Atome, Asia’s leading buy now pay later brand, announced ASTRO as its global brand ambassador. This marks ASTRO first endorsement as a global ambassador as a group. 

As Atome’s global brand ambassador, ASTRO will also headline Atome’s upcoming holiday shopping campaign, #OwnTheExtraordinary, starting today and lasting until the end of year. The regional campaign will be a 360-degree campaign with a series of online and offline interactive challenges, activities and promotions over the four-month period.“We’re thrilled for ASTRO to be Atome’s new global brand ambassador. Atome is a brand that empowers young consumers to pursue their aspirations and passions. ASTRO is a group that wants to seek to inspire, connect and grow with their fans through music, and fits well with their direction. We hope this collaboration will bring positivity and inspiration to our millions of fans across Asia,” said Fantagio, agency of ASTRO. The #OwnTheExtraordinary campaign will feature exclusive deals and rewards from brands such as L'OCCITANE, Garmin, Hush Puppies, Switch, XIXILI and Melissa Shoes, and will cut across major festive seasons and sales events, including 11.11, Black Friday Cyber Monday, 12.12 and Christmas celebration.The campaign will launch with a series of online teaser activities in Malaysia, followed by the Extraordinary Experiences challenge on Atome MY Instagram account, Shop and Win, Extraordinary Hunt, with exclusive ASTRO merchandise to be won. There will also be interactive content on smart spending and shopping advice to help Malaysia shoppers make smart purchasing decisions and manage their spending.

Artiste Line-up: THE BOYZ and ATEEZ

In celebration of the MEKONG-KOREA Exchange Year, the MEKONG- KOREA FRIENDSHIP CONCERT <Streaming Culture> is a special online concert where Korean-Mekong artistes and fans can enjoy culture and music.

The lineup of the online concert includes the rising 4th-Gen boy groups, ATEEZ, THE BOYZ, and many other talented artistes from various countries.

에이티즈 영상 메시지가 도착했습니다!
You received a video message from THE ATEEZ.

10월 22일 금요일 밤 9시 (KST) 1thek Youtube
October 22nd, Friday at 9pm! (KST) 1theK YouTube channel.

Youtube 1theK ▶https://t.co/oDCr5aOi9B

#STREAMINGCULTURE#에이티즈 #ATEEZ pic.twitter.com/kDXMBgTIj9

— 한국국제문화교류진흥원 (@kofice) October 20, 2021

더보이즈의 영상 메시지가 도착했습니다!
You received a video message from THE BOYZ.

10월 22일 금요일 밤 9시 (KST) 1thek Youtube
October 22nd, Friday at 9pm! (KST) 1theK YouTube channel.

Youtube 1theK ▶https://t.co/oDCr5aOi9B

#STREAMINGCULTURE#더보이즈 #THEBOYZ pic.twitter.com/faV19lUesa

— 한국국제문화교류진흥원 (@kofice) October 20, 2021

Check out the artiste lineup below:

AOK SOKUNKANHA (Cambodia) and AR3NA (Thailand)

ALEXANDRA BOUNXOUEI (Laos) and LIZ KIM CUONG (Vietnam)

Fans will be able to watch the spectacular stages of the artistes from various countries.

Check out the details below and be sure to tune in for the concert!

Online Concert Details:

Where to watch: 1theK Youtube Channel

Date and Time: 22 October 2021, 9PM KST

Photo Credits: @kofice (Twitter)

The days of women waiting around for a knight in shining armour to come and save them are long gone and we’re here for it. K-drama female leads are stronger than ever, defying the odds against them and taking matters into their own hands (quite literally).

Fall in love with these 5 fearless K-drama stars that have come to serve action, attitude, and a whole lot of ass-kicking.

1. Han So-hee as Jiwoo — My Name
Han So-hee stars in the action noir series My Name as Jiwoo, a revenge-driven woman looking to avenge her father after he was killed outside of their home. She sacrifices everything to find her father’s killer — including her name. Jiwoo joins the largest crime syndicate in Korea and goes undercover as a police officer in order to find her father’s killer.

To perform the intense action scenes in the series, Han So-hee dedicated herself to attending action school daily, honing her techniques in not just bare fist fighting, but also combat involving knives, guns, and batons used by the police.

2. Lee Si-young as Seo Yi-kyung — Sweet Home
Lee Si-young stars as former firefighter Seo Yi-kyung in the apocalyptic drama Sweet Home.

