Shinhwa Spotted Filming for “Running Man”

News came out a couple of days ago that the longest running idol group in K-Pop history, Shinhwa, will be appearing on the popular SBS variety show “Running Man,” and now with a photo confirming it, the anticipation is higher than ever.

The distant picture floating around on online communities shows the members of Shinhwa lined up along with the members of “Running Man” along the shoreline on a hot day, dressed in team uniforms. It looks like the format is “Running Man” vs. Shinhwa, and with the well-known energy and variety skills of the boy(?) group, fans of both the group and the show can anticipate an exciting episode full of shenanigans, laughs, and fierce competition.
This episode is set to air August 25. Who’s excited???

SOOMPI

SM Entertainment’s Next Group to Follow INFINITE

INFINITE was just the beginning.
 
There have been rumors of SM Entertainment merging with other companies to follow their merger with INFINITE's agency Woollim Entertainment. Those other companies might be small agencies that have top singers, but everything is still up in the air. However, because in its merger with Woollim SM Entertainment made an official announcement of its new Woollim label, there has been talk that it will inevitably announce other new labels as well.
SM ensured that they would try to maintain the characteristic of the label they are merging with. If anything, that's the core of the merger itself. There is determination to keep the color of the new label, so as to expand the music diversity in the company instead of creating one big music style. And so they decided to keep some of the existing workforce, bringing about 20 staff members from Woollim to SM.

A SM C&C rep said, "Although it is considered a merger in terms of marketing, we plan to keep everything else the same, in terms of workforce and business strategies."
More than INFINITE, fans are curious to see how Nell will do in SM. As a large idol group agency, it is expected that SM will take an active role in INFINITE's marketing and collaboration, but there's no saying how SM and Nell will be working together. Nell and INFINITE, as well as other Woollim artists will be participating in SM Town's next World Tour.
Regarding its new Woollim Label, SM Entertainment said, "Just as Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and other global major music companies nurture a diversity of artists with different personalities, we plan to become a major music company that represents Asia, and that's why we announced a new label in our company."

kpopstarz

Song Joong Ki Shows Tears at Last Fan Meeting before Heading to Army



Song Joong Ki Shows Tears at Last Fan Meeting before Heading to Army

Actor Song Joong Ki held his last fan meeting before heading off to the army on August 27.
Over a 1,000 fans showed up from many different parts of the world including China, Japan, France and others. 
The fan meeting was held this past weekend in Seoul. 


Jo In Sung also made a surprise appearance at the event and the two showed off their friendship.
At the end of the meeting, Song Joong Ki read a letter he wrote to his fans and showed tears.
Song Joong Ki also shook hands with all the fans at the event as well and showed his gratitude.



kpopstarz

YGE reveals potential members of new group in 'WIN' preview

YG Entertainment has revealed the potential members of its upcoming boy group in a preview for 'WIN' ('Who Is Next?')

Team A and B will duel it out to win the survival program that will determine one of the next biggest names in K-pop. As mentioned previously, team A has an average age of 20, and includes familiar faces like Kang Seung Yoon as well as 'K-Pop Star's Lee Seung Hoon and 3 others for a total of 5 members. Team B has an average age of 17 and includes members like B.I, who was the child rapper featured in MC Mong's "Indian Boy", 'K-Pop Star' contestant Goo Jun Hwae, and 4 others for a total of 6 members.

Viewers will cast their votes to determine the final winner of the show between the two teams, and the winning team will debut right away with the name of 'Winner'. The debut of the losing team will be postponed indefinitely once again.

The 10-episode survival program 'WIN' will air through Mnet and tvN starting on the 23rd at 10PM KST.


allkpop

Yang Hyun Suk explains the delay for the Girls' Generation type girl group he planned to debut

YG Entertainment's Yang Hyun Suk recently spoke up about the delay for the girl group he had planned to debut.

He attended the premiere showcase for Mnet's 'WHO IS NEXT:WIN' where he explained the reasoning behind the delay. "In all honesty, I wanted to create a group like Girls' Generation. It's not an area where I'm an expert in but I wanted to create a group of pretty girls who could sing well. I don't know if it's because of a tendency I have, but I focus more on talent over looks. Even if someone is so beautiful, if they don't have the talent that I want, it won't work."

He continued, "I was also quite jealous of Girls' Generation. I thought...what if a bunch of pretty girls do hip hop? When I look at Wonder Girls I always thought it would be fun if they sang YG style songs. However, as time passed, my plans started to fall apart. I originally chose the girls because they had cute faces, but since they fell short on the talent I had required, it went from dozens of girls to only 6 left. Even at this point, I still don't think I can be 100% satisfied. I'm not sure if the group will consist of 5 members or 3."

Yang Hyun Suk also said that he may debut a boy group first, "I'm going to think more carefully about the girl group. I'm thinking of debuting a boy group first. If it's a girl group, it will be this year. At the latest, I plan on introducing them in the beginning of next year."

Meanwhile, 'WIN' is a survival program about 11 YG trainees who have been trainees for several years. The trainees will be divided into two teams--Team A and Team B. The winning team who will acquire the title 'WINNER' will then debut as a group.


allkpop

'Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education' to air on Japanese TV, could it be the Changmin effect?

Within just 4 months since it first aired, KBS 2TV's top-rated variety show 'Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education' will air on Japanese television!


Only the most popular Korea variety shows that have been running for a year or more, such as 'Running Man', 'We Got Married', and 'K-Pop Star', get picked up by Japanese broadcasters for syndication, but 'Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education' defied odds by being picked up early on. Many are guessing that it's probably due to the overseas popularity of TVXQ's Changmin.

A broadcast insider stated, "Ever since the early stage of 'Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education', various Japanese broadcast stations have been sending their offers. Recently, satellite TV's 'DigiKore' offered a hefty price, signing the deal to export the show. It seems MC TVXQ's Changmin had an effect on this deal."

Fans in Japan will be able to enjoy 24-episodes of 'Our Neighborhood Arts and Physical Education' on their small screen soon.
allkpop