Seventeen to release 10th EP 'FML' on April 24

Global K-pop band Seventeen is coming back in April with a new album. Seventeen's agency Pledis Entertainment on Friday announced Seventeen is releasing its 10th EP "FML" on April 24. The new album will mark the 13-piece boy band's return after nine months since the release of its fourth LP-reissue "Sector 17" last summer. A teaser poster was posted at midnight on Seventeen's official social media platforms. Colored in shades of white and blue, the poster boast

March 31, 2023

24th Jeonju International Film Festival aims to achieve both authenticity, mass appeal

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival aims grab the public’s attention by representing both the authenticity and mass appeal of South Korea’s indie film scene, according to the organizing committee. This year’s JIFF will be held from April 27th to May 6 in Jeonju, showcasing 247 films from 42 countries. A total of 11 Korean films, 25 Korean indie films and 10 international films have been invited to the festival. “JIFF has become one of the most representative cultu

March 31, 2023

NewJeans and Coca-Cola collaborate for a new song

K-pop girl group NewJeans is set to drop a new song in collaboration with Coca-Cola next week. Ador, the label behind NewJeans, said on Friday that the group is set to drop "Zero," a commercial song for Coca-Cola, on Monday. Earlier on Thursday, the label had announced that NewJeans has been tapped as the new global ambassador for the drink brand. As the ambassadors, the five members are taking part in the new Coca-Cola Zero campaign launched in South Korea, Ador added. The new song re

March 31, 2023

Blackpink's Jisoo eyes for million-seller with solo debut

Blackpink's Jisoo is expected to become a million-seller with her first solo single album "Me." Jisoo officially debuts as a soloist musician on Friday with the album's release. The package consists of two songs, the main track "Flower" and side track "All Eyes On Me." According to Blackpink's label YG, the title "Me" has two meanings -- one refers to Jisoo herself, and the other refers to the Korean word for beauty. "Me" is an alb

March 31, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jimin tops iTunes chart in 115 regions

Jimin of BTS swept the iTunes top songs chart with “Like Crazy," which notched the No. 1 spot on the chart in 115 regions. It is the main track from his first solo album, “Face,” and topped the chart in 100 regions within about seven hours of its release. The song is the third song among those released this year to achieve the feat. The first two are: “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” a pre-release from the album, and “Vibe,” a collaboration between Big Bang&rs

March 30, 2023

Director Lee Byeong-heon says ‘Dream’ brings both social message and joy

Director Lee Byeong-heon behind 2019 hit comedy “Extreme Job” has returned with “Dream,” a sports comedy, which is being released eight years after the film was initially set up. The film tells the story of a Yoon Hong-dae (Park Seo-joon), a professional football player-turned-coach who is put on disciplinary probation after becoming involved in an unexpected incident and tasked with coaching the South Korean national soccer team for the Homeless World Cup. “There w

March 30, 2023

K-pop diva Chungha leaves long-time agency MNH Entertainment

K-pop diva Chungha is leaving her long-time nest, agency MNH Entertainment. MNH Entertainment, the agency that currently houses Chungha, announced Wednesday on the soloist’s online fan community cafe page that her seven-year exclusive contract with MNH Entertainment expires next month. “Our exclusive contract with Chungha who has been with us for the past seven years since her debut in 2016 expires on April 29, 2023. We want to thank Chungha for her hard work and also her fans for su

March 30, 2023

10-piece Xikers debuts, hopes to become rookie band of the year

Rookie boy band Xikers is throwing its hat into the ring on Thursday with its debut EP, "House of Tricky: Doorbell Ringing." A 10-piece band debuting with KQ Entertainment, Xikers has garnered huge excitement ahead of its official kick-off as the brother group of Ateez, KQ's first boy band that has made it into the topmost tiers of the highly competitive K-pop hierarchy. Thanks to the spotlight shared by Ateez, Xikers has already been on some big stages, including KCON 2023 in Tha

March 30, 2023

Jisoo of Blackpink finds new 'ME' while bringing up her 1st solo album

Jisoo of Blackpink’s debut as a soloist with her first-ever solo album “ME” is just a day ahead. The superstar plans to show a new version of herself never seen before through “Flower,” the album’s titular track, and also through the side track “All Eyes On Me.” “I put a lot of thought into how I can show the soloist Jisoo instead of the Blackpink Jisoo. I continuously developed music that only I can do and that I am good at. During the proce

March 30, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids tops 100m views with ‘Case 143’ music video

The music video for Stray Kids’ “Case 143” has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube, announced label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. It is the band’s ninth music video to reach the milestone. “Case 143” came out in October last year as the main track for EP “Maxident” that topped Billboard 200. The music video combines cartoon effects while highlighting perfectly choreographed dances from the eight bandmates. Meanwhile, the 5-year-old band is se