Yi-kyung becomes a pivotal character in the series as she sacrifices herself to protect the residents of the apartment complex from savage monsters despite her personal circumstances.

One of Yi-kyung’s most impressive moments is when she’s fighting the spider monster in the vents. Si-young attended action school for six months before filming began and even kept to a strict diet to cut down her body fat to 8% for the role (now we know what it takes to get abs!).

3. Gianna Jun as Ashin — Kingdom: Ashin of the North
Gianna Jun is Ashin in Kingdom: Ashin of the North, a girl who discovers the powers of the resurrection plant that caused such a calamity throughout Joseon. We get to know more about her childhood and life prior to the undead plague that ravaged the kingdom, and finds out that Ashin is also a victim when her family and everyone she knew is massacred by the Pajeowi tribe.

Director Kim Seong-hun praises Jun for masterfully performing not only the action scenes but also the unspoken inner pain and rage the character harbours. Archery was an important part of the character so Jun prepared for the role by taking up the sport.

4. Kim Se-jeong as Do Ha-na — The Uncanny Counter
Kim Se-jeong stars in the fantasy K-drama The Uncanny Counter as Do Ha-na, a tough Counter who can sense evil spirits and has insane super strength. The series features a group of demon hunters who go through leaps and bounds to save innocent people from evil spirits.

Se-jeong prepared for the fight scenes by going to action school and she even memorised all the choreography to deliver the impressive jam-packed action on screen.

5. Park Shin-hye as Gang Seo-hae — Sisyphus
Park Shin-hye plays Gang Seo-hae in Sisyphus as an elite warrior living in a war-torn future. The sci-fi drama tells the story of a genius engineer who tries to uncover the secrets behind his older brother’s death, and a mysterious woman who travels back in time to help him save the world from imminent danger.

Seo-hae exhibits close combat fighting and a variety of shooting skills. Shin-hye prepared for the physically demanding role by enrolling in action school for a month and a half prior to filming where she learned everything from how to hold a gun, to every aspect of staging an action scene.

Which of these fearless characters are among your favourites? Watch all of them in action, only on Netflix!

Image Courtesy of Netflix

Skechers is proud to announce Park Seo Jun as its Regional Brand Ambassador for Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In his newly-appointed role, the well-acclaimed South Korean actor will front the 2021/22 campaigns of six key growth markets for Skechers. Park Seo Jun’s first official appearance will be in the key campaign for Skechers D’Lites 4.0 collection, one of the brand’s best-selling styles since its debut in 2007, as well as Stamina Airy, a lightweight, super comfortable sneaker range with Air-Cooled Memory Foam insole.Holding high regard to the appointment, Park Seo Jun said, “I feel very honoured and happy to be the new Skechers Regional Brand Ambassador. Shoes are important for people like me, who are always on the move. I strongly recommend Skechers, which is not only stylish, but also really comfortable to wear! I can’t wait to share my favourite Skechers looks with everyone and hope all of you will like them too!”Over the last decade, Park Seo Jun has demonstrated incredible acting range and determination to continually embrace challenges and improve on his craft, which have landed him in high-profile roles of dramas and movies, including the highly-anticipated American superhero film, 'The Marvels’. Combined with boyish good looks and innate charisma, his immense popularity has transcended language, age and geographical boundaries. The first video campaign, starring Park Seo Jun as the new Skechers Regional Brand Ambassador, is titled ‘Find Your New Comfort Zone with Skechers’. It shows Park Seo Jun breaking out from the monotony with the aim to inspire consumers to embrace life’s fluidity and venture into new possibilities as they come – all while dressing in style and comfort.The fast-paced, energetic video opens with a dapper- looking Park Seo Jun in an executive suit, interacting with a black and white anamorphic environment and pushing the boundaries with his style wearing the latest in the best-selling footwear series – Skechers D’Lites 4.0. 

Park Eun Bin: Even if the idea of a woman becoming king started from one’s imagination, I thought it was my responsibility as an actor to make the character believable. Rather than drawing a straight line between Hwi as a man and Hwi as a woman, I felt it was more important to make Hwi convincing as a person. So I’m trying not to pretend to be a guy, but to show how natural it was for Hwi to grow up as a man. I’m also trying to give off a genderless vibe. It’s very important for the narrative that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t hide her feminine qualities and that this leads to suspicion and danger. I hope that the audience will not focus on whether she’s a guy or a girl, but just naturally embrace ‘Hwi with this side to her, and also that side’. My hope is that me on-screen would really come across as ‘Hwi’ to the viewers.