jung Ahn (The 1st Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Han Ji Min (Yi San)


Newcomer

Actor
Kim Min Sung (Ah Hyun Dong's Madam)
Lee Un (The First Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Lee Philip (Legend)
Han Sang Jin (Yi San)

Actress
Go Eun Mi (Even So Love)
Park Shin Hye (Kimcheed Radish Cubes)
Lee Ji Ah (Legend)
Lee Ha Na (Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack And Defense Battle)


Popularity (Netizen Choice)

Actor
Gong Yoo
Kim Myung Min
Bae Yong Joon
Lee Seo Jin
Lee Jun Ki
Jang Hyuk
Choi Min Soo

Actress
Go Hyun Jung
Gong Hyo Jin
Yoon Eun Hye
Lee Ji Ah
Choi Ji Woo
Choi Jin Sil
Han Ji Min


Best Couple

Gong Yoo & Yoon Eun Hye (The First Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Bae Yong Joon & Lee Ji Ah (Legend)
Lee Seo Jin & Han Ji Min (Yi San)
Lee Sun Gyun & Chae Jung Ahn (The First Shop Of Coffee Prince)
Jang Hyuk & Gong Hyo Jin (Thank You)
Ji Hyun Woo & Lee Ha Na (Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack And Defense Battle)

HelloHallyu's Pick

Hellohallyu is rooting for all the nominees coming from the The First Shop of Coffee Prince. To be fair to the other actors, actresses and dramas, we must state that The First Shop of Coffee Prince is the only 2007 MBC drama that I have watched this year. Jumong do not count since it was a 2006 production.

Here's Teddy's why The First Shop of Coffee Prince deserves to sweep the awards:

• Interesting storyline
• Fantastic cast (both main and supporting)
• Good and slick cinematography
• Wonderful chemistry between Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye

So, tell me why The First Shop of Coffee Prince should not sweep all the awards?

Yoon Eun Hye's Latte Ditto Advertisement

Is anyone surprised that Yoon Eun Hye is featured in an advertisement endorsing coffee? Guess not. Given the runaway success of Coffee Prince, coffee manufacturers in Korea must have been rubbing their hands in anticipation to land "My Chan" in their ads.

The producer of the Latte Ditto advertisement must have have picture a scene of tender moment between Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye when deciding to have the kissing scene in the clip. I can't help but feel that the ad was suggesting the guy is Han Kyul, Gong Yoo's character in the drama.

Anyway, I love the way the ad drew the parallel between having a nice cuppa and being kissed by one's love. Wouldn't that be nice.

Here's some stills I found on sohu.com.

Lucky guy!!!

Don't you think Yoon Eun Hye looks really classy here.

Music Video: Flowers of My Life (74-75)

Did I say that Flowers for My Life is my all-time favourite K-drama series? Well, I have to say it once more! It's my favourite, and it's the BEST!

Apart from the well-scripted story, impeccable acting, it also has a really nice soundtrack. Pity that KBS doesn't plan to produce an OST for the drama.

Anyway, I managed to track down this fan-made music video which uses one of the songs "74-75", which happens to be one of my favourite tracks in the drama. Sit back, enjoy the clip and the nice music.

Hyun Bin in my mailbox!

X'mas is not only a time for feasting, but also a time to pamper yourself. Guess that's the message which Beauty Credit's advertisement (above), which found its way into my mailbox, was trying to tell me. While I am no narcissist, I still believe in trying out some new and nice stuff once awhile. As a X'mas treat, I think I will just 'upgrade' from my normal bar of soap to something more spiffy from Beauty Credit. If nothing else, at least I know what Hyun Bin is endorsing.

For fans of Hyun Bin, why not head down to the nearest Beauty Credit boutique to stock up on beauty products and toiletries. Good time to get some last minute shopping done and get some nice presents for family and friends too.

Happy Shopping!

Photoshoot: Sung Yu Ri

Ditching her period costumes in Hong Gil Dong, Sung Yu Ri looks absolutely fabulous in the fashion shoot for the In Style magazine. The hairstyle really brings out the best of her facial features. Who says a beautiful girl cannot be more beautiful? There's apparently no limits to setting the 'beauty standard' for this pretty Korean start.

For fans out there, Hong Gil Dong is scheduled to start on 2 Jan 2008. What a way to start the New Year!

