Korean Celeb “Firsts”

[Anchor Lead]

Korean celebrities stand on some pretty impressive achievements, and among them are a few world firsts. In today’s Close Up, we feature some world record-holding Korean stars that shot to international fame.

[Pkg]

Showbiz is a competitive world where many celebrity stars show off their talents. Even among this group, there are those who stand out even more and have won special records and titles ahead of others. First on the list is leading Korean actor Lee Byeong-heon who is famous overseas as at home.

[Soundbite] "You came to the right person."

He was the first Korean actor to grace the red carpet at last year's 88th Academy Awards.

[Soundbite] Lee Byeong-heon(Actor) : "I thought it can't be. There must be so many great Hollywood actors and the offer came to me. I was perplexed but of course super happy."

This is not his only "first". In 2006, he also became the first Korean actor to hold a fan meeting at the famed Tokyo Dome in Japan. In 2012, he was immortalized with his prints on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a testament to his successful career.

[Soundbite] Lee Byeong-heon(Actor) : "When I was young, I went there as a tourist and took photos in front of hand prints of my favorite actors. It was a dream come true that mine will now be enshrined there."

He has earned his status as a trailblazer, not only as a Korean, but as an Asian. However, perhaps the true Asia first title was goes to a Korean band some 60 years earlier. This is the female trio the Kim Sisters. The Kim Sisters was the first Asian girl group to successfully advance into the U.S. with a performance in Las Vegas in 1959. They also made it on the Billboard singles chart. What led to their amazing success in America was a simple concert they held to make ends meet designed to encourage US troops following the Korean War.

[Soundbite] Kim Min-ja(Member, Kim Sisters) : "We received whiskey instead for pay. We then sold the liquor for a meal. We asked for a showing on a TV show calling ourselves a talented group all the way from Korea."

The Kim Sisters was a blast in the US at the time, appearing 22 times on a number one talk show whose featured guests included the likes of Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Other Korean stars have earned records of a more unique nature. Singer Lee Seung-hwan once held a solo concert for a record 8 hours and 27 minutes, the longest for a solo artist. Lee is no stranger to new attempts.

[Soundbite] (Excerpt from KBS Program ) : "Lee made many novel attempts. A prompter is a monitor displaying song lyrics. Lee was the first to adopt that device."

[Soundbite] "I'm not good at memorizing lyrics..."

His idea has benefited the performance of numerous singers who came after him. Celeb stars' ceaseless efforts and their pioneering spirit often earn them these titles as a bonus. We wait for the next big star to continue Korea's record making streak.