[Newsmaker] BTS win big at MAMA with nine trophies, top honors

BTS ruled the night at 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards on Saturday even without attending, as the K-pop megastars nabbed a total of nine trophies, including four grand prizes. The event, held at CJ ENM Content Studio in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, was conducted in person for the first time in two years since the COVID-19 outbreak. After making history at the American Music Awards last month as the first Asian act to grab the top honor, BTS extended their winning streak, taking home all four main p

Dec. 12, 2021

[Herald Interview] Meet Ji-Young, a Korean American ‘Sesame Street’ kid’s dream come true

Most people have a favorite show they watched growing up. Something we woke up for every morning, gave us endless topics and stories to think and talk about, and perhaps gave our parents a break while we were completely immersed in what was happening on the television. “Sesame Street” was ‘that show’ for 41-year-old Korean American Kathleen Kim. But for her, it wasn’t just a childhood TV program – it was more of a playground where she learned about the worl

Dec. 11, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez returns to wrap up “Fever” series

Ateez came out with a repackaged EP on Friday, just in time for the holiday season. 　 “It felt as if we were preparing a surprise gift, making music that fans would like to listen to and putting together performances they’ve been waiting for,” said Hongjoong in a statement released by the group’s agency KQ Entertainment. 　 Seonghwa was filled with emotion that the 10-track EP wraps up the “Fever” series and added that he felt that the band was maturing alon

Dec. 10, 2021

Monsta X drops new English-language album

South Korean boy group Monsta X released a new English-language album Friday for its international fans, the group's management agency said. The full-length album titled "The Dreaming" hit various music services at midnight, Starship Entertainment said. It is the group's second English album after "All Above Luv" released in February 2020. "This album will once again make us realize that all of us, some of whom have lost lots of things and some others have found hope

Dec. 10, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Don’t Look Up (US) Opened Dec. 8 Science fiction Directed by Adam McKay Astronomy graduate student Kate Dibiaski (Jennifer Lawrence) and professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) discover a comet headed straight for Earth on a devastating collision course. However, no one cares about the news of an approaching comet that can destroy the planet. The two decide to go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy everything. Spiritwalker (Korea) Open

Dec. 10, 2021

JTBC ‘Be Melodramatic’ to return as webtoon

Local cable channel JTBC’s 2019 hit series “Be Melodramatic” will be adapted into a webtoon, media content company BY4M Webtoon Studio said Thursday, unveiling drawings of characters from the TV drama. Romantic comedy “Be Melodramatic” centers around the trio of girlfriends -- a scriptwriter, a film director and a marketing manager -- in the entertainment industry. The story revolves around three characters in their 30s facing challenges and struggles with their

Dec. 9, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Suga featured in Juice WRLD’s new posthumous album

Suga of BTS made a guest appearance on a track from Juice WRLD’s upcoming posthumous album, “Fighting Demons.” 　 The rapper/producer is the featured artist on “Girl of My Dreams,” confirming a rumor that has been circulating for a while. 　 Suga, along with RM, collaborated with the American rapper, who died two years ago, on “All Night” from the original soundtrack for the mobile game “BTS World.” 　 In addition to his solo works under the

Dec. 9, 2021

Verivery successfully kicks off first US tour in LA

To much fanfare, Verivery successfully kicked off their first US tour in Los Angeles, where they reunited with their global fans for the first time since the pandemic outbreak. Marking the first leg of the band’s stateside tour, dubbed “2021 VERIVERY 1st TOUR IN US,” the gig took place at the Vermont Hollywood, a live performance venue in LA, on Dec. 5. As the clock ticked toward 7 p.m., concertgoers started queuing up from the entrance all the way to the end of the street

Dec. 9, 2021

'Squid Game' wins special award from American Film Institute

South Korean television series "Squid Game" has won a special honor from the American Film Institute (AFI). The AFI announced the top 10 movies and TV shows of the year on Wednesday (US time), and "Squid Game" was one of the three special award winners, along with "Belfast" and "Summer of Soul…(Or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)," although they fell outside the institute's criteria for American film and TV. This year's top awards for

Dec. 9, 2021

‘The Hungry and the Hairy’ seeks to surprise with unexpected human connections

Top television director Kim Tae-ho said that the upcoming Netflix reality program “The Hungry and the Hairy” was never meant to be a Netflix show. “When I finished producing the project group Ssak 3 on MBC’s variety program ‘Hang Out With Yoo,’ I received many calls from Hong-chul saying how hilarious Rain is and how they are spending time together riding motorcycles. I became curious about this odd couple and wanted to follow this duo with my camera,”

Dec. 8, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 maintains spot on Billboard 200 for 11th week

