[Herald Interview] Actor-director Kai Ko uses experience to guide actors

A decade after Taiwanese acting heartthrob Kai Ko, also known as Ko Chen-tung, attended Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival for the first time, he is returning this year not as an actor, but for his directorial debut. “I’ve been to various film festivals around the world but I really like Bifan’s vibrant and dynamic mood as well as its concertlike opening ceremony. As I have visited this time as a director, I feel like I’m showing my baby to the world,” Ko

July 4, 2023

Oh My Girl to release 9th EP ‘Golden Hourglass’ this month

K-pop girl group Oh My Girl is set to release its ninth mini album, “Golden Hourglass,” on July 24. WM Entertainment revealed the act’s comeback schedule on its official social media account Tuesday, along with a teaser image of the upcoming album that shows an hourglass on a beach. This is a long-awaited full-unit comeback as the new album comes in a year and four months. The seven-member group debuted in April 2015 with its EP “Oh My Girl" and has since released hi

July 4, 2023

IVE to drop Pepsi campaign song “I Want”

Girl group IVE is releasing a new Pepsi campaign song “I Want” on July 13. IVE has been a Pepsi brand ambassador since the beginning of the year. Pepsi and Starship Entertainment dropped teaser images of the upcoming campaign song on Monday on their official social media accounts. The images show Yujin posing in front of refrigerators filled with Pepsi, Rei holding up a can of Pepsi Zero Sugar, and Gaeul working as a cashier scanning the barcode of a cola can. Yujin of IVE was a Peps

July 4, 2023

Seoul Arts Center features rising new musicians, Rachmaninoff in 2 upcoming series

South Korea's top performing arts institute Seoul Arts Center has prepared two series featuring rising talent at a relatively unknown facility. Inchoon Art Hall, which opened on Aug. 28, 2020, has 100 seats, allowing for an intimate setting for both the performers and the audience. Titled “The Next,” one of the series feature the next generation of Korean classical talent, introducing 10 rising young musicians selected by the Seoul Arts Center. The series kicked off in May with

July 3, 2023

Son Suk-ku makes comeback in highly anticipated play 'Army on the Tree'

South Korean actor Son Suk-ku, who emerged as one of the biggest stars of 2022 with the TV series “My Liberation Notes” and action blockbuster “The Roundup,” has made a comeback with the play “Army on the Tree.” All tickets to the play, which was to run June 20-Aug. 5 at the LG Arts Center, have been sold out. The play has been extended by a week to Aug. 12, and the tickets for the extra shows have yet to go on sale. When asked about the difference between act

July 3, 2023

Mystery, suspense thrillers find growing popularity this summer

The popularity of thrillers like “Lies Hidden in My Garden” and “Revenant” suggest that horror-themed shows and movies have become a spine-chilling way for many Koreans to escape the blistering summer heat. Cable channel Genie TV kicked off the summer season on June 19 with “Lies Hidden in My Garden” an eight-part suspense thriller series. With the release of its fifth episode on Monday, the project continues to draw drama fans, meeting the show's well-de

July 3, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Enhypen to drop 3rd single in Japan in September

Enhypen will bring out third single in Japan on Sept. 5, announced agency Belift Lab on Monday. The album, dubbed “結 – You,” will consist of three tracks including Japanese-language version of “Bite Me,” main track from its fourth EP “Dark Blood” and “Bills,” a B-side track from the same album. The single comes about 11 months since its first studio album in Japan, “Sadame,” which topped Oricon’s weekly combined album ranki

July 3, 2023

YG's Treasure taps into US market with Columbia Records

K-pop boy band Treasure has joined hands with Columbia Records, a label unit under Sony Music, in its ambitious bid to make inroads into the US market. Treasure's agency YG Entertainment on Monday announced the group forged a partnership with Columbia Records to support the launch of the band's second studio album "Reboot" in the US next month. Columbia Records will be assisting Treasure in the global distribution as well as local marketing and promotion of the new album, YG

July 3, 2023

BTS' Jimin sets new K-pop record on Billboard

BTS' Jimin continues to set new K-pop milestones on the Billboard charts. Jimin's "Angel Pt.1," from the original soundtrack for action flick "Fast X," landed at No. 96 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for July 1, charting for the second nonconsecutive week. "Fast X" is the latest release from the popular “Fast & Furious” series, and Jimin is the first South Korean singer to feature on one of its soundtracks. With Jimin as the main vocalis

July 3, 2023

[Herald Review] Psy blows away sultry summer with ‘Summer Swag’

