Your guide to Asian dramas and Pop Culture

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August 25 and 26 are two days of heaven for all Kim Hyun Joong fans as the  singer and actor visits the Philippines the second time around.

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The statues of Winter Sonata stars Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo

Nami Island could very well be the mecca for all Korean drama fans.  After all, this is the setting of some of the scenes in Winter Sonata which started the Korean Wave.  Being big Winter Sonata fans, me and my friends decided to visit this iconic place once and for all when we went to Korea autumn last year.

Our timing could never be more perfect with the island teeming with color because of the season.  We could see trees with green, yellow, orange and red leaves.  It was really wonderful and we felt happy that we were able to see the beauty of the island.  The only downside was that there were really a lot of people.  Most were tourists but some I think, went there for a field trip because they are wearing similar shirts and have picnic baskets.  It was quite difficult to find a spot where there are no people to take pictures so what we did was to go away from the usual route and traversed a different path.

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Korean boy group 2AM visited Manila last April 27-30 to promote their album and meet their fans. Aside from that, they also held a mini-concert at Eastwood Mall.  Here are some of the pictures taken during their visit to the local radio station, 97.1 Brgy. LSFM last April 27.  There were only Jinwoon, Changmin and Seulong because Jo Kwon arrived later in the evening. Please credit hanneebuff from hallyudorama.com when taking out. Thanks!

Secret Garden, one of Korea’s hit television series of 2010, will be hitting the Philippine airwaves soon.

Secret Garden stars Hyun Bin who plays Owen (Kim Joo Won), a Department store CEO suffering from minor depression, and Ha Ji Won who plays Jamie (Gil Ra Im), a strong-willed stunt woman who lives with her friend after the death of her father who was a fireman.

Destined to eventually meet, Owen and Jamie stumbles upon a secret garden in Jeju Island and meets an old woman who gives them a magical alcoholic concoction. This potion enables them to switch bodies but for what purpose? The audience must keep watching to find out. The supporting casts also include Yoon Sang Hyun as Oska, Owen’s cousin and Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul, Oska’s ex-girlfriend. Lee Philip (The Legend) plays Director Im Jong Soo while Yoo In Na is Im Ah Young, Jamie’s best friend.

Hyun Bin became a household name in the Philippines because of his role as Cyrus (Hyun Jin Hun) in My Name is Kim Sam Soon which enjoyed an immense popularity locally. Ha Ji Won, on the other hand, was also a familiar face after her drama Hwang Jini was aired by GMA7 in the evening time slot more than three years ago.

Secret Garden will start airing on May 2 at Kapuso Network GMA7. It will replace another hit Korean drama, the Baker King, which will end within 2 weeks.

Watch the trailer at the following link: Secret Garden teaser at GMA7

credits: ieuck@youtube.com

Filipino Korean drama fans will once again have a glimpse of the pretty-faced Kim Tae Hee and the gorgeous Song Seung Hun as they star in the romantic-comedy My Princess which will start airing this Monday on the local channel ABS-CBN.

Kim Tae Hee is Lizelle (Lee Seol), a college student who worked a lot part-time jobs, which includes dressing up as a Korean princess, to earn money for her dream trip of going to Egypt. Meanwhile, Song Seung Hun plays Ethan (Hae Young), a diplomat who works for the Ministry of Foreign affairs and the grandson of a rich *chaebol family. One day, an announcement was made that there are moves to restore the Korean Royal family and Lizelle soon learns that her father was a Prince, making her a real-life Princess.

My Princess enjoyed such popularity in Korea that it surpassed 20% ratings in its Wednesday-Thursday timeslot during its run early this year.

My Princess will air around 5:00pm, before the drama Mula sa Puso.

*chaebol – a Korean business conglomerate