Washington Ballet’s Lee Eun-won to star in ballet inspired by independence activist An Jung-geun

As Liberation Day approaches, a creative ballet performance titled "An Jung-geun: A Dance in the Heaven" is scheduled to take place at the Mapo Art Center on Aug. 11-12. The performance draws its inspiration from the last words of An, a Korean independence activist who, moments before his execution at Lushun Prison in China in March 1910, declared, “When the day comes that I hear of Korea’s independence, I will dance and shout ‘Hurrah!’” The story of An&rs

July 28, 2023

Treasure hits reboot with 2nd studio album

It took around 10 months for YG Entertainment’s youngest boy group Treasure to return with a new album, but the group hopes it will be a new start. Treasure hopes that its second studio album, “Reboot,” released on Friday will help them start off fresh and break free from its previous teenlike music and image. “Just like the title of our album, we hope to reboot the group with this album. Three years have passed by since our debut during which we matured and enhanced our

July 28, 2023

Kim Woo-bin to star in Netflix film ‘Officer Black Belt’

Global streaming service Netflix on Thursday confirmed that actors Kim Woo-bin and Kim Sung-kyun will star in "Officer Black Belt," an action comedy. The project will mark Kim Woo-bin’s second Netflix film, following the dystopian movie “Black Knight,” which premiered in May. “Officer Black Belt” revolves around Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin), a martial arts officer who works with a probation officer to keep an eye on criminals wearing ankle monitors. Kim Sung-

July 28, 2023

Korean films make Australian debut at 2023 KOFFIA

Hit Korean films are scheduled to make their Australian cinematic debut at the upcoming 2023 Korean Film Festival in Australia. According to the Korean Cultural Center in Sydney, a Culture Ministry affiliate, the 14th edition of KOFFIA will take place in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony at Event Cinema George Street in Sydney on Aug. 24 with "The Night Owl,” a mystery thriller revolving around the suspicious death of Crown Princ

July 28, 2023

Outdoor 'Moonlight Theater' to screen NTOK's changgeuk, dance dramas

The National Theater of Korea is set to host a series of outdoor screening events on the first-floor balcony of the Haeoreum Theater, starting at 7:30 p.m. over three consecutive Wednesdays. Live performance recordings of three productions from the 2022-2023 NTOK Repertory Season will be screened. The event will kick off on Aug. 9 with the National Changguek Company’s innovative production of “Rabbit's Eight Sufferings.” This reinterpretation of the traditional pansori &ld

July 28, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Barbie” (US) Opened June 19 Comedy/Drama Directed by Greta Gerwig Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) live in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. But, when Barbie discovers a crack in a portal that connects Barbie Land and the real world, she and Ken get a chance to travel to the real world and live among humans. “Insidious: The Red Door” (US) Opened July 19 Horror/Mystery Directed by Patrick Wilson The fifth installment of the "Insi

July 28, 2023

Saturday returns as quartet under new agency

K-pop girl group Saturday returned with a new single album after a 2 1/2-year hiatus. “We’ve longed for a comeback so much that it feels surreal to be performing on stage again. We put in everything we can in this album because we took a long time getting back on stage. We hope our new album can be loved by many around the world,” said Yuki of Saturday. Saturday entered the music scene in July 2018 with its first single album “Mmook Jji Bba” as a septet under the ag

July 27, 2023

2PM to hold 15th-anniversary concerts in Seoul, Tokyo

K-pop boy group 2PM is marking its 15th anniversary with concerts in Seoul and in Tokyo. The concerts will be held in Seoul at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium on Sept. 9-10, and also in Tokyo at the Ariake Arena on Oct. 7-8, JYP Entertainment announced Thursday on social media with a poster. The last day of the concert in Seoul will be livestreamed via platform Beyond LIVE. The “It’s 2PM” concerts would be the first full-unit performances in six years in Korea and in seven years in J

July 27, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ive to return in October: report

Ive is preparing to make a comeback in October, according to a local media report on Thursday. Agency Starship Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. It will come about six months since the six-member act put out its first studio album “I’ve Ive” which has stayed on Billboard’s Global 200 and Global excl. the US for 14 weeks in a row. The LP sold more than 1.1 million units in the first week and is the group’s second million-seller along with third

July 27, 2023

Pinkfong, creator of 'Baby Shark,' amasses 1 billion streams on Spotify

Pinkfong, the creator behind “Baby Shark” and other children’s songs which feature animated animal characters, has surpassed a combined 1 billion streams on Spotify, according to Pinkfong Co., the South Korean entertainment company. An official from the company said that this is the first time a South Korean animated production has achieved such a milestone. With a monthly listener count of 4.3 million, the company has been releasing a diverse range of children's songs sin

