K-pop powerhouse JYP opens pop-up store in Tokyo

JYP Entertainment, the K-pop agency-label that represents acts like TWICE, Itzy and Stray Kids, said Tuesday it has opened a pop-up store in Tokyo for fans there. The venue set up in the Ginza neighborhood of the Japanese capital opened Saturday and is set to run until Aug. 31, the company said. In addition to selling merchandise related to the agency's artists, an exhibition marking boy band 2PM's 10th debut anniversary in Japan is also taking place. The company said costumes that girl groups

July 6, 2021

'Black Widow' hits No. 1 in presale tickets ahead of local premier

The upcoming superhero film "Black Widow" is expected to smash the virus-hit South Korean box office, with its presale tickets reaching a fresh yearly high, data showed Tuesday. Marvel Studios' latest film recorded 218,000 presold tickets as of 9:00 a.m. a day before its local release, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. It accounted for 84.2 percent of all tickets reserved at that time, overwhelming Disney's live-action film "Cruella" with 3.4 percent and Kor

July 6, 2021

Q&A: Kings of Convenience on new album and key to longevity

SEOUL (AP) -- “What happened to Kings of Convenience” was, until recently, a prominent search result that would appear when looking up info on the Norwegian indie-pop folk duo. Largely quiet since the release of their last album, the band recently broke their silence with “Peace Or Love,” Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe’s first album together in 12 years. The duo picked up exactly where they left off, returning with a bundle of warm melodies familiar in their ear

July 5, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] SF9 turns over new leaf

SF9 declared there is no limit for the band at a showcase held in Seoul on Monday.   　 The nine-piece act put out its ninth EP, “Turn Over,” a year following previous EP “9loryUS.”   　 “I feel nervous and excited at the same time coming up on the stage again after a year,” said Youngbin. The band is in high spirits, however, having built up confidence after participating in “Kingdom: Legendary War,” a contest show among boy bands, he a

July 5, 2021

Stage actor tests positive for COVID-19

Actor Cha Ji-yeon, 39, has been tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday, although the rest of the cast on the musical she was starring in tested negative. Cha’s agency C-JeS Entertainment announced Sunday that Cha -- who has been starring in musical “Red Book,” while preparing for upcoming musical show “Gwanghwamun Sonata” and an upcoming Netflix series “The Bride of Black” -- was confirmed with COVID-19. “Cha was being tested for COVID-1

July 5, 2021

Three Korean films to be screened at Cannes

Three Korean films -- “In Front of Your Face” by Hong Sang-soo, “Emergency Declaration” by Han Jae-rim and “Cicada” by Yoon Dae-won -- will be screened at the 74th Cannes Film Festival that kicks off Tuesday in France. “In Front of Your Face” was selected in the Cannes Premiere section, a new category dedicated to works from well-established filmmakers. This is Hong’s 11th movie to be invited to the Cannes Film Festival. “Emergency D

July 5, 2021

The Seoul Cinema to close permanently at end of August

The Seoul Cinema, which opened in 1979, announced on Saturday that it will soon close its doors permanently. “The Seoul Cinema, which has been a beloved cultural center of Jongno-gu for over 40 years, will close permanently on Aug. 31, 2021,” theater operator Hapdong Film said in a statement. The operator added that it is currently preparing to make changes, but did not announce specific plans on how the facility will be used in the future. Established in 1964, Hapdong Film was

July 4, 2021

Song Joong-ki movie ‘Bogota: City of the Lost’ halts filming again

Filming for “Bogota: City of the Lost,” starring Song Joong-ki, was suspended after one of the actors tested positive for COVID-19. Shooting of the crime drama will not resume until all the cast members end their self-quarantine, according to the film‘s distributor Megabox Plus M. After being informed that a patient confirmed with COVID-19 had been on a filming site Wednesday, the film‘s main star Song immediately canceled all his engagements and was tested for the vi

July 4, 2021

[Herald Interview] Pianist shines new light on Rachmaninoff

Though the works of Russian composer Rachmaninoff are often appreciated for their ardent passion and overflow of emotions, pianist Cho Jae-hyuck aims to examine a more reserved, thought-out side of the Romantic composer’s works with his latest recording of his piano concerto pieces. In Korea, Cho recently released a studio-recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, and No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, under the French music label Evidence. The international relea

July 3, 2021

'Escape from Mogadishu' reinterprets true events of Somali Civil War

Korean action film “Escape from Mogadishu,” directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, features a story based on a true event involving South and North Korean diplomats in Somalia during the 1991 civil war. “Dexter Studios had plans to create a movie based on a true event. The company proposed to me to be part of the project,” director Ryoo said during an online press conference held on Thursday. “I only knew briefly about what happened in Somalia. As I did more research I became

