Controversial ‘High School Rapper’ getting second season

Mnet will launch season 2 of “High School Rapper,” an audition program pitting the nation‘s teenage rappers against each other. The cable channel on Tuesday released the teaser image of the show online. Those wishing to participate can submit their applications from Dec. 19 until Jan. 7. The show will start shooting in January, and will air in February. Comedian Jung Jun-ha poses with judges of “High School Rapper” during a press conference for the show`s season 1 in Seoul on Feb.12. From left a

TelevisionDec. 12, 2017

[Video] Rebellious Swings is ‘confident’ despite ‘haters’

[Herald Interview]Admittedly, Swings, whose real name is Moon Ji-hoon, is one of the most talked-about, controversial and rebellious figures in the Korean music scene. This outspoken rapper, whose words are often unpolished and raw, is used to being a target of public criticism for fearlessly unleashing his rough nature. To name a few, he cusses in front of a camera, talks about sex and was once slammed by the media for revealing that he had kissed random girls in a club in the past. But still,

PerformanceDec. 12, 2017

Bromance comedy ‘My World Only,’ starring Lee Byung-hun, slated for January release

Actor Lee Byung-hun is returning with a family-friendly comedy in the upcoming film “My World Only,” slated for a Jan. 17 release, the film’s distributor CJ Entertainment announced Monday.The film, helmed by director Choi Sung-hyun and produced by JK Film, stars Lee as Jo-ha, a former boxer who relies only on his fists to get by in the world.Up-and-coming actor Park Jung-min will play Jo-ha’s brother Jin-tae, an autistic genius who has Savant syndrome.  "My World Only" (CJ Entertainment)The film

FilmDec. 12, 2017

[Herald Review] Imagining coup d’etat in North Korea

Speculations abound on what action the volatile North Korean regime is to take next following its recent series of missile and nuclear tests. Upcoming political thriller “Steel Rain” takes it one step further, imagining a scenario where the threat of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula becomes imminent. Viewers witness what unfolds after North Korea’s ruler -- unnamed in the film -- is overthrown in a coup d’etat and an even more belligerent commander takes his place. “I asked myself to brutally

FilmDec. 12, 2017

[Newsmaker] Year of BTS? Group makes impact both in and out of Korea

For BTS, the year 2017 marked the year it became a global pop icon, smashing records and making milestone achievements locally and internationally. While it has always been among the popular K-pop groups, this year saw BTS solidifying its position as the clear frontrunner in the scene.The boy band‘s latest feat came on Monday when Billboard ranked BTS as No. 10 in its annual year-end top 10 artists list. The list was led by Ed Sheeran, trailed by Bruno Mars, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, Th

PerformanceDec. 12, 2017

Actor Park Bo-gum wins award for promoting Korean tourism

Actor Park Bo-gum was named the winner of the achievement award for promoting South Korea abroad during this year’s tourism awards ceremony, the organizers said Tuesday. The 24-year-old actor was announced this year’s winner of the prize at the 2017 Korea Tourism Awards co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization, they said. Park Bo-gum (Yonhap)“Park contributed greatly to promoting the country abroad by successfully wrapping up fan meetings in ei

CultureDec. 12, 2017

EXO’s ‘Ko Ko Bop’ tops 100 million views on YouTube

The music video for EXO’s “Ko Ko Bop” has been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube. The video for the lead track off “The War,” the group’s fourth full-length studio album released in July, hit the milestone Tuesday morning, becoming the group’s sixth video to surpass 100 million views on the global video-sharing website.  (S.M. Entertainment)The K-pop sensation had already broken the mark five times, with “Overdose,” “Growl,” “Call Me Baby,” Monster” and “Wolf.”According to monthly album c

PerformanceDec. 12, 2017

Twice tops music streaming charts with 'Heart Shaker'

Idol group Twice on Tuesday conquered all major music streaming charts with its newest release "Heart Shaker."The lead song for Twice's new album "Merry & Happy" ranked No. 1 on eight music streaming services, including Melon, Genie, Olleh Music, Mnet.com, Bugs and Naver Music. The music video has racked up more than 7.6 million views on YouTube. "Heart Shaker" became Twice's seventh No. 1 song since the band's debut. Enjoying wide popularity in Asia, the nine-member female act has delivered hit

PerformanceDec. 12, 2017

BTS becomes top-10 artist on Billboard's year-end chart

K-pop group BTS has made the list of the top 10 musicians in the United States for 2017, according to American music publication Billboard.BTS ranked No. 10 on Billboard's Top Artists year-end chart this year, as seen on the company's website Monday (local time). Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars led the chart, trailed by Drake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, the Chainsmokers and Justin Bieber.The chart ranks artists based on their performance on the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard 200 and Social 50 charts, a

PerformanceDec. 12, 2017

EXO’s ‘The War’ goes platinum, and beyond

EXO has gone 4-for-4 with its studio albums, achieving platinum status with all four full-length albums as of Monday.According to monthly album charts on Gaon, EXO has sold 1.086 million copies of “The War,” its fourth studio album. The repackaged version “The War: The Power of Music” has sold an additional 506,485 copies,The combined sales figure of nearly 1.6 million records is more than that of any other EXO record.  EXO (S.M. Entertainment)The K-pop juggernaut splashed onto the music scene o

