Fans applaud SM Entertainment employees for their efforts to celebrate artists' birthdays!

Fans of all SMTOWN artists have taken note of the great effort SM Entertainment employees are putting in to celebrate various artists' birthdays! 

Most of you by now have seen at least one or two of these photos, where SM employees rearrange the lobby chairs inside the SM building to relay a special message for artists on their birthdays! 

The employees not only put in all that effort to rearrange the chairs, but they get creative according to the limited number of chairs they have! For members of EXO, you can spot different, unique messages, including "BH. B-DAY" for Baekhyun, "Suho DAY!" for Suho, and "REAL. PCY" for Chanyeol! 

What happens when there are multiple birthdays? Well, in one photo below, the employees have arranged the chairs to say "210 S.S.S.", to represent the February 10 birthdays of Super Junior's Siwon, Girls' Generation's Sooyoung, and Red Velvet's Seulgi! 

How much fun do you think the employees will have for the next SMTOWN artist celebrating a birthday? 

Fans claim that a novelist illegally copied BTS' album cover art

BTS fans are upset at novelist Jung Soo Young for allegedly violating copyright policy. According to claims, her novel 'Surgeon's Love' has copied the cover art of BTS's 'HwaYangYeonHwa Part. 2'. 

The cover art of 'HwaYangYeonHwa Part. 2' shows a gray butterfly against a light blue background. The cover of Jung Soo Young's recently published novel depicts a very similar image, of butterflies, color palette, and more.

The timing of the novel is garnering equal suspicion, due to the fact that BTS's album was released in November 2015, while the novel was recently published on February 29, 2016.

Fans couldn't contain their anger, commenting, "I know BTS' cover art is very pretty but you can't do that T.T ", "You can't just copy it like that! BTS should sue her", "Heol.. what the.. plagiarism!!", and more. 

Although there has been no official accusations nor any word from the novelist, but many fans are siding against the author. 

Take a look at the two covers below. Do you think the novelist intended to copy BTS' cover art? 

Netizens speculate Dok2 canceled his solo concert for this reason

Dok2, who had planned to hold a 26th birthday bash by holding a solo concert in select cities in Japan and Korea, announced through Instagram the unfortunate news that he has canceled every show but the one in Seoul.

Originally, Dok2 was planning on visiting a total of four cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, Busan, and Seoul. Unfortunately for unspecified reasons, the rapper canceled every show save for the one in Seoul. 

Dok2 relayed this bad news via Instagram on March 14, writing, "Due to unavoidable internal affairs and the current local situation, the shows in Tokyo, Osaka, and Busan were canceled. We want to express our deepest apologies to all the fans who were looking forward to the concert, and we would be grateful if you would understood the circumstances with a generous mindset. For those who already purchased the tickets, we will inform you of the cancelation by contacting you individually, and proceed to refund all the money. We want to apologize once again to the people who reserved tickets to attend 'Dok2's 26th Birthday Celebration Concert,' and we will return to you with a much improved show." 

Many people who read about the cancelation notice speculated that the rapper had canceled the show mainly because tickets weren't selling. The top comments on an article read, "Mmmm..that's because you tickets didn't sell for shit....it wouldn't even be enough if the entire 1LLIONAIRE gang so look what happened when he blindly pushed onward with a solo concert..and a concert in Japan at that..he thought he might face a loss so he just canceled," "His tickets weren't really selling lolololol I'm an exchange student and the Dok2 tickets were on sale at my school so anybody who wanted to could buy then. I think Japan was pushing it a bit," and, "Looks like fans got hammered (Dok2's strange name translates into hammer in Korean) on their feet lol." 

Mizuhara Kiko's dating rumors continue - but not with who you think

Japanese model and actress Mizuhara Kiko is swept up in dating rumors again... and no, for once, it isn't with G-Dragon, whom people have been speculating that she was in an on-off romantic relationship. 

