Top actor Hyun Bin has once again been selected as the endorsement model for Samsung and will be returning to the public eye for the first time through Samsung’s ‘Smart TV‘ commercial!

Soon after being discharged from the military on December 6th, Hyun Bin wrapped up filming for an upcoming Samsung commercial in Los Angeles that is scheduled to be released later this month.

A representative from Samsung’s marketing department stated, “Much like Samsung’s ‘Smart TV’, Hyun Bin was selected as an [endorsement] model because both are at the top (of their respective industries) and will show an upgraded image through persistent effort. We anticipate that he will bring good results by exemplifying the values of the brand. The 2013 ‘Smart TV’ will be upgraded through its advanced technology and outstanding design, and will go beyond expectations as the #1 brand worldwide for the eight consecutive year.”

Samsung recently unveiled their new line of ‘Smart TV’ at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Stay tuned for the release of Samsung’s ‘Smart TV’ CF featuring Hyun Bin later this month! Hyun Bin will also be starring in Lotte Chilsung Drinks’ coffee CFs to air in February.

Samsung has released the making of its ‘Create Your Smart Style‘ music video featuring EXO-K!

The brand announced earlier on its official Facebook that the SM Entertainment idol group would be promoting its ATIV Smart PC line of notebooks.

“Experience the power, performance, and freedom of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC with K-Pop sensation EXO-K, and get ready to create your Smart Style!”

Check out the collaborative CF/MV here, and the making-of below!

Tip: ayokenwu

Samsung has released the promotional video for its ‘Create Your Smart Style‘ advertisement featuring EXO-K!

The brand’s official Facebook hinted earlier that the SM Entertainment idol group would be promoting its ATIV Smart PC line of notebooks.

“Experience the power, performance, and freedom of the Samsung ATIV Smart PC with K-Pop sensation EXO-K, and get ready to create your Smart Style!”

Check out the collaborative CF/MV below!

EXO fans, be on the lookout for it seems EXO-K has partnered up with Samsung to help promote the brand’s smart PC line!

Samsung Notebook’s Facebook account was updated with the photo above and the statement,“The ATIV Smart PC recently teamed up with one of Asia’s hottest up-and-coming K-pop groups to bring you their interpretation of the power & freedom brought on by the device. In just a few days, you’ll see what we’re talking about.”

Fans quickly noticed that the group on the screen in the picture was none other than EXO-K, bringing about delight and squeals from those who have been awaiting news of the group’s comeback. Although this may or may not have anything to do with their comeback, it is at least a new project for the boys that fans can anticipate.

Stay tuned for updates!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

It is a rare quiet moment during Psy’s concert at the Samsung Galaxy Note II Launch Party. He seems almost frozen in time, scanning the venue behind his pitch-black sunglasses. With one gesture, he coolly takes them off to reveal the face that managed to capture the attention of the world. It is a rare moment like this, one absent of all the electro, horse-dance extravaganza where Psy is the most revealing. To him, the unexpected success still feels like nothing more than a fantasy. “This is my first time in Canada, in Toronto,” he says, “This is a really touching moment for me.”

With one single, Korean pop star Psy has become one of the most recognized faces in celebrity culture around the world. The viral breakthrough of his self-composed smash “Gangnam Style” initially turned the heads of the internet population. Soon after, the song rose to become one of, if not, the summer dance-anthem of 2012. Millions of views on YouTube were only just the beginning of Gangnam Style’s success. The single skyrocketed the star into the much-coveted status of the ubiquitous pop icon, earning Psy the fans and support from an audience he would have never dreamed. From dancing with Britney Spears on the Ellen Degeneres Show to making a surprise cameo on Saturday Night Live, Gangnam Style has taken Psy on a life-changing trip.

And he isn’t stopping anytime soon.

The pop star’s performance at Toronto’s Kool Haus will mark Psy’s first-ever appearance in front of a Canadian audience. As expected, the international presence of Gangnam Style has galloped its way up north to Canada as well. The song has even reached the number one spot on the Canadian Billboard charts, beating out big-selling artists in US pop like Rihanna and Taylor Swift.

