[Travel Bits] Sights, festivals around Korea

Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju“Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju,” a program selected by the Cultural Heritage Administration in a competition, offers visitors the chance to walk through hundreds of traditional Korean houses in Jeonju Hanok Village under the moonlight.Its highlights include a moonlight photography competition, a traditional music night, Jeonju traditional opera, a shadow orchestra and night views of Jeonju.The event is being held until Sept.13. For more information, visit www.jeonju-

TravelJuly 7, 2017

Ex-4Minute member Jeon Ji-yoon to release single

K-pop star Jeon Ji-yoon, also known by her stage name Jenyer, confirmed that she will release a new single on July 20. It will be her first official release since she released “Cliche,” a collaboration with singer Samuel Seo, four months ago.  Jeon Ji-yoon (Robin K. ENT)According to her agency Robin K. ENT, her new single will be produced by Primary, who has worked with several hip-hop and pop artists in Korea including Supreme Team, MBLAQ and Dynamic Duo. The agency said Taylor Parks participat

PerformanceJuly 7, 2017

‘Desperate’ Halo seeks breakthrough with new EP

Since its 2014 debut, boy band Halo has for the most part stayed under the radar.While the group has had a following, it has fallen short of the standards set by major rivals like Winner, GOT7 and BTS.“We are smiling on the outside, but we are desperate for our names to be widely-known,” said Dino during a press showcase held Thursday in Seoul for its third EP “Here I Am.” It marked the group’s return from a 10 month break, by K-pop boyband standards, a considerable hiatus. Halo members perform

PerformanceJuly 7, 2017

[Herald Interview] Hang5va hopes to become EDM sensation in K-pop

With electronic dance music bringing many people around the world to their feet, an EDM act in Korea hopes to carve out its own niche in the K-pop industry with the band’s throbbing electro bass. The group’s relaxed, jovial nature belies the quartet’s name: Hang5va, pronounced like “hangover.” The hip-hop-based EDM group strutted into the K-pop scene with a swagger early this year, consisting of band leader Kazu, MC Crooner, Chocoboi and DJ Hotdog. Korean EDM quartet Hang5va poses during a recen

PerformanceJuly 6, 2017

Chung Myung-whun receives Italian honors

Conductor Chung Myung-whun shakes hands with Italian Ambassador to Korea Marco della Seta after receiving the Order of the Star of Italy at a ceremony held at the ambassador's residence in Seoul on Thursday. The order is conferred by the president of Italy in recognition of a person's contributions to promoting friendly ties between Italy and other countries. (Yonhap)

PeopleJuly 6, 2017

‘Path to equality rarely easy,’ says Daniel Dae Kim on ‘Hawaii Five-0’ departure

Korean-American star Daniel Dae Kim spoke up Wednesday regarding his departure from the long-running CBS drama “Hawaii Five-0,” reportedly due to pay inequality.　Last Friday, entertainment trade magazine Variety reported that Kim and his co-star Grace Park, a Canadian-American actress of Korean heritage, were exiting the police-action show after seven years, having failed to reach an agreement with CBS on pay equality with their white co-stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan.　“Though I have made

TelevisionJuly 6, 2017

Kim Tae-ri to star with Lee Byung-hun in period drama

Actress Kim Tae-ri has been cast alongside actor Lee Byung-hun for the upcoming drama series “Mr. Sunshine” (tentative title), slated to air early next year.　Kim will be the female lead in the show, a melodrama about a Joseon-era man who becomes an American soldier and returns to the country that abandoned him, the show’s production company Hwa and Dam Pictures said Thursday. Kim will play the daughter of a Joseon-era nobleman.　The show will mark the small screen debut of Kim, who starred in las

TelevisionJuly 6, 2017

Why comedian Kim Young-chul accompanied President Moon to Berlin

Comedian Kim Young-chul accompanied President Moon Jae-in on the presidential jet headed to Berlin for the G20 Summit.Kim Young-chul performs at a luncheon for overseas Koreans living in Berlin on Wednesday, local time. (Instagram)Kim performed at a luncheon Wednesday attended by some 200 Koreans living in Germany.Comedian Kim Young-chul (Herald Pop)Kim comically sang his recently released song “Ring Ring” but barely incited laughter from the crowd, according to reports.(doo@heraldcorp.com)

TelevisionJuly 6, 2017

[Newsmaker] Why do Korean idols face threats from fans?

A growing number of Korean pop stars received death threats in recent months, raising questions as to why such incidents occur.From Apink to Twice to BTS, South Korea’s most beloved artists have faced serious threats from various anonymous persons online and over the phone. This has put the local entertainment industry on edge, amid growing concerns over how celebrities can be better protected from such threats.Most are written out of anger. Irrational jealousy over celebrities who are dating or

July 6, 2017

'Spider-Man' smashes S. Korean box office on opening day

The Hollywood film "Spider-Man: Homecoming" smashed the South Korean box office on its opening day, taking up nearly 85 percent of ticket sales, data showed Thursday.The latest movie in the Marvel superhero franchise was watched by 544,308 moviegoers Wednesday, according to the computerized box-office tally from the Korean Film Council.The movie, starring Tom Holland and Michael Keaton, will likely maintain its momentum. The film's ticket reservation rate stood at 78.3 percent as of 8 a.m. Thurs

