KARA’s parents might seek the help of KEPA to facilitate reunification

According to reports by the Union News, KARA’s Nicole, Seungyeon, and Jiyoung are currently discussing soliciting arbitration from the Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association (KEPA).

An industry representative, and also an associate of the three girls, ‘J‘, stated, “The parents of the three have expressed a desire to discuss matters with DSP Media. They’re also considering to request mediation from the KEPA.”

‘J’ has been making headlines as the close friend of Nicole’s mother, and for also allegedly being the figure behind the entertainment company that offered KARA new contracts under his own agency and to pay for their contract termination penalties.

‘J’, who expressed that he knew about the rumors, answered, “I was targeted to be the one offering contracts from behind, but that’s ridiculous. It’s true that I’m helping them, but it’s under a completely different understanding. I lived in the same apartment as Nicole in the U.S. and have been close with the members’ parents for a while. I listened to their concerns and gave advice from a third party perspective. I don’t even want to get into the rumor about me supposedly investing $4 million USD into an agency to take in KARA.”

He also revealed that he met with the parents yesterday and that he has been watching over the entire ordeal right alongside them. The problem is not money, he claimed, but a matter of broken trust and the problems that arose after the CEO’s wife took his place after his hospitalization.

‘J’ continued, “The remaining years left in each of the members’ contracts are different. If the original CEO was present, then we wouldn’t think twice about re-contracting under DSP, but DSP has blocked the girls from visiting the CEO in the hospital and withdrew information regarding his health. If they hadn’t done that, the girls would have at least stuck by their contract out of loyalty to the CEO. The company instead tried to hide things and never once showed proper balance statements and contract documents. DSP wanted to ‘make at least one more member return so that they can continue promotions with a new member addition’ and have been continuously attempting to meet with Seungyeon and Jiyoung’s parents in an attempt to persuade them with higher income distributions. They do not realize that this is an issue of broken trust.”

He added, “The three parents are not thinking at all about whether they’ll be returning to the company, or whether they’ll be looking for another company. They just believe that they want KARA as five. The parents will be negotiating with the company. Because of foolish speculations like ‘the parents are doing it for the money’, and further misunderstandings with the company, I, too, told them to negotiate.”

On the other hand, representatives of DSP Media revealed to TV Report on January 22nd, “We have evidence proving that ‘J’ tried to win over the parents of KARA and that he is one of the figures behind this controversy. It isn’t physical evidence, but we definitely have it.”

KARA’s Gyuri and T-ara’s Eunjung get swept up into outcast rumors

After reports of Gyuri being excluded from KARA’s contract terminations against DSP Media were made, fans began wondering why until she revealed in an interview that she had no knowledge of the terminations. Rumors of her being an ‘outcast’ from the group immediately began circulating after her statement.

Netizens brought up a segment from an Mnet program that once stated, “A female five member group, ‘E’, has bad relationships with one another. The remaining four members shun the leader.“ Using the segment as evidence, netizens speculated Gyuri to be the outcast leader.

One long-time associate of KARA spoke with Newsen regarding the matter and stated, “That is an absolutely absurd speculation that does not even deserve a response. Park Gyuri received absolute trust and faith from her team dongsengs, and the fact that she’s even rumored to be an outcast is absurd.”

He continued, “When KARA was going through a hard time, Gyuri stabilized the group and consoled the members. She’s a thoughtful child that takes care of her members well, to the point where the members used to call her ‘mom.’ Just thinking of Gyuri being a part of such a rumor is so comedic.”

Not only Gyuri, but Eunjung was once swept up in a similar rumor due to the sudden leader switch inT-ara from Eunjung to Boram, along with the addition of a seventh member.

In an interview with Newsen, Eunjung and Jiyeon commented, “We seriously don’t think there can be a group as close as we are. Whenever there are rumors about discord or outcasting, we just laugh it off amongst ourselves.”