The half-Korean, half-American actress has been the hot topic in the Korean media of late, particularly because of her ambiguous relationship with GD. Thus, her latest dating rumor with a Japanese actor four years her junior has caught the Korean media's attention. 

On November 11, Japanese outlet News-postseven reported on Mizuhara Kiko and Japanese actor Nomura Shuhei being sighted together holding hands. According to the article, the two first made their acquaintance during a magazine photo shoot. The two apparently visited an upscale sushi joint for a meal and was caught holding hands when they left the restaurant. 

Afterwards, the two allegedly went directly to Nomura Shuhei's birthday party while leaning on each other. 

Actress Cho Hye Jung receives flood of hate for being cast as female lead of 'Imaginary Cat'

Rookie actress Cho Hye Jung might have thought being cast as the female lead in upcoming drama 'Imaginary Cat' with Yoo Seung Ho would be a turning point in her career. And it still might be, but not without some obstacles.

As soon as it was announced that she was cast in the drama, she has been receiving continued hate and criticism for getting a lead role so quickly.
She was first shown on broadcast through SBS' variety show 'Take Care of My Dad' as the daughter of actor Cho Jae Hyun, who has starred in dramas like Assembly andPunch.

So far, Cho Hye Jung has some acting experience, and she's currently in the OnStyledrama 'My First Time' with SHINee's Minho. 'Imaginary Cat' will be her fourth production as she began acting last year.

Netizens are saying Cho Hye Jung was able to become the female lead with so little experience because of her famous father and for appearing on a variety show. The hate has gotten so bad that she's since deleted her Instagram account.

You can take a look at her cuts in web drama 'Alchemist' to get a sense of her acting skills. What do you think?

Clara updates on her life and comeback plans

Actress Clara gave an update on her life following the completion of her strife with Polaris Entertainment over her contract last month.

A rep from the one-person agency, Koreana Clara, stated on October 22, "Clara is currently residing overseas, but she has amicably reconciled with her previous agency and has personally gotten a lot better.  She is working hard in preparation to approach her fans again.

"As for now, she has yet to decide on promotions in productions.  Whether it's from Hollywood, China, or Korea, a lot of offers for productions from movies to dramas are coming in, but nothing has been decided yet.  She will probably decide on something soon, but she is in the midst of deliberating on the production and the timing."

The rep also relayed that Clara was grateful toward the fans who continued to trust and support her during her time of difficulty and was working hard to return with an even better production.  "She's diligently preparing for her comeback," the rep concluded, "so it appears she will make a decision soon."

Are you excited to see her back in the industry?

YGE responds to rumors of 2NE1's CL and WINNER's Mino dating

2NE1's CL and WINNER's Mino were swept up in dating rumors after images that pictured the two hanging out at a hotel hit the internet on October 21. 

However, it seems the the photo may have been doctored and that CL and Mino were never at a hotel together. YG Entertainment stated, "It's so ridiculous that I can't even laugh. It's absurd that dating rumors could arise from photoshopped images. The headlines came out without confirmation, and the evidence provided is photoshopped."

Earlier today, one media outlet reported that the the two YG Entertainment idols were in a relationship and used the above photos as evidence.

What do you think of this news?

Mad Town's Buffy is dating G-Friend's Eunha?

Could there be a new idol couple? This may be the case after a few photos were posted online but then quickly deleted.

On October 16, Mad Town member Buffy had uploaded two pictures with G-Friend's Eunha that raised speculation the two idols are dating. The pictures were uploaded unto Mad Town's official Instagram account along with the captions: "date," "lovestagram," and "girlfriend." The latter caption could be talking about Eunha's group name but fans were intrigued by "date" and "lovestagram." The pictures weren't on the account for long as they were quickly deleted but not before netizens had captured the photos.

Some fans believe that they could be dating while other believe it could simply be media play to bring more attention for their potential comeback. Mad Town recently celebrated their 1 year anniversary and revealed that they are actively preparing for their comeback.

What do you think? An honest mistake by Buffy and the two could be dating or media play?