FilmJuly 6, 2017

Actress Song Hye-kyo secretly donated 100 mln won to hospital

Actress Song Hye-kyo, who made a surprise announcement of her wedding plans with actor Song Joong-ki, recently made a secret 100 million-won donation to a children's hospital, sources said Thursday.The actress made the donation to the Seoul National University Children's Hospital in May, on the occasion of Children's Day, according to hospital officials. Song reportedly asked the hospital to keep the donation a secret. Last year, Song contributed her voice to KBS 1TV's children's documentary tit

TelevisionJuly 6, 2017

Movie on Gwangju uprising picked to close Canada's Fantasia Fest

"A Taxi Driver," a new South Korean movie on the 1980 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju, was selected as the closing film of this year's Fantasia Film Festival in Canada, according to its distributor Thursday.The genre-oriented film contest launched in 1996 is popular among hardcore film fans and distributors largely from North America. It runs July 13-August 2.Distributor Showbox said this is the first time for a Korean movie to close the prominent festival. "A Taxi Driver" is also part of the

FilmJuly 6, 2017

Former I.O.I members to debut with girl group next month

Choi Yoo-jung and Kim Do-yeon of disbanded K-pop group I.O.I will reunite in the new group Weki Meki, which will debut in August.According to their agency Fantagio Entertainment, the pair will join six other singers to form the group. A pre-released image of the group showed only the shoes and legs of the eight members, keeping its concept under wraps.  (Fantagio Entertainment)With Choi and Kim joining Weki Meki, all 11 members of I.O.I have formally launched careers with their respective groups

PerformanceJuly 6, 2017

Week of Twice -- 210,000 albums ship in Japan debut

Twice’s Japan debut is garnering an explosive reaction, as over 210,000 copies of the group’s album “#TWICE” have been shipped out just a week since its release.According to JYP Entertainment, the K-pop group has sold 130,594 records, taking the No. 2 spot on Japan’s Oricon daily album charts on Thursday. Twice held the top spot for three straight days before being dethroned by Kanjani8’s “Jam.” (JYP Entertainment)Twice has already been the top-selling K-pop artist or group in Japan for the past

PerformanceJuly 6, 2017

Black Pink shows off ‘natural look’ in photo shoot

Jisoo, Jenie, Rose and Lisa of Black Pink put aside their usual heavy makeup and showed off a more natural look in a photo shoot for the magazine “High Cut.”In an interview, the four members talked about their ongoing activities related to the recently released EP “As If It’s Your Last.” (YG Entertainment) (YG Entertainment) (YG Entertainment)“Our concept has always been ‘charisma,’ or ‘girl crush,’ but this time it’s more ‘girly,’” said Jisoo.Jennie attributed the group’s success to fans, who s

Arts & DesignJuly 6, 2017

[Newsmaker] Korea’s hottest actor never short of news

Song Joong-ki dropped a stick of entertainment media dynamite on the country early Wednesday morning with the news he would marry his former costar, stunning fans and media alike and proving once again why he is one of the hottest young actors in Korea.He and Song Hye-kyo jointly announced via their agencies that they would get hitched on Oct. 31, after repeatedly denying that they were in a romantic relationship. Song Joong-ki poses at a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 22, 2016. (KBS)It was o

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017

Star couple Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo to wed on Oct. 31

The onscreen couple of KBS hit drama series “Descendants of the Sun” will soon be married in real life. Early on Wednesday, Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo announced plans to wed on Oct. 31, through a joint statement issued by their management agencies. (KBS2)The two had repeatedly denied rumors they were in a relationship even up until Tuesday evening, when a local media outlet requested confirmation as to whether the two stars were a couple. The agencies flatly denied the rumors and called them

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017

[Photo] Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo’s love story

From stars of “Descendants of the Sun” to a soon-to-be married couple in real life, maybe it is time to review the previous photos of the Songs taken together. We don’t know at point of the TV drama Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki fell in love with each other, but photos that have been shared via the actress’s Instagram account show the couple were already intimate enough to cozy up together and look like a couple. Here are some traces of the “Song couple” before they went official. (Song Hye-kyo

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017

‘People loved me for being pretty, bright’: K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri

“I used to put on makeup and wear clothes with so much color. I dyed my hair every color. I wondered if the public would still like me if I took all that away,” said Lee on the inspiration behind the title of her latest album, “Black,” at a press conference in Seoul Tuesday.Lee wrote the lyrics for eight of the 10 tracks on the album. She also participated in the composition of eight songs. Lee Hyo-ri (Yonhap)Lee Hyo-ri (Yonhap)“People have always loved me for smiling and being bright,” she said

PerformanceJuly 5, 2017

Song Joong-ki considering role in Netflix’s ‘Kingdom’

Song Joong-ki has been offered a role in “Kingdom,” an upcoming Netflix series penned by writer Kim Eun-hee.“We have made an offer to Song, but nothing has been decided for certain as of yet,” an official at the series’ production company A Story said.Song’s management agency Blossom Entertainment also said that nothing had been decided regarding the actor’s appearance in the series.Song Joong-ki (Yonhap)“Kingdom,” which will be streamed on Netflix, is an eight-episode zombie series set in the J

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017