Musical ‘Hades Town’ postpones opening due to coronavirus cluster

The musical “Hades Town” has postponed its opening for a week after 23 members of its cast and crew tested positive for COVID-19. S&Co, the producer of the licensed Broadway show, announced Tuesday that the opening would be postponed from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7. On Thursday Xiumin of EXO, who plays Orpheus in the show, tested positive, which put a halt to rehearsals. Staffers and actors then went into self-quarantine and were tested from Saturday to Monday. A total of 23 peopl

Aug. 11, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz tops iTunes chart in 16 regions

The Boyz landed atop iTunes songs charts in 16 regions with “Thrill Ride” from its sixth EP, “Thrill-ing,” said agency Cre.ker Entertainment on Tuesday. 　 The song ranked high on major music charts, and the other five tracks from the EP all entered charts as well. 　 Sunwoo and Eric participated in writing the lyrics for the hip-hop number. “There already was a definitive theme and I participated only by coming up with a better idea within the frame,” said S

Aug. 10, 2021

Prosecution seeks 10 mln-won fine for actor Ha Jung-woo over illegal propofol use

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 10 million-won ($8,700) fine for actor Ha Jung-woo, who admitted to illegal use of propofol in 2019. The 43-year-old screen star has been indicted on charges of taking shots of the anesthesia-inducing medication for non-medical purposes between January and September in 2019. The prosecution requested the Seoul Central District Court impose a monetary penalty as the actor has no previous record of drug abuse and admitted to his crime. Earlier in the hearing, H

Aug. 10, 2021

MBC seeks to regain viewers’ trust after Tokyo Games

Terrestrial network MBC plans to retrieve the viewer’s trust by installing a new committee, the company said in a press release on Monday. According to the public broadcaster, MBC seeks to make sure all of its content respects universal values, which the company lacked in its coverage of Tokyo Olympics. “The broadcasting fiasco was from all members’ callousness and insensitivity. We will recover our trust and reputation by initiating a new organization, the Public Interest R

Aug. 10, 2021

Movie about K-pop to be created with Hollywood producer

Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM on Tuesday announced that a movie about k-pop titled “K-Pop: Lost in America (working title)” will be created jointly with Hollywood producer Lynda Obst. Obst is known for collaborating with director Christopher Nolan to co-produce the science fiction film “Interstellar.” She also produced many hit movies including “Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” directed by Gurinder Chadha and “Sleepless in Seattle “ direct

Aug. 10, 2021

S. Korean cinema chains remain in slump in Q2 amid COVID-19

South Korean cinema chain operators remained in a slump in the second quarter of 2021 but found a glimmer of hope for a rebound amid the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic, financial data showed Tuesday. CJ CGV, the No. 1 multiplex operator under the wing of entertainment giant CJ Group, said its operating loss reached 57.3 billion won ($49.9 million) over the April-June period, narrowing from an operating deficit of 130.5 billion won a year ago. Its sales shot up 288 percent to 161.7 billi

Aug. 10, 2021

BTS song 'Butter' ranks No. 4 on Billboard Hot 100

South Korean superband BTS' Billboard-topping hit "Butter" came in at No. 4 on this week's Billboard main singles chart, slipping from last week's top spot. "BTS' "Butter" drops to No. 4 after nine weeks atop the Hot 100," Billboard said on its website on Monday (US time). "It posts a 10th week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales (79,200, down 30%) and returns to its No. 20 high on Radio Songs (31.6 million, up 4%)," it added. The summery song had sat atop t

Aug. 10, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz thrill fans with 6th EP

The Boyz broadcast a live media showcase Monday as they rolled out their sixth EP, “Thrill-ing.” 　 The bandmates acknowledged that they couldn’t believe it had been almost a year since their previous EP, saying they were even happier and more excited after all this time. It is also the first album from the band since it came in second in “Kingdom: Legendary War,” a contest for boy bands that ended in June. 　 “We’ve put on strong and narrative-heavy perf

Aug. 9, 2021

Rookie artist Lee Mu-jin emerges as new powerhouse in Korean music chart

Rookie singer-songwriter Lee Mu-jin has topped the country’s biggest streaming platform Melon with his digital single “Traffic Light,” which was released in early May. “Traffic Light,” written and composed by Lee, sits atop the 24 hits and daily chart beating out other hit songs such as MSG Wannabe’s “Foolish Love,” Aespa’s “Next Level” and BTS’ latest single “Permission to Dance.” Unlike most chart-topping so

Aug. 9, 2021

[Herald Interview] A.C.E keeps moving higher, step by step

Boy band A.C.E, whose name stands for “Adventure Calling Emotions,” splashed into the music scene with bold ambitions on May 23, 2017. Its five members have come a long way since then, establishing an energetic presence and delving into unique performance styles. But the group’s path to stardom was not an easy one. Online reality shows and popular audition programs on television often function as gateways for K-pop idol-hopefuls looking to make their debut. But in 2016, A.C.