Netizens speculate that Taeyeon got work done before her solo debut

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, who is currently sweeping the charts with her debut album, was introducing the songs through a live broadcast on 'V' recently when something caught netizens' eyes.

While for the most part, fans appeared to be having fun getting an update from their beloved idol and listening to her talk about her solo debut, other fans seemed distracted as they noted a slight change in her physical appearance, particularly her eyelids.

Netizens made comments voicing their speculation and claiming that her eyelids looked 'thicker.' Some people wrote, "Taeyeon's eyelids really look thicker," "She 'pinched' her eyes again? She does look different," while others declared, "Taeyeon is pretty no matter what she does," speculating that she must have gotten some work done before her solo debut.

What do you think?

Crucial Star and 'Unpretty Rapstar' Heize revealed to be dating

On October 5, a media outlet revealed that Heize of 'Unpretty Rapstar 2' and Crucial Star have been dating for two years!

Regarding this, Crucial Star's agency was more than open, confirming, "It is true Crucial Star and Heize are dating.  The two of them have been dating for two years.  It's a truth already known among their fans."

According to the agency, before Heize was active, she visited Crucial Star's concert venue where the two met and started dating.  Meanwhile, Crucial Star is fully supportive of her promotions.

Yoon Eun Hye will not be participating in the third season of 'Goddess' Fashion'

Yoon Eun Hye, who was recently swept up in plagiarism controversies surrounding her designs on Chinese program 'Goddess' Fashion,' revealed her thoughts on her upcoming departure from the show in an interview with the production crew. 

During the interview, the actress reminisced on her debut period through 'Goddess's Fashion's official Weibo page. Yoon Eun Hye confessed, "18 was a really tumultuous age for me. I couldn't spill all my worries to anyone. If I could return to that time, I would do everything I want to, live like a normal girl, not pay attention to what others say about me, and study hard and make many friends, leading a typical life." 

Regarding the question of whether Yoon Eun Hye will be returning to the show's third season, Yoon Eun Hye's side told Newsen, "She will not be participating in the third season. The third season hasn't even been confirmed yet." 

Currently, Yoon Eun Hye is busily going back and forth between China and Korea to film for the show. Yoon Eun Hye's side further revealed, "There are a total of twelve episodes for 'Goddess' Fashion's second season. The seventh episode already aired, and the eighth episode is under way. We can't answer any questions regarding the show's filming process." 

Fans wonder if 'Blanc & Eclare's one-day sale is related to the 1 year anniversary of Jessica leaving Girls' Generation

September 30 KST marks a different kind of anniversary for Girls' Generation and Jessica. It's been exactly one year since the day Jessica was revealed to be no longer a member of Girls' Generation.

Coincidentally, on September 30, her fashion line 'Blanc & Eclare' is having a one-day sale for the reason 'Just Because'. The brand announced, "One day sale, September 30, for 24 hours. Just because. Cheer up." And their website also has a simple sentence below the opening header image that reads, "One day 15% sale, September 30. Just because. Discount applied at checkout, with code JUSTBC."

Fans and netizens have been voicing their thoughts in response on the SNS posts, pointing out that the timing of this one-day sale is Jessica's way of 'throwing shade'. 

For those who are simply interested in the sale, everything is 15% off if you use the given code.

Yoon Eun Hye literally runs away from reporters at airport

Actress Yoon Eun Hye was spotted literally running away from reporters at Gimpo Airport.

Yoon Eun Hye did her best to dodge reporters as well as their questions about her recent plagiarism controversy. The actress arrived in South Korea on September 18 at 3:30PM KST, and despite trying to avoid notice, Dispatch photographers managed to get some shots.

In related news, Yoon Eun Hye has been under fire for allegedly plagiarizing dress designs for the competitive Chinese fashion show, 'Goddess' Fashion 2'.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

Taeyeon and Baekhyun reported to have broken up

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon and EXO's Baekhyun are being reported to have ended their relationship.

