1. Seoul, South Korea
Thousands of fans thronged Plaza Singapura for Lee Min Ho

Korean actor Lee Minho shot to stardom from his titular role as the obscenely rich and obnoxious Goo Jun Pyo in Boys Over Flowers, the latest Korean remake of the popular Japanese manga series, Hana Yori Dango. A sea of screaming fangirls eagerly awaited his arrival at Changi airport last Saturday in the afternoon.

12:30pm: Lee Min Ho first appearance at Changi Airport
When reporters arrived at the airport at 11.30am, more than one hundred excited fans were already stationed at the airport anxiously awaiting his arrival. Security staff said that they have arranged for more than 10 bodyguards to be stationed at the airport. The other celebrity arrival in recent times that called for such an arrangement was sex photo scandal-plagued Edison Chen's visit to Singapore.

The Korean actor's itinerary in Singapore mainly involved closed-door events and that left diehard fans with no choice but to try their luck and catch a glimpse of their idol in the airport.

A fan of Min Ho, Aisyan was at the airport since 5am in the morning. Although she has spent more than S$200 on beauty products from Etude House, she did not win a chance to attend the exclusive meet-and-greet fan session. Unwilling to give up, together with her group of friends, they have decided to follow Min Ho's entourage around Singapore during his short-stay here.

Besides local fans, Kiddie, a 22-year-old Vietnamese specially flew in from Vietnam for a chance to rub shoulders with her favourite Korean idol. She planned follow Min Ho's trail and fly in to Malaysia the next day for his events in Kuala Lumpur.

Min Ho finally strode out of the baggage claim area at around 12.30pm. Donning sunshades, he smiled amiably and waved to his fans who screamed at every move the idol made. Over-enthusiastic fans pushed over one of the barriers set up and security personnel decided to usher the Korean actor out of the airport before the situation got even more chaotic.

2:30pm: Lee Min Ho's press conference
At the press conference held in one of the glitzy hotels, about 50 well-informed fans fervently waited outside the press conference room. Smartly dressed in a vest and collared shirt, Min Ho was at all smiles when he met with the press. He kept his answers short and succinct, maintaining his smile through out the interview.

4pm: Lee Min Ho's Etude House event (Cancelled!)
Min Ho was originally arranged to appear at a fan session in Plaza Singapura's Etude House (the Korean beauty brand he endorses). When reporters arrived at the scene at 3.30pm, more than a thousand fans were already present. The entire basement of Plaza Singapura was flooded with fans and even neighbouring shops were forced to close for safety reasons.

Although the event's organizers arranged for more than 30 security guards to be present at the event, the situation soon grew out of control with overzealous fangirls jostling and shoving around. Due to security reasons, Min Ho was unable to enter the shop and the organizers decided to cancel the event at 4.10pm, distributing Etude House cotton wool as freebies to placate disappointed fangirls.

Disbelieving fans were shocked at the turn of events and refused to leave. The crowd only started to disperse after members of the press left one by one. Fans appeared visibly upset at Min Ho's no-show.

5.20pm: Lee Min Ho's closed-door event for fans
His last event for the day would be a closed-door meet-and-greet session with fans. 70 lucky fans managed to get his signature with a handful gaining an elusive photo-taking opportunity.

There were fans present from all over Singapore, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and even Korea. It was reported that tickets for this event were resold for as much as S$350 on the internet.

When Min Ho finally appeared at 5.20pm, he was greeted with cheers and deafening screams from his fans. The charming actor apologized for his no-show at Plaza Singapura and explained that it was due to safety reasons, seeking the understanding of fans present.

"I feel that Singapore is very clean and orderly. It feels like a very peaceful place. You guys are very lucky to be living here and I hope to return in future too."

The tall and lanky 22-year-old actor also shared that he has heard of the famous Singapore chilli crabs and expressed his desire to have a go at the local dish that night.

He set the hearts of girls a-flutter when he gave his take on Singaporean girls. "I feel that everyone is very cute and sweet, I am very happy to meet all of you." And if that was not enough, girls were bowled over when he revealed that age and nationality are not a concern for him when he falls in love.

At the end of the fan session, Min Ho graciously thanked his fans for their support and expressed his future plans to visit Singapore again.

