Simply Sarah

Year-end Specials

2009-12-15T01:03:00.001+09:00

Hi eveyrone!

I'm planning a special show to mark the end of 2009 (say whaaaat??). We'd love to hear from all of you about: how your year was what your favorite/most memorable part of 2009 was what your favorite songs or who your favorite singers/groups were and what your plans/hopes/resolutions for 2010 are.

Please email kpop@kbs.co.kr with your answers and we'll pick a few to read on air :) We need your feedback for the KPOP shows as well as for another year-end special, so please write in, everyone~~!!

Thank you~ Saranghae!!

Adieu, Chris :(

2009-12-01T23:00:00.000+09:00

Ok, I know I'm 4 months late, but here are some pictures from Chris' birthday/going-away party.

The KBS gang at a restaurant in Hongdae

Chris blowing out his huge cake from Costco :)

Chris and Jackson Kim, one of the hosts of Seoul Calling

I don't know what Chris and I are doing. Sophia, Mr. Choi, Yoon Hye-Won (writer and host of "World Wide Friendship") and Jackson

We managed to take a nice picture

Chris is currently in South America studying Spanish and taking a much-needed break :) We all miss you Chris!

"DJ For A Week" KPOP Connection's 2nd Anniversary

2009-11-22T15:14:00.000+09:00

Wow...it's been 3 1/2 months since my last post. That's gotta be a record, right? hehe

죄송합니다~~~!! I'm sorry!!

Here are some pictures from KPOP Connection's special event "DJ For A Week," which commemorated the show's 2nd anniversary. Last year, we invited 3 listeners to co-host the show with us. Selene from Malaysia was the grand prize winner, and was flown over and housed at a hotel, courtesy of KBS World Radio. Listeners Steve (from Malaysia and the US) and Paul (from the US) were also chosen to host the show with Chris and me.

This year, we decided to expand the special event to a week's worth of shows, with 3 guest DJs hosting two shows each. This year's grand prize winner was Kim Shaw, from the US. Two other Americans, Cheyenne Dorsey and James Lockett, were also chosen to co-host the show with us.
The first two weeks of November were busy, busy, busy, but a lot of fun. Young and I had a blast with our special guest DJs and all of us enjoyed the events and festivities that coincided with the show's anniversary.

We had a couple of dinners and nights at the noraebang (singing room/karaoke); we were featured in a local English newspaper, the Korea Times ; and we were guests on a top domestic radio show hosted by singer/song-writer Maybee.

Cheyenne, Kim, me, Maybee, Young and James

Because it was a domestic show, it was all in Korean. Although the guest DJs were a little nervous about speaking Korean, no one was as nervous as I was! I'm not fluent and though I was born and raised in the US, I'm still expected to speak Korean well because I'm Korean by blood. It's a little backwards if you ask me. That being said, I do acknowledge that I need to study the language more, seeing as how I live and work here :P

Anyway, the 30 minutes we were on the show flew by and Maybee's listeners loved Kim, Cheyenne and James. In true Korean fashion, they were asked to show off their "개인기/gaeingi/personal talent." As it was a music radio show, they were asked to sing and they did a great job! Kim sang "소원을 말해봐/Tell Me Your Wish" by Girls' Generation; Cheyenne sang Baek Ji-Young's "나쁜 사람/ Bad Person" from the Hwang Jini OST; and James sang a Yoon Do-Hyun/YB medley.

We bumped into actor Lee Bum-Soo, who was scheduled to go on the show after us. Kim and I said "안녕하세요/Annyeonghasaeyo" to him, but I think he was too shocked by the sight of so many foreigners to say hi back.

Lee Bum-Soo

Although the whole experience was well-documented by the KBS internet team and KBS-staffer Luke Cleary (I think he should have the video up soon...? Check out his video blog anyway because it's fun AND informative ^^ ), I do not have many pictures. My poor baby Nikon is on the fritz and the flash won't work. I did manage to take a few pictures of the recording we did for the special edition of Korean Pop Interactive, which aired on Sunday, November 15th.

Our producer Sophia Hong and Luke

Cheyenne, James, Young and Kim

Kim and Young-in from the KBS World Radio internet team

The rest are photos I took when I gave Kim a guided tour of downtown Seoul. We hit Gwanghwamun, Insadong, Gyeongbok Palace, Cheonggye Stream and Myeongdong. Unfortunately, my camera battery died while we were out, so I only got a few pictures of the palace and Insadong.

Visitors posing with one of the "guards"

When Kim and I went to Insadong for lunch, we found an apple festival on one end of the street and actress Han Ji-Min (from the drama "Cain and Abel" with my man So Ji-sub :P ) participating in a children's charity event on the other.

I felt like such a stalkerazzi (stalker-paparazzi)

Kim enjoying her 모과/mogwa/quince tea. I had the 유자/yuja/citron tea.

And those are all the pictures I took of the event. I'm going to ask Cheyenne and Kim to send me the ones they took with their cameras, but I hope these will do for now ^___^

The rest of the pictures are for Selene, who requested pictures of the beautiful fall foliage.

Star Chat Extravaganza!

2009-08-02T22:21:00.000+09:00

I've been extremely lazy with posting and I do apologize. Life happens and when your co-host decides to leave you in the dust things get hectic...just kidding, Chris! But things have been busy at work and though I'm excited for Chris as he embarks on an exciting new chapter in his life, I will miss the kid.

Anyway, here are the Star Chat photos I promised more almost 3 months ago! eek! Where does the time go??

Star Chat: KCM (May 4). Balladeer KCM is like Kim Jong-Gook. They're these huge, muscular guys with voices of sweet angels! hehe I'm just saying, you would not expect a voice like that to come out of a body like that.

