GOKPOP | Exclusive K-News in Malaysia & Singapore

Take Home Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk Giant Plushies on Shopee

Saturday, July 17, 2021

Avid Korean drama fans will soon be able to cozy up with the perfect binge-watching companion. From July 12 to August 1, Viu Singapore will be launching Take Your Stars Home – a three-week campaign aimed at giving viewers a chance to take home limited edition, one-of-a-kind 60cm giant plushies featuring their favourite Korean celebrities.

A total of five plushie designs will be available over the three weeks, with different designs released for purchase weekly. Viu-ers can score a giant plushie of their choice when they purchase a 180 Days Viu Premium Subscription. The subscription is priced at $33.51, and eager fans can click-in and make their purchase at Viu Singapore’s official store on Shopee. The plushies are available in limited quantities, while stocks last.

The line-up of Take Your Stars Home plushies include:

12 - 18 July: Doom at Your Service's Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk

19 - 25 July: True Beauty's Cha Eun Woo & Hwang In Yeop

26 July - 1 August: Hotel Del Luna's IU

With Take Your Stars Home, Viu-ers can now enjoy their favorite K-dramas on Viu accompanied by their oppas and unnies. They can re-watch their favorite Doom at Your Service episodes with Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk, cry through the touching scenes from True Beauty while being comforted by Cha Eun Woo and Hwang In Yeop, or hold on to IU through the scary moments in Hotel Del Luna.

Ms. Cheryl Lim, Country Head of Brand, Marketing & Communications, Viu Singapore, said, “We are always looking into our data to uncover insights that would elevate the experience of our Viu-ers. There is just something about Korean dramas that gets our adrenaline pumping, tears flowing and hearts fluttering. Whether you have had a stressful work day or are simply looking to unwind over the weekend, there is nothing like a relaxingly good binge-watching session on Viu to relieve some pressure from your everyday life. And what is better than having the perfect drama watching companion to accompany you through your laughter and tears?

Take Your Stars Home is our way of giving Viu-ers a chance to relive their favourite Viu moment accompanied by their beloved Korean celebrities, and have them enjoy falling in love with their oppas or unnies over and over again.”

For more information on Take Your Stars Home, follow Viu Singapore on Facebook, or visit Viu Singapore’s Official Store on Shopee.

Crash Landing On You

What's Your K-Drama Wishlist for This Christmas?

Thursday, December 17, 2020

One reason why we love K-dramas is for the fantasy-like escape from our daily lives and troubles. While we know that it’s far from reality, it’s still fun to imagine a world where love transcends time, we have unlimited riches at our disposal and a partner in crime who can also help us recharge by holding hands. As you countdown to Christmas, let our ultimate K-drama wishlist guide your year-end K-drama fantasies.

Chaebol Boyfriend/Chaebol Girlfriend

K-dramas are literally rich with chaebols. Chaebols are people whose families own large conglomerates, so they’re super affluent. Having an extremely wealthy boyfriend or girlfriend would mean lots of expensive presents and special events. Some favourites include Lee Young-jun (Park Seo-jun) from What's Wrong With Secretary Kim and Yun Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) from Crash Landing on You. With a well-to-do partner, you can have your heart’s desire!

Castle

Speaking of rich, why own a house when you can own a castle? Many loaded characters have luxurious homes, but a castle is definitely the grandest option. Kim Shin (Gong Yoo)’s castle from Guardian: The Lonely and Great God is especially majestic. Plus it comes with handsome roommates Kim Shin and the Reaper (Lee Dong-wook)!

Love Alarm App

Wouldn’t romance be less complicated if you knew who liked you? The Love Alarm definitely has its pros and cons, but it would be very interesting to try out. With the app, you would easily be able to find out if you have any admirers within a 10-meter radius. No more second-guessing anyone’s feelings, so you can focus on love.

Manpasikjeok

Manpasikjeok, a magical flute from The King: Eternal Monarch, made time travelling across parallel universes possible for Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho) and Jeong Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun). When used with proper caution, you can see all the different versions of yourself living in various parallel universes. You could be a celebrity in one world and a pilot in another. Furthermore, it’d be heartwarming to see loved ones who passed away one more time.