Thousands of people dressed in blue flocked to the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Friday to get wet and wild with the iconic K-pop singer Psy. Psy kicked off the first day of his nationwide tour, “Summer Swag,” this year with a video clip of himself and actor Heo Sung-tae dancing to “Kokain 2021,” the wildly popular track that took over social media with its addictive melody. The song got everyone in the stadium on their feet, jumping to the song. Psy soon appeared on

July 3, 2023

Margot Robbie says so much to discover in ‘Barbie’

Award-winning filmmaker Greta Gerwig, along with actor and producer Margot Robbie and actor America Ferrera of American film “Barbie” held a press conference in Seoul to promote their film, which will be released in Korea on July 19. Director Gerwig, who starred in “Frances Ha,” (2012) and won a Golden Globe as producer of her debut film, “Lady Bird,” (2017) returned as a screenwriter and the producer of “Barbie,” after Robbie suggested the two wor

July 3, 2023

Public theater Quad to showcase two anticipated hybrid performances

Two hybrid performances that feature a mix of traditional and modern are set to kick off at the Quad, a public theater operated by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, in Daehagno, in July. “Everything OK,” set for Friday-Sunday performances, is a new collaborative work by contemporary dancer-choreographer Ahn Eun-me's dance company and vocalist Seo Do from the Seo Do Band. Seo Do Band is known for pioneering the Joseon Pop genre, a term now used to refer to music that has

July 2, 2023

Homage gone wrong: Yena removes 'Hate Rodrigo' music video, cancels promotion

K-pop singer Yena's cheeky attempt to express her reverence for Olivia Rodrigo seems to have fallen flat, with the music video for her new song, "Hate Rodrigo," being taken following a series of controversies. Yena, who goes by Choi Yena in Korea, released her new single on Tuesday, along with a music video. The song was highly anticipated, especially as it features the collaboration of Yena and her best friend Yuqi from the girl group (G)I-DLE. The song's lyrics, which were partly wri

July 2, 2023

‘The Roundup: No Way Out’ draws 10m admissions as other movies struggle to break even

South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has attracted a record-setting 10.9 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the movie’s distributor ABO Entertainment. "The Roundup: No Way Out" is the 21st local film and the 30th film released in South Korea to reach the milestone. It is also the first film this year to set such a record. The film opened on May 31. This comes as a significant feat amid

July 2, 2023

BTS' Jungkook renews Billboard records ahead of solo debut

BTS' Jungkook continues his record-setting streak on Billboard's global charts as he gears up for his solo debut this month. The US music publication's latest chart release on Saturday showed Charlie Puth's Jungkook collaboration, "Left And Right," hit No. 179 on the Billboard Global US Exclusive chart that day, marking its 38th week on the chart. This extends Jungkook's own record of longest streak by an individual K-pop singer on the song chart. He also renewed his record on Billboar

July 2, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT to launch last team through reality show

A reality show that will follow the launch of a new team under NCT will start airing on July 27, according to label SM Entertainment Friday. As the title “NCT Universe: Lastart” -- a combination of last and start -- suggests, it will be the last expansion of the boy band and also will hail the beginning of a new team. Trainees from the label will participate in the program to be judged by senior artists including BoA and Eunhyuk of Super Junior. The show will portray the entire proc

June 30, 2023

Eight South Koreans honored at Tchaikovsky competition

A total of eight South Korean classical musicians have received awards, including three first prizes, at this year’s International Tchaikovsky Competition, a once bustling but now diminished event amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The International Tchaikovsky Competition is held every four years in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia for pianists, violinists, cellists, woodwind players and brace performers aged 16-32 and singers aged 19-32. According to the competition's web

June 30, 2023

Exhibition gives Choi Min-sik ‘chance to reflect’ on 34-year career

The 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival that kicked off Thursday for an 11 day-run is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean veteran actor Choi Min-sik called “I Saw Choi Min Sik” in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Choi said he is grateful but also feels embarrassed to be featured in the exhibition. “This special exhibition comes at a pivotal time for me, as I had wished to take time off after my latest work ‘Big Bet.’ Since I do not belo

June 30, 2023

‘Sasha & Milo’ to expand reach to China and Latin America

Korean action comedy animation “Shasha & Milo” is scheduled to make its local and global premiere in the second half of the year. The animation was sold to Chinese and Latin American distributors during the 2023 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market in Annecy, France, the world’s largest event for animation industry, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Domestically, "Shasha & Milo" will be released on public education TV ch

June 30, 2023

Wavve offers BIFAN films online

Local streaming service Wavve announced Friday that has launched a special Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival section, offering online screenings of the films that are being screened at this year’s film festival. The 27th edition of BIFAN, which kicked off Thursday, mainly focuses on Korean and international horror, thriller, mystery and fantasy films. Wavve subscribers can enjoy the same program as at BIFAN, including films in the international competition, Korean competition,

June 30, 2023