CNBLUE to release new EP on March 20

CNBLUE will release its seventh EP, titled “7℃N,” on March 20, the K-pop band’s agency FNC Entertainment announced Tuesday.The upcoming EP is the band‘s first recording since “Blueming” was released nearly a year ago. “The new album will be about various emotions felt by CNBLUE, which commemorates the seventh anniversary of its debut this year,” the agency said.The band’s leader and vocalist Jung Yong-hwa wrote the main track of the EP, according to FNC Entertainment, adding that the four-man gr

PerformanceMarch 7, 2017

Local tourism braces for fallout from strained Korea-China ties

Following the joint Korea-US decision to deploy the THAAD battery in Korea last July, a de facto Hallyu ban has been in place in China. Following is the second article in a three-part series that examines the impact of the unofficial Hallyu ban on the Korean entertainment and tourism industries. --Ed.With China clamping down on Korea-bound tourism -- widely suspected as retaliation for the upcoming Seoul-Washington deployment of the US missile defense system here -- the tourism industry is searc

CultureMarch 7, 2017

Herald Philharmonic performs ‘The Sound of Spring’

The Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a concert titled “The Sound of Spring” on Friday in Donghae, Gangwon Province, marking the 22nd anniversary of the establishment of the Donghae Culture and Art Center. The concert will be a family-friendly event that seeks to transcend generational gaps, according to Lee Kang Play, the event organizer. “This will be a great opportunity for families to get together for a live performance of classical opera and songs from popular TV shows,” said Choi

PerformanceMarch 7, 2017

‘Taxi Driver’ featuring Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann to open this summer

“Taxi Driver,” a film about the 1980 Gwangju uprising, will hit local theaters this summer, the film’s distributor Showbox said Tuesday. 　The film stars Song Kang-ho as the taxi driver Man-seob who picks up Peter, a German journalist, played by German actor Thomas Kretschmann, and heads to Gwangju, not knowing what will unfold in the city.The film centers on the historic event also known as the May 18 Democratization Movement, in which more than 100 civilians protesting the authoritarian regime

FilmMarch 7, 2017

Ex-2NE1 member Gong Minzy releases first single as solo artist

Gong Minzy, former member of the now-disbanded South Korean girl group 2NE1, on Tuesday released a song for the soundtrack of MBC TV series "Rebel: A Thief Who Stole The People," signaling the start of her solo music career. (Yonhap)The song, "I Wanted To Love," was released on major music streaming services at noon, according to Snow Entertainment, which produced the "Rebel" soundtrack.The love ballad is accompanied by a music video that combines footage from the show, centered on the relations

EntertainmentMarch 7, 2017

Park Hae-jin unaffected by Chinese ban on Korean culture

Korean cultural content and their stars are now under a massive ban in China as a protest over Seoul's decision to deploy an advanced US missile defense system, but popular actor Park Hae-jin appears to be an exception to the measure.China's largest online video sharing platforms Youku and Sohu Video covered a formal dinner held in Seoul on Monday to celebrate the end of shooting for actor Park Hae-jin's new TV series "Man to Man."They interviewed the lead star as he walked into the restaurant t

TelevisionMarch 7, 2017

Will K-pop also fall victim to China's Korean product ban?

(Yonhap)First came TV censorships of Korean stars. Then a ban on concerts, followed by an implicit prohibition of retail goods from South Korea. Now, K-pop is also bracing for a possible export ban to China, the biggest single-nation market in the world, as Beijing continues its political hissy fit towards Seoul's decision to deploy a high-tech U.S. anti-missile battery on its soil.Since October, Beijing has denied Korean entertainers permission to perform or appear on Chinese television. More r

PerformanceMarch 6, 2017

Actor Lee Joon-gi belts out songs for Singaporean fans

South Korean actor Lee Joon-gi received a feverish response from Singaporean fans by singing more than 20 songs during a concert there, his management company said Monday. (Yonhap)Namoo Actors said Lee, who recently appeared in the hit TV series "Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo," performed at the concert "Thank You" on Saturday, organized as part of a music festival for the HSBC Women's Champions that took place on March 2-5.The actor arrived at Changi Airport on Friday night and was greeted by

TelevisionMarch 6, 2017

[Seoul Saunter] Haebangchon: Home to artists, once a refuge for the displaced (Video)

Seoul is a vibrant megalopolis with modern high rises crowding the city’s major arteries. Nestled among the gleaming buildings are maze-like alleys that appear to have escaped the passage of time. The Korea Herald explores the many nooks and crannies of Seoul, proclaimed the capital of Joseon in 1392, that reveal a multifaceted city. -- Ed. Navigating through the Haebangchon neighborhood of Yongsan can be a challenge. Houses are perched on steep hills. Cars squeeze past labyrinthine roads while

CultureMarch 6, 2017

GFriend releases new album ‘The Awakening’

GFriend released its fourth mini album “The Awakening” on Monday via online music streaming sites. “Fingertip” from the album made it to the top of the Genie music chart, while coming in at No. 4 and No. 7 on the Melon and Mnet charts, respectively.  GFriend (Source Music)“The Awakening” has already sold more than 100,000 copies in preorders, according to its agency Source Music.The girl group also unveiled a music video for “Fingertip” on the same day. Uploaded on YouTube, it garnered attention

