BTS becomes 1st K-pop act to break into Spotify's Global Top 50

BTS became the first Korean musician to break into the top 50 artists played on global music streaming service Spotify, according to its agency Wednesday."DNA," lead track of BTS' latest EP album "Love Yourself: Her," reached No. 50 on the Spotify's Global Top 50 playlist, according to Big Hit Entertainment. The chart ranks the most streamed artist on the platform on a daily basis. (Big Hit Entertainment)Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Spotify was launched in 2008 and currently has some 140 million

PerformanceSept. 20, 2017

Syrian artists find ways to express war’s impact

The Syrian War, now in its seventh year, has claimed some 500,000 lives. Of the prewar population of 22 million people, about 6.3 million people have been internally displaced, while more than 5 million have fled the country, becoming refugees. Among those who left Syria is artist Tania Al Kayyali whose works are on exhibition at Art Space DA:MDAA in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, as part of “Syria Art Exhibition: Do Fish Ever Get Seasick?” a group show of five Syrian artists. Of the five, only one curren

Arts & DesignSept. 19, 2017

Busan film fest ticket sales to open next week

Ticket sales for Korea’s largest film event, the Busan International Film Festival, will begin next week. Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will be available online at www.biff.kr at 6 p.m. on Sept. 26. They cost 20,000 won ($17.75) each. The opening and closing films this year are Korean director Shin Su-won’s “Glass Garden” and Taiwanese director Sylvia Chang’s “Love Education.” It is the first time both the festival’s opening and closing films are helmed by female directors. 　 A

FilmSept. 19, 2017

BTS breaks record, topping 73 iTunes charts

Once again, BTS proved its power as a global K-pop star with its latest EP “Love Yourself Seung Her,” which topped iTunes charts in a record-breaking 73 countries all over the globe. (Big Hit Entertainment)According to Big Hit Entertainment Tuesday, the new EP has ranked No.1 on iTunes album charts including the United States, Britain, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Spain, Poland, Brazil and Indonesia as of 8 a.m. The number of countries the group‘s new EP has swept is the largest f

PerformanceSept. 19, 2017

IU’s ‘Autumn Morning’ tops charts despite BTS’ new release

Singer IU’s “Autumn Morning” secured the No. 1 spot on local music charts despite the new release from another K-pop big name BTS on the same day.As of 9:50 a.m. Tuesday, “Autumn Morning” remained on top of all seven local music charts including Melon, Genie and Bugs.“DNA,” the lead track from BTS’ new album “Love Yourself Seung Her,” took the No. 2 spot on all but two music charts -- Mnet and Monkey 3.  (Fave Entertainment)“Autumn Morning” is a track from IU’s upcoming remake album “A Flower Bo

PerformanceSept. 19, 2017

New edition of ‘My Straw’ sweeping social media

The new edition of “My Straw” generated a buzz on social media after Binggrae rolled out a specially designed straw in the online market Monday. (Binggrae)According to the company, the “S.O.S. Straw” was added to the list of the “My Straw” editions with a price of 8,900 won ($8). The 10,000 available are currently on sale via Gmarket.The straw, which features a distinctive fire extinguisher-shaped design, helps consumers cool down a burning mouth by spraying the drink directly on the tongue.The

CultureSept. 19, 2017

Block B’s P.O. gears up for solo debut

Rapper P.O. of K-pop act Block B is getting ready to fly solo with the release of a single next Wednesday. His agency Seven Seasons announced Tuesday that the rapper will release his first single since his 2011 debut. P.O. is also the songwriter and producer for the upcoming record.Prior to the official announcement, he teased the fans last week, saying, “I have a surprise event in store.“ P.O. of Block B (Seven Seasons)The album will be released at 6 p.m. next Wednesday through local music stre

PerformanceSept. 19, 2017

[Photo News] Cosmos in full bloom

Visitors take in the view of a cosmos field in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday prior to the local festival’s opening. A yearly celebration of the season’s blooms, “Guri Cosmos Festival 2017” will take place for a three-day run from Friday.By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)

CultureSept. 19, 2017

Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford talk about upcoming ‘Blade Runner’

Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford and Denis Villeneuve met with Korean press via video conference Monday evening at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul for the upcoming neo-noir “Blade Runner 2049.” 　The actors and director were calling in from Berlin, Germany. 　Director Villeneuve addressed the Korean letters visible in the trailer clip. 　“There are a lot of influences from Korea and Japan as well, in the first Blade Runner,” Villeneuve said. “In the second one, we added influences from Eastern Europe and I

FilmSept. 18, 2017

[Next Wave] Five monkeys of Jannabi relive heyday of old pop

The Korea Herald is introducing Korean singers, musicians and actors poised to join the next wave of top stars in a twice monthly series. -- Ed.Despite their different personalities, finding common elements among the five members of indie band Jannabi wasn’t difficult. In addition to having grown up in the same neighborhood, they are all undaunted about the future, worship iconic rock stars of the past and are truly and madly in love with music, especially old pop. “It’s really funny that we’ve

