2PM’s Lee Jun-ho to take lead role in ‘Just in Love’

Lee Jun-ho of 2PM has been cast as the lead in an upcoming JTBC drama, according to his label JYP Entertainment on Monday.  Lee Jun-ho of 2PM (JYP Entertainment)According to the creators of “Just in Love,” which will air in the second half of this year, the show is about ordinary people experiencing love and hardship. It will be Lee’s first time in a lead role in a drama series. He will play Lee Gang-du, a former athlete who was injured in an accident that killed his father and shattered his dre

TelevisionAug. 21, 2017

[Herald Interview] Actor Jang Dong-gun once thought himself unattractive

When Jang Dong-gun made his acting debut in 1992 on “Our Paradise,” a TV drama about campus romance, he caused a stir in the Korean entertainment industry. Every country has an iconic actor who represents the epitome of attractiveness in a certain period. In modern Korea, it seemed that position would be filled by Jang, whose chiseled looks have since become synonymous with handsomeness. Jang Dong-gun poses for a photo before an interview in Palpan-dong, Seoul, on Aug. 17. (Hohoho Beach)After 25

FilmAug. 21, 2017

Scholars: Refuse to bow down to China censorship pressure

BEIJING  - Scholars are petitioning Cambridge University Press to restore more than 300 politically sensitive articles removed from its website in China after a request from authorities, underscoring concerns about freedom of speech and the Chinese government‘s increasing leverage over academic organizations. Cambridge University Press said Friday that it had complied with a request to block certain articles from "The China Quarterly" within China. They touch on politically sensitive subjects in

BooksAug. 21, 2017

Jung Yu-mi, Lee Kwang-soo cast for tvN's new series 'Live'

Actors Jung Yu-mi and Lee Kwang-soo have been cast for a new TV series on cable channel tvN written by popular screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung, the network said Monday.The two will appear in the new program "Live," a story about policemen, that will be shown some time in the first half of next year.  (Yonhap)Jung of the movie "Train to Busan" and popular reality show "Youn's Kitchen" plays tough policewoman Han Jeong-oh who fights against male-dominated working culture while Lee acts as Han's colleag

TelevisionAug. 21, 2017

‘TVXQ Week’ heralds phase 2 of duo’s career

They’re back.Having started off as teenage heart-throbs before blossoming into artists of international fame, the duo of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin appeared before the public as TVXQ on Monday, the first time since being discharged from the military.“We’ve been introduced as ‘K-pop kings, and I’m really starting to feel the weight of such an expression. I’m happy to be back and to be able to greet you all as TVXQ,” U-Know Yunho said at a press conference held at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on Monda

PerformanceAug. 21, 2017

2017 KCON Los Angeles draws 80,000 K-pop fans: organizer

KCON, a global Korean pop music and culture convention, wrapped up its Los Angeles event Sunday, bringing together tens of thousands of fans of cutting-edge South Korean musicians, fashion and other Korean-related cultural content.A crowd of 80,000 gathered at the three-day KCON LA 2017 held from Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Staples Center in the American west coast city, according to CJ E&M, organizer of KCON. (Yonhap)First launched in Irvine, California, in 2012, KCON is

Aug. 21, 2017

'The Battleship Island' grosses $1 mln at US box office

"The Battleship Island," a Korean film about the dark history of Japan's Hashima Island off the coast of Nagasaki during World War II, has grossed more than $1 million at the US box office, its distributor said Sunday.The film reached the milestone on Friday, 15 days after its Aug. 3 opening in American theaters, according to CJ Entertainment America."Even in its second week of release, we are getting an enthusiastic response here, with various organizations asking us for information about scree

FilmAug. 21, 2017

Red Velvet moved by huge fans at 1st stand-alone concert

Compared to their peers, idol band Red Velvet's ascent to stardom has been a slow burn. The five ladies, who debuted in 2014 under K-pop titan S.M. Entertainment, didn't have a genuine megahit for the first few years while rivals GFriend and TWICE became overnight sensations.That changed in February 2017 after the success of its catchy pop funk track "Rookie" from the fourth EP album, also titled "Rookie." Last month, Red Velvet dropped another chart-topping number, "Red Flavor," which drove the

PerformanceAug. 21, 2017

No nudity in Korean edition of Playboy

The Korean edition of the Playboy magazine hit the shelves of local bookstores Monday covering a wide range of topics from celebrities to social and political issues, and lifestyles. There are no nude photos, its local publisher Kaya Media Corp. said.Kaya Media Corp. signed a contract in January with Playboy Enterprises, the owner of the US magazine, to publish the Korean version of the 63-year-old monthly magazine. Nam Tae-hyun features in Korean edition of Playboy (Playboy Korea) Playboy was l

Life&CultureAug. 21, 2017

French designer in costly dispute over Pitt-Jolie chateau

A French lighting designer has won a $600,000 court ruling in a dispute with Brad Pitt over a grandiose re-design of the chateau in Provence that he and Angelina Jolie shared.But designer Odile Soudant isn't stopping there. She says her business went under because of Pitt's refusal to pay for costly architectural reveries, and she's now fighting for the intellectual property rights to the Chateau Miraval's lighting design. This May 31, 2008 file photo, shows the Miraval property in Correns, near