The next week, I interviewed JYP's ballad group 2AM (May 17). It was a morning interview so I think we were all a bit out of it (especially me). Jo Kwon was speaking a mile minute and I just sat there, thinking of rainbows and unicorns, or it seemed like it. Sorry for the horrible translating! Chang-Min apparently speaks English but did not want to that morning for some reason. Help a Korean-American girl out, Chang-Min! Oh well, maybe next time!~

Lee Chang-Min and cutie maknae Jung Jin-Oon

Lim Seul-Ong, Lee Chang-Min, Me, Jo Kwon & Jin-Woon

Next up, Chris and I interviewed JYP's "Hottest Time of the Day" boy band 2PM (May 31).
Well, the English-speakers of the group, anyway. Leader and American-born Jae-Beom, Thai-Chinese-American Nichkhun and 1.5 generation Korean-American (he was born in Korea but moved to Boston when he was young) Taecyeon joined us in the studio for their second ever interview in English. It was a treat for us, too, especially since I had been going on and on about how cute I thought Khun to Chris, you listeners and our producer, Sophia. Thanks for booking them, Sophia! I was the envy of every KPOP fangirl :P

Nichkhun, Chris, Jae Beom, Me, Taecyeon

Here are some extra individual shots for you fans. These are my personal pictures that were spread all over the internet and to 2PM fan websites in a matter of days. Our office girl Seong-Young had posted them on her personal Cyworld mini-homepage and a friend took the pictures from her and so on and so on. You can imagine my surprise and confusion when I saw my pictures on a fan video when I hadn't even posted them on the internet yet. The internet is scary sometimes.

Khun

Jae Beom

Taec

On June 14th, we interviewed Lee Jung-Hyun, a.k.a. Ava. The petite singer was bubbly and honest and a pleasure to interview.

Lee Jung-Hyun, Chris and my arm.

And last but not least, I interviewed speed rapper Outsider on July 19. I was not expecting the powerful rapper who can spit out 17 syllables in 1 second to be so humble and good-natured. He was a very sweet guy. He even took the interview question sheet to give to his dad! How cute is that!?

Next up: Pictures from Chris' birthday/going-away party

8eight's First Concert

2009-05-11T16:21:00.000+09:00

Sorry for the delay~ Here are some pictures from 8eight's first mini-concert, which was held at Club Answer in Apgujeong on April 24th.
Chris and I had time to quickly say "annyung!" and wish them luck before the show.

The club was packed with people who stood in the rain for hours to get in. Fans came from all over the country (some even flew over from abroad) to see 8eight's first headlining concert.

Baek Chan, Joo-Hee and Lee Hyun

The group sang all of their hits like "Forget About Love and Sing," "Let Me Go" and of course, "Heartless." They sang songs off of all 3 albums, performed special renditions of popular songs like "Oh, Happy Day!" and even read letters they had written to their fans. Each member shed tears at the concert, leading members of the audience to begin chanting "울지마! 울지마!/ Don't Cry! Don't Cry!" All those years of blood, sweat and tears have paid off and I'm glad they are doing well.
8eight's Showvival competitors-cum-friends, V.O.S. and Sweet Sorrow, performed at the concert as the group's special guests.

V.O.S.
(I didn't understand everything Kim Kyeong-Rok said that night, but I do know he was sassy!)

Sweet Sorrow
(Sorry, this is the best picture I could take. I was being pushed around by little girls in the audience--fangirls can be vicious! )

The concert lasted a little over 2 hours (maybe 2 and a half?) and Chris and I enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to 8eight and their manager for hooking us up :)

In other news, we were joined by Malaysian listeners and Hallyu fans Theresa and Molly.

Me, Theresa & Molly outside of KBS

We interviewed them on our daily show, KPOP Connection, and their enthusiasm was contagious.
Hope to see you two again in the future :)

I'll be posting another entry soon with pictures from Star Chat, so look out for that!

8eight and the Beginning of Spring

2009-04-15T13:35:00.000+09:00

Here are the pictures of the Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (formerly known as the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival) I promised~

If you look carefully, you can see petals showering passers-by

...which leads to this: nature's confetti

Trying to study when the weather's warm and the flowers are blooming is next to impossible

Chris and I had the chance to interview R&B/hip-hop trio 8eight again for Korean Pop Interactive (April 12, 2009). We interviewed them almost a year ago (May 14, 2008) and it was fun seeing them again. "Beautiful leader" Lee Hyun, Joo-Hee and rapper Baek-Chan talked about their new album, how their lives and music have changed in the past year and also what they like to do in their free time. They're holding their first ever concert this weekend (April 25th) at Club Answer in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, so check it out if you're in the area!

Baek-Chan, me, Joo-Hee, Chris, Seong-Yeong (our co-worker) and Lee-Hyun

The warm weather and burst of greenery are definitely making me feel cheerier and you can feel and hear the buzz of happy Seoulites whenever you go outside. There are more people strolling around the city and cafes and restaurants have set up tables outside for customers to enjoy the season. I hope you are all enjoying spring (or fall for of you below the equator)~ I certainly am! :)

I'm Back~

2009-04-05T01:59:00.001+09:00

Well, I've been back for 3 weeks now. Did you miss me?? No? I know Chris and Sue did a great job while I was away...maybe too great! I'm glad to be back, though.
I arrived Monday night and was back at work on Tuesday! Whew!

Iinterviewed duo Davichi that week for Korean Pop Interactive's Star Chat (3/22)

At "Music Bank" rehearsals on March 27th

Davichi-members Kang Min-Kyung and Lee Haeri

They were very upbeat and outgoing. They also have AMAZING voices! Their talent definitely sets them apart from some of the other female groups.