(Source: chosun.com - Photos from In Style, provided by Sidus HQ)

Rain SK Telecom's ad Clip

Just found Rain's SK Telecom's Christmas ad on Youtube! Many thanks to Rgal73 who posted it!

Now to share Rain's season's greetings and cheer with all Hallyu fans out there.

Enjoy!



Don't you think Rain's rendition of "We Wish You A Merry X'mas" is so cute and adorable!

Kim Jeong Hoon coming to Singapore this Sunday!

Usually my mails are boring administrative stuff and some comments on the Snow Queen MV which I posted in Youtube. So, it was a pleasant surprise when I saw the above email from Tour2Korea.

Looks like fans of Kim Jeong Hoon are having an early Christmas celebration this year. To be exact, they will be celebrating when he will have a meet-the-fans session at the Korea Plaza this Sunday (16 Dec). I contemplated the idea of obtaining a ticket, since I enjoyed Princess Hours, and would like to see how the actor looked like in real life.

A check with Kim Jeong Hoon's Singaporean fan site (Oh My Hoon) revealed that the tickets were already sold out. I am kinda disappointed, but no offence to Kim's fans, he's still no Gong Yoo or Yoon Eun Hye. I will definitely not miss any visits by these two to Singapore. Come hell or highwater, you will see Teddy braving the paparazzi to just have a view of his favourite Korean stars.

Fans of Kim Jeong Hoon may still want to make a trip to the Korea Centre just to catch a glimpse of their idol this weekend. I am sure he would at least do the customary wave to fans amassing outside the centre.

Good luck guys!

Oh yes, if anyone manages to get his photos during his visit, I would be most willing to post them here to share with them with his worldwide fans. Just drop me an email at hellohallyu@gmail.com.

Rain's SK Telecom advertisement

Here's Rain wishing everyone "Merry X'mas" in his new ad for SK Telecom. Will post the video once I get the link for it. :)

Pictures - My Love

Here are some photos of the cast for the movie My Love during its press release in Korea. Despite the unflattering comment made by The Korea Herald about Kam Woo Seong being no where as good looking as Hugh Grant, I still find the chap's rustic charms endearing.

(Images from chosun.com)

Related Posts

• Movie: My Love

Love Actually OST

Apart from the fact that I just spoke about Love Actually and My Love in the previous post, this post has absolutely nothing to do with Korean entertainment.

But I just gotta share the song "Christmas is All Around" by Billy Mack (Bill Nighy). If you don't want to listen to the OST, you still gotta listen to track 13.

It's a blast!

Movie: My Love

(Source: The Korea Times)

Kam Woo Seong (Alone in Love and The King and I) will kick off this Christmas season with a 'Christmasy' new movie - My Love. With a rather similar storyline and premise, comparisons have been made between this movie and the 2003 UK hit movie Love Actually.

Looking at the pictures (My Love - above, Love Actually - below), I cannot help but notice the My Love is trying, not very subtly, to mimic the success formula of Love Actually. The red-and-white theme is especially telling.

The Korea Herald article - 'My Love' nowhere near 'Love Actually' had this to say about the movie:

"My Love" attempts to mimic the famous romantic comedy formula set by "Love Actually" (2003), and the effort itself deserves some attention because the Christmas holiday season is just around the corner, and young Korean couples are keen to watch sweet, feel-good films with the snow falling.

"My Love" has some common grounds with "Love Actually." Obviously, as the title suggests, its target audiences as well as screening time are already set at around the year-end. Both films present multiple couples. But that's the end of the tenuous similarities, and everything else in "My Love" is dramatically inferior to those featured in "Love Actually."

You can read the full article here The Korea Herald. It's not a direct link as all the links in the website, just like all roads lead to Rome, leads to The Korea Herald main address. :)

For me, I am willing to risk it since I enjoyed Kam Woo Seong's impeccable performance in Alone in Love. Should My Love disappoints, I can always dust off my dvd collection and pop in Love Actually.

Wonder how Rain got his name?

(Source: The Korea Times)

It's a common knowledge that the names of many celebrities out there are not their real names. The same goes for some of the Korean stars who I fervently follow as a fan.

Korea Times story - How Stars Creat Their Names provided some interesting nuggets of information on how some of the stars which we follow got their names.

Take for example, Gong Yoo, of Coffee Prince fame, created his name by putting together the last names of his parents, Gong and Yoo. Having a name that represents his parents allowed him to work twice as hard and take responsibility for his works. Isn't that sweet?

