First YouTube, then the world for guitar prodigy

First YouTube, then the world for guitar prodigy

Jung began playing five years ago. Now he’s performing with some of the world’s greatest guitarists.

February 20, 2010

The first Korean to hit over 100 million views on YouTube isn’t a famous celebrity, but a 14-year-old guitarist named Jung Sung-ha. He’s uploaded 240 video clips since his first in September 2006, and in the course of 42 months, he’s recorded a total of 110 million views - and still rising. That’s almost twice the amount major Korean management companies have been able to attract with official YouTube channels for their idol groups.

Sung-ha’s road to Web stardom began five years ago, when his father, Jung Woo-chang, began teaching him the guitar.

“I started to teach Sung-ha basic chords and accompaniment and found that he had a knack at playing ‘fingerstyle’ music,” Jung said, referring to plucking the guitar strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails or picks attached to the fingers.

The YouTube clips of Jung strumming away on a guitar as big as his own body have caught attention. World-renowned guitarists such as Tommy Emmanuel, Michel Haumont and Kotaro Oshio have already played with Jung.

Yoko Ono even left a comment on the clip of Jung playing the Beatles’ hit “All You Need is Love,” reading, “Thank you for a beautiful performance. John Lennon would have been happy that you performed his song so well.”

The prodigy took his career into the real world with a solo concert in Seoul in February 2009, and Jung has since performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Musikmesse Frankfurt in April and at the Thailand International Guitar Festival in October. Most recently, he finished a tour of five cities in the United States with Trace Bundy and began a six-day solo tour in Finland yesterday.

According to Jung’s official Web site, the guitar of choice for him is the finest model from the German manufacturing brand Lakewood, the A48CP. Jung secured a sponsorship by Lakewood in January 2009, but the market price for one of the guitars is around 2,800 euros ($3,800).

Lakewood specifically redesigned the model to fit the teenage guitarist’s small stature in a process that took four months.

A staffer who works close to Jung said, “Since it is a very expensive instrument, Jung takes extra care carrying it around during performances. The case itself is handmade, transported by one of his fans from America.”

Jung’s future goals are focused on becoming an adult professional fingerstyle guitarist.

“I’m happy and proud that people are enjoying what I like to do,” he said.

By Park Sung-woo [estyle@joongang.co.kr]

Rain Dazzles Fans at Global Fan Meeting

Rain Dazzles Fans at Global Fan Meeting

By Han Sang-hee

Staff Reporter

Rain is back in Asia.

The 27-year-old singer and actor held a global fan meeting for the first time in a year, greeting fans from all over Asia, who returned his smiles with cheers and tears.

``Hello, everyone. It's been a while and it's great to see you all,'' Rain shouted at the Grand Peace Palace at Kyunghee University, Sunday. Now a designer with his own clothing line, Six to Five, the singer was dressed in a simple black suit, a white shirt and white sneakers. He opened the event by singing ``Fresh Woman.''

The venue was packed with some 3,000 fans from Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan, and most looked thrilled to see their favorite singer up close.

One Japanese fan donned a pink-and-black floral kimono to show the singer the support of her home country, while a fan from Hong Kong brought an array of glow sticks and other items.

``Rain's a great singer and actor. He's totally different because he is successful at almost everything. He can sing, dance and act,'' Ventura Crispen Jr., 30, from the Philippines, told The Korea Times.

For some fans, Rain is more than just a singer, but a way of introducing Korea to the world.

``He's a Korean superstar and he's the perfect way to show some of Korea to my friends. We adore him!'' said 14-year-old Samantha Skinner, from Austin, Texas.

Sunday was actually Rain's 27th birthday, and his fans had packed part of the stage with presents before his arrival, ranging from small accessories, flowers, and cakes to artworks.

The meeting was hosted by television personality Kim Jae-dong, with various events prepared by Rain's fan club, Cloud.

Anticipating a large number of fans from other Asian countries, Rain's agency provided English subtitles on two big screens adjacent to the stage while he and Kim chatted. The subtitles were helpful, but following everything the star was saying was sometimes difficult.

When fans asked him to rate his own looks, Rain smiled and said that he was satisfied.

