Rain to be face of Korean pop culture on Discovery

Asian superstar Rain (Bi) will be featured in a documentary produced by the Discovery Channel about the rising stock of Korean pop culture.

The "Hip Korea" program will focus on the entertainer's significance as a representative for Korean pop on the world stage.

"As the foremost leader and face of Korean entertainment, Rain will be introduced and featured as the program's primary subject and will be described as an entertainer who was successful as a result of the nation's growth as a pop cultural hub in the Asian region", said a J. Tune Entertainment representative Friday.

J. Tune is an entertainment and media company formed by Rain after his tutelage under singer, songwriter and producer Park Jin-young, the founder of JYP Entertainment.

The documentary began to be broadcasted on Saturday in Oceania and it will air in Asia on Feb. 23.

With the 27-year-old Rain's consent, the Discovery Channel's production crew followed the singer, actor and entertainment mogul everywhere for six months to chronicle his every move.

Candid moments were shown, including him commiserating with comedian and presenter Kim Jae-dong, plus an emotional visit to a mausoleum where his late mother lays at rest.

Numerous interviews were conducted, including with Steven Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report", the Wachowski Brothers and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon.

"The Colbert Report", a satirical television program in the United States, is hugely popular for skewing political talking heads.

Rain's connection to Steven Colbert and the show began two years ago, when a segment playfully mocked the singer, as Colbert declared him his arch-nemesis for finishing higher than Colbert on Time's list of the "100 Most Influential People".

The resulting comical feud came to a close when Rain appeared as a surprise guest the following year. He and Colbert faced off in a mock dance competition, boosting Rain's exposure to the American public.

The Wachowski Brothers, best known for "The Matrix" films, directed last year's "Speed Racer", in which Rain appeared and Sarandon starred.

After a lengthy hiatus from the domestic entertainment scene, Rain returned to Korea late last year to promote his fifth studio album "Rainism". Before that, he had filmed "Ninja Assassin", a film which was developed specifically for him by the Wachowski Brothers.

"Ninja Assassin" is due for release this summer.

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