PerformanceSept. 18, 2017

Civilian-government committee to target all culture blacklists

The joint civilian-government committee investigating the Park Geun-hye administration’s blacklist of cultural figures said Monday it will expand its activities to probe the blacklist that precedes the Park administration.Lawyer Cho Young-sun, the head of investigative subcommittee of the group, said that documents indicate that the blacklisting of controversial figures has been going on since at least 2008, when former President Lee Myung-bak was in office. Former politician and actor Moon Sung

CultureSept. 18, 2017

BTS takes aim at Billboard 100 chart with ‘Love Yourself Seung Her’

BTS is back with a new release that is likely to send fans around the globe into a frenzy. The K-pop act returned with its new EP, “Love Yourself Seung Her,” on Monday, with the ambitious goal of making it on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.  “People always say that their goal is to make it to Billboard 100. But to make the list, we have to sell a lot of records and our song has to be aired on the radio a lot, and it’s not that easy. This makes us wonder, ‘Is it possible?” said band member Sugar durin

PerformanceSept. 18, 2017

Heartthrob actors Lee Jong-suk, Song Seung-heon take on villain roles

A handful of Korean cinema’s heartthrobs have taken on villainous roles in recent and upcoming films.　Lee Jong-suk, who played romantic lead characters in drama series such as “Pinocchio” and “I Can Hear Your Voice,” plays an imperious North Korean serial killer in the crime drama “V.I.P.,” which opened in theaters in August. His milky-white complexion and boyish image were able to translate well into an oddly sinister sort of villain, Lee said in an interview last month.  Lee Jong-suk stars in

FilmSept. 18, 2017

'Memoir of a Murderer' rules box office for second weekend

Homegrown crime thriller "Memoir of a Murderer" topped the box office for the second weekend straight, data showed Monday.The film starring Seol Kyung-gu, Kim Nam-gil and Kim Seol-hyeon added 483,237 to its domestic total of over 2 million in attendance, the real-time based box office figures from the Korean Film Council said.Based on Kim Young-ha's best-selling novel of the same name, "Memoir" depicts the story of an aged former serial killer with Alzheimer's who strives to keep his only daught

FilmSept. 18, 2017

IU makes surprise pre-release of ‘Autumn Morning’

Singer IU made a timely pre-release of “Autumn Morning” on Monday morning. “Autumn Morning” is a track from the singer’s upcoming remake album “A Flower Bookmark Two.” According to her agency, the sudden release at 7 a.m. was to celebrate IU’s ninth debut anniversary which fell on the day. As it is a precious day for both IU and her fans, the singer decided to pre-release the track to make the morning special, the agency said. “Autumn Morning” (Fave Entertainment)“Autumn Morning” is originally b

PerformanceSept. 18, 2017

Herald Corp. chairman appointed to WWF board

World Wide Fund for Nature, the world’s leading conservationist organization, has appointed Jungwook Hong, chairman of Herald Corp. and its premium food brand Organica, as its newest board member. Jean-Paul Paddack, co-chairman of WWF-Korea, visited the company’s headquarters in Seoul on Friday to hand-deliver the letter of appointment to Hong.  Jungwook Hong (right), chairman of Herald Corp., receives a letter of appointment from Jean-Paul Paddack, co-chairman of WWF-Korea, at the company‘s hea

PeopleSept. 17, 2017

Live cinema performance of ‘2001’ to land in Seoul

Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a sci-fi classic that seems fresh even in 2017 -- particularly as we celebrate the Cassini spacecraft’s plunge into the Saturn last week, ending its 13-year exploration of the ringed planet and its moons. The groundbreaking film has had a lasting influence on popular culture and its discussion of mankind’s place in the universe, particularly with its philosophical outlook.And any mention of the film would be incomplete without reference to t

CultureSept. 17, 2017

CL sings for ‘My Little Pony’ soundtrack

CL, formerly of 2NE1, sang on the soundtrack of upcoming animation “My Little Pony: The Movie,” her agency YG Entertainment confirmed Saturday. The upcoming film is a cinematic version of the popular television series “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.” The singer sang “No Better Feelin’,” the 11th track on the soundtrack.  CL performs on stage during her “Hello B*****s” concert held in Toronto, Canada, on Nov. 14, 2016. (YG Entertainment)The song marks the singer’s first release since she de

PerformanceSept. 17, 2017

Dream Theater enchants Seoul fans with ‘Images and Words’

Dream Theater was back in Korea for the eighth time and they did not disappoint, putting on a show for fans by performing the songs from its iconic album “Images and Words.”The legendary progressive metal band held the concert at Olympic Hall in Seoul at 6 p.m. on Saturday, which was part of the “Images, Words & Beyond” tour that commemorated the 25th anniversary for one of Dream Theater’s most successful albums. John Myung (left) and John Petrucci play during Dream Theater‘s concert at Olympic

PerformanceSept. 17, 2017