BTS to drop 'Hotter' version of new single 'Butter'

BTS is set to release what its label called a "Hotter" remix of its latest single "Butter" that has been making a splash around the globe. The new version leans more toward electro dance, offering a different charm from the upbeat and vibrant original track, according to Big Hit Music. The release is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, exactly a week after the seven-piece act rolled out "Butter" globally on May 21. A music video for the remix is also set for release at 1

May 28, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Pipeline (Korea) Opened May 26 Crime Directed by Yoo Ha Pindol (Seo In-guk), the best pipeline-drilling technician in South Korea, decides to take up an offer from Gun-woo (Lee Soo-hyuk), heir to a large conglomerate, to be part of a dangerous oil heist. For the job, Gun-woo rounds up a team of four thieves -- Jeobsae (Eum Moon-suk), Manager Na (Yoo Seung-mok), Keunsab (Tae Hang-ho) and Counter (Bae Da-bin). Voyagers (US) Opened May 26 Science Fiction Directed by Neil Burger In 2063, the fut

May 28, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS makes appearance on “Friends: The Reunion” special

BTS made a 13-second guest appearance in the special episode of “Friends: The Reunion,” as the much-anticipated sitcom returned on Thursday, local time. 　 The bandmates appeared sitting on and around a sofa with subtitles that introduced them as “BTS: Biggest Boy Band on the Planet” complete with a Korean national flag. 　 “My mom bought me the DVDs of the whole series when I was in elementary school. ‘Friends’ really had a big hand in teaching me Englis

May 27, 2021

BTS adds 5 Guinness World Records with new song 'Butter'

BTS has set five new Guinness World Records (GWR) titles with its latest release "Butter." Most of the records came from YouTube, where the group outdid its own records achieved with the 2020 megahit "Dynamite." On YouTube, the music video for the septet's new single was certified for achieving the most views in 24 hours with 108.2 million views and as the most-viewed video by a K-pop group in 24 hours, according to the website of GWR. It also garnered the most views for t

May 27, 2021

S. Korean director Bong Joon-ho listed in French encyclopedia

South Korea's Cannes-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has had his name listed in a renowned French encyclopedia for his cinematic achievements and recognition in the European nation, a report showed Thursday. In the latest edition of "Petit Larousse Illustre," a French-language encyclopedic dictionary launched in 1905, the South Korean director won a page, along with 40 new figures from various sectors like literature, cinema and sports, according to the report by the Korea Creative Con

May 27, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream’s 1st LP surpasses 2 million in sales

The first studio album of NCT Dream sold over 2 million units, according to label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The album, titled “Hot Sauce,” surpassed the 1 million-sales mark in a week since it came out on May 10 and reached 2 million in 16 days, and about 300,000 units more than the pre-orders. 　 The LP hit the No. 1 spot on the iTunes top albums chart in 37 regions, Oricon’s weekly album chart and Billboard Japan’s top sales album chart a well. With the same-tit

May 26, 2021

Unsure about box office recovery, Korean film industry delays releases for summer season

Although the local box office shows some signs of recovery before the summer peak season, the pandemic-hit Korean film industry still remains wary of releasing big-budget films in the near future. The South Korean box office recently made a long-waited turnaround thanks to a bullish run by "F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series. Released on May 19, the Hollywood blockbuster posted 400,000 viewers on opening day to set the biggest first-day score since the

May 26, 2021

Musical ‘Beetlejuice’ arrives in Seoul for first run outside of Broadway

Musical “Beetlejuice” is set for a Seoul run, its first official showing outside of Broadway. The Korean-language licensed version of Broadway musical “Beetlejuice” is scheduled to open June 18 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. Based on the iconic 1988 Tim Burton film of the same title, the musical had its Broadway premiere in 2019, following a pilot run a year earlier. The Korean staging marks the first licensed version of the musical.

May 26, 2021

Leenalchi, Ambiguous Dance Company return to LG Arts Center

Korean traditional music-inspired band Leenalchi and dance group Ambiguous Dance Company have teamed up once again to perform at LG Arts Center, June 11-12. Leenalchi will perform their latest digital single “Yeobonari” and 10 songs from “Sugungga,” their first full-length album released Feb. 16. Ambiguous Dance Company, which performed with Leenalchi at LG Arts Center‘s Rush Hour Concert last year, will once again join the band onstage. Leenalchi is an alternativ

May 26, 2021

New BTS song 'Butter' makes splash on Billboard, Oricon charts

K-pop supergroup BTS' new single "Butter" has stormed major music charts in the United States and Japan following its release last week, the band's agency said Wednesday. The English-language single debuted at No. 26 on the Billboard's pop airplay chart, which measures airplay of pop songs at some 160 key US radio stations from every Monday to Sunday. The song's debut ranking is higher than the band's 2020 smash hit "Dynamite," which debuted at No. 30 on the same chart. &q