TelevisionAug. 20, 2017

Racism in Korea, from TV to real life

A decade ago, history textbooks in Korea started to refrain from saying that Korea is a mono-ethnic country, as state-wide controversy about the cited phrase can prompt racism against ethnic minorities in the country.While the widespread belief that Korean people are of single ethnicity has been challenged and debunked -- for the most part -- over years, insensitivity toward actions or words that may be offensive to other ethnicities continue to ail Korean society. Earlier in the year, comedian

CultureAug. 20, 2017

BTS’ ‘Dope’ tops 200m YouTube views

The music video for “Dope,” a track from K-pop boy band BTS’ “The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1,” has reached over 200 million views on YouTube.Released on June 23, 2015, the video reached the milestone on the YouTube channel run by 1theK, the content production division of Loen Entertainment, at 6:34 p.m. Saturday. Loen is the music label behind the group‘s 2015 EP album.  A screen capture of BTS' "Dope" music video (Big Hit Entertainment)Including views on the official channel run by t

PerformanceAug. 20, 2017

'A Taxi Driver' becomes 1st movie this year to attract 10 mln moviegoers

A Korean movie about a cabbie who took a German journalist to the center of the Gwangju pro-democracy uprising in 1980 became this year's first film to attract more than 10 million moviegoers Sunday, its distributor said."A Taxi Driver," released Aug. 2, became the 15th Korean movie and 19th movie of all time to cross the milestone in the Korean box office, the Showbox said. "Train to Busan," which premiered July 20 last year, was the latest one to reach the achievement. The zombie flick sold 11

FilmAug. 20, 2017

Super Junior's Choi Si-won to visit Vietnam for UNICEF campaign

Discharged from his military duty, Choi Si-won of the South Korean boy band Super Junior will visit Vietnam next week for a campaign by the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF), his Seoul-based agency said Saturday. S.M. Entertainment said Choi, who was discharged from his mandatory national duty Friday, will participate in the UNICEF's "SMile for U" campaign that is designed to support music education for children in Asia. The 31-year-old will be in Vietnamese cities, including Da Nang, fro

EntertainmentAug. 19, 2017

Geopolitical feuds hamper Korean Wave in China

South Korea's entertainment industry was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the diplomatic normalization with China in 1992. Its pop songs, dramas and movies flooded into the once banned communist country, which has become the springboard for "hallyu," or the growing popularity of South Korean popular culture. But they have recently emerged as a victim of politics. Korean showbiz faces the hardest time since entering China 25 years ago amid a raging anti-Korean sentiment and state restrictions

Aug. 19, 2017

Singer Rain plans to release comeback album in November

South Korean pop singer Rain is working on a new EP record and plans to release it in November, according to his company Friday. "Rain plans to briefly visit the U.S. in September and will later focus on producing the album to put it out in an EP format in November," a representative at Rain Company said.The most recent work released by the singer, whose real name is Jung Ji-hoon, was "Rain Effect" back in January 2014. His new project will reportedly include self-written tracks along with ones

PerformanceAug. 18, 2017

Taeyeon distressed after incident at Jakarta airport

Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation took to Instagram to share her thoughts after a harrowing experience at a crowded airport in Indonesia.  Taeyeon (S.M. Entertainment)　The singer flew to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Thursday for promotional activities, accompanied by a single manager. As soon as Taeyeon landed at the airport, however, she encountered an unruly crowd that rushed toward her, eventually knocking her down.  Taeyeon wrote via her Instagram on Friday to address the issue. “People’s fe

PerformanceAug. 18, 2017

iKon fans announce boycott on YG products

Fans of iKon announced they will boycott all goods produced by YG Entertainment, claiming that the label has been mistreating both the K-pop act and its fans.  iKon (YG Entertainment)　iKon’s fandom iKonic released a statement on Thursday that read, “We decided to boycott all upcoming products from YG, including the DVD ‘iKon Summertime Season2 in Bali,’ until we receive complete and sincere feedback from YG.”The statement also revealed that fans sent an 18-page document on July 24 to YG accusing

PerformanceAug. 18, 2017

[Herald Interview] Jung Saem-mool explains what goes into flawless K-beauty

The flagship store of makeup artist Jung Saem-mool’s cosmetics brand is like a sun-soaked garden of colors. Nestled in a corner of the trendy Garosu-gil in southeastern Seoul, the three-story building, opened in June, boasts white walls with multi-colored decorations. It’s like a palette, a playground where customers can fiddle with makeup to their hearts’ content, an employee there explains.　On the store’s second floor, a library space stacked with beauty books and surrounded by plants, sits ar

CultureAug. 18, 2017

[Weekender] Korean DJs should be wary of popularity, never get lazy as trend setters: DJ Juncoco

As the clock ticks past midnight in the crowd-packed clubs of Gangnam-gu DJ Juncoco, who draws enormous cheers from avid clubbers, is getting ready to step into the DJ booth.  As one of the most in-demand DJs today, he is treated like a rock star at weekend club parties. The pulsating and sassy electro dance music he spins under the colorful LED lights doesn’t let clubbers slow down. His tunes, which show a touch of moody French style EDM and old-school pop melodies, compel the clubbers to jump

CultureAug. 18, 2017