As for Rain, he got his name from a producer whom nicknamed him "Rain" since the skies invariably poured whenever Rain was recording his songs. Guess Rain makes for bad company on his recording days since chances are likely that it is, cold, wet and 'rainy'. Then again, fans of Rain wouldn't mind spending time with him even if a typhoon is coming down the street! So what's some rain to them when they have Rain with them.

Lastly, I am sure stars choose a name which is memorable and easy for fans to scream it. Take Hyun Bin for instance. The name Hyun Bin exudes a certain sense of urbane sophistication and coolness. Would Hyun Bin fame be still as good if he used his real name - Kim Tae-pyeong? It would kinda weird to hear people shouting "Kim Tae-pyeong, We Love You!"

Nah....

People: Han Ye Seul

(Source: The Korea Herald)

Han Ye Seul's portrayal of a spoilt heiress in Fantasy Couple (Fantastic Couple) seems to have done wonders to her career. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Han's career has been reported to have taken flight following her stint in the drama series. Read on for Hellohallyu's take on this up and coming actress.

While one cannot, and should never, read too much into media interviews, what came across in the article was Han's candid and down to earth attitude. I cannot help but feel that she's one of those nice artistes without the airs most celebrities surround themselves with. Perhaps most telling was how Han defended her fashion co-ordinator after suffering a minor wardrobe malfunction during a recent film award ceremony. Not many would have done what she did.

Also found out that Han is an American born Korean and is known as Leslie Kim back in the US. With bilingual Korean artistes few and far between, Han will definitely be a breath of fresh air when takingon English lines in any script.

Seeming to follow in the footsteps of Jeon Ji Hyun and Song Hye Gyo, Han has not discounted entering the American movie and drama market in the future. Looks like Korean influence on Hollywood is set to grow.

Top 10 Korean Dramas of 2007

A post by "kdramafanasia" in the soompi forums listed the Top 10 Dramas of 2007 based on results compiled by TNS Media Research for average viewership rating.

The top 10 dramas for the year are:

1. Jumong (MBC) - 47.3%

2. Pure 19 (KBS1) - 39.7%

3. War Of Money (SBS) - 31.0%

4. As Much As Heaven And Earth (KBS1) - 29.0%

5. Story Of First King's Four Gods/Legend (MBC) - 28.8%

6. I Hate You But It's Fine (KBS1) - 28.8%

7. Dae Jo Young (KBS1) - 26.3%

8. Blissful Woman (KBS2) - 25.2%

9. My Man's Woman (SBS) - 24.5%

10. First Shop Of Coffee Prince (MBC) - 24.2%

Perhaps in a weird coincidence, I only managed to watch Jumong, which is currently running on the telly, and First Shop of Coffee Prince, which happen to be rated 1st and 10th respectively in the chart.

Although I did not take part in the polling, I am not surprised that Jumong topped the list of dramas despite the highly competitive environment for drama series in Korea. With its fast paced action, tight storyline, great acting and beautiful sets, it is easy to imagine Koreans being glued to the tv, which is in fact happening to me now, when the drama is screening.

Can't say much for the dramas rated as 2nd to 9th on the chart since I did not manage to catch any of them.

Being a fan of both Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo, I am glad that Coffee Prince managed to squeeze itself into the top 10, which in itself is already a feat. It would be a great disservice to the Korean entertainment scene if this drama did not make it to the list. Tell me honestly, apart from the classic Friends, which other drama had the influence to convince girls to lop off their locks for a Go Eun Chan hairdo?

More thoughts on Korean dramas

I realise a lot of people enjoy Korean dramas these days, and the wave looks set to be strong for some time. Unless the competition buckles up. But nah. When I say 'competition', I refer to what I have grown up with: Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwanese dramas. I don't have an opinion on Japanese dramas because I haven't watched enough to comment. As for mainland China dramas, well, they work sometimes, and it helps if you're a sinophile who likes history documentaries.

I'm always trying to pinpoint why Korean dramas tend to hit the sweet spot more than others. For myself, at least. But shall we just say, it's complicated. :) There are just so many good things I don't know where to start.