Eunjung continued, “We heard that we’re the first idol group to change a leader without switching out members. None of us thought much of our leader change, and did it out of an effort to improve ourselves by using each others’ talents. Unlike what others think, it’s not an exchange of rights or influence. Some day, even maknae Jiyeon can become a leader.”

The outcast rumor regarding Eunjung resurfaced with recent developments on KARA’s controversy, leading Eunjung to write on her Twitter on January 22nd, “Outcast… what is that? Why won’t it stop? Hm.”

One industry representative commented, “The group’s leader receives the most attention, which frequently gets them swept up into outcast rumors. Celebrities can get hurt just as easily as anyone else, so we really need to eradicate such speculations.”

Lee Juno admires HyunA's legendary "Pelvic dance"

On MBC's 19th episode of the show - "Super Junior's Foresight," they had one of the legendary Korean dancers, popularly known as Lee Juno of Seo-Taiji and Boys as their guest.

With that, he showcased his never-dying talent in dancing and that left the MCs of the show including Super Junior's leader, Leeteuk in amazement. On the interview, he also caught Leeteuk's attention when he revealed that he admires 4Minute's main dancer, Kim HyunA.

Leeteuk actually asked the legendary dancer, "Among the idol dancers of this generation, who do you think dances well the most?"

He answered, "4Minute's Kim HyunA's solo song and dance is very catchy... She simply stands out whenever she performs it."

On the other hand, another guest of the show added, "HyunA looks so good when she wears short shorts!"causing laughter from everyone on the show.

Meanwhile, Juno joined Eunhyuk, Super Junior's Dance machine, completing an amazing dance performance stealing a lot of people's interest.

Nicole's mother's pasionate interview “In the name of Nicole, I swear!”

Nicole’s mother, Kim Shirley, spoke up for the first time about KARA’s issue.
Mrs. Kim has been thought to be the key person of this issue. On Jan 20, she even wrote on her twitter “There is no parents who would gamble with their child’s life because of money”
In the afternoon of January 21, we called Mrs. Kim and have gathered more information.

At first, she stated, “I have nothing to say. What we need to say has already been spoken through our lawyer.” She then attempted to hang up the phone but stopped when we asked about “the person who is standing behind with billions won” and immediately said “I will explain this. It’s completely not true.”

Since January 20, there has been a rumors circulating the showbiz about a person, owner of a company with a net worth of billions won, is standing behind the 3 members of KARA; and that person is Mr. J. There is also a rumor that he is a close friend of Nicole’s mom and that he has invited KARA to join his company with a billion won contract.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Kim seemed to be really tired about this issue, she only gave short answers with distant tone at first. But she immediately raised her voice after the question about the behind support. “Some of my friends are running a business; some are working at the hospital. Which one should I go to when I am sick? The one who work at the hospital, right? I have known that person in the entertainment industry for 19 years, of course I would go to him for suggestions when this kind of issues happens, right?” She said that the rumors are completely invalid and was really angry.

“The billion won support is really unreasonable. I want to move, but I have not been able to do so because of the lack of money. It just doesn’t make any sense”

(leave out repeated parts)

Then she added, “Before the press conference, I have requested not to make any surprising statement. Especially things related to DSP, we have to avoid it all and only focus on giving out the terms/conditions that we have discussed before.”

Finally, she ended with a statement “I will reveal more when I can talk more comfortably,” then hung up the phone.


Note: Mrs. Kim did not mention anything about swearing in the name of Nicole during the interview, the reporter just used that title to attract more viewers

T-ara’s Eunjung talks about “Dream High”, antis, and acting

There may be a lot of idol stars currently active as an actor, but there aren’t many who are acknowledged by the general public as a true actor. This is one of the greatest reasons why T-ara’sHam Eun Jung (23) has been the center of discussion amongst the general public as of late.

