Can't get enough of good soap operas? Here's the complete list of everything from drama awards to a Korean pop star festival in the coming weeks.

2008 Seoul Drama Festival

The Seoul Drama Festival is scheduled to take place at KBS Hall in Yeouido, downtown Seoul next Tuesday on Oct. 14. The festival first took place in 2006 as the Seoul Drama Awards. It was decided to re-name the event as a festival and increase the entertainment program.

The festival proudly paints itself as the world's first television drama festival, hosted by the Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee and Korean Broadcasters Association, and sponsored by major local broadcasters KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS as well as Seoul Metropolitan City.

With this year's slogan ?njoy, Star & Story?the competition part of the festival received a total of 152 entries from 33 nations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The award ceremony is divided into the categories of drama film, mini-series, drama series and children's series, together with a special prize and popularity prize. Individual prizes will be awarded to the best actor, actress, director, writer, cinematographer, music director and art director.











A host of Korean actors and actresses will attend the event, including Yoon Eun-hye, the star of Coffee Prince and Princess Hours among others, pop group TVXQ, Choi Soo-jong from Sea God, Wang Gun and other historical dramas.

This year's nominees in the drama film category are Artemisia (Taiwan), Starving (Germany), Choice (Iran), Kobra's Decision (Iran), Let's Go to the Movies Tomorrow (Poland) and Devastation from France.

In the mini-series category there's Ella Blue (South Africa), Patricia Marcos: Missing (Spain), Skins (England), Little Mosque on the Prairie Season 2 (Canada), Wild Chrysanthemum (Korea), and City Homicide (Australia).

The drama series are My Lucky Star (Taiwan), Murdoch Mysteries (England) Lalola (Israel), Princess Atsu (Japan), Hero Without a Name (China) and The Golden Bride (Korea).

In the children's drama category there are The Amazing Extraordinary Friends (New Zealand), Ballet Shoes (England), Heidi (France), and Jungle Fish (Korea).











It has already been decided to award a special prize to the drama Secret of this House from Afghanistan about a young child adapting to post-Taliban society. The film itself is meaningful as the first domestically made drama film in many years. The popularity award will be decided through an online poll conducted by Yahoo.

Saori and Eva from KBS talk show Beauty's Talk will interpret the proceedings into Japanese and English. The whole event will be covered live by SBS T.V. at 6 p.m. 

For more information visit: Seoul Drama Awards (http://www.seouldrama.org/eng/main.asp)

2008 Hallyu Festival

The Korean Wave, or ?allyu,?refers to the popularity of Korean entertainment abroad. Throughout the past few years, Korea has proved again and again its potential to make it big with drama, film, music and other kinds of entertainment overseas.

From Oct. 23 to 26 there will be a Hallyu Festival in Seoul and Korean celebrities will host concerts, exhibitions and a fan meeting on the Special Outdoor Stage of Jamsil Main Stadium.

Actor Lee Joon-ki, star of the movie King and the Clown (2005) and SBS period drama Iljimae (2008), is the goodwill ambassador for the event.
Some major concerts will take place throughout the festival. The Asian Aid Concert for Disaster Relief will take place at 7 p.m. in Jamsil Gymnasium on Oct. 24, starring TVXQ, SS501, sgWANNA Be+, Lee Ji-hoon and actor Lee Dong-gun among others. Funds raised at the event will be donated to disaster-struck areas.

A Seoul Hallyu Festival Celebration Concert will take place at 7 p.m. the next day (Oct. 25), but this time on a special outdoor stage of the same stadium. The concert's theme will be ?sia in Our Hearts?and will star Super Junior Happy, Lee Joon-ki, Lee Min-woo, Jang Na-ra, FT Island, Supernova, Rose and more. The section includes songs from soundtracks of favorite Korean dramas serials and movies.

A fan meeting is another special event reserved for Asian fans from overseas. John Hoon (Kim Jung-hoon) an actor-turned singer who starred in the hit Korean dramas Princess Hours (2006) and Hwang Jin-yi (2006) will hold a fan meeting at the Imperial Palace Hotel from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. of Oct. 25.

This fan meeting was initially arranged for 300 but with continued calls from Japan, the number of seats was expanded to 600. There will be a presentation of gifts, a photo op session, handshaking and other events.

Oct. 26 the same time and same place are reserved for Lee Min-woo, the former member of pop group Shinhwa, and now very active as a solo artist. He has already performed in Japan, China and other parts of Asia, winning quite a number of fans. Shin Hye-song and Jun Jin, also former members of Shinhwa, will join in.

An exhibition held throughout the festival from Oct. 23 to 26 includes ?008 Love Exhibition with Holt?that will display black and white photos of Korean celebrities with young orphans waiting to be adopted. ?olt?refers to Holt Children's Services, an adoption agency in Korea founded in 1955.

A special Hallyu Exhibition meanwhile will showcase some of the best photos of Korean pop culture, made up of posters, screen shots and still cuts from dramas and films. People can purchase related souvenirs on the spot.

As for tour programs, this would be the chance for Hallyu fans to experience a rehearsal by Korean pop singers aired by SBS TV.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry and Korea Tourism Organization that sponsor the function hope to improve Korea's image abroad in Asia and the world, and further promote Hallyu as a global brand.

For more information visit: http://hallyufestival.seoul.go.kr/
For a related website at the Korea Tourism Organization click (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=633206)

For travel inquiries:
Chess Tours: 82-3-3406-7407
On-Line: Look KOREA: 82-2-725-3117

By Kim Hee-sung
Korea.net Staff Writer

SOURCE : Korea.net