But one big difference I notice about Korean dramas viz-a-viz Singapore (i.e. Mediacorp) and Hong Kong TVB dramas is the number of shots the Koreans take for a one scene. It's their attention to detail and storytelling, really. Take Coffee Prince: a seaside scene of Hankyul looking longingly at Eunchan, the girl he loves (but mistakenly thinks is a guy). He reaches out to touch her hair (she's fast asleep) but shrinks back again, struggling with his emotions.

It doesn't take more than a few minutes. But the way they do it! First it's a scenic shot. Lets you build up an imagination of typical lovers' beaches in Korea. You see the meant-to-be lovers lying chastely next to each other on a mat. And they timed it perfectly, just the right pause so you have the context and can almost smell the sea salt sprays. It sets the mood and builds anticipation.

Next, the camera moves closer and you see his expression from a distance. Looking at her, he slowly reaches out to touch her hair (she's facing away from him). Then the camera angle changes completely. A close-up shot from the opposite side: you see her face now, and his hand lingering over her hair (his face is outside the camera's view). She's completely unaware and blissfully asleep, even scratching her arm absently now and then. The hand above her head trembles a little. And the camera pans out, this time showing him looking over her. Written all over his face is his love for her and his personal struggle (I don't think Mediacorp ever realised this, but good acting is important). And you just go "awww" inside.

Now, the reason I went to such lengths to describe the simple scene above is to highlight differences.

If the Taiwanese did it: He would verbalise his emotions instead of acting it out. So with his hand outstretched, he'll probably go, "Looking at you, my darling, I can feel my forbidden love for you grow! But I can't, I can't!" And to drive the final nail into the coffin of bad dramas, they will start playing a melodramatic Hokkien soundtrack that makes you wonder if you're in the wrong decade.

If the Hong Kongers did it: The whole thing would be over quite fast. Less shots, more economically done. But you will still get the gist of it, just not so conscious of the emotions in the actor. It's not so bad but you will feel a bit rushed, not having savoured the moment enough.

If the Singaporeans did it: Same economical style as the Hong Kongers, really, but with bad acting. So in the end, you wonder if he really loves her. Or worse, if she's actually pretending to be asleep. :D

The perfect X'mas gift for Gong Yoo fans

What's the one thing which allows you to see Gong Yoo each and every day of the 365 days in a year?

The answer should send all Gong Yoo fans to the stratosphere.

The answer is... the 2008 Gong Yoo Calendar.

Now to bring everyone, except the Japanese, back to earth. Only 2000 copies of the calendar will be printed. Not only that. The release is only for the Japanese market!

The Japanese are so blessed. They have their J-pop, Sony gadgets, PS3, and now, Gong Yoo's calendar!

I can only leave you with an image of what we will be missing...

Who's yummier? The doughnut? Or 'yummylicious' Gong Yoo?

More images can be found at popseoul. Perhaps there's still hope for fans hoping to get their hands on the calendar. Yesasia seems to be stocking up on the calendar, and from its advertisement (no, I am not an affiliate), they seem to be shipping to countries other than Japan.

Hope all non-Japanese Gong Yoo fans have the perfect X'mas gift by getting their hands on the calendar!

Bae Yong Joon trade period costumes for hospital gown

MBC's drama The Legend has just aired its final episode yesterday as you read this post. While fans have enjoyed Bae Yong Joon's martial arts exploits in the drama, few will know that the actor has just checked into the hospital, after filming the final episode, to treat injuries that were picked up during filming.

Wrote about Bae Yong Joon's injuries perviously, and I have to say that artistes in the entertainment line are one professional lot. Professional hazards for folks like me include wrist strain from the overuse of the keyboard or slipped disc from sitting for too many hours in front of the PC. Different hazards for different professions.

It is important to recognise the dedication of these artistes is an important reason why we get an endless, well almost, supply of good Korean dramas daily on our TV.


Anyway, hope Bae Yong Joon recuperates well during his stay in the hospital.

Get well soon!

Related article:

• Bae Yong Joon finishes filming and hospitalized for treatment (BROASIA.com)

Sung Yu Ri's new drama - Hong Gil Dong (KBS)

Girls dressing up as boys seems to be the 'in' thing following Go Yun Chan's character in The First Shop of Coffee Prince. Now the ever beautiful Sung Yu Ri will do a "Go Eun Chan" in KBS' new series Hong Gil Dong.

(Source: sohu.com)

In this 2008 drama series Sung Yu Ri takes on the role of Heo Yi Nok and stars opposite Kang Ji Hwan, of Capital Scandal fame, starring as the male lead - Hong Gil Dong.

