‘Parasite’ production company to start NFT business with Lambda 256

Barunson E&A, the production company behind the Oscar-winning film "Parasite," has joined hands with blockchain company Lambda 256. The blockchain firm is a subsidiary of Dunamu, the operator of Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit. “The driving force that made Korean cinema what it is today came from passionate and active movie fans. By creating this community where filmmakers and audiences can come together with their ‘love for movies' based on NFTs (non-fu

Oct. 28, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Black Adam (US) Opened Oct. 19 Action Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra Khandaq, a country that used to be prosperous, is now run by Intergang, which has oppressed its people for 27 years. Meanwhile, Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) accidentally frees Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson), who was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods -- and imprisoned just as quickly -- 5,000 years ago, from his earthly tomb. He is now ready to unleash his unique form of justice in the modern world. Everything Every

Oct. 28, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] OneUs’ Ravn quits amid scandal

Ravn of OneUs left the team, announced agency RBW Entertainment on Thursday. He chose to quit as he did not want to further cause damage to his bandmates and fans, and after careful deliberation with all the members including Ravn, the company has decided to respect the decision, it said in a statement. Rumors have been circulating online as someone claiming to be his ex-girlfriend said that he cheated during their relationship, and verbally abused her when confronted. This also dug up allegati

Oct. 27, 2022

EPEX says love is the universal language from the heart in 4th EP ‘Prelude of Love Chapter 1. ‘Puppy Love’

As the famous phrase goes, love is like two birds that can teach us about unconditional love. Boy band EPEX welcomed cuffing season with its fourth EP, “Prelude of Love Chapter 1. ‘Puppy Love’” released Wednesday evening. Though there are many words that can express falling head over heels in love, the rookie band opted for puppy love, a term that refers to an intense but shallow surge of feelings, and is also synonymous with having a crush. “I’m excited to sh

Oct. 27, 2022

New Sejong Center will have classical music-only concert hall, Seoul Mayor Oh says

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled a plan to remodel the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, turning the cultural complex into a global cultural icon like the Sydney Opera House or New York's Carnegie Hall. The mayor announced the plan, which includes a new concert hall dedicated to the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, during his visit to Philharmonie de Paris, a complex of concert halls in Paris that opened in 2015, Sunday. "Philharmonie de Paris, which has an exceptional exterior desi

Oct. 26, 2022

Rookie boy group ATBO begins journey of finding true self with ‘The Beginning: Start’

Rookie boy group ATBO made a speedy comeback with its second EP, “The Beginning: Start,” on Wednesday. The new release marked the act’s return to the stage about three months after its debut with “The Beginning: Blossom” in July. “We’re overjoyed to make a comeback with new songs not long after our debut showcase. We’ve upgraded (our performing skills) so please look forward to our improvements,” Seok Rak-won said at a press showcase event he

Oct. 26, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s music videos reach milestones

The music videos for Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down” reached 400 million and 200 million views, respectively, on YouTube, according to label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. The former is the prereleased single from its second studio album, “Born Pink,” which was fronted by the latter. The “Pink Venom” music video logged over 90 million views on the platform in 24 hours when it came out in August, and surpassed 100 million views in th

Oct. 26, 2022

[Herald Interview] Making music to sing along: Jonas Blue hopes to become No.1 DJ

Back in 2015, Jonas Blue, hailing from the United Kingdom, was behind a DJ booth in a local London bar called “Harry’s Bar” under his real name, Guy James Robin. About seven years later, he is performing in front of thousands who are singing along to his songs at big name festivals all around the world from Ibiza to Amsterdam to Miami, just to name a few. Blue, the 33-year-old DJ and producer, landed in Korea for the first time in four years since his first gig in the country i

Oct. 26, 2022

Hitmaker Yoon Je-kyoon’s musical film ‘Hero’ to hit local theaters in December

The highly-anticipated musical film "Hero" directed by hit filmmaker Yoon Je-kyoon is slated to open in December, according to the film distributor CJ ENM. Yoon has previously directed two megahit movies, “Tidal Wave” (2009) and “Ode to My Father” (2014), which attracted more than 10 million moviegoers. Since the Hollywood science fiction film “Avatar: The Way of Water” directed by James Cameron is also expected hit theaters in December, the two fi

Oct. 26, 2022

Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon to star in Tving’s ‘Bros on Foot’

It has been confirmed that top actors Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon will star in the Tving entertainment series titled “Bros on Foot.” The local streaming service announced Wednesday that its upcoming show will be available in the first half of 2023. Aside from the two veteran actors, young stars Yeo Jin-goo and Choi Min-ho, widely known as Minho of K-pop boy group SHINee, are also part of the main cast. The four actors will be challenged with mysterious missions and quests on their j