``When I first went out for auditions, agencies told me to go under the knife, while others told me I was too tall to become a dance singer. When I first started out, most of the great dancers were relatively short. But now, boy, am I glad I didn't do plastic surgery,'' he said laughing.

The singer has spent the past seven years wisely, appearing in television dramas, filming movies that led him to the Berlin International Film Festival, appearing in the American show ``The Colbert Report'' and, finally, launching his own clothing line.

So why does the singer keep himself so busy?

``I strongly believe that if you are afraid of failure, you will never taste success. As much as I go through failure, I think it's just one step closer to my dream. It was like when I walked into Warner Brothers and watched the final version of Ninja Assassin for the first time. I went through hard times but I finally made it. I couldn't believe I was there with my fellow actors and the staff, watching the film,'' he said.

The moment of truth will be when his Hollywood debut film hits theaters in November.

``To be frank, I didn't want to be modest in this film. I trained hard enough to consider entering a K-1 match. The movie is not just about fighting ― it has a story too, and that is why I enjoyed working on it. The movie will be the final test,'' said Rain.

Besides the movie, fans have another reason to be excited, as the singer announced plans for an Asian tour.

``In the past, my concerts were strategically designed with various sets and props, but this time I wanted to communicate with my fans. The set will look like an amusement park and there will be a part of the show when everyone will have to dance like they're at a club,'' he said.

For celebrities who depend on their popularity among fans, negative rumors and the tabloids can be a pitfall. But for Rain, they were just a means to get better.

``There are times when I really feel lonely and don't have the will to do anything. Whenever that happens, I look up negative articles about me. They give me a boost and I am up and ready for the day,'' Rain said.

Perhaps it was because he was with his fans, or maybe because it was his birthday, but the singer looked exceptionally confident and poised, joking and even answering some questions in English and Japanese.

``I'm Rain and you guys are my cloud. We should stick together, right?'' he said, bidding farewell to the waving crowd after singing ``Rainism'' and ``My Girl.''

sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

Wondergirls to Make US Debut

06-06-2009 15:56

Wondergirls to Make US Debut

WondergirlsSouth Korea's top female pop group Wondergirls will make their debut in the United States this summer, releasing an album in English and joining U.S. idol group Jonas Brothers on a concert tour, according to JYP Entertainment, one of South Korea’s leading agencies Friday.

The all-girl band recently signed a management contract with the Jonas Group and Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency (CAA) will be working as the band’s agent, JYP said.

Wondergirls will debut with an English version of ``Nobody,’’ its big hit in South Korea last summer.

The five-member group’s first U.S. album will also feature English versions of other hit songs including ``Tell me’’ and an electronic house song written and composed by the Jonas Brothers.

Wondergirls will tour with the U.S. band as the opening act in concerts throughout Portland, Los Angeles and Atlanta beginning June 27 through August.A JYP official said the retro mood of ``Nobody’’ appealed to the American musicians to a large extent.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/06/201_46359.html

Joseon Royal Tombs Nominated for World Heritage List

Joseon Royal Tombs Nominated for World Heritage List

Sejong Wonneung in Gyeonggi Province is one of the 40 royal tombs of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) that have been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage site. / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea

By Lee Hyo-won

Staff Reporter

The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) was nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea (CHA) announced Wednesday.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) presides over a tentative list of cultural and natural properties. The tombs scattered around Seoul and Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces await final approval at the 33rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which will take place June 22-30 in Seville, Spain.

``No site recommended by the ICOMOS has ever been turned down before,’’ Kim Hong-dong of the CHA International Affairs Division was quoted as saying in the Munwha Ilbo. If the Joseon royal tombs are approved, it will become South Korea’s ninth UNESCO-designated treasure.

The tombs comprise the mausoleums of 27 generations of Joseon kings, and queens, including those who were posthumously recognized, spanning over five centuries. Such an intact preservation of the royal tombs from a single dynasty is unheard of elsewhere in the world.

A total of 40 tombs among the 42 were submitted for candidacy ― the excluded two, Jaeneung and Huneung, are in North Korea. The ICOMOS is reported to have highly regarded the site’s unique architectural and landscape forms rooted in Confucian and geomantic traditions, as well as the fact that related funereal rituals from the times continue to this day, in the form of an intangible cultural heritage.

