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Lee Young-Ae to Study for Doctorate 

Standing behind the counter in front of photographers and entertainment journalists, Kwon whipped up brews for fans and media with the un-ironic "Konglish" slogan "Taste Coffee, Tea, and Him" proudly emblazoned behind the walls of his new joint.

"I didn't want to just lend my name to this shop, so my friends and I have been planning the opening of this coffee house since two, three years ago," the 33-year-old actor said.

"I'm more nervous now than I was during my debut years and I hope this coffee shop becomes a place where both my Korean and Japanese fans can come to enjoy each other's company in a comfortable, cozy environment."

The name "Tea-us" is a homonym of "Mr. Tears," the nickname fans around Asia gave him after his role in the 2003 SBS television series "Stairway to Heaven."

The tear-jerker won over the hearts of countless Japanese housewives, who had been looking for the next "Yonsama" to pine for. So it was appropriate that the actor chose Myeong-dong, Seoul's unofficial "Japan Town," to open his new business venture and capitalize on the massive tourist traffic.

Kwon has been the subject of controversy in recent months by having a son out of wedlock with actress Son Tae-young. Pre-marriage pregnancy is still a taboo in Korea and their private life has come under scrutiny from the Korean media.

Piling on more controversy to his career were his comments of his desire to emigrate to another country as he "has had enough with life in Korea," in response to the media gossip about his life.

(source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/05/19/200905190071.asp)

Ryu Si-won to Lure in Foreign Visitors

 

Ryu Si-won (Secret, Truth, Forever Yours, Sunlight Upon Me), an actor well-known for his romantic roles and good looks, this week began working with the Korea Tourism Organization to attract foreign travelers to Korea.

Ryu, 37, a popular actor, singer and MC since the late-1990s, has recently been gaining recognition in Japan and other Asian countries after starring in the hit SBS drama "Beautiful Days" in 2001. Ryu has also released a number of records in Japan since 2004.

The KTO said that Ryu will be working with the organization with an aim of bringing in 12,000 additional foreign visitors this year by co-hosting a number of special events and tours. Ryu has been an honorary ambassador for Korea's tourism for three consecutive years.

"Ryu has great influence in Japan, and one of Korea's top hallyu stars by not only simply showing Korea to the fans but also bringing them to come visit here," the KTO said.

Last month, Ryu's Single Collection Album hit No. 2 upon its release date of April 22 on Japan's Oricon Top 10 Daily Album Charts. Each year, more than 3,000 of Ryu's Japanese fans attend his birthday party on Oct. 6, the KTO said.

The organization and Ryu's agency R's Company will be working on six different projects that will eventually see approximately 20 billion won ($16 million) in profits.

They include tours around his hometown in Andong, Gyeongsang Province, a food tour related to the show "Mat vs. Mat" that he used to MC for, as well as coming to see a super model competition he will be hosting this summer.

Ryu is also well-known for being a professional car racer, bringing his international fans here to the watch the games in Taebaek, Gangwon Province.

"The KTO has always been working together with various hallyu-related projects with hallyu stars, but this is the first year-based contract and we have great hopes (to see a good outcome)," said KTO president Oh Jee-chul.

Ryu said, "I thank all the fans who come as far as Korea to see me. More and more fans who first came here just to meet their stars are discovering the hidden gems of Korea and hence show greater interest in other travel destinations." 

 (source: http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/05/14/200905140059.asp)

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Veteran Actress Yeo Woon-kye Passes Away

   

Veteran actress Yeo Woon-kye (Dae Jang Geum, The King & I) passed away on May 22 after battling cancer. She had initially been diagnosed with cancer of the kidneys in 2007, and had seemed to make a full recovery. However, it was not long ago that she found out that the disease had traveled to her lungs.

Yeo was 69 years old and enjoyed a career spanning 47 years; she had been seen in numerous dramas and films over the years — if you’ve been watching dramas for a while, chances are you’ve seen her more than a few times (she was my favorite cranky granny and a great comic as well as dramatic actress).

Yeo Woon-kye began acting in the late 1950s as a university student, although her bona fide debut came when she joined a theater company following graduation in 1962. She had said in an interview of her early days, “My family strongly opposed my becoming an actor, so I had to give it up and decided to go to school to go into teaching, but even after waiting, there was no space available at school. So that’s how I started acting. It was like fate.”

Some of her more recent roles came in dramas like Dae Jang Geum in 2003, My Name Is Kim Sam-soon in 2005, Bad Family in 2006, and Golden Age of the Daughter-in-Law in 2007.
She is survived by her husband, Cha Sang-hoon (72), a former university professor, and two children (one son, one daughter).   

 (source: http://www.koreantopnews.com/story.php?title=veteran-actress-yeo-woon-kye-passes-away)

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Vietnamese-French Movie Stars Lee Byung-hun

Three top actors from Korea, Japan, and the United States joined forces to promote their new film in Japan. Lee Byung-hun (Happy Together), Takuya Kimura and Josh Hartnett were on hand in Tokyo on Wednesday for the world premiere of “I Come with the Rain.”

The movie was written and directed by the Vietnamese-French filmmaker Tran Anh Hung. It tells the story of a former Los Angeles cop searching throughout Asia for the son of a Chinese billionaire.

Hollywood star Hartnett plays Kline, the police officer. Lee, who recently received good reviews for his role in last year’s “The Good, the Bad and the Weird,” is Su Dongpo, a Hong Kong gangster. Japan’s Kimura, the main man in the Japanese hit drama “Mr. Brain,” appears as Shitao, the missing son. The movie opens in Japan on June 6.

(source: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2905430)

Jung Hye-young Gives Birth to Son

 

Jung Hye-young (Phoenix, Lawyers, 90 Days of Love) gave birth to her third child, a boy, on June 14 at 9:32 AM. Both the mother and baby are doing very well. The new baby boy, weighing in at 5.5 lbs, is named Ha-yool. He joins his older siblings He-eum and Ha-rang. 

(source: http://media.daum.net/entertain/view.html?cateid=100029&newsid=20090615071304169&p=newsen&RIGHT_ENT=R5)

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Love Letter 

Starring Soo Ae
 

Demonstrating remarkable acting in Love Letter, lead actress Soo Ae was awarded Best New Actress at MBC's 2003 Acting Awards. Starring new Korean stars Jo Hyun-Jae, Soo Ae, and K-drama veteran actor Ji Jin-Hee (MBC's Dae Jang Geum), the romantic TV-series Love Letter offers intriguing plot twists and good acting backed with melancholic scores. (See details) 

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