2014년 5월 22일 목요일

Samsung as only Korean brand that made it into the top 100 global brands lists 2014.


On the May 21st, 2014, marketing research group Millward Brown announced this year’s list of “100 Best Global Brands.”
Improving its rank by 1 over last year, Samsung has been ranked the 29th Best Global Brand.
Samsung was the only Korean brand that made it into the top 100 global brands lists this year.

Samsung’s brand value is worth a total of 25.9 billion, according to Millward Brown, which was a 21% improvement from last year.

Samsung challenged Apple with its Galaxy smartphones. Operating on the Android platform, the phones have a larger screen than the iPhone and other features that Samsung successfully promotes. The company preempted Apple with the launch of wearable technology, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch that coordinates with Samsung phones and tablets.

Chinese firms were among the biggest gainers in the 2014 ranking, with internet and game giant Tencent moving up to 14th place, leaving behind Facebook, Disney and Samsung.

The market research group noted that the top 10 in the ranking consisted exclusively of US companies, including IBM in third position, followed by Microsoft, McDonald's and Coca-Cola.

For the first time in three years, Google topped Apple from the top spot in a ranking gauging the brand value of the world's biggest companies.

2014년 5월 20일 화요일

Korean actress Bae Doo Na finally admitted her relationship with actor Jim Sturgess.


After months of speculation about the real score between them, actress Bae Doo Na finally admitted her relationship with English actor Jim Sturgess.

Bae doo na revealed that Jim Sturgess is not just friend like her former manager said and confirmed their relationship when met with reporters in the pavilion youngjinwi at Cannes on 20th.

Jim Sturgess was seen accompanying Bae doo na to the official screening of her movie 'A Girl At My Door' at the Theatre Debussy in Cannes as a part of the 'Cannes Film Festival' on previous day as well.

The sweethearts are always together, even in public but Bae and Jim Sturgess never said anything until they appeared in Cannes film Festival on 20th.


2014년 5월 19일 월요일

Korean food, including kimchi can solve the obesity problem in America?

actress Lee Young-ae(left), professor Seo Kyung-duk(right)

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University, also known as an expert in promoting South Korea, revealed his plan to help solve the obesity of children in the United States with Korean foods at the first Korean culture street festival in Harlem, New York on 17th.


Last month, Michelle Obama has made an appearance in an ad promoting kimchi that was published in the New York Times.
The U.S. first lady, known for her efforts to promote healthy eating among Americans, made headlines in Korea in February after tweeting about the fermented cabbage dish.
“Last week, we picked Napa cabbage in the garden. Now, we’re using it to make kimchi in the kitchen,” she posted along with a photo of kimchi jars.

Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University took full advantage of that moment in the newspaper advertisement.
“The first lady has been helping America make healthy and delicious choices for years,” the ad continued. “So it’s no wonder she recognized the powers of kimchi.” This is Seo’s second advertisement in the New York Times.
In February, Hallyu actress Lee Young-ae appeared in the paper to promote bibimbap.



Regarding Mrs. Michelle Obama recently making an vigorous campaign to combat obesity for American children, Seo said that "Korean food, including kimchi are healthy food and i'm making several plans to make White House to pay more attention to Korean food as one of obesity solvers" at the Korean culture street festival in Harlem, New York which which was sponsored by professor Seo himself and actress Lee Young-ae.

Meanwhile, professor Seo is also making "Korean food art book" which can make it easier to cook Korean traditional foods at home in the United States for the globalization of Korean food.



Park Shin-Hye shares New york vacation pictures on her agency's twitter


Park Shin-Hye shared her pictures of her vacation in New York, through S.A.L.T Entertainment's twitter on 16th..

In the pictures, she layered chic black jacket and check patterned shirt, and wore simple and sophisticated clutch and cute sun glasses, which made her look like she just came out from her fashion commercial.
Especially the green and silver clutch of trendy mood, made by metallic material, is the new product of Bruno Magli, with minimal design.

Meanwhile, Park Shin-Hye is preparing the world tour fan meeting and shooting the movie ‘Sangeuiwon’.



