MBC chief apologizes after yet another inappropriate caption airs during Tokyo Games

Public broadcaster MBC apologized once again after it became mired in yet another controversy, this time concerning a caption that was used during its broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic men’s soccer game on Sunday. After admitting the broadcaster‘s callousness, MBC President Park Sung-jae made a public apology during a press conference held at MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, western Seoul, Monday afternoon. “Today, I am standing in front of you to publicly apologize for undermi

July 26, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] EXO's D.O. unveils solo debut album

D.O. of EXO discussed his first solo album, “Empathy,” which came out Monday. 　 “This is quite a new frame of mind,” he confided through a Q&A statement through his label SM Entertainment. Singing alone was difficult in a way but was a different and fun experience, said the performer, wondering how listeners would find the eight tracks from the album. 　 As for naming the album “Empathy,” he explained that he realized the sheer energy of the word, after

July 26, 2021

AKMU helps to take leap through new collaboration album

Sibling duo AKMU is ready to take the music scene by storm. The duet is opening a new chapter in their music career with new collaboration album “Next Episode,” releasing Monday evening. The seven-song package provides support and comfort to people when they hit rock bottom in their lives, brother and songwriter Lee Chan-hyuk and sister Lee Su-Hyun said during an online press conference. Fronted by lead track “Fall,” featuring singer and actress IU, the latest print

July 26, 2021

Sejong Center’s art troupes to come together for original musical

The nine troupes under the wings of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts are to gather together for the musical play “For Forgotten Heroes” from Sept. 17 to 19. According to the theater, the musical set in the Joseon era tells the story of three friends -- historical figure Hong Gyeong-nae, who instigated a rebellion in 1811, legendary con artist Kim Seon-dal and fictional character Cho Jin-su. In the musical, the three characters are friends who studied under one teacher.

July 26, 2021

Popular Korean musicals, plays to go online for global audience

The Korea Tourism Organization is bringing five of the most popular performances from a performing arts tourism festival to the global audience online from July 30 to Nov. 26. The event, “Welcome K-Stage,” will kick off July 30 with an online streaming of the musical ”The Adventure of the Final Problem” starring actors Kim Jong-goo and Jung Min. The musical is an adaptation of the last installment in “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes,” a collection of short sto

July 26, 2021

'The Boss Baby' sequel tops S. Korean box office over weekend

The American animated comedy "The Boss Baby: Family Business" made a surprise ascent to the top of South Korea's weekend box office in the first week of its release, data showed Monday. The sequel to DreamWorks Animation's 2017 hit "Boss Baby," released last Wednesday, attracted over 256,000 people from Friday to Sunday, bringing its combined total to over 356,000, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). Its first week admissions record marked the second-bes

July 26, 2021

BTS member V roots for S. Korean table tennis teen phenom

BTS member V's message supporting self-proclaimed BTS fan and teenage ping pong sensation Shin Yu-bin has gone viral. Shin Yu-bin, the youngest member of the South Korean women's table tennis team at 17, is a fan of the South Korean supergroup. Shin, who beat Luxembourg's Xia Lian Ni, a 58-year-old veteran athlete, at the Tokyo Olympics Women's Singles Round 2 on Sunday, has often mentioned how she is a huge fan of the septet. Previous interviews showed her carrying photos of BTS members in he

July 26, 2021

[Herald Interview] Jimmy Brown, the Korean who sings of love in English

Listening to the first few lines of indie R&B artist Jimmy Brown’s recent release “Yours,” you might not figure that he is Korean, let alone a Korean with only a year’s experience of living abroad. Brown, whose real name is Lee Ji-won, will be an unfamiliar name to most Korean listeners, as he has rarely promoted himself or his songs outside his social media and streaming platforms. He has occasionally caught the eye of the general public -- when BTS’ Jimin

July 25, 2021

[Newsmaker] MBC apologizes for Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony broadcast fiasco

Terrestrial network MBC admitted its carelessness and apologized for offensive images and captions that aired during its coverage of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. While broadcasting the parade of national teams in the virtually empty stadium, MBC showed images and captions introducing each delegation of athletes. Several of the images were inappropriate and insensitive. As the Ukraine delegation marched in, MBC showed an image of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. El Salvador was int

July 25, 2021

BTS: 'We want to help future generation with public role'

South Korean superband BTS said it hopes to play an active role in helping youths around the world amid global challenges like economic hardships, inequality and the ongoing pandemic. The seven-piece group, which has rewritten history by ruling Billboard charts and becoming the first Korean pop group to receive a Grammy nomination, was recently named for the public diplomacy role. With the appointment, the group is set to attend major international meetings, including the 76th session of the U

July 25, 2021

Actor-turned-director Cho Jin-woong’s ‘Ryuk-sa: A Teaser’ invited to two North American film festivals