The atmosphere inside the venue is nothing short of your standard K-Pop concert. Various fans are seen lined up with neon signs scribbled with encouraging messages written in both Korean and English. The majority of them act like K-Pop fans too, shyly hiding their faces with glow sticks and smartphones as cameras come swaying their way. With Halloween, some fans even showed up dressed as Psy himself, donning the slick baby-blue-suit-and-bow-tie combo proud. As if already taken by an alcoholic haze, they laugh ecstatically, nonchalantly performing the infamous horse-riding dance to the beat of yesterday’s pop hits, diligently key-stroked by the venue’s DJ in hopes of keeping fans energized before the big show.

As expected, elements of Psy’s stadium-selling concerts were absent from this concert. A quick YouTube search of the singer’s recent concerts would see his wildest on-stage fantasies come true. From flying around the venue on wire to performing aside what can only be described as a giant, inflatable caricature of the star himself, concert-goers expecting to see a spectacle on par with Psy’s shows in his home turf could only but be left disappointed. Still, the singer’s set list of merely three songs left fans amazed by Psy’s over-the-top dance moves, pitch-perfect singing and an unexplainable aura of both charisma and sheer hilarity.

The three-song concert opened up with a track titled “Champion“, an essential Psy-hit from 2002 that would arguably sit number one on the singer’s repertoire of hits. It is a pure, high-energy dance number, a song that embodies the kind of artist that is Psy. The singer than followed up with a more recent track, titled “Right Now“, that follows in-suit of the energized, electro-dance anthems that Psy is famous for. The song is the only other song from Psy that has garnered significant interest since the international widespread of Gangnam Style. The increasing interest in Right Now is almost reminiscent of the formula that made Gangnam Style the sensation it is today: a hilarious video layered with cheesy, but memorable dance moves, an infectious pop tune and most importantly, Psy’s wild personality. The last song of the night was, of course, the song that started it all: Gangnam Style. Screams and chants grew wilder as the singer pulled out his shades and took off his blue blazer, revealing a sleeveless dress shirt underneath; a party-animal attire with a hint of bourgeoisie-classy.

While the concert did not satisfy the pragmatic demands of the stadium-selling shows in Psy’s home turf, the pop star managed to prove his abilities as a performer to new and old fans alike. Yes, the majority of the singer’s records take mold of what pop music is; creatively safe, yet irresistible to the ears. However, it was neither an expensive set nor a squad of formidably fit dancers, both qualities that could bring any half-baked pop show to life, that made Psy’s performance a spectacle to watch. In fact, the lack of a set or an onslaught of dancers more or less became an advantage for the singer to showcase the extent of his abilities as a performer. The moments of jaw-dropping pop show moments were credible to nothing but the singer’s talents; the tightly choreographed records sounded perfect, and even the scripted concert shtick the singer so often frequents energized the crowd.

Those expecting to see a full-fledged show were obviously left disappointed, but tonight was but a mere taster, an hors d’oeuvre if you will, of what Psy has to offer to the world. It was perhaps the first time new fans of Psy freshly off the Gangnam Style-bandwagon saw the artist not as “Psy, the Internet sensation,” or “Psy, the guy on YouTube,” but as Psy, the incredible performer and entertainer who has so much in store for the world.

Story and photography by Alex Lee

Video fancam footage by Matt Hartley:

Earlier this month, Samsung released individual CF’s for each member of INFINITE promoting the newest Samsung Galaxy Player.

It seems INFINITE has once again participated in another promotional clip for the Samsung product. In the video, each of the INFINITE members pair up to advertise a specific feature of the Samsung Galaxy Player with their own unique story lines.

Members Hoya and Dongwoo pair up and talk about the screen which boasts a 16:9 aspect ratio, where Hoya comically states, “It’s as big as your gums hyung!”