Oct. 26, 2022

Roy Kim hopes listeners will revel in solace with his new album ‘,and’

In celebration of his 10th anniversary, singer-songwriter Roy Kim reveled in the autumn season with his fourth LP, “,and,” which was released on Tuesday evening. After a monthslong hiatus, the musician returned to the music charts for the first time in nearly three years since the release of his digital single “Linger On” in May 2020. It’s also the first time he has released an LP in seven years since the release of his third, “The Great Dipper,” in 2015

Oct. 26, 2022

Lim Yun-chan signs with IMG Artists for Europe, America management

South Korean piano sensation Lim Yun-chan has joined the roster of London-based global performing arts management agency IMG Artists as he expands his activities globally, his Korean management MOC production announced Wednesday. In June, Lim won the gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the youngest winner ever, and became an instant sensation with his performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, which has been viewed 8.4 million times on YouTu

Oct. 26, 2022

BTS takes another shot at Grammys

BTS is reportedly running for the 65th Grammy Awards. The band has thrown its hat into the upcoming Grammy race, set to take place in February 2023, taking its final shot at snagging an award there before the bandmates go into a long group break. Citing reports from inside the US music industry, Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday reported that four songs from BTS including collaboration tracks were submitted as entries for the 65th Grammy Awards. The septet's "Yet To Come," which w

Oct. 26, 2022

Enhypen puts out first Japanese LP ‘Sadame’

K-pop boy group Enhypen released its first Japanese full-length album, “Sadame,” on Wednesday, signaling the act’s full-fledged activities there. The 10-track package is about boys who are aware of their fates and pledge to make a new future based on their own will. Fronted by the main song, “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC),” the full-length album includes the Japanese version of “Blessed-Cursed,” which was featured on the group’s first repackaged LP

Oct. 26, 2022

Cheong Wa Dae to host classical concerts by top musicians

The former presidential office compound of Cheong Wa Dae will be turned into a classical music chamber in November, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. Korea's four top classical artists will take turns performing in front of 100 people at the former state reception house Yeongbingwan. Kicking off the series, pianist Kim Sun-wook will perform Schubert’s Four Impromptus and Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor on Nov. 1. On Nov. 4, pianist Sunwoo Yewon and the

Oct. 25, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ RM to co-host variety show

RM of BTS will co-host an entertainment program that launches this winter. With movie director and TV personality Jang Hang-jun, he will lead tvN’s “The Dictionary Of Useless Human Knowledge,” a third spin-off of a popular talk show. A score of intellectuals such as a forensic doctor, astronomer and novelist will be regulars. The leader of the mega band confirmed the news via his Instagram, saying, “So it happened.” He is known to have been a fan of the television

Oct. 25, 2022

[Feature] Broadcasters part ways with old ways of presenting foreign-born TV personalities

Alberto Mondi, Tyler Rasch and Jonathan Yiombi are names familiar to many Koreans, some even more popular than Korean TV stars. With their deep understanding of South Korea along with their multicultural experiences, they are some of the most sought-after figures when TV shows cast foreigners. Broadcast programs featuring foreigners were not a major trend at first, and their roles were limited to being surprised or impressed by different aspects of South Korea. All that changed, however, with

Oct. 25, 2022

More claims, footage of assault against Omega X members by agency CEO revealed

Even after Spire Entertainment, the agency behind Omega X, denied the allegations that its CEO had verbally and physically assaulted the band's members, more evidence and witnesses are spreading fast online. On Monday evening, SBS Entertainment News, which first reported the case the day before, released exclusive video footage of what it claims to be Spire Entertainment's CEO, referred to only by her surname Kang and known to be in her 50s, yelling at Omega X bandmates. In the video

Oct. 25, 2022

MAMA announces nominees for 2022 MAMA Awards

K-pop groups are vying to take home some of the biggest awards at the 2022 Mnet Asian Music Awards, which will take place at Osaka’s Kyocera Dome in Japan from Nov. 29-30. Ive, Kep1er, Le Sserafim, NewJeans, NMixx and Choi Yena, who made their debuts between December 2021 and July 2022, are battling it out for the best new female artist category, also known as the rookie of the year award. The nominees for the best new male artist are ATBO, Tempest, TNX, Xdinary Heroes and Younite, who all

Oct. 25, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS gives peek at full-group photo book

BTS gave fans a sneak peek Monday at its upcoming photo book “Us, Ourselves, and BTS ‘We.’” It will be the final installment of its eight-part series that featured each of the seven members one by one. As the teaser photographs hinted, the book has two main themes: sports day and self-portraits. The book will be fully unveiled on Nov. 7. Separately, Jin left Seoul on Monday to join Coldplay in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He will perform the forthcoming single “The Ast

Oct. 24, 2022