Luxury Supercar

There’s plenty of enviable automobiles in K-dramas. However, it is especially satisfying when we see Sa Hye-jun (Park Bo-gum) drive a luxury car in Record of Youth. Sa Hye-jun is a kind underdog whose success you can’t help but root for. So it’s nice to see him so gleeful when he gets to drive a supercar. Wouldn’t you like to take such a nice car for a ride? It would be even better if you could drive with a handsome Park Bo-gum!

Huge Pile of Cash

Stranger is a suspenseful crime thriller featuring an impassive prosecutor and a gutsy detective. Some of the conflicts involve a major conglomerate Hanjo Group. In the second season of the series, we see Hanjo Group’s vault with enormous piles of cash. If you had a personal stash of cash like that you’d be able to buy a castle, a supercar, and then some.

Swoon-Worthy Wardrobe

In addition to the characters and stories, fashion can be a key element in a good drama. There are many enviable wardrobes in the K-drama world, but Hotel Del Luna and It's Okay to Not Be Okay are some recent shows with super gorgeous outfits. Jang Man-wol and Ko Mun-yeong are fierce fashionistas with impeccable wardrobes. Imagine opening your own closet to exquisite designer pieces tailored just for you.

Human Power Bank

Hong In-pyo (Nam Joo-hyuk) is a handsome source of energy for Ahn Eun-young (Jung Yu-mi) The School Nurse Files. While we might not want to battle jelly monsters on a daily basis, it would be lovely to have a cute personal power bank that looks like Nam Joo-hyuk. Get a boost of energy by holding hands with your good-looking human battery charger.

Which of these ultimate K-drama Christmas wish list items do you want the most? Check out these items in detail by watching all of the shows mentioned on Netflix!

Image Courtesy of Netflix

eventcoverage

Hotel Del Luna' Yeo Jin Goo Explores The Luxurious Hospitality & Famous Halloween Event in the Lion City

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Yoo Jin Goo poses with fans after the tour

tvN’s latest talk-of-the-town drama Hotel Del Luna has dominated viewership rating charts across Asia. All of the episodes aired on tvN in Singapore achieved top 3 position among its target audience (A20-49), among all 120 Pay TV channels in Singapore.

Hotel Del Luna Star Yeo Jin Goo met with the media at the media conference in Singapore

Seeing the buzz around Hotel Del Luna and its main cast among Asian audience, tvN partnered with StarHub to bring the male lead, Yeo Jin-goo who played the elite hotelier, Gu Chan-seong in the drama, to Singapore to meet with fellow media friends and fans, right before the finale is broadcasted on tvN in Singapore and Malaysia on 2 October 2019.

The charming young actor, Yeo Jin Goo, greeted all 70 fans personally during the exclusive Fan Moment

During the media conference held at The Capitol Kempinski, Yeo Jin Goo shared with the audience on the shooting of Hotel Del Luna, Man-wol (played by IU), as well as some of his private life. Yeo Jin Goo revealed that although he played the main lead in the drama who was scared of ghosts, he is not afraid of any supernatural beings. Instead, the charming young actor gets spooked by tiny little bugs.

[#YeoJinGooinSG] Q: Are you afraid of ghost in real life? #YeoJinGoo: Actually I'm not afraid of ghost, but I got frighten by things like appear suddenly like bugs and that really scares me🤣#여진구 pic.twitter.com/bA9QGIgXGh
— GOKPOP (@goKPOP_Asia) September 23, 2019

Yeo Jin Goo also displayed his impeccable acting skills through a little game he played during the occasion, where he was given three scenarios to act out on the spot. When asked to persuade the audience to buy a luxurious yacht triple the purchasing price, a simple “please buy it” from him has already garnered multiple buyers.

Lucky fans get to hi-touch with the affable star after the tour

Following the press conference was a cosy exclusive fan moment, where Yeo Jin Goo met with 70 fans selected by tvN Asia and StarHub. Excited fans came bearing gifts were mesmerised by his radiant smile and sincere greetings, and also won a chance to hi-touch and take a group photo with the smart actor.