Chris and I interviewed Super Junior's Lee Teuk and Eun-Hyuk the week after, for Korean Pop Interactive's April 5th episode.

Music Bank (3/27)

I found this on the bus stop sign outside KBS and thought it was hilarious. I have used my editing skills (really good, right?? haha) to protect the people who defaced public property from receiving prank calls. I like how it says "only 13!"

Us with only 2! Eun-Hyuk and Lee-Teuk, who either had a cold or was taking protecting himself from yellow dust (황사/hwangsa, which blankets Korea every spring) very seriously.

You could tell these guys are pros--not only were they fun interviewees, they even made sure they took turns answering questions. You'd think having to share the spotlight with so many members would make them bogart the mic any chance they got--I would! :-P

That's it for this time~ I'll be posting pictures of cherry blossoms soon :)

Star Chat, pt. 2

2009-02-15T16:44:00.000+09:00

Here are more pictures from the "Star Chat" interviews we did in February.

Tiffany and Jessica from Girls' Generation (February 9th):

I don't know why we posed with the ugly plant

The girls were bubbly and sweet. They also gave a lot of insight into the real life of trainees (not as horrific as we thought it was!).

I interviewed 4/5 of the girl group KARA the next week (February 16th):

Goo Hara, Park Gyuri, Nicole and Han Seung-Yeon

The girls had just woken up from a brief cat-nap (they have to squeeze in the zzz's whenever they can) to come record the interview, but they were very pleasant and professional. Kang Ji-Young couldn't be there for the interview (she was at her middle-school graduation!). There's always next time~

Chris joined me to interview Bobby Kim the week after (February 23rd)

Seong-Yeong surprises Chris with the camera

Finalizing our questions

Looks like the "yo mama" joke I told didn't go over so well with Bobby

But we made up long enough to pose for this picture ;)

I'm just joking. Bobby Kim was really cool and the passion and seriousness he puts into his music is obvious. His concerts, to be held next week, have all sold out and his singles are rising up the charts. We wish him continued success and perhaps he'll even take up our invitation to hang out :)

Star Chat will be on hiatus for a few weeks, but we'll be back in mid-March with more hot interviews. Keep tuning in~

Star Chat: K.Will & SS501

2009-02-15T14:44:00.000+09:00

If you've visited our site and/or tuned in during the past few weeks, you'll have noticed that we've started up "Star Chat" again. "Star Chat" is an interview segment on our Sunday hour-long program "Korean Pop Interactive."

I interviewed singer K.Will on January 23rd.

He's a very sweet and humble guy. I was not flirting, by the way; I giggle when I'm nervous. It was my first interview without Chris and also my first in 3 months, so of course I was a bit tense :)

The week after (February 1st), Chris was back by my side for an interview with 3 of the members of SS501. Though group leader Kim Hyun-Joong is currently busy appearing in the hit drama "Boys Over Flowers" and Park Jung-Min is performing almost nightly in the musical "Grease," the three remaining members (Heo Young-Saeng, Kim Kyoo-Jong and Kim Hyung-Joon) are continuing on with group activities until all five regroup in June.

That's our co-worker Seong-Young standing in the corner like a stalker ;)

Kim Kyoo-Jong, Kim Hyung-Joon & Heo Young-Saeng

Seong-Young, friend (sorry, don't know her name!), SS501, Me & Chris

I have more pictures from my interviews with Tiffany and Jessica from Girls' Generation and Kara that I will post later~

Hope you enjoy these for now :)

music bank - part 3

2009-02-04T03:00:00.000+09:00

Finally, the last post on my first "Music Bank" experience!

Seung-Ri from Big Bang performing his solo single "Strong Baby"

The show's finale, when the hosts bring everyone back on stage.

After the show, my cousins and I went backstage to see if we could get pictures with the singers.

We first bumped into Seung-Ri and my cousins were so star-struck, they couldn't even speak.

Seung-Ri with my cousins Jono (can you see the nervousness on his face?) and Ji-Hye

Jono loosened up when he met friendly rapper Mario

Here I am in an awkward pose with M (Lee Min-Woo)

music bank - part 2

2009-01-30T11:00:00.000+09:00

Typhoon & Solbi

Solbi waiting for her turn to sing

Kim Kyeong-Rok (from V.O.S.) singing his heart out

"Oh, I'm so pretty!"

Kara

Rumblefish

M (Lee Minwoo)

Had to put in an extra one of M because he's just so dashing :)

SHINee

Norajo...they were entertaining and all...

but their dancers deserve some recognition, too!

Look out for part 3~

music bank - part 1

2009-01-24T22:00:00.000+09:00

Wow, has it really been a month since I last posted? Sorry~ Time sure does fly. And yes, I realize I say that every single time. It's true though~

Anyway, to appease you guys, I have a treat in store for you--a Music Bank picture extravaganza! On Friday, January 23rd, I took two of my cousins (visiting from abroad) to see the Music Bank dress rehearsals. It was my first time, too, and their excitement was contagious. We saw performances from a slew of stars, old and new, and got to meet some backstage. Thank you, Sophia (producer), for getting us inside :)

I took about a hundred pictures, but most came out blurry or foggy looking because of the flashing lights. Since there were so many performers, I'm going to post them in 3 separate entries. This is, obviously, part 1.

Let the show begin~

Music Bank hosts, Yoo Se-Yoon and Park Eun-Young

New girl group, After School

Twin singers Wink

Rapper/R&B singer Jessica H.O.

Lee Pani and Bbaegga (from Koyote)

Brown Eyed Girls' Miryo

May Doni

Rapper Mario and Lee Chang-Min (from 2AM)

Ran

Check back for Part 2~

Underground Christmas

2008-12-28T03:00:00.000+09:00

Merry belated Christmas everyone!
These pictures may also be belated, as Christmas was 2 days ago, but I thought I'd share some photos from the Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping Arcade in Banpo, southern Seoul.