3 Female Korean Singers released new albums this week after long delay due to sewol ferry disaster


IU,Jeon Hyo Sung from Secret and G.NA have delayed their releases amid national grief over the ferry sinking off the southern coast on April 16, which killed 286 passengers and left 18 people still missing.

IU released her remake album 'Flower Bookmark' which includes 7 songs which she selected herself on May 16, her birthday.
The album’s title “Flower Bookmark” brings up the romantic nostalgic image of shaking off the dust of an old book and finding faded flower petal and four-leaf clover bookmarks carefully pressed inside.


Jeon Hyo Sung and G.NA came back with new albums on the same day.
On May 12th, Jeon Hyo Sung's first solo album, 'TOP SECRET' and G.NA's new single, 'G.NA's Secret', were released at noon.
Jeon Hyo Sung's 'Good-night Kiss' and G.NA's 'G.NA's Secret' are going through against competitions against each other.
Jeon Hyo Sung and G.NA each got ranked #16 and #18 on Melon Chart, 10th(Good-night Kiss) and 13th on Mnet, and 2nd(G.NA's Secret) and 3rd(Good-night Kiss) on Bugs.
However, 'G.NA's Secret' debuted #1 on Monkey3 Chart, and it seems that the competition will get even more unpredictable during next few days.

On May 17th,Jeon Hyo Sung appeared on MBC 'Show! Music Central', and made her first solo debut performance.
During her performance, Jeon Hyo Sung performed her first solo title track, 'Good Night Kiss', and another song called 'I Hate Night'.



2014년 5월 16일 금요일

Korean bakery chain rivals Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours battle it out in China with “You who came from the stars" marketing.


Recently two biggest bakery chain brands in Korea, Paris Baguette and Tous les Jours are expanding fast and have been successful when entering overseas markets especially in China and other part of asia.

Paris Baguette is the top baking brand of Korea’s oldest food company, SPC Group.
The company currently has over 1500 stores throughout South Korea, the United States ( Los Angeles, New York), China (Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin).
Paris Baguette is a big name in China where the company operates 125 stores, the first of which opened in 2004.
Also Paris Baguette recently appointed Jeon Ji-hyun, the lead actress of mega hit drama  “You who came from the Star,” as the brand’s ambassador who has been appeared in TV and print advertisements from April 5.

The move comes after rival Tous Les Jours’ hit an unexpected jackpot in China where sales almost doubled over the past weeks thanks to the soaring popularity of its commercial model Kim Soo-hyun, the drama’s other star.

“In China, Paris Baguette used to be more widely known among customers due to its wide network of some 125 stores. But now customers are lining up in front of Tous Les Jours stores to get the leaflets with Kim Soo-hyun’s photos,” said an industry source.
Tous Les Jours with only 45 stores in China is focusing on its premium strategy.


But with Jeon Ji-Hyun, Paris Baguette seems to be have been given a good chance to reverse the trend, hinting at another round of competition between the two Korean rivals in the crucial Chinese bakery market.

In China, the demand for high-end caf and bakeries are surging along with the nation’s income levels, but China is a distinctive market where even renowned French bakeries like Paul and Fauchon have withdrawn business after failing to satisfy the local tastes, according to the company.

In the meantime, the two Korean brands, taking advantage of the emerging K-drama sensation in the country, started entering the market in the mid 2000s by developing bakery items specialized for the Chinese tastes.
Coupled with the Korean pop sensation in the regions, the company has been enjoying a sales boom recently.










2014년 5월 14일 수요일

Samsung GALAXY 11: The Training video was released on 13th.


Samsung unveiled a new Youtube video for its fantasy-inspired and multi-layered global marketing campaign, Galaxy 11.
The four minute “Galaxy 11 Training Video provides a look into the exciting and rigorous training that Galaxy 11 team players are undertaking.

Fans can watch the Galaxy 11 team including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney undergo a variety of futuristic and rigorous training simulations that test their football skills under the watchful eye of team manager, Franz Beckenbauer. Additionally, for the first time ever, fans can see how the latest Samsung devices –Galaxy S5, Gear 2 and Fit– are helping the team prepare for their epic showdown. Features like heart rate monitoring, water-resistant functionality, faster auto-focus and other dedicated fitness tools provide enhanced mobile technologies that will allow the team to perform at their very best.

