Kara's Hur Young-ji cheers 'Toi Toi Toi' on her new solo journey

Hur Young-ji of Kara launched her solo career on Tuesday with single "Toi Toi Toi." Hur's solo debut comes nine years after she started her singing career as a member of popular girl group Kara in 2014. "Toi Toi Toi," a German expression wishing luck to performing artists, was suggested by her sister, Hur said. "It's like 'fighting!' (in Korean). My sister recommended it after hearing all three songs and it sounded like a perfect match. With the singl

Sept. 12, 2023

'Any emotion you may feel is the right one'

o Concerto No. 3 in the final round, released an album dedicated to the Russian composer on Tuesday. Sunwoo’s second album, titled “Rachmaninoff. A Reflection,” is meant to commemorate Rachmaninoff, who was born 150 years ago, and also to reflect on the 34-year-old pianist himself. “'Reflection' has various meanings. It can reflect me, and also signifies that I will examine myself through the album,” Sunwoo told reporters during a press conference held a

Sept. 12, 2023

Independence fighters' parenting saga comes alive in musical

During the Japanese occupation, a man and a woman find love and give birth to a child while in exile in China, anticipating the day when their homeland might regain its sovereignty. Like any other parents, they raise their child, evolving and learning from their experiences. This story is the real life story of Yang Woo-jo (1897-1964) and Choi Seon-hwa (1911-2003). Yang worked for the Korean Provisional Government, a government-in-exile based in China. Raising their first daughter, whom they n

Sept. 12, 2023

Tomorrow X Together to perform with Brazilian pop artist Anitta at 2023 MTV VMAs

K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together will perform its new single, “Back for More,” with the Brazilian pop artist Anitta at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards this Wednesday. “Back for More” is one of the singles in the group’s upcoming third LP, “The Name Chapter: Freefall,” which is scheduled to drop on Oct. 13. The single will be performed for the first time on stage at the award ceremony. “We think performing at an award ceremony in which many music

Sept. 12, 2023

Twice embarks on first Europe tour

K-pop girl group Twice has set off on a tour in Europe for the first time since its debut. Their first stop in Europe was London for a two-day concert last week, which was part of its fifth world tour, “Ready to Be.” The next concert was held in Paris on Monday. The set list for this year’s world tour includes mega-hit singles such as “Set Me Free,” which landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, “Alcohol-Free,” “Talk that Talk,” and English song

Sept. 12, 2023

Kim Jee-woon, Song Kang-ho’s ‘Cobweb’ to open in 187 countries

“Cobweb,” directed by Kim Jee-woon and starring actor Song Kang-ho, will open in 187 countries, according to the film’s distributor Barunson EA. Together, the two have made numerous box office hits like “The Foul King” (2000), “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (2008) and “The Age of Shadows” (2016). An ensemble comedy portraying a delusional filmmaker and picky, unsupportive actors in the 1970s, "Cobweb" is director Kim’s first f

Sept. 12, 2023

Jeonju Film Fest presents cinema packages with guided tour of Hanok Village

The Jeonju International Film Festival is offering a cinema package program it's calling “Jeonju Tour With a Movie,” featuring a guided tour of the much loved Jeonju Hanok Village in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The package is part of the “Jeonju Cinetour With Falling in Jeonju,” an event that rescreens a selection of films from the Jeonju IFF that took place in the spring. "Jeonju Tour With a Movie" will screen three films from the festival for 15,000 wo

Sept. 12, 2023

[Herald Review] 'It's 2PM' a throwback to boy band's golden era

Ear-splitting screams burst out the instant the iconic opening beats of "Again and Again" raised the curtains on boy band 2PM's concert in Seoul on Sunday. Blue laser beams flashed to the beat of the song that turned into a heart-pounding medley of the band's greatest hits. Even those who are not fervent fans of 2PM would recognize every part of the medley, as it thread through songs that had reigned the local music charts in the late 2000s to early 2010s. Sunday's gig a

Sept. 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 to host showcase for 5th LP

  NCT127 will hold a showcase on Oct. 6 to introduce its fifth studio album “Fact Check,” announced label SM Entertainment on Monday. The showcase, dubbed “A Night of Festival,” will be held in Seoul on the day of release and will be broadcast live across the world through its YouTube channel. The band will perform the lead single of the same title for the first time and share episodes from putting together the album as well as its plans to promote the album. The nin

Sept. 11, 2023

First episode of ‘The Sword of Aramun’ quashes fans’ concerns over new lead actors

Cable channel tvN’s fantasy period series “Arthdal Chronicles” (2019) has returned for a second season -- “The Sword of Aramun” -- with new lead actors, garnering plenty of interest from viewers with its first two episodes. Prior to the premiere of “The Sword of Aramun” on Sept. 9, drama fans -- especially those who enjoyed “Arthdal Chronicles” -- were concerned over whether the new leads, Lee Joon-gi and Shin Sae-kyeong, would be a natural f