In another portion of the clip where members L and Sungyeol were partnered, Sungyeol excitedly states that he is “Hard-core studying for the first time in his life!” all thanks to the convenience of the Galaxy player.

Following L and Sungyeol, member Woohyun shows off his multi-lingual skills to Sunggyu with the use of the dictionary feature, while L and Sungjong further show off the ways Galaxy Player can be used for studying.

Check out the boys’ full promotional clip below!

Source + Image: CultureJournal21

As reported earlier, Lee Seung Gi and Psy have teamed up as the new endorsement models for Samsung‘s new model of kimchi refrigerators.

A representative from Samsung previously commented, “Following Lee Seung Gi, who has made a mark as a male endorsement model in the kitchen product market, Psy will join in to bring a fresh new direction to advertisements.”

Lee Seung Gi has endorsed Samsung for four years now with great results, and now Psy has been added to give the brand a more global appeal.

The CF has now been revealed, so check it out below!

15 second version

40 second version

Tip: nicole150

On the evening of September 11th, INFINITE attended the Samsung Electronics Galaxy Player 5.8 event as the face of the brand. Soon after the boy group was chosen as the endorsement models back in February, their CFs were released, and just yesterday the members’ individual CFs were revealed as well.

The Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 is said to be an educational tool made for use by middle and high school students.

During the event, each INFINITE member explained a little bit about the Samsung Galaxy, revealed their own unique ways to endorse the device, and even prepared a special gift for their clients.

A Samsung representative stated, “As this special event would be the first time the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 would be showcased in South Korea, we prepared diligently for the event with our endorsement models, INFINITE.”

Meanwhile, member L was unable to attend the event because of filming for his new sitcom, “What is Mom“.

Source + Image: Newsen, Osen, StarToday

As the endorsement models for Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Player, INFINITE has featured in a new set of CFs for the product.

The recently revealed CF segments show off the individual charms of each member as they talk about using the Galaxy Player to help with studies, and encourages everyone to study hard. In particular, Dongwoo freestyles his portion, while Sungyeol asks questions related to INFINITE and points out that if an individual put in as much effort into learning his or her studies as they do to learn facts about idols, they could probably raise their school scores as well. Earning much love with his role on ‘Reply 1997‘, Hoya sends out his words of advice with his lovable Busan dialect or satoori.

Check them out below!

Dongwoo

Sunggyu

Sungyeol

Woohyun

Hoya

Sungjong

L

Singer Psy and Olympic gymnast Yang Hak Seon, among others, will be awarded special awards at the ‘2012 Brand of the Year Awards‘.

On September 10th, the Korean Consumer Brand Committee revealed that the ’2012 Brand of the Year Awards’ was scheduled to be held on September 20th at the Hyatt Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. This event will be a combination of performances, TED, and an award ceremony that can be enjoyed by companies and consumers. First on the list of performers is their spokeswoman singer Sonya.

TED is an in-depth study completed by the Consumer Assessment Panel over bi-weekly studies spanning 3 months. The panel will be holding a presentation on ‘The 7 Ways on Brand Evaluation‘ .

In addition to the awards given to the best brands of the year, special awards are given to the top 5 brands chosen in a public survey held by the Consumer Assessment Panel. The 5 most popular brands selected in the survey in 2012 include Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style‘, KBS2TV‘s ‘Gag Concert”s Brave Guys, SBS‘s ‘Healing Camp‘, Samsung Electronics‘ Galaxy Note, and 2012 London Olympic gold medalist gymnast Yang Hak Seok.

Source: My Daily via Naver

Lee Seung Gi and Psy are teaming up as the new endorsement models for Samsung‘s new line of kimchi refrigerators.

A representative from Samsung commented, “Following Lee Seung Gi, who has made a mark as a male endorsement model in the kitchen product market, Psy will join in to bring a fresh new direction to advertisements.”

Lee Seung Gi previously broke the mold as a male star endorsing kitchen appliances. He’s endorsed Samsung for four years now with great results, and now Psy has been added to give the brand a more global appeal.

The CF featuring the two stars will be released in mid-September.