These tombs, called ``neung,’’ are part of altogether 119 tombs in the area, which include 13 ``won,’’ those that belonged to crown princes and princesses and the biological mothers of kings (i.e. mothered by a royal concubine), and ``myo,’’ which include those belonging to royal family members and overthrown kings such as Gwanghaegun and Yeonsangun.

Local sites registered by UNESCO include Jongmyo, Joseon’s Royal Ancestral Shrine, and the Joseon-era Changdeok Palace in Seoul. The Royal Tombs’ nomination suggests the heightened recognition of the late kingdom’s cultural value.

Other sites include: Seokguram-Bulguksa and Gyeongju Historic Areas in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province; Tripitaka Koreana at Haeinsa Temple in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province;Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province; Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites; and the volcanic Jeju Island and its lava tube.

If designated, the royal tombs will be subject to protection and oversight by the international community.

As of July, 2008, a total of 878 cultural and natural sites from 141 countries are registered in the list. Italy has 43 while China has 33.

In order to qualify as a World Heritage, a cultural site must possess all of the following (condensed) conditions: 1. Represent a masterpiece of human creative genius; 2. Exhibit an important interchange of human values; 3. Bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or civilization; 4. Be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape; 5. Be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use or sea-use; and 6. Be directly or tangibly association with events or living traditions, etc.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2009/05/148_44849.html

'Queen Yu-na' Makes History

'Queen Yu-na' Makes History
03-29-2009 18:24

Kim Yu-na makes a victory lap after receiving the gold medal in the ladies’ free skating competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles, Saturday. The 18-years-old girl earned 131.59 in the free skating and 207.71 total to become the first woman to score more than 200 points since the new scoring system was adopted in 2004. / AP-Yonhap

By Kang Seung-wooStaff Reporter

Kim Yu-na made history in world figure-skating after becoming the first person to score more than 200 points in winning her first World Championship title in Los Angeles, Sunday.

With a sizeable lead after the short program, Saturday, Kim never looked back as she gracefully took to the rink in free skating, Sunday.

She performed a remarkably charismatic dance, demonstrating flexibility and powerful energy before an awestruck crowd at the Staples Center.

The 18-year-old Kim earned 131.59 points in the free-style to finish with a 207.71 total. Fans waving Korean flags and holding placards with her name went wild as she finished her elegant performance.

``This is the last competition of the season and the last World Championships before the Olympic Games, so I really wanted this title,'' said Kim, who has undergone training in Toronto under two-time Canadian Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser.

Her number not only eclipsed rival Mao Asada's record of 199.52 for the highest combined score, but also made Kim, a two-time Grand Prix final champion, the first skater to score more than 200 points since the new scoring system was adopted in 2004.

``To perform this well at the World Championships was my dream,'' Kim told reporters. ``I did it here and it is just amazing.''

The South Korean, a native of Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, skated to a record 76.12 to break her own previous mark of 72.24 in her short program, Saturday.

Adding the world title to her colorful career, Kim stands out as the most promising contender 11 months ahead of the Vancouver Olympics.

``2010 is the most important year for me as I prepare for the Olympics,'' she added.

Gliding across the ice to Scheherazade, she skated a program that featured six triple jumps and tacked a triple flip-triple toe loop combination.

Kim, who achieved bronze medals in the past two World Championships, completed three jump combinations ― a triple lutz-double toe loop-double loop.

With her elegant artistry and lack of nerves, Kim, who topped the Four Continents Championships in Vancouver in February, completed her routine, with the only mistake being a planned triple salchow, which she converted into a single jump.

But it was not enough to put a dampener on a near-flawless performance.

ksw@koreatimes.co.kr

Bulguksa Temple

photo.naver.com/view/2008111111192575401

Built approximately 1500 years ago, Bulguksa Temple is not only a landmark historical site of Gyeongju but also a world-class historical site as UNESCO World Heritage along with nearby Seokguram Grotto. The temple's beauty and the aesthetic value of stone relics are acknowledged worldwide.