A music industry insider told SportsToday, "Girls' Generation's Taeyeon and EXO's Baekhyun have recently ended their relationship. Taeyeon and Baekhyun both focused on their individual activities and naturally grew apart."

They added, "Even last March, Taeyeon secretly attended EXO's solo concert in Seoul and displayed her affection for Baekhyun, but they eventually weren't able to overcome their busy schedules. Although the two have ended their romantic relationship, they have decided to remain good sunbae and hoobae."

Taeyeon and Baekhyun admitted they were in a relationship back in June 2014, and were the first revealed couple both from SM Entertainment.

The agency says they're looking into the situation to confirm the news, so be on the lookout for any possible updates to come.

B2ST's Hyunseung suspected of going on a date instead of to his fan meeting?

B2ST's Hyunseung is under fire for missing a scheduled fan meet without notice and allegedly meeting up with an unidentified female instead.

B2ST fans expressed disappointment at the singer's absence at the Seoul grand fan meet which was held this past Saturday, saying, "I came to see Hyunseung but he didn't come." The fan meet in question was held for Japanese fans in particular. It was a special event created for fans who trekked the distance to see their favorites group; alas, many were dejected that they didn't get to meet all six members of B2ST. 

Hyunseung's absence wasn't announced prior to the fan meet. It was disclosed to the audience who attended the fan meet Saturday. During the time of the event, an Instagram post of Hyunseung at a cafe in Seoul's Cheongdamdong area is causing an outrage, especially as the picture shows him with a woman. 

Cube Entertainment told Kukmin Ilbo via phone call, "Hyunseung was absent for the fan meet due to personal reasons. The absence was announced to the fans at the event." 

Regarding the photo of the singer at the cafe, the label has yet to provide a sure explanation. Cube stated, "We don't know the exact circumstances behind the photo or when the photo was taken. We need to double check [the situation behind the picture]." 

Hyorin criticized by the other contestants for lip syncing on 'Unpretty Rapstar'

Hyorin has been receiving much attention on 'Unpretty Rapstar 2'...but not the good kind from her fellow rappers. In fact, the singer is under much scrutiny due to her lip syncing during the show. 

On the first episode of the program, the contestants were given the mission of doing a cypher and then filming a one-take video, much like the first season. The two idol rappers,Yubin and Hyorin, were eyed critically by the other rappers with underground experience, but the two were able to prove themselves through their strong freestyle. 

However, the opinion towards Hyorin became unfavorable when the rappers participated in the one-take video mission. Perhaps due to her nerves, Hyorin kept messing up her lyrics, and to add to that her throat condition was not good. So after much consideration, she opted to lip sync during the filming of her portion of the one-take video. 

The other rappers couldn't hide their disappointment towards her. Ash-B said, "It's regrettable that a rapper doesn't rap." In the end, Hyorin placed very last for this mission, which opts her out of taking part in the next mission. 

Hyorin, seeing herself in the final one-take video, said, "I didn't know I was so pathetic. It's obvious that I was trying so hard not to burden others when I forgot my lyrics." 

After the mission was over, the contestants voted to select who did the best and worst for this round. Truedy took first place while Hyorin placed last. Hyorin confessed, "I was expecting it but it's still disappointing that I placed last. I will prepare even harder while I rest." 

And among the rappers, Yubin was the only contestant who stuck up for Hyorin initially, not picking Hyorin as the worst among the bunch, saying that she understands the importance of not straining one's vocals as a veteran idol herself. 

However, Yubin's opinion later changed after the voting was over and they were talking about the matter as a group. Hyorin explained, "I lip-synced because I didn't want to inconvenience those filming after me." Hearing this, Yubin couldn't help but be upset as she had stuck up for Hyorin thinking that Hyorin had only decided to lip-sync because she had no choice due to her throat condition, not because she decided she didn't want to take up a long time to film her segment.

Yubin expressed her disappointment, saying, "In a state where everyone is tired, we all have to do our very best, but if it's the case that she simply didn't actually rap just to get the filming over faster, then I wouldn't have picked Heize [to be the worst]. Doesn't it mean that [Hyorin] just didn't try her best?" 