PerformanceDec. 11, 2017

A country of hats? Korea in eyes of 19th century German

When German merchant H.C. Eduard Meyer (1841-1926) was appointed an honorary consul to Joseon in the late 19th century, the country’s various hats were what fascinated him the most. According to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, the German thought that Joseon (1392-1910) was the only country in the world that showed an individual’s social class via hats. Meyer went on to collect an array of hats along with numerous items of the time. Hats from 19th-century Korea. From left: g

CultureDec. 11, 2017

HyunA tops China's QQ Music charts for 'Lip & Hip'

HyunA, a former member of the now-disbanded girl group 4minute, topped four charts of QQ Music, the largest music streaming and downloading service in China, for her new single "Lip & Hip," her management said Monday.The song ranked No. 1 on QQ Music's general new songs chart, general music video chart, K-pop chart and K-pop music video chart, according to Cube Entertainment.The general new songs chart includes all songs from China, Korea, Japan and America. (Cube Entertainment)Released last Mon

PerformanceDec. 11, 2017

BTS presents tearful, beautiful finale of ‘Wings’ tour in Seoul

On its epic journey since 2013, BTS has risen like a phoenix. Once a rookie group struggling to survive in the stormy K-pop scene, the group is now called a world-dominating super star, hitting the US charts, grabbing global headlines and mesmerizing fans all over the world. After leaving their footprints around the globe, the K-pop superstar finally landed on its home turf, where it put an end mark on its monthslong “Wings” tour that kicked off in Seoul in February. And its retrospective “grand

PerformanceDec. 11, 2017

BT21 character products to launch in Seoul, New York

BT21, a set of characters created by K-pop boy band BTS and Naver’s Line Friends, will launch its character products in Seoul and New York.Line Friends said Monday that it would open a pop-up store for the character merchandise at Boon the Shop in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul from Saturday to Jan. 14, 2018. It will also open “BT21 Zone” in its flagship store in New York on Saturday. Character-related merchandise such as dolls, cushions and fashion items will be available at the stores. The Seoul pop-up

PerformanceDec. 11, 2017

'Swindlers' takes box office for third straight weekend

Domestic crime film "The Swindlers" topped the box office for the third straight weekend, data showed on Monday.The film starring Hyunbin and Yoo Ji-tae led all films, selling 417,534 tickets from Friday to Sunday, according to estimates from the Korean Film Council. It has been on top of the daily box office charts since it opened on Nov. 22 and is expected to surpass the 4 million mark in cumulative attendance this week. The tally was 3.722 million as of Sunday.The movie revolves around a team

FilmDec. 11, 2017

‘Forgotten’ draws 1 million viewers in 12 days

Mystery thriller “Forgotten,” starring Kang Ha-neul and Kim Moo-yeol as brothers, drew over 1 million cinemagoers in the 12 days since its release. “Forgotten” revolves around the two brothers who doubt each other. Kim Moo-yeol plays the older brother who loses his memory and becomes a completely different person after an abduction. Kang Ha-neul plays the younger brother who grows suspicious of his changed brother and subsequently begins to doubt his own memories. Official poster for “Forgotten”

FilmDec. 10, 2017

Back home, BTS takes aim at top 10 of Billboard Hot 100

It’s been a history-making year for BTS, the K-pop sensation that has made ripples around the globe with its recent US debut and everything in between. Having left footsteps across several continents with its “Wings” world tour that kicked off in Seoul in February, BTS finally returned home to wrap up its monthslong global journey in Seoul at Gocheok Skydome on Sunday. And the ever-growing K-pop act expressed its ambition to enter top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and debut at No. 1 on Billboard 2

PerformanceDec. 10, 2017

[Herald Interview] K-pop has sparked interest in Korean studies, but it’s not the end: Ross King

K-pop may have led to an increased interest in Korean among foreign students, but those seeking to study the language in higher level education still face huge obstacles, according to professor Ross King. 　King, a Canadian national who has been helming the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia since 2008, says that compared to nine years ago, “the base has expanded” for Korean studies abroad. The rise of K-pop has been a contributing factor, he says.“K-pop is definite

CultureDec. 10, 2017

[Eye] Scholar finds Korean identity in history

In an age where three-minute book excerpts on mobile phones pass as “reading,” Hahm Chai-bong, president of the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, has boldly set about writing five volumes on the subject of Korean identity.As he elucidates in the preface to “Hanguk Saram Mandeulgi,” or “Becoming Korean,” Hahm’s translation of the book’s title, the multi-volume work stemmed from a personal quest for self-identity. Having spent much of his formative years abroad, he had been nagged by the question

CultureDec. 8, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

American Assassin (US)Opened Dec. 7Action, thriller. Directed by Michael CuestaAfter losing his fiancee to a violent group which wreaks random violence, Mitch Rapp (Dylan O‘Brien) trains himself everyday vowing revenge. The CIA, impressed by his efforts, scouts him as a new member, and Mitch is taken under the wing of former US Navy SEAL Stan Hurley (Michael Keaton) for training. The two spot a pattern of violence and team up with a deadly Turkish agent in a counterterrorist attack, seeking to p

FilmDec. 8, 2017