Sept. 11, 2023

Violist Lee Hae-sue takes top prize at ARD competition

South Korean violist Lee Hae-sue took home the first prize and audience prize at the 72nd ARD International Music Competition Munich on Sept. 10 at Hercules Hall in Munich. The 23-year-old violist received 19,000 euros ($20,000) in prize money and an opportunity to perform with the Osnabruck Symphony Orchestra. The ARD International Music Competition covers harp, double bass, piano trio and viola. Some 50 musicians competed in the viola category, held Sept. 2- 10. For the final round, Lee pe

Sept. 11, 2023

Treasure to release Japanese versions of ‘Bona Bona’ and ‘Move’

YG’s boy group Treasure is set to release Japanese versions of “Bona Bona,” the title track of its latest LP, and “Move,” the single of the group’s first unit, T5. The group announced the release during its fan meeting held in Kobe, Japan, from Friday to Sunday. Treasure performed the Japanese versions of these tracks at the fan meeting. The group is currently on its Japan fan meet tour, “Hello Again,” which began on Sep. 1 in Fukuoka to meet with

Sept. 11, 2023

Rapper B.I to return with new EP in November

B.I is will drop the second part of his “Love or Loved” album on Nov. 10, according to 131 Label on Monday. “Love or Loved” is B.I’s extensive global album project that began with the five-track EP “Love or Loved Part. 1” in November last year. The new album revolves around the word “loved,” different from the previous one which revolved around ongoing “love” stories. B.I will drop one of the singles in the new album on Sep. 29 an

Sept. 11, 2023

[Herald Interview] Cravity says 'follow your gravity' in 'Sun Seeker'

Through its new album, "Sun Seeker," boy band Cravity tells its fans to follow their sun and go toward where their hearts gravitate. Ahead of the new album release on Monday, the nine-piece group on Thursday held a joint press interview with local media in Seoul and introduced the new album. According to the members, it continues the story they had rolled out through its previous album, "Master: Piece," released in March. "With the last album, we asked our listeners, �

Sept. 11, 2023

BTS V's 'Layover' sells over 1.67m copies on debut day, record for K-pop soloist

The debut solo album by V, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, sold about 1.67 million copies on the day of its release, breaking the first-day sales record for K-pop soloists, data showed Saturday. According to the data from Hanteo Chart, a leading local tracker of physical album sales, "Layover" sold 1,672,138 copies Friday, when it was released, setting a new first-day sales record for K-pop soloists. It also marked the biggest first-week sales of an album by a K-pop soloist, with the

Sept. 9, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT logs 2.35m sales in preorders with 3rd LP

Tomorrow X Together’s upcoming third studio album has sold 2.35 million units in preorders, according to distributor YG Plus on Friday. Preorders for LP “The Name Chapter: Freefall” started eight days ago, and already surpassed those of the group's previous album and fifth EP, “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” which sold 2.34 million preorders. The third LP is due out Oct. 13. Next week, the band will give fans a taste of the album, dropping “Back for More&rdqu

Sept. 8, 2023

World Pansori Association recruits singers for 20-hour pansori relay project

The World Pansori Association is seeking pansori singers to be part of its very first World Pansori Festival commemorating the 20th anniversary of pansori's UNESCO recognition. On Nov. 7, the date when pansori was inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the association will present the “20-hour Pansori Relay Project” over two days at Seoul's Namsan Gukakdang. The performances will be streamed worldwide on YouTube. The association is seeking 60 pansori singers, welc

Sept. 8, 2023

Netflix’s ‘The Devil’s Plan’ to premiere in September

Global streaming platform Netflix confirmed the release of a new mind game survival show titled “The Devil’s Plan” in September. Starring 12 South Korean TV celebrities -- including Seungkwan of K-pop boy band Seventeen, renowned host Park Kyeong-rim, actor Ha Seok-jin, Canadian professional gamer Guillaume Patry and more -- “The Devil’s Plan” awards the final winner 500 million won ($375,000) prize money. Brought together for a week, the participants compete

Sept. 8, 2023

‘Moving’ screenwriter Kang Full presents special posters

Webtoon creator Kang Full has expressed his gratitude to fans of “Moving” in special cartoon illustration posters, which have been released on all Disney+ social media accounts. “Moving” started as a webtoon project on Daum Webtoon, garnering more than 200 million accumulated reads in Korea. Global streamer Disney+ adapted the webtoon, releasing 20-part action fantasy series “Moving” on Aug. 9. According to the streamer, “Moving” made history by be

Sept. 8, 2023

Musical 'Frida' continues as actor faces school bullying allegations

Amid allegations of school bullying made against her, Kim Hieora, best known for her role in Netflix series "The Glory," will continue to play her part in "Frida" as scheduled, according to the stage musical's production company EMK Musical on Friday. Kim, who has been accused of bullying in her middle school years, has denied all such allegations. Kim plays the titular role of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, as one of three cast in the role in "Frida," which start

Sept. 8, 2023