Actor-singer Lim Chang-jung considers role in satire movie about Choi Soon-sil scandal

Actor-singer Lim Chang-jung is reportedly considering appearing in an upcoming movie about the corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil. According to local news outlets, Lim and fellow actors Lee Geung-young and Jung Ryeo-won have been offered roles in the new flick “Gate” by director Shin Dong-yeop and might take up the offer. Lim Chang-jung (NH Entertainment Media Group)The political satire comedy will feature an elite prosecutor who loses his memor

FilmMarch 15, 2017

Twice wins endorsement deal for Pocari Sweat

South Korean girl group Twice has been hired by beverage maker Donga Otsuka Co. to promote the company's flagship sports drink Pocari Sweat, the group's agency said Wednesday. (Yonhap)"Twice was picked as Pocari Sweat's model for the beverage's 30th anniversary," JYP Entertainment said, adding that Twice has become the first idol group to model for the iconic drink product. In the TV commercial which begins airing Wednesday, the team's nine members head to the beach sporting attire that matches

PerformanceMarch 15, 2017

'Defendant' pummels rival TV shows as it nears final stretch

"Defendant" maintained its pole position in the Monday-Tuesday late night TV drama race, data showed Wednesday, as viewers tuned in to see whether the gripping crime thriller, near its final stretch, can deliver a satisfying ending. (Yonhap)The show's 16th episode that aired Tuesday night recorded 25.4 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea. It dropped 0.2 percentage point from the previous broadcast, but still squashed its main competitors.MBC TV's "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People," a

TelevisionMarch 15, 2017

Actor Lee Joon-gi to wrap up Asian tour in Seoul next month

South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi will hold another concert in Seoul next month to wrap up his four-month-long Asian tour, his management agency said Wednesday.The concert will take place at Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul on April 15, Namoo Actors said. (Namoo Actors)Since December last year, Lee has been on an Asian tour of seven cities in five countries, including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. He recently appeared on the hit TV series "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo." "The Asia concert tour

TelevisionMarch 15, 2017

Seo Tai-ji mulls 25th anniversary concert

Korean pop cultural icon Seo Tai-ji is mulling a concert to mark 25 years since his debut, his agency said Tuesday.SeoTaiji Company confirmed earlier reports that local production companies have approached Seo about a 25th anniversary concert.“We have had offers and held meetings. But nothing has been decided yet,” an official from the company told local media. Seo Tai-jiThe official noted, however, that the singer will certainly celebrate the silver jubilee of his debut in some form.Last month,

PerformanceMarch 14, 2017

[Herald Review] Life inspires fiction for accidental masterpiece

Can a film be appreciated on nothing but its own merit, completely independent of the person behind it? Apparently not, as evidenced by the snickering and scoffing of the audience at the Korean premiere of Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone,” during what were intended as serious scenes but were blatantly reminiscent of the director’s widely publicized personal affairs.Hong returns to his often-used theme of what love means in life, with his trademark style of improvised directing that

FilmMarch 14, 2017

Office comedy 'Good Manager' rules TV popularity chart

KBS 2TV's late night office series "Good Manager" stood at No. 1 on a benchmark TV popularity chart, while "King of Mask Singer" and a number of variety shows also added strong momentum, data showed Tuesday."Good Manager" scored 247.1 points on the Content Power Index, staying as the No. 1 TV program during the Feb. 27-March 5 period. (KBS)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, on

TelevisionMarch 14, 2017

Ex-Wonder Girls member Sunmi joins new management agency

South Korean pop singer Sunmi has signed up with a new management agency after leaving JYP Entertainment following the disbandment of Wonder Girls early this year, her new company announced on Tuesday. Make Us Entertainment said that it signed an exclusive contract with Sunmi last month. The company, which also represents artists Park Won and Urban Zakapa, said it "won't shy away from fully supporting Sunmi's music endeavors."Sunmi promised fans that she will deliver an unseen, fresh image throu

PerformanceMarch 14, 2017

BTS' 'Boy In Luv' video tops 100 mln YouTube views

The "Boy In Luv" music video by BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, becoming the South Korean idol group's fourth video to reach the milestone, its agency said Tuesday.The view count for the video, uploaded on February 2014 on YouTube, stood at 100,274,422 as of 8:50 a.m. Tuesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment, the team's agency. (Big Hit Entertainment)So far, BTS has four songs -- the three others being "Dope," "Fire" and "Blood Sweat & Tears" -- wi

PerformanceMarch 14, 2017

LTI Korea digitalizes classical, contemporary Korean literature

Classical and contemporary Korean literature will be available electronically through the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, which has digitalized 33 masterpieces.The project involved digitalizing 28 classical pieces, which had been previously translated into English, French and German from Korean, as well as five works which were translated through the institute but had not been published abroad. Titled, “The Digital Library of Korean Classics,” the 28 classical works include “Printemps

