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Rain to Hit New York

NEW YORK, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- The New York Times on Sunday carried an extensive story about South Korean singer Rain ahead of his concerts in New York this week, calling him a "pan-Asian heartthrob".

"Rain, who has been labeled the Korean Justin Timberlake and the Korean Usher, is a serious and driven performer", it said in a culture-leisure section lead story.

"He wants nothing less than to break down barriers, build cultural bridges and become the first Asian pop star to succeed in America".

Rain is scheduled to hold two concerts at Madison Square Garden on Thursday and Friday.

"I would really like to see an Asian make it there (in the U.S. music market). I would like that Asian to be me. That's why I'm studying the language, reading up on the culture and practicing every day to correct my weaknesses", Rain, 23, was quoted as telling the daily through an interpreter.

The paper described the singer as a "self-flagellating superstar", saying, "Day and night, an English tutor trails him through Seoul, peppering him with conversational phrases as he labors to polish his singing, his martial arts-inflected dancing and, presumably, his chest baring".

"Word spread very quickly through New York's Korean community that a Korean pop singer was coming to town", it said, adding that many non-Asians will come to see the show as well as Asians amid the growing American interest in Asian culture.

The newspaper also quoted Rain as saying that he has been dreaming about Madison Square Garden since he was a child imitating Michael Jackson's moves. "It is an incredible honor to perform there", he said.

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