P1Harmony opens pop-up store worldwide

Boy band P1Harmony will delight global fans with additional pop-up stores at home and abroad, celebrating the release of its latest album. P1Harmony opened a pop-up store from Sept. 20 to 26 to celebrate the release of its seventh mini album, "Sad Song," at the Hyundai Department Store Sinchon U-Plex in Seoul. Following the successful completion of pop-up stores in five US cities -- including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas, as well as Berlin -- pop-up stores will also be held in Japan

Sept. 30, 2024

Brit pop legend Oasis to perform in Seoul next year

The legendary Britpop band Oasis, which disbanded due to conflicts between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, will perform in Korea for the first time in 16 years after a dramatic reunion. According to the foreign media outlet NME, Oasis will embark on a world tour in 2025 after completing its UK tour. The band will hold reunion concerts in Toronto, Chicago, New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney, Sao Paulo, Santiago and Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to

Sept. 30, 2024

BTS’ Suga fined W15m for e-scooter DUI

Suga of K-pop boy band BTS was fined 15 million won ($11,468) for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol. Judge Lee Yoo-seop of the Seoul Western District Court has imposed the fine on Friday in a summary judgement –- a legal decision made by a judge without a full trial, usually applied to cases deemed relatively minor allowing for a quicker resolution. The amount is identical to the penalty previously requested by prosecutors. Suga has the right to request a formal tr

Sept. 30, 2024

Park Zi-a, the actor who played 'The Glory' heroine's mother, dies

Park Zi-a, who played Moon Dong-eun's mother in the Netflix series "The Glory," died Monday. She was 52 years old. “Park Zi-a passed away at 2:50 a.m. from cerebral infarction. We will not forget the passion of the deceased who loved performing," Park's agency Billions said in a statement. Park began her acting career in the drama company Chaimu, starring as an extra in “Film-making” (1997) and “Maria and the Inn” (1997). Park took part in m

Sept. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Vanner sings about ordeal of being young in 3rd EP ‘Burn’

K-pop boy group Vanner returns to the music scene with its third EP, “Burn,” on Monday, in which it sings about the hardships that youth face on their journeys to realize their dreams. Such difficulties are familiar to the group that debuted in 2019, shortly before COVID-19 pandemic brought things to a standstill. "We did not get a chance to perform. But winning on JTBC’s idol survival program ‘Peak Time’ last year, we began to garner a lot of love from the pub

Sept. 30, 2024

National Theater of Korea to screen recent plays from Europe

The National Theater of Korea brings recent acclaimed international drama productions to the screen in Seoul as part of its NTOK Live Plus program. From Oct. 16 to 20, three productions -- including two premieres and a rescreening of "Ibsen House" -- will be screened at the National Theater’s Daloreum Theater in Seoul. Director Rupert Goold’s "Dear England," which will be screened Oct. 15 and 19, is a critically acclaimed play that won the Best New Play and Best S

Sept. 29, 2024

Ateez 1st K-pop artist to perform at Paris' La Defense Arena

Popular K-pop boy group Ateez is set to continue its world tour, “Towards the Light: Will to Power,” in Europe. According to KQ Entertainment, Ateez will be visiting nine countries in Europe for a total of 12 shows from January to February 2025, kicking off the European leg of its world tour in France. It will be the first time for Ateez to perform standalone concerts in Lyon, Zurich, Manchester, Barcelona and Cologne. Ateez will make history as the first K-pop artist to hold a stand

Sept. 29, 2024

Korean American documentary ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ wins Emmy

“Free Chol Soo Lee,” a 2022 US documentary about a Korean immigrant who was wrongfully convicted in 1973 of murdering a gang leader in San Francisco, won an award at the 45th News & Documentary Emmy Awards. “Free Chol Soo Lee” won in the Outstanding Historical Documentary category during the Emmy Awards, which took place in New York on Thursday local time, according to the film's distributor, Connect Pictures. The four other contenders were: MSNBC’s “

Sept. 29, 2024

Who's lying? Hybe vs. Min conflict continues to intensify

The conflict between Hybe and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin continues to intensify, with both parties clashing over another round of allegations. A day after Ador rejected NewJeans' request to reinstate Min as CEO on Wednesday, a local media outlet released an exclusive interview with Min. In the interview, Min revealed that Hybe had offered her money in May on the condition that she leave the company. “After winning the injunction against the extraordinary shareholders' meeting in

Sept. 27, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose cinches deal with Atlantic Records

Rose of Blackpink signed with Atlantic Records for her upcoming solo music, her agency The Black Label said Friday. The Warner Music affiliate is home to several artists including Bruno Mars, Cold Play and Ed Sheeran. To celebrate her deal, the American label sent her a huge bouquet of red roses with a note saying: “Welcome to the family!” She rolled out the solo single “R” in March 2021 as the second member of the group to have a solo album. The album sold over 280,000

