Seoul International Cartoon, Animation Fest highlights Polish cartoons, Japanese masters

Polish cartoons and works by Japanese masters will color the city this month at the 21st edition of the Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival. 　The annual event, set for July 26-30 this year, will open with the Polish-English animation “Loving Vincent” and showcase, for the first time worldwide, the trilogy of films by legendary Japanese science fiction writer Keikaku Ito.　The festival, which celebrates animated films from all over the world, will take place at the SETEC convention ce

FilmJuly 5, 2017

Top 11 of ‘Producer 101’ to debut as Wanna One

The 11 winners of the second season of K-pop competition show “Produce 101” will debut on Aug. 7 as the boy band Wanna One, the group’s agency said Wednesday.According to YMC Entertainment, the hotly anticipated rookie group will release its first EP next month and perform on stage for the first time as a group at Wanna One Premier Show-Con. Wanna One (YMC Entertainment)The event, a combination of a showcase and a concert, will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, western Seoul. Details of th

PerformanceJuly 5, 2017

Dream Theater returns to Korea for ‘Images, Words & Beyond’ tour

Legendary progressive metal band Dream Theater will hold a concert in September to mark the 25th anniversary of its iconic album “Images and Words.”According to the show’s local promoter AIM, the concert will take place at Olympic Hall in Seoul at 6 p.m. on Sept. 16. It marks the eighth time that the US band will be performing in the country. A poster for Dream Theater’s “Images, Words & Beyond” concert in Seoul (AIM)The concert is part of the global tour “Images, Words & Beyond,” which commemor

PerformanceJuly 5, 2017

Song Hye-kyo denies pregnancy rumors

Actress Song Hye-kyo denied rumors Wednesday that she is marrying fellow actor Song Joong-ki because she is pregnant. Her agency UAA said there is “no way” she is pregnant, and that she will continue to work after their marriage. It added she is currently considering several movie roles.However, the company said that Song will take time off “for a while” in preparation for the wedding ceremony. (Yonhap)Song Joong-ki’s latest film “Battleship Island,” a film about forced labor during Korea’s Japa

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017

Woman in false accusations case involving Park Yoo-chun found not guilty

The second woman who sued K-pop singer-actor Park Yoo-chun for sexual assault was declared not guilty Wednesday of wrongful accusations against Park. 　“It is difficult to ascertain that the defendant brought a suit against (Park) based on false facts, or that she damaged his reputation,” the court announced at the end of the first trial. “It is a case where there is no evidence of the criminal counts charged,” the court said. 　The woman, surnamed Song, was charged with falsely accusing Park of s

PerformanceJuly 5, 2017

Fiction becomes reality: Drama couples who got married in real life

With the internet abuzz over the newly revealed couple of Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki, fans are focusing on other star couples who met on drama sets and ended up tying the knot.The most recent case was the wedding of actors Lee Sang-woo and Kim So-yeon. The couple met while starring in the TV drama “Happy Home” last year and admitted that they are in a romantic relationship a month after it ended. Lee and Kim walked down the aisle on June 9 in a private ceremony in Seoul.Song Joong-ki(left) a

PeopleJuly 5, 2017

Song Joong-ki’s new Itaewon house could be his home with Song Hye-kyo

Following Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s surprise wedding announcement Wednesday morning, attention is now turning toward a luxury house that Song Joong-ki bought in January, which may be the couple’s new home. A luxury house that Song Joong-ki bought in January in Itaewon-dong, Seoul (Jie Ye-eun/The Korea Herald)In May, The Korea Herald had reported that Song Joong-ki, who starred alongside the other Song in the hit “Descendants of the Sun,” bought a two-story house with a basement in January

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017

[Breaking] Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo to get married in October

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, who had repeatedly denied rumors they were dating, announced Wednesday through a joint statement written from their management agencies that they are to wed on Oct. 31. Blossom Entertainment and UAA confirmed the reports in an early morning announcement. Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo attend the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards in June, 2016. (Yonhap)“Since marriage is also between families -- as well as between individuals -- they had to be careful. ... The two had to b

TelevisionJuly 5, 2017

[Exclusive] Gospel singer Sohyang collaborates with Swedish composer for upcoming release

Gospel singer Sohyang, who set an impressive winning record on MBC’s weekly music competition show “King of Masked Singer,” is collaborating with a Swedish composer for her upcoming release. According to Sohyang’s manager Monday, the singer and Simon Petren, a Swedish composer, recently finished working on Sohyang’s two new songs.“Sohyang and Petren have recently wrapped up producing two of her new songs, and they are now in the middle of mixing process,” the manager said.“The upcoming new songs

PerformanceJuly 4, 2017

Korea, Iran commemorate 1,300 years of cultural exchange

South Korea kicked off a weeklong event in Tehran on Monday, promoting Korea’s traditional culture, in commemoration of the two countries’ millenniumlong relationship built along the Silk Road.This year has been the designated the year of South Korea-Iran cultural exchange, to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. However, cultural exchanges between Seoul and Tehran go back much farther, back to the time of the Silla Kingdom and the Persian Empire.  National Orc

