[Today’s K-pop] Twice to launch 1st unit in Japan

    Three members of Twice will form the group’s first subunit and roll out an EP in Japan, label JYP Entertainment announced Thursday. Mina, Sana and Momo will release their first EP as a trio, named Misamo, which takes the first syllable from each of their names, on July 26. They sang “Bouquet” last month in Japan for an original soundtrack for the drama “Liaison – Children’s Heart Clinic” on TV Asahi. The song topped Line Music’s

Feb. 9, 2023

Cellist Yang Sung-won to head Music in Pyeongchang

Music in Pyeongchang, an annual music festival held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, has appointed cellist Yang Sung-won as its fourth artistic director, festival organizer Gangwon Art and Culture Foundation announced Thursday. Yang will lead the 20th edition of the music festival, which will take place from July 26 to Aug. 5. Yang, a cello soloist and chamber musician who performs worldwide, has worked with renowned musicians, such as pianists Christoph Eschenbach and Pascal Devoyon, and comp

Feb. 9, 2023

Yoo Ah-in’s new films likely to be postponed

The film industry is closely following news of actor Yoo Ah-in being investigated by police for habitual illegal use of propofol. Release dates for Yoo’s new films slated for later this year are also highly likely to be delayed. According to Yoo’s agency UAA, police earlier this week investigated the 36-year-old actor. Yoo is currently prohibited from leaving the country. Industry insiders said the production staff and distribution companies are closely reviewing a plan to delay th

Feb. 9, 2023

Will Kim Ok-vin become new rom-com crush with ‘Love to Hate You’?

“Love to Hate You,” the first romantic comedy series of actor Kim Ok-vin’s 18-year career, strays from the typical Korean drama tropes. The series doesn’t feature childhood sweethearts; a poor girl with an overly positive personality; nor an average girl meeting a rich guy with the ensuing family opposition. But the actors and director of “Love to Hate You” are certain that it has more than everything to make viewers wish they were in love. Kim felt that she

Feb. 9, 2023

Im Chang-jung releases 3rd mini album ‘I’m a fool’

Ballad king Im Chang-jung has returned with his third EP “I’m a Fool” on Wednesday. It took him longer than expected to release a new album, as he usually introduces a studio album once a year in the autumn, which is usually seen as the best season for ballads in Korea. “This mini album comes after six years since the last one. For studio albums, I sing a track twice or thrice but because there are not many tracks on this one, I put more effort into recording them. I thin

Feb. 9, 2023

Misamo, first unit debut from Twice coming soon

Mina, Sana, and Momo of Twice are making a unit debut in Japan as Misamo with their first mini album on July 26. JYP Entertainment made their debut official Thursday by dropping some teaser photos. Misamo consists of all three Japanese members and is the first subunit from the girl group. In the teaser shots, the trio is dressed all in white, looking like luxurious goddesses. Prior to their debut as Misamo, Mina, Sana, and Momo released the track “Bouquet” as part of the soundtrack t

Feb. 9, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream drops 1st Japan single

NCT Dream put out its first single in Japan, “Best Friends Ever,” on Wednesday, said label SM Entertainment. The NCT subunit of seven members dropped the single that consists of two tracks: a main track of the same title and the Japanese-language version of “Glitch Mode,” the titular track from its second studio album. The band will perform the new song for the first time at its upcoming concert in Osaka. It is set to go live at Kyocera Dome next week as part of its seco

Feb. 8, 2023

TV actors Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min make theater debut with ‘Shakespeare in Love’

Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min and Chae Soo-bin play Viola De Lesseps in the Korean production of "Shakespeare in Love" by Kim Dong-yeon at Shownote, adapted from the 1998 film of the same title. The play premiered at the CJ Towol Theater in the Seoul Arts Center on Jan. 28. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the three actors said it was a dream come true to play the compelling character of a theater-lover who later becomes William Shakespeare's muse. Kim shared her first impressi

Feb. 8, 2023

YG's next big thing: Babymonster members unveiled

YG Entertainment is gearing up to debut its first new girl group in seven years, Babymonster, and has unveiled the last member of the seven-piece band this week. Just like the label's previous hit group Blackpink, Babymonster is a multinational group. There are three Koreans, two hailing from Thailand and two from Japan. Since the band was first announced on Jan. 1, YG has disclosed information about the new group in gradual stages. Here, we take a deeper look into Babymonster to get an ide

Feb. 8, 2023

Bong Joon-ho’s 4K remastered ‘The Host’ to hit France next month

Globally renowned filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s 2006 thriller “The Host” will reopen in a 4K remastered version in France on March 8. Prior to the release of the new version, director Bong will attend a masterclass event and meet with audiences on Feb. 26 and 27 in France, according to industry sources. The event will take place at Le Grand Rex theater in Paris on Feb. 26 and at Institut Lumiere in Lyon on Feb. 27. Director Bong will meet with the audience in Paris on Feb. 26 with T

