Three Korean films head to 73rd Berlin Film Festival

Three Korean films have been invited to the 73rd Berlin Film Festival, which kicked off Thursday and runs until Feb. 26. The festival picked director Hong Sang-soo’s “In Water” to compete in the newly established Encounters sidebar competition category. It is the 62-year-old auteur’s 29th project. Hong is competing at Berlinale for the fourth consecutive year, following “The Novelist's Film” (2022), “Introduction” (2021) and “The Wom

Feb. 17, 2023

K-pop singer Eric Nam to headline Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art’s centennial show

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced South Korean singer-songwriter Eric Nam will take the stage as the headline performer at the museum’s centennial celebration in May. The museum was established in 1923 with an initial collection by its founder Charles Lang Freer, of which the collection has grown to some 46,000 artworks. The museum became the first fine art museum to be part of a Smithsonian institution in Washington, DC in 1923. In celebration of the museu

Feb. 17, 2023

Korean plays, gugak musical and stand-up comedy at 2023 Adelaide Fringe

Four groups of Korean artists will perform at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival, one of the world's largest annual arts festivals, which starts on Thursday and runs until March 19. Held in Adelaide, Australia, the festival of performing arts draws more than 6,000 artists from around the globe. Around 2.7 million visitors enjoyed the festival in 2019. Two plays, one gugak musical and one stand-up comedy routine, are scheduled as part of the “Korean Season” segment of the

Feb. 16, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook hits 500m Spotify streams in record time

Jungkook of BTS amassed 500 million streams on Spotify with “Left ＆ Right,” a collaboration with American singer and songwriter Charlie Puth. He achieved the feat in record time for a K-pop solo artist and has been breaking records with the song on the platform, reaching milestones in the shortest time in K-pop history: 100 million streams in 24 days, 200 million in 61 days, 300 million in 104 days and 400 million in 159 days. The single was released in June and debuted on Spotify&r

Feb. 16, 2023

'Rollin'' queens Brave Girls disband

The revival of the group Brave Girls has come to its unfortunate end, with the quartet officially terminating its activities as of Thursday. Brave Entertainment, the label behind the four-member K-pop girl group, announced on Thursday that the band will end its activities with the members' contracts with the agency terminating that day. "The exclusive contracts of the four members -- Minyoung, Yujeong, Eunji and Yuna -- have come to an end today. With the release of the new digital sin

Feb. 16, 2023

SM CEO Lee Sung-soo exposes SM founder Lee Soo-man

CEO of SM Entertainment Lee Sung-soo broke his silence on the internal business management feud between the founder and former SM producer Lee Soo-man and the co-CEOs of SM by releasing a statement via video Thursday. Lee Sung-soo, who is also Lee Soo-man’s nephew, made allegations of offshore tax evasion against the founder and laid out 14 subjects he will touch upon from now on to explain why SM Entertainment decided it’s time to let go of him. In his first video, the CEO claimed t

Feb. 16, 2023

Hybe turns in list of candidates for SM's board of executives

Hybe, now the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment, turned in its list of candidates for SM’s board of executives on Thursday. The list includes President of Hybe America Lee Jae-sang, Hybe Chief Legal Officer Jung Jin-soo and Hybe's chief of management and planning, Lee Jin-hwa, for the position of inside director. “These candidates have built multifaceted experience in the fields of law, finance and establishing business strategies for a global company that endorses enterta

Feb. 16, 2023

‘TV Art Show’ to be taped with live studio audience

Terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s classical music program “TV Art Show” is scheduled to be filmed with a live audience and spectators for the first time this year. Under the theme of “virtuoso,” “TV Art Show” invites viewers and fans of all ages for the mesmerizing performances, featuring beloved pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Kim Bomsori and cellist Yang Sung-won, at MBC Golden Mouse Hall in Sangam-dong, northwestern Seoul. While Son is set to perform on F

Feb. 16, 2023

Korea Improvised Music Festival to kick off next week

An improvised music festival exploring different genres, from traditional Korean to electronic music, kicks off at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Feb. 22. The Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, in collaboration with the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater, will stage the first inaugural “Korea Improvised Music Festival” with musicians in various fields. The festival hopes to break down the boundaries of music genres, with its focus on traditional music. The main performance of the festival begins Fe

Feb. 15, 2023

Purple Kiss releases 'Sweet Juice' with 5th EP 'Cabin Fever'

K-pop girl group Purple Kiss invites listeners on a journey to freedom through its mystery-packed new album, "Cabin Fever." The six-member group conducted a press conference Wednesday before releasing the album later that day at 6 p.m. The album comes just in time with the end of the pandemic. "Cabin Fever" refers to the irritability and listlessness that comes after a long period of confinement or isolation in a closed space, and the album is like a gift for people who may

