[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s new LP sells over 2m, first for K-pop girl group

Blackpink’s second full album “Born Pink” sold over 2.14 million units in two days, the first-ever album to surpass 2 million in sales from a K-pop girl group, according to label YG Entertainment on Thursday. The LP received over 2 million pre-orders and sold over 1 million copies on the first day of sales, a first for a K-pop girl group. The album landed atop the iTunes top albums chart in 60 regions and the main track “Shut Down” was No.1 on the top songs chart i

Sept. 22, 2022

[Newsmaker] Has Korean reality TV crossed a line on children's rights?

In a controversial TV moment, KBS2 aired a scene last week that showed a group of minors getting surgical circumcisions. On an episode of the reality show “Mr. House Husband,” which centers on young married couples and their everyday lives, five teenage children of cast members underwent the surgery one by one, with multiple cameras capturing every slight change in their facial expressions. Meanwhile, a surgeon performed the procedure on their lower bodies, which was covered by a sur

Sept. 22, 2022

Queen of comedies Ra Mi-ran returns with ‘Honest Candidate 2’

Veteran actor Ra Mi-ran expressed her confidence in reprising the role of politician Joo Sang-sook in the sequel to comedy film “Honest Candidate,” during a press conference at Megabox Coex in Seoul Tuesday. “I had to play her (Joo Sang-sook) in the movie again. I thought no other actor would be able to play her better. I also felt responsible,” Ra said. Ra's performance in the first installment won her the best actress award at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2021.

Sept. 22, 2022

Hybe will not compromise BTS' concert quality for cost

  Hybe on Thursday released a statement to rebut controversies surrounding hefty expenses for BTS' upcoming Busan concert.   In a statement released via email to local press on Thursday, Hybe said, "Hybe and BTS feel proud in contributing in a national affair. Until now we have been focusing more on making a meaningful outcome than on the expense," adding that the company and BTS "will support the bid for 2030 Busan World Expo and we hope that BTS' concert could become t

Sept. 22, 2022

Unscripted shows move focus away from comedy

While many terrestrial broadcasters and cable channels have stuck with airing the latest trend -- dating reality shows -- some creators are trying to offer fresh entertainment programs. But many seem to be veering away from the traditional route of presenting hilarious performances and comic moments in unscripted shows. In public broadcaster KBS' 21-part reality show “The Money School” in April, it shines the spotlight on scions of famous South Korean television celebrities an

Sept. 22, 2022

From EXID to Le Sserafim, K-pop welcomes back old and new girl groups this fall

This fall is going to brim with girl groups, with a barrel of female acts, both old and new, set to return in the coming months. First among the comeback rush is EXID, which will drop a new EP “X” on Sept. 29. Earlier this month, EXID members announced they will be making a surprise comeback this month in celebration of its debut 10th anniversary with a new album. They explained “X” stands for number ten in Greek and one of the letters of the group’s name. The EP wi

Sept. 22, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Ju-hun shares his journey to create ‘Big Mouth’ villain

Walking through the door at a cafe in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, a slight smile on Kim Ju-hun’s face was more than enough to recall the self-satisfied smirk of his latest character Choi Do-ha, a middle-aged mayor in MBC’s crime thriller “Big Mouth.” Expressing gratitude toward the viewers for enjoying his character, Kim promised that he is not a bad person and shared how fortunate he was to star in the 16-part series. The evil character aside, the memory of workin

Sept. 22, 2022

Can 'Crash Landing on You' musical repeat success of original TV drama?

The musical version of "Crash Landing On You," based on the 2019 megahit TV series of the same title, was unveiled Friday. The musical features familiar names from both the TV and theater scenes in the iconic lead roles of Ri Jung-hyuk and Yoon Se-ri. Lee Jang-woo, Lee Kyu-hyung and Min Woo-hyuk take the role of Ri, the North Korean officer, while Im Hye-young, Kim Ryeo-won and Na Ha-na portray Yoon, the heiress to a South Korean conglomerate. The actors and the creative team alike s

Sept. 21, 2022

Emerging pianist, lifelong Bach specialist and more set to visit Korea this year

Evgeni Koroliov, Alim Beisembayev, Andras Schiff, Francois-Frederic Guy, Igor Levit and Eric Lu. These are pianists who are set to perform in South Korea later this year, offering a wide-ranging repertoire by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, among others. Russian pianist Evgeni Koroliov, known as a specialist in the Bach keyboard repertoire, will take the stage with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday for an all-Bach concert. The program consists of Bach Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in D mino

Sept. 21, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] GOT7’s Jay B frees up more for 2nd solo EP

