Sep 26, 2013

My Lists: 11 Hallyu-related things to do in Seoul

BigBang for G-Market at the Chungmuro Station (I think)

I'm no expert on Seoul, nor on Hallyu. But I have been to Seoul, a grand total of two times. And I've watched a boatload of k-dramas, k-movies, and I listen to more k-pop than I'd like to admit. So, one can say I have some sort of credence to suggest Hallyu-related things to do when one should have the opportunity to visit the city.

Short of lining up to watch Music Bank and Inkigayo, these are some of my suggestions on what you can do in Seoul to discover everyday Korean culture with a Hallyu twist.

1. K-Pop Merchandise - You can spot k-pop stuff almost everywhere in Seoul. In Hongdae, Myeongdong, or Dongdaemun... You'll find things related to your oppa that you just have to purchase, whether it be his latest mini-album or a pair of socks with his face on it. It doesn't help your wallet either that almost everything in stores is endorsed by your favorite idol or actor.

BigBang socks, Psy socks, G-Dragon's One Of A Kind mini-album

2. Visit a coffee shop - There are hundreds of coffee shops around Seoul. And really, go ahead and choose any which one of them. But what makes Jass Cafe special is that it was featured on one of the dates of the Goguma Couple (CNBLUE's Yonghwa and SNSD's Seohyun) on their season of We Got Married. Jass Cafe has a quaint, artsy feel to it and they serve good sweet potato lattes. If you're not a fan of the show nor the couple, go ahead and choose any cafe operated by your favorite idols (i.e. Coffee Cojjee by JYJ's Jaejoong; Kona Beans by Super Junior's Leeteuk, Sungmin, and Kyuhyun; Mouse Rabbit Cafe by Super Junior's Yesung; etc.).

Inside Jass Cafe in Hongdae

3. Namsan Tower - Whichever way you decide to ascend the mountain, you're assured of a gorgeous view. You can take a bus, but the bus only goes so far and then you go the rest of the way on foot. Which isn't bad, especially for all those photo ops. But also, you can take the cable cars and pretend you're Geum Jan-di on your first date with Gu Jun-pyo. If you didn't get that Boys Over Flower reference, what are you doing on a Hallyu blog?

The view from N Seoul Tower

4. Coffee Prince Cafe - Here's another coffee shop on the list, which I refuse to merge with number 2. Coffee Prince is an institution on its own and it does not just have an idol related to it. An entire drama was centered on this coffee shop. And it starred Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye and Kim Jae-wook (in a small supporting role, but who cares?)! I've heard bad reviews about the place, but its had a change of management since and I found the experience to be enjoyable, albeit expensive.

The iconic wall at Coffee Prince

5. Gwanghwamun Square - Stand right in between the statues of Admiral Lee Soon-shin (as pictured below) and King Sejong and imagine you're Lee Min-ho in that sequence in City Hunter where his character Lee Yoon-sung first gets to Seoul - where he, for some reason, takes a cab from the Incheon airport and gets off in the center of the Square (how realistic). Directly to the right of the admiral's statue is the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts - if nothing else, Running Man shot one of their earlier episodes here with idols Jokwon (2AM), Ham Eun-jung (T-Ara), and Jung Yong-hwa (CNBLUE).

The statue of Admiral Lee Soon-shin in Gwanghwamun Square

6. Visit a palace - There are "Five Grand Palaces" in Seoul. Choose any of them and pretend you're in a sageuk. I've only been to the Gyeongbokgung Palace (because my second visit to Seoul took place in winter and it was too cold to be outdoors for so long), and it was gorgeous. Gyeongbokgung was considered the main palace in the Joseon dynasty, but the eastern Changdeokgung is usually considered more beautiful.

Hyangwonjeong Pavilion in Gyeongbokgung

7. Garosu-gil in Sinsadong - If only to get away from all the neon lights and pojangmachas that are almost everywhere in Seoul, head down to Gangnam and find the quaint little street called Garosu-gil in the Sinsadong area. Literally meaning tree-lined street, Garosu-gil is a short stretch of narrow road lined with gingko trees. It's popularity lies in its faux-Frenchness. Garosu-gil is filled with cafes, restaurants, and boutiques, and has been featured in many a dramas. Most recently, That Winter The Wind Blows. Also, ZE:A's Kwang-hee and Secret's Sun-hwa had a date here during their run on We Got Married.

Garosu-gil in winter

8. Myeongdong - I can't help it, the shopping addict in me just loves Myeongdong. Everything can be found here. Restaurants, coffee shops, souvenir stores, and shops upon shops. And this is also the reason why Myeongdong is always bustling with people, both locals and tourists. It's this huge grid lined up with all your favorite stores, both foreign and Korean. Are you looking for Forever21 and H&M? Go to Myeongdong. Looking for BSX, Etude House, or Spao? Go to Myeongdong. Cheap street food? Yep, Myeongdong. Also, it has been featured many times in your favorite dramas and variety shows. Recently, SHINee's Taemin and APink's Naeun held one of their dates here. So did the Adam couple, back in 2010.

Myeongdong is shopping heaven

9. Hongdae - My favorite part of Seoul is still Hongdae. The young and artsy vibe of the area is just the best thing. And a big plus is the fact that due to it being a student-infested area, food and shopping in Hongdae is very cheap. It's been featured widely in dramas, most notably in Mary Stayed Up All Night and A Gentleman's Dignity. More boho than the rest of Seoul, Hongdae is just right up my alley.

Murals in Hongdae by art majors from the nearby Hongik University

10. Visit a Hallyu exhibit - There's sure to be one somewhere. You can try Lotte World and find their Star Avenue. There are even miniature versions of this exhibit at Lotte Department Stores. You can also head down to the KTO (Korean Tourism Organization) office where they have a gallery dedicated to all things Hallyu.