Feb. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to hit 22 cities around the world

NCT Dream will tour 22 cities across the world starting next week, according to a statement by SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The boy band will go live in Osaka for three days next week before hopping over to Jakarta, Bangkok and Hong Kong. The tour will take the seven members to London, Paris and Berlin before they head over to the US where they will host the first of their standalone concerts in seven cities. The band will resume greeting fans in Asia, going live in Manila, Singapore, Macau a

Feb. 15, 2023

SM artists strive amid ongoing ownership feud, questions remain

As major players of the entertainment industry scramble to get their hands on SM Entertainment, the label's artists are working harder than ever to keep things running. SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that its boy band, NCT Dream, is embarking on a world tour, "The Dream Show 2: In A Dream." The concert series, which officially started in September in Seoul, is set to continue this month, extending to 22 cities across the world where the group will hold 32 shows. With the tou

Feb. 15, 2023

Yim Si-wan puts new twist on villian role in Netflix original ‘Unlocked’

Singer and actor Yim Si-wan said he took a different approach to playing the role of a villain in his new film, “Unlocked,” highlighting the character's child-like nature, rather than portraying him as a ruthless killer. “Unlocked,” a debut film by director Kim Tae-joon, is based on Shiga Akira's award-winning Japanese novel of same title. The thriller tells the story of Na-mi (Chun Woo-hee) and how her life is threatened by Jun-young (Yim Si-wan) after she lose

Feb. 15, 2023

BTS' Suga to go on solo world tour

Suga, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, will go on a world tour in six different countries starting in April, according to Big Hit Music on Wednesday. The first concert will kick off at Belmont Park in the US on April 26 followed by other cities in the US including Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland. Then, Suga will be moving on to the Asian leg of the tour starting with a gig in Indonesia on May 26 followed by those in Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. The dates for his Japan co

Feb. 15, 2023

‘Webtoon Singer’ to entertain viewers with XR-themed music performances

Webtoons and K-pop, two of the leading powers in the Korean Wave, are to join hands to create greater synergy in Tving’s extended reality music competition show “Webtoon Singer.” It is not the first time for a webtoon to team up with K-pop. In 2020, the original soundtrack for the popular Daum Webtoon series, “She's My Type," sung by K-pop boy band B1A4’s Sandeul, reached the No. 2 spot on local streaming platform Melon, following BTS’ “Dynamit

Feb. 15, 2023

StayC aims to define 'teen fresh' genre through 'Teddy Bear'

Girl group StayC aspired to make "teen-fresh" another name for the group with its fourth single "Teddy Bear." The six-member group conducted a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours ahead of dropping the single at 6 p.m. that day. "Teddy Bear" marked the group's return to the K-pop scene after seven months since it last dropped its third single "We Need Love." In the meantime, the girls went on their first global concert tour and made thei

Feb. 14, 2023

Jeongdong Theater hopes to be cultural destination for all ages

The National Jeongdong Theater, a public performance hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, has unveiled its season line-up for this year, along with major initiatives for the 2023 season. “We will develop and promote performing arts of both the contemporary and traditional style, and for that we're preparing a wide variety of programs for not only enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s, but also for children and families, middle-aged and senior audiences,” said director Choung Soung-sook on Tuesday

Feb. 14, 2023

Hybe to guarantee independence of SM

K-pop powerhouse Hybe will guarantee SM Entertainment's independence, noting that the founder and former producer of SM, Lee Soo-man, will not take part in business management, Hybe CEO Park Ji-won said to his employees Monday regarding the recent merger and acquisition of SM. Last Friday, Hybe signed a deal with Lee Soo-man to buy 14.8 percent of his SM shares at 422.8 billion won ($334.28 million), making Hybe the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment. "We respect the legacy of SM

Feb. 14, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Kai to return as solo musician next month: report

Kai of EXO will make a comeback as a solo performer in mid-March, according to a local media report Tuesday. SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. His last solo release was his second EP, “Peaches,” which came out in November 2011. The EP reached first place on the iTunes top albums chart in 68 regions. During the last week of January, Kai held his first solo live event in Japan, greeting fans in Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. He is also preparing for the group&rsqu

Feb. 14, 2023

[Herald Interview] Yoo Teo takes on rom-com leading role

While expressing his satisfaction with playing the lead role of Nam Kang-ho in Netflix’s latest romantic comedy series “Love to Hate You,” Yoo Teo cautiously shared some of his updated goals for becoming a better actor. “With the rise of local and global streaming platforms, I’ve become more ambitious and dream of something bigger. More unexpected opportunities are waiting for actors. I am well aware of how much more work I have to do to achieve my goal, but I feel

Feb. 14, 2023