You can watch the video at youtu.be/YW1yZPflIXY



Jun Ji Hyun and Nicholas Tse's Chinese female footwear brand CF still cuts was released on 13th.


"You who Came from the Star" star Jun Ji Hyun and Hong Kong top star Nicholas Tse's female footwear brand CF still cuts was released on 13th.

On march, Jun Ji Hyun has been chosen as the new model for the Chinese female footwear brand, Daphne.
Hong Kong movie star Nicholas Tse recently took on job of being the creative director of a Daphne, Chinese female footwear label. Knowing just how popular one particular female is at the moment, he took the opportunity and invited Korean actress Jun Ji Hyun, who played the female lead role in the popular drama You Who Came From the Stars, to be its brand ambassador.

Sitting down and holding green shoe in a gold high waisted skirts and white blouse, she exudes a sexy, yet classy look that she’s well-known for.

2014년 5월 8일 목요일

How Korean movies portrayed disaster before sewol ferry incident

Host(2006)

In Korean disaster movies like "Host(2006)", "Deranged (2012)" and "flu(2013)", when disaster hits, peopel in charge always run away and government betrays their people and only ordinary citizens are left with facing danger in the end.

Recent sewol ferry disaster looks like scenes from many Korean disaster movies.

Disaster is not an accident in modern society
Capital takes risks knowing the possibility of disaster risk for the profit.
Chonghaejin Marine, the company which owned the ship, made major illegal modifications to increase the capacity of the ship. As a result, it became heavier than it was designed to be. This resulted in steering and stability problems, which were pointed out by its regular captain who notified his superiors. These warnings were ignored, however, all these happend for sake of money.

Much of the public believes that the government did not manage the rescue operations properly either.
The implication being that all the people who could have been saved were not and once again, it is top officials who are being blamed.

Sewol ferry disaster is not the first man made disaster in recent Korean history.
Before the collapse of Sampoong Department Store in Seoul which killed over 500 people back in 1995, Sampoong president fled without evacuation order.
During the daegu subway fire incident back in 2003, the engineer fled with the key to open subway doors with no evacuation order.
When Cheonan ship sinking, all top officers including the captain were rescued while 46 young soldiers were killed or went missing at sea.
These memories remain and the insecurity grows in Korea society and it reflected in many of Korean disaster movies.

Korea disaster movies are quiet different from the disaster movies of Japan and Hollywood in many ways, this is because the historic features of Korean society is reflected in films.


Scene from "Flu(2013)"
Hero of Hollywood disaster movies are usually professional and civil servants.
In a films like "Dante's Peak", "Deep Impact" and "Outbreak" etc., competent and heroic main characters are usually the first one to detect disaster and he/she usually strive and struggle to prevent disaster.
Professionalism of government and public service performance are highly regarded even in a untraditional heroic epic disaster movie like "Contagion(2011)".

Characters in disaster films of Japan makes it strong in the face of disaster as well.
Many Japan disaster movie portrays civil servants and government officials as heroic figure who was killed in the line of duty in a noble profession consciousness
In a movie "Pandemic"(2009), all the people in their place including medical personnel showed commitment to fight against the disaster.
No depiction of division or conspiracy of Japanese society in film and it usually ends with showing hope of rebuilding after the disaster has swept away.

On the other hand, the hero of the disaster movie of Korea is not a civil servant nor expert of any kind.
In Korean disaster movie, the government was not in the presence to rescue the civilian falling into a disaster with the help of experts and public officials.
In movie "Host(2006)" the government did not committed to rescue the girl nor kill the monster, all they do is setting up the group memorial altar trying to make people forget the incident quickly through the fuss of mourning and monitor families of victims assuming that they are infected as well in cooperation with the media

The Sewol tragedy is a wakeup call for Korea to address the blind spots in its political and business culture.
Man-made disasters reveal much about how far a nation really has come, and when it's time to plot a new course to fix some of problems
These problems were clearly shown very often in many of Korean disaster movies as well.



The captain and crews who  escaped the sinking ship first while ordered passengers to remain inside the doomed ship. 


















