Five Korean films head to this year’s Cannes Film Festival

Five Korean films have been invited to this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, which kicks off in the French resort town on Tuesday. Kim Chang-hoon’s “Hopeless,” Kim Jee-woon’s “Cobweb,” Hong Sang-soo’s “In Our Day,” Kim Tae-gon’s “Project Silence” and Jason Yu’s “Sleep” will be shown at the festival. No South Korean film has been selected to compete for the main prize, the Palme d’Or, a

May 15, 2023

Hit by 'Cupid,' global listeners are head over heels for Fifty Fifty

Virality was the key to success for the K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty to break records in the biggest Western music charts, US-based Billboard and UK-based Official Charts, despite its low profile in South Korea. Fifty Fifty, which consists of four members -- Keena, Aran, Sio and Saena -- debuted in November last year with its first EP “The Fifty” led by the title track “Higher.” Fifty Fifty, housed by a small-sized independent record label Attrakt, seemed set for an uphil

May 15, 2023

Ukiss to celebrate 15th anniversary with comeback

Once a leading boy band in K-pop, Ukiss is making a full-fledged comeback in celebration of its 15th anniversary. Tango Music, the band's agency, announced Monday that Ukiss will come back as a six-piece soon. "In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Ukiss has confirmed its comeback as a six-piece led by members Soohyun, Hoon and Kiseob," the agency said in a statement Monday, adding, "We will fully support the group so that they can give back to the fans who have waited for

May 15, 2023

[Herald Review] 'Slava's Snowshow' brings delightful snowy magic to stage

Entering the concert hall, the audience was immediately captivated by the sight of white confetti scattered and piled on the floor. “Slava’s Snowshow” running at the LG Arts Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul until May 21, has transformed a corner of Magok-dong in the middle of May. The mime show created and staged by Russian performance artist and clown Slava Polunin has toured over 100 cities around the world since its premiere in Russia in 1993. In Korea, the Russian troupe last pe

May 14, 2023

Three days of Korean traditional music day and night at 'Day Off'

Young gugak artists will perform at the upcoming “Day Off” concert series, showing various charms of Korean traditional music set outdoors in Namsan Hanok Village. The three-day event will take place in the garden of Seoul's Namsan Gukakdang in Jung-gu, with performances scheduled twice daily at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday. On Tuesday afternoon, four-person samulnori group Variety E-Seo will perform, bringing the sounds of the "kkwaenggwari," "j

May 14, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (US) Opened April 26 Animation/Adventure Directed by Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic A 2023 computer-animated adventure film based on Nintendo's Mario video game franchise tells a story of Mario and Princess Peach getting ready to square off against the all-powerful Bowser to stop his plans from conquering the world. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3” (US) Opened May 3 Action Directed by James Gunn The American superhero franchise conclude

May 13, 2023

Korean Film Archive's online exhibition distills century-old narratives into key moments

The Korean Film Archive, in partnership with the Korean Movie Database, has curated an online film exhibition titled "A Hundred Years Back: Outsiders' View of Korea." Running from May 3 to 13, the exhibition offers an intimate look into the cultural fabric, daily life and urban evolution of Korea across the first half of the 20th century. The exhibition features six silent films curated from a larger set of 113 videos released earlier this year. These six films have been bookmarke

May 13, 2023

Fifty Fifty's 'Cupid' climbs to No. 8 on the British Official Singles Chart

Fifty Fifty's "Cupid" has reached No. 8 on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100, setting a new record for a K-pop girl group. According to the latest chart released Friday (British time), the song stayed on the chart for a seventh consecutive week and climbed one spot from the previous week to hit No. 8. Since its debut on the chart at No. 96 in early April, "Cupid" has rapidly ascended the rankings, reaching No. 61, No. 34, No. 26 and No. 18 and cracking the Top

May 13, 2023

BTS' animation OST 'The Planet' tops iTunes charts in 67 countries

K-pop supergroup BTS' new digital single "The Planet" topped iTunes charts in 67 countries Saturday, the group's agency said. The original soundtrack for TV animation series "Bastions" was released the previous day. The song had claimed the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Top Songs charts in 67 countries, including the United States, France and Australia, as of 9 a.m., Big Hit Music said. "The Planet" is the septet's new song as a full lineup in nearly a yea

May 13, 2023

IU hit with plagiarism attacks, continues legal battle

Singer-actor IU's agency on Friday denied all plagiarism allegations and pledged legal measures against those responsible. Edam Entertainment released an official statement on Friday after reviewing the accusations and the recent plagiarism case filed against the artist. On Wednesday, it was reported that someone had filed a complaint to the local police against IU on charges of plagiarism regarding six of her songs. "Based on comprehensive data that we collected from the media and the inve