"You may be pretty, but you sure are heavy too!"
(Image Source: KBS)

In the story, Heo Yi Nok is born into a respectable family but does not know of her past as after her family fell into disrepute. And since gallivanting alone along the ancient Korean streets is a definitely no-no for girls during the period the drama is set in, Heo Yi Nok dresses up as a boy so that she can explore the streets and have her fun.

Sung Yu Ri shows a grittier side to her repertoire of acting skills this time round as it was reported that she did most of the action sequences herself without a stunt double. You did not read wrongly, she did the stunts herself. Hmmmm... a Korean version of Hong Kong's Michelle Yeoh.

Nah...

I can't wait for Hong Gil Dong to air on KBS World. Think it should hit the small screen sometime in Jan or Feb 2008. What a way to start the year!

Aja!

Yoon Eun Hye and Rain voted top Hallyu stars in China

Read in a Tour2Korea article that Yoon Eun Hye and Rain have been voted by Chinese fans as the most popular Hallyu stars in 2007.

Having followed Yoon Eun Hye's career since watching The Man of the Vineyard, I have to say that she well deserves the manic popularity with her Chinese fans. Apart from her sweet good looks, her portrayal of Go Eun Chan in The First Shop of Coffee Prince showed that her acting skills have improved significantly since her debut in Princess Hours.

Can't really comment much on Rain since I have only seen him on Full House, which I am still watching. All I can say is that he possess a boyish charm which is a sure formula in winning the hearts of adoring female fans. That said, I do find him rather endearing as Lee Young Jae in Full House.

Here's leaving you a photo of our most popular Hallyu stars in China... Yoon Eun Hye and Rain!

(Source: soompi Forum)

Related Articles:

• Rain and Yun Eun-hye Are China's Favorite Hallyu Stars (Source: Tour2Korea)

Going to Hollywood

Another Korean star is crossing the Pacific Ocean for the bright lights and glitz of Hollywood. Song Hye Gyo, of Autumn in My Heart and Full House fame, will star in an 'indie' production titled "Fetish".

While I am not a big fan, yet, of Song Hye Gyo, I have always appreciated her performances in Autumn in My Heart and Full House, which I happen to be watching now.

Based on what I have seen so far, Song Hye Gyo is a versatile actress who has handled roles ranging from the melancholic to the hyper-active well. See the contrast between her roles in Autumn in My Heart and Full House and you will understand what I mean

Her delicate features and sweet good looks should give her some headway in making her presence felt on American shores. However, language may be something which could trip her budding Hollywood aspirations, if that's what she's aiming for.

Having seen enough Korean stars stumbling over their English one-liners in various dramas, I sincerely hope that Song Hye Gyo gets enough language coaching as about 80% of her lines in "Fetish" will be in English.

Think I need not talk too much about this as readers can read all the related articles on this below.

Related articles:

• Song Hye-gyo to Debut in U.S. (KBS)
• S. Korean star plays to U.S. (Variety.com)
• Song Hye-kyo Makes U.S. Debut in Indie Flick (Korean Times)

Cheaper flights from Southeast Asia to Korea soon!

Oh, I love competition!

The competition between budget airlines in the Asian region is heating up to the extent that Korean Air is setting up a budget unit - Air Korea, to compete with Singapore's very own Tiger Airways.

Air Korean is expected to fly to destinations in China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Wait a minute... where's Singapore???

No!!!

Ok, I guess I can always put on my patriotic hat and ride on Tiger Airways since it has (intelligently) already inked a deal to fly to Incheon International Airport. For Hallyu friends in Malaysia and Thailand, it is a moment to rejoice as we all can get our kimchi fix for a fraction of the costs we now pay to fly to Korea.

Long live capitlism! Long live competition!

Related articles:

• Korean Air budget airline has 2008 start
  

Poll Results - Which is Your Favourite Yoon Eun Hye Character?

Omigosh!!!

With a total of 14 (yes, now that's what I call an improvement over the first poll!) votes, readers were spilt down the centre between Yoon Eun Hye's characters Chae Hyung (Princess Hours) and Go Eun Chan (Coffee Prince).

Sadly, not a single vote was cast for Yoon Eun Hye's -Lee Ji Hyun in the Vineyard Man, a character which I thought was well brought to life by the actress.