BooksMarch 13, 2017

MAP6 to release second Japan album

Korean boy band MAP6 will release its second album “No Surrender” in Japan on March 15, according to its agency Dream Tea Entertainment.  Korean boy band MAP6 (Dream Tea Entertainment)“The title song ‘No Surrender’ has the group’s newfound resolve to step onto the new terrain of infinite possibilities,” the agency said Monday. In the released photo, the band gives off a “manly and renegade feel,” it added. MAP6 debuted in November 2015 with its first single album “Storm.” It has members Minhyuk,

PerformanceMarch 13, 2017

Hong Sang-soo, Kim Min-hee confirm they are in love

Director Hong Sang-soo and actress Kim Min-hee came out into the open with their relationship during a press conference Monday after a screening of Hong’s latest film “On the Beach at Night Alone.” Kim had clinched a best actress award for the film at the Berlin International Film Festival last month.“We are in love with each other. The reason we said nothing to the press so far is because we felt there was no need to explain such a personal affair,” Hong said. Director Hong Sang-soo (Yonhap)The

FilmMarch 13, 2017

GOT7 releases ‘Flight Log: Arrival’

Boy group GOT7 released its sixth EP “Flight Log: Arrival” on Wednesday at noon via online music streaming sites. (JYP Entertainment)The boy group also unveiled the music video of the 13-track album’s lead track “Never Ever” on the same day.“Flight Log: Arrival” is the last release in GOT7‘s “Flight Log” trilogy that started in March 2016 with the EP titled, “Flight Log: Departure.” (JYP Entertainment)All seven members of the group -- JB, Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom – w

March 13, 2017

Singers Kwanghee, Lim Hyung-joo join Army

Kwanghee of K-pop boy band ZE:A and operatic pop tenor Lim Hyung-joo enlisted in the Army to fulfill their military duty on Monday. (Yonhap)Kwanghee, who is better known as one of the six emcees for popular variety show "Infinite Challenge," entered a basic training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, and Lim was sent to one in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Monday afternoon.After five weeks of basic training, Kwanghee will begin service in an Army band while Lim will join a regional Army u

PerformanceMarch 13, 2017

Actor Park Bo-gum wraps up Asia tour in Seoul

Park Bo-gum, the star of the 2016 South Korean TV series "Love in the Moonlight," has successfully finished his tour of Asian countries in Seoul, his agency said Monday. (Yonhap)The actor met about 4,000 fans at Seoul's Kyunghee University, the last leg of his "2016-2017 Asia tour fan meeting," on Saturday, Blossom Entertainment said.Beginning in Malaysia on Dec. 10, the tour took him to eight Asian cities, including Seoul, for the past three months.During the latest event, Park heated up the at

TelevisionMarch 13, 2017

Local film 'The Prison' presold to 62 countries

"The Prison," a Korean crime thriller, has already been sold to 62 countries around the world before its release in local theaters next week, its local distributor said Monday.(Yonhap)The distribution rights for the movie were sold to such territories as North America, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, Japan and the Philippines during the European Film Market at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, according to Showbox."It was highly rated for being an action genre f

FilmMarch 13, 2017

'Kong' beats 'Logan' at S. Korean box office

King Kong conquered Wolverine in its first weekend in South Korean theaters. The Hollywood action blockbuster "Kong: Skull Island" drew in 823,222 viewers, or 49.1 percent of ticket sales, over the March 10-12 weekend, the official box office figures from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) showed on Monday. (Yonhap)The King Kong movie surpassed the 1 million mark in the aggregated number of views on Sunday, the fifth day of its run.It pushed aside the previous lead "Logan," a Hollywood superhero mo

FilmMarch 13, 2017

[Herald Interview] GFriend comes of age with ‘The Awakening’

At its creation, the concept of GFriend was embodied by its name: a girlfriend, who is with you at all times. True to its driving idea, the group’s image was of a band approachable and easy to relate to.With its fourth EP “The Awakening,” however, the six-member group has shed its girl-next-door image for a mature and chic look, with heavier makeup and colorful clothing. The group says the change is in accordance with its youngest members reaching the age of majority this year. GFriend (Ije Comp

PerformanceMarch 12, 2017

[Herald Interview] You can have style and comfort, too

When it comes to shoes, there is no need to compromise comfort over style -- or vice versa. “Technology has made it easier to have both,” said Fred Allard, chief creative director of the GRI Group, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Saturday. “As a designer you have no choice. They (shoes) must be comfortable. Women are working now,” said Allard, who worked as a shoes and accessories designer at European shoe brands and the Nine West Group in the US before joining the Hong Kong-based G

Arts & DesignMarch 12, 2017

Lee Min-ho donates to UNICEF for World Water Day

Actor Lee Min-ho donated 25 million won ($21,800) to the Korean Committee for UNICEF in commemoration of the upcoming World Water Day on March 22, the organization said Friday. The donation will be used to provide 138 emergency packs, including 690,000 water purifiers that can provide clean water to 92,000 children around the world.  Actor Lee Min-ho (Korean committee for UNICEF)It is the second consecutive year the actor has donated to the Korean Committee for UNICEF to mark the day. Lee donate

TelevisionMarch 12, 2017