Ajussi

I'm not sure about other countries but Korea has a VERY long tradition of logging and keeping the family tree history accurately. As I said in the OP this report was actually done using real family tree archives which was authorized by legitimate government body. The people listed are all part of a single clan of Cheongju Han which is quite small compared to some of the other clans in Korea (like the Gimhae Kim clan, etc). Some people listed here are more closely related to Ham than others but they're definitely all from the same immediate family tree.

I just watched the episode as well and oh man, it was hilarious! Nicole of course spoke fluent enough english that I'm pretty sure the interviewer (who didn't really speak that great of an english btw) didn't even understand much of it either! But what was gold was Kahi's expression afterwards... lol. Totally frozen!

Hey all, Just thought this piece of info was interesting and wanted to share it with folks here. Recently I watched a Chuseok episode of a show called "Prestige of Lineage(?)" (가문의 내력 in Korean), where the fellow girl group Secret was featured... pretty much what this show does is tracking down the family tree history of the guests. And this is where I discovered something very surprising... Secret's Han Sunhwa is actually a cousin (not the first cousin but second cousin or something along the lines) of Seungyeon! They're both of the Cheongju Han family tree, which only consists of a single clan and is relatively small in terms of size compared to some other families. This is really interesting parallel because I always found some similarities in how they both rose to fame and contributed to their own groups... remember how Seungyeon made countless appearances in TV variety shows during the days when Kara weren't too famous? Sunhwa has been doing pretty much the same thing for Secret. And I always thought they're both witty in a similar way, too. It looks like persistence and effort runs in the family! The Cheongju Han clan has many other famous celebrities as well, however. Some of the more famous ones include: - Actresses Han Hye Sook, Han Hye Jin, Han Go Eun, Han Hyo Joo (From hit drama Dongyi) - Han Eun Jung (You may remember her from dramas like Full House and Cinderella Man) - Actor Han Jin Hee - Comedian Han Min Kwan (from Gag Concert; SNSD fans may also remember him from an episode from Hello Baby) Another interesting fact is that this family line apparently produced the most Queens in the old Joseon Dynasty from Korea, which lasted from 1392-1910. So obviosly she's from a family that has a lot of prestige and pedigree over history. Pretty cool huh?

I watched the episode and I recall IU place first (not a surprise; she was popular in the first place and just recently ranked #1 on music shows), Jiyeon second and I believe Nicole 5th or so... which is still amazing among this star studded lineup. I bet in coming weeks her popularity is going to soar through the roof due to Gorae being a big hit!

I watched Nicole's appearance on Family Outing 2, in particular the part where she sings all her parts from all of Kara's title songs... but for whatever reason, she only started from Rock U, dismissing the two title songs from First Blooming completely (Break It, If U Wanna). I can't see why she did that on purpose, when she was also a Kara4 member (if it was Hara or Jiyoung I would understand, but...). This really makes me think that for whatever reason, they're not particularly fond of that part of their history and rather have it forgotten by the public... kinda irks me a bit because I think they should be a little more proud of it. Kind of reminds me of how Wonder Girls doesn't really mention or perform "Irony" anymore (which of course was sang back when they had Hyuna instead of Yubin) either.

To be brutally honest, I have to say that the whole "byungpoong" (Screen door) character was fun but really not bound to be beneficial to Hyomin's image in the long run. I'm sure she's sad as well (as well as rest of the G7), but it's also her chance to showcase a different side of her through the show with a new character. From watching her her in T-ara.com, she has potential to be a LOT more entertaining. I love f(x) as well and would welcome them a lot on the show, but IMO the only person that fits the mold of the show is probably Luna. Victoria and Amber are not proficient enough in Korean yet, and Krystal and Sulli's image just don't seem to fit in with this (not to mention that they're significantly younger than rest of the cast; this might create conflict). But who knows, maybe they'd fit in well. I wish good luck to whomever the new member may be... because it's huge shoes to fill in Sunny/Yuri/Hyuna. But yup, original G7 will always be the best and we still have them on the wall graffiti at Yuchiri as a reminder of that.

