Rain expected to testify in his Hawaii trial

HONOLULU - Korean pop star and actor Rain is expected to testify in his civil trial stemming from his canceled concert in Hawaii.

A five-man, three-woman jury was selected among a pool of 52 Tuesday. Opening arguments were scheduled to begin Wednesday.

Among the potential jurors who were eliminated was a University of Hawaii student who indicated to the court he was a fan of Rain, but could remain objective.

Rain - whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon - and his producers are being sued over the performer's abrupt cancellation of a June 2007 concert in Honolulu. Attorneys for both sides listed the 26-year-old performer, who was not in court Tuesday, as one of the witnesses they intended to call. He isn't expected to be in court until next week.

Senior U.S. District Judge Alan C. Kay told jurors the trial is expected to last about two weeks.

Hawaii-based Click Entertainment Inc. alleges in its lawsuit that Rain and his producers breached a contract and defrauded the company of more than $500,000 paid in licensing fees. It is seeking additional damages for the cost of staging the event.

The company also claims in the suit that it has lost business opportunities, earnings and sustained damage to its reputation.

The concert was canceled just days before a scheduled June 15, 2007 performance at Aloha Stadium, disappointing many fans who paid as much as $300 for a ticket and flew to Honolulu from as far as away as Japan and Korea.

It was supposed to be the first stop on the "Rain's Coming" U.S. tour.

Performances in San Francisco, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles were also canceled. All ticket holders were offered refunds.

Concert organizers at the time said they called off the performances because of a copyright challenge from Nevada-based record company Rain Corp. A Nevada District Court later dismissed the case.

Also named in the lawsuit are Korea-based companies JYP Entertainment Co. and Star M Entertainment, in addition to other parties.

Rain is widely popular across Asia where his smooth dance moves and sculpted body have earned him the nickname "the Justin Timberlake of Asia". He also gained popularity with his roles in Korean TV drama series, such as the hit "Full House".

He has been dabbling in Hollywood in recent years. Rain is scheduled to appear in a leading role in the upcoming action film "Ninja Assassin", directed by James McTeigue and co-produced by the Wachowski brothers. Rain made his Hollywood debut last year in a supporting role in the brothers' film "Speed Racer".

Source: http://joongangdaily.joins.com

Fatal Fame

Last year Korea's entertainment industry was hit by a rash of suicides, including four in just the month of October. These deaths shocked South Koreans and drew the spotlight on social pressures and stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment here.

So far in 2009, there have been two deaths. The most recent suicide was 26-year-old actress Jang Ja-yeon, who had a role in the very popular TV drama "Boys Over Flowers".

She hanged herself in her home at the weekend.

Family and friends have told reporters Jang was "depressed" and having contract difficulties with her management company, in addition to being dissatisfied about her role's "slipping significance" in Boys Over Flowers. She played one of the three "nasty school girls" who antagonize the protagonist character Jandi.

According to reports, when Jang was 16 her parents were both killed in a traffic accident. She had been living with her elder sister ever since.

According to the Korean blog "Hub of Sparkle" (http://www.koreasparkle.com), there have been "at least 10 suicides" by actors and actresses over the last couple of years. These include:

Actress Lee Eun-joo, 24, February 2005.
Actress and singer U Nee, 25, January 2007
Actress Jeong Da-bin, 26, February 2007
'Weight loss star' Lee Eun-ji, 16 June 2007
Actor Ahn Jae-hwan, 36, September 2008
Actress Choi Jin-sil, 39, October 2008
Quiz show participant Jang Chae-won, 26, October 2008
Actor Kim Ji-who, 23, October 2008
Singer Lee Seo Hyun, 30, December 2008
Actor Kim Seok-gyun, 30, January 2009

Reasons for these prominent entertainers to kill themselves included depression, business difficulties and rumors of adultery, blackmail and homosexuality spread via the Internet.

Back in 2007, OhmyNews citizen reporter Tania Campbell looked at suicide rates in South Korea.

"Suicide is the fourth cause of death in South Korea. A government report released at the end of 2006 stated that South Korea's suicide rate was the highest among the members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2005", she wrote.

You can read the rest of the article, including quotes from Dr. Daniel Fisher, an American psychiatrist who visited South Korea at the invitation of the National Human Rights Commission in that year.

Source: www.ohmynews.com

Jang Ja-yeon found dead

Jang Ja-yeon who plays in "Boys over Flowers" was found dead on Saturday March 7. She was found hanged in an apparent suicide.

Nok doo si roo ddeok (Sweet rice cake with mung beans)

1 and 3/4 cups nok doo (mung beans)

1 lb sweet rice four

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups water

more water for boiling mung beans

9x13 inch baking dish

baking spray

Wash beans, put in a big bowl, add water, and let sit for overnight. The beans going to soak up lots of water, so add plenty.

You have to peel the beans by rubbing them with your hands in water. Discard floating shells, and repeat until all the shells are gone. Or you can purchase split mung beans without any covering. It is easy to use, just soak for over night and cook. But sometimes the split beans have weird yellow tone and when they soaked in water they tend to release very yellowish water. I don't know how they turn into that yellow. There are some choices. Try oriental markets.

Drain beans, transfer to a big pot, add 3-4 times of water and 1/4 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil. When you boil mung beans, they make forms, that similar to the soft peak whipped cream, so you don't want to cover the pot, otherwise it's going to boil over. When it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 50 minutes to an hour. Skim off the foam. Take one bean out, and press with your finger, if it is crushed, it's done. Be careful with the hot bean. You don't want your beans to cook completely so they're mush.

Drain very well, mix with 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread to a cookie sheet to cool and dry slightly. At this stage, you can freeze them, and use later.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Pour the sweet rice flour into a large bowl, add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt, stir. Add 2 cups water and mix well.

Lightly spray the baking dish, add a half of the beans, spread well and press a little bit, then add whole rice flour mixture, spread evenly, add remaining beans, and press the top slightly. Cover with foil, bake for 1 hour. If the skewer comes out clean, it's done. As soon as it came out from the oven, press the top with spatula so the beans can be stick to the rice cake. Cool for 20-30 minutes, inverted to a board, and slice.

a very steep stairwell

hongdae heart

Sam gye tang (Chicken soup with ginseng)

1 small chicken
3-4 roots ginseng
4-5 pcs. chestnut
6-7 pcs. chinese dates
1/3 cup sweet rice, washed and drained
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 inch piece ginger, peeled
salt and pepper to taste

Clean the chicken inside and out. Trim any visible fat as much as possible. Wash rice, ginseng, chestnut and dae choo (Chinese dates). Put rice, ginseng, chestnut and dates inside the chicken and seal.

In a pot, add chicken, ginseng, Chinese date, chestnut, garlic and ginger. Pour water to cover the chicken.
Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer. Cook about 2-3 hours until the bones fall apart. Skim out the fat on top occasionally. Serve with salt and pepper.

* You can purchase "Sam Gye Tang Package" contains all 4 ingredients in Korean market.