[Videos] Another predebut CF of Black Pearl Yuri revealed!

SNSD yuri’s predebut CF has been caught attentions from netizen.

Famous online community revealed SNSD yuri’s predebut CF. After her Chocopie CF with Jang Dong Gun, now it’s her CF for Mite Hot Chocolate . her appearance caught the attention from netizen.

It has been confirmed that the CF was broadcasted on 2006, when Yuri was on 2nd Grade of high School. on this CF,Yuri plays the role as a girl who introduces her boyfriend to her Father.

Yuri appeared with mature appearance, Buth her look gave a feeling of a High School Student.

Netizen said, “I remember this CF” , “She looks so mature”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=106nw-QAH3s&feature=player_embedded

[News] Japanese Fans vote on the most Popular Kpop Group in their country

Following the recent kpop trend that has been growing popularity in Japan, Japanese kpop fans were recently asked to name who they thought were the most well-liked Korean idols in their country.

In response, they put SNSD in first place, with 3393 votes. At a close second place, KARA came in, showing a notable rise in interest in Korean girl groups in Japan.

In third place, however, was a boy band: Big Bang! The boys are known in Japan for their unique fashion sense and catchy beats; they were closely followed by Supernova, who came before FT Island, SS501, Super Junior, 4Minute, and SHINee.

With the hallyu wave getting stronger than ever, don’t be surprised if more and more kpop news comes from non-Korean countries!

[News] Mnet responds to criticisms of being ‘half of a real awards show’

Mnet’s ”2010 Mnet Asia Music Awards” (MAMA) has been drawing criticism lately for being ‘half of a real awards show’ due to the controversy surrounding SM Entertainment’s attendance. A representative from Mnet clarified, “There is nothing official yet.”

The representative continued, “SM Entertainment has not confirmed their attendance. However, just because their artists are not attending does not give people the right to call our awards ceremony ‘half of a real one’. What does that say about all the other artists who are attending? Do they merely make up ‘half’ of the Korean music industry?”

Mnet concluded, “Whether or not they attend, we will be judging fairly. If an SM Entertainment artist wins an award, a trophy will be delivered to them without a doubt.”

[News] Taiwanese show apologises to SM... Apologising while laughing...?

Last week a variety show in Taiwan caused a stir among Korean netizens and SNSD fans because they talked about corruptions of Music industries in Asia and showed a big photo of SNSD with words imprinted on it "Sexual acts"

The MCs apologised on the show saying that it was a mis-understanding as they were targetting the whole Asian music industry rather than just Korea's.

However, their 'Apologising attitude' made, not only Korean netizens mad but also the local Taiwanese netizens as well. MCs talked about apologisng as if it wasn't nothing serious and even joked about things and laughed while 'apologising'

Netizens who saw this show commented "Apology should be honest, not jokingly. Their behaviours embarrass me as a Taiwanese." "Is that funny? How can you laugh and apologise at the same time" "You guys are not 3 year olds. Apologise honestly" "Their behaviours are sarcastic not apologetic. Aren't you even embarrassed?" "You guys mock whole of Korean music industries and apologise that way... Really sad"

[News] SM artists will probably not attend Mnet MAMA?

It looks as if SM artists will not attend Mnet's MAMA (Mnet Asia Music Awards) which is held on the 28th this month.

A representitive of Mnet said, "As far as we know, SM is not attending MAMA and their artists already have plans on the 28th"

Because SM isn't attending and didn't attend last year, we couldn't see arists such as BoA, SuJu, SNSD, SHINee and others.

[News] SNSD has transformed into Santa-fairies

On the 11th, on a community site, SNSD's shoot for a Chinese branch Samsung IT product. They are wearing a pink mini one piece with white fur around it and completed a Chrismas-y look. They are also posing with Rudolf's horns, small hat and present boxes. Netizens commented, "They're not Santa-fairies, they are Santa-Goddesses" and "Same Samsung company but what is Korean Samsung doing right now?"

[News] Which SNSD member has the most charm?

For the November 10th episode of MBC’s ‘Golden Fishery’, the guests became involved in a rather interesting discussion about the ladies of SNSD.

Guest Psy introduced the girls as a topic when he stated, “In the army, SNSD is a religon.”

At this, MC Yoon Jong Shin mused, “Once you’re a married man, you start liking Yuri more.”

Singer Lee Juk, who was the other guest for show, agreed with the MC and said, “Taeyeon used to be my favorite, but now I like Yuri more.”

