S. Korea's 11 intl. film fests call for release of Myanmar filmmaker

South Korea's 11 international film festivals on Tuesday called for the release of a Myanmar filmmaker who was recently arrested in the military-controlled Southeast Asian country. "The festivals strongly condemn the ongoing violence in Myanmar and urge the release of the producer, Ma Aeint," the 11 organizations led by the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) said in a statement. "Furthermore, we ask all the related authorities to protect her safety and civil rights fairly.&

June 8, 2021

Pianist Son Yeol-eum to perform at Myeong-dong Cathedral

Concert pianist Son Yeol-eum will hold a recital dedicated to medical staff serving on the COVID-19 front lines at the Myeong-dong Cathedral on Monday. The cathedral under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul invited Son, the joint second prize winner at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2011, to perform. The concert, held in support of those hit by the pandemic, will be attended by some 150 health care workers at COVID-19 facilities. “I wish to deliver the warmest comfo

June 8, 2021

BLACKPINK's 'Boombayah' breaks 1.2 billion YouTube views

K-pop act BLACKPINK has achieved another YouTube milestone, with the music video for its song "Boombayah" racking up 1.2 billion views on YouTube. The 2016 hit broke the milestone at 10:29 a.m. Tuesday, becoming the four-piece act's third music video to break the 1.2 billion mark, according to YG Entertainment. The record came nearly five years after the all-female band released its debut single album "Square One" with the two tracks "Boombayah" and "Whistle&

June 8, 2021

2PM to return with new album this month, ending 5-year military hiatus

All-male K-pop act 2PM will release a new album this month, coming back from a near five-year hiatus after its members completed their military service, the group's management agency said Tuesday. The six-member group's seventh full album, titled "Must," will drop on June 28, JYP Entertainment announced on its official social media accounts. Its most recent album was its sixth studio album, "Gentlemen's Game," released in September 2016. With the exception of Thai-America

June 8, 2021

[Video] New public music library opens in Uijeongbu

A new public music library has opened in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, just some 25 kilometers north of Seoul, the first of its kind built by a local government. To most Koreans, Uijeongbu is synonymous with the US Army, as the city has hosted the American military since the 1950-53 Korean War. While most of the troops have now been moved to Pyeongtaek in southern Gyeonggi Province where the largest overseas US military base is located, the sound of Western pop music was long common across

June 8, 2021

BTS tops Billboard Hot 100 for 2nd straight week with 'Butter'

"Butter," the latest hit by boy band BTS, again ranked No. 1 on the Billboard's main singles chart in its second week after debuting. "BTS' 'Butter' adds a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, a week after it soared in at the summit, becoming the South Korean superstar group's fourth leader on the list," Billboard said Monday (US time), citing figures from MRC Data showing how the song drew 19.1 million US streams and logged 140,200 downloads in the wee

June 8, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s special album sells 1 million in preorders

EXO’s special album “Don’t Fight the Feeling” went on sale Monday and sold over 1.22 million in preorders, posting another million-seller for the band.   　 This is the highest number for the veteran idol band that boasts a record of having five back-to-back million-selling albums. The new album marks the ninth anniversary of the band’s debut.   　 It has been 1 1/2 years since the group’s sixth studio album “Obsession.” There are five tr

June 7, 2021

Former YG chief indicted for allegedly trying to cover up drug scandal

Yang Hyun-suk, former CEO of K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment, will face a criminal trial for allegedly attempting to cover up a drug scandal involving a singer-rapper, judicial sources said Monday. According to the sources, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office indicted Yang on May 28 on charges of having threatened and coerced an informant who testified to police about drug suspicions surrounding B.I, the former songwriting leader of YG's boy band iKON, in August 2016. At the time,

June 7, 2021

[Herald Interview] Relating to Shostakovich in pandemic times

Novus String Quartet, a leading chamber music act, is set for a groundbreaking project, performing the complete cycle of Shostakovich’s 15 string quartets. The chamber music act -- consisting of violinists Kim Jae-young and Kim Young-uk, violist Kim Kyu-hyun and cellist Lee Won-hae -- will perform the 15 string quartets written by the Russian musician Shostakovich (1906-1975), on four consecutive days of June 16-19 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. “We were reckless,&rdq

June 7, 2021

Singers celebrate 50 years of ‘Morning Dew’

Artists across the musical spectrum, including Wendy of Red Velvet, Taeil of NCT, Leenalchi and Han Young-ae, are honoring singer Kim Min-ki with covers of his best-known song “Morning Dew” and more. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the release of “Morning Dew” that was written, composed and sung by Kim, the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation has created an 18-track album dedicated to the singer-songwriter. The iconic song has come to be closely associated with stude

