Kpop Idols Facing The Challenging World of Military Service

For most countries across the world, military service is only an option, but for South Koreans it is mandatory. Many people may not fully understand its importance to their nation, but for Korean people they take it very seriously, because of the fact that they are still at war with North Koreans. When we say mandatory, there is no exception with the law, from a simple citizen of Korea to the brightest star today. Yes, you read it right; Kpop idols and actors have to serve as well or else they will be ignored by their society forever, that’s the law!

Korean men are required to serve for two years or less in the military depending on the conscription that they are in and the age range is from 18-35 years old only.

Army: 1 year and 10 months

Navy: 1 year and 10 months

Air Force: 2 years and 1 month

Hallyu stars are required to leave the limelight and say hello to the military world for a while, not because it is amended by the law but to fulfill their duty and responsibility as a citizen of their country. It’s really hard for them to step out of the stage to face a new challenging role in the real world. Yet, they choose to leave everything behind for the sake of their nation (from luxurious and branded dress to military uniforms and from a scrumptious meal to war food).

In line with this, let me give a list of some Korean drama series actors and singers that are currently enlisted in the military.

Kim Yong Jun

The SG wannabe joined the military last February 16, 2012 

Hyun Bin

He was enlisted in the military 5 months ago, March 7, 2012. Hyun is the star of the Korean TV series Secret Garden

Jay Kim

The leader and lead vocalist of “The Trax”, Jay joined the military last March 26, 2012

Dari (Dalmatian)

The Korean rapper, dari was enlisted in the army last April 25, 2012

Kim Hye Sung

A korean actor and model, Kim Hye Sung bids his fans farewell as he was enlisted in the army on June 14, 2011

Kim Jaewook

One of the stars of Mary Stayed Out All Night, Kim leave his career to serve the military last July 5, 2011 

Kim Nam Gil

From the popular TV series, Queen Seon Deok and My Name is Kim Sam Soon, Nam Gil decided to enter the military last July 15, 2012

Shin Dong Wook

Shin Dong Wook (Soulmate, Wish Upon a Star), was reported for duty last July 20, 2012 for his 2 year military service

Heechul

The Super Junior star, heechul was enlisted in the military last year, September 1, 2011 

Jung Taewoo

Jung was known to star in Korean historical dramas genre (Dae Jo Yeong and The King and I), and decided to enter the military last September 14, 2011

Kim Jun (T-Max)

The BOF star, Woo Bin or Kim Joon in real life was enlisted in the military last September 29, 2011 

Kim Kyung Rok (V.O.S)

V.O.S member Kyung Rok enlisted himself in the army last September 29, 2011 

Rain Bi

Multi-talented singer, actor, model Rain Bi entered the military last October 11, 2011 

Yunhak

The boy of Supernova is finally enlisted in the military on October 25, 2011 

Hwanhee

Singer and actor Hwanhee is officialy enlists with the military on October 27, 2011 

Park Yunhwa

T-Max’s Yunhwa was enlisted in the army last October 27, 2011 

Choi Hyun Joon

V.O.S’s Choi Hyun Joon have officially enlisted in the army on Novermber 18, 2010 

Go Joo Won

Joo Won entered two-year mandatory military service last November 18, 2011 

Kang Dong Won

Dong Won start his military duty as public service officer on November 18, 2010 

Jung Kyungho

Actor Kyungho joined the army on November 30, 2010

Outsider

Rapper outsider starts serving his mandatory military service last December 21, 2010 

Park Hyo Shin

Hyo Shin entered the military as an active duty soldier last December 21, 2010 

Just in case you missed them all, relive their unforgettable moments in their respective TV series, movie and listen to their songs all over again. You can download them all at www(dot)filebook(dot)com(dot)ph. 

Kpop News: Siwon and Donghae of Super Junior in the Philippines?