Fans get up close and personal with Yeo Jin Goo during one of the haunted houses tour in Halloween Horror Nights 9

The full-day itinerary also involved a visit to one of the region's most iconic scare events – Universal Studios Singapore's Halloween Horror Nights 9 at Resorts World Sentosa, where Yeo Jin Goo went into two haunted houses with 12 lucky fans, and spent some horrific time together to give a perfect finale to the Star Tour.

Hotel Tel Luna Telecast Info:
Time: Every Tuesday and Wednesday at 21:45
Cast: IU, Yeo Jin-goo, Kang Min-na, P.O.
Duration: 60 minutes
No. of Episode: 16
Channel: tvN (StarHub Ch. 824 & Singtel TV Ch. 518/619)

photo by: tvN

eventcoverage

Exclusive Fan Moment with Yeo Jin Goo at Hotel Del Luna Media Conference in Singapore

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The elite hotelier from the hottest Korean drama, ‘Hotel Del Luna’, graced our shores. Yeo Jin Goo, who plays Goo Chan Sung—a hotel manager in the hit series, held a press conference on 23 September in Singapore in lieu of his Star Tour. It has been almost 2 years since Yeo Jin Goo came to our lion city and he expressed his excitement about meeting his fans again to promote the drama.

[#YeoJinGooinSG] #YeoJinGoo: It's been a long time since I returned to Singapore and I'm really happy to return to promote for drama #HotelDelLuna. Nice to seeing all of you😍#여진구 pic.twitter.com/0ukGgIyFvo
— GOKPOP (@goKPOP_Asia) September 23, 2019

Yeo Jin Goo greeted the press with his wide smile, donning his signature suit just as his character from the drama does. The media conference, which lasted for almost an hour, had the actor talking about his thoughts and emotions when immersing in his role as Goo Chan Sung in ‘Hotel Del Luna’. The 22-year old actor also opened-up about the preparations he made before accepting the role which he found refreshing and new. Since being a hotelier was new to him, the hardworking actor sought various means to clearly understand his character—discussing his role with the director, doing his own research and even recalling the instances where he came across hoteliers while being in hotels overseas.

When asked about what he would like to do in Singapore, the actor mentioned that he was already planning to eat our famous local chili crab after the media conference, bringing laughter to the fans present by his candid remark.

“I made great memories when I came to Singapore previously and I hope to do so this time as well.”

The actor, who has been in the showbiz for about 14 years since his childhood, revealed that he was very overwhelmed by how well-received the drama was, not only in his homeland but also across Asia. Yeo Jin Goo shared that the script was intriguing and it was a specific line which attracted him to take up the role – “Aren’t you interested in a world that no one knows about?”. Jin Goo expressed his worries he had prior to the broadcast of the hit drama. Understanding that the whole concept of the drama extends beyond the norms of the human world we live in, the actor was uncertain about how viewers would feel about it.

Fortunately, tvN’s ‘Hotel Del Luna’ found tremendous success by surpassing their own records in viewership ratings, ending off with an impressive 12% viewership ratings nationwide. Jin Goo once again expressed his sincere gratitude to viewers for showing so much love and support for the drama, stating that the success of “Hotel Del Luna’ was made possible only because of fans and viewers.

When questioned which ‘Hotel Del Luna’ character he wanted to be for a day, he answered, “Man-wol, not exactly Man-Wol herself but someone who does anything he wishes to do.”

The highlight of the media conference was none other than the short but entertaining game- time. As an actor known to have various quirky facial expressions from his previous works, Yeo Jin Goo had to act out his facial expressions according to 3 scenarios which were given to him on the spot. In contrast to the mature and serious hotelier, ‘Goo Chan Sung’, Jin Goo thrilled fans when he gleefully and flawlessly expressed the scenarios.

Scenario 1: If Man-Wol is standing in front of you right now in Singapore

Scenario 2: If Man-Wol bought an overpriced luxurious yacht

Scenario 3: If you had to sell the audience (at the media conference) a yacht for three times the price

Yeo Jin Goo also revealed that the ‘Hotel Del Luna’ crew and staff members are extremely bonded. During their free time, everyone would chit-chat among themselves, bringing joy to the actor. Jin Goo recalled the time right after the filming of the final episode. As the drama did not exactly end on a happy note, the actor remembered himself bawling his eyes out after the ending scene.

