Kim Jo Kwang Su, one of Korea’s few openly gay film directors, will be holding Korea’s first gay marriage with his husband-to-be Kim Seung Hwan on September 7th. The director claims that he chose to announce his marriage to the public in hopes that homosexuals will soon be granted legal marriage rights. The two will be wedded with a ceremony, but the marriage will not be recognized legally in Korea.
The director’s fiance, Kim Seung Hwan commented, “I was able to stand here after receiving permission and support from my family, relatives and friends. My family was against my appearing before the public in person, and that′s why our wedding announcement was so delayed. They were worried about the slander that could come from some conservative groups; they weren′t against the marriage itself.” He then added that he wasn’t at all embarrassed of the relationship and the marriage to come.
Kim Jo Kwang Su claims that he is going to be inviting Moon Jae in (presidential candidate), Ban Ki Moon (UN Secretary General), and President Park Geun Hye. Kim states that by inviting people who hold leading positions in Korea, he hopes that they all can help in the advancement for the rights of the homosexual minority.
Kim Jo Kwang Su and Kim Seung Hwan are both very proud of their bold step towards equality. The director commented “Homosexuals should be given the same rights as heterosexuals. We’re going to work hard to legalize gay marriage in Korea.”
What’s better than one Hyori? Two Hyori’s.
There’s only one Kpop queen in my heart – and her name is Hyori Lee. With the recent release of “Miss Korea,” you can understand how excited I am for her comeback (it’s since 2010!) to the music scene. As usual, she’s looking gorgeous as ever as a pinup beauty queen. I wonder what her next album will pack in store.
Check out the video below!
You can also check out more goodies related to Hyori’s comeback below!
Over the last two weeks, the photos of the Miss Korea 2013 contestants had gone viral around the web, causing a stir with debates over plastic surgery and standards of beauty (“One Dream, One Face”), among some issues. However, more photos emerged on the web – and this time, the revealed photos of the contestants sans makeup. Of course, disappointment ensued from Korean netizens, with commentary ranging from polite to downright insulting. Upon closer glance, when you compare the before and after photos side-by-side, it seems like the after photos are result of photoshop and not a result of plastic surgery (although it could all be arguable).
Plastic surgery or not, I feel that the Miss Korea 2013 campaign still promotes a problematic standard of beauty: that there is only one standard for us to follow. Check the photos below the cut. What do you think, Audrey readers?
G-Dragon’s release for his highly-anticipated video for “Michi Go” is here! The video well matched the high energy of the hip-pop tune – complete with wild styling in terms of fashion and and hair (oh all those hairstyles GD!) and special appearances from fellow YG mates Taeyang, Se7en, and Teddy. Even comedian Ahn Yeong Mi has a quick cameo as well!
Check the video below!
We live in a society which pressures its women to look beautiful. We are surrounded with images of women who set unrealistic standards of beauty and make us question every inch of our body. Its strange then to think that we may actually have it easy compared to women elsewhere. Where can the pressure to be beautiful possibly be worse? How about a country that produces flawless celebrities- Korea.
In South Korea, the need to be beautiful is alarming. With the popularity of Kpop becoming national, the pressure to be attractive has people dishing out thousands of dollars to do so. People strive to be as beautiful as their favorite celebrity and turning to surgery has become normal. In fact, many students even receive surgery as a highschool graduation gift. When asked, students say that just about everyone gets at least one surgery done and celebrities get tons of procedures to look the way that they do. Has Kpop set the standards for beauty too high? Has it become a necessity and a normality to go under the knife? Watch The Kpop Effect- South Korea below and let us know what you think.
We’re giving you a thumbs up for your abs too.
Our latest S.H.A.G. (SMOKING HOT ASIAN GUY!) is none other than South Korean heartthrob, Song Seung-heon. Song Seung-heon is returning to kdrama-land with the MBC meloadrama When a Man Loves on April 3rd! While we don’t know how much of his abs will appear in this upcoming drama, we can give you this picture for now to hold you over. Click on for more pictures of him in action …..as a mob boss?
Happy Friday! We are allowed to cheat and GIVE YOU TWO DAILY SHAG POSTS (click here for the other one). We’re giving you double-dose of Smoking Hot Asian Guy (SHAG) this week with Daniel Henney. Let us the count the ways how much we love this video – click on!
Eem Byung-hak and Kim Naun of Goonam performs at the SF Music Matters Asia showcase at Broadway Studios in San Francisco on March 8 (photo credit: Karen Datangel).
Many indie musicians have already gathered at the world-famous SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, but before heading to the Lone Star State, some of these artists and a few others took their show to the City by the Bay for two nights of unforgettable music mayhem. From sentimental soul and slinky blues to pulsating electronic beats and fist-pumping dance-rock, the East met the West in a duo of shows, delivering something special for every music lover.
As a special preview to the newly branded CAAMFest (Formerly the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival), the inaugural San Francisco Music Matters Asia showcase brought together some of the hottest musical acts from Korea, China, and Taiwan at Broadway Studios on March 7 and 8. This Bay Area stop served as an extension of Music Matters, Asia’s yearly premier music event in Singapore. Partnered with local music promoters from the bands’ countries (DFSB Collective of Korea, Maybe Mars of China, and The Wall of Taiwan), SF Music Matters Asia was not only a rare opportunity for fans to see so many critically-acclaimed Asian artists together, but opened doors for these artists to share their music with a wider international audience.
The Huntresses’ Kang Ye Won, Ha Ji Won, and Ga In (of Brown Eyed Girls).
This is the kind of genre that Ha Ji Won is meant to do: she’s undoubtedly one of South Korea’s best female action stars. I’ve always enjoyed her in comedies more (there’s something about her that shines through in comedic type roles). In the first teaser trailer for The Huntresses, she plays the leader to a trio of bounty hunters, set in the Joeson Era. Kang Ye Won (El Condor Pasa) plays the housewife who’d rather use her kitchen knives for fighting off bad guys and Son Ga In (of Kpop girl group Brown Eyed Girls) plays the youngest member, the best fighter of the the three. The movie comes out in May, but hope this teaser trailer will hold you until then!
A happy early birthday present to Girls’ Generation leader, Taeyeon from her fans.
How do you celebrate your love for your favorite idol member? Jewelry, flowers, chocolate? In Asia, it’s well known that the fan culture is a bit on the extreme side. So when you’re celebrating a popular leader’s upcoming 25th birthday – you’ve got to go out with a big bang. An image surfaced on an online community forum which featured a billboard of Taeyeon on a public bus in Seoul. The billboard was a congratulatory message (“Congratulations on Taeyeon′s 25th birthday. 20130309. We congratulated Taeyeon′s 25th spring. Happy Taeyone Day.”) for Taeyeon’s upcoming birthday (it’s on March 9th), which was bought by fans.