June 7, 2021

Govt. pushes for self-rating system for online streaming releases

The culture ministry on Monday unveiled a plan to introduce a self-rating system for online video streaming service providers so they can shorten the time needed to circulate new releases. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it will propose a law revision to allow video content service providers to evaluate and classify their soon-to-be-released series and shows, based on criteria set by the state-run Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB). Currently, all motion pictures and creative wor

June 7, 2021

Boy band TXT to perform 1st English song 'Magic' on US TV shows

K-pop act Tomorrow X Together (TXT) is set to appear on popular American TV shows to perform its first English-language song this month, the group's management agency said Monday. On Thursday, the five-member boy band will deliver its first performance of "Magic," along with an interview, on ABC's "Good Morning America," according to Big Hit Music. On June 15, the act will put on another performance of the song on the CBS program "The Late Late Show with James Corden.

June 7, 2021

RM of BTS unveils self-written solo song 'Bicycle'

RM, the leader of global dynamo BTS, has released a self-written solo song based on his experience of riding his bike across the South Korean capital. The 3 minute and 23 second song, uploaded on YouTube and SoundCloud, is a relaxed and comforting track in which RM raps and sings in Korean and English. RM, who has taken part in the songwriting for the seven-piece act's songs, including their latest hit "Butter," worked on his solo song with jazz singer-songwriter John Eun.  &n

June 7, 2021

F9 becomes 3rd movie to top 2m admissions this year

"F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, has become the third title to attract more than 2 million moviegoers in South Korea in 2021, box office data showed Monday. The action blockbuster drew 173,000 people over the Friday-Sunday period, bringing its combined total to 2.05 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It is the third film released in 2021 to hit 2 million in the country, following the Disney-Pixar fantasy animated film &quo

June 7, 2021

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Minsu returns with funky dance pop

Breaking away from her usual dainty, dreamy sound, South Korean singer-songwriter Minsu is attempting her first dance tune with “Healthy Food.” With her skin tanned and her hair tied back, the 25-year-old’s transformation was evident in her look too. “While preparing for this album, I thought the most about what I could do apart from singing,” Minsu said during an interview with The Korea Herald on May 24. “I love dancing, so I thought why not try that? And

June 6, 2021

[Herald Interview] Adoptee filmmaker shocked by reality of Korea's single moms

For filmmaker Sun Hee Engelstoft, who was born in South Korea in 1982 and sent to Denmark for adoption when she was 4 months old, it was shocking to witness the reality facing unmarried mothers in Korea. “In the West and where I grew up in Denmark, there is this idea that all Korean women just easily give away their children because there are so many adoptees,” Engelstoft said during an interview with The Korea Herald. Korea has sent more than 200,000 children abroad since the 195

June 6, 2021

[Eye Interview] ‘I am the center of the universe when I dance’

Korean dance is more than just practicing techniques. It is about connecting the energy of people, according to Kim Mae-ja, master of changmu. Kim, 78, is the founder and a leading figure of changmu, contemporary dance based on traditional Korean dance. Based on tradition, she created a new school of dance which strives to embrace both tradition and innovation. She is often referred to as the Isadora Duncan of Korea. Kim’s life will be brought to the stage in the upcoming dance show &l

June 5, 2021

Na Hong-jin’s Thai-Korean film ‘The Medium’ coming to theaters in July

Na Hong-jin, who has directed multiple South Korean thrillers and met with both commercial and critical success, is coming out with a new Thai movie in July, according to local distributor Show Box on Thursday. In September last year, the Korean film distributor announced that Na had teamed up with popular Thai filmmaker Banjong Pisanthanakun to make “The Medium,” a horror film set in rural Thailand. “The Medium” shows three months in the life of a family that has inher

June 5, 2021

Hong Sang-soo's 'In Front of Your Face' marks his 11th entry to Cannes

South Korean renowned director Hong Sang-soo will visit the Cannes Film Festival again with his 26th feature, "In Front of Your Face." According to the festival's 2021 official lineup announced Thursday, "In Front of Your Face" was listed in Cannes Premieres, a new section dedicated to works from well-established filmmakers. Hong was invited with nine other filmmakers, including Arnaud Desplechin of "Deception," Mathieu Amalric of "Hold Me Tight," Andr

June 5, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ RM gets stamp of approval as record producer

RM of supergroup BTS came in at No. 9 of Billboard’s Hot 100 Producers chart on Thursday, local time, highlighting his capabilities as not only a rapper, but a producer as well. 　 He was also ranked No. 3 in his first entry onto the Hot 100 Songwriters chart in December last year. 　 The leader of the band has been credited for all title tracks over the last eight years, from the debut song “No More Dream” to its most recent single “Butter.” He also co-wrote the l

June 4, 2021