The arcade is full of stores selling EVERYTHING. Well, almost everything. There are fresh flowers:

fake flowers and plants:

dinnerware and products for interior decorating...like gourds:

earthenware:

more fake plants/interior decorating products:

plastic fruit:

bags:

And for the last two months of the year, many of the stores are full of all things Christmas:

Sorry for the poor quality of some of these photos. I had a bunch more that were too blurry due to insufficient lighting (I hate using the flash). I was also taking pictures as I walked up and down the strip, making sure not to stop long enough for a store owner to decide he/she did not want me there simply taking pictures.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the photos. I'll try to work on steadying my hands for my next photo shoot :)

Happy holidays, everyone!

DJ For A Day pictures!

2008-12-18T23:16:00.000+09:00

So, here they are! These are some pictures from the "DJ for a Day" contest we held in early November, in honor of KPOP Connection's 1st anniversary (November 12). We invited 3 listeners to co-host with Chris and me. Selene, Paul T. and Steve came to our studios and (I hope) had a blast.

Lunch with Selene. (Sophia, Mr. Chae and Joe the intern are on the right).

Selene and Sophia discussing how the show is made

Right before we recorded Paul T's noraebang-themed show

Paul T. and his fiancee, Sophie

Getting ready for Steve's show. There are too many pictures of me with my mouth open like that.

See?

After we recorded the shows, we went to Hongdae to let loose. We had dinner, then went to the noraebang, of course :)

All work and no play makes Yoon-Gook a dull boy...

so he decided to put down the camera and join in on the noraebang fun.

Chris and fellow-KBSer Sue Park picking out songs

Some more food and drinks in Hongdae

Sophia, Chris and I had so much fun doing the specials, even though our guest DJs outshone us :)
I wanted to thank them and all of you who participated in the contest. We wouldn't be here without your love and support! Gamsahamnida!

Here's to another great year of KPOP!

Autumn in Seoul 2008

2008-11-30T20:08:00.000+09:00

I was supposed to post pictures from the whole "DJ For A Day" experience, but have yet to retrieve them from Sophia, the show's producer. Thus, in the meantime, here are some pictures from a trip to Olympic Park in Eastern Seoul.

은행나무/Eunghaeng namoo/Gingko trees lining the perimeter of the park

단풍나무/Danpoong Namoo/Maple, some tree with yellow leaves and another unknown tree that was laden with red berries.

감/Gam/Persimmon

Gingko leaves upclose

More Gingko. Though Gingko berries stink to high heaven when they fall onto the ground and begin to rot, the trees ARE gorgeous.

Men playing 장기/Janggi/Chinese Chess

갈대/Galdae/reeds -- they look like they're glowing

Right??

Gingko berries! They are delicious! But I hear they're harmful (and may even cause death) if you eat too many. I ate most of the ones you see in this picture and I'm fine!...well, sort of :-P

you're all winners

2008-11-05T23:36:00.000+09:00

Hey, everyone!
As Chris and I mentioned on KPOP Connection on Monday, we've picked the winners of our "DJ for a Day" contest.

They are:

Paul T. from USA, now living in Korea

Steve from Malaysia, now living in Korea

Selene from Malaysia

Congratulations to them, and thank you to everyone who entered. It was so great hearing from you all! And your ideas were AWESOME, but unfortunately, we had to pick just 3 to come to KBS to record a show with us.
Though you guys didn't win this time, we'll have a bunch of contests in the future (we have our on-going "Listener of the Week" contest) and if you ever come to Korea, come on over to KBS!

I'll update next week when we air our 1st year anniversary show.

Take care!

extra info

2008-10-20T23:01:00.000+09:00

Hi guys!
We've received a bunch of entries from abroad and are looking for more from Korea :)
Of course, we'd love to receive more from abroad, too.

Just a reminder--you guys have until October 26th (just under a week left) to submit your ideas and personal info (name, address, phone number) to kpop@kbs.co.kr.
Also, don't forget to check your passport--make sure it's valid until at least May 2009!!

Hmm, what else? Oh yeah, you can submit more than one entry if you think of a better idea.

Hurry and send one in! And if you've sent one, send in another!

DJ For A Day~~~!!!

2008-10-06T15:59:00.000+09:00

“DJ For A Day”

Hey K-Poppers! KPOP Connection is turning 1 on November 12th and to celebrate, we’re planning a week of special shows and contests! As part of the festivities, 3 of you listeners (from Korea and abroad) will get the chance to co-host KPOP Connection with Sarah and Chris! To enter the contest, simply pitch an idea for an episode of KPC (for example: the Top 5 songs you listen to when you’re happy). The 3 listeners with the best ideas will be invited to KBS in Seoul to guest DJ for a day (1 day per listener)!
Email kpop@kbs.co.kr with “DJ For A Day” in the subject line. Include your name, your address, your idea for an episode of KPC and your cell/home phone number. We’ll call the finalists to hear their ideas in detail and then we’ll pick 3 lucky winners!
So, hurry up and send in your ideas as soon as possible! We’re waiting~!

**If a listener outside Korea is chosen, KBS World will provide airfare and 3 nights’ accommodation**

Insadong

2008-09-21T20:34:00.000+09:00

One the places I like to visit when I have some free time is Insadong. It's a touristy spot, yes, but it's also home to many small art galleries and restaurants that serve 한식/Hanshik/Korean food. It's fun to go with friends (especially those visiting from abroad) but it's also fun when you're alone, since there's so much to do, see and eat. I like taking pictures, so I usually carry around my dica (digital camera).
Here are some pictures I took on two trips to Insadong during the summer:

antique road show

i have a thing for taking pictures of alleyways

떡/ddeok/rice cakes

one of the many shops that sell various "Korean" products

핸드폰 걸이/ handphone geori/ cell phone accessories. I've bought butterfly ones for all of my girl friends.