The official reason for her departure from DSP/Kara is that she wanted to focus on her studies. it happens often in the Idol world (Sunmi of Wonder Girls, Soyoung of After School, etc). There's been other possible reasons though, such as Sunghee's religion not approving of idol life (She became more faithful to Jehovah's Witness' church after her mom's death, and that religion is known to be very strict), difference of singing style, etc... but unless she states the reasons herself, we'll just have to go by the official statement.

Well, I just heard the news and really, really gutted that Sunny and Yuri are leaving... especially Sunny (just can't see how her role can be replaced). Very sad right now but at least all the Hara rumours weren't true at all... very glad that at least SHE is staying. If Sunny and Hara both left, you could seriously say bye bye to the show, but at least one of the two remains... really sucks that apparently Hyuna is leaving also. T_T This is a good opportunity for Hara to pick up more time on the show as well and really show her stuff, just as she did for the first few episodes. Oh and btw, I'm not sure who will be added in place of Sunny/Yuri/Hyuna, but for now at least, Hara is now officially the maknae of the group. As for replacement members, I have this slim hope that it's another member from either Kara or T-ara. I'd say Seungyeon and Nicole are the best fit, but not sure if they have the time or not. If it is T-ara, then hoping that it's Eunjung or Soyeon. Either one of Karaholic/Diadem/BEGislove/Secretfour will have to pick up the subbing (doesn't affect me since I know Korean, but for the rest...)... Based on the fanbase, Karaholic is probably the most capable out of the four. I'd say if there is another member added from any of these groups, then there is a good chance that they'll start subbing.

I've been a bit concerned for Hara lately because she seems to be crying a little too often and easily these days (to a lesser extent, Jing too). I know she's emotional in general, but she's been this way even with minor things (like when Nicole talked about her on Invincible Youth... yes, it was touching, but normally, not much to tear up about) as of late. To me, it's a sign of how she's fatigued a lot both mentally AND physically. DSP's really ought to give her a break, or at least give her some professional support with psychologists, nutritionists, etc.

I know Kara has gone through some drastic member and concept changes over the last three years, but it somewhat saddens me that some of the great songs from their first album isn't really mentioned or heard anymore... even the members (well, the original three anyway) don't really mention them anymore either and they don't seem to play any of these at concerts/events (Even at the Japan promotional event, they didn't play any of these). It's almost as if they've decided to leave that particular past of them and have it be forgotten on purpose. I know Sungja isn't around anymore and it does leave issues of who sings her parts, but perhaps Gyuri or Seungyeon are now capable of covering for her parts and divide up some of their original parts to Jiyoung and Hara? Or even do what 2PM did for their post-Jaebeom performances and leave Sunghee's parts alone on speakers or something... If Kara were ever to have a solo concert I would definitely wish for them to sing these songs (If U wanna and Secret World are STILL some of my favourite Kara songs)... While they weren't as popular, the work of original Kara should still be remembered and cherished by fans and not be pushed aside like it is now IMO (of course, with much respects to both Hara and Jiyoung). What do you all think?

I always liked the ones where she struggled with Jaebeom or Kim Bunny, just because they have lack of understanding of Korean also and it made it very hard. xD

Just vocals, really. I know all of them have made great strides in improving their vocals but IMO it's not quite at the level of some of the other idol groups yet. Jiyoung and Hara both have potential but they seem to sing with restraint and uncertainty when they're on stage live...

I would like to see them on Idol Army/Show as guest one more time, although I know they're been on it twice before (in addition to hosting season 4). I really enjoyed those episodes. It'd be perfect too, as MBLAQ has 5 members and so does Kara.

I love invincible Youth and really loved it when Nicole showed up... but she didn't get featured enough in this episode. Probably with there being too many guest in the first place. Would be great if she can be a featured guest for a whole episode, kind of like how Sooyoung was in the recent episode.

She emits the aura that people should be seeing from a group's leader. Out of all my favourite groups she IMO is the most leader-like. Goddess FTW.