MC Kim Gura added, “In SNSD, one begins liking Taeyeon, goes through all the members, and then ends up liking Hyoyeon.” All the other MCs agreed, “It’s because Hyoyeon has the most charm.”

Agree or disagree with the boys from ‘Golden Fishery’? Well, i do agree! ^^V

[News] "For Korean Girl Groups, It's All About Quality"

What is at the heart of the latest Korean wave, say some experts, has less to do with Hallyu itself and more to do with higher quality music and performances.

Korean girl groups are experiencing a sudden surge of popularity in Japan. Leading the pack are Girls’ Generation and Kara, who recently hit the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the weekly Japanese Oricon charts on Oct. 29. Some Japanese media outlets have even dubbed it the “Korean Invasion,” in reference to the “British Invasion” led by such groups as The Beatles and Rolling Stones during the early 1960s in the United States.

The Japanese had been far ahead the game in terms of girl groups. But as of late, Korean girl groups have hit their stride there. Some largely attribute their popularity to Korean entertainment companies famously rigorous training and preparation regimes.

“The amount of time spent on training and practice is incomparable,” said Hong Seung-sung, head of Cube Entertainment. “The Japanese have a tough time understanding how we put our artists through daily 12-hour singing and dancing training sessions.”

“Those in the Japanese pop industry ask us how we’re lined up and in total sync during our performances,” said Jessica (Jung Su-yeon) of Girls’ Generation. “They seem to be impressed and asked us how much time we spend on training.”

Chart-topping girl groups in Japan are significantly different from those found in Korea.

The most popular Japanese girl group at the moment is AKB48, a theater-based group that holds regular performances at one theater. The 48-member group performed at the Asia Song Festival at Jamsil Main Stadium in southern Seoul last month. The group’s members are constantly changing due to a popularity vote conducted among their fans.

Hong Hyung-jong, the head of Amuse Korea Inc. - subsidiary of a Japanese entertainment company - said the Japanese need to change the way they nurture their artists. “Korean girl groups undergo several years of hard training before they are given a chance to make their debut, but Japanese girl groups make their debut before they are polished and work toward perfecting their [shows],” he said.

Aside from vocals and dancing, the appearance of Korean and Japanese groups is also notable. It is part of the reason why Girls’ Generation and Kara have garnered a large following of young Japanese. The “Kara-look” is catching on with the young crowd in Japan.

“The Japanese girl groups appeal to their fans with their cute looks and mannerisms,” explained Kim Dong-joon, a music program producer at Mnet. “They mostly give off a cute, girl-next-door image. Even when you look at AKB48 or Morning Musume, they’re charming in a cute way - but offer little of anything else.

“Those in the Japanese industry often point out that Korean groups have several charming qualities. They also point out that the Korean girl groups are sexy and charismatic on stage.”

With Girls’ Generation, Kara, Brown Eyed Girls and 4minute all gaining popularity in Japan, many more Korean girl groups are expected to make their Japanese debut in the near future. Japanese entertainment companies are reportedly working to sign more Korean girl groups to keep up with consumer demand.

“We have been getting a lot of calls from Japan,” stated Kim Tae-song, the head of TS Entertainment, which manages girl group Secret. “Since Girls’ Generation caught on in Japan, there’s been a huge increase in interest in Korean girl groups.”

Music industry insiders say it is all about quality.

“Korean artists need to remember that groups like Girls’ Generation and Kara have done well in Japan because they have proven skill sets and not because they’re merely Korean groups,” said Jung Hae-ik, head of Happy Holic Entertainment company.

“It’s true that Korean girl groups are gaining popularity, but there are plenty of skilled Japanese girl groups,” said Hong of Amuse Korea Inc. “For example, Perfume started off as an idol group member, but gained the respect of fans as a skilled artist over the years.

“It’s a battle with quality of music at the core above all else.”

[News] SNSD’s Yuri chosen as the #1 singer people want to meet on Pepero Day

SNSD’s Yuri was recently chosen as the number one singer people want to meet on Pepero Day.

Music Portal Bucks held a poll from November 2nd to the 8th with the question, “Which singer do you want to meet the most on Pepero Day?” Approximately 2,077 individuals voted and the results showed that Yuri reigned supreme with 58% of the votes.

Netizens commented, “Yuri has a good personality, good looks, and she dances so well too; I think it would be so nice if I could meet her” and “I definitely want to meet the number one wife candidate, Yuri.”