Eunjung is currently acting in the KBS drama “Dream High” as a character who feels the need to compete against her pretty, talented best friend Go Hye Mi (Bae Suzy), and thus slowly transforms from an innocent female high school student to an evil antagonist. Without Hye Mi knowing, she shows evil behavior such as going through her locker to deliberately rip her shoes or purposely dropping a flowerpot on Hye Mi. As a way to cover up her evil doings, she even lets out fake tears when confronted by Jin Gook (Taecyeon).

When Chosun Daily met with Eunjung at the drama set on January 19th, the actress said, “I was able to discover than even I have an evil mind deep within me. At first it didn’t suit me, but later people began to ask, ‘Are you sure that’s not your real personality?’. I’ve even read comments such as ‘I’m really disappointed in unnie’ and ‘I like everyone in T-ara except Eunjung.’ People have slowly started to create anti-cafes against me. It’s a strange feeling, because each and every fan is very important to me. I guess this is just proof that my acting as Yoon Baek Hee comes out that naturally. In order to protect the fans of ‘idol singer Ham Eun Jung’, I try my best to show my innocence and my well-behaved manner whenever I’m not acting with Go Hye Mi.”

To be precise, Ham Eun Jung is actually considered an actress turned idol. Eunjung kickstarted her acting career after winning the ‘Little Miss Korea Contest‘ in 1995 with appearances on the SBSdrama “Land” and the MBC drama “Best Theater”. “When I was 19, I was asked if I ever wanted to try singing. I always had interest in singing and dancing, but I worried a lot since I had never received professional training in those areas. I was also worried that I wouldn’t be able to act again.”

After three years, Eunjung finally debuted as a member of T-ara at age 22. Last year, she made a comeback into the acting industry as a main cast for the SBS drama ‘Coffee House’, for which she acted as a free and easy female in her early 20s named Kang Seung Yeon, who worried a lot about problems with job employment. “It was the first time I had read a script in a long time, so I was scared at the beginning. I didn’t know how to act and even cried on set… But I think I’ve gotten hold of it now.”

Excluding Eunjung, right from the start, the actors of “Dream High” were put on the chopping block for their poor acting skills, and the viewer ratings failed to live up to expectations. Under such gloom, what was the atmosphere at the film set like? She replied, “We discussed on how to improve ourselves as opposed to point out each others’ flaws. We’d give advice and praise, like ‘that face expression was good,’or ‘what do you think of this?’ It’s not a matter of winning or losing, everyone has to do well.”

She also complimented her fellow castmates, Wooyoung, IU, and Suzy by stating, “Other than me being a bit more used to film sets, I’m not better than them at all. The only advice I give is stuff like complimenting their script reading or mentioning how nice they look at a certain angle.”

In the third episode, Eunjung performs a remix of miss A’s “Bad Girl Good Girl.” When asked whether she felt bad about the producers choosing a miss A song over a T-ara song, she replied, “I think the director purposely chose it to keep up a sense of tension. I remember someone once said that I was ‘even stealing Suzy’s song now.’ I just consider it one of the joys of watching a drama.”

She added, “Bae Yong Joon senior is currently hospitalized, but he’d send me texts of support like ‘your gaze was strong today.’ Park Jin Young senior teaches me singing and dancing every opportunity he gets.”

Eunjung revealed that she enjoys watching dramas and movies, but for the purpose of her role, she avoids them now. She reasoned, “On days I watch movies, I immerse myself into the leading role. I’ll just watch them all at once after the filming for ‘Dream High’ ends. For now, I just want to immerse myself into the role of Baek Hee, so I don’t have much time to think of anything else”

She concluded, “Next time, I want to act as a lover in a sweet romantic comedy or a mellow genre. Just like in ‘Coffee House,’ and now in ‘Dream High,’ all I’ve been playing are roles that have crushes.”

KARA’s Nicole’s mother reveals her thoughts and addresses rumors

Nicole’s mother, Shirley Kim, expressed her thoughts on KARA’s contract terminations for the first time since the reports were announced.

