Balladeer Jo Kwon has spent over half his life with the agency JYP Entertainment and it is about time for him to come into his own by expressing his true thoughts and emotions through his music. 　He spent eight years as a trainee with JYP Entertainment before debuting as the leader of vocal quartet 2AM in 2008. In total, he has spent fifteen years of his life working with JYP. At a press showcase for his second solo record “Crosswalk,” he told reporters that he felt it was now time for him to ma

PerformanceFeb. 16, 2016

Tommy Hilfiger kicked off New York Fashion Week day five by sending model-of-the-moment Gigi Hadid down an ocean-liner themed catwalk.　Hilfiger, who has turned affordable but fashionable apparel into a global empire, is known for his flamboyant Fashion Week shows, which each season transport the Armory on Park Avenue into a spectacular set.　“Years back, in the ’20s, the ’30s, when the people would travel trans-Atlantic they would get dressed properly,” the 64-year-old design king told AFP ahead

Arts & DesignFeb. 16, 2016

Two months after opening to unprecedented fanfare, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is finally winding down in theaters, leaving behind arsenals of plastic light sabers and a trail of box-office records. 　“The Force Awakens” is still playing in more than 2,000 theaters in North America and remains ranked in the top-five at the box office as it enters its ninth week of release. But the lion’s share of its theatrical revenue has been pocketed, and one thing is abundantly clear: it’s not going to tou

FilmFeb. 16, 2016

The fast pace and wide reach of social media is a source of inspiration for artist Lee Ye-seung. Social networks allow people to exchange information and ideas with people they have never met in person and expose content to a large number of people.Mirroring this interconnectedness, Lee came up with interactive kinetic media installations that operate on signals they receive from adjoining installations as well as the movements of viewers. They are on view at the Artside Gallery in Tongui-dong,

PerformanceFeb. 15, 2016

Jae-kyung of Rainbow (OSEN)Rainbow’s leader Kim Jae-kyung spoke openly about the girl group’s views towards their lukewarm success as well as their member Hyun-young’s public relationship. At a media showcase at the Yes24 MUV Hall in Seoul on Monday, Jae-kyung said that the members supported Hyun-young’s public relationship with electro pop group Clazziquai’s singer Alex.“When we first heard the news, I honestly was a little proud of Hyun-young,” Jaekyung joked, as a media scandal meant Rainbow

PerformanceFeb. 15, 2016

 Girl group Rainbow (Kim Ji-young/The Korea Herald)The seven members of girl group Rainbow returned on Monday with their fourth EP “Prism,” powered by high-energy rock dance tracks, including their lead track “Whoo.”At a showcase for press at the Yes24 MUV Hall in Seoul Monday, leader Jaekyung said that the album was a result of combining the “opinions of the members” and the “opinions of our company.” “The lead track ‘Whoo’ is more special to us because we were able to participate in choosing i

PerformanceFeb. 15, 2016

　Five-member girl group EXID held their first concert in their four-year career, “EXID’s LEGGO SHOW,” on Sunday at 6 p.m. in Mapo-gu district, Seoul. 　The two-hour concert was attended by a 500-strong audience. They performed nine songs onstage, including megahit “Up&Down,” their debut song “I Feel Good,” and their latest single “Hot Pink.” 　　 Poster of EXID’s mini concert, “EXID’s LEGGO SHOW” (Yedang Entertainment)During the concert, a talk show dubbed “LEGGO Radio” took place. EXID shared stor

PerformanceFeb. 15, 2016

(Cinema Factory)Actor Ryu Jun-yeol turned into a villain for the upcoming thriller movie “No tomorrow.” 　According to the production company, Ryu drastically transformed himself for the character. Even though he was given a relatively small role, Ryu went through various changes such as dying a section of his hair bright yellow and putting on braces.　　Through talking extensively with the director, Ryu had come up with the unique concept for the character himself. The braces represent the wealth

Feb. 15, 2016

China’s leading entertainment agency Yue Hua Entertainment is entering the Korean market by launching a local office Monday, according to company officials. 　“We’re aiming to introduce and develop a new paradigm in the entertainment industry in Korea,” the company said in an emailed statement Monday.　Jung Hae-chang, former head of Pledis Entertainment, and industry expert Lee Sang-kyu have been appointed as co-CEOs of the Korean arm. Pledis Entertainment is home to some of the most popular Korea

Feb. 15, 2016

The U.K. film industry showered Valentine's Day love on “The Revenant” on Sunday, awarding the endurance epic five prizes, including for best picture and best actor, at the British Academy Film Awards.　Leonardo DiCaprio cemented his Oscar-favorite status by taking the best-actor trophy for playing a bear-battling fur trapper on the brutally wild American frontier. Alejandro G. Inarritu was named best director for what he called a “human and tender story,” and “The Revenant” also won prizes for c

FilmFeb. 15, 2016

Indie director Cho Jung-lae’s film “Spirits’ Homecoming,” about the ordeals of the former euphemistically labeled “comfort women,” has been in the making for nearly a decade and a half, written and prepared independently of the ever-changing tide of Korea-Japan relations. After years of struggling to secure investors and a distributor, the film is finally getting a theatrical release -- right when the issue of the Korean women who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops has come b

FilmFeb. 14, 2016

Hwang Jung-min and Kang Dong-won’s latest movie “A Violent Prosecutor” is expected to surpass 8 million admissions at the local box office.The figure stood at just over 7.5 million as of 10:30 a.m. Sunday, according to data from Korean Film Council."A Violent Prosecutor" (Showbox)The film’s popularity is thought to have been aided by one of the biggest national holidays in Korea, Seollal.The comedy action flick has a delightful revenge plot of a prosecutor, named Byun Jae-wook played by Hwang, w

FilmFeb. 14, 2016

Big-budget Korean war film “Operation Chromite” will be shown in multiple locations across the globe including Europe and Taiwan.Germany’s Splendid Film acquired rights for Germany, Austria and the Benelux region from Finecut, a Korean global rights company. "Operation Chromite" (CJ Entertainment)The company has already made contracts with parties in Yugoslavia and Taiwan.“Liam Neeson showed off great acting skills in this movie, and we are happy to acquire such a quality movie” said Marko Moell

FilmFeb. 14, 2016

Conductor Kim Bong-mee leads the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra during its concert performance at the Seoul Arts Center last year. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)Following its win at last year’s 8th Korea Opera Awards, the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra will be taking the stage at the upcoming “Golden Opera Gala Concert” on Feb. 22. The gala concert is being held as part of the Korea Opera Awards and will stage performances by all of last year’s winners. The Herald Phil was honored with an arts a

PerformanceFeb. 14, 2016

Former Clon member and popular local electronic dance music icon DJ Koo (Koo Jun-yup) has been picked as the music director at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games’ second round of test events. “We have selected Koo Jun-yup as the music director at the upcoming ‘2016 FIS Freestyle Ski-Snowboard World Cup’ second test event from the 18th to 28th at the Bokwang Phoenix Park in PyeongChang,” said PyeongChang Organizing Committee President Cho Yang-ho, in a press release Sunday. 

PerformanceFeb. 14, 2016

He’s no stranger to Seoul, but that didn’t stop British artist Mika from drawing in thousands on Friday night, performing at a sold-out concert in Seoul as part his three-day South Korean “Heaven” tour.British singer-songwriter Mika performs at a concert in Seoul last Friday. (Yonhap)The singer songwriter lit up Jamsil Arena with sparkles, sequins and confetti in his return to Seoul for the first time in 2016 on Feb. 12. “Good evening, Seoul,” the artist announced, stepping onto the stage in a g

PerformanceFeb. 14, 2016