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-Jazpy's is talking...- 12:14 AM

NKorea fires 5 short-range missiles

By HYUNGJIN KIM,Associated Press Writer - Tuesday, October 13

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired five short-range missiles off its east coast on Monday, news reports said, even as South Korea proposed working-level talks with its communist neighbor.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified South Korean government official, said the North test-fired two short-range missiles on Monday morning and three others on Monday afternoon from mobile launch pads.

Yonhap said the missiles were surface-to-surface KN-02 rockets with a range of up to 75 miles (120 kilometers).

The reported launches were the first since the regime conducted a barrage of seven ballistic missile tests in early July, and come despite signs North Korea is reaching out to rival South Korea and the United States after months of heightened tensions over its missile and nuclear programs.

The South's conservative government has reciprocated by taking more steps to engage more with the North, but shows no signs of easing its pressure on the North to disarm.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in Belfast Monday that the American efforts to proceed with talks with North Korea on its nuclear ambitions will proceed despite the new tests.

"Our goal remains the same," she told reporters after a meeting with Northern Irish business leaders. "Our consultations with our partners and our allies continues unabated. It is unaffected by the behavior of North Korea.'

Clinton was to fly later to Moscow to meet with Russian leaders on a variety of issues, including nuclear reduction concerns.

Yonhap said the North has issued a no-sail zone in areas off the country's east and west coasts Oct. 10-20 _ an apparent indication the country could carry out more missile tests.

YTN television network carried a similar report to Yonhap, saying the missiles were fired off from sites south of the country's Musudan-ri missile site on its northeast coast.

South Korea's Defense Ministry and the National Intelligence Service _ the country's main spy agency _ said they could not confirm the reports.

Earlier Monday, South Korea proposed working-level officials of the two sides meet Wednesday discuss how to prevent floods in the Imjin River running through their heavily armed border. The South also proposed a separate meeting of Red Cross officials on Friday to discuss reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.

However, Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said that Seoul had no plan to resume high-level dialogue with the North.

Ties between the divided Koreas had been soured after conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office early last year with a pledge to get tough with Pyongyang's communist government. Tension on the peninsula further heightened after the North conducted a long-range rocket test in April and a second nuclear test in May.

Pyongyang, however, has recently reached out to Seoul and Washington. The regime toned down its threatening rhetoric, released detained South Korean and American citizens and pledged to resume key stalled joint projects with South Korea.

The Korean War ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty, which means that the two Koreas are still technically at war.

-Jazpy's is talking...- 8:15 AM

'Minced beef and bread' at NKorean fast food joint

AFP - Sunday, October 11

SINGAPORE (AFP) - – Once condemned as evil "US imperialist" fare, western-style fast food is now available in North Korea thanks to a Singaporean entrepreneur who is already drawing up expansion plans just months after opening his first outlet.

"There is a potential to develop this business over there," said Patrick Soh, who is bullish on the prospects of fast food in the isolated Stalinist state better known for famines than deep-fried delights.

Soh, 56, holds the franchise in several Asian countries for Waffletown USA, a relatively obscure brand in the region compared to the likes of McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and Burger King, but he has big ambitions.

The first branch of Samtaesong ("three big stars"), as Waffletown is known in North Korea, started operating in May after Soh's company got the first license awarded to a foreign fast food outlet.

Burgers, called "minced beef and bread" to mask their American association, are the biggest attraction at the eatery, which also sells fries, crispy Belgian waffles, fried chicken and -- the latest addition -- hotdogs.

"It is not only the locals who enjoy the food. Even the foreigners like the food," Soh told AFP in an interview at a Singapore outlet of Waffletown.

Soh will make his fourth trip to Pyongyang this month to explore the feasibility of opening a second outlet there.

If all goes smoothly, it should be up and running in early 2010, said Soh, who is not deterred by problems like power outages and the unavailability of some items in Pyongyang.

His North Korean adventure started when he was approached last year by a Singaporean investor, who broached the idea of setting up a Waffletown franchise in Pyongyang.

Soh declined to name the investor or say how much it cost to open the Pyongyang eatery, saying his main role was to set up the operation and train local staff to run Samtaesong.

A North Korean delegation paid a visit to Singapore early this year to sample the fare at a Waffletown outlet.

