K-pop band NCT 127 debuts on British Official Albums Chart

South Korean boy band NCT 127 has made it onto Britain's Official Charts with its latest album "Sticker." Its third studio album debuted at No. 40 on the Official Albums Chart Top 10 on Friday (local time), just one week after its release on Sept. 17. The nine-piece K-pop act has been listed on the Billboard charts of the United States several times. But this is the first time for the band to enter the top British albums chart, which is compiled by the Official Charts Company based o

Sept. 25, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] ITZY hollers out that it’s “crazy in love”

The five members of ITZY talked about their first studio album “Crazy in Love” that came out on Friday through a Q&A statement released through their label JYP Entertainment. 　 The LP consists of 16 tracks and Ryujin admitted that it was not easy since it was the first time she recorded so many songs in such short time. 　 “But I am glad that we get to show a diverse range of new songs,” she said. The name of the lead track, “Loco,” is a slang for crazy

Sept. 24, 2021

SPO to take stage with Erina Yashima, Kim Han

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will kick off its third and final season of 2021 with Japanese-German conductor Erina Yashima and clarinetist Kim Han. The SPO will hold concerts on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul under the baton of Yashima. It is the first time for Yashima, assistant conductor at the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2019, to lead the Seoul-based orchestra. Under her lead, the orchestra will present Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin,&rdqu

Sept. 24, 2021

BTS, Coldplay team up for ‘My Universe,’ full roll-out unveiled

After rumors of BTS and Coldplay teaming up for a song circulated months ago, two of the world’s biggest acts revealed the much-anticipation collaboration “My Universe” on Friday. The song talks about putting love first. It touches on the difficulties two people may face “because we come from different sides,” but provides hope by adding, “I just want to put you first,” likening the person to the singer‘s universe. Adding to the excitement, Par

Sept. 24, 2021

Phone number shown on 'Squid Game' leads to onslaught of prank calls

As the Netflix drama series “Squid Game” has become a worldwide sensation, a number of people have come forward claiming that they are receiving endless calls and text messages after the show featured a phone number.　　 In the show, an unnamed character, played by actor Gong Yoo, gives Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae) a business card, asking him to join the Squid Game contest. In the competition, 456 contenders compete for the prize money, risking their lives. The business card has an eight-

Sept. 24, 2021

BTS returns home after visit to UN, New York

K-pop superstars BTS returned home Friday after a weeklong trip to New York as special presidential envoys for future generations and culture, their label said. During the week, the septet gave a speech at the opening of the Sustainable Development Goals Moment event at the 76th UN General Assembly, and joined President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook during interviews and a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. BTS also dropped by the Korean Cultural Center in New York, according

Sept. 24, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Candyman (US) Opened Sept. 22 Mystery Directed by Nia DaCosta Visual Artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) goes back to his hometown in search of inspiration for his new artwork. In the city, Anthony is told a ghost story about the Candyman, a supernatural killer, and becomes fascinated by it. He then creates a mirrored art exhibit based on the legend and showcases it at his girlfriend’s art gallery. From that night, unexpected murders start happening. Miracle: Letters to the Pre

Sept. 24, 2021

[Eye interview] Artist open to different genres, novel attempts

A colorful postcard bought in Amsterdam “just because it was so pretty,” notes and letters from friends and a large card with black-and-white graphics -- a ticket to a show by a Korean electronic music group from two years ago he kept because he was very impressed and wanted to remember it -- are lined up neatly inside violinist Yang In-mo’s violin case, affording a glimpse of his taste. “I think it is fun to decorate the interior with postcards like this,” he says

Sept. 24, 2021

[Feature] What it takes to be an idol: The academies that train K-pop wannabes

Seoul’s posh Gangnam district is known for its private educational institutes, called “hagwon.” Seeing students rushing to hagwon after school is nothing new for Seoulites. But the number of private academies that offer dance and vocal lessons has mushroomed as more youngsters aspire to K-pop stardom. Private training systems Lee Jae-won has run a dance academy in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul, for eight years, training young idol-wannabes. Lee’s institution system

Sept. 24, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] aespa ups the ante with teaser photos

Winter and Ningning of aespa signaled an even more dramatic return with teaser photographs that were released at midnight Thursday. 　 The two struck poses under the theme. The images carry on the narrative that weaves through their previous singles -- “Black Mamba” and “Next Level” -- and depict them in hallucinations induced by a Black Mamba that threatens the world and keeps the members of the group from connecting with their avatars. 　 The photographs are part of the

Sept. 23, 2021

S. Korean series 'Squid Game' tops US chart on Netflix

Netflix's original Korean series "Squid Game" ranked first on the US top 10 TV show list of the video streaming platform, a chart has showed, becoming the first Korean drama to reach the milestone. The thriller, featuring South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, made it to the top on the US chart, as of Tuesday, according to streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. The previous record was "Sweet Home," the 10-episode Netflix Korean original that ranked third on the US chart last year.