Aside from the Big Bang concert that obviously all Kpop addicts are waiting, another Hallyu stars will be coming in the Philippines for a visit. Guess who? They are one of the most in demand endorser, Korean drama series actor and of course members of the famous kpop group, Super Junior, none other than Siwon and Donghae. This is in line with the promotional activities of these two stars for the (SiHae in Manila) visit and to honor their endorsement contract with the well known brand clothing here in the country. Fans will be having a chance to meet them personally at the Trinoma Activity Center this coming Wednesday, August 15, 2012. I'm sure this will be another jam-packed event that will make a buzz across the Philippines. 

Aside from the said endorsement, Siwon and Donghae are now busy shooting their own Korean tv series and promoting Super Junior’s newly released 6^th album, entitled “Sexy, Free and Single”.

To download their group’s latest single, go here.  

The First Filebook Online Ad, Finally!

To all filebook followers, here is our first ever online advertisment. Watch it now!

Download movie, Korean drama series, kpop songs, e-book, games, tv series and many more only at Filebook, "The first digital content platform in the Philippines. 

Kpop Concerts in the Philippines: From Previous To Latest

Filipino Kpop addicts are very excited to the much awaiting concert of Big Bang that will happen later this year (October) entitled “Alive World Tour 2012” to be hold at SM Mall of Asia Arena.  I’m pretty sure that this will be another jam pack concert here in the Philippines.

But before this mind blowing event that is bound to hit every Filipinos, let me refresh your mind with the top Kpop concert in the Philippines (groups and individuals).

2010

FTI Island (March 6, 2010)

FTI Island set their step foot in the Philippines concert stage at the PICC Plenary Hall.

Super Junior (April 10, 2010)

One of the biggest concerts ever staged in the Philippines, Super Show 2: Super Junior Live in Manila. It was held in Araneta Coliseum, the first Korean boy group performed at the Big Dome.

Intensity feat. Rain and U-Kiss  (September 11, 2010)

The concert was held at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. Over 20,000 plus (estimated) Rain and U-kiss fans attended the said show.

2011

2NE1 (June 4, 2011)

The fiercest foursome in Kpop world 2NE1 set the stage on fire last year with their first major concert in the Philippines entitled “The Party” 2NE1 Live in Manila staged at the Araneta Coliseum.

2012

ZE:A Philippine Promo Tour (January 11-14, 2012)

ZE:A or simply Children of Empire held their series of mall shows in Trinoma, Glorietta, and Market! Market!  

Jay Park (May 4-6, 2012)

Jay Park did some series of mini concert here in the Philippines early this year entitled “Jay Park Live”. The said mini concert was held in three different places here (Eastwood Mall, Piazza, and Lucky Chinatown).

U-kiss (June 14, 2012)

U-Kiss first major show in Manila entitled “1^ST Kiss Tour in Manila” was held at Araneta Coliseum. This Is the second Kpop group to held a show at the Big Dome.

Upcoming:

Shinee (2012)

According to some news, one of the hottest Kpop group today, Shinee will be having their concert in our country this year (this is not confirm yet).

In case I missed out some groups/names in the lists, fell free to leave a comment below. I will update it as soon as I can. J

Download the latest kpop songs and Korean drama series of your favorite Kpop stars only at:

www.filebook.com.ph.

The Kpop Invasion: Why Filipinos Are Fond of Kpop?

There is no doubt, Kpop fever is all over the Philippines. With its consistent sales of Kpop albums and concert tickets, Filipinos is definitely invaded by Korean culture.   

From young to young-at heart, every Filipino was hooked by Korean drama series and the heart pumping beat of K-pop music and they are proud of it.

But, some people are still puzzled and condemning this phenomenal genre. They will always ask question such as “How can you love something you don’t even comprehend?” or “Aren’t they weird?” or something like that.

But the real question here is, why most Filipinos love k-pop even they can’t understand it? For a simple answer, they love it because it sounds good, because Korean TV series captured their hearts. In addition to that, here are some reasons, Filipinos have clinched this culture.

Entertainment in its Finest!

Entertainment means to entertain and this is what Korean pop genre is doing. They are presenting a new horizon of entertainment themes enclosed in their dramas and music to the public. It made a great impact not only in the Philippine market but also overseas (top spot on iTunes and Billboard charts).  

We have similar customs and traditions.