July 3, 2021

'DNA' becomes 1st BTS music video to break 1.3b views on YouTube

Global superstar BTS has set another record on YouTube, with its music video for the 2017 song "DNA" earning 1.3 billion views on YouTube, the band's agency said Saturday. YouTube views for "DNA," released in September 2017, topped 1.3 billion around midnight Friday, becoming the seven-piece act's first music video to reach the milestone, according to Big Hit Entertainment. It took just five months for the music video to add an extra 100 million views after it broke 1.2 b

July 3, 2021

'F9' tops box office for H1, but only two Korean movies in top 10

Only two homegrown movies made the top 10 in the local box office over the first six months of this year, while the Hollywood actioner "F9" became the biggest hit in South Korea, data showed Saturday. "F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, was the most-watched film in the first half of 2021, drawing over 2.28 moviegoers at the end of June, according to the box office data compiled by the Korean Film Council. The Japanese animation "Demon

July 3, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS to discuss new music on talk show next week

BTS will appear in an online talk show to discuss new music on July 9 after the release of its single CD “Butter.” 　 In the special show titled “A Butterful Getaway with BTS,” the band will perform its new song “Permission to Dance” for the first time. It is another collaborative work with British singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran. 　 The upcoming single CD consists of the new song as well as “Butter,” which has set multiple records, including staying

July 2, 2021

[Herald Review] Puccini’s Wild West opera makes debut in Korea

After a yearlong postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Korea National Opera went onstage Thursday for the Korean premiere of Puccini’s 1910 opera “La Fanciulla del West.” After the Italian production team completed a two-week, mandatory self-quarantine, the national opera troupe took to the stage Thursday at the Seoul Arts Center. Every other seat at the theater was left empty due to coronavirus restrictions. “La Fanciulla del West” was written by Itali

July 2, 2021

‘Midnight’ invited to two North American film festivals

Streaming platform Tving’s original action thriller “Midnight” has been invited to screen at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival and the 20th New York Asian Film Festival. The horror flick centers around a woman with a hearing impairment who becomes a serial killer’s target after witnessing a murder at midnight. Since its release on Wednesday, the movie has topped the domestic box office and is set to premiere in France, Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere. It is d

July 2, 2021

Chuncheon Mime Festival to begin summer run

The summer edition of the 2021 Chuncheon International Mime Festival will open Monday, under the title “Summer:Movement.” The summer festival held in the city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province will kick off with its Mime Fringe program from Monday to Wednesday. The program was launched in 2018 to support young mime artists. This year it has been expanded to also include artists who have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 13 acts, the organizers will award one act with prize

July 2, 2021

BTS to drop new Ed Sheeran collaboration 'Permission to Dance' next week

K-pop juggernaut BTS will release a new song, "Permission to Dance," co-written by British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, next week, its agency said Friday. The tracklist of the upcoming physical CD version of "Butter," unveiled on the septet's official social media account, includes two songs -- "Butter," a summer number topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five straight weeks, and "Permission to Love" -- along with their instrumental versions. The ne

July 2, 2021

S. Korean performing arts scene posts 19% rise in H1 revenue

The South Korean performing arts scene posted a 19 percent on-year rise in its revenue for the first half, showing clear signs of a recovery from the yearlong pandemic, data showed Friday. The combined revenue of theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances reached 116.9 billion won ($103.1 million) in the first six months of this year, according to the data by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS). It marked a 19 percent increase from 98 bill

July 2, 2021

Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung invited to Academy membership

Two South Korean actresses, including Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung, have been invited to the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that organizes the prestigious Academy Awards. In the 2021 list of new members in the filmmaking industry released Thursday (US time), AMPAS unveiled the names of 395 artists and experts in the filmmaking industry from 50 countries. Among 32 selected actors were Korean actresses Youn and Han Yeri, both stars of the immigrant film &quo

July 2, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (US) Opened June 23 Action, Comedy Directed by Patrick Hughes After becoming a bodyguard of hitman Darius (Samuel L. Jackson), Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) keeps having nightmares. Michael finally decides to quit his job, but on the day Darius’ wife Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek) comes to him for help. She says that her husband Darius has been kidnapped by mobsters.　 Hard Hit (Korea) Opened June 23 Action Directed by Kim Chang-Ju Sung-kyu (Jo Woo-

July 2, 2021