Anyway, there's no such thing as a tie-breaker in HelloHallyu! Being the writer here gives me the final say in such situations.

So, Teddy's vote goes to. . . . . .

GO EUN CHAN!!!

(Source: coffee-prince.com)

And there you have it! Coffee Prince's Go Eun Chan is the 'readers' Favourite Yoon Hye Hye character.

Korean dramas and historical fact

The fight between Jumong and Chinese imperialism in the drama Jumong is now fought in the academia as Korean historians assert that a region currently controlled by China actually belongs to Korea.

Using historical maps, Korean historians showed that the disputed region of Gando belonged to Korea. More interestingly, the Koreans believe that the Chinese are apparently trying to claim that the ancient Korean state of Goguryo was a Chinese kingdom.

K-drama fans will recognise Goguryo as the kingdom founded by Jumong.

So, who says one cannot learn anything from watching K-dramas.

Disclaimer - Hello Hallyu is in no way encouraging reader to chuck away their history texts. :)

New Poll: Which is your favourite Yoon Eun Hye Character?

You know that I am a fan of Yoon Eun Hye when so many of my posts are about her. Anyway, here's Hello Hallyu! latest poll:

Which is Your Favourite Yoon Eun Hye Character?

(a) Go Eun Chan (The First Shop of Coffee Prince aka Coffee Prince)

(b) Lee Ji Hyun (The Man in the Vineyard aka The Vineyard Man)

(c) Chae Kyung (Goong aka Princess Hours)

Polling starts today and lasts for 1 week! Do cast your votes on the poll widget on the right of the blog!

Aja!

Bae Yong Jun hurt while filming

Who says stars have it good?

In what seems to be a freak accident, Bae Yong Jun apparently hurt his neck while filming a fight scene on the set of The Legend. It is reported that Bae Yong Jun ruptured a cervical disc and sprained a shoulder ligament.

Ouch!

And these are on top of a ligament injury on one of his fingers.

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

All banged up, Bae is now on a diet of painkillers and tapes to hold his body together so that he can finish filming the drama. As a Korean drama fan, I can only say a big "thank you" to hardworking Korean stars, e.g. Bae Yong Jun, who hangs in there, through pain and injury, to bring the best of Korean dramas to our screens.

Here's wishing Bae Yong Jun a speedy recovery. In the meantime, try not to hold your great sword with your injured hand.

Hello Hallyu's Favourite Period Drama Poll Results

Based on a grand total of 4 votes, which I consider a good start, readers overwhelmingly voted "The Legend" as their all-time favourite Korean period drama.

Here's the poll results:

Daejunggum - 1 vote
Jumong - No votes
Seodongyo - No votes
The Legend - 3 votes (readers' choice!)

(Source: MBC's official site)

MBC's The Legend or The Story of the First King's Four Gods (currently on air) stars Bae Yong Jun who takes on 3 characters, the main being the Great King Kwang-gae-to (Damdeok). The storyline of this drama is similar to Jumong in that it has a mythical spin to it. In The Legend, the story is about the Four Gods looking for their true master - Damdeok.

Based on what I have read, The Legend is a hugely popular series with viewership averaging 30% in recent weeks. Hitting the big three-O is a target for all Korean dramas, and to hit and maintain such high ratings mean that either Bae Yong Jun is pulling in the eyeballs or the story must truly be well written.

I am looking forward to catching this drama on the telly once the cable operator here obtains the rights.

Update on KBS drama series Flowers for My Life

Many people have been asking if KBS' drama - Flowers for My Life will be released on dvd. Like so many other who have enjoyed this drama, I also wondered if I will be able to obtain its dvd release for collection.

Rather than waiting around and surfing through forums, I decided to write in to KBS on this. And since I am not an industry insider, my only point of contact was KBS World's website. From there I wrote to Mr Woo-min Kim, who's the Senior Sales Manager handling KBS' Southeast Asia's account.

And here's my email correspondence with KBS below.






The local (Singaporean) media company BlueMax has apparently purchased the rights for this drama here. Naturally, the next step for me is to check with BlueMax on the release date.

Would like to say a big "Thank You" to Mr Kim at KBS again for the prompt reply. Frankly, I was mentally prepared to receive a template corporate email reply from KBS. Their prompt and useful reply really made my day.

For fans who would like to check on the probable release of titles in home countries, you can check the regional KBS sales manager contacts here.