Aug. 9, 2021

Say Sue Me meets fans with ‘So Tender’

Indie rock band Say Sue Me's “So Tender” from the soundtrack of Korean drama series “Nevertheless” was released Saturday, according to JTBC Studio. The eighth track on the soundtrack, written and composed by the band, is sung entirely in English like most of the music from the band. Say Sue Me is a surf rock-inspired band from Busan with four members -- vocalist Choi Sumi, guitarist Kim Byung-kyu, bassist Kim Jae-young and drummer Lim Sung-wan. The band debuted formall

Aug. 8, 2021

Hwang Jung-min returns as abductee in ‘Hostage: Missing Celebrity’

For veteran actor Hwang Jung-min, playing a character who shares his name in the upcoming movie “Hostage: Missing Celebrity” was huge challenge. “When I was asked to play Hwang Jung-min, I was concerned with how I should act in the movie, because I had never experienced being kidnapped before and was not able to imagine how I would behave if I was really abducted,” Hwang said during an online interview after the press preview on Thursday. Director Pil Gam-seong’s

Aug. 8, 2021

City in the mountains is a classical music sanctuary

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- With cool breezes signaling the imminent arrival of fall, the 18th Music in PyeongChang closed Saturday, wrapping up its 11-day run. While Seoul had been baking in scorching heat for the past few weeks, the air in PyeongChang, a mountain city located some 700-meters above sea level, was cool and refreshing. This summer edition of the music festival kicked off on July 28 featuring a total of 15 performances. On Friday, the Alpensia Concert Hall was filled wit

Aug. 8, 2021

Blackpink holds pop-up exhibition in celebration of 5th debut anniversary

K-pop sensation Blackpink will hold a pop-up exhibition from Aug. 21-30 to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the group’s debut, YG Entertainment said Thursday.　 　 The exhibition is part of what is called the “4+1 project” the agency announced in June on its social media with a mysterious teaser. Aside from the exhibition, the project consists of a new film in August, a special edition photobook and three others that have yet to be announced. The pop-up exhibition will be hel

Aug. 7, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Twice aims higher with 1st English-language single

Twice is dropping its first single sung entirely in English, announced label JYP Entertainment on Friday. 　 The company uploaded an image that showed an envelope stamped with the band’s logo. When it opened, out came an invitation to a prom party. “Where are we going tonight?” the message read. 　 The nonet already has a strong presence around the world, having hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in June with its 10th EP, “Taste of Love.” It is the best showing so far f

Aug. 6, 2021

Obama to talk about personal life story on 1st Korean TV appearance

Former US President Barack Obama will make his first appearance as a guest of a South Korean television program on Friday to share his personal life story, a local cable channel said. According to tvN, a cable channel specialized in entertainment, Obama will connect to the channel's late night "Monthly Connect" show as a guest later in the day. The monthly show invites world-class leaders of various fields to impart their knowledge and experiences. Previously, Michael Sandel, a Harva

Aug. 6, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Escape from Mogadishu (Korea) Opened July 28 Action, Drama Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Set in 1991 Somalia, South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung (Kim Yoon-seok) and National Security Planning Agency agent Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung) are competing against North Korean Ambassador (Heo Jun-ho) for South Korea’s membership in the United Nations. When a civil war breaks out in the African country, South and North Korean diplomats have to cooperate to escape the country together. Th

Aug. 6, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Xiumin tests positive for COVID-19

Xiumin of EXO tested positive for COVID-19, his label SM Entertainment said Thursday. 　 He took a preemptive PCR test last week before starting work for a musical and the results had come back negative. He took another test Wednesday after feeling unwell and was confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus. 　 All the other EXO bandmates as well as staffers in charge of them have taken tests and are in self-quarantine awaiting results, the company added.  He has immediately stoppe

Aug. 5, 2021

Olympic athletes most sought after TV guests

As the Tokyo Olympics come to an end this week, South Korea’s Olympic stars are setting off on their victory tours meeting the public not at sports arenas, but on TV and radio shows.　 Triple Olympic gold medalist archer An San, one of the athletes most in the news during her time in Tokyo, appeared on MBC’s radio show “Pyo Chang-won’s News High Kick,” on Wednesday. On the live radio show, An shared her experience at the Tokyo Games and her childhood stories.　 Tw

Aug. 5, 2021

Cellist Kim Hyo-jeong to hold solo recital

Cellist Kim Hyo-jeong will hold a solo recital on Aug. 13 at Ilshin Hall in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. At the 80-minute recital, Kim will perform Beethoven’s 7 variations on “Bei Mannern, welche Liebe fuhlen,” Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, Op. 47, Ligeti’s Cello Sonata and Mendelssohn’s Cello Sonata in D major, Op. 58. “The program consists of works that best express me. Except for Ligeti, the rest of the composers, Beethoven, Bruch and Mendelssohn, were all

Aug. 5, 2021