NCT127 extended its stay on the Billboard 200 for another week as its third studio album “Sticker” ranked No. 103 on the newest tally that was announced on Wednesday. 　 The LP hit the chart at No. 3 when it was released in September and topped four more charts from the publication including the top album sales chart. The album sold over 3.58 million copies and swept the charts in Korea, Japan and China. 　 The band will hold its second standalone concert “Neo City: Seoul - The

Dec. 8, 2021

BTS secures three prizes at People's Choice Awards

K-pop superband BTS has won three prizes at the 2021 People's Choice Awards, the latest in a series of honors it took home from the United States this year. The South Korean group won the group of 2021 and both the song and the music video of 2021 for its megahit "Butter" at the annual ceremony held in person in Santa Monica, California, Tuesday (US time). The septet, in particular, beat out big name stars, such as Coldplay, Dan + Shay, Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5, to win in the gro

Dec. 8, 2021

Justin Bieber to perform at Hybe’s joint year-end hybrid concert

Hybe, home to South Korean pop group BTS, is throwing a live concert featuring its artists to celebrate the end of the year with fans. The concert, titled “2022 Weverse Con [New Era],” will take place at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. The event will also be streamed live on Weverse, the fan community platform created by the entertainment firm. Under the theme “New Era,” the 220-minute conce

Dec. 8, 2021

[Reader's Voice] Feeling alive with BTS: an ARMY’s review of PTD On Stage

I remember the moment when I became a full-fledged Army: I saw screenshots of the “On” kinetic manifesto film on Twitter and was drawn in by the intensity of the visuals and choreography. So, I watched the music video and listened to the song, which was much different from the few BTS songs I’d heard of. As soon as Jungkook hit that high note during the bridge and they went into the dance break, I was a goner. Over the next year and a half, I went from listening (and crying) t

Dec. 8, 2021

Mino says music goes infinity and beyond through ‘To Infinity’

When Mino of boy band Winner teased a snippet of his return to the music scene in a visual film with “Mino 3rd Full Album,” little did fans know that the singer would be expanding solo. After a year away from music, Mino hopped back into the pop scene during one of its most vibrant months with the solo release “To Infinity” on Wednesday evening. The solo act said in an online press conference the same day that the album consists of 10 tracks spanning across genres and

Dec. 7, 2021

Webtoon music evolves from background music to original soundtrack

Drama fans and moviegoers often recall well-known scenes with the accompanying songs, like Aladdin and Jasmine singing “A Whole New World” while riding a magic carpet. Now comics fans are being offered webtoons accompanied by songs from major artists. Top Korean singers, including Baek Z-young, Gummy, K.Will and Kim Jong-kook who have made hit songs for drama soundtracks, are now creating songs for webtoons. Gummy, a veteran artist who has participated in multiple drama soundtrack

Dec. 7, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Onewe drops 2nd demo album

Boy band Onewe put out its second demo album “Studio We: Recording #2” on Tuesday.   　 “It feels more special because we can show the whole process of making music,” said Kanghyun through agency RBW Entertainment. Although all fans know the songs, it would let them feel the sensation of listening to them for the first time all over again, he added.   　 The bandmates wrote all the songs themselves, putting all of their hearts and more into their efforts, underli

Dec. 7, 2021

Naver Webtoon ‘Lore Olympus’ becomes New York Times bestseller

A contemporary reimagining of Greek mythology, “Lore Olympus” has notched the No. 1 slot on the New York Times’ bestseller list. Naver Webtoon announced the listing in the graphic books and manga category on Tuesday. “Lore Olympus,” originally a romance webtoon created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe, was published in book form last month. The online comic was first released in 2018, when Naver Webtoon began its English service and provided a platform for am

Dec. 7, 2021

Rain among star-studded lineup of presenters at Mnet Asian Music Awards

The star-studded presenter lineup of musicians, actors, dancers and comedians for the upcoming “2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards was unveiled Tuesday. Singer-actors Rain, Uhm Jung-hwa, Choi Soo-young, Super Junior’s Choi Si-won and singer Tiffany Young were confirmed as presenters. Lachica’s Gabee and Prowdmon’s Monika, who appeared on the hit TV program “Street Woman Fighter,” will also appear as presenters. Comedian and rapper Haha, actors Song Joong-ki, Ahn B

Dec. 7, 2021

Online immersive K-pop performance venue opens in Seoul

A music studio tailored for online immersive performances opened in Seoul on Tuesday, aimed at reviving the pandemic-hit music industry and supporting digital content productions by local small and medium-sized agencies and musicians. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Creative Content Agency launched KOCCA Music Studio after remodeling the Olympic Park K-Art hall, located in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The new venue is tailored for online K-pop concerts, video productions and even vi

Dec. 7, 2021