Surf's up: Enhypen enjoys the ride with 'Orange Blood'

Enhypen returns with a riveting new sound with its fifth EP "Orange Blood." The members on Thursday held a press conference in Seoul, a day ahead of the album's release. Member Jungwon said the album deviates from the team's iconic intoxicating music and exudes a "subtle sexiness." Representing Enhypen's new sound on "Orange Blood" is "Sweet Venom," a groovy and chill punk-pop melody through which the members vow their eternal love. Accordin

Nov. 16, 2023

Ampers&one hopes to seep into listeners’ hearts with positive music

FNC Entertainment’s new boy group Ampers&one set its foot on the K-pop scene on Wednesday with their debut single album “Ampersand One.” “This is our first-ever performance on stage and we hope to get the chance to perform on diverse stages from now on,” said Kamden of Ampers&one after performing at a press conference in Seoul. “I spent four years as a trainee, and my parents and I had decided that it would be time for me to look for something else to

Nov. 16, 2023

Wavve’s ‘The Deal’ to reach wider audience

Mystery thriller series “The Deal” is set to be released on a global streaming service and screened at an upcoming international film festival. The eight-part series, which premiered locally Oct. 6, spurred a rise in the number of paid subscribers and unique visitors to domestic streamer Wavve in the four days following its release. The series also secured the top spot on Taiwanese streaming platform FriDay. “‘The Deal’ is set to be released globally via Rakuten Vik

Nov. 16, 2023

‘Concrete Utopia,’ ‘Moving’ sweep 59th Daejong Film Awards

Director Um Tae-hwa’s dystopian thriller “Concrete Utopia” swept Wednesday’s 59th Daejong Film Awards. Hosted by actor Cha In-pyo and comedian Jang Do-yeon, the award ceremony, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, was held at Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on a smaller scale than in previous years. “Concrete Utopia” won the most coveted best picture award and five other awards, with Lee Byung-hun snatching the best actor award for his role i

Nov. 16, 2023

SM to launch boy group in the UK

SM Entertainment has joined hands with the British entertainment company M&B to launch a boy group in the UK. The K-pop powerhouse announced Thursday that it has inked a strategic partnership with M&B in Seoul. M&B is led by Nigel Hall, known as the producer of British competition shows such as “The X Factor” and “Britain’s Got Talent.” M&B co-CEO Dawn Airey is also known as a former CEO of Getty Images, and another co-CEO Russ Lindsay is one of the

Nov. 16, 2023

Soyeon, Winter, Liz's collaborative song 'Nobody' comes out Thursday

A collaborative single by (G)I-dle's Soyeon, aespa's Winter and Ive's Liz comes out today. Titled "Nobody," the single gets it global release at 6 p.m., according to the song's music video distributor M:USB on Thursday. The music video will be released with the song on M:USB's YouTube channel. The high-profile collaboration of the top girl group members comes in support of the 2030 Busan World Expo host bid, the producer said. "The song is based on disco-i

Nov. 16, 2023

‘Concrete Utopia’ clinches best picture at Daejong Film Awards

Um Tae-hwa’s dystopian thriller "Concrete Utopia" won best picture at the 59th Daejong Film Awards, one of the major film awards in South Korea, on Wednesday. The film secured an additional five trophies, including Best Actor for Lee Byung-hun, Best Actress, Sound Effects, Visual Effects and Art Direction. The disaster thriller unfolds the narrative of the residents of an apartment complex that survived a catastrophic quake in Seoul. Ryoo Seung-wan received the best director

Nov. 15, 2023

FNC's new boy group Ampers&One debuts with energetic, youthful single

A new boy band from local cable channel Mnet's latest audition program, "Boys Planet," made its debut Wednesday under the name "Ampers&One." It is the first boy group from FNC Entertainment, the K-pop label behind FTisland, CNBlue and SF9, in three years, following P1Harmony. The rookie group consists of seven members -- Brian, Kamden, Jiho, Siyun, Kyrell, Mackiah and Seungmo. The first three members were contestants on the show who scored high but failed to make t

Nov. 15, 2023

Production teams called out for carelessness

The local production teams behind hit drama series “Castaway Diva” and the third season of reality show “Unexpected Business" recently issued official apologies for lack of caution while shooting their projects. Controversy erupted Monday afternoon when a resident of Jeju Island shared that the production team of “Castaway Diva” had left a pile of stones near Hwanguji Coast in Seogwipo, in the south of the island. The props were used to shoot a scene in which t

Nov. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook places record 4 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100

Jungkook of BTS had four solo songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 this week. “Standing Next to You,” the main track from his first solo album “Golden,” debuted on the main songs chart at No. 5, according to the latest chart published Wednesday. Solo debut single “Seven (Feat. Latto)” reentered the chart at No. 49, while “3D (Feat. Jack Harlow)” ranked No. 58 and “Too Much (Feat. The Kid Laroi ＆ Central Cee)” was No. 94, up 42 spots and