CultureJuly 4, 2017

DinDin shows off detective skills art on MBC’s ‘Sherlock’s Room’

Rapper DinDin transformed into a crime investigator on MBC’s new pilot program “Sherlock’s Room.” In the first episode aired Sunday, DinDin showed his keen sense of observation and deductive reasoning in discovering the culprit behind an imaginary murder case. (D.O. Entertainment)“Sherlock’s Room” is a variety show that sets up an imaginary crime scene and has a panel investigate the mystery behind the crime, adding an element of forensic science to the traditional Sherlock Holmes-like deduction

TelevisionJuly 4, 2017

Zico releases teaser image for new EP

Rapper Zico of boy band Block B on Tuesday released a teaser image for his new song “Behind the Scenes,” which will be included in his upcoming EP.His agency Seven Seasons Entertainment uploaded the image on its official social media pages Tuesday. The image showed a television with a tongue extended from it, set atop a pile of books.  (Seven Seasons Entertainment)The agency did not elaborate on the meaning of the image, but said that the new song will be about Zico’s personal story and how he a

PerformanceJuly 4, 2017

Apink’s Yoon Bo-mi models for cosmetics brand

Apink’s Yoon Bo-mi has been tapped as a new model for the cosmetics brand Forencos. Her agency Plan A Entertainment said that Yoon had shot images to promote products by the brand, whose slogan is “cross the boundary.”  Yoon Bo-mi (Plan A Entertainment) Yoon Bo-mi (Plan A Entertainment)“We’ve selected Yoon Bo-mi as our new ‘muse,’ as her image is not confined to just the standardized beauty but can cover a wide range of images from innocence to proudly arrogant,” an official of Frencos was quote

Arts & DesignJuly 4, 2017

‘The King Loves’ delves into destructive desire of Goryeo King

Period drama “The King Loves” traces the turbulent love triangle and identity struggle involving an interracial Korean king, with two lead actors who have transitioned from careers in K-pop to acting.　The MBC drama, which premieres on July 17, stars Im Si-wan as Goryeo prince Wang Won, Korea’s first royalty of mixed heritage whose mother was the daughter of Kublai Khan, a Mongolian emperor and the founder of Yuan dynasty in China.　Girls’ Generation’s Yoona plays fictional character Eun San, the

TelevisionJuly 4, 2017

'Fight For My Way' peaks at No. 1 on TV popularity chart

KBS 2TV's "Fight For My Way" topped a TV popularity index, taking over the lead that was occupied by Mnet's audition show "Produce 101" for nearly three months, data showed Tuesday.Starring Park Seo-joon and Kim Ji-won, "Fight For My Way" scored 266.2 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program during June 19-25.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 stori

TelevisionJuly 4, 2017

Claudia Kim to star in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ sequel

Actress Kim Soo-hyun, known as Claudia Kim to the international audience, will be starring in the sequel to the Warner Bros. film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”Kim will star as a young woman introduced as an attraction at a wizarding circus, according to reports.The actress, who is fluent in English, previously starred in Hollywood films such as “The Dark Tower” (2017) and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015). Claudia Kim (Artist’s Facebook)The film is the second flick to be based on J.

FilmJuly 4, 2017

Twice defends No.1 spot at Oricon daily album chart

Twice remained on the top at Oricon’s daily album chart in Japan, taking the No. 1 spot for the second straight day as of Tuesday.“#TWICE,” released last Wednesday by the K-pop act, recorded daily sales of 14,988 records on Tuesday to top the chart. It stayed at the No. 2 spot for four straight days after its release before taking the top spot on Sunday.Twice is featured on a Japanese TV show. (JYP Entertainment)Twice also held a debut showcase on Sunday at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. As of Tu

PerformanceJuly 4, 2017

Girls’ Generation celebrates 10-year anniversary with new album

Girls’ Generation -- one of the longest running K-pop acts in the country -- will release its sixth studio album in August.According to S.M. Entertainment, the group will release the album -- the title of which has not been revealed -- sometime next month.(http://ticket.yes24.com)The group will also hold a fan meeting at Olympic Park in Seoul on Aug. 5, which will mark exactly 10 years since its debut on Aug. 5, 2007. During the event, it will perform its biggest hits and hold fan activities loo

PerformanceJuly 4, 2017

Mistranslation of ‘The Vegetarian’?

A slew of controversies surrounding the English translation of Han Kang’s award-winning "The Vegetarian" have started numerous conversations about accuracy and readability. Even if there were some mistranslations, they should not offend the masses, a literary critic said."The Vegetarian," winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize with translation by British translator Deborah Smith."The Vegetarian" tells the story of a woman who decides to become a vegetarian after waking up from a blood

BooksJuly 3, 2017

BTS wraps up Japan tour

BTS heated up Japan with its May-July tour that concluded with a concert in Sapporo on Sunday.According to Big Hit Entertainment, the K-pop sensation’s “2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode III The Wings Tour ~Japan Edition~” was attended by 145,000 fans in Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Saitama, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The agency added that the concerts were a complete sellout, including standing-only tickets that were released after all seats were sold.“We’re so happy and thankful to meet our Japanese fans

PerformanceJuly 3, 2017