A Surprise from the Korean Tourism Organization

Yesterday was like any typical Sunday for me. It was a languid day when I usually take my time, at a languid pace, to start my biological engines, i.e. waking up after a good Saturday's night slumber. While still trying to rouse myself awake, I heard someone knocking on my door. Peering through the peephole, I see this guy standing outside my home. "Must be the newspaper agent collecting the fees again", I thought to myself.

Opening the door, I was surprised to see that it was a DHL delivery man. The fact that it is not 'business as usual' woke me up somewhat. After signing for the delivery, which is packed in a rather large nonedescript box, I quickly told my wife that I received a delivery from DHL. This is sometime of a big deal for us since we don't normally received stuff via courier services.

Yeah, we lead normal boring lives heh.

Anyway, what piqued my curiosity is that fact that the delivery originated from KOREA! Yep, you are reading it right. At this point in time, my brain is really working overtime. My wife and I were wondering if our credit cards had been skimmed during our recent holiday there. We were both debating on whether to open up the box or check our credit card details online, when we noticed the sender is one "KTO, Seoul, Korea".

That's when everything clicked.

I have WON a prize in Korea Tourism Organisation's Blog Korea! Visit Korea! Blog Competition. To be honest, I can't even remember what the prizes were, but I remembered taking part in it since I wrote a post or two on my recent trip there. The nice folks at KTO must have overlooked my numerous typos and decided to award, yours sincerely, a prize.

Check out their website for the official award notice. HelloHallyu is listed at #61. Yup, we won a snazzy MP3 player.

Here's the very beautiful and generous prize from KTO. And yes, it's from Disney. :)

I have decided to store all my Korean drama OSTs and music in this very special gift from Korea. This just makes me feel like flying off for another holiday there. Perhaps I will net myself a netbook the next time. :D

Congratulations to the winners of the 44th Annual Baeksang Arts Awards

It's kinda late, but here are the list of winners for the 44th Annual Baeksang Arts Awards which took place last week on 24 Apr (click here to see the full nomination list in my previous post).


FILM SECTION

Best Film
Forever The Moment

Best Director
Lee Chang Dong (Secret Sunshine)

Best New Director
Na Hong Jin (The Chaser)

Best Leading Actor
Im Chang Jung (Scout)

Best Leading Actress
Kim Min Hee (Hell Cats)

Best New Actor
Jang Geun Seok (The Happy Life)

Best New Actress
Han Ye Seul (Miss Gold Digger)

Best Screenplay
Kim Hyun Seok (Scout)

POPULARITY
Kwon Sang Woo & Kim Jeong Eun,

TV SECTION

DaeSang
Kang Ho Dong

Best TV Drama
SBS (War of Money)

Best Producer
Lee Byeong Hun (Yi San)

Best New Producer
Lee Yoon Jung (Coffee Prince)

Best Leading Actor
Park Shin Yang - SBS (War Of Money)

Best Leading Actress
Yoon Eun Hye - MBC (Coffee Prince)

Best New Actor
Song Chang Ui - SBS (Golden Bride)

Best New Actress
Lee Ji Ah - MBC (Legend)

Best Screenplay
MBC - Thank you

POPULARITY
Kang Ji Hwan & Sung Yu Ri

Here are some selected photos of the star studded guests at the awards ceremony.

Hong Gil Dong and Yi Nok in contemporary costumes


The ever stunning Son Ye Jin

Yoon Eun Hye, all alone as Coffee Prince - Gong Yoo - is in the military camp

LEE JI AH! Need I say more

Money War's Park Shin Young and Park Jin Hee

Han Ye Seul

44th Annual Baeksang Arts Awards

Here are the nominees for the upcoming 44th Baeksang Arts Awards. This award ceremony will take place on 24 Apr 2008 and will be broadcasted on SBS.

For the film section, the nominees are...

BEST FILM
Secret Sunshine
Forever The Moment
The Chaser
Happiness
Splendid Holiday

Secret Sunshine

BEST DIRECTOR
Kim Hyun Seok - (Scout)
Na Hong Jin (The Chaser)
Lee Myung Se (M)
Lee Chang Dong (Secret Sunshine)
Lim Soon Rye - (Forever The Moment)

BEST NEW DIRECTOR
Kim Mee Jeung (Shadows in the Palace)
Kim Tai Sik (Driving with my Wife's Lover)
Na Hong Jin (The Chaser)
Ra Hee Chan(Going by the Book)
Jeong Beom Sik and Jeong Sik (Epitaph)

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Kim Yoon suk (The Chaser)
Im Chang jung (Scout)
Byun Hee Bong (The Game)
Song Kang Ho ( The Show must go on )
Ha Jung Woo (The Chaser)

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Kim Min Hee (Hell Cats)
Kim Yun Jin (Seven Days )
Kim Jung Eun (Forever the Moments)
Lim Soo Jung (Happiness)
Jeon Do Yeon (Secret Sunshine)

BEST NEW ACTOR
Kim Jun Sung (West 32nd)
Kim Heung Su (Hellcats)
Jang Geun Seok (The happy Life)
Yoo Gun (Kidnapping of Geanny)
Jeong Il Woo (My Love)

BEST NEW ACTRESS
Lee Bo Young (Once Upon a Time in Corea)
Lee Yeon Hee (M)
Lee Ha Na (Le Grand Chef)
Jeong Ryeo won (Two Faces of My GirlFriend)
Han Ye Seul (Miss Gold Digger)

Han Ye Seul having men for lunch in Miss Gold Digger

BEST SCREENPLAY
Kim Han Min (Paradise Murdered)
Kim Hyun Seok (Scout)
Na Hyun (Forever the Moments)
Na Hong Jin (The CHaser)
Lee Chang Dong (Secret Sunshine)

And the nominees for the TV section are...