May 26, 2021

[Herald Interview] Lee Je-hoon on what is left behind after death

For an actor, it would be an honor to leave behind a collection of works someday, Lee Je-hoon, 36, said. Of all the steps in Lee’s 14-year acting career, Lee said he was the most nervous about the recent release of Netflix original series “Move to Heaven.” He stars in the series as Sang-gu, an ex-convict who works as a “trauma cleaner,” cleaning up crime and accident scenes and organizing the belongings of the deceased. “I was the most nervous about this

May 25, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ RM writes song for TXT

RM of BTS participated in writing the lyrics for a song on Tomorrow X Together’s upcoming album, according to a song list that Bit Hit Music shared Tuesday. 　 TXT’s second studio album, “The Chaos Chapter: Freeze,” goes on sale May 31. RM co-authored the words for lead track “0X1=Lovesong,” about a boy who firmly believes in his love despite the chaos he has tumbled into. 　 It is a collaborative effort by a score of songwriters, including Hybe Chairman Bang

May 25, 2021

[Herald Interview] Seo In-guk says ‘Pipeline’ differs from other caper movies

Director Yoo Ha’s latest movie “Pipeline” does not follow the rules of traditional heist movies, according to actor Seo In-guk who stars in the film. “The biggest difference is that the main characters are not professionals,” Seo said during an interview with a group of reporters on Monday. “Except for my character Pindol, all of them are ordinary people. Even Pindol who has experience being part of oil theft, only did the drilling. They are a ragtag group o

May 25, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] EXO floats teasers for special album

EXO shared teaser photos of Xiumin and Dio for its forthcoming special album on Monday. 　 The band is rolling out “Don’t Fight the Feeling” on June 7 and its label, S.M. Entertainment, dropped the first batch of photographs of the two since they returned to the music scene after serving their military duty. It is the first album the two performers have taken part in since 2018.  　 Although Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Suho and Chen would not be able to join the promotional

May 24, 2021

Pianist Park Yeon-min wins the George Enescu competition

Pianist Park Yeon-min, 31, has won the first prize at the 2020/2021 George Enescu International Competition’s piano discipline on Sunday. By winning the competition, Park will receive 15,000 euros ($18,000) in prize money, and an invitation to the 2022 George Enescu Festival. She was followed by Adela Liculescu from Romania and Marcin Wieczorek from Poland, who came in second and the third, respectively. After studying at Seoul National University, Park earned her master’s degree

May 24, 2021

BTS pop-up stores to additionally open in Asian cities

K-pop superstar BTS has opened or will open additional offline pop-up stores in four Asian cities to meet rising demands for merchandise among the group's fans in the populous continent, its management agency said Monday. A BTS Pop-up: Map of the Soul store, which offers products themed around the seven-piece band's 2020 hit album "Map of the Soul: 7," already opened in Bangkok on May 1 to run through July 25, according to Hybe IP, an intellectual property arm of K-pop powerhouse Hybe

May 24, 2021

SIFF to screen Korean independent films in Spain

The Seoul Independent Film Festival will introduce Korean independent movies during the 4th Indie & Doc Korean Cinema Fest, which will be held from June 1-13 in Madrid, Spain. To mark the 10th anniversary of the Korean Cultural Center in Madrid, Spain, this year’s annual Korean indie film fest will double in size and screen 18 movies, according to the event organizer. The fourth edition of the festival will have three sections -- a short films section with the theme of people and t

May 24, 2021

'F9' tops 1m admissions in first week of release

"F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, has topped 1 million attendees in its first week of release in South Korea, local box office data showed Monday. The action blockbuster attracted 628,000 people over the Friday-Sunday period, bringing its combined total to 1.13 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. It became the fourth title to surpass the 1 million threshold in 2021, following Disney-Pixar fantasy "Soul," Japanese a

May 24, 2021

BTS scoops up four Billboard Awards

K-pop boy band BTS has won four prizes, including the major title of Top Selling Song, at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), the most for the group at the event ever. The septet was awarded Top Selling Song, Top Duo/Group, Top Song Sales Artist and the fan-voted Top Social Artist during the BBMA ceremony that was aired live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (US time). It is the first time the band has won more than two titles at the BBMA. In 2019, it took home the Top

May 24, 2021

Seo In-guk returns as leader of oil thieves in comedy-crime film “Pipeline”

Actor Seo In-guk is returning to the big screen as a leader of a ragtag team of oil thieves in the upcoming comedy-crime film “Pipeline,” directed by Yoo Ha. “I was surprised that a movie about this topic is being created,” Seo said during the press conference Thursday that followed a press screening. “I was not familiar with the concept of thieves that steal oil from the pipeline. I have never seen any Korean movie with a similar subject.” In the new movie

May 23, 2021