Park Yong Jin

Park Yong Jin, who plays Go Jae Bok on this summer’s runaway hit Baker King Kim Tak Gu has been fired after a month-old drunk driving charge came to light. Reportedly the actor got the attention of police after running a red light, then led them on a 2km chase before being caught. Park refused to take a sobriety test, cursing out the policeman and even ripping the officer’s uniform. Producers were dismissive of the actor’s contribution to the success of Baker King, saying “Park leaving the drama won’t change anything.”

On a lighter note, Baker King star Yoon Shi Yoon is beginning to cash in on the popularity of the show, making an appearance at Dunkin Donuts to box up orders for fans.

News reports hinted about this last week, and now it’s been confirmed that Hyun Bin will replace Jang Hyuk in the upcoming fantasy Secret Garden. Meanwhile, Jang is appearing in the Chinese remake of the Kdrama All About Eve (apparently retitled In Love With A Female Anchor)–check out Jang making out with costar Zhu Dan here.

Oh Ji Ho is joining Oh Byung Jin, Yook Gi Seok, and Kim Chi Young to change the homey image of kimchi. Get ready for the launch of Namja (Man) Kimchi! Reminds me a bit of the manly Japanese brand Otokomae Tofu. Put them together and it’s virility on a plate.

And speaking of virility, you may have thought that Dong Yi couldn’t possibly get any longer, but producers are now considering whether the addictive drama has the staying power for a second extension, in addition to the one granted in July. Dong Yi rival Giant also got gianter, with a 10-ep extension that will bring the total to 60.

So Ji Sub helped out an extra on a commercial for the ginseng tonic One Root when the guy got discouraged and quit in the middle of shooting. So encouraged him and even offered to become his mentor. In the same interview, the Road No. 1 star is sticking by the war drama, which was widely publicized but failed to reach a large audience. He says that the show’s greatness will still be discovered by future audiences.

Finally, enjoy a bit of Fall/Winter fashion from Bang Bang, modeled by always adorable Lee Min Ho and Han Ji Hye.

So Ji Sub

The massive publicity campaign behind Kim Hyun Joong‘s comeback drama Playful Kiss wasn’t enough to lure loyal Baker King viewers away, at least in Kiss‘s first week on the air. In fact, the new drama’s ratings were shockingly low–hovering around 3.5%, even lower than the similarly hyped but largely ignored Road No. 1. The King easily steamrolled all competition, attracting almost half of TV viewers.

Gloria became the first drama to halt production after the cast and crew went on strike in a dispute over unpaid wages. Although a deal has been reached with SBS and KBS, MBC remains at odds with union members. That means that Playful Kiss, Dong Yi and Kim Soo Ro have or will in the immediate future stop production until MBC can make nice with the cast and crew.

Bae Soo Bin fans in Japan will get to see even more of the increasingly popular star. His dramas Shining Inheritance and Dong Yi are already appearing on Japanese TV, and it’s just been announced that Temptation of an Angel will begin appearing on cable starting in November.

The actress formerly known as Kim Min Sun is appearing in her first drama since changing her name to Kim Gyu Ri, the romcom I’ll Teach You Love. Read up on the story behind the name change, the unfortunate, less famous actress also named Kim Gyu Ri, and the new drama special right here.

Haunting new photos of So Ji Sub appear in this months High Cut magazine. The shoot took place only days after the death of his friend Park Yong Ha.

Cheers to UEE for passing her driver’s license exam. See the singer/actress behind the wheel here.

Finally, a new poll asked Kpop fans which star looked best in a school uniform. To see which Super Junior member took the top spot, along with the also-rans, click here.

Han Chae Young

I thought that Wednesday was a pretty big press day for Playful Kiss, but here comes an epic 15-minute preview. Star Kim Hyun Joong made news at a press conference for Kiss, describing his first kiss with Jung So Min as totally “awkward.” He also said it was hard for him to play a genius, since he had to look up a lot of words in the script! Kim then addressed speculation about the breakup of SS501, saying that they definitely have not broken up (yet)…

Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV is creating a new drama timeslot in its schedule, with Matsuyuki Yasuko‘s Perfect Report as the inaugural soap. The new hour of drama is 9PM on Sunday nights, and Matsuyuki gave an idea of the types of shows that will fill the slot, saying she wants to be in a drama that “is going to refresh your energy for the next day.” Perfect Report, following Matsuyuki‘s “stubborn” news reporter at the top of her game, also features heartthrob Kaname Jun and Kohinata Fumiyo.

You’re Beautiful‘s Park Shin Hye appeared last night on another Hong Sisters drama, the well-received My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. She’s one of a already impressive list of guest stars who have appeared on the show, including Lee Soo Geun and UEE.

A post-mortem of the could’ve-been drama of the year Road No. 1 analyzes why the war epic with the all-star cast and huge budget just couldn’t attract an audience. The finale bombed in the ratings, with only 5% of loyal viewers tuning in.

A star-studded cast including Kim Bum (as a “sensitive photographer”), Han Chae Young and U-Know Yunho have begun filming a 20-minute minidrama to mark 2010-12′s big push for Korean tourism. The Hallyu-riffic showcase will appear online in November, with previews showing up in September.

If you’re a drama fan with an interest in politics, you’ve probably noticed the recent appearance of fictional presidents popping up as main characters in Kdrama (Dae Mul features Ko Hyun Jung as the prez) and last year’s film Good Morning President. The upcoming drama President stars Choi Soo Jong and was based on a manga about a US presidential race. The story has been adapted for the Korean political scene, and held up as an example of the loosening of social mores concerning depictions of political leaders.

Finally, ever wondered how much pop stars get paid to appear on shows like Music Core? Shockingly little, according to Korea’s National Singer Association president-in-waiting Tae Jin Ah, who has vowed to make appearance fees “more realistic.”

MBC’s big war drama Road No. 1 turned out not to be so big after all, and ended this week with a 5.3% rating (AGB Nielsen). It’s been averaging 4% to 5% for its entire run so this is no surprise, but it is a big disappointment, especially given its whopping 13 billion won budget.

Supposedly the response from viewers who stuck with the show was positive, but the problem is, there just weren’t that many of them. The viewers didn’t respond to the melodramatic line, but the stronger moments came when the camaraderie between the soldiers was depicted. (It’s too bad there wasn’t more of the latter and less of the former.)

Read more about a Quiet Finale for Road No. 1 on Dramabeans.

Back by popular demand, it’s Round 2 of: Show vs. Girlfriday. I thought I’d check in with Road No. 1 at the halfway point, to see how it’s progressed since we last faced off in battle. To be clear: this is an experiment of sorts—I have not watched Episodes 2-9, so that I could come at Episode 10 from a unique perspective. I wanted to see what’s changed, how the narrative is doing, and if it’s gotten any better, which it totally could have, right? Again, this isn’t a straightforward recap, since it’s a review.

Read the Road No. 1 Halftime Recap on Dramabeans.