SNSD Sooyoung’s sister, Soojin, reveals her costume from “Winter Sonata” musical

SNSD Sooyoung‘s sister, Soojin, has revealed her costume for her upcoming musical, “Winter Sonata“.

Soojin plays ‘Yoojin’, the main female character in the drama, who meets her first love in high school. Soojin’s photos are of her high school costume, and the nostalgia of wearing a uniform brought out a variety of fun expressions for the camera.

Soojin is already reputed to be one of the most beautiful and skilled musical actresses in Korea, and her reputation received another positive notch, as it’s being reported that she’s practicing an average of 12 hours a day .

The actress stated, “There’s a good anxiety and nervousness before the first show. I’m practicing every day and working with other actors without getting tired…That’s how awesome the musical is, it’s also easy to relate to. I’m only waiting for the day I can be able to show the musical to the audience as “Winter Sonata”‘s Yoojin“.

Netizens commented, “The superior sisters! Soojin is so beautiful~”, “The schoolgirl outfit looks good on her”, and “I can’t wait to see this play.”

SNSD, Super Junior, INFINITE & more to perform at ‘Shouting Together Concert’

Top Korean artists will be coming together for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics ‘Shouting Together Concert’. The concert is scheduled to take place on October 8th at the Alpensia Ski Jump Main Stadium.

The artist line up includes SNSD, Super Junior, INFINITE, Baek Ji Young, Code-V, Boohwal, Baek Cheong Gang, Kim Gun Mo, N-Train, and DoodRock.

This event is another concert celebration commemorating Korea’s success in securing the bid as the host nation for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

In addition to regular tickets starting from around 29,900 Korean Won (about $25 USD) and VIP seats, there will also be free tickets available through the sponsors of the event.

Popularity of Hallyu wave increases sales and exports of Korea’s creative content

Thanks to the popularity of the Hallyu wave, the contents production industry has seen a sharp increase in sales and exports this year.

On September 22nd, the Ministry of Culture and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) released an overview for the second half of 2011 and found that the total sales made by the entire contents industry amounted to around $27.5 billion USD, a 15.6% (or around $4 billion USD) increase compared to last year’s record.

Exports have also seen a 27.2% increase compared to last year, recording a total of around $2 billion USD. Such results were seen across the board, as business profits increased by 18.2%, broadcasting by 95.9%, and advertising by 104.3%.

Broadcasting saw an especially sharp increase due to the popularity of dramas like ‘Daemul‘, ‘Giant‘, and ‘Secret Garden‘. Many popular Hallyu dramas were exported, adding to the total sales. The first half of 2011 saw a 379.3% increase in sales.

International sales for SBS Content Hubs came out on top, totaling around $38.2 million USD. The ministry stated, “With the widespread popularity of the new Hallyu wave, the exportation of Korean contents has been on the rise. We hope to continue this momentum by increasing our efforts in creating high quality products.”

Shim JaeWon teased about SNSD's comeback

Shim JaeWon who was a member of Black Beat and currently a choreographer in SM Entertainment tweeted about SNSD’s comeback.

On September 23rd at around 1am KST, through his personal Twitter account, Shim JaeWon tweeted, “The kids wanted to send this message. Coming Soon! Let’s go! Sosi! Let’s go!”, accompanied by photos.

In one of the photos,the girls raised their arms with various hand gestures. Using their fingers, the girls made signs such as ‘peace (v)’, ‘love (heart)’ and ‘good (thumbs up)’. Although various hand gestures were shown, their faces were not revealed.

Girls' Generation Live Tour in Taiwan Highlights

Recently, Girls' Generation had their Live Tour concert in Taiwan. On September 23rd, SM Entertainment released a highlight video of the concert on its official youtube channel.

Watch the video below:

SNSD begins their comeback countdown!

On September 23rd, DJ/choreographer Shim Jaewon shared an update about SNSD‘s comeback next month!

He tweeted, “The kids told me to deliver this to you. Coming Soon! Let’s go! Soshi! Let’s go!”

In the accompanying picture, SNSD’s arms can be seen thrown high to the sky with victory, peace, and heart signs. Their slender arms stand out against the interesting ceiling, and fans were excited to see some physical proof of the girls’ return.

Netizens commented, “Are we finally counting down to SNSD’s comeback?”, “Looking forward to what they’ll be showing us this time”, and “Please update us with more news!”

‘Love Rain’ holds its first script-reading with SNSD’s YoonA and Jang Geun Suk

PD Yoon Suk Ho, who’s famous for his melodramas like ‘Autumn Tale‘ and ‘Winter Sonata‘, is reuniting with writer Oh Soo Yun for the new drama, ‘Love Rain‘. The drama boasts a formidable cast comprised of Jang Geun Suk, SNSD‘s YoonA, Son Eun Seo, Hwang Bora, and Seo In Guk.

‘Love Rain’ recently held its first script-reading session with the cast, PD, and writer. PD Yoon Suk Ho led the meeting with careful and detailed suggestions on the acting. Jang Geuk Suk and Yoon prepared for their parts thoroughly, and the atmosphere in the meeting seemed no different from the actual filming environment.

The story portrays both the pure emotional love story from the ’70s, as well as the more modern type of love. PD Yoon Suk Ho reflected, “Many of the actors and actresses in this drama may not have experienced the style of romance felt in the ’70s.” He mused, “Looking back on my memories, it was an enjoyable time; that nostalgia is reflected in this production.”

Jang Geun Suk will play a double role as a father and son, ‘Seo In Ha‘ and ‘Seo Jun‘. Commenting on his roles, he stated, “When I first saw the script, I cried a lot. I feel an ambition to express the two characters’ emotions, in addition to the emotions I feel and the sincere message I want to say through ‘Love Rain’.”

Jokingly, he continued, “I usually covers roles that portray energetic personalities, but trying to do something more calm and steady ,it feels uneasy.“.

YoonA will play two roles as well; she’s accepted the part of ‘Kim Yoon Hee‘, a shy beauty from the ’70s arc of the show, as well as ‘Yuri‘, a cheerful girl from the present time. YoonA explained “The burden is big, as I have to act as two characters who have contradictory personalities. But by being together with the PD, writer, and the other actors and actresses, I have a strong heart. One by one, I’ll do everything possible.”

After the script-reading ended, the actors and actresses ate dinner together and became even closer. Filming is scheduled to begin in September and the drama will air in early 2012.