"They came and tried the food and liked the waffle, burgers and fried chicken," Soh said over coffee at the outlet, located in an upmarket neighborhood near Singapore's Orchard Road shopping belt.

"They find that we have a bit more variety than other typical burger chains and that we don't sell junk food," he said.

Soh made his first trip to Pyongyang in November last year, taking four days to survey the site and see whether the fast food concept was workable in one of the world's few remaining communist states.

He was pleased to learn that the site was in a choice location in downtown Pyongyang, right next to a subway station and within walking distance of various universities.

He went back to Pyongyang in December to begin preparatory work for the opening of the eatery, from arranging the layout of the restaurant to listing the kitchen equipment and ingredients that needed to brought in.

The seasoning for the chicken and the waffle mix are among items imported from Singapore but other ingredients like beef and the chicken itself are sourced locally, with suppliers using his recipes for the burger buns and patties, Soh said.

The eatery buys soft drinks from shops that cater to the diplomatic community and resells the beverages in paper cups.

Local worker are very intelligent and eager to learn, Soh said.

"I don't need to spend much time to train them. I take about two, three days and they have a grasp of the work."

Since Samtaesong opened its doors in May, customers, including foreign students from China and Russia, have been streaming into the 246-square-metre (2,647 square foot) outlet, he said.

"The locals come in and know the food that they want to order," said Soh.

Prices are set in euros, but US dollars are accepted as payment.

A "minced beef and bread" costs 1.20-1.70 euros (1.77 to 2.50 dollars) and about 300 are sold each day, said Soh.

The most expensive item on the menu is the crispy fried chicken at slightly under three euros.

The communist state's per capita income was estimated at just over 1,000 dollars in 2008, but this is not denting Soh's drive to open more Samtaesong outlets in the country.

He thinks North Koreans enjoy the novelty of the food and environment in his restaurant.

"This is new for them. It's just like when McDonald's first opened in Singapore."

Credits to Yahoo news singapore

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-Jazpy's is talking...- 8:44 PM

Hyun Bin shares on his relationship with Song Hye-gyo



Xin.sg - Thursday, October 8

Hyun Bin shares on his relationship with Song Hye-gyo
Korean actor Hyun Bin recently went on a Korean variety programme and shared about his relationship with Song Hye-gyo

Korean artistes Hyun Bin and Song Hye-gyo publicly admitted their ongoing relationship with each other a few months ago in August. The pair got to know each other after acting as onscreen lovers in the Korean drama, Their Living World last year and progressed from a reel-life couple to real-life lovers.

In an interview on a Korean programme, Hyun Bin smilingly revealed the most attractive part of his girlfriend, "Song Hye-gyo and I share a lot of common topics."

On the programme, an embarrassed Hyun Bin also shared that the people in the production team for Their Living World pointed out that the lovebirds shared plenty of kissing scenes in the show. Although they played onscreen lovers, they were not mutually attracted to each other during the show's filming and only began dating in June, this year.

-Jazpy's is talking...- 12:53 AM

Lee Byung-hun's attraction to Kim Tae-hee

Xin.sg - Saturday, October 10


Upcoming Korean drama series, Iris, is estimated to cost up to S$24,000,000 to produce. A press conference was recently held a few days ago with its stellar cast of Korean artistes such as Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-hee, Kim Tae-yeon, T.O.P from Big Bang, Jung Jun-ho, and Kim Seung-cheol present at the event.

During an interview, Lee's good friend, Jung, revealed, "Lee Byung-hun is actually quite attracted to Kim Tae-hee!" His revelation caused an uproar as both Lee and Kim looked on and smiled embarrassedly.

"Actually, Lee Byung-hun is only attracted to Kim Tae-hee's acting. Kim often approaches Lee for acting tips," Jung hurriedly explained.

A good natured Lee laughed at his good friend's teasing and shared that he once thought of skipping this event as he knew that the mischievous Jung would take the opportunity to tease him.

Lee turned the awkward atmosphere around when he revealed shocking facts of Korea's number one beauty, "Kim Tae-hee eats a lot! This is her way of keeping up with her own health. I have not seen her skipping meals before. Whenever I see her, I follow suit and start eating a lot too."

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-Jazpy's is talking...- 12:50 AM

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