Source: My Daily via Nate; Hankook Ilbo via Nate

Samsung is set to released their new 10 inch Android tablet, the Galaxy Note 10.1 and to help endorse this new behemoth they’ve recruited the boys of CNBLUE.

Along with famous MC and comedian Boom, each of the members of CNBLUE have their own individual CF where they show off the various features of the tablet. Check it out below.

CNBLUE

Yonghwa

Minhyuk

Jungshin

Jonghyun

Tip: Vanessa

Photos of IU cheering for the Korean national soccer team was captured.

A representative from Samsung, a major sponsor of the Olympics, stated, “During the preliminary round of soccer between Korea and Garbon in London on the 1st, IU cheered for Korea with fellow Samsung Galaxy supporters.”

In the picture, IU is wearing the red devil costume (official supporting group of the Korean soccer team) and smiling widely. She is holding her fist tight as she cries fighting as if she is giving her energy to the team.

The 10 Samsung Galaxy supporters were chosen through the ‘How To Live SMART’ campaign, and they not only cheer with IU, but they were also given the chance to use Samsung’s Galaxy SIII and Galaxy Note phones to update the news in live time.

Source & Images: Newsen viz Nate

Television broadcasting network SBS has announced that it will begin distributing some of its more popular programs, including their music show ‘Inkigayo’, in 3D format for the Samsung Smart TV .

“Now, you can watch through SBS ‘Inkigayo’ the latest live stages of the most popular idol groups, instead of just a couple of music videos,” enthused a representative for Samsung Electronics.

Starting with performances in early June, a total of 20 episodes of 3D content are slated to be uploaded to Samsung Smart TV’s 3D Explorer application, where users can download and watch at their leisure.

Samsung expects their relationship with SBS to continue. “Through the Samsung Smart TV, viewers will be able to experience the music and performance of K-Pop stars,” Samsung said. They are also looking into broadcasting the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London in 3D format.

Other SBS programs currently being released in the revolutionary three-dimensional format include one of last year’s most successful dramas, ‘Deep-Rooted Tree‘.

Source: Star News via Nate

Having embarked on their world tour, Big Bang has announced an upgrade as they’ve joined hands with Samsung to bring you the ‘Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour 2012‘ rather than ‘Alive Tour 2012‘.

As leaders of Korea in their own respective fields, their meeting is drawing much interest to see how the two will be able to advance Hallyu with their collaboration.

The ‘Alive Galaxy Tour’ will see Big Bang’s modern music style and Samsung’s Galaxy series of electronics come together by providing a new dimension of experience that incorporates music and smartphone capabilities.

YG Entertainment commented, “We are very glad to be holding the world tour with Samsung Electronics, who has provided the solid foundation for the spread of Hallyu and brought Korea’s name to places all over the world… Big Bang’s world tour, which is a an important indication of the potential progress of Hallyu, has gained strength with Samsung’s sponsorship, and the members have been able to concentrate even more on the concerts to show the best of themselves to fans all over the world.”

Samsung also didn’t hold back their praises for Big Bang as they stated, “We thought this was a good opportunity for us to see the spread of Hallyu and meet with the youth market all over the world with Korea’s representative musician, Big Bang, through the ‘Big Bang Alive Galaxy Tour 2012′. This is not a typical one-time sponsorship, we will be sponsoring the world tour long term and establish a new culture code that helps enrich the lives of customers through the meeting of Big Bang and Samsung’s Galaxy.”

The tour organizer, Live Nation, also welcomed the partnership. “We believe that this tour with Big Bang and Samsung will be a perfect partnership between the representative brands of Korea… Live Nation is glad to be able to deliver Big Bang and Samsung to the fans all over the world, and believe that this tour will upgrade Big Bang as well as Samsung by another level.”

In honor of the 2012 London Olympics and to cheer on the Korean athletes that will be participating,2PM‘s Nichkhun and Junho, MBLAQ, miss A, SISTAR, 4minute, ZE:A, Nine Muses, B1A4, andDal Shabet have teamed up as ‘Team SIII’ with Samsung to sing an Olympic support song titled “Win the Day“.

