KARA’s Jiyoung and Supernova’s Sung Je to release “Merry Love” duet in Japan

Despite complications between the three members of KARA and their agency (DSP Media), it was recently announced that maknae Kang Ji Young will be releasing her duet track with Supernova’s Sung Je in Japan.

Last December, the two came together to produce a duet titled, “Merry Love“, which was a heartwarming Christmas track about a couple’s love for one another. The duo will be releasing “Merry Love” on various Japanese music sites on March 23rd.

The official ringtone for this track will also be available for purchase on March 16th, prior to the track release. The CD will carry an exciting bonus in the form of a DVD containing the song’s music video.

CNBLUE to reveal comeback teaser on February 23rd

Although we reported that CNBlue would be delaying their comeback for a bit, it seems like BOICES have a reason to celebrate again, as the group posted a new update on their official page.

Instead of dropping their new album on February 23rd as promised, the boys will unveil an official teaser through their site. Meanwhile, CNBLUE’s new album will be released on the 28th.

Check back with allkpop on the 23rd for updates!

Goo Hye Sun to direct her second feature film, “Peach Tree”

Actress Goo Hye Sun has decided to pick up her director’s megaphone again, as she’s currently working on her second film, “Peach Tree“!

Nam Sang Mi and Ryu Duk Hwan have been cast as the leading roles in this special feature film. One film representative confirmed, “Goo Hye Sun is holding hands with Nam Sang Mi once more for her second film, alongside Ryu Duk Hwan for the leadig male role.”

Goo Hye Sun made her formal debut as a director through her movie “Magic” last year; nearly a year later, she’s returned to her director’s seat in order to tell the tale of Siamese twins. Ryu Duk Hwan will be playing one of the Siamese twins, and he’ll be competing against his brother for Nam Sang Mi’s affections.

Meanwhile, Goo Hye Sun is filming for two dramas – “The Musical” (with Choi Daniel) and for the Taiwanese drama, “Absolute Boyfriend.” She’s been taking time out of her busy schedule to prepare for her upcoming movie, in addition to working as the official trailer director for the “13th International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul“.

Whew! Goo Hye Sun is certainly living up to her reputation as the ‘multi-talented actress’.

DSP Media releases official statement regarding KARA’s lawsuit

After being hit with a lawsuit yesterday by KARA’s Seungyeon, Nicole, and Jiyoung, DSP Media released an official statement about their position on February 14th.

Through a press report, the agency stated,

“Because we were not delivered the accusation yet, we will speak with a lawyer once it is delivered and take the appropriate action then. Aside from thelawsuit, we will do our absolute best to ensure that KARA’s future activities are fulfilled.

Their claims of flawed income distribution is a huge distortion. All of the payments made by DSP Media were done according to their contracts, and this will be further confirmed through the process of thelawsuit.

The legal process has begun, and we hope that the three KARA members will refrain from making one-sided claims that are unconfirmed. DSP Media will also be refraining from making any statements outside of the legal discussion, like we have done thus far. We will be prioritizing KARA’s future, no matter thelawsuit. DSP Media will make sure that this controversy is resolved in an amicable matter.

Before the three members of KARA filed the lawsuit, we have made repeated attempts to resolve the situation. While we were looking forward to discussions and for misunderstandings to be resolved, thelawsuit has taken us by surprise.”

SBS to air hour-long Big Bang comeback special

After confirming their official comeback plans yesterday, Big Bang will now be meeting with their fans through an hour-long SBS special called “Big Bang Comeback Show” on February 27th!

This is the first time a singer has being given a full hour to promote their comeback on a public broadcast network since the legendary Seo Taiji.

Given the rarity of such an opportunity, it seems that SBS deemed Big Bang as worthy of the time because of the history they’ve built up both in Korea and overseas.

SBS representatives have put a gag order on the directors in order to keep Big Bang’s newest songs under wraps until the special airs.

KARA’s Nicole, Seungyeon, & Jiyoung formally file a lawsuit against DSP Media

The contract termination dispute between KARA’s Seungyeon, Nicole, and Jiyoung against DSP Media has escalated into a legal battle.

On February 14th, representatives of the three members filed a lawsuit against DSP Media, asking the Seoul Central District Court to confirm that their three exclusive contracts were invalid. They also claimed that their incomes were not distributed fairly.

Through their head representative, the three members of KARA stated, “Without prior compromise, the agency deducted promotional fees from our income without our consent, which is classified under embezzlement. From January through June of 2010, we brought in $410,000 USD in income, while the promotional expenses amounted to $390,000 USD. The expenses are abnormally excessive.”