삼겹살/samgyeopsal/pork belly & 대나무통밥/ daenamu-tongbab/rice cooked in bamboo cups.
the bamboo rice is so delish. they put rice, a jujube, a chestnut, some nuts and some gingko berries in a bamboo cup and then steam it.

many restaurants deliver food no matter where you are. it's common to see street vendors eating food delivered by someone [in this case an 아줌마/ajumma/(older) woman] from a nearby restaurant. then the trays, dishes and utensils are picked up by the delivery person and returned to the restaurant. good for the environment, tough on the ajumma.

Hwang Jini on a card

tea cups and pots

my only fans. haha

raspberries and mulberries

these masks kind of scare me.

one of the many kiosks that line the main strip of insadong. you might be able to haggle well, but in my experience, most of the jewelry sold in insadong is overpriced.

pigs really do fly. wait, does that mean hell has frozen over? i like that some of the pigs are wearing undies :)

한지/hanji/korean paper. you can use hanji as wall-paper and for various arts and crafts (the window a few pix up is covered in hanji). i like to use it as wrapping paper.

호떡/hoddeok/fried dough stuffed with sugar and cinnamon, and sometimes pine nuts. this hoddeok stand is really popular and there's usually a long line of people waiting for this not-for-those-on-a-diet treat. warning: the cinnamon/sugar liquid center is often ridiculously hot. i've burned my tongue on several occassions because i usually want to devour the whole thing as quickly as possible.

some more ddeok. this is totally froufrou ddeok, but it is delicious. i like simple ddeok without all of the nuts and berries. my favorite is 무지게 떡/moojige ddeok/rainbow ddeok, which you can see on the far right. it is subtly sweet and maybe a bit boring to some, but i like vanilla ice cream... so there you go.

novelty pens. not very traditional, but very korean and very cute.

무궁화/moogoonghwa/rose of sharon a.k.a. hibiscus: the national flower of korea.

randomness from the past few weeks

2008-08-18T21:00:00.000+09:00

to appease the 4 readers of this blog until i write a real entry:

chinese characters on a bench, insadong

street fortune-teller and clients

chat with directors and cast at the 3rd migrant worker film festival in insadong.

beijing olympics opening ceremony: r.o.k. and fiji. sorry for the shoddy camera work :)

Listener of the Week

2008-08-04T15:19:00.000+09:00

It's a new week and the sun is shining and it's hot. HOT, I say!
At least I can go to the Han River pool and picnic in the park without fear of rain :)
This weekend, I was so lethargic, but I did manage to clean my apartment. You might think it'd be easy, seeing as how it's just a tiny box, however, I am a messy pack-rat. That means mountains of paper, doodads, dust bunnies and clothes everywhere. I seriously don't know how I've accumulated so much stuff. And yet, it's always stuff I feel I need or will need "one day." Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

ANYWAY, I hope you guys enjoyed Yoon Do-Hyun's new segment--the video's on our website, if you want to take a look here. If you want Yoon Do-Hyun to talk about a certain rock singer or band, let us know and we'll pass it on to him.

Also, if you tuned into Saturday's show, you heard Chris and I announce the Listener of the Week. We pick a letter that stuck out in our minds and the listener who wrote the letter/request will receive a souvenir from us. Last week, the winner was Tarek Zeidan from Cairo, Egypt!
If you want to be a part of this whole thing, just send us a song request and tell us a little bit about yourself via email (kpop@kbs.co.kr) or the message board.

I'll try to post pix next time :)

Rain, rain, go away...

2008-07-30T10:14:00.000+09:00

...and take the heat with you, please.

The only good thing about the rain is that it cools down the concrete jungle of Seoul. You'd think being surrounded by the river would help--Yeouido is an island, afterall.

And that's my daily complaint about the weather :P

Thanks to all who commented and congratulated us on our new segment, "Rock On with Yoon Do-Hyun." Chris and I are excited and, dare I say, so is Yoon. I know he's a little nervous about hosting the show in English, but I'm sure he'll do a superb job. He's a star, afterall!

In other news, my trip to the States was fantastic! Saw a lot of friends I hadn't seen in years and shopped 'til I almost dropped! Before you look down on my materialistic ways, know this: it's a necessity! I can rarely find shoes that fit me here in Korea! The ones that do are ugly or too casual. I have big feet, in case you didn't catch that. I'm also bigger than the average Korean woman, thus, shopping for clothes that fit well (or at all) can be a bit difficult at times.
However, if your shoe size is no bigger than (US) 8 and your pants size is no bigger than 29 inches, Korea is a shopping paradise. Basically, you must be petite.

Ok, this is turning out to be a post about too many different things. I'm going to stop here. You can ask questions and I'm sure I'll talk more about the weather, Yoon Do-Hyun and shopping in Korea again in the future.

I hope everyone is doing well! Don't forget to tune in this Friday for Yoon's first corner! ALSO Chris and I are picking the song request of the week on Saturday, so write to us (kpop@kbs.co.kr)!!

EXTRA!! EXTRA!!