Nov. 15, 2023

Song Kang-ho retrospective to be held at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in LA

South Korean actor Song Kang-ho’s films will be screened at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles from Dec. 7 to Jan. 13, 2024. Thirteen films starring Song, including “Joint Security Area” (2000), “The Host” (2006), “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (2008), “Thirst” (2009), "The Age of Shadows” (2016) and “Parasite” (2019), will be screened. Song, 56, who debuted as a film actor in 1996, started drawing a

Nov. 15, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ director, actor say drama consoled them

Netflix original series “Daily Dose of Sunshine,” set in a psychiatric ward, has quickly spread by word of mouth since its Nov. 3 release, with many viewers praising the 12-episode series. As of Wednesday, the TV drama ranked fourth on the non-English top 10 TV chart for Netflix. It was listed among the top 10 shows in 28 regions, according to Netflix. Unlike other successful medical dramas like “Behind the White Tower” (2007), “Dr. Romantic” (2016) and &ldquo

Nov. 15, 2023

Ive, aespa, NewJeans, StayC and Kiss of Life join star-studded lineup for MMA 2023

K-pop girl groups Ive, aespa, NewJeans, StayC and Kiss of Life are set to take the stage at the Melon Music Awards 2023, according to Melon. The Melon Music Awards is one of the nation’s biggest annual music award shows. Ive bagged four awards at the MMA 2022, including best female group, top 10, best song and rookie of the year. All eyes are on how many awards the group will be taking home this year as all of their lead singles released this year, “I AM,” “Kitsch”

Nov. 15, 2023

Stray Kids to perform at 2023 Billboard Music Awards

K-pop boy group Stray Kids joins the star-studded lineup of performers for the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. Stray Kids will be the second K-pop boy group after stars BTS to take part in one of the three most prestigious music awards ceremonies in the US. Stray Kids will be performing “S-Class,” the lead track of their 3rd LP, “5-Star,” and “Lalalala,” the title track of their latest album, “Rock-Star,” at the ceremony, to be held on Sunday. The gro

Nov. 15, 2023

Seventeen urges global youth to 'dream together' at UNESCO

K-pop group Seventeen took center stage at the 13th UNESCO Youth Forum on Tuesday, becoming a beacon for growth through solidarity among young people around the globe. The multinational group stepped up to the podium at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris as the first K-pop group to address UNESCO at its main hall. Twelve members of the 13-member group appeared on stage wearing simple black suits. Member S. Coups was absent due to a leg injury. The band hosted a special session on the first day

Nov. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa celebrates joining Spotify’s Billions Club

    Lisa of Blackpink uploaded a video showing herself receiving a plaque from Spotify to mark the milestone of 1 billion streams on the platform, Tuesday. Opening the box to reveal the plaque, she read the message from the platform: “Congrats on being the first female K-pop artist to have a track reach 1 billion streams in Spotify history!” She achieved the feat on her own with her solo song “Money,” which entered the streaming platform’s official Bi

Nov. 14, 2023

Music director, composer Jung Jae-il to showcase wide range of music at solo concert

Jung Jae-il, music director, composer and instrumentalist, admits that Korean traditional music -- gugak -- is not an easy genre. "I was exposed to the genre at a young age thanks to my friends. Like all forms of art, contemporary music may seem unconventional or different at first, but as you develop an affection for it, you come to realize that there is a depth and richness that unfolds over time," Jung, 42, said during a press conference on Monday, adding that one might find the c

Nov. 14, 2023

UNESCO HQ hit by largest-ever crowd ahead of Seventeen's Youth Forum speech

Paris was filled with K-pop fans ahead of boy band Seventeen's historical speech and performance at UNESCO headquarters on Tuesday. The 13-member group arrived in the city on Sunday, according to a statement from the group's agency, Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday, amid shouts and screams from fans who flocked to the airport to welcome them. Seventeen's attendance at UNESCO headquarters was highly anticipated as it marked the first time a K-pop group had been invited to speak at

Nov. 14, 2023

KBS determined to regain public trust

KBS’ new President Park Min has promised a major reform of the country’s largest public broadcaster, announcing a structural overhaul, the relocation of employees, and measures to deal with worsening financial conditions and ever-declining public trust. “Today, I am standing in front of you to publicly apologize for disappointing the public and viewers with the broadcaster’s inability to deliver accurate, objective news and quality content,” Park said in a press con

Nov. 14, 2023

‘Believer 2’ returns as 'midquel' with new characters, stronger plot

“Believer 2,” the much-awaited second installment of the 2018 crime action franchise, “Believer,” which attracted an audience of 5.2 million, will hit screens later this month as a “midquel,” the country’s first-ever flick that explores a story within the timeframe of the previous film. “Believer 2” is directed by Baek Jong-yul, who is known for the stylish mise-en-scene in the 2015 hit romance flick, “Beauty Inside,” and who has

Nov. 14, 2023