Meanwhile,B2ST’s Lee Ki Kwang had the honor of holding second place with 18% of the votes, while 2NE1’s Park Bom, Superstar K2’s Jang Jae In, Min Kyung Hoon and 2PM’s Taecyeonplaced 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.

Pepero Day is celebrated yearly on November 11th, during which couples and friends exchange boxes of the chocolate-covered cookie snack. If you could vote, which singer would you choose to meet on Pepero Day?

[News] Which SNSD member has the most charm, according to Kim Gura?

For the November 10th episode of MBC’s ‘Golden Fishery’, the guests became involved in a rather interesting discussion about the ladies of SNSD.

Guest Psy introduced the girls as a topic when he stated, “In the army, SNSD is a religon.” At this, MCYoon Jong Shin mused, “Once you’re a married man, you start liking Yuri more.”

Singer Lee Juk, who was the other guest for show, agreed with the MC and said, “Taeyeon used to be my favorite, but now I like Yuri more.”

MC Kim Gura added, “In SNSD, one begins liking Taeyeon, goes through all the members, and then ends up liking Hyoyeon.” All the other MCs agreed, “It’s because Hyoyeon has the most charm.”

Agree or disagree with the boys from ‘Golden Fishery’? Tell us your thoughts below!

[News] Taiwanese program issues apology to SM for issues concerning SNSD

We previously reported on how SNSD fans were in an uproar over an exposé program, which ran on Taiwan’s ’Super Lucky‘ show. The cast members were discussing about how Korean girl groups are supposedly forced to distribute sexual favors, as well as undergo plastic surgery in their efforts to make it to the top. While these issues are in themselves, contentious, the uproar began when the program used photos of SNSD to exemplify their points. In face of such a backlash, the hosts of ‘Super Lucky’ apologized to SM Entertainment live on air.

They stated that they intended to point out issues with the entertainment industry in Asia, and not just South Korea alone. However, some netizens are not satisfied with the manner in which the hosts made their apology. Apparently, the hosts smiled and made jokes throughout the apology, and many are criticizing that it seemed insincere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JNasQDG7zc&feature=player_embedded

Netizens commented, “You should be sincere when you make an apology. I’m Taiwanese, and I’m embarrassed how they make the whole thing a joke”, “Is this situation fun to them? I don’t know how they could laugh and joke while apologizing”, “You are not 3-year-olds. Please make a sincere apology”, “Their actions are not apologetic, but mocking. Aren’t they embarrassed?”, and “They make a negative generalization about the entire Korean music industry, and they apologize like that?”

SM Entertainment has stated earlier that because they feel that the image of SNSD has been used in a malicious manner, they plan to respond accordingly through legal actions.

[News] SNSD Sunny's Name Was Misspelled!

On KBS 2TV’s “Happy Together” which will be aired on November 11th, Sunny revealed some interesting stories while performing in Japan. Sunny said, “While performing on stage in Japan, I noticed some interesting messages on the placards held by the Japanese fans”.

According to Sunny, there were some mistakes made by the Japanese fans when they wrote the messages in Hangul. Some of these mistakes were:

- 결혼해줘 (Romanization: gyeolhonhaejwo/ Meaning: Let’s get married) which was written as 걸혼해줘 (Romanization: geolhonhaejwo)
- 사랑해 (Romanization: saranghae/ Meaning: I love you) which was written as 서랑해 (Romanization: seoranghae)

Sunny thought that it was really fun to see these spelling mistakes. She added, “Seeing my name “써니 (Sseoni)” being written as “싸니 (Ssani)” gave me a heartache”. Upon hearing Sunny’s explanation, the crowd burst into laughter.

[News] Girls Generation Is Like A Religion?

Following SNSD's popularity, from young to adult many people appraise them and like them not only because of their talents but also because of their beauty.

On Radio Star, Psy who was enlisted twice in the army said “In the army, everything is about SNSD. SNSD is like a religion there”. He even said he likes Taeyeon before but now he said he likes Yuri more.

Yoon Jong Shin followed Psy's comment and said "All married man likes Yuri". MC Kim Gura said to the audience “In the beginning, I used to like Taeyeon but now, I ended up liking Hyoyeon”, drawing laughters from the audiences.