2008-07-25T18:06:00.000+09:00

Ok, folks! I've been gone for quite some time, but you can't say I haven't been busy!
After a whirlwind trip to the US to see some friends (one got married), I come back to find out that an idea that had been brewing before I left the country has become reality--we have a new segment on KPOP Connection AND it's going to be hosted by YOON DO-HYUN!!!
How amazing is that??
Yoon wants to reach out to international listeners and prepare for his band's upcoming US debut, while also telling us about the local rock scene--giving us an insider's view.
Chris and I and everyone at KBS World Radio are extremely excited to have him join the show. I hope this brings in more local listeners and of course, makes you loyal international listeners happy as well :)

We just talked to Yoon and his manager about the final details and we're already getting attention from the local media! Everything in Korea is 빨리 빨리! (Bballi/Hurry) Go! Go! Go! Here's a story on the new segment from newsen.com .

윤도현 글로벌 DJ 도전 ‘유창한 영어 실력 자랑’

[2008-07-25 11:31:14]

[뉴스엔 김형우 기자]

가수 윤도현이 글로벌 DJ에 도전한다.

윤도현이 KBS 국제방송 영어 음악 프로그램 'K-POP Connection' 게스트 DJ로 출연하게 된 것.

'K-POP Connection'은 KBS 국제방송 간판 프로그램이다. Sarah Jun(사라 전) 과 Chris Dykas(크리스 다이커스)의 톡톡 튀는 진행으로 이미 미국, 캐나다, 중국, 말레이시아 등지의 한류 팬들 사이에 폭발적 인기를 얻고 있다.

윤도현은 지난 6월 이 프로그램의 스타 초대석에 출연했다. 윤도현의 유창한 영어실력과 재치 있는 입담이 네티즌들의 열렬한 반응을 이끌어낸 데 고무된 제작진이 그를 게스트 DJ로 전격 영입하기로 했다는 후문이다.

윤도현은 8월1일부터 매주 금요일 한국 대표 록 아티스트 소개 코너를 맡아 한국의 록음악의 면면을 전세계에 알릴 예정이다.

윤도현은 2005년 유럽 4개국 투어를 필두로 세계 무대에 눈을 돌리기 시작했다. 국내 가수 최초로 시도한 유럽투어를 통해 윤도현은 무엇보다 ‘가장 한국적인 것이 가장 세계적’이라는 점을 절감했다고 한다.

그의 세계 무대로의 도전은 이후 미국, 일본 등지의 공연을 통해 꾸준히 이어지고 있다. 해외 진출을 목표로 꾸준히 영어를 독학해 왔다.

There are a few others, too. If you go to naver.com and type in the search words "윤도현 영어" (Yoon Do-Hyun English) or my name (or Chris'), the stories will come up! HOW EXCITING ...for Chris and I! I've already called my parents haha! Let our 15 seconds of fame begin! woot woot!

Oh my, my head is spinning. Ok, well, let me tell you when the segment starts--the first one will air on Friday, August 1st. He'll be on weekly--but of course, do tune in everyday :)
And don't forget to write in with song requests (kpop@kbs.co.kr)!!

Summer Vacay!

2008-07-09T19:22:00.007+09:00

I went on a road trip to 부산/Busan (the port city in the south and the second largest city in the country) with a few of my friends the other month. I'll tell you about it in another post, though. I just wanted to post some pictures of the seafood I enjoyed while there (sort of a follow-up to my 노량진/Noryangjin Fish Market post). Serene asked me about 멍게/mung-ge/ sea squirt and spoon worm and I have a picture of it :)

멍게/ mung-ge/sea squirt...looks appetizing, no?

the rest of the spread: different types of 회/hwe/sliced raw fish, 파전/pajun/green onion pancake (on the bottom), corn, sliced green chili peppers and garlic and 초고추장/cho gochujang/red chili pepper paste mixed with vinegar and soy sauce and wasabi as dipping sauces.

my friends and i playing with our food
(we're holding 깻입/ggaennip/sesame leaf/perilla leaf)

산낙지/san nakji/ live octopus drizzled with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds and green onions
(my friend is showing you all how it's done :) i ate it, too)

광안리 해수욕장/Gwangali haesooyokjang/ Gwangali Beach

Luke, I am your father (it looks like a light saber and yes, I'm a dork)

In other news, I'm off to the US soon for a week or so to visit some friends and attend a wedding! Sue Park, former host of Korean Pop Interactive and current host of many shows and corners on KBS World Radio, will be taking my place while I'm gone. I'm sure the long-time listeners will be glad to hear her back on a music show. Just remember...I'M COMING BACK! hehe

Take care and enjoy the summer, if you're in the northern hemisphere! And if not, then try some san nakji!

YB on KPI

2008-06-29T20:40:00.000+09:00

Chris and I interviewed rock star Yoon Do-Hyun on the last Star Chat. He was a lot of fun and we were both surprised he could speak English so well :)
He is as easy-going and friendly in person as he sounds in the interview. It's so nice to see that all of his fame and popularity has not gone to his head and his main priority is his music with his band (YB) and doing shows. They performed at a charity concert called the West Coast Festival this weekend to benefit the residents of the west coast who were hit with the terrible oil spill in Taean in December 2007. Anyway, check out the interview here.

Anyway, Marc recently wrote on the message board asking us to ask Tablo (if we ever interview him or Epik High) a few questions. Chris and I have talked about this before, too--if you could ask a KPOP star a question, what would it be? If we ever interview that person, we'll ask them on your behalf. It could be directed towards a specific artist/group or it could be a general question. You can email me (sarahjun@kbs.co.kr) with the question or write it on the message board.

I'll leave you with this inspirational/philosophical message I saw on a wall in Hongdae (area near Hongik University) that always makes me smile.

Star Chat on Korean Pop Interactive

2008-06-20T12:29:00.000+09:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I posted last. I always think of something to post when I'm out but when I get home, I don't remember what I wanted to say or it doesn't seem so interesting anymore.
Anyway, I'll try to post more often, even if it is just a picture or two.