July 27, 2023

'Aloha' says returning summer queen Soyou

Singer Soyou returned to the music scene Wednesday with her second mini album "Summer Recipe." The soloist, formerly a member of girl group Sistar, is coming back a year and three months after she last released her first EP "Day & Night." "Summer Recipe" unveils Soyou's tricks for enduring the sizzling summer, the singer's agency BPM Entertainment said. The album's five tracks of various genres and sentiments delves deeper into the charms of the

July 26, 2023

Jungkook bolts beyond BTS, cements 'pop star' persona

Jungkook is the sixth member from BTS to come out solo, and the most successful so far, experts say. His solo single "Seven (feat. Latto)" soared to the top of the most recent Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking the second time any South Korean solo song has nabbed a Hot 100 No. 1 spot on the prestigious US singles chart. The first was by his bandmate Jimin's "Like Crazy." "Seven" is also the 68th song in Billboard's history to enter the Hot 100 at the top. W

July 26, 2023

'Every performance becomes shared journey of musical exploration': Ray Chen

Ray Chen, a Taiwanese Australian violinist, wears many hats. In addition to performing with top orchestras around the world and bringing life to classical music, Chen, the winner of the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is also a music educator and music director for video games. Driving the 34-year-old violinist in all these activities is his desire to share the magic of music with others. “Whether it's on stage, in a practice app, or a video online, each platform allows me to reach

July 26, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids to gift song to fans

Stray Kids will release a summer song on Aug. 1 to mark the fifth anniversary of its official fan club, according to label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. The band will celebrate the occasion for a week from Wednesday with a series of events, including a livestream and an exhibit that will showcase photographs and videos from behind the scenes of the group's fan meet held in Seoul earlier this month. The song dedicated to their fans will be the highlight of the weeklong celebration. The boy ban

July 26, 2023

NewJeans climbs to No. 64 on Billboard’s Hot 100

NewJeans’ latest single, “Super Shy,” one of the three title tracks from the group's second EP “Get Up,” rose to a new peak on the global Billboard music chart. The song climbed to No. 64 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart dated July 29, marking the group’s highest ranking on the chart so far, according to Billboard on Wednesday. This comes a week after “Super Shy” debuted at No. 66 on the same chart. NewJeans’ former hit songs “OM

July 26, 2023

Everglow to return next month after long hiatus

K-pop girl group Everglow is returning to the music scene in August, ending its 20-month hiatus. Everglow is currently working on its new album set for release on Aug. 18, according to Yue Hua Entertainment on Wednesday. The group dropped its comeback teaser poster on its official social media account, in which each member is individually silhouetted striking a pose behind a transparent veil. This new album puts an end to Everglow's lengthy break since the release of its third mini album &l

July 26, 2023

Korean viewers grow indifferent to stars’ troubles

Reality and talk shows featuring the personal stories of Korean celebrities may have enjoyed huge popularity several years ago, but that is no longer the case. In recent years, many Korean TV personalities have revealed their homes and starred on reality shows with friends and family members, allowing viewers to observe almost every moment of their lives. Actors Choo Ja-hyun and Yu Xiaoguang are among many celebrities who starred in SBS’ reality show “Same Bed, Different Dreams 2:

July 26, 2023

Shownu X Hyungwon debut as Monsta X's first subunit with 'The Unseen'

K-pop boy band Monsta X's Shownu and Hyungwon are set to make their subunit debut Tuesday with the EP "The Unseen." Under the name Shownu X Hyungwon, the duo is emerging as the six-piece's first subunit group. The new album, "The Unseen," looks into the minds of the two singers as they face the various shapes of "self" seen through the eyes of others. Just like other Monsta X music, the duet touches on various ideas of love and plays them out through the E

July 25, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz to roll out 2nd LP as trilogy

    The Boyz is set to release its second studio album as a three-part series in the latter half of this year, according to agency IST Entertainment on Tuesday. The LP “Phantasy” will be a trilogy, and the first installment “Christmas in August” will be rolled out on Aug. 7. The band uploaded a preview poster on the day with clues in three different settings – a beach, drive-in theater and snow field. The album comes about six months since its eighth

July 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Zo In-sung says getting older has set him free to pick coveted projects, roles

In director Ryoo Seung-wan’s new crime action flick, “Smugglers,” Zo In-sung stars as a veteran smuggler known nationwide, Kwon Pil-sam. Contrary to newbie Jangdori (Park Jung-min) who is timid and anxious all the time, Kwon is a calm and coldhearted character who wants to get things done with his own hands. It is undeniable that the energy and vibe that a character exudes at least partly come from the actor who plays the role. In that context, many have said that Kwon Pil-sam

July 25, 2023