Sept. 27, 2024

Stray Kids to perform at American Music Awards

The American Music Awards announced Friday that Stray Kids will perform at this year's ceremony on Oct. 6. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the AMA is considered one of the top four major music awards of the US, alongside the Grammy Awards, the Billboard Music Awards and MTV Video Music Awards. Stray Kids will be the second K-pop group to perform on the American Music Awards stage, following BTS, who first appeared on the show in 2017. Last year, Stray Kids won the Top K-pop Albu

Sept. 27, 2024

Dragon Pony drops debut album, portraying incomplete yet passionate youth

On Thursday Indie music powerhouse Antenna’s new band Dragon Pony dropped its first album “Pop Up," full of ambition to lead the future Korean band scene. The new quintet consists of vocalist An Tae-gyu, guitarist Kwon Se-hyuk, Bassist Pyun Sung-hyun and drummer Ko Gang-hun. "Our slogan is ‘The hot music of imperfect boys,’ and we think this phrase best represents us. We will continue to show intense energy through songs that capture our honest emotions," e

Sept. 27, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Transformers One” (US) Opened Sept. 25 Animation/Science fiction Directed by Josh Cooley Set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, future sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron are friends who have bonded like brothers. “I, the Executioner” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 24 Crime/Action Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) teams up with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to track down a serial killer taunting police b

Sept. 27, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT’s Jaehyun to enlist in November: report

Jaehyun of NCT will enlist on Nov. 4 and serve his mandatory military duty, according to a local media report Thursday. He will do so as a member of the Army band until his discharge in May 2026. Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news adding that he applied for the military band and was accepted. The idol debuted as a member of NCT and will be the second to enlist after Taeyong who has been enlisted as part of the naval band since April. He released his first solo album “J” last

Sept. 26, 2024

Power of nostalgia brings K-pop legends back together

Several iconic K-pop groups, once chart-toppers both in Korea and abroad, are making long-awaited comebacks after years of hiatus. Music insiders attribute this trend to the resurgence of retro pop, which has reignited fans' desire to see their favorite K-pop idols reunite. Many former top K-pop bands have either paused their activities or disbanded for reasons such as legal disputes, contract expirations, or simply by choice, and some of the members pursue their solo career. However, even

Sept. 26, 2024

‘Dirty Money’ follows ironic situation of detectives on the run

Kim Min-soo, one of the writers behind crime noir films “The Merciless” (2017) and “Kingmaker” (2022), will release his debut crime flick “Dirty Money” on Oct. 17. “Dirty Money” revolves around detectives Myung-deuk (Jung Woo) and Dong-hyuk (Kim Dae-myung), who become involved with tainted money and make the choice to run away with it, dreaming of committing a perfect crime. Seung-chan (Park Byung-eun), a cynical team leader of an investigative squ

Sept. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] After 'Good Partner,' Jang Na-ra sees marriage as miracle

Jang Na-ra, who portrayed Cha Eun-kyung, the skilled divorce lawyer cheated on by her husband in the popular series "Good Partner," expressed that the show prompted her to reflect deeply on marriage and divorce -- and that the series led her to consider all marriages as "miracles." "Good Partner" follows the stories of divorce lawyers as they tackle a range of clients and their legal challenges. While depicting various divorces faced by modern Koreans, the series al

Sept. 26, 2024

Global drama stars gather for 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards

Top stars, producers, and writers from the global drama industry gathered Wednesday afternoon for the 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards. The event, which honors excellence in drama series worldwide, saw a record 346 entries from 48 countries this year, featuring shows that aired between June 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. This year, the spotlight was on film figures winning major awards, with renowned South Korean director Park Chan-wook taking home the Golden Bird Prize -- the highest honor in

Sept. 25, 2024

NewJeans has few options after Ador rejects group's request to reinstate Min Hee-jin as CEO

Ador, the K-pop agency behind NewJeans and a subsidiary of Hybe, confirmed on Wednesday that it will not honor the girl group’s request to reinstate former CEO Min Hee-jin. The agency cited its adherence to Hybe's principle of separating management and production. However, Ador said Min could continue as both an internal director and NewJeans’ producer. "The board has resolved to convene an extraordinary shareholders' meeting to reappoint Min Hee-jin as an internal dir

Sept. 25, 2024

Rising rookies Kiss of Life to release 3rd EP next month

K-pop girl group Kiss of Life is gearing up for a new release next month, following its impressive summer hit “Sticky,” a digital single with an infectious Afrobeat rhythm. S2 Entertainment announced Wednesday that the group will drop “Lose Yourself,” its third EP, on Oct. 15. Leading up to the album's release, a prerelease track is set to launch Oct. 4. The announcement came with a teaser image shared on the group’s official social media channels, featuring th

Sept. 25, 2024