BTS hit 'Boy With Luv' breaks 1.2b YouTube views

The music video for the 2019 BTS hit "Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)" has earned more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube in another milestone for the K-pop dynamo. "Boy With Luv," the main track for the seven-piece act's sixth EP "Map of the Soul: Persona," hit 1.2 billion views at 9:48 a.m. on Thursday, according to Big Hit Music, the group's agency. The upbeat track, featuring American singer-songwriter Halsey, debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's main singles chart and

April 15, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS sets record with 10m streams on Oricon

  BTS ranked the highest on Oricon’s weekly streaming chart with “Film Out,” according to the latest tally that came out on Wednesday.  The band’s newest Japanese single amassed over 11.67 million streams last week, becoming its second song with more than 10 million weekly streaming on the chart after last year’s “Dynamite.” This is the first time ever a male artist had two songs with over 10 million weekly streams, according to the Japanese t

April 14, 2021

BTS member Jimin's 'hanbok' suit up for auction

A traditional Korean outfit that Jimin of BTS wore in a performance will be up for auction, with the bidding price beginning at 5 million won ($4,476), a local auction house said Wednesday. Jimin appeared in the "hanbok," traditional Korean attire, designed by Kim Rieul in the K-pop act's opening stage for "BTS Week" special on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" that aired in September. Clad in dark hues of hanbok, the seven-piece act wowed fans with a

April 14, 2021

Avignon Festival to screen in Seoul

The LG Arts Center is to hold the Avignon Festival Cinema event from April 28 to May 2, screening some works from the famed performing arts festival based in the southern city of France. The festival, featuring innovative and experimental performing arts shows, garners some 500,000 attendees every summer. It is a prestigious performing arts event, considered alongside the Edinburgh Festival. The center will screen four signature pieces presented at the Avignon Festival, along with a work r

April 14, 2021

[Newsmaker] Seo Yea-ji stares down controversy yet again

Controversy surrounding actor Seo Yea-ji has continued to mount, as more allegations of bullying have surfaced, despite denials from her agency in an official statement. An alleged staffer that used to work with the actress posted on an online portal early Wednesday morning that Seo had regularly mistreated her staff members in her agency, Gold Medalist. “As a staff member going around in the same car with her for several years, verbal abuse was nothing. She smoked in the car, so I suff

April 14, 2021

Jung Yong-hwa to release Chinese EP in collaboration with JJ Lin, R3hab

South Korean singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa will release a Chinese EP, which includes songs he worked on with Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin and Moroccan-Dutch DJ R3hab, his agency said Wednesday. Titled "Stay in Touch," the four-track album is set for release on June 22, the 31-year-old singer's birthday, according to FNC Entertainment. Ahead of the release, Jung will first drop the single "Checkmake" (R3hab Remix) on Friday. FNC explained R3hab worked on an EDM version

April 14, 2021

[Herald Interview] Gong Yoo says ‘Seobok’ is thought-provoking film about purpose of life

When actor Gong Yoo first read the script for his upcoming film “Seobok,” he felt like it was asking him a question. “I felt like it was asking me ‘So, what is the purpose of your life?’,” Gong Yoo told local reporters during a joint media interview Tuesday via Zoom. “I could not give an answer to that question. This experience stunned and interested me.” He explained that he decided to perform for “Seobok” because it was not only wri

April 14, 2021

K-pop girl group ITZY set to release EP 'Guess Who' this month

K-pop girl group ITZY is ready to come back with its fourth EP, "Guess Who," later this month, its agency said Wednesday. The album, due out on April 30, includes main track "In the Morning" produced by their label founder and K-pop guru Park Jin-young, according to JYP Entertainment. The six-track EP also includes songs by songwriters who have collaborated with top-notch K-pop acts BTS, TWICE and IU like KASS, danke and earattack, it added. ITZY, consisting of Yeji, Ryuji

April 14, 2021

[Herald Interview] Why K-pop juggernaut Hybe invested millions into AI sound startup Supertone

In February, Hybe, the new name for megahit K-pop group BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment, invested a hefty 4 billion won ($3.6 million) in artificial intelligence sound company Supertone. One of the first major moves taken by the K-pop powerhouse since going public in October 2020, the investment shed light on the new possibilities that AI has opened up. Supertone’s technology is about creating hyper-realistic voice that can sing. Simply put, Supertone’s system clones and syn

April 14, 2021

BTS enters Billboard Hot 100 with new Japanese single

K-pop dynamo BTS has done it again. After making it on the Billboard's main singles chart with its Korean and English songs, the group landed its new Japanese single on the Hot 100. "Film Out," the seven-piece act's Japanese single released on April 2, ranked No. 81 on the Hot 100 chart Billboard announced on Tuesday (US time). The song also topped the Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart and ranked No. 3 and No. 5 on the Billboard Global Excl. US and Billboard Global 200 charts, res