Rain's handprint in Star Avenue

11. Watch TV - Stay at home and watch some Korean programming without the subtitles. Your oppas do it on their down time, you should try it too. You may not understand most of it, but it sure is interesting watching the shows with Korean commercials and everything. Try channel surfing and you'll find some of your favorite oldies but goodies on rerun on some cable channel.

YGE's CEO Yang Hyun-suk on K-Pop Star (SBS)

Can you suggest more things to do in Seoul for those of us who are Hallyu-obsessed? Share them with me in the comments.

Sep 20, 2013

The Heirs releases first teaser trailer


Upcoming trendy high school rom-com The Heirs is in full gear as it continues to make waves a month before its scheduled premiere.

Fast on the heels of the release of stills from the set and character posters, the drama has upped the hype by giving us its first teaser trailer. The trailer, which aired after the September 19th episode of Master's Sun, gives us a glimpse into what we can expect from the drama.

Not surprising, the trailer boasts of its ensemble cast - all of whom are gorgeous young stars - and it clearly shows us that each and everyone of these characters are "heirs," including Park Shin-hye and Kang Min-hyuk's characters. That is, if being "heir to poverty" and "heir to intelligence" - respectively - count (which they don't).

Much of the hype for this drama is brought about by its stellar cast (duh), most of whom are not just pretty faces but have actual acting abilities to back them up. While that's well and good, I'm sincerely hoping they have a fresh story to tell. If it's just straight up Candy meets chaebol prince, I will be sorely disappointed - especially when they have all that talent to work with.

The Heirs succeeds Master's Sun and premieres on October 9.

Sep 18, 2013

Character posters for The Heirs

It's a one-two punch from upcoming drama The Heirs as they've put up character profiles onto their website.

I'm ready to give up and sell my soul to this drama. Despite telling myself not to hype this up too much to myself, I can't help but be totally excited for this. I mean, it has Lee Min-ho and Kim Woo-bin and Kang Ha-neul. Can it get any better than that? (Yes, yes, it can. Throw is some Lee Jong-suk and Jung Il-woo and a whole lot of bromance and I can die happy.)

Annnyyyywaaayyyy. Here are the character posters from the drama's official website.

LEE MIN-HO as Kim Tan


PARK SHIN-HYE as Cha Eun-sang



KIM WOO-BIN as Choi Young-do


KRYSTAL as Lee Bo-na


CHOI JIN-HYUK as Kim Won


KANG MIN-HYUK as Yoon Chan-young


KANG HA-NEUL as Lee Hyo-shin


PARK HYUNG-SIK as Jo Myung-soo


IM JOO-EUN as Teacher Jeon Hyun-joo


KIM JI-WON as Rachel Yoo


JEON SOO-JIN as Kang Ye-sol


KIM SUNG-RYUNG as Han Ki-ae

More stills are released from the set of The Heirs

Dramaland is abuzz lately with a handful of October dramas releasing photo teasers from their sets. The Heirs is not one to be left behind as it has been creating buzz from several months back, way before actual production was underway. Casting news consistently called for attention as the drama boasts of an ensemble cast comprised of pretty and youthful talents. And now that production has actually begun, the hype just continues to rise as the drama releases more stills from its set, following the trail of photos already released last week.


Lee Min-ho (City Hunter) and Park Shin-hye (Flower Boy Next Door), this drama's main couple, were in LA recently to film the pairing's first meeting. Lee Min-ho's character is a young chaebol studying abroad, while Park Shin-hye's character is the average girl visiting family in the States. I sense chemistry between the two and it excites me (even if the better part of me is telling me not to get my hopes up).

The drama has also released a slew of photos of the other characters. We have Choi Jin-hyuk (Gu Family Book), who plays the older brother of Lee Min-ho's character. He's looking dapper in his expensive-looking suit, standing in the middle of an equally expensive-looking jewelry store. Krystal also co-stars as an heiress to an entertainment fortune, she is the female second lead.

Kang Min-hyuk (You've Fallen For Me) joins the cast as a friend to Park Shin-hye's character. This probably means he's also of the poor kind. Kim Ji-won (To The Beautiful You), like almost everyone else in this drama who isn't Park Shin-hye or Kang Min-hyuk, plays an heiress to a hotel business.

The Heirs is set to air on October 9 on SBS.



















Mi-rae's Choice releases first stills of Jung Yong-hwa

Upcoming drama Mi-rae's Choice just released the first stills of second lead Jung Yong-hwa on the drama's set.


The drama production is fully underway and the photos taken of Jung Yong-hwa were from the shoot they had last September 11 at the KBS radio studio in Yeouido, Seoul.  In the drama, Jung Yong-hwa plays an undercover boss (in the disguise of a VJ) for his grandfather's broadcast company.

The drama also stars Yoon Eun-hye and marks the return of Lee Dong-gun to the screen, his last project being the 2008 MBC drama When It's At Night.

Hopefully, with the release of these Jung Yong-hwa photos, we can expect stills of the lead pair to be released soon. Although, with Yoon Eun-hye's current hair... I don't know how to feel about possible couple photos.

Normally, I find Yoon Eun-hye gorgeous, no matter what she wears or what she does to her hair. But, alas, we've found her weak spot. Even though I’m told a makeover will change things, I still can’t find it in myself to enjoy these photos.


So here, have more of Jung Yong-hwa's pretty to counter the dreadful image of that animal that got run over by a steamroller and decided it needed Yoon Eun-hye's head as its final resting place.

Mi-rae's Choice is set replace current KBS Monday-Tuesday drama Good Doctor when it ends in October





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