2014년 5월 7일 수요일

Pop star John Mayer has donated concert proceeds from his first South Korean concert tour on Tuesday

Pop star John Mayer has paid tribute to the victims of a recent ferry accident during his first South Korean concert tour on Tuesday

Before rolling out the evening's program, John Mayer appeared with a yellow ribbon designed to pay tribute to the victims of the disaster and he thanked fans for allowing him to proceed with his concert and said he would be dedicating all of the songs performed to victims of the tragedy, adding that he hoped his music would help heal those affected. The performance lasted about two hours as he crooned 19 numbers, including his Grammy-winning "Your Body Is a Wonderland," "Queen of California","Gravity" and "Vultures."

John mayer also announced that all proceeds from merchandise sales would go to relief aid for the disaster. Recovery efforts are still underway for missing persons, as divers navigate the 6,825-ton ferry that is underwater near the southwest coast of Korea. Poor weather conditions have delayed the process in the area that is notorious for its strong, murky currents.

Mayer's tour marks the 14th edition of Hyundai Card's "Culture Project" series, which featured concerts by Beyonce and Kraftwerk as well as various art exhibitions.




















2014년 5월 5일 월요일

‘The Fatal Encounter’ opens big reaching total number of 2 million audiences on may 5th.


‘The Fatal Encounter’ is the #1 film in Korea for 2nd consecutive weekend.
The lotte entertainment stated on may 5th that a total of over two million people have seen this movie since it was opened in theaters on April 30

‘The Fatal Encounter’ did not get many favorable reviews from the critics before the release.
The movie was greeted with lukewarm reviews, some critics said, 'Too much has been put into the movie', 'Complicated stories and organization of characters' and such were parts of the reviews.
However including Hyun Bin, Jo Jung-Seok, Han Ji-Min, Jung Jae-Young, Jo Jae-Hyun, Kim Sung-Ryung, top stars make the movie box office.

Meanwhile following ‘The Fatal Encounter’, ‘Amazing Spiderman 2’ gets the second, ‘The Target became the third, and ‘Rio 2’ is forth, and ‘Mr. Peabody & Sherman’ is fifth.

The Fatal Encounter’ will also have a limited theatrical run in 25 North American cinemas on May 23.

Plasma TV is on the verge of extinction worldwide but Samsung and LG keep the fires burning for a while longer


Panasonic's plasma displays were the last bastion of hope for plasma TV enthusiasts, but now even they are going extinct.
Panasonic exited the plasma TV market with almost immediate effect — production of new units will ended in last december and all related operations was wrapped by March this year.

Plasma TV sales this year will decline 48% compared to previous year , according to DisplaySearch.

Many feared that it was the end of the line for plasma technology, this year, with Panasonic already confirming they were out - proved unfounded as the Korean manufacturers are to keep the fires burning for a while longer.

Specifically referencing those that like a combination of value for money and great picture quality, the company says they will continue to produce plasma TVs in sizes ranging from 42-60-inches this year.

The H5000 is a only new Samsung plasma TV line up for 2014 while LG has three new models with the same specifications like last year.

2014년 5월 2일 금요일

Figure-skating queen Kim Yu-na and Miss A's Suzy in the same outfits but shows differenrt style.


Kim Yu-na glows in simple black dress at the retirement commemoration medal event held on last monday.
Wearing a black dress, and a yellow ribbon, to show respect to those effected by the tragic accident the ‘Figure Queen’ made a quiet entrance, to showcase the limited edition medals that are now on sale, to commemorate her retirement from the sport. And while she previously planned to donate the proceeds to the youth figure skating in the nation, she stated that she decided to donate the proceeds to the victims and of the Sewol-ho ferry accident.
She tied her hair and wore black shoe to match with black dress
She wore less make up which brought out her natural beauty while still look refined and transparnet.


Miss A's Suzy wore same black dress at the 3rd Gaon Chart K-POP Awards in february
Suzy's black dress made her look very elegant and mature
She reveals her overflowing femininity with the ruffled neckline and wave long hair while adding a splash of colour to simple black dress  with silver high heels and red lipstick.

This black dress is from 'Lanvin Spring 2014 collection' and priced at 925,000 won($900)in Korea