Jay B of GOT7 dropped his second solo EP on Wednesday and discussed the new album with a series of Q＆As in advance to the full release. As the title “Be Yourself” suggests, he wanted to encourage listeners to enjoy more and live more fully, taking a lighter approach. The singer and songwriter had his hands on all six tracks, and dipped into funk for the first time for lead track “go UP.” “I wanted to make a song that was so upbeat in both performance and music that

Sept. 21, 2022

Seoul Metropolitan Opera to perform Gounod's ‘Romeo and Juliette’

Seoul Metropolitan Opera will stage Charles Gounod’s French opera “Romeo et Juliette” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, from Thursday to Sunday. Inspired by Hector Berlioz’s dramatic symphony of the same title, Gounod wrote the opera based on Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet." The opera premiered at Theatre Lyrique in Paris in 1867. The troupe is set to perform the tragic love story of a son and daughter from two rival fam

Sept. 21, 2022

Korean National Symphony Orchestra embarks on European tour

The Korean National Symphony Orchestra is embarking on a European tour for the first time under its new name. Known as the Korean Symphony Orchestra until March this year, it added "National" to its name to reflect that it is supported by the national budget. The tour will visit three countries in Europe, celebrating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-Austria relationship, the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Korea Culture Center in Poland and newly foun

Sept. 21, 2022

[Feature] Pop-up stores become key K-pop marketing strategy

On May 30, thousands of fans flocked to The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido during the early morning hours to line up for Stray Kids’ pop-up store. A long single-file queue at Yeouido Station Exit No. 3 connecting the department store to the subway station was jam-packed, hours before the event opened its doors at 10 a.m. Dubbed “Stray Kids x SKZOO Pop-up Store ‘The Victory’ in Seoul,” the animal character-themed set was designed after the boy band. According to JYP Entert

Sept. 21, 2022

SM Entertainment, Everland announce SMCU-themed experience zone

Leading K-pop agency SM Entertainment said on Wednesday it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Everland, South Korea’s largest outdoor amusement park, to create a zone where parkgoers and fans of artists affiliated with SM can have fun. Under the joint partnership, the two companies will launch “Ever SM Town” to create various experience content combining “SM Culture Universe,” also known as “Kwangya,” which is a shared universe for the K-pop p

Sept. 21, 2022

Pianist Paik Kun-woo's search for musical freedom brings us 'Goyescas'

Pianist Paik Kun-woo saw Alicia de Larrocha performing Granados’ “Goyescas” when he was in New York as a student. That was likely a concert on Dec. 7, 1967, that took place at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Granados. Even now he remembers vividly how deeply impressed he was by the performance and how the music filled the hall with warmth on a chilly night, thinking that he wanted to play it himself someday. That “someday” came half

Sept. 21, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ive to officially debut in Japan next month

   Ive will make its official debut in Japan on Oct. 19, the group confirmed Tuesday. The six-member band released a Japanese-language version of debut song “Eleven” in advance on the day, debuting at No. 16 on Line Music’s daily chart. The girl group stormed through major charts with the debut single in December last year and picked up 13 trophies on TV music chart shows. It had generated 100 million streams on Spotify as of last week and the music video surpassed 15

Sept. 20, 2022

Director Kim Hong-sun returns with spine-chilling 'Project Wolf Hunting’

Not too long after presenting his Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area,” director Kim Hong-sun is back with a bloody gore film, “Project Wolf Hunting.” “Project Wolf Hunting” opens with Korean police officers on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via a ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) who has an Interpol red notic

Sept. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] From music to acting, Yoona sees no boundaries

Starting with JTBC reality show “Soshi Tam Tam” in July, Im Yoona is on a roll with MBC crime thriller “Big Mouth,” a K-pop comeback and the recent release of action film “Confidential Assignment 2.” The 32-year-old actor widely known as Yoona of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation, did not hide her excitement over the latest success. “I forget how tired I am when the fans’ show their love and support for my works. Many people commented and

Sept. 20, 2022

Revisiting the acting career of Lee Jung-jae

“I’m not going home until I make it big.” Just as Lee Jung-jae said through the words of Lee Han, the character in his first-ever movie gig, “The Young Man” in 1994, the now internationally acclaimed actor returned home Sunday after becoming the first Asian ever to win for best actor in a drama series at the Primetime Emmy Award last week. A day after his win, it was confirmed that Lee’s big-screen debut will be rereleased in local theaters on Sept. 29, offe

Sept. 20, 2022

KBS’ ‘National Singing Contest’ opens next chapter with comedian Kim Shin-young as new host

After the passing of veteran emcee Song Hae in June, those who grew up watching KBS’ music show “National Singing Contest” has been mired in sorrow. At the same time, all eyes were on who will continue the legacy of the 42-year-old program. Many veteran emcees with careers spanning over 30 years were mentioned as Song’s possible successor, but the Korean broadcaster announced last month that comedian Kim Shin-young, 38, was chosen as the longest-running program’s

Sept. 20, 2022