The power of two: “Double event” secret behind stage longevity of ‘Lion King’

In the dark reality of the pandemic, a long-running classic has brought a sense of hopeful nostalgia to the stage. “The Lion King” is back in Seoul after nearly 3 years, and has once again shown why it captures so many hearts. As the curtains go up, the audience is immediately enraptured by the march of animals as Futhi Mhlong, who has been playing mandrill Rafiki for the past 14 years, sings “Circle of Life.” Even though the iconic entry of the animals through the a

Feb. 14, 2022

Hours-long plays stand out amid short form tidal wave

While “short form” or “mid form” content which immerse audiences in a story with rapid plot developments appear to be an irreversible trend in movies and TV dramas, a number of stage plays have gone against the tide with productions that run as long as eight hours. “Angels in America,” “The Brothers Karamazov,” and “The Geumjo Story,” are among the many recent works that are far longer than the typical play length of 80 to 100 minute

Feb. 14, 2022

ITZY's Yeji tests positive for coronavirus

Yeji, a member of K-pop girl group ITZY, tested positive for the coronavirus Monday after Lia, the group's management agency said, as the virus continued to spread fast across the country, fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant. "Yeji took a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) examination yesterday and received a positive result today," JYP Entertainment said on the group's official website for fans. All members of the five-piece group took the first PCR test on Saturday to fin

Feb. 14, 2022

Artist under fire for ‘mocking’ Yoon’s wife, Michael Jackson in song

A recently-released contemporary folk song became the subject of bitter dispute on Monday for supposedly mocking presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife and “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. In his latest single “A Woman That Looks Like Michael Jackson,” released Friday, Ahn Chi-hwan sings of an unspecified woman who has changed her name and looks several times, berating the person for her greed. It is widely believed that the woman Ahn is referring to is Kim Ke

Feb. 14, 2022

‘Hellbound’ director Yeon Sang-ho joins hands with Smilegate

Director Yeon Sang-ho, best known for producing the Netflix series “Hellbound” and directing smash-hit zombie film “Train to Busan,” has signed a partnership deal with South Korean game developer Smilegate. The game company is responsible for the popular role-playing PC game Lost Ark in November 2018. The South Korean game developer and Yeon will together create a new universe with its own storyline which can be adapted for use in games, movies, TV dramas and webtoons

Feb. 14, 2022

Apink to drop special album marking its 10th anniv.

K-pop girl group Apink on Monday will release a special album celebrating the 10th anniversary since its debut, the group's management agency said. The album titled "Horn" will be the first release from the six-member group since "Look" in April 2020. The lead single "Dilemma" is a dance number with an addictive hook. Its lyrics are about the dilemma of a woman who does not want to break up with her lover although she knows he no longer loves her and thus should let

Feb. 14, 2022

'All of Us Are Dead' drops to 2nd in world's top TV show rankings

South Korea's zombie apocalypse drama "All of Us Are Dead" has dropped to second place on Netflix's popular TV show rankings after 15 days on the throne. According to data released by streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, "All of Us Are Dead" lost one notch from the top position on its daily chart for the most-watched Netflix TV shows on Sunday, replaced by the American drama "Inventing Anna." The Korean-language Netflix original had remained at No. 1 for 15 days in

Feb. 14, 2022

[Video] What’s the secret behind Kim Jong Un’s weight loss?

We talked to a plastic surgery specialist, a North Korea expert, and a North Korean defector in search of the secret behind Kim Jong Un’s weight loss.  By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun (jungje@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com) Kim Jeong-ryul (ryul@heraldcorp.com)

Feb. 14, 2022

Documentary film ‘Comfort’ tells untold story about former ‘comfort women’

The late Kim Soon-ak had been testifying about her experience living as a wartime sex slave of the Japanese military, and also her life living as a housekeeper after Korea‘s liberation before she died in 2010. However, there were parts of her life that she had been reluctant to speak out in public about for quite some time. After the Japanese colonial period ended, she lived in prostitutes’ quarters and did sex work at a US military camp town to survive. Director Park Moon-chil&

Feb. 13, 2022

'All of Us Are Dead' most popular Netflix TV series for two weeks straight

South Korea's zombie apocalypse drama "All of Us Are Dead" has been the most popular TV series on Netflix for two consecutive weeks, a market tracker said Saturday. According to data by streaming analytics firm Flixpatrol, the 12-part show has stayed atop its daily list of top TV series from Netflix all around the world for 14 days since it was released on Jan. 28. The Netlix original topped the rankings in 37 countries, including South Korea, Japan, Britain, France, Hungary, Greec

Feb. 12, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] T-ara’s Jiyeon to wed baseball player Hwang Jaegyun