She’s been targeted as the ringleader of the controversy, and even badmouthed DSP Media in a series of posts she wrote on her Twitter.

Through a phone call with TV Report on January 21st, Kim stated, “I have nothing to say. I’m speaking through my legal representatives.” She then attempted to hang up the phone until reporters mentioned rumors regarding ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars behind her back.’ Kim quickly replied,“That’s completely groundless, I’ll explain that immediately.”

Ever since the 20th, the entertainment industry was abuzz with rumors speculating the entertainment agency manager, ‘J,‘ the one that offered KARA better contracts, to be a close friend of Kim.

Kim began angrily shouting into the phone, “I have a friend that is in commerce and a friend that owns a hospital. If I’m sick, who will I go to? Obviously the friend with the hospital! The ‘J’ that works in the entertainment industry is my friend of 19 years. Isn’t it obvious that I’d go to him to discuss what’s been happening?”

At the mention of ‘J’ offering a new contract worth hundreds of thousands, Kim replied, “That rumor makes absolutely no sense. I want to move out right now, but I don’t have enough money, what are you talking about?”

When asked about the possibility of the three members returning to DSP, she replied, “Before the press conference, I told Hong not to mention what could turn into a controversy. I told him to exclude anything that could stimulate DSP, which is why the terms weren’t stated. Should a situation arise where I’m able to talk more comfortably, I will express everything then.”

Taiwanese girl group gets plagiarize Brown Eyed Girls, 2NE1 and T-ara?

Taiwanese pop stars are suspected in plagiarizing Korean artists.

A Taiwanese female group called XOXO released their song and music video recently for 'Mocha Java.' This sparked interest because the video if similar to Brown Eyed Girls' 'Abracadabra' and 2NE1's 'Can't Nobody' and has given off the impression of plagiarism.

Part of the song also was considered to be plagiarized because of it's reminiscence to Brown Eyed Girls' 'Abracadabra' and 'Sign' and 2NE1's 'Can't Nobody.' The plagiarism and choreography and overall concept was also very similar to Brown Eyed Girls.

Previously, Lotus Wang, also a Taiwanese Singer made a remake of T-ara's 'Bo Peep Bo Peep.' XOXO's song is also very, very similar to T-ara's hit track and has raised many mixed opinions from fans on the situation.

Park Gyuri-Eunjung, lonely girl group leaders being bullied?

With the recent news of the 5-member girl group KARA possibly dismantling, rumors of bullying in girl groups has became a hot topic.

On January 19th, four members of KARA had decided to terminate their contracts with their company DSP. Excluded from the lawsuit was the leader Park Gyuri. Netizens have assumed that Gyuri was an "outcast leader" being bullied by "natural leader" Seungyeon, but these claims have only resulted in being denied.

In addition, it was also talked about how T-ara's former leader possibly could be bullied. T-ara who released a new album late last year gained a new member, Ryu Hwayoung, and also changed leaders from Eunjung -> Boram.

Eunjung said in an interview with Newsen, ""We thought there really wasn't a group that are as close as we are, when these member controversies, bullying rumors started spreading around, we all just said 'Huh' and laughed about it."

Eunjung continued by saying, "It was the first time we heard of leaders being changed in an idol group from Korea. The leaders rotating through different members, including me, is just intended to get each other members' good points shown to fans and develop us. That's the only reason we will switch from leader to leader, so don't be concerned. It's even possible maknae Jiyeon could be leader," she said while dismissing the rumors.

Note: Excerpted/summed up most of the parts talking about KARA.

Interview in Landmark's press conference

Q: Right now, is it possible for the members to return back to the company?

It is possible. Like what I have said before, if the company can resolved all the issues that the members’ parents have mentioned, then having the three members returned back is totally possible.


Q: What is the reason for Hara to return back to the company?

