[Herald Interview] Director of Japanese all-women theater troupe impressed by Korean musicals' quality, state support

Kazunori Nakamura, director of Takarazuka Revue Company, has been observing South Korea’s musical industry over the past three decades. This was his first time at K-Musical Market and he was impressed by efforts put on by the Korean government. "I am surprised that there is a systematic effort for international expansion. And it's not just for the sake of overseas expansion. I felt that the quality of the creative teams, the productions and script writing were at a high level,&

July 12, 2023

Gonjiam Music Festival kicks off with peace gala concert

The 2023 Gonjiam Music Festival commenced Monday with a gala concert harmonizing musicians across diverse genres and backgrounds. The opening was the Opening Peace Gala Concert, highlighting the importance of peace on the 70th anniversary of The Korea Herald’s founding, the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement and the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US Alliance. The Korea Herald was founded on Aug. 15, 1953, less than a month after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which

July 12, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘I Haven’t Done Anything’ a viral-chasing, fast-paced mystery comedy

A blistering 80-minute comedy made for the digital age, in which there seems to be no greater goal than going viral, “I Haven’t Done Anything” comes to the big screen this week after premiering at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on June 30. The film begins with a YouTube-style video documentary about former child actor Oh Tae-kyung, better known as “Little Oh Dae-su” for his role as the younger version of Choi Min-sik‘s character in “Ol

July 11, 2023

‘Concrete Utopia’ sets itself apart with grand-scale, realistic set designs

Director Um Tae-hwa’s upcoming black comedy disaster thriller “Concrete Utopia” is expected to wow moviegoers with its grand-scale, realistic set designs. The film -- based on the second part of a webtoon about an earthquake and its aftermath, “Pleasant Neighbor” -- tells the story of apartment residents whose homes threaten their lives. Focusing on depicting the reality of an apartment complex in Seoul destroyed in a large earthquake, the production team spent five

July 11, 2023

[New on the Scene] Kang Tae-ju on giving 100 percent for acting roles

After rookie actor Kang Tae-ju beat 1,980 candidates to land one of the main roles in the action noir flick "The Childe," all he could think about was being able to deliver a stellar performance for his first-ever film project. “It was important for me fulfill my duty. There were so many things that I had to complete in a short period of time, so there was no time to worry (about how to do well) but to focus on what was in front of me,” the 28-year-old actor told The Korea

July 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen garners 100m views with ‘Super’ music video

Seventeen has already received 100 million views on YouTube for the music video for “Super,” according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. The video was unveiled on April 24 and hit the mark in 78 days, a record for the band. It is the sixth video from the 13-member act to reach the milestone, following those for “Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Clap,” “Very Nice,” “Left ＆ Right” and “Hot.” “Super” is one of the

July 11, 2023

Jin of BTS named 'elite soldier,' gets early promotion

Jin of BTS announced on Weverse, a social platform the band uses to communicate with fans, that he was promoted to corporal two months earlier than scheduled after receiving the "elite soldier" title. In South Korea, all men deemed physically eligible between the ages of 18 and 35 are required to serve in the military. Jin is currently serving as an assistant instructor at a front-line infantry division boot camp in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, since last December. He was the first of

July 11, 2023

Zerobaseone blooms with debut album, making all-time record

Zerobaseone, a group that consists of nine artists chosen through Mnet’s idol survival program, “Boys Planet,” made its grand debut on Monday. “We’ve dreamed of this debut for so long. We prepared a lot for this debut, hoping to show enhanced performance and vocal skills to our fans and the public,” said Gyuvin of Zerobaseone during a press conference in Seoul on the day of its debut. “We were able to debut thanks to the interest and support of many peop

July 11, 2023

Two candidates unveiled for SM’s new NCT subunit pre-debut reality show

SM Entertainment on Monday unveiled some of the trainees taking part in its pre-debut reality show, “NCT Universe: LASTART.” The trainees unveiled go by the names Riku and Ryo, while eight more trainees are set to be revealed in the coming weeks. These trainees are candidates who will debut as NCT’s new subgroup, one of the three new groups that the K-pop powerhouse plans to launch this year. Through the pre-debut reality show, SM will show the process of evaluating the 10 can

July 11, 2023

Drama ‘King the Land’ criticized for cultural insensitivity

Cable channel JTBC’s latest rom-com series, “King the Land,” has come under fire over its character Prince Samir, with criticisms directed at the show's misleading representation of Arabic culture. Samir -- who is introduced as a prince with an Arabic background -- made his first appearance in the seventh episode of “King the Land” on July 8, surrounded by the women in a club. As Samir was scheduled to visit South Korea to negotiate the import of Korean warplan

