Hong Gil Dong, the Hero

DIrector

Cast

Kang Ji-hwan

Sung Yu-ri

Jang Geun-seok

Park Sang-wuk

Cha Hyun-jung

Maeng Se-chang

Kim Ri-na

Kim Jae-seung

Kil Yong-woo

Jeong Eun-pyo

Lee Duk-hee

Jeong Gyoo-soo

Choi Ran

In Sung

'A Time for Dogs...' Ranked Number One on Yahoo! Drama Poll

"A Time for Dogs and Wolves," a drama series which aired on MBC last year, has been chosen by Korean and Japanese internet users as the best drama series of the year. According to the organizing committee of the annual Seoul Drama Awards, the drama received 60.1% of the total votes cast from September 4 to October 5 on Yahoo! Korea and Yahoo! Japan. The recent poll was conducted solely online. A total of 16.8 million people cast their votes on Yahoo! Korea while 17.8 million people cast votes on Yahoo! Japan. However, as one person could cast votes more than once, the total number of votes is likely to be more than the actual number of people who took part in the poll. 2TV's "Hong Gil-dong, the Hero" took the second spot with 36.9% while MBC's "Coffee Prince" took the third spot with 2.0%. Actors that starred in "A Time for Dogs and Wolves" also topped the rankings. Lee Jun-ki and Nam Sang-mi shared the number one spot with 60.1% and 47.9%, respectively. Actor Kang Ji-hwan took the number two spot with 36.8% while Sung Yoo-ri took the number two spot in the female category with 39.1%.

Actor Kang Ji-hwan's Japanese Online Fan Club Opens

The official Japanese fan club website for actor Kang Ji-hwan was recently launched (http://www.kangjihwan.jp, http://www.so-net.ne.jp/kangjihwan). Kang Ji-hwan's management agency Jambo entertainment said that, with the actor's rising popularity in Japan, it decided to open a Japanese fan club so that the actors can meet his Japanese fans more easily. The agency said the fan club features the latest news on Kang as well as introduces the dramas he has been cast in. Kang recently starred in "Hong Gil-dong, the Hero" on KBS 2TV as the young and chivalrous Hong Gil-dong. Japanese fans can catch the actor in "90 Days of Romance" and "Gyeongseong Scandal," currently being aired on the Japanese cable channel BS Japan.

KBS TV Drama "Hwangjinyi" to Air in Japan

The KBS TV drama "Hwangjinyi" starring actress Ha Ji-won will air in Japan in April. The drama's production firm said Japan's NHK will air the drama from April 6 on the satellite channel NHK BS2 during prime time every Sunday, and that NHK zeroed in on the drama for its potential to boost the Korean Wave. "Hwangjinyi" depicts the life of ancient artist Hwangjinyi. The lead actress, Ha Ji-won, has been praised for her superb acting skills in the drama. Another KBS TV drama, "Hong Kil-dong," which is airing in Korea currently, has also drawn attention in Japan. The firm said it has received numerous inquiries about "Hong Kil-dong" and that its lead actor, Chang Keun-seok, is to hold a fan meeting in Japan next month.