According to what I know, it was because she wanted to emphasize that KARA must be a group of five and also because of teamwork.


Q: In profit distribution, is it true that there is only 1% of the total profit received? (did not specified the subject of the question – the whole group or each member)

This is something I cannot verify because I do not have the exact document.


Q: What is your thought about Nicole’s mom has emerged as the core of this issue?

Because an agreement could not be reached during the negotiation between the daughters and the management company, not only Nicole’s mother but also other members’ mothers are receiving legal supports from our company.


Q: What are examples for DSP’s lack of professionalism?

We will bring those up later. I personally can only say that letting things to reach this state is already a problem on their end.


Q: Did the 3 members agree to all of these ideas/statements?

Of course, they all confirmed those statements yesterday.


Q: For future activities in Japan such as filming for their drama, will they continue?

We are in the process of discussion.
If the issues that we have brought up and legal problems regarded the contract are resolved, everything may well continue as before.

4Minute released audio teaser for Why!

Check out 4Minute's audio preview for their latest japanese song Why here,love the song?

Victoria&Minho: what is the surprising ‘lunchbox express delivery strategy’ for 2pm

Victoria and Minho worked together to support 2pm’s comeback stage. As a fangirl of 2pm including her hubby Nichkhun, Victoria prepared lunchbox and brought it to the TV station to support her hubby Nichkhun’s I’ll be back comeback stage.

She said she wanted to make a special surprise event for her hubby, and as the commander, she invited Shinee members to cooperate with her. Shinee members gave her a lot of suggestions, and as khuntoria’s closest member in shinee, Minho brought up the idea of lunchbox of love delivery strategy, and became the leader of the event. And he showed his active work between Khun and Victoria.

Victoria and Minho’s lunchbox of love strategy will be aired on this week’s WGM 22/01/2011 5.10pm KST.

Preview of 4minute’s ‘Why’ revealed

Earlier in the week we reported the announcement of Korean girl group 4minute’s first release for 2011. The song is titled ‘WHY’ and is scheduled to be released on March 2nd. The song will also be the theme song to TV Asahi drama, “Akutou~Juuhanzai Sousahan.“

Recently, a preview of this track was uploaded to 4minute’s official Japanese website, check it out below.

Core Contents CEO wants the Kara members gone?

The recent Kara controversy has many people upset, not only the fans but also many people who work in the industry. Mr. Kim Kwang Soo, the CEO of Core Contents Media who produced many famous groups such as T-ara, Seeya, Jo Sungmo, and SG Wannabe, raised his voice of concern much higher than others; he wants Seungyeon, Nicole and Jiyoung out of the industry… permanently.

In a phone interview with Daily Sports, he stated, “I asked the Korean Entertainment Producers Association (KEPA) to take heavy measures against Kara. I believe that if the three members left the group to join another management company, then they should not be allowed to come back to music industry in the future. All 300 members of the association must stop the three members from breaking Kara up.”

He continued, “It must have taken a great deal of the company’s passion and love to get the group up to their current level, and it breaks my heart to see it all crumbled overnight. If the quality of management was the problem, then they should get back with the company and solve it through discussions. They could also ask KEPA to intervene. Simply leaving the group like they did doesn’t solve any problems, it just creates more.”

He finished by saying, “Many artists and producers that were seniors to them spent a lot of time and effort to create a market for Korean music in Japan. Kara made all those efforts by them turn into nothing by carelessly stopping their Japanese promotions. The members must have gone through a tough time, there is no doubt; but I still hope that they would first go back to the company and then solve the problem.”

Mr. Kim is a big name in Korean music industry, and seeing him speak out at this level shows that the management companies are quite upset, and at the same time, nervous about this fiasco. This must especially be the case as this is the second time that a major idol group has gone through something like this recently. Perhaps the CEOs want to set an example to other idol members who dream of such rebellion… but at the cost of DSP’s most valuable group.

Stay tuned to allkpop as the story develops.