May 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Organist Olivier Latry to proudly present French organ music

Renowned French organist Olivier Latry will bring French organ music to South Korea for his first concert here in six years. While Latry has been to his wife and organist Lee Shin-young’s home country of Korea multiple times on private visits over the past several years, this trip will feature his musical talents at the forefront. For the concert next week, he has chosen music from Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, Camille Saint-Saens, Cesar Franck and Charles-Marie Widor. In an e-mail intervie

May 12, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS to publish autobiography in July: report

BTS will release an autobiography in July, the New York Times reported on Thursday, citing American publisher Flatiron Books. The publishing company confirmed the news by sharing the article on its official social media account. The book, titled “Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS,” is penned by journalist Kang Myeong-seok and the seven members of the K-pop jugganaut, with the English translation by Anton Hur, in collaboration with Clare Richards and Slin Jung. The Korean editi

May 12, 2023

BIFF executive chair suddenly resigns five months before film festival

Huh Mun-young, the executive chair who had been appointed in March 2021 to lead the country’s largest and one of Asia‘s most significant film festivals, the Busan International Film Festival, has decided to resign from the post less than five months before this year’s festival, raising concerns about the event proceeding as planned. This year’s BIFF will kick off on Oct. 4. Market insiders said Huh resigned to show his frustration over the recent transformation of the BIF

May 12, 2023

YG's rookie Babymonster to debut with 7 members

YG Entertainment's new girl group Babymonster will debut as a seven-piece this fall, the agency said Friday. The agency on Friday announced the members of Babymonster, revealing the group will consist of seven members and not five as previously announced. YG's founder and executive producer Yang Hyun-suk made the announcement in a YouTube video posted on Friday, two weeks after the band's final evaluation, made public via a YouTube series, came to a close. "So many fans, around 99 percent o

May 12, 2023

[Photo news] Napoleon in Seoul

May 12, 2023

Jason Kim’s new action flick ‘Bloodhounds’ to open in June on Netflix

Director Jason Kim’s new action flick “Bloodhounds” will open exclusively on Netflix on June 9, the global streaming platform said Friday. Kim, who was behind the hit comedy film “Midnight Runners” (2017), is making a swift return just months after the release of his latest project “My Heart Puppy,” which premiered in theaters in March. “Bloodhounds” revolves around two young boxers named Gun-woo and Woo-jin who band together with a benevolen

May 12, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Billlie to drop 1st single in Japan next week

Girl group Billlie will officially debut in Japan on May 17 with the single “GingaMingaYo (the strange world) – Japanese ver.),” according to agency Mystic Story on Thursday. It uploaded a group photograph of the bandmates coordinated in blue tones on the day. The titular track from the upcoming single is a Japanese-language version of its hit song from last year. The seven-member act will host a showcase in Tokyo on May 20 and will also greet fans at a series of in-person eve

May 11, 2023

Teen Top's C.A.P leaves group after controversial livestream

C.A.P, whose real name is Bang Min-su, is leaving his group, Teen Top, following a controversial YouTube livestream, the group's agency, TOP Media, said Thursday. The management on Thursday released an official statement announcing C.A.P's dismissal from the team. "Through discussions with Teen Top members, we have decided C.A.P will leave the group as of today," the statement said, adding the team will continue as a four-piece group with members Niel, Changjo, Chunji and Ric

May 11, 2023

Jennie to take part in 76th Cannes Film Festival

Jennie of Blackpink will attend the 76th Cannes Film Festival which kicks off next week for the premiere of the upcoming HBO series “The Idol” and the red carpet event on May 22, according to YG Entertainment. Jennie made her debut as an actress with “The Idol” and the series has been chosen by Cannes Film Festival as one of four Out of Competition Selections. The story of “The Idol” revolves around the protagonist’s character, an aspiring pop star named

May 11, 2023

[Album Review] Aespa drops intensely conceptual music and tries out new style

Aespa is finally back from Kwangya -- the fictional universe shared by the artists of SM Entertainment -- to the “real world” to introduce its new album. “My World” is made up of songs filled with bright, young energy -- the kind of music that the quartet has always wanted to do. Just in time for a change, aespa dropped pursuing intensely conceptual tracks, instead going for easily understandable music that revolves around the life of ordinary teenagers. “Welcome to

May 11, 2023