[News] Female idols' outfits cause controversy

A few weeks ago, we reported that there was an act to regulate girl groups' outfits and choreography on performances because they were too sexual. The biggest target was stomach-baring outfits and extremely short shorts. However, these regulations seem to not apply at at all to Girls' Generation or Lim Junghee. Girls' Generation sports both short shorts and belly shirts, while Lim Junghee wears short shorts during her performances.

This is different from other female idol groups such as Nine Muses or Rainbow. They have been told not to wear short shorts, so they have been wearing long pants for their performances. When reported that this was unfair, officials replied that the standards were "whether it feels sexual or not." In other words, Girls' Generation and Lim Junghee's outfit does not "feel sexual," and is therefore allowed.

Music Core's Kim Yoogon PD explained, "The song and the dance also have a big impact on how sexual the stage feels. Groups such as Nine Muses and Rainbow put more emphasis on the dance and the visuals of the stage itself more than the song, and so they have more revealing outfits and their dance is more sexual. However, Girls' Generations' Hoot does not have a sexual feel at all. Lim Junghee is a ballad singer and she barely dances on her stage. No one would call her stage sexual."

Girls' Generation's stylist Lee Eunah commented, "We tried to give them a 60's feel by dressing them in jumpsuits and giving them Marilyn Monroe and Audry Hepburn-esque hairstyles. Even though their pants may be short, I don't think it gives them a sexual feel at all."

What do you think about this double standard? Do you think this way of judging what idols are allowed to wear is too subjective? Some netizens are commenting this this rule is sexist, as male idols are allowed to do and wear anything they want to do on stage. What do you think?

[News] It’s 써니, not 싸니!

On KBS 2TV’s “Happy Together” which will be aired on November 11th, Sunny revealed some interesting stories while performing in Japan. Sunny said, “While performing on stage in Japan, I noticed some interesting messages on the placards held by the Japanese fans”.

According to Sunny, there were some mistakes made by the Japanese fans when they wrote the messages in Hangul. Some of these mistakes were:

- 결혼해줘 (Romanization: gyeolhonhaejwo/ Meaning: Let’s get married) which was written as 걸혼해줘 (Romanization: geolhonhaejwo)
- 사랑해 (Romanization: saranghae/ Meaning: I love you) which was written as 서랑해 (Romanization: seoranghae)

Sunny thought that it was really fun to see these spelling mistakes. She added, “Seeing my name “써니 (Sseoni)” being written as “싸니 (Ssani)” gave me a heartache”. Upon hearing Sunny’s explanation, the crowd burst into laughter.

[News] Waking up SNSD members is a challenge!

Recently, during the recording of KBS 2TV’s “Happy Together Season 3″, Seohyun made some shocking revelation about SNSD members’ sleeping habits.

Being the first to rise from bed every morning, Seohyun is also responsible for waking other members up. She revealed, “In order to wake Yuri up, I turn on the lights but Yuri would say ‘turn off the light’ and went back to sleep. Tiffany on the other hand, would keep on saying “I’m up, I’m up” but she never gets up from her bed”.

On Sooyoung, Seohyun said, “There was once when I entered Sooyoung’s room and said ‘Unnie, now it’s time to wake up’. Sooyoung then replied me, ‘Oh. I already know, take care of your problems first’. I was so hurt by her sleep talk.”

Upon hearing that, Sooyoung felt embarassed and tried to defend herself by saying, “I can’t remember I said that at all”. Her response brought laughter to everyone present. Be sure to catch this entertaining episode of “Happy Together” featuring Sunny, Taeyeon, Seohyun, Yuri and Sooyoung on November 11th at 11.15pm.

[News] A rare video clip of SNSD’s appearance in 2007 drama surfaces

A Video clip of SNSD’s appearance in a 2007 drama has garnered much attention recently.

SNSD made a surprise appearance on MBC’s weekend drama “Kimcheed Radish Cubes (Kkakduki)” in 2007, the period when the girls were having activities for their debut single “Into The New World”.

In the scene, Nam Munhee went to visit his grandson (in the drama) who is a PD and by chance, witnessed SNSD’s dance practice. She then joined the girls for the practice. The girls who just debuted then, were seen wearing white and yellow cheerleader outfit and stocking for their practice (in the drama). Their fresh, young image then were quite different from their more matured and charismatic image today.

Following the rare video clip, fans commented:

-”Into The New World” is an evergreen song. I really miss it”
-”SNSD’s look during their debut era is getting more and more attention these days”
-”Those are the days when SNSD became ‘folding screens’? The camera only caught their legs”

Here’s the rare clip: CLICK HERE