Scandal-ridden Song Ji-ah from Netflix’s ‘Single’s Inferno’ halts activities

Song Ji-ah, a contestant on Netflix’s latest hit reality dating show “Single’s Inferno,” has decided to halt all public activities amid continued controversy over wearing counterfeit luxury fashion items. Song, who is also known as YouTuber FreeZia, uploaded an apology video on YouTube, Tuesday, admitting her misbehaviors. At the same time, she took down all the other videos on her YouTube channel and made her Instagram account private, saying she is taking the time to

Jan. 25, 2022

'Squid Game,' BTS music video nominated for US ADG Awards

Global TV sensation "Squid Game" and the music video for "My Universe," a collaborative single between BTS and British rock band Coldplay, have been nominated for the 26th annual US Art Directors Guild (ADG) Awards. The ADG on Monday (US time) announced nominations for this year's awards show, which will return to a live ceremony on March 5 in Los Angeles. The ADG Awards honor excellence in production design in theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music vide

Jan. 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] Nature says it has more to show before going down

It is not easy for anyone to voice their deepest fears, and in the case of a K-pop idol group, this would be facing the end of their run together. Yet here is a girl group who not only chose to face their fears upfront, but went further to use it in promoting themselves. Nine-piece band Nature made a splash return into the K-pop scene Monday with the new single “Rica Rica,” amid raised anticipation not only from fans but also from general audiences, after declaring to the world: &

Jan. 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Pentagon’s new EP will pull you right in

Pentagon held a media showcase Monday to mark the release of its 12th EP “In:Vite U.” 　 The nine-member band is returning with new music about 10 months since “Love or Take” and as the title of the EP suggests, invites listeners to a new world. 　 Jinho, who has rejoined after 1 1/2 years having served his military duty, confided that he had to practice a lot after not singing and dancing for a long time. 　 “I gained as much as 10 kilograms because I ate so much i

Jan. 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] Veteran actor, journalist join hands to create political documentary

Veteran actor Kim Eui-sung and journalist Choo Chin-woo’s political documentary about the monthslong candlelight protests in Korea that led to former President Park Geun-hye’s ouster, titled “Candlelight Revolution,” is finally set for release, a month ahead of presidential election. “I proposed this project to Choo,” Kim said during an interview with a group of reporters on Monday. “When I was traveling back in 2018, I was listening to the radio and h

Jan. 24, 2022

KOCCA to present immersive music show featuring rappers from ‘Show Me the Money 10’

The Korea Creative Content Agency said Monday that it will stage an immersive music performance featuring 18 rappers from Mnet’s rap competition program “Show Me the Money 10.” As part of its performance series “On the K,” KOCCA will present “On the K x Show Me the Money 10 Festival” on its YouTube channel and Twitter at 10 p.m. on Thursday. The lineup will include the hit competition show’s winner Jo Gwang-il, and other contestants Since, Be&rs

Jan. 24, 2022

NCT 127 wins grand prize at 31st Seoul Music Awards

K-pop boy band NCT 127 achieved a landmark feat at the 31st Seoul Music Awards on Sunday, claiming its first grand prize in its six-year career. “We didn’t expect this (result), but we are deeply moved by receiving such a big award. ... I think the year 2021 was a year that we could shine because we were all together. I’m so proud of the members,” NCT 127 leader Taeyong said at the awards ceremony held in Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome. Another band member, Doyoung, sa

Jan. 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] After one-year hiatus, Grizzly found cheat code to music

Music is a vessel for singer-songwriter Grizzly to convey his thoughts, creeds and the moments he has captured in life. And after a one-year hiatus from music, the singer has finally found himself returning with a true work of art forged by emotions of love. ‘Beige coat’ Grizzly made his way back to the charts with his new single, “Beige coat,” released Jan. 5. This time, the singer returned with a love song that immerses listeners deep into their feelings

Jan. 24, 2022

WINNER's Lee Seung-hoon tests positive for coronavirus

Lee Seung-hoon, a member of K-pop boy group WINNER, tested positive for the new coronavirus Monday, the group's agency said. "WINNER's Lee Seung-hoon was confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 today," YG Entertainment said, adding the other three members -- Kang Seung-yoon, Kim Jin-woo and Song Min-ho -- have tested negative. Lee first received a positive test result from a self-diagnosis kit Sunday, which was conducted preemptively ahead of his personal filming schedule, acco

Jan. 24, 2022

S. Korean romance TV series gain popularity on Netflix

South Korea's romantic TV series have recently made their global presence strong through Netflix, prompting global streaming services to expand their 2022 slate with romances. The romantic comedy "Our Beloved Summer," starring Choi Woo-shik of "Parasite" and Kim Da-mi, has been on the top 10 of Netflix's official weekly viewership chart for non-English TV series for four weeks in a row. The 16-episode series, which premiered on Dec. 6 on SBS and Netflix, debuted at No. 9 on

