Girls' Generation Attends Press Conference for "2011-2012 Visit Korea Year"

On the 19th of August, Girls’ Generation was officially appointed as the new ambassadors of the “2010-2012 Visit Korea Year” at the Crystal Ballroom at Lotte Hotel. At the press conference, they were presented with a token of appreciation from the Visit Korea Year Committee, and they will be working alongside Bae YongJoon, Kim Yuna and the cartoon character, Pororo to further promote the attractions of South Korea.

When asked how they felt about being appointed as the new ambassadors, Girls’ Generation said, “We are incredibly honored to be appointed as the new ambassadors of this campaign, and we will use this opportunity to spread the Korean culture overseas. Also, since the Hallyu Wave is centered on K-Pop, we feel that as singers, we should do our part in helping to promote Korea.” They went on to say that, “While promoting overseas, we realized that fans were singing along to our Korean songs and that a lot of them were also learning the Korean language. Because of that, we realized just how important our image is.”

A representative of the committee mentioned, “Recently, K-Pop has been spreading all over the world. We hope that by appointing Girls’ Generation, the stars leading the Hallyu Wave, as our ambassadors, Korea’s tourism will improve and more people will know about our culture.”

Watch the clip below for a short footage from the press conference!

Girls' Generation Visits Korean Presidential Residence

Updated with news clip

Hallyu icon Girls' Generation visited Cheongwadae (or The Blue House, which is the official residence of the President of South Korea) on the August 19, after being appointed as ambassadors for "Visit Korea Year".

Girls' Generation's nine members and Shin Dongbin, the chairperson of "Visit Korea Year", met with the First Lady, Kim Yoonok. They talked about the Hallyu wave that has been happening all over the world. After shaking hands with the members, First Lady Kim expressed her delight by saying, "You all look prettier in person than on TV," and took a commemorative photo.

Kim Yoonok commented, "I don't know if it's because I saw you all on TV often, but you seem familiar. I'm very thankful for you working so hard to inform the world about Korea." She also requested, "Please inform the world about Korean foods as well."

Sooyoung stated, "I recently saw the First Lady reading a book to children with visual impairments." To this, First Lady Kim replied, "I do volunteer work, reading to children in multicultural families where the mother does not speak Korean, once a month. There is an inadequate supply of Braille books in our country."

When word of Girls' Generation visiting Cheongwadae got out, workers were looking forward to getting their autographs or photos with them. However, their car took them straight to the main building, therefore the meeting with the workers could not happen. Girls' Generation spent approximately 20 minutes at Cheongwadae before quickly leaving for Japan.



Updated: News clip of Girls' Generation meeting the Korean First Lady

SNSD "Gee and Oh!" Music Video Achieve Major Milestones

Two major milestones were reached for Girls' Generation's music videos, as the "Gee" MV surpassed 50 million views on the official SM Entertainment YouTube page, and the "Oh!" MV surpassed 40 million views.

With "Gee" being the girls' breakout hit in 2009 and "Oh!" being the title track of the album that helped Girls' Generation win the Golden Disk Daesang in 2010, it's no surprise that the two music videos have become such big hits online. "Gee" and "Oh!" are the two most watched MVs on the official SM Entertainment YouTube page, and the girls have three of the top four most watched videos on that channel, with "Run Devil Run" coming in at number four with over 27 million views.

Girls' Generation's First Photobook for Iphone is released

Good news SONES! Finally the Girls’ Generation’s first Photobook iPhone version is released.

The application is fully packed with gorgeous photos of the nine girls in Toyko. This iPhone version is the first Korean idol group's smart device application. It is co-produced by SM Entertainment and InCube Technologies.

It includes slide show of the Girls’ Generation hot music, the marvelous drawing feature, calendar and puzzles you can fully enjoy.

"Girls’ Generation Photobook" is now available in countries; United States, China, Taiwan and Korea. Search for "소녀시대" or "Girls' Generation" in iTunes. Available in both iPad & iPhone.

SNSD heads to Japan for ‘K-POP All Star Live in Niigata’

On August 19th, the members of SNSD left for Japan through Incheon International Airport to attend the ‘K-POP All Star Live in Niigata‘ concert.

Held in celebration of MBC’s 50th anniversary, ‘K-POP All Star Live in Niigata’ will be the first ever large-scale Hallyu concert to be held in the provincial city of Niigata, Japan.

Hallyu concerts are usually only ever held in larger cities like Tokyo and Osaka, so many Japanese fans are reported to be quite excited for it.

This concert includes a total of 12 K-Pop artists like SNSD, KARA, 2PM, B2ST, CNBLUE, SECRET, 2AM, and SISTAR, as well as special collaboration stages between Jung Yonghwa and Seohyun, KARA and INFINITE, and 2PM and 2AM.

SNSD feels honored to be appointed as ambassadors for ‘Visit Korea Year’

On August 19th, the members of SNSD were formally appointed as honorary ambassadors for the ‘2010-2012 Visit Korea Year‘ at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul.

The girls were acknowledged by the Visit Korea Year Committee for their efforts in globalizing K-Pop and the Hallyu wave, and will now be working alongside other ambassadors like Bae Yong Joon,Kim Yuna, and animation character ‘Pororo‘ to further promote the charms of Korea.

With a bright smile, the girls stated, “As singers representing Korea, it’s an extreme honor to be named as honorary ambassadors of ‘Visit Korea Year’. Now is the time of utmost importance for artists, as the new Hallyu boom is centered around K-Pop. We will take this opportunity to actively promote Korea to foreigners all over the world.”

When asked about how they felt, they replied, “It’s an honor to be the face of Korea for three years. As the passion for K-Pop grows stronger as ever, we will do our absolute best.”

They continued, “While promoting overseas, we noticed that fans were singing along to our Korean songs. A lot were also learning Korean on their own, and we were able to realize just how important SNSD’s image is.”

Representatives of the committee added, “Recently, K-Pop has been growing all over the world. By naming SNSD, the leading artists of the Hallyu wave, as our ambassadors, we’re anticipating the effects they’ll bring to Korea’s tourism through their promotions.”

SNSD also visited the Blue House and was given a tour by the First Lady, Kim Yoon Ok.

SNSD’s Yuri poses like a diva for ‘Cosmopolitan’

SNSD’s Yuri showcased her breathtaking beauty in a recent photoshoot for ‘Cosmopolitan‘ magazine.

The photoshoot was inspired by the glamorous image of world-famous soprano Maria Callas.

Yuri gave an elegant, yet confident interpretation to Maria Callas’ look by donning a dramatic see-through couture dress. She also portrayed an aggressive style by wearing a white tuxedo with a slash of red lipstick. Yuri’s scowl at the camera immediately throws away her typical girlish image, and she’s being applauded for her versatility.

This glamorous pictorial can be found in the September issue of ‘Cosmopolitan’.