April 14, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Kang Daniel compares new album to diary

Kang Daniel talked about his third EP, “Yellow,” at a media conference held in southern Seoul on Tuesday. 　 It had only been two months since his single “Paranoia,” and he explained that the EP had been completed first but was so strong that he’d decided to put out the single first. 　 “(The EP) has been in the planning for a long time and is like a diary that holds things I’ve been wanting to say,” he said. 　 “Yellow” is the third a

April 13, 2021

Hit romance film director returns with sci-fi flick about first human clone ‘Seobok’

Director Lee Yong-joo, who is known for “Architecture 101,” a hit romance film that came out in 2012, has returned with a science fiction film about the first human clone “Seobok.” “I changed the genre of movie that I make, and this was not done on purpose,” Lee said during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. “My first film was the horror film ‘Living Death,’ and it was about human fears. After that, I have always wante

April 13, 2021

Osmo Vanska’s 2021 SPO season to begin with Sibelius

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s music director, Osmo Vanska, will deliver his first performance of the 2021 season Thursday and Friday at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul. At this week’s performances, the orchestra will present Bartok’s “Dance Suite,” Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39, and Eotvos’ “Speaking Drums” for percussion solo and orchestra, featuring percussionist Bak Hye-ji, under the baton of Vanska. After p

April 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] Korean entertainment companies wary of Chinese money

The entertainment industry is on high alert for Chinese money in South Korean dramas after the SBS historical drama “Joseon Exorcist” was canceled after just two episodes last month. One of the criticisms leveled at “Joseon Exorcist” was that Chinese foods -- such as moon cakes and Chinese-style dumplings -- as well as Chinese-style sets and props were used in the drama, which was set in Korea’s Joseon Kingdom. Although the drama was made with 100 percent Korean

April 13, 2021

[Newsmaker] 'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho to present at upcoming Oscars

Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of South Korean black comedy "Parasite," will be part of a 15-member "ensemble cast" that will present at the Academy Awards later this month. Bong, who directed the 2019 film that fetched four Oscars, including best picture and best director, will join former winners and nominees to present at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony slated for April 25 (US time). The list of the first round of presenters, released on the Academy of Motion

April 13, 2021

BLACKPINK amasses 60m subscribers on YouTube: agency

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK now has more than 60 million subscribers around the world following its YouTube channel, the biggest account based in South Korea and the second largest among global artists, the band's agency said Tuesday. The number of subscribers for the four-piece act's YouTube channel passed the milestone at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday, with cumulative views hitting more than 17 billion, according to YG Entertainment. The group's most-watched videos include the 2018 release "D

April 13, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to drop 1st LP in May

NCT Dream will return with its first studio album titled “Hot Sauce” on May 10, its label SM Entertainment announced Monday. 　 The album will consist of ten tracks and will span multiple genres. 　 The subunit of NCT originally debuted as a group of teenagers -- Mark, Renjun, Haechan, Jaemin, Chenle and Jisung. Mark left the team when he turned 20 in 2018, but SM Entertainment has since changed the group’s age requirement, and he will return for the LP. It will be the singer&

April 12, 2021

‘Snowdrop’ Cheong Wa Dae petition gets 200,000-plus signatures

An online petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding a halt to the production of the upcoming JTBC drama “Snowdrop” awaits an official response from the presidential office, having gathered more than 200,000 petitioners as of Monday. The Cheong Wa Dae website states that a Cheong Wa Dae representative will respond to any online petition signed by more than 200,000 people within 30 days of its posting. As of 2 p.m. on Monday, 205,812 people had signed the petition. “Sno

April 12, 2021

[Newsmaker] Youn Yuh-jung bags another trophy at BAFTAs

In the film “Minari,” Korean grandmother Soon-ja, played by Youn Yuh-jung, arrives in the US with her luggage packed with seeds for Korean vegetables and other home goods for her daughter. Youn’s own bag has been overflowing with trophies from the US for her acting in “Minari” alone, and on Monday, she added another feather to her cap with one from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. At the BAFTA ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Yo

April 12, 2021

BLACKPINK's Rose sets 2 Guinness World Records with solo release

Rose, the main vocalist of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, has set two Guinness World Records (GWR) titles with her recent debut solo release. The singer, who debuted as a member of the four-piece group in 2016, released her first solo EP "R," featuring songs "On the Ground" and "Gone," in March. "On the Ground," the Korean-New Zealand singer's debut main track, was certified as the most-watched YouTube music video in its first 24 hours of release by a solo

April 12, 2021