Sept. 22, 2021

BTS 'Permission to Dance' at UN tops 12m views on YouTube

The video featuring K-pop sensations BTS performing "Permission to Dance," one of their hit singles, at the United Nations headquarters has exceeded 12 million views on YouTube, becoming the most viewed clip on the UN channel. The video that was uploaded at the UN's official YouTube channel Monday has racked up 12.7 million views as of 8:00 p.m. Wednesday. South Korean superband BTS addressed the UN General Assembly Monday and praised the world's young people for welcoming the challe

Sept. 22, 2021

BTS delivers message of hope, but speechwriter’s identity remains a mystery

A week after South Korean President Moon Jae-in appointed musical sensation BTS to a cultural diplomacy role, the band accompanied Moon to New York for the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly. As “special presidential envoys for future generations and culture,” their first official duty was an appearance at the SDG Moment, the second meeting devoted to the UN’s sustainable development goals. Each band member stood at the podium on Monday (US time) and opened

Sept. 22, 2021

Presidential hopefuls star in TV reality shows

With the upcoming presidential election set for March, presidential hopefuls are going on reality TV programs to show their more personal sides in an attempt to woo voters. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a major presidential contender from the People’s Power Party, starred in an episode of SBS’ reality show “Master in the House” which aired on Sunday, giving the show hosts a tour of his home and cooking for them. “I asked (the hosts) to come to cook

Sept. 22, 2021

Interactive play for 1-person walks to hit Seoullo 7017

The National Theater Company of Korea is to present a virtual, contactless theater performance for one-person audiences, expanding its stage to the Seoullo 7017 walkway in central Seoul. The contactless interactive theater performance “Coffee and Soporific” is to run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 3 at Seoullo 7017, an overpass-turned-sky garden at the heart of Seoul. Inspired by New York’s iconic High Line, the 1,024-meter-long park opened in 2017, complete with pedestrian paths th

Sept. 21, 2021

BTS praises youth for welcoming challenges of COVID-19 pandemic

　South Korean superband BTS addressed the U.N. General Assembly Monday and praised the world‘s young people for welcoming the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. 　The septet flew to New York to speak in person at the 76th U.N. 　General Assembly’s Sustainable Development Goals Moment event as special presidential envoys for future generations and culture. 　  Following a speech by President Moon Jae-in, the K-pop act took the podium at the U.N. General Assembly Hal

Sept. 21, 2021

[Herald Interview] Yang Yo-seob hopes to shape his musical experiences with wider taste

A year since Yang Yo-seob of boy band Highlight announced his discharge from the military, he has fans brimming with excitement that new music was on its way. The singer is finally returning to the stage with his first-ever solo LP, “Chocolate Box,” released Monday evening. The 31-year old talked about how dropping new music and showcasing his voice and songs to the public gave him butterflies and agitation at the same time. “I had always set my heart on releasing a full-len

Sept. 20, 2021

Two webtoons to catch up on before watching drama series during Chuseok holiday

A growing number of popular Korean webtoons are being turned into drama series, moving their creative storylines and strong fanbases to a new medium. For those who have not seen the original webtoons, the Chuseok holiday can be the time to catch up on some reading before watching the two highly anticipated drama series soon to be launched. “Yumi’s Cells,” written and drawn by Lee Dong-gun, is a popular webtoon with a whopping 512 episodes. After the last episode was presen

Sept. 19, 2021

Lisa's 'Lalisa' tops global YouTube music chart

The debut solo release “Lalisa” from K-pop girl group Blackpink member Lisa was ranked No. 1 on global YouTube music charts in its first week, the singer‘s agency YG Entertainment said Sunday. “Lalisa” was the highest-ranked song on YouTube‘s music chart for the week starting Sept. 10 -- its release date -- with 216 million views, pushing out “Raattan Lambiyan” by Tankshik Bagchi, Jubin Nautiyal & Asees Kaur from the top spot. Its music vide

Sept. 19, 2021

BIFF plans to go back to normal

The 26th Busan International Film Festival will return nearly to how it previously operated before the pandemic. The festival is set to be held from Oct. 6 to 15 in Korea’s second city, Busan. Last year, the BIFF organizer had to scale down and hold the fest without large crowd-gathering events such as the opening and closing ceremonies, outdoor greetings and open talk sessions. Each film was also screened only once at the Busan Cinema Center. “This year we are screening all 100 p

Sept. 18, 2021