Last week Chris and I interviewed singer/song-writer duo 유리상자/Yurisangja (which means glass case or glass box in Korean) on Star Chat. You can watch the video of the interview here.

Here are some pix and videos:

이세준/Lee Se-Joon, Me (apparently I'm sleepy), Chris and 박승화/Park Seung-Hwa

The music video of their latest single "Honeymoon," which is featured on their 10th anniversary greatest hits album "All That Yurisangja"

And I didn't get a chance to post this pic and video. This is from our 5/26 interview with Japanese and Korean duo Hachi & TJ. You can watch that interview here.

Hachi, Me, TJ (조태준/ Jo Tae-Joon) and Chris

MV of "남쪽끝섬/Nam jjok ggeut seom/South Island," which is featured on their single "장사하자/ Jangsa haja/ Let's Do Business"

We're interviewing Yoon Do-Hyun next, so watch out and tune in for that!

P.S. Please send song requests for both KPOP Connection, our Mon-Sat show, and Korean Pop Interactive, our hour-long Sunday show. If you'd like to make a request, post a message on the board or email us (kpop@kbs.co.kr for KPOP Connection and sarahjun@kbs.co.kr for KPI).
I want to hear from everyone!

Have a great day!

Noryangjin Fish Market

2008-06-02T11:28:00.000+09:00

I think one of the most exciting places in any city is the market. It's where you can experience the real essence of the city and its people.
I went to the Noryangjin Fish Market here in Seoul last month to buy some fresh seafood. Here are some pictures--I went in the late afternoon, so there wasn't much action going on. The wholesale auction takes place between 1 and 6 AM, so if you want some real action, you have to either get up early or stay up the night before. Since I am neither a night owl nor an early bird (I'm always tired...lazy, some might say :P), I rolled on in sometime after lunch.

Here are some pix:

the sign on top reads: 활어회/hwareo hwe/fresh raw fish (sashimi), 문어/mooneo/ octopus, 복/bok/blowfish, 전복/jeonbok/ abalone, 꽃게/ggot-geh/blue crab

회/hwe/raw fish you can buy pre-sliced. you can also choose a live fish and get the fishmonger to scale, gut and slice it up for you

clams, shrimp, octopus

홍어/hong-eo/skate

"aquariums of death" as i like to call them

haggling

huge octopi legs

the sign on the right says: we have live octopus! (koreans have many names for the different types of octopi)

outside the covered fish market, you can buy fresh veggies with which to cook the seafood you've just purchased. the first pic is of 파/pah/green onions and the second is of 미나리/ minari/ dropwort. both are put into various spicy seafood stews/soups. i bought some to cook 꽃게탕/ggot-geh tang/ spicy crab soup.

My goal is to wake up early enough (or stay up late enough) to see the wholesale auction take place...maybe :P

Trip to Hwaseong Temporary Fortress in Suwon

2008-05-15T23:03:00.000+09:00

I recently made a trip to Suwon, a city about an hour away from Seoul. I had originally planned on seeing the town and seeing the famous Hwaseong Fortress, but only got to see Hwaseong Haenggoong (the Hwaseong Fortress is behind this palace)

Here's an excerpt from the Korea Sparkling website.
Hwaseong Haenggung 화성행궁 The Hwaseong Haenggung was a temporary palace where the king sought refuge during war and found rest during times of peace. The Hwaseong Haengung is the largest of all temporary palaces in Korea, used by King Jeongjo and the kings who followed.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

Entrance to the palace

Two pix of the hall where they filmed parts of the drama Dae Janggeum/Jewel in the Palace

A still-shot from the drama

Drawings of all the king's horses and all the king's men

I think it's a magnolia

Wee soldiers

Tracing traditional symbols onto hanji (Korean paper)

Ancient tradition meets modern technology

Suwon is also known for it's sogalbi (beef ribs) so after a tour of the palace, I went to a restaurant for some Korean BBQ.
Sorry, no pictures of that, but I'll leave you with pictures of dessert from another Korean restaurant.

Dessert - watermelon and ddeok (rice cake)

The cinnamon, persimmon, ginger drink sujeonggwa (there's a pine nut floating in the middle)

8eight + 2

2008-05-13T11:27:00.000+09:00

Hello everyone!

So, I guess I could miss the closing ceremony of the Hi Seoul Fest! hehe
Oh well, I'll just have to wait a few months for the next Hi Seoul Fest (it's held every season).

I forgot to post a pic from the interview Chris and I had with R&B group 8eight.

8eight (Joo-Hee, Lee Hyun and Baek-Chan)

They were really outgoing and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they were also down-to-earth. Their vocal skills impressed us, especially when they bust out with that impromptu acapella performance of "I'll Make Love To You." They are a very talented bunch, to say the least.

Here's a video of them. They mentioned that their videos are very popular on the net--you can find a bunch of them on YouTube.

Anyway, check out the video of the interview on Star Chat .
It hasn't been uploaded yet, but it should be up soon enough. The interview was also featured on Sunday's KPI.

Allrighty, I'll leave you with a random picture of socks you can buy almost anywhere on the streets of Seoul.

Hi Seoul Festival

2008-05-08T22:41:00.000+09:00

Last Sunday, I went to the Hi Seoul Fest's opening parade a.k.a. the "Manmin-daerorak," which translates to "everybody having fun on the street."
It was supposed to start at 5, but ended up starting at around 6pm or so! They closed down a huge section of downtown Seoul, from Jongno 3-ga to City Hall, for the parade, which was full of performers, military bands, floats, foreigners and regular citizens.

This is a video clip I recorded with my digital camera. Sorry for the bad quality.

Some lovely traditional Korean drummer/dancers...in front of Pizza Hut :-P

A huge puppet that haunts me in my dreams and will haunt yours now, too! It's looking straight at me!!