‘Hotel Del Luna’ is an enchanting and mystical drama which portrays the journey to afterlife in a different light. The drama takes on an unconventional theme that many would expect to be merely horror and supernatural. Instead, it tells an emotional and sentimental story of the main character Jang Man-Wol to viewers. The drama is also famed for its exquisite and intricate visuals, on top of its ethereal cinematography. Starring IU (as Jang Man-Wol), Yeo Jin Goo (as Go Chan Sung), Lee Dohyun (as Go Chung Myung), P.O (as Ji Hyun Joong), Kang Mina (as Kim Yoo- na), more stellar casts and even special appearances, ‘Hotel Del Luna’ fascinates viewers with magical and supernatural elements, creating a dreamy yet sophisticated and majestic concept overall.

Drama Synopsis

Hotel Del Luna is a hotel like no other. The hotel only caters to ghosts before they advance to the afterlife. The hotel owner, Jang Man-Wol, is a beautiful yet stubborn person, who has been tied to the hotel in her immortal life due to her sins. Goo Chan Sung is a competent hotelier who unexpectedly got appointed as the hotel manager in Hotel Del Luna. Soft-hearted and level- headed, Goo Chan Sung’s addition brought great changes to the hotel.

Should you wish to catch up on the drama, be sure to tune in to tvN Asia (StarHub TV Channel 824 and Singtel TV Ch 518/619) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

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Written by: Amanda Chin
Photo by: Jeremy

Hotel Del Luna

tvN Asia Partners with StarHub to Bring Yeo Jin-goo to the Lion City

Friday, August 30, 2019

tvN’s latest talk-of-the-town drama Hotel Del Luna has dominated viewership rating charts in Singapore and Malaysia, garnering Top 3 positions for audience aged 4 or above since premiere, showing its appeal to audience in all age groups. In view of the popularity and buzz the drama generates, tvN Asia, in partnership with StarHub, will soon bring in the male lead of Hotel Del Luna, Yeo Jin-goo, to Singapore to promote this viral series.

The latest episode (Episode 4) aired on 21 August in Singapore received a 0.997% of rating among target audience (A20-49) and 0.909% of rating among audience aged 4 or above, ranking No. 1 among all 120 StarHub and Singtel Pay TV channels; the rating among audience aged 4 or above also broke tvN Asia’s very own record in 2018 and 2019 (Source: SG-TAM – strictly no reproduction, all rights reserved by IMDA).

In Malaysia, the series is ranked No. 2 among all 142 Astro Pay TV channels for its episodes 2, 3 and 4 among audience aged 4 or above; the series’ highest rating moment took place in episode 2, with a rating of 2.014%, data supplied by KM Singapore. As the storyline intensifies, it is expected the rating of upcoming episodes will continue to spike.

tvN Asia and StarHub to bring actor Yeo Jin Goo to Singapore

Apart from its outstanding viewership performance, Hotel Del Luna starring singer IU and actor Yeo Jin-goo, also caught much attention and interest on the digital space, it has been crowned No 1. on the list of most buzzworthy dramas for the seventh consecutive week since its premiere. According to the ranking by Good Data Corporation released on 27 August, Hotel Del Luna received a buzzworthy score of 33.87%, which is more than double of No. 2. Both IU and Yeo Jin-goo are also no stranger on the buzzworthy chart, they secured Top 3 positions since the hotel has begun its operation.

Hotel Del Luna airs on every Tuesday and Wednesday, 9.45PM on tvN

Hotel Del Luna is a fantasy romance drama about a mysterious hotel that is open to ghosts only. The owner Man-wol (IU), a cranky but beautiful lady who’s lived for more than 1,000 years, meets a clever but weak-minded elite hotelier, Chan-seong (Yeo Jin-goo), whose destiny is to now face ghosts and run the hotel together.

Hotel Del Luna airs every Tuesday and Wednesday at 21:45 on tvN on StarHub Ch. 824, Singtel TV Ch. 518 / 619 in Singapore; and Astro Ch. 395 and unifi TV Ch. 211 in Malaysia. Stay tuned to tvN Asia for further announcement on the Star Tour featuring actor Yeo Jin Goo.