PerformanceMarch 6, 2017

‘Logan’ tops box office

Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine movie “Logan” was tops at the box office here, data showed Monday. 　The sci-fi action flick featuring actor Jackman’s return as the clawed Marvel superhero sold some 633,000 tickets at local theaters nationwide during the March 3-5 weekend, according to box office statistics gathered by the Korean Film Council. 　The latest “X-Men” film opened here on March 1 and had sold a total of more than 1 million tickets as of Sunday. 　 Hugh Jackman in “Logan” (20th Century Fo

FilmMarch 6, 2017

Netflix taps Kim Eun-hee to pen Korean zombie series 'Kingdom'

Netflix announced Monday it has partnered with South Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-hee and director Kim Seong-hun to produce its second original Korean TV series titled "Kingdom."The historical period drama is set in Korea's medieval Joseon period where a crown prince is sent on a suicide mission to investigate a mysterious outbreak, according to Netflix.  (Netflix)Kim Eun-hee, whose work "Signal" was one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in 2016, has worked on the eight-episode "Kingdom,"

TelevisionMarch 6, 2017

‘The Fountainhead’ to premiere in Seoul

Ivo van Hove’s “The Fountain” will be performed in Seoul from March 31 to April 2, marking the second time that the theater director will visit Korea to stage his production. The Fountainhead, a stage adaptation of a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand of the same name, was first unveiled in 2014 and has received mostly positive reviews. The four-hour show’s protagonist is a young architect Howard Roark who refuses to compromise his artistic and personal vision for worldly success. The character’s interactio

CultureMarch 5, 2017

Mamamoo apologizes for ‘blackface’ controversy

K-pop group Mamamoo on Saturday issued a public apology for its parody video in which the members dressed up as African-Americans, saying that they did not understand the meaning of blackface.“There is no excuse for what we did and there are not enough words to explain how regretful we are. We are heartbroken to have hurt our international K-Pop fans so deeply...We were extremely ignorant of blackface and did not understand the implications of our actions,” the group said in a public statement r

PerformanceMarch 5, 2017

Psy to release new album in April

South Korean pop musician Psy plans to showcase a new album in April, marking his first release since December 2015.　YG Entertainment said the South Korean rapper has also finished filming the accompanying music video. Singer Psy (Youtube)　The rapper-producer became a global sensation with his track “Gangnam Style” in 2012. Psy also gathered popularity with other songs including “Gentleman,” “Hangover” and “Daddy.”　The music video for “Gangnam Style” boasts more than 2.7 billion views on the pop

PerformanceMarch 4, 2017

[Eye Plus] Flowers on their way to Gwanghwamun to soothe citizens

During winter, the Park Geun-hye scandal dumbfounded many citizens, with the irregular situation in administrative affairs still ongoing.Political ups and downs can be likened to the stock market. Stocks that have nosedived to rock bottom often recover at a rapid pace. Life is the same. Put the anger aside for a moment and observe spring knocking on our windows. It has come to soothe the people. Beautiful flowers are poised to placate those who have grown sick and tired of the political fiasco.C

CultureMarch 3, 2017

[Weekender] Walk across a land frozen in time

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province -- Venturing deep inside the remote county of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, one finds the village of Gimhwa-eup, just a stone’s throw away from the inter-Korean border.Here lies the Demilitarized Zone, a no man’s land set as a buffer zone between the Koreas on July 27, 1953 when the US, representing the United Nations Command, and North Korea reached an armistice agreement that brought a truce to the Korean Peninsula.Nearly 64 years on, the DMZ remains uninhabited, save

TravelMarch 3, 2017

Hitting the road less traveled for unique rewards

Shim Soo-jin didn’t like heavy topics, but when she saw the images of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine through a television documentary, she was “hooked.” The ravaged, desolate building and its surroundings were so mind-boggling that she decided to tour the place while she was a university student. Having visited the place three times since 2015, she has filmed one of her trips and talked about her experiences on radio and at seminars. “I felt so many things there, sadness, happiness

TravelMarch 3, 2017

Yeo Jin-goo, Kim Kang-woo to star in tvN’s new drama ‘Circle’

Actors Yeo Jin-goo and Kim Kang-woo will star in tvN’s new drama “Circle,” tvN announced Friday. It is the cable broadcaster’s first sci-fi drama and will be set both in present-day Korea and in 2037. The two different timelines will exist concurrently, making it different from a previous time-slip drama that the cable channel had aired. The two different stories of the present and future will play out separately.  Yeo Jin-goo (left) and Kim Kang-woo star in tvN’s new sci-fi drama “Circle.” (SBS

TelevisionMarch 3, 2017

[Movie Review] ‘Kiki’ is energetic, affectionate portrait of New York’s LGBT ballroom scene

LOS ANGELES -- The various bodies moving through “Kiki,” an energetic and enveloping documentary about New York City’s LGBT ballroom scene, are capable of astonishing, even superhuman physical feats. They dance and gyrate on underground subway platforms, down half-empty streets, and on the grass at Christopher Street Pier. They pour themselves into stunningly elaborate costumes before hitting the dance floor, performing under hot lights, thundering music and the eyes of hundreds of enthusiastic

FilmMarch 3, 2017