What do you think about the situation?

Mr. Yang is a hilarious Korean ahjuhshi boss

Korean ahjuhshi's (old men) can be hilarious and here's more evidence to this fact!

Comedic family Eh Bee recently uploaded a hilarious video titled "Fun Times With Mr. Yang!" with Korean ahjuhshi Mr. Yang. From teaching random Korean words to pronouncing AZUUUUUCAARRRRRRR in Spanish, Mr. Yang is truly boss.

Check out the hilarious video below!

More of Yoon Eun Hye's designs called out for alleged plagiarism

[Image: Yoon Eun Hye's design (top), Yoon Choon Ho's designs (below)]

More designs by Yoon Eun Hye are being called out for alleged plagiarism. Designer Yoon Choon Ho revealed on September 5 that the actress had passed off his designs for her own on the Chinese competitive reality show 'Goddess' Fashion 2', and she responded with an official statement saying that Yoon Choon Ho was only using her name for self-promotion.

Now, more instances of alleged plagiarism by Yoon Eun Hye have come up. The designer for MBC's hit 2006 drama 'Goong' revealed on September 5 that the shoe design originally claimed to have been by Yoon Eun Hye was actually the designer's own. On September 8, Chinese netizens also posted additional photos of dress designs by Yoon Eun Hye, which she claimed as her own on 'Goddess' Fashion'.

Vice President of the Council of Fashion Designers of Korea (CFDK) has spoken up on the issue involving Yoon Choon Ho as well, stating, "Taking a designer's work, which is the designer's property, is unacceptable... It appears to be plagiarism." Though Yoon Eun Hye's camp has reiterated that Yoon Choon Ho's SNS post was a form of an attack against Yoon Eun Hye and that they never received anything from his ARCHE F/W collection.

What are your thoughts on what's going on?

Wang Sicong, son of China's wealthiest man, signs T-ara for his new entertainment company?

The buzz in China is that T-ara may have signed a contract with Wang Sicong's new showbiz company.

According to Sina, Wang Sicong, son of China's wealthiest man Wang Jianlin of the Dalian Wanda Group, is allegedly starting up an entertainment company called 'Banana Plan', and the first artist they have signed is T-ara.

Wang Sicong is said to be a big fan of the girl group, to the point that he invited them to put on a private concert for his birthday previously. So after a year of much thought and negotiation, he and T-ara are said to have signed a contract.

He's also said to have revealed his intention to sign on many more artists for his new startup company, and that he'll reveal details at a later date.

Some rumors going around about this matter say that the deal that Wang Sicong made with T-ara is that he'll give each member a Ferrari, and that he'll pay T-ara's current agency $8 million to terminate their contract with the girl group. However, these may just be wild exaggerated rumors sprouting up due to the buzz surrounding T-ara's alleged signing with Wang Sicong.

T-ara's agency, MBK Entertainment, has yet to issue a response to the matter.

Kiko uploads post that declares she's 'single and fabulous'

The last time we heard of the rumored celeb couple G-Dragon and Mizuhara Kiko was when they supposedly were seen together at the Seoul Silla Hotel.

At the time, it just looked like G-Dragon was out for a date with his Lamborghini, and Mizuhara Kiko was nowhere to be seen. And now with a cryptic, telling picture that was uploaded on Kiko's Instagram, people are speculating that we may never see her and G-Dragon out together ever again. The picture, a capture of Sarah Jessica Parkerdeclaring "Single and fabulous exclamation point" on 'Sex And The City' is clearly alluding to something: that Kiko may be single and ready to mingle! Or maybe that's just her favorite scene from 'Sex And The City' and it is meant to be an empowering message to all the single ladies out there.

Kiko's Instagram is being flooded with comments that range in various emotions including defeat, joy, sadness, and indifference. What do you guys make of this situation? Are Kiko and G-Dragon really no longer an item?