We are not only neighbors with South Korea, we also have customs and traditions resemblance. We have high appreciation and respect to our elders, and so they are. We use “po” and “opo” to show respect to those people who are superior/older to us, while Korean’s use “sunbae” and “nim”, which is the counterpart of it. Come to think of this, if we can appreciate Western entertainment, isn’t it easier for us to adapt to Korean entertainment as well?

We deal with the same feelings.

Korean drama series and songs always deal with feelings (love, pain, hurt, hope, and change). As a human being, we easily embraced their genre because we can relate to it, a lot. We are very positive in every way and we always want to see a series or hear a music that will make us thrill or bring “kilig” to us and we are a sucker for a happy ending, it is not suprising that many Filipinos patronize kpop even we can’t understand any single word from it. Thanks to the power of the internet, we can easily figure out what the lyrics mean (English and even Filipino translations are all over the internet).

To watch your favorite kpop song or series, download it for free at www.filebook.com.ph.

Proud To Be Pinoy! Maui Taylor Star In A Korean Movie “The Taste Of Money”

After being gone in the limelight, Maui Taylor is finally back! But this time, she gets a chance to star in one of the highly anticipated movie in Korea, “The Taste of Money”.

Since her last Filipino film entitled “Torotot”, this is taylor’s first taste of an international movie scene. She portray the role of Eva, a Filipina nanny whose sexual relations with her old employer in Korea make everyone’s life miserable.  

She landed the role because the director of the said movie, Im Sang-son, saw Maui’s performance in her 2004 movie “Huling Birhen sa Lupa”. The director gave her the role, instantly. Her experience with her recent movies definitely fits the requirements of the character that they are looking for.

About the Movie:

The film revolves around the life of a wealthy family and follows the story Joo Young-Jak (Kim Kang-Woo), the secretary of the family whose life become fed-up when he intertwined with the problems and complex personalities within the family.

The head of the family is President Yoon (Baek Yoon-Sik) who is having a secret unlawful relationship with the Filipino nanny named Eva (Maui Taylor). Because of this, Baek’s wife Baek Geum-Ok (Yoon Yeo-Jeong) is having a desire to Joo which is more willing to give in to her yearning.  Young-Jak’s life becomes more complex when he meets their daughter Nami (Kim Hyo-Jin) and eventually falls for the girl because she’s very different to her parents.

All in all, expect nothing but gripping tension in this erotic suspense drama movie; another masterpiece of one of the best director in Korea and not to mention that our beloved Maui Taylor is included in this film. Go Maui! We are so proud of you. J

Want to watch Maui Taylor in this movie? You can download it now for free, only at www.filebook.com.ph.

All is set for the popular ‘Hana Kimi’ (To The Beautiful You) the Korean Drama Series Version!

From the script writer of “High Kick”, Lee Young Chul and the director who brought us the popular “Boys Over Flowers”, Jun Ki Sang, comes this adaptation of the popular manga “Hanazakari no Kimitachi e”.

SM Entertainment will be the one to produce the Korean drama series entitled “To the Beautiful You” with the final castings proclaimed, as to SHINee’s Minho (Choi Minho) and f(x)’s Sulli (Choi Seol-ri) to play the lead roles.

Original Version

Taiwanese Version

Japanese Version

Korean Version

Choi Minho, is a member of the popular Kpop group SHINee and the one that raps in the group. He was discovered by S.M. Casting System in 2006 and debuted with SHINee.

Choi Minho

Sulli is a member of the K-pop girl group “f(x)”. Sulli debuted as an actress appearing on movies like “Punch Lady” (2007) and TV series like “Oh! My Lady” (2010) before singing and joining in the group.

Sulli

The romantic comedy series is about a girl, Koo Jae-Hee (Sulli) who disguises as a boy to enter an all-boys school and be with the man that she loves, Kang Tae-Joon (Minho). She then meets the man of her dream, coincidentally becoming her roommate. But not long, things will get complicated as her disguise is slowly revealed. What will happen next? 

But before this newest korean drama hit our Philippine television, browse and download from thousands of tv series and movies only at www.filebook.com.ph.