BEST TV DRAMA
KBS (Likeable or Not)
SBS (My Man's Woman)
SBS (The War of Money)
MBC (Coffee Prince)
MBC (The Legend)

First Shop of Coffee Prince

The Legend

BEST PRODUCER
Woon Goon Il (SBS, Golden Bride)
Yoo Cheol Yong (MBC, HIT)
Lee Dook Joon (KBS, Likeable Or Not)
Lee Byeong-Hun (Yi San)
Jung Tae Yoo (War of Money)

BEST NEW PRODUCER
Park Hong Gyun (MBC, New Heart)
Lee Min Woo (SBS, Bad Couple)
Lee Yoon Jung (MBC, Coffee Prince)
Han Joon Suh (KBS, Capital Scandal)
Ham Young Hoon (KBS, Evasive Inquiry Agency)

Capital Scandal

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Kang Ji Hwan (KBS, Capital Scandal)
Park Shin Yang (SBS, War Of Money)
Bae Yong Joon (MBC, The Legend)
Lee Seo Jin (MBC, Yi San)
Cho Jae Hyun (MBC, New Heart)

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Kim Hyun Joo (KBS, In Soon is Pretty)
Kim Hee Ae (SBS, My Man's Woman)
Park Jin Hee (SBS, War of money)
Bae Jong Ok (MBC, Woman Of Matchless Beauty)
Yoon Eun Hye (MBC, Coffee Prince)
Han Ji Min (KBS, Capital Scandal)

In Soon is Pretty - in real life too!


My Chan!

BEST NEW ACTOR
Kim Ji Seok (KBS, Likeable or Not)
Song Chang Ui (SBS, Golden Bride)
Lee Philip (MBC, The Legend)
Han Sang Jin (MBC, Yi San)
Ha Seok Jin (SBS, Happiness)

BEST NEW ACTRESS
Park Min Young (KBS, I am Sam)
Park Shin Hye (MBC, Ggak-du-gi)
Yoo In-yeong (KBS, Likeable or Not)
Lee Ji Ah (MBC, The Legend)
Choi Yu Jin (SBS, Golden Bride)

BEST SCREENPLAY
SBS, My Man's Woman
MBC, Thank you
MBC, Coffee Prince
KBS, In Soon is Pretty
MBC, New Heart

Highlighted in Purple are those supported by Hellohallyu! :)

Rain receives 2008 Korea Image Stepping Stone Award

Rain looking all dapper at the award ceremony
(Image Source: Tour2Korea)

Rain was awarded the 2008 Korea Image Stepping Stone Award (Korean Image Didimdol Award) by the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI). He is a shoo-in for this award since he has been one of the top international face of Korean pop culture and entertainment around the world in 2007. Voted as one of the Top 20 Trends Sweeping the Globe and starring in upcoming Hollywood flicks, it's not hard to see why he's the icon that CICI picked for the award.

Here's what Rain said during the ceremony.

"Rain said, ‘I think of my mom every time I win an award. The award I received today means more to me than any international award that I have won. This is a great honor, and I am grateful."

For me, that's another good reason why he deserved the award.

Related Articles:
I Think About My Mom Every Time I Win An Award (Tour2Korea)
Rain receives award for promoting nation's image (The Korean Herald)

First post for 2008

Everyone loves to kick off the new year with a bang. Well, I did and I had 2 home delivered pizzas to kick it off with on New Year's Eve!

Each new year is a special period for me as I spend a moment to reflect about the what have I done with my life in the previous year. 2007 was a special one since it was the year which started me off with my obsession, I call it love, for Korean drama, its food and culture.

While Hellohallyu is sort of my hobby blog, I have grown to look forward to each opportunity to serve up the latest news, which must interest me first, to all Hallyu fans out there.

I have only one simple resolution for Hellohallyu this year. And that's to continue updating this blog as regularly and humanely possible. Believe me, it's really no easy task managing a full-time job and maintaining this blog. I do hope that you have enjoyed what I have dished out thus far.

And here's the real post for the day. . .

As the buzz of the holidays recede and all of us goes back to our routine, some Hallyu stars will be drafted into the Korean military for their compulsory military service. In 12 days time (on 14 Jan 2008), our very own Coffee Prince Gong Yoo will be enlisted to serve the Korean military.

I will leave you here with his acceptance speech when he received the Male Excellence Award at the MBC Drama Awards 2007. The speech was translated by soompi member allhl.

"Today my outfit is in military green colour, I think in future I will be mainly wearing this colour. Since I first started acting, maybe because I am a bit arrogant, I never thought of winning an award like this but now that I am holding this award in reality, I am really happy. My parents are also watching this awards ceremony at home, my mom who still looks like a young girl, actually after CP, my dad who gave me a lot of autographed editions (NB: literal translation - not sure what this is saying), my CP family, my fans club who has always been supporting me all along, also all those who love me, thank you to all of you! I love you all! I hope everyone can continue to be healthy and happy! PD actually hoped that Yeh and I will win the best couple award, I feel disappointed that we did not win ... Before I enter MS, this is the last time I will appear before your TV screen, on January 14 next year I will enter the army training service for military training. I will enter the military with full spirit! When I am in MS, please do not forget me!"

After his fantastic performance in The First Shop of the Coffee Prince, Gong Yoo will definitely be sorely missed. But rest assured that we here at HelloHallyu will never forget him. Actually, I am already looking forward to the future post to announce his return to showbiz when he's discharged from military service. So watch this space!

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

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?