Jan. 24, 2022

Grief of warfare sublimated with music and dance in ‘After War’

The Asia Culture Center’s international joint creation and production “After War” is to run at the ACC Theater from Jan. 27-30. With an attempt to study and promote the Asian characteristics of performing arts, the ACC international joint creation and production seeks to provide opportunities for performing artists and producers across the world to come together for exchange and research. “After War,” inspired by Bao Ninh’s “The Sorrow of War,”

Jan. 23, 2022

KBS suspends ‘King of Tears, Lee Bang-won’ over animal abuse outcry

Public broadcaster KBS announced a pause to its historical epic drama series “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” for two weeks, amid allegations of animal abuse. The broadcasting schedule for the embroiled drama was replaced with world news program “World Report” and the talk show “Let’s Jeongchi 2,” which were originally scheduled after “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. “Due to the ongoing controv

Jan. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘Street Dance Girls Fighter’ winner Turns wants to be remembered

South Korean high schoolers’ jaw-dropping dance performances and their high energy surprised many both in and out of the country in Mnet’s latest dance competition, “Street Dance Girls Fighter.” Among the 40 participants, Turns took home the top honor, mesmerizing both judges and viewers with their creative talent and professionalism. While six finalists delivered their final performances earlier this month, Turns seized the stage by earning the highest scores from live

Jan. 23, 2022

3 members of iKON test positive for COVID-19

Three members of K-pop boy band iKON have tested positive for the coronavirus, their agency said Sunday. Kim Jin-hwan, Song Yun-heong and Kim Dong-hyuk were confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19 after showing cold symptoms the previous day, according to YG Entertainment. The other three members -- Bobby, Koo Jun-hoe and Jung Chan-woo -- have tested negative, it added. "We will fully cooperate with the health authorities' investigation and take all measures to prevent the spread o

Jan. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] Seol Kyung-gu returns with timely movie about presidential election

Presidential election season is in full swing as the two main opposing parties level an endless stream of allegations at each other to win over more votes. This is a rough description of what happens in hit maker Byun Sung-hyun’s new political film “Kingmaker,” as well as what is happening in the Korean political scene right now. The film’s main lead Seol Kyung-gu, who played opposition party politician Kim Woon-beom, said that the movie’s release date was not in

Jan. 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ “DNA” music video surpasses 1.4b views

The music video for BTS’ “DNA” gathered 1.4 billion views on YouTube on Thursday, announced label Big Hit Music Friday. 　 This is the seven-member band’s second video to reach the milestone after the music video for “Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey).” 　 “DNA” is the main track from its 2017 album “Love Yourself 承 ‘Her’” and entered Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 85 and climbed up to No. 67 while staying on the chart for four

Jan. 21, 2022

KBS ‘The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won’ continues to take beating for abusing horse to death

Criticisms over territorial broadcaster KBS1 abusing a horse to film a scene for the 7th episode of the period drama “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” is continuing even after the apology statement was released on Thursday. The scene, which was aired on Jan. 1, featured Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Kingdom accidentally falling from the horse. “We feel deeply responsible and apologize for the accident that occurred during filming,” the broadcaster said. &ldquo

Jan. 21, 2022

Political drama, pirate film set to compete at holiday box office

Two homegrown movies will hit local theaters next week to lure film buffs and holiday shoppers ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. "Kingmaker" and "The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure" will open Wednesday, three days before the five-day Lunar New Year holiday begins. The first day of the new year based on the lunar calendar falls on Feb. 1 this year. The political film "Kingmaker" depicts the subtle relationship between Kim Woon-beom (Seol Kyung-gu), an

Jan. 21, 2022

The 7-year jinx: K-pop bands with contracts expiring soon

No K-pop idol group stands exceptional to the concerns of the “seven-year jinx,” when they decide whether they will continue as a group. The phrase was coined as groups often disband or lose a member after seven years, the maximum period in which artists and agencies can sign a contract. Whether the members will get past the notorious seven-year mark is almost impossible to predict, even for the members themselves, as the decision influences the interests and situations of many peop

Jan. 21, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Special Delivery (Korea) Opened Jan. 12 Action Directed by Park Dae-min Special delivery driver Eun-ha (Park So-dam) mainly works for a criminal group. She delivers anything that cannot be delivered legally. One day, Eun-ha receives a mission to deliver Seo-won (Jung Hyeon-jun), a young boy that a criminal group is chasing after. When she decides to save him, she becomes a target of not only the crime group, but also associated corrupt police officers. Sing 2 (US) Opened Jan. 5 Animation Direc

Jan. 21, 2022