They continued, “Even when ‘Lupin‘ was at its highest point in popularity, DSP Media only paid $860 USD per member for a total of six months. The $140 USD that we were paid a month is unfair compared to the income that we brought in.”

Landmark previously sent notice to DSP Media regarding the termination of the three contracts on January 19th. Although the members resumed their scheduled activities, the two parties were not able to come to an agreement during their repeated attempts at reconciliation over the course of 25 days.

The dispute’s escalation into a legal battle has caught both fans and industry representatives off guard, and many are speculating about what this could mean for KARA as a unit of five.

A representative of DSP Media spoke through Sports Today and stated, “We’re shocked. We met several times, but it is true that the dispute went back to first base with each discussion. But because of their ‘URAKARA‘ filming in Japan, we agreed to speak with their parents upon their return. Now that we found out that they filed a lawsuit, we’re just shocked. First of all, we will be having a meeting within our company first before releasing further statements.”

The representative also told Star News, “Their head representative claimed that the girls only received $860 USD per member for six months of their ‘Lupin’ promotions, but that is truly ridiculous. We deducted six months worth of their entire promotional expenses from the profits made off of their album sales. Thus, we did not deduct anything from their promotions in other areas such as CFs. Unlike what the three are claiming, we paid them a larger sum, but they’re claiming as if we’ve embezzled.

Wonder Girls celebrate their fourth anniversary on live videochat!

On February 10, 2007, a five member group debuted under the title Wonder Girls, snagging the hearts of the Korean public. Three years, five smash hits and over fifty official Korean music awards later, the girls have found themselves betwixt two critical markets: while a hit-laden career has launched them into becoming household name throughout Asia, they have also become fixated with reaching similar heights of fame in America.

In 2007, the ladies swept Korea by storm with their highly addictive track, Tell Me, which, with its catchy yet simple dance and addictive tune, arguably revolutionized kpop choreography for good. Later on, the quintet continued its widespread success with So Hot, earning titles as ‘Korea’s Little Sisters,’ then dominated Asia with the Nobody craze. Although the hype has died down in Korea since the track’s release, Nobody is still gaining attention internationally and is commonly played on the streets of many Asian countries today. While gearing up for their official American debut in 2010, the Wonder Girls also released 2 Different Tears, which, with only a few weeks of minimal promotions in Korea, won the Girls awards on music shows and charts.

Since arriving in the United States, the Girls have opened for the Jonas Brothers, Justin Bieber, Earth, Wind & Fire, cracked the Billboard charts twice, and have mix and mingled with America’s elite as guests to NYC Fashion Week and other prominent events. They’ve worked with Perez Hilton, appeared on the Wendy Williams Show and performed on So You Think You Can Dance. They have top-notch producers molding their official debut album set to drop later this year. Even in America, they get recognized and stopped on the streets for photos and autographs.

Yet the Girls have seemingly decided to stay close to their humble roots, opting for modest lifestyles in New York. Today marks the group’s fourth anniversary, and the Girls celebrated with a live video webchat with their fans from the JYPE office this morning. During this chat, Twitter fans showed their support as the term ‘4WonderYears‘ hit the Trending Topics list.

In true Wonder Girls fashion, the five foodaholics began by talking excitedly about dining around the city for Restaurant Week and baking special chocolates that morning in the spirit of Valentine’s Day. They also opened an anniversary gift from groups of Wonderfuls in New York and Korea. While reading one of the Korean fan letters, leader Sunye had to pause as she teared up.

The members reminisced about their Wonder Girls World Tour last summer, citing Chicago (Sunye), Hawaii (Lim), Washington DC (Yoobin), New York (Sohee) and Toronto (Yeeun) as their favorites. They also chatted about the JYP US Tour and performing in China over Halloween. The Girls then revealed information about future performances, talking about their upcoming stage in Thailand and hinting at possible performances in Australia, Europe and Japan later this year.

The Wonder Girls also spent time answering questions and requests from their fans. At one point, they sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in Chinese to one fan, and Sunye sang Maybe (from the Dream High OST) live to fans. They shared their favorite numbers, favorite iPad apps, favorite types of chocolate, favorite movies, Lim’s entrance & adjustment into the group, and thoughts on living New York. ”It’s so good to walk on the streets here,” Sunye exclaimed and reminded, “Walking is really good for your health.”