Feb. 8, 2023

BoA to hold 20th anniversary concert next month

K-pop diva BoA will celebrate her 20th debut anniversary with fans by holding a concert in March. “BoA 20th Anniversary Live – THE BoA: Musicality,” her solo concert, will be held for two days from March 11 to 12 at the Olympic Hall in the Olympic Park in Jamsil, Seoul, according to SM Entertainment. This comes four years after the artist’s last solo concert in 2019 “#mood in SEOUL.” BoA, also known as the queen of performance, is expected to show powerful per

Feb. 8, 2023

SM faces management dispute led by founder Lee Soo-man

The rift between SM Entertainment and its founder Lee Soo-man continues to deepen as Lee called out the process of making Kakao the company's second-largest shareholder an “act of illegality.” On Tuesday, SM Entertainment and South Korean tech giant Kakao announced a partnership that involved Kakao acquiring a 9.05 percent stake in the K-pop powerhouse. The share acquisition amounts to more than 217 billion won ($173.12 million). The partnership was a trilateral deal between SM

Feb. 8, 2023

Kakao becomes SM's 2nd largest stakeholder

Kakao has become SM Entertainment's second largest shareholder, venturing into one of the biggest tech and entertainment alliances in South Korea. IT conglomerate Kakao announced Tuesday that it has acquired a 9.05 percent stake in SM Entertainment. SM Entertainment is one of the nation's biggest K-pop agencies, home to big names like Exo, Red Velvet, aespa and NCT. The latest partnership comes in a move to join force and secure competitiveness amid the burgeoning of K-pop and Korean e

Feb. 7, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen unit sets sales record with 1st single

Seventeen’s three-piece unit BSS sold over 478,000 copies of its first single on the first day of release. This tops the first-week sales record for an album from a K-pop band subunit, according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. Single “Second Wind” -- from Seungkwan, Dogyeom and Hoshi -- came out Monday, about five years since their digital single “Just Do It.” Lead track “Fighting” from the three-track album landed atop iTunes top songs chart

Feb. 7, 2023

Foreign pansori singers share their sounds, stories on stage

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of pansori being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, four pansori singers -- three foreign singers and their teacher Min Hye-sung -- performed at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Saturday. Min, a certified trainer of pansori, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 5, has been holding a month-long pansori workshop each year at Korean Cultural Centers across Europe since 2007. On the stage with Min on Saturday were her students Anna Yates-Lu from Ger

Feb. 7, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ creator Jang Ho-gi looks to find top ‘global’ physique

Jang Ho-gi, the man behind global streamer Netflix’s latest reality competition “Physical: 100,” said he wants to scour the world to find a contestant in top physical shape. “Though our show sought to find the fittest among 100 contestants of different gender, race and age, deciding the proportion of foreign-born contestants was difficult. Defining a foreign-born contestant itself was complicated as well,” Jang said in a press conference held at Community House Ma

Feb. 7, 2023

Song Joong-ki to play North Korean defector in Netflix film ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’

Actor Song Joong-ki will appear as North Korean defector Loh Ki-wan in a new Netflix film titled “My Name is Loh Kiwan,” the global streaming service said in unveiling the cast for the film Tuesday. The film will depict Loh’s struggles in Belgium as a new settler and his encounter with Mari (Choi Sung-eun) who has grown despondent about life and love. Song will play a North Korean defector for the first time in his 15-year career. He has shown great versatility in his filmograp

Feb. 7, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lee Dong-hwi adds realism to unlikely scenario

Since his debut in 2013, actor Lee Dong-hwi has played indispensable roles in TV dramas and films, including 2015 TVN series “Reply 1988” and 2019 comedy film “Extreme Job." From his short cameo appearance in director Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Broker” to Disney+ hit series “Big Bet,” Lee has impressed audiences with his witty but down-to-earth acting. In director Hyung Seul-woo’s feature film debut, “Someone You Loved,” Lee plays J

Feb. 7, 2023

Super Junior in Latin America for world tour ‘Super Show 9: Road’

K-pop legend Super Junior is in Latin America for its world tour “Super Show 9: Road.” The Latin American leg of its world tour begins on Tuesday in Santiago, Chile and will be followed by gigs in Brazil, Peru and Mexico. Super Junior’s ninth world tour began in July last year in Seoul, followed by performances in Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Manila. This world tour comes for the first time in three years. It has also been five years since th

Feb. 7, 2023

Ex-gov't employee summarily indicted for alleged attempt to sell Jungkook's lost hat

Prosecutors have summarily indicted a former foreign ministry employee on charges of attempting to sell BTS member Jungkook's lost hat online for 10 million won ($7,950), legal sources said Tuesday. The former government employee, whose identity has been withheld, allegedly shared a photo of the bucket hat on an online flea market, claiming the K-pop superstar had left it at the ministry building in Seoul when he visited to apply for a passport. The seller further said he had acquired the o

Feb. 7, 2023