ABC plans TV documentary on pop star Rain

S. Korean Pop Singer Rain(Bi). (AP=YonhapNews)

The U.S. TV network ABC will likely film a documentary on the life of the South Korean pop singer Rain.

"I was asked to be in a TV documentary about me by Rudy Bednar, an executive producer at ABC," Rain said during a meeting with South Korean correspondents in New York on Monday.

Rain (or "Bi" in Korean), attended a party here for people selected as the year's 100 most influential figures by Time magazine.

Time recently included the singer on its list "Time 100: The people who shape our world," calling him the "face of pop globalism," which is now bringing pop culture from Asia to the West.

Rain has "ridden the crest of 'hallyu,' or the Korean wave," following his performance at Madison Square Garden in two sold-out shows in February, the magazine said.

The 23-year-old heartthrob, often labeled the "Korean Justin Timberlake," walked the red carpet at the Lincoln Center where the "Time 100" party was held, together with his father, Jeong Gi-chun.

"I'm very happy," Rain said. The singer said he believes the rising American interest in Asian culture would lead him to success in the U.S. market in spite of language barriers and the traditional strength of white mainstream singers.

"I'll make every effort to become a pop icon that glorifies South Korea," he added.

Two other Korean names on the "Time 100" list are pro golfer Michelle Wie and Jim Yong Kim, a Harvard Medical School professor renowned for his fight against tuberculosis and AIDS. Dr. Kim attended the party but Ms. Wie was absent because she is in South Korea to play in a golf tournament. (New York, Yonhap News Agency)