July 11, 2023

[Herald Interview] Young Chinese interested in musicals starring Korean idols

K-Musical Market was launched in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service to promote Korean original musicals internationally. The Korean government's hope is that Korean musicals might replicate the achievements of K-pop, movies and dramas. And that hope is not groundless. Musicals account for 75 percent of ticket revenue in the country's performing arts industry and the musical scene is burgeoning with countless bi

July 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s 7th LP sells over 1.6m copies in pre-orders

The seventh studio album from EXO sold more than 1.6 million units in pre-orders, a record for the band. The LP “Exist” debuted Monday, over two years since the release of its special album “Don’t Fight The Feeling.” Its previous LP was “Obsession” that came out in November 2019. The new album was supposed to be the band’s full-group effort, but Kai will be absent from the promotional activities, as he was unexpectedly summoned to serve his milita

July 10, 2023

EXO returns after 2 year hiatus with 7th LP “Exist”

Legendary K-pop group EXO is back, releasing its seventh studio album “Exist” on Monday. It is the first group effort in over two years since the release of the special album, “Don’t Fight the Feeling.” Prior to its official release, “Exist” had racked up a total of 1.6 million pre-order sales as of Sunday, according to SM Entertainment. The new album is led by the title track “Cream Soda,” which is of the pop dance genre composed with rhythm

July 10, 2023

Attempts to poach popular K-pop artists nothing new

Allegations and controversy surrounding Fifty Fifty continue, but the group is not the first K-pop group to face suspicions over a potential buyout after rising to stardom in the competitive music industry. “Poaching members of a group or attempts to breach their exclusive contracts have been ongoing in the entertainment industry for a long time. These practices have impeded normal business activities, resulting in irreversible consequences for both the company and its artists,” said

July 10, 2023

Netflix to release new zombie-themed project ‘Zombieverse’

Netflix on Monday confirmed that its upcoming action variety program “Zombieverse” will premiere on Aug. 8. The global streaming service, which mesmerized many viewers with its hit zombie-themed projects -- “Kingdom” (2019) and “All of Us Are Dead” (2022), seeks to expand the Korean zombie sensation in variety shows as well. Popular TV directors Park Jin-kyung, who was behind MBC’s iconic entertainment show “My Little Television,” and Moon Sa

July 10, 2023

Jeonju International Sori Festival to highlight array of pansori sounds

A festival featuring the sounds of pansori in 105 performances will kick off in September. The Jeonju International Sori Festival is scheduled to take place at Jeonju Hanok Village as well as 14 cities across North Jeolla Province, from Sept. 15 to 24. “We aim to create a unique program with top-notch performances that cannot be experienced elsewhere,“ said Lee Wang-jun of the festival’s organizing committee during a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee added that a

July 9, 2023

Broadcasters experiment with drama release dates, schedules

Responding to the fast-changing environment of the content industry, South Korean broadcasters are changing up drama release schedules. Terrestrial broadcasters SBS and MBC recently announced that they will showcase their upcoming drama projects with a different strategy, parting ways with the traditional schedule in which new episodes are released back-to-back over two consecutive days per week. While many TV channels air new episodes on either Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays or

July 9, 2023

Director Uchida Eiji believes B-movies lower hurdle for filmmakers

Uchida Eiji, the Japanese filmmaker who helmed the award-winning “Midnight Swan” (2020), visited this year’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which kicked off June 29, with the crime black comedy flick, “Life of Mariko in Kabukicho.” The movie's plot follows Mariko, a private investigator who runs a small bar in Shinjuku’s red-light district. One day, she receives a request to find an alien living among the people in Kabukicho. With the help

July 8, 2023

BTS' Jungkook to perform in 'Good Morning America' 2023 Summer Concert Series

Jungkook of K-pop megastar BTS will headline this year's "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series, an annual summer concert hosted by the famous U.S. morning talk show. The vocalist will open the concert on July 14 at New York's Central Park with "Seven," his first official solo song set to come out earlier that day, the show's broadcaster ABC said on social media Friday (US time). It will be Jungkook's first performance in the annual event as a solo a

July 8, 2023

Infinite joins second-generation boy band comeback rush

K-pop boy band Infinite is returning as a full group this month, amid the rush of veteran boy band comebacks. The band's agency, Infinite Co., on Friday heralded the six-piece's long-awaited comeback for July 31 with a poster in black and gold. The sextet's return comes five years after it released its last album, its third LP "Top Seed," in 2018. This is the first time the group is getting together following its departure from its former agency Woolim Entertainment unde

July 7, 2023