One of Korea’s top producing teams, Sweetune, has stepped up to produce this support song with its addictive melody to bring the Olympic spirit to everyone in Korea.

Following the release of the teasers and full audio earlier, the music video an the making-of footage have been revealed. Check them out below!

MV

Making-of

Tip: juzix

Yesterday, it was revealed that a bevy of popular idols like 2PM, MBLAQ, miss A, and more would be collaborating for a new single under the name of Team SIII (Samsung Galaxy S III) to support the 2012 Olympics.

The single, “Win the Day“, was finally released online following the teaser releases featuring SISTAR, 4minute, ZE:A, Dal Shabet, B1A4, and Nine Muses in addition to the names mentioned above.

Produced by Sweetune, the song features a fun, addictive melody with all of the idol members harmonizing their support for the Korean athletes competing in London. Suzy opens up the song with Junho, followed by rapping by Bora, Mir, and HyunA, and finally Hyorin and Sandeul‘s high note adlibs in the end.

Check back for the music video release and check out the track below!

In honor of the 2012 London Olympics and to cheer on the Korean athletes that will be participating, 2PM‘s Nichkhun and Junho, MBLAQ, miss A, SISTAR, 4minute, ZE:A, Nine Muses, B1A4, and Dal Shabet have teamed up as ‘Team SIII’ with Samsung to sing an Olympic support song titled “Win the Day“.

One of Korea’s top producing teams, Sweetune, has stepped up to produce this support song with its addictive melody to bring the Olympic spirit to everyone in Korea.

The song will be revealed on July 5th and ahead of its release, various teaser clips have been revealed featuring the idol groups mentioned.

Check out the teasers and photos!

4minute, 2PM, MBLAQ

SISTAR, B1A4, Dal Shabet

miss A, Nine Muses, ZE:A

Source + Photos: Naver Music
Tip: realme21

YG Entertainment and Samsung‘s Cheil Industries have joined hands to create a global fashion line. YG CEO Yang Hyuk Suk is reported to have signed a contract with Cheil on June 28th.

There’s a lot of anticipation as the two companies will be combining their “DNA” for a variety of experimental projects. The fashion line is planned for launch in the spring of 2013 and will be targeted towards teens and young adults in their twenties. The new brand is expected to be a new vision of global fashion.

Much like the global popularity of Big Bang and 2NE1, their unique fashion styles have also been a big influence on the fashion industry. It is expected that with their marketing capabilities and Cheil Industries’ business know-how, the two companies will make not only a cultural hallyu, but a brand hallyu.

With artists like JinuSean, 1TYM, Gummy, SE7EN, Big Bang, and 2NE1 always being one step ahead in fashion, YG’s modern culture and Korea’s greatest fashion business’ experience will be launching a fashion brand that will become a leading trend.

Regarding the joint effort, a representative from YG Entertainment commented, “We are looking forward to the numerous new ideas that will be coming out from the union of these two companies. We will not rest with all the developments we’ve made until now, and using our creative strength, we will create a new boom in hallyu that will spread out to not only Asia, but the whole world.“

Actor Kim Soo Hyun will be visiting London next month in support of swimmer Park Tae Hwan!

As a special event sponsored by Samsung Electronics, Kim Soo Hyun and nine lucky fans will be heading to London on July 27th for a five day stay. Titled ‘Flying 9 to London with Kim Soo Hyun‘, the actor and his fans will be able to enjoy a special vacation together chock full of memories along with a final stop in support of Park Tae Hwan on the 28th ahead of his match.

An event official stated, “The nine winners will be leaving through the Incheon Airport for a special vacation in London with Kim Soo Hyun. They’ll earn the opportunity to personally support Park Tae Hwan’s match on July 28th.”

Check out Samsung’s new support music video for Park Tae Hwan sung by Kim Soo Hyun himself!

Source + Photos: Star News via Nate