“Ballad King” Kim Hyung-soo, better known by his stage name K.Will, has returned to the spotlight, except this time, he is not showing much of the charming baby face that fans adore – the K-pop idol has transformed into a hideously deformed hunchback for his musical debut.

In tackling the challenging role of Quasimodo in the Korean rendition of the beloved French musical, “Notre Dame de Paris,” K.Will is looking to be yet another K-pop idol-turned-musical actor trying to prove he has got the vocal and acting chops to make a name for himself in the country’s bustling musical theatre scene.

Not to be confused with the Disney remake, “Notre Dame de Paris” the musical is based on the novel by Victor Hugo, with music by Riccardo Cocciante. Set in 1482 Paris, this tale of love and heartache is not another cliched love triangle tale, rather, it delves deeps into the complex internal struggles of three men and their undying love for one woman.

The musical’s storyline follows the life of a young and irresistibly beautiful gypsy girl named Esmeralda. Her alluring beauty captures the hearts of countless men, including the hunchback Quasimodo, who fellow townsmen call the ugliest man in Paris.

The free-spirted Esmeralda even incites forbidden lustful feelings in Frollo, the priest of Notre-Dame Cathedral as well as the dastardly and soon-to-be-married Phoebus.

K.Will, well-known for his powerful vocals and romantic lyrics that make ladies gush, was certainly commendable in his musical stage debut, taking on the role of a undesirable man singing his heart out for the woman he loves, to no avail. Although the hurt in his soul was acted out beautifully by the singer, the ballad king fell short in musical standards when it came to singing.

While the singer-songwriter looked the part of the “ugliest man in Paris,” with his protruding hump and ghastly makeup, K.Will’s performance on Sunday — his second appearance — lacked the coarse huskiness and rasp needed in Quasimodo’s voice to truly translate the pain of his undesirability and intense longing for Esmeralda’s affection.

Late last year, “Notre Dame de Paris” celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Korea premiere with performances by the French cast. Although the overall performance of the local rendition was pleasant and enjoyable — with the acrobatics of this action-packed production even surpassing that of the original French cast’s production — the current Korean version falls far short in inarguably one of the crucial aspects of any good musical – the singing.

Last year’s French production featured performances by cast members Matt Laurent as a haunting and brokenhearted Quasimodo; Robert Marien as Frollo the priest; Stephanie Bedard as Esmeralda; and John Eyzen as the cheating Phoebus.

With their emotionally bewitching singing chops an incomparable level, the French actors put to shame K-pop idols looking to penetrate the musical scene. To say the singing performances of the French cast members were awe-inspiring would be an understatement, and that still holds true today.

The Korean rendition of “Notre Dame de Paris” is currently being staged at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong until Aug. 21. Ticket prices range from 60,000 won (S$69) to 140,000 won. For more information, call (02) 541-6236.

Singer and actor Park Yoo-chun on Monday filed a counterclaim against the first woman who had filed a sexual assault complaint against him.

She withdrew the complaint a few days after filing it. Park’s complaint against the woman involves claims of a false statement and blackmail. Park’s legal representative from the law firm Shin & Kim filed the complaint at Gangnam Police Station on Monday afternoon.

Park is reportedly considering whether to file similar complaints against the second, third and fourth women who filed sexual assault claims against him.

The police investigation team in charge of Park’s case, which previously had six members, has now been boosted to 12, police said.

Police plan to summon Park for questioning once they have questioned the first alleged victim, others who were present at the scene and the owner of the bar where the alleged sexual assault took place.

On June 10, a woman in her 20s filed a sexual assault complaint against Park, 30, who is a member of K-pop group JYJ. She then withdrew the complaint on June 15, saying there had been “no coercion during sexual intercourse with Park.”

A second woman filed a sexual assault complaint against Park on June 16 and two more women came forward with sexual assault complaints against Park the following day. The first woman, before withdrawing her complaint, had claimed that she was sexually assaulted by Park on June 4 this year inside the bathroom of a bar where she was working.

Police are reportedly considering widening the investigation to look into potential charges of illegal confinement and prostitution.

Park’s agency C-Jes Entertainment released a statement Sunday saying they have “evidence to prove Park’s innocence” and will “comply with police investigations.”

4 women claim file rape claims against Micky Park Yoo-chun

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LOS ANGELES – The car that fatally crushed Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin had been under recall over fears that it could roll off without warning, it emerged on Monday.

Friends discovered the Russian-born actor pinned against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence at his California home by his Jeep Grand Cherokee in the early hours of Sunday.

Investigators said the actor, who was just 27, had momentarily got out of the vehicle when it rolled backward down the steep driveway toward him.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said in February that 2015 models of the SUV like Yelchin’s could continue to move after drivers thought they had locked them in “park,” and linked the issue to more than 100 crashes.

Manufacturer Fiat Chrysler’s US unit issued a recall for hundreds of thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokees and other models in April to address the problem.

However, FCA US said it had not found a permanent remedy and mainly advised owners to double-check that their car was in “park” as intended.

“Drivers thinking that their vehicle’s transmission is in the PARK position may be struck by the vehicle and injured if they attempt to get out… while the engine is running and the parking brake is not engaged,” the NHTSA said.

No deaths had been linked to the problem but injuries reported included fractured bones and other problems that required hospitalization.

Rollaway vehicles killed 370 people between 2008 and 2011, according to the NHTSA, an average of around 93 people a year, while some 2,000 people were injured annually during the same period.

“It is premature to speculate on the cause of this tragedy,” FCA said in a statement, adding that it was investigating.

Yelchin moved to the United States when he was six months old with his parents, who were star figure skaters with the Leningrad Ice Ballet, and made his film debut at age nine in A Man Is Mostly Water.

His breakout performance came in the 2006 crime thriller Alpha Dog, and his movie credits include J.J Abrams’s three Star Trek films and last year’s critically acclaimed Green Room.

Abrams described Yelchin as “funny as hell and supremely talented,” while Star Trek co-star Zachary Quinto said the actor was “one of the most open and intellectually curious people” he knew.

“So enormously talented and generous of heart. Wise beyond his years, and gone before his time,” Quinto posted on photo sharing platform Instagram.

Justin Lin, who directed Star Trek Beyond, the third in the reboot trilogy due out next month, paid tribute to Yelchin’s “passion and enthusiasm.”

Susan Sarandon, who starred alongside Yelchin in the 2008 coming-of-age comedy Middle of Nowhere, described the actor as “an original.”

“One of the most curious, funny, sweet people I’ve ever known,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

“He was a searcher, an incredible talent and a loyal and loving son. Any time would be too soon for his departure from this plane, but this is an unforgivable and unbearable loss.”

Horror novelist Stephen King and actors William Shatner, Tom Hiddleston and Anna Kendrick noted Yelchin’s immense talent and passion.

Bryce Dallas Howard, his co-star in 2009’s Terminator Salvation, described him as “an angel on earth whose light will never be extinguished.”

Milla Jovovich, who acted opposite Yelchin in 2014 Shakespeare big-screen adaptation Cymbeline, described him as her “brother” and said she and her family were “destroyed” by his death.