Brian, Choi Si-won and Vanness Wu to release album in Oct

Korean singer Brian, Super Junior Member Choi Si-won and Chinese singer Vanness Wu

Korean artists Brian, Super Junior member Choi Si-won and Chinese artist Vanness Wu have come together to record an album aimed at helping African children, according to a press release from entertainment firm Lion Media on Tuesday.

Lion Media announced through the statement that the three singers have formed a project group called 3rd Wave through which they will release an album titled "I Will Be There" on October 10.

Recorded in English, all proceeds from the album will be donated for use as emergency aid for children in Africa.

"I have received a lot of support from my fans during my ten years as a singer so I am happy that I can give back to those in need with my musical ability", singer Brian was quoted as saying.

The upcoming album, written and composed by leader Johnny Lee, will feature 11 tracks including "Sweetest Name" sung by Choi Si-won and "Everything to Me", a duet by Vanness Wu and Brian.

"I Will be There" will be available online at www.3rdwavemusic.org and released simultaneously in both Korea and the United States through Apple's iTune store in early October.

Reporter : Lucia Hong
Editor : Jessica Kim

Rain: 'I Will Join the Army Next Year'

Rain will play a flirty private investigator in the KBS drama, "The Fugitive Plan B".

Singer and actor Rain (real name Jung Ji Hoon), who will make a comeback to the small screen after a five-year break by appearing in the KBS 2TV Wednesday and Thursday drama "The Fugitive Plan B", spoke up about the rumors of his upcoming military duty.

At the production presentation of the drama "The Fugitive Plan B" held at the Lotte Hotel in Sogongdong on September 27, Rain said, "The time to join the army might be around next year".

Taeyang to joins artists for Seoul Seoul Festival in Oct

Concert poster for Seoul Soul Festival 2010 featuring Korean singer Taeyang [S2 Entertainment]

Korean singer Taeyang has joined a line-up of international and local artists for the Seoul Soul Festival 2010 to be held next month.

On Monday, the concert's promoter S2 Entertainment announced that Big Bang member Taeyang will perform at the two-day soul music festival to be held at the Peace Plaza located in the War Memorial of Korea starting October 9.

He will sing his hit songs as well as give a special performance with fellow YG labelmate Se7en.

Other recording artists on the line-up include U.S. soul singer Musiq Soulchild, rapper Sean Kingston, Koreans Jay Park, DJ DOC and Supreme Team.

Taeyang, whose real name is Dong Young-bae, is the first Big Bang member to debut as a solo artist.

He released his first full-length album "Solar" on July 1, topping numerous online and offline music sites as well holding his first solo concert over the weekend.

Reporter : Lucia Hong
Editor : Jessica Kim

130,000 suicides in last decade

A total of 130,802 Koreans, including former President Roh Moo-hyun, took their own lives between 2000 and 2009, according to figures of a police survey released by a ruling party lawmaker Tuesday.

"Given that the whole population of Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province stood at 72,049 as of the end of 2009, it is like seeing the entire people in a town of a similar size get wiped out every half a decade because of suicide", Rep. Yoo Jae-jung of the governing Grand National Party said.

Korea is ranked as the country with the highest suicide rate among the 33 member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with roughly 30 out of every 100,000 people killing themselves in 2009.

FT Island to hold concert in November

Poster for FT Island's live concert [Interpark]

Korean rock band FT Island will hold a live concert in November, according to their agency FNC Music on Friday.

A PR official from FNC told 10Asia over the phone that the boys will be performing for two nights at the AX Hall located in Gwangjang district on November 6 and 7.

The concert will feature their various hit songs as well as the latest tracks from their second mini-album "beautiful journey".

FT Island (Five Treasure Island), composed of members Lee Hong-gi, Lee Jae-jin-I, Song Seung-hyun, Choi Min-hwan and Choi Jong-hoon, made their debut into the mainstream K-pop scene in June 2007 with their first album "Cheerful Sensibility".

The group has also managed a successful music career in Japan, releasing two major single albums "Flower Rock" and "Brand-new days", both of which ranked within the top 5 spots on the prestigious Oricon albums chart.

They also performed at the international rock festival "Summer Sonic 2010" in August whose stage was graced by various top stars such as Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, A Tribe Called Quest and Sum 41.

Tickets for their concert are available at online reservation site Interpark (www.interpark.co.kr).

Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@

JYJ scheduled to appear on the Late Show with David Letterman?

Although no official sources have confirmed the event, it looks like New York City will be treated with more than just a tour concert soon! Word has it that the power trio JYJ (Jaejoong, Yoochun, Junsu) might be making a special appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in the near future.

A Naver cafe for Synnara Records recently posted new information on JYJ’s upcoming activities, including their global showcase tour and details of JYJ’s latest album. However, what caught many fans’ attention was the mention of a feature on the famous New York-based talk show.

“More surprising than Dark Child and Kanye West’s participation in JYJ’s album … They will be the first Koreans (probably Asians) to appear on the David Letterman show to sing the ending song,” the Naver cafe commented.

With six Primetime Emmy awards and countless celebrity appearances under its belt, the Late Show would undoubtedly serve as great exposure for JYJ in the States. Stay tuned to allkpop as we await more details on this matter!

Source & Photo: Synnara Records Naver Cafe
Tip: emm_y

U-KISS releases teaser image for comeback

U-KISS is set to comeback with their 4th mini album “BREAK TIME” on October 4th. A few days ago they revealed the album cover along with tracklist and now they’ve revealed a teaser photo to their title track music video.

U-KISS is looking sexier than ever in the teaser picture, successfully transforming into the “bad boy” image for their new concept.

A representative of U-KISS’s agency revealed, “Their teaser will officially be revealed on the afternoon of the 3rd through their official homepage. We’re very excited that fans are already so excited before their official teaser is even out, but it’s also a lot of pressure. Please anticipate U-KISS’s new images once the teaser is released.”

U-KISS will be making their official comeback through M.Net’s “M Countdown” on the 7th.

Source + Photo: Newsen
Tip: Oreinjii