Beast unleashes in Yokohama Arena during Japanese leg of world tour

More than 23,000 Japanese fans flocked to see boy band Beast perform on Thursday and Friday at Yokohama Arena in Japan.

The boy band kicked off the Japanese leg of its "Beautiful Show" world tour there, with each concert lasting two hours.

The band performed an assortment of its hit songs including "Shock", "Fiction" and " Beautiful " to a crowd that chose to stay standing and sing along during the entire show.

Member Son Dong-woon sang his rendition of the song "Hitomio Tojite" by the popular Japanese singer Ken Hirai, much to the delight of the audience.

Beast's agency said that the band's popularity and the Japanese fans' reception at concerts have changed over the years - in a good way.

"Japanese fans are a lot more enthusiastic at concerts than they used to be", a representative from the agency said. The concert marks the band's first national tour since its debut in Japan early last year.

Source : koreajoongangdaily.jo... ( English Korean )

Lee Joon-ki thanks Japanese fans at meeting in Yokohama

Lee Joon-ki, having wrapped up his tour of Japan, discussed his gratitude toward Japanese fans at a "hi-touch" event on Thursday.

The event was held to commemorate the launch of his new single "Deucer", which was released on March 16 and became the No. 1 song on the Oricon daily singles chart.

Lee took part in a series of four fan meetings at Osanbashi Hall in Yokohama and greeted more than 10,000 fans.

"Thank you for your continuous support over the last two years despite the fact that I was away in the Army. Because of your love and support, I was able to successfully wrap up my tour", Lee said.

The Korean actor and singer said that he had dreamt of meeting and greeting his fans while serving in the Army and that it was "a dream come true to be able to do that at last".

With regard to his single's top ranking on the Oricon chart, Lee said he only had his fans to thank.

By Carla Sunwoo

Source : koreajoongangdaily.jo... ( English Korean )

Lee Seung-gi: 'My Debut Single Ranks Atop Oricon Chart Thanks to You'

Singer and actor Lee Seung-gi held a fan meeting entitled "Lee Seung-gi Japan Debut Premier" twice at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Tokyo on March 21 with the fans who had purchased his Japanese debut single "Alone In Love". Lee Seung-gi said to his fans who attended the event, "I came here right after I finished filming the drama until 5 am in the morning". He also revealed his feelings about his debut single "Alone In Love", which was released in March 6 and ranked atop the Oricon daily chart, saying, "It was all thanks to you. I had concerns about whether this album could achieve success or not in Japan, but you have encouraged me and supported me. It was you who made my album rank atop the chart. Thank you. I will continue to do my best".

In addition, Lee Seung-gi explained his appearance in the new MBC drama entitled "The King 2 Hearts", saying, "It is a black comedy drama that emphasizes humanity while treating sensitive issues in pleasant and cheerful ways". He unveiled the video of the film set and actress Ha Ji-won's encouraging message, which created excitement in the hall. Lee said, "I have been exhausted from a tight filming schedule, but I could completely be recharged by looking at you". Then he sang some songs: his Japanese debut song "Alone In Love", "We Are Friends", and "Smile Boy" to music played by a band, and the venue was filled with an enthusiastic response.

Lee Seung-gi, who will hold his first solo live concert at Budokan on June 1 only three months after his debut, said, "I am very glad that I can perform at such a good concert hall thanks to you. Please come and enjoy the concert together". He also promised his fans that he will concentrate more on holding activities in Japan after he finishes the drama and his first concert in Budokan. Lee Seung-gi's first best-of album entitled "Lee Seung-gi - The Best" will be released in both Japan and Korea on April 18, and the Japanese version of his fifth album "Tonight", which was released in Korea last year in October, will be released in Japan on the same day.

Source : english.kbs.co.kr/Ent... ( English Korean )

T-ara Covered With 100 Million Won Travel Insurance

It takes a lot to support a female idol group. Especially when traveling.

Reps of the popular group"T-ara" shared how much the girls were insured for to prepare for a trip around the world. Apparently, the company invested about 100 million won (about $88,400) in travel insurance. The girls will be traveling through Italy, Austria, and Switzerland for a 9 day trip.

Along with the group, will be another 7-membered newbie idol group, director Cha Eun-taek, photographer Jo Sae-hyun, and about 20 other staff members. They will be creating a on-the-road movie throughout the experience.

The newbie group, which also includes actresses Hwang Ji-hyeon, Lee Hae-in, Choi Soo-eun, and supermodel Kim Hye-ji-I as members, will be debuting in May.

Source : english.kbs.co.kr/Ent... ( English Korean )

Jay Park's new album sells 80,000 copies

Singer Jay Park has sold 80,000 copies of his new album "New Breed" since its release on Feb. 10, rocketing the artist to No. 1 on the Hanteo Chart, which tracks offline or physical music sales.

The record is an achievement for the former idol band singer as he took part in producing all of the songs contained on the album. Park also wrote the music and lyrics to more than 80 percent of the songs. In addition, the album had some help from music industry heavyweights such as music producer Rob Know, who produced Justin Timberlake's albums as well as the K-pop act Dynamic Duo.

The album has also been well received overseas, having ranked highly on iTunes and Billboard's World Album chart.

Currently Park is busy promoting the title track from the album, "Know Your Name".

By Carla Sunwoo [carlasunwoo@joongang.co.kr]

Source : koreajoongangdaily.jo... ( English Korean )