Six-day tribute to Schubert to take place in June

Top Korean musicians ranging from pianist Sunwoo Yekwon to the Novus Quartet and soprano Im Sun-hae will join forces for a six-day all-Schubert concert series in June, event organizer Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said Tuesday. Titled “Dear Schubert,” the series is part of the annual Sejong Chamber Series that was launched in 2015. The concert series will open on June 21 with a piano solo recital by Sunwoo Yekwon who will play Four Impromptus D.899, Six Moments Musicaux, D

April 12, 2022

Seoul Metropolitan Opera to present gala concert next month

Seoul Metropolitan Opera will stage Opera Gala Concert next month at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts featuring popular opera arias and vocal ensembles from Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” and “The Magic Flute,” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and “La Traviata.” Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra led by Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra conductor Jang Yun-seung will accompany the singers. Comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup will provid

April 12, 2022

New wedding photos of Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin released

New wedding photos of the newlyweds Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin have been revealed to the public. Hyun's management agency, VAST Entertainment, on Monday released four new photos of the couple taken at their private wedding held on March 31 via social media. In the photos, dressed in a black tuxedo and wedding dress, respectively, Hyun and Son held hands and smiled brightly alongside the altar decorated with colorful flowers. Meanwhile, the pair was spotted at Incheon International Airport, west of

April 12, 2022

EPEX sends sheep in the midst of wolves through ‘Prelude of Anxiety’

Less than a year since the group’s debut, rookie boy band EPEX welcomed the spring season with the third EP, “Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. 21st Century Boys,” released Monday evening. This marks the band‘s return nearly five months after its previous work, “Bipolar Pt. 2 Prelude of Love,” released in October. In a press conference Monday, Wish said it is “an album that aims to talk about the younger generation and youth’s struggle with the oppr

April 11, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez to drop 2nd Japanese EP next month

     　 Ateez will release its second EP in Japan on May 25, agency KQ Entertainment announced Monday.   　 The EP, “Beyond: Zero,” consists of seven tracks: “The King,” a new song in Japanese as well as Japanese versions of hit songs such as “I’m the One,” “Take Me Home” and “Deja Vu.”   　 Main track “Rocky” is the work of leader Hongjoong, who was inspired by the classic underdog movie of

April 11, 2022

SHINee’s Onew hopes to unravel his ‘diversity’ through second solo EP ‘Dice’

K-pop group SHINee’s Onew on Monday put out his second solo album, “Dice,” through which he hopes to show his diversity as a solo musician and spread hopeful messages. Ahead of dropping his new album, Onew conducted a media showcase in Seoul on Monday afternoon. Hosting the show was SHINee bandmate Minho. Onew has been constantly releasing music, but mostly in for the original soundtracks of dramas, as the new album marks his official comeback as a soloist after over three ye

April 11, 2022

[Herald Review] YG’s rookies Treasure prove they’ve come far with first concert ‘Trace’

Making a star-studded debut in August 2020 as the rookie boy band of K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment and the winners of K-pop competition “YG Jewel Box,” Treasure has been fast-expanding the envelope ever since. But it was during the two nights of the act’s first stand-alone concerts, “Trace,” over the weekend that the 12 bandmates realized for themselves how far they have come in the past two years. “Tonight, it really hit me that we are singers. The re

April 11, 2022

Local streamers look to unique originals to survive fierce competition

With HBO Max set to add to the competition provided by global platforms in the second half of the year, local streaming services are looking to original series to give them a unique selling point. Korean service Watcha began to stake out a position in the streaming market with new romance series “Semantic Error.” Adapted from an R-rated web novel of the same title, “Semantic Error” revolves around a gay couple on campus. The adaptation is a PG series that aims to pres

April 11, 2022

Two young Korean musicians win Carl Nielsen prizes

Two young emerging Korean musicians took home prizes from the 2022 Carl Nielsen International Competition, the Kumho Culture Foundation announced Monday. Flutist Kim Seo-hyeon and violinist Kim Eun-che placed second and third in their respective categories at the competition that took place in Denmark on Sunday. Kim, received 10,000 euros ($10,900) in prize money and two special prizes -- the Odense Symphony Orchestra Prize and Junior Jury Prize. Italian flutist Alberto Mavarra snatched t

April 11, 2022

Hirokazu Koreeda’s first film with Korean superstars set for June release

Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda’s film ”Broker,“ starring several Korean actors including Song Kang-ho, Bae Doo-na, Gang Dong-won and IU, is set to hit local theaters in June, according to film distributor CJ ENM. Koreeda wrote and directed the film and also worked with CJ ENM, the entertainment unit of South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, which financed and produced the project. It is the first Korean movie directed by Koreeda, the Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes F

