Broadcast date: Feb. 22
Starring: Hwang Chi-yeul, Kim Tae-ri, Mix Nine

Hwang Chi-yeul

(Naver V app)

Singer Hwang Chi-yeul expressed his feelings about performing at the headline show for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, in a live broadcast held via Naver’s V app Thursday.

“I had watched the Olympics only on TV and wondered if I could ever be there for that glorious moment. It is my great honor to participate in a big event such as the Olympics in PyeongChang,” The singer said.

“The end (of the Olympic games) is just around the corner. I hope all the athletes play well just as in practice, without getting hurt,” he said.

“Speaking as a person who had participated in competitions, there are days when you get better scores and there are days when you get worse scores,” he said.

The singer has proved popular overseas, especially in China, since appearing in the fourth season of “I am a Singer,” the Chinese adaptation of the popular MBC music competition of the same title, in 2016.

“People all know that you’ve tried hard more than anyone else so please try your best till the end,” he said, directed at the athletes.

In the broadcast, Hwang also asked for attention for the Paralympic Games, which are to follow the Olympic Games.

“I hope the athletes for the Paralympics also play the games safely,” he said.

Kim Tae-ri

(Naver V app)

Kim Tae-ri communicated with fans in a live interview held via Naver’s V app Thursday.

During the interview, the actress was asked why she is popular especially with female fans.

“My first film ‘The Handmaiden’ is an enchanting film and I guess I got many fans after that. I think ‘The Handmaiden’ was popular among female viewers,” she said.

In the interview, she also talked about the filming of the soon-to-be-released “Little Forest.”

“It was lonely, quite long and quite happy. I didn’t consider the rural area of Korea as beautiful, but as I spent four seasons there, it was beautiful,” she said.

The film, based on the comic of the same title by Japanese manga artist Daisuke Igarashi, tells the story of three young people who leave the city and move back to their small hometown.

“Little Forest” is set to be released Wednesday.

Mix Nine

(Naver V app)

The nine male winners of JTBC’s idol competition show “Mix Nine” celebrated Lee Dong-hun’s birthday in a live broadcast held via Naver’s V app Thursday.

The JTBC show featured Yang Hyun-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment, visiting entertainment agencies around the country to look for new talent. The selected trainees competed for their spot on two nine-member project groups -- one girl group and one boy band.

In the broadcast, while they were updating fans with how they had been, the bandmates held a surprise birthday party for Lee, whose birthday is Wednesday.

The bandmates presented a birthday cake and card and sang “Happy Birthday.”

Reading messages from his bandmates, Lee expressed his gratefulness to them.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.naver.vapp
Apple App Store https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1019447011?mt=8