Actor-turned-director Cho Jin-woong’s short film “Ryuk-sa: A Teaser” has been invited to two film festivals in North America, the Fantasia Film Festival and New York Asian Film Festival, according to his agency Saram Entertainment. The Fantasia Film Festival will run from Aug. 5-25 in Montreal, and the 2021 New York Asian Film Festival will take place Aug. 6-22. Both festivals will be hybrid online-offline events. Cho’s 17-minute short film aims to deliver a message t

July 24, 2021

[Eye interview] Seodo Band pioneers ‘Joseon pop’

Judging by their looks alone, Seodo Band does not immediately strike one as a “fusion gugak” band, melding the traditional music of Korea with the sounds of the West. There are no traditional instruments in the band. And all for a reason. “It is not that we don’t use them. Rather, we are not able to use them,” Seo Do, the vocalist of Seodo Band, said during an interview with The Korea Herald on July 14, explaining the absence of traditional instruments in the panso

July 24, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Girl group aespa signs with top US agency

SM Entertainment girl group aespa has signed with the largest agency in the US, Creative Artists Agency, as the team gears up for the global stage. 　 The group will be represented overseas by the talent agency, according to their label on Friday. SM Entertainment boy bands NCT 127 and SuperM are signed to the agency as well. 　 The quartet debuted in November and has set multiple records since. The music video for its debut single “Black Mamba” reached 100 million views in about 51

July 23, 2021

BTS drops R&B remix of 'Permission to Dance'

South Korean superband BTS on Friday unveiled an R&B version of its latest Billboard-topping hit "Permission to Dance." The remix, which the group's agency Big Hit Music described as having a 1990s vibe, was released at 1 p.m., two weeks after the septet dropped the summer song. The new version is a gesture of gratitude for fans around the world who supported BTS in hitting No. 1 on the Billboard main singles chart with five songs, the agency added. BTS recently topped the Billb

July 23, 2021

Korean credit card companies target K-pop fans with fan-friendly products

South Korean credit card companies are pushing to collaborate with K-pop agencies to launch customized products for fans who are becoming increasingly important customers across most industries. Earlier this week, credit card giant BC Card released a new product with K-pop giant YG Entertainment. Dubbed the "BLACKPINK Card," the new credit card offers fan-friendly features like discounts on ticket purchases and streaming, according to the two companies. BLACKPINK's four members -- Ji

July 23, 2021

BTS to perform on BBC radio show 'Live Lounge' next week

K-pop juggernaut BTS will appear on the popular BBC radio show "Live Lounge" next week, the group's agency said Friday. The group will perform its first Billboard Hot 100 chart topper "Dynamite," its latest hit song "Permission to Dance" and a special cover of "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans on the British radio show next Tuesday (local time), Big Hit Music said. "Live Lounge" on BBC Radio 1 is known for its segment featurin

July 23, 2021

Online 2021 ASEAN-ROK Film Workshop Series to be held Wednesday

The Korean Film Council will hold the 2021 ASEAN-ROK Film Workshop Series on Wednesday from 3-6 p.m. to strengthen the network between the movie industries of ASEAN countries and Korea. The workshop will be live streamed on KOFIC’s official YouTube channel. This year’s theme of the workshop is “Discovering a sustainable film exchange and cooperation model between Korea and ASEAN in the post-corona era.” The event will be divided into two parts -- forum and masterclass.

July 23, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Boss Baby: Family Business (US) Opened July 21 Animation Directed by Tom McGrath Ted, the legendary boss of Baby Corp., is a successful grownup CEO. His nephew Tina, who everyone thought was an ordinary baby, turns out to be a secret agent at Baby Corp. Tina turns Ted and his brother Tim back into a baby for 48 hours to complete a mission to save the world. The Medium (US) Opened July 14 Thriller Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun A documentary team follows Nim (Sawanee Utoomma), a sha

July 23, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Beetlejuice’ the ideal comedy musical: actor Jung Sung-hwa

The seemingly effortless improvisations and ad-libs during the musical “Beetlejuice” belie the meticulous planning down to the minor details and countless practices that went into the show, stage actor Jung Sung-hwa said. Inspired by the iconic 1988 Tim Burton film of the same title, the musical began its Seoul run at the Sejong Center on July 6. Jung plays the lead role Beetlejuice in the show, the lonely ghost who has been living in the Netherworld for 9.8 billion years by himsel

July 22, 2021

MBC unveils 2nd half of the year’s most anticipated drama

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, local broadcaster MBC is launching a Friday-Saturday drama season for the first time with “The Veil,” the company announced in a press release Thursday. The drama, made by MBC with streaming platform Wavve as a co-investor, is a spy action series set to start airing in September. The new Friday-Saturday drama scheduling will offer more contents to viewers, according to MBC. MBC's analysis of viewer consumption of content on television and streami

July 22, 2021