Some unicyclists thrown in for good measure. The little kid in front was so cute

My other pictures were blurry and there were short bursts of rain, so I gave up on the pictures.
Anyway, the big closing ceremony is on Sunday night (the 11th) and it looks to be spectacular. All of the performers are set to take the stage that night, so I can't miss that, can I?
Here's the link for the festival, just in case you're interested. http://www.hiseoulfest.org

And here are two more pix to end this random post.

Cheonggye Stream by day

Cheonggye Stream by night (a nice "date course" as Koreans would say)

Saranghae, neol saranghae...

2008-05-05T09:21:00.000+09:00

I was pretty slack with the postings last week, sorry! It was a busy week at work.

The highlight, however, was interviewing Mighty Mouth!
237 AKA Sangchoo speaks English well, but didn't feel completely comfortable answering in English. I feel self-conscious about my Korean language skills--which is why I ask the stars to speak in simple Korean! hehe
Anyway, both Sangchoo and Shorry J were really easy-going, polite and funny. Obviously all the attention they're getting has not gotten to their heads :) Check out the interview here.

Chris, Shorry J, Me and Sangchoo in the studio

Here are some pictures I took in Hongdae (the trendy area around Hongik University) .

There are always interesting posters in Hongdae. Yes, you ARE beautiful, Superman; No matter what they say...I like the spring make-up, btw :-P

Customers enjoying delicious Japanese ramen

The fine men who make this delicious dish :)

Pure goodness

I'll put up some pictures of Korean food next time :)

Happy Children's Day!

Week 2!

2008-04-29T17:43:00.000+09:00

Yess!!! My shameless begging for more comments seems to have worked! hehe :-P

Thanks to all who have visited and/or commented.

Did you catch last week's Korean Pop Interactive? I hope you did! As I've mentioned a few times, Chris and I were able to sit down and chat with R&B singer Gummy. We've added a new segment to KPI called "Star Chat." The interview is also available on video on the KPI/KPOP Connection homepage. So far, we only have the Gummy interview up, but we're interviewing hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth this week, so look out for that, too :)

After a lot of rainfall last week, it seems the weather is clearing up a bit... Oh, I can't wait until I can picnic in the park! This island girl needs some sun!

Listener Love

2008-04-23T17:50:00.001+09:00

Hi all!

I don't know exactly how many people are looking at this blog, but I hope there are many of you AND I hope you decide to leave a comment :) (Does it seem like I'm begging shamelessly? :-P)

Anyway, one of the best things about my job is being able to communicate with listeners from all over the world. I'm always amazed to hear from listeners from places like the US, Japan, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sweden, India, Australia, New Zealand and even Iran! I'm even amazed when we hear from listeners here in Korea! I guess I'm just extremely grateful and humbled that there are people who actually choose to listen to the shows and even enjoy them! haha
Thank you to all for the support. I love hearing feedback from you guys, so please don't hesitate to email or write a message on the board.

Here are some pictures from KBS.

Sometimes we get snail mail and I've collected all the cards and letters I've received. Sometimes we get goodies, like this:

Here we are in the shirts sent to us by Adilah and Shi Eun from Teranganu, Malaysia

Sometimes listeners visit us at KBS World:

Here's Marc from Japan (next to me) and two random people that just walked into the picture. Just kidding! You all know Chris :D Standing next to him is Joseph Pacillo (another KBS part-timer).

We promptly put Marc to work :-P
This is our old studio.

And sometimes we meet celebrities (this will be happening every week now that we've added Star Chat, our KPOP star interview segment, to Korean Pop Interactive):

Here's my buddy Yoon Do-Hyun, from the rock group YB and the KBS show "Yoon Do-Hyun's Loveletter." Ok, he's not really my buddy; this is actually the first and only time we've met. :-P

This is Paul T. (a listener who is originally from California but now resides in Korea) and Yoon Do-Hyun.

Marie from Australia also visited us and we chatted with her on the show. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures from that visit, but Marie, if you're reading this, please email them to us.

Ok, that's it for now!

안녕~!

p.s. Don't forget to listen to KPI on Sunday to listen to our interview with 거미/Gummy!

A New Beginning!

2008-04-21T23:57:00.000+09:00

Hi everyone!

Since KBS World Radio's program reshuffle goes into effect today, I thought I'd start a blog, like Abby .

It's a new beginning and Spring is all about new beginnings. I know, I know, the spring season actually began a few weeks ago, but better late than never, right? hehe

For those of you who don't know me, I host 2 KPOP shows:KPOP Connection and Korean Pop Interactive. KPOP Connection is broadcast every Monday through Saturday. My co-host Chris Dykas and I bring all you KPOP lovers 30 minutes of entertainment news, the latest hits, interesting (well, we try, anyway) cultural information and your song requests .

Korean Pop Interactive is the hour-long Sunday version of KPOP Connection, which also features "Artist Spotlight" and song translations and also introduces you to popular Korean dramas.

As I mentioned in the beginning, the program reshuffle goes into effect today and there are some exciting changes!

Firstly, Korean Pop Interactive will now feature a hot star interview each week! This week will feature an interview with the beautiful and talented R&B singer 거미/Gummy! Be sure to check it out this Sunday!

Secondly, KBS World Radio now features a third channel that is exclusively dedicated to KPOP! Both KPOP Connection and KPI will be broadcast several times a day, so it'll be easy to tune in ^^

Thirdly, this blog was started to reach out to all of you out there. Whether you're an avid listener or you've just stumbled onto this blog, I hope you enjoy it. You can also directly contact me at sarahjun@kbs.co.kr or kpop@kbs.co.kr.

Alrighty, that's it for me today!
Annyung~!