    Jiyeon of girl group T-ara announced Thursday that she will marry baseball player Hwang Jaegyun. 　 With a handwritten letter posted on her Instagram, she said she met someone last year through an acquaintance and he became a boyfriend who taught her what happiness is. She added that he is like a present in her life and they have promised each other to get married in the winter. 　 “I will have a good, happy life with my boyfriend who has held me steady and given me a sho

Feb. 11, 2022

Virtual influencer Rozy to debut as singer this month

Rozy, the first virtual social media influencer in South Korea, is set to make a debut as a singer this month, according to Sidus Studio X Friday. Rozy’s debut song will be produced by Vanilla acoustic’s Jung Jae-won, who has worked with artists such as Bolbbalgan4, while Music Vine is participating in the project as a production company. Sidus Studio X, which produced the virtual human based on AI, hinted that Rozy’s debut song will feature a warm melody and the virtual in

Feb. 11, 2022

[Herald Interview] Cho Yi-hyun looks forward to more action in possible season 2 of ’All of Us Are Dead‘

While enjoying the global popularity of zombie thriller “All of Us Are Dead,” actor Cho Yi-hyun, who stars as the cool-headed Choi Nam-ra, did not hide her excitement for a possible season 2. “Amid the zombie apocalypse, new races of zombies -- immune and the immortal -- were born. … I think there can be a collision within the zombie races and maybe a more intense battle with the humans,” Cho said during an online press interview with the group of reporters on Thu

Feb. 11, 2022

[Herald Interview] Hwang In-kyu ready to rock ‘n’ roll by interweaving bass with traditional sounds

Harmony is defined as playing more than one note at once or at a counterpoint. Musician Hwang In-kyu crafts music through his bass and expands the possibilities of its sounds into other tunes. Bass: a sound that harmonizes music A typical song structure includes a chorus, verses and a bridge, and the bass guitar acts as a bridge between the melody and listeners by helping them identify the song‘s beat, the bassist says. The 29-year-old described the four-string bass as a “wild

Feb. 11, 2022

What you need to know in spring: Big Bang is coming back

New bands and new hit songs appear at lightning speed in the music scene, but old music and memories flood back: Big Bang is gearing for a return. After years of rumors that the band is preparing a new project or might even reunite for the Coachella music festival in the US, the K-pop superstars are ready to add value to the year by greeting and meeting fans by answering the speculation with their new song. On Monday, Big Bang surprised fans as YG Entertainment said via a press release that

Feb. 11, 2022

JYP to strengthen partnership with Republic Records

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment is looking to extend the global reach of label’s artists Stray Kids and Itzy through a stronger partnership with Republic Records. Republic Records, a major American music label owned by Universal Music Group, on Thursday (US time) announced its expanded partnership with JYP that kicked off in 2020 with K-pop girl group Twice. Under the expanded partnership, the US music agency will support activities of JYP’s artists, including Stray Kids and Itz

Feb. 11, 2022

[Graphic News] K-pop album sales increased 37% last year

　The K-pop album market has been experiencing an unprecedented boom but the sales of digital music have been sluggish amid the coronavirus pandemic. 　According to the year-end data released by Korea’s album sales tracker Gaon Chart, the nation’s top 400 albums sold 57 million copies in and out of the country in 2021, up 36.9 percent from 41.7 million the previous year. 　The sales of the top 400 albums have been on a steep rise after exceeding 20 million for the first time in 2018.

Feb. 11, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Death on the Nile (US) Opened Feb. 9 Crime Directed by Kenneth Branagh While on a honeymoon cruise down the Nile River, enviably rich socialite Linnet Doyle (Gal Gadot) is found shot to death in her stateroom. Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) looks into the case, but murders keep on happening, shocking and confusing everyone on the cruise. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Action, Comedy Directed by Kim Jung-hoon Set in the Joseon era, pirate captain Hye-ra

Feb. 11, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Pentagon’s Yeo One suffers injury from car accident

　 Yeo One of Pentagon will suspend activities for the time being due to a back injury, agency Cube Entertainment said Thursday. 　 He was hit by a car that was driven by a drunken driver the previous day, while he was on his way home. He was brought to the hospital immediately and received emergency care. 　 He appeared in a program in the afternoon but suffered pains returning home and now is recovering after a treatment, the firm said. Local media found a scene from the show that was broadcast

Feb. 10, 2022

Comedy film ‘Idol Recipe’ may be too maverick for its own good

Featuring many current and former K-pop bandmates, such as Woohee from Dal Shabet Bae, Jongup of B.A.P and Ryu Ho-yeon of Noir, upcoming comedy “Idol Recipe” is chock-full of musical performances. What the film does not have are such things as the five elements of a coherent plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Instead, it tells its story shuttling back and forth between scenes of the present and the past based on characters’ seemingly rand

Feb. 10, 2022