April 11, 2022

BTS wins 3rd consecutive favorite music group at Kids’ Choice Awards

K-pop boy band BTS took home the award for favorite music group for the third consecutive year at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. The seven-member band won the award over Black Eyed Peas, Florida Georgia Line, Jonas Brothers, Maroon 5 and Migos at the 35th Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards that took place at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday (US time). The latest achievement puts BTS in a tie with Black Eyed Peas, One Direction and Fifth Harmony as the o

April 11, 2022

Apple TV+'s epic series 'Pachinko' boosts sales of original novel

The rising popularity of the period drama "Pachinko," based on the namesake English novel and released by Apple TV+ last month, has fanned the sales of the Korean translation of its original book here in South Korea. The translation of "Pachinko," published in March 2018 by local publisher Literature & Thought, shot up 97 places to sixth on the weekly bestsellers list for the fourth week of March by Kyobo Book Center, the biggest bookstore chain in South Korea. The first

April 11, 2022

[Herald Review] “If BTS and Army are together, the desert becomes the sea.”

LAS VEGAS -- In what would be one of the most memorable nights in the history of Las Vegas, BTS took over Sin City, proving the K-pop phenomenon’s matchless presence once again. Ahead of the four-day sold out show, which kicked off at Allegiant Stadium on Friday, the already festive Las Vegas strip completely transformed for BTS fans visiting from all over the world. With an array of Army -- the group’s fandom -- flooding the busy strip and fancy hotel casinos, the iconic Bellagio

April 10, 2022

[Herald Interview] How ‘Pachinko’ executive producer Theresa Kang brought bestseller to Apple TV+

When Theresa Kang read “Pachinko,” by Korean American author Lee Min-jin, around four years ago, she felt that the book captured the feeling of being Korean very well. “It was a story about Korean history but also Korean immigration and the diaspora. I thought it covered a lot of ground and it was a point of view of Zainichi that I haven’t heard about within the Korean diaspora before. At least not onscreen or on the page,” she said in an interview via Zoom with T

April 10, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Se-jeong says ‘Business Proposal’ was her all-time favorite drama

Kim Se-jeong, 25, has already had success as an actor, with KBS’ “School 2017” (2017), “I Wanna Hear Your Song” (2019) and OCN’s “The Uncanny Counter” (2020-21), but her latest project “Business Proposal” could be the best so far. “I don’t know how things will change in the future, but ‘Business Proposal’ is definitely my all-time favorite drama so far. From storylines to the synergy between the actors and staf

April 10, 2022

BTS has hands off military issue, hopes to continue competing for Grammys

K-pop phenomenon BTS had a brief meeting with Korean media in Las Vegas ahead of the band’s concert on Saturday. The group‘s seven members -- RM, V, Jin, Jimin, J-Hope, Jungkook and Suga -- greeted the press at Allegiant Stadium, where the concert was taking place, dressed in their white and red stage outfits and offered short responses to questions. “We’re happy to be seeing you guys in person again. We’re holding another in-person concert today,” RM, the b

April 10, 2022

‘Squid Game’ Jung Ho-yeon to star in Joe Talbot’s ‘The Governesses’

South Korean model and actor Jung Ho-yeon, who rose to global stardom in the Netflix hit series “Squid Game,” will star in Joe Talbot’s sophomore feature “The Governesses,” according to the actor’s agency Saram Entertainment on Thursday. Talbot is a director known for his critically acclaimed debut feature “The Last Black Man in San Francisco.“ A24, the company behind “Minari” directed by Lee Isaac Chung, is to produce Talbot‘s

April 9, 2022

BTS earns 7 nominations at 2022 Billboard Music Awards

BTS has received seven nominations at the upcoming 2022 Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs), its agency said Saturday. The seven-member act earned the nods in six categories -- the most ever for the K-pop superstars -- for the awards show set for May 15 (U.S. time), according to Bighit Music. The group was nominated in the categories of Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist, Top Billboard Global Artist (Excluding U.S.), Top Selling Song, Top Billboard Global Song (Excluding U.S.) and Top Rock Song.

April 9, 2022

YG Entertainment holds Big Bang’s ‘Still Life’ cover contest

YG Entertainment is hosting a cover contest on YouTube to celebrate the release of K-pop juggernaut Big Bang’s new song, “Still Life,” the company said Friday. Kicking off on Friday, the cover contest will run through April 29. Participants can upload a video on YouTube of themselves singing or playing instruments to the entire song, the agency said. Applicants must include the contest’s specific hashtags and submit a Google Forms application, the agency said. Videos

April 8, 2022

BTS to begin four live concerts in Las Vegas on Saturday

Las Vegas is going to turn into a city of BTS with the start of the K-pop supergroup's four sold-out concerts this weekend. The septet will hold four "Permission to Dance on Stage - Las Vegas" shows on Friday-Saturday and April 15-16 (US time) at Allegiant Stadium, about a month after it had its first concerts before a live audience in Seoul since 2019. The upcoming concerts will focus on the reunion between the BTS members and their fans as the Seoul shows did, according to the band's

April 8, 2022