March 29, 2023

NewJeans collabs with Apple at special pop-up sessions at Apple Gangnam store

K-pop girl group NewJeans has linked up with Apple to hold a special pop-up session for the Apple Gangnam store's grand opening on Friday. The 15-minute free session involved experiencing Apple’s spatial audio technology with NewJeans’ latest titular track “OMG.” “This was part of our effort to communicate with our fans. When you listen to our songs with Apple’s spatial audio, you will feel as if we are singing standing next to you. We wanted to give back

March 29, 2023

Mamamoo+ opens new chapter with first single 'Act 1, Scene 1'

Mamamoo+, the subunit of the K-pop girl group Mamamoo, returned on Wednesday with its first single "Act 1, Scene 1." Consisting of members Solar and Moonbyul, Mamamoo+ invites listeners to a new chapter with the single. The duet's latest release comes seven months after its digital single "Better." Fronting the three-track collection is "GGBB," also titled "Good Girl Bad Boy," an upbeat and groovy dance-pop tune that unpacks the dynamic charms of the

March 29, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Rebound’: a basketball film about overcoming setbacks

“Rebound” doesn’t just tell the real-life story of an underdog basketball team making it all the way to the championships – the film itself overcame real setbacks to make it into local theaters. The film, director Jang Hang-jun’s first project in 6 years, will finally open in local theaters after 11 years of setbacks. The film tells the moving story of passionate youths based on a real-life 2012 national high school basketball championship through tense, dynamic sce

March 29, 2023

Tving’s ‘Yonder’ to be streamed on Paramount Plus

Tving, the South Korean online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM, announced that its 2022 sci-fi series “Yonder” is scheduled to premiere globally via Paramount Plus in April. “Yonder,” which was adapted from the 2011 novel “Good-bye Yonder,” written by author Kim Jang-hwan, is the first joint production of Korean content between Tving and Paramount Plus. The series is set to be released in 27 countries, including the US, the UK, Can

March 29, 2023

‘Bargain’ invited to Canneseries competition

Korean streamer Tving’s crime-thriller “Bargain,” directed by Jeon Woo-sung, has been invited to this year’s Cannes International Series Festival, widely known as Canneseries Canneseries is an international television festival that promotes TV series from around the world. In the official selection for this year’s Canneseries announced Tuesday, “Bargain” was listed in the competition section along with nine other projects, including Israel’s 2022 s

March 29, 2023

Billlie returns as school girls ready to enchant spring with 4th mini album

K-pop girl group Billlie transformed into teenage school girls for their new fourth mini album, “The Billage of Perception: Chapter Three.” Not only has their style brightened, but so have the tracks, as the group took the stage with lighter, more danceable tracks at a media showcase held in Seoul on Tuesday. “Our previous songs like ‘Ring Ma Bell’ and ‘GingaMingaYo’ were quite abstruse. But in this new album, we tried a different music genre. We want to

March 29, 2023

[Herald Interview] CSR embarks on a journey to find true selves

K-pop girl group CSR took off on a journey to find their true selves with their second mini album, “Delight,” which dropped on Wednesday. CSR, consisting of seven 18-year-olds, faced a “light” at the end of the tunnel before turning 18, and wanted to share their journey of discovering what that light is in this new album. The mini album comprises a total of four tracks led by the titular track, “Shining Bright,” and three sidetracks including “Signal,&rd

March 29, 2023

From feather to wing, BamBam follows his growth in 'Sour & Sweet'

K-pop musician BamBam said he felt like a small feather when he first moved to South Korea from Thailand over 10 years ago. Taking listeners back to that moment, the singer starts his first full-length album "Sour & Sweet" with the song "Feather." "It conveys the emotions that I'd felt when I first came to Korea. I still remember the feelings I got when I arrived at Incheon International Airport. I didn't know anything and felt like a small feather. 'F

March 28, 2023

New performances from Arko Selection available online

New performances created with support from the Arts Council Korea will be released through Naver’s TV Live through July. A total of 20 works to be streamed include plays, musicals, dance, music, opera and traditional performances from the 28 works that were selected for the Arko Selection and staged at Arko Arts Theater and Daehakro Arts Theater in Jongno-gu. “The Designer of the Labyrinth,” a play available on April 25, centers on three different characters whose lives intertw

March 28, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jisoo sells 1.24m copies of solo album in pre-orders

Jisoo of Blackpink sold 1.24 million units of her upcoming solo debut album, announced label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. It is a record for a female solo musician in K-pop history, it added. The album “Me” consists of two tracks – the main track “Flower” and “All Eyes On Me” – and will be released on March 31 and is likely to be become first million-selling album from a K-pop solo female artist. In the meantime, a local newspaper reported that th

March 28, 2023