Ballerino Kim Ki-min’s performance in Seoul canceled

Ballerino Kim Ki-min will not perform at the staging of “La Bayadere” in Seoul in April, as the organizer said on Wednesday he was not granted an exemption from a mandatory two-week, self-quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim, the principal dancer of the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, was to perform in the Korea National Ballet’s “La Bayadere“ scheduled for next month, along with Olga Smirnova, a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet. The K

March 31, 2021

JTBC doubles down on denial of history distortion

Broadcaster JTBC on Tuesday hit back at criticisms of history distortion by releasing part of its plot for their upcoming drama “Snowdrop.” “Snowdrop,” a romance drama featuring actor Jung Hae-in and Blackpink’s Jisoo, is set to air in the second half of this year. Based on earlier released synopsis and character descriptions, some inferred that the plot revolved around a North Korean spy and the South Korean pro-democracy movement in the 1980s. Critics said th

March 31, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Baekhyun discusses new record-setting EP

Baekhyun of EXO talked about his new EP, “Bambi,” at an online media conference Tuesday. 　 “Through ‘Bambi,’ you will be able to see that Baekhyun has grown from a boy into a young man,” said the artist, adding that fans would feel his maturity as a 30-year-old (Korean age). He agonized over how to be sexy without coming on too strong, he added. 　 The EP, his third as a soloist, consists of six R&B tracks. One, “Amusement Park,” was dropped

March 30, 2021

Baekhyun gifts fans with R&B-packed ‘Bambi’

Baekhyun of boy band EXO is dropping a new solo album, “Bambi,” which is packed with relaxed yet emotional R&B chords. The artist attended a press conference Tuesday ahead of the album’s release later that day. Fellow EXO member Xiumin was master of ceremonies at the event, which was livestreamed online due to coronavirus concerns. According to Baekhyun, the title track is a fairytale-like song that tells a mature love story through groovy R&B sounds. “‘

March 30, 2021

Bands turn to silver screen to perform in pandemic times

With music halls and auditoriums shut down or under strict limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year, bands are turning to “performing” at local cinemas. Under the government’s social distancing scheme, audience numbers at concerts are limited to under 100. Though the rules were relaxed in late-February for musicals and classical music performances -- the number of people in the audience is not capped as long as the middle-seat vacancy rule is practiced -

March 30, 2021

YouTube’s ‘K-Pop Evolution’ examines rise of K-pop, K-pop idol life

The new YouTube Originals series “K-Pop Evolution” will trace the rise of K-pop to global prominence. The seven-part English docuseries will kick off Wednesday at 10 p.m., and a new episode will be uploaded each week. The show chronicles the growth of the now 10 billion dollar K-pop industry from its birth with Seo Taiji and Boys in the 1990s to its current global popularity. K-pop idols from different generations -- SuperM, H.O.T., BoA, Super Junior, Kara, Ha:tfelt of Wonder Girls

March 30, 2021

Remake rights to Mnet's 'I Can See Your Voice' sold to France, Belgium, Canada

"I Can See Your Voice," a music entertainment show from South Korean cable music network Mnet, has been newly sold to three countries, the company said Tuesday. Mnet said it has signed new remake export deals with broadcasters in France, Belgium and Canada, raising to 18 the total number of countries that purchased the format, including the United States and Britain. Since launching in 2015, "I Can See Your Voice" has been highly popular in Korea, continuing into its eight

March 30, 2021

'We feel grief and anger,' BTS speaks out against anti-Asian racism

Joining the widening "Stop Asian Hate" movement, triggered by the recent deadly shootings in Atlanta, K-pop boy band BTS condemned racial discrimination and violence in a resolute Twitter message Tuesday. "We feel grief and anger," BTS said in a message posted both in Korean and English on its official Twitter account. "We send our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones," the band said, apparently referring to the bereaved families of the vic

March 30, 2021

First stand-alone Grammy performance meaningful to BTS

K-pop sensation BTS has said its first stand-alone performance at this year's Grammy Awards was meaningful enough to offset their loss for one of the world's most coveted music honors. "There are many Grammy trophies up for grabs, but there were only 20 singers who had onstage performances during the ceremony. So we thought it would be better performing than winning," leader and rapper RM said during "Let's BTS," a self-branded talk show on KBS on Monday. "Nevertheless

March 30, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s Hoshi to release 1st solo mixtape

  Hoshi of Seventeen floated two concept photos for his first solo gig at midnight on Monday. 　 Befitting the title of the mixtape, “Spider,” the idol struck a pose amid an entangled web, against a bold red backdrop. 　 He is coming out with his first solo mixtape on April 2 that will be rolled out on major music sites including iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music as well as global platform SoundCloud, said agency Pledis Entertainment. 　 Hoshi has been leading the performance team

March 29, 2021

Park Soo-hong confirms his brother ran with Park’s earnings

Longtime comedian Park Soo-hong confirmed Monday that he is in a financial dispute with his brother and sister-in-law, after rumors of the conflict circulated online over the weekend. The matter was brought to light when someone claimed in a comment to Park’s YouTube channel that his brother, who has been the entertainer‘s manager for 30 years at Park’s one-man agency, took all of his earnings for 30 years, estimated to be over 10 billion won ($8.8 million). The post also cla

March 29, 2021

Park Na-rae under fire for inappropriate remarks despite apology

Despite an apology from comedian Park Na-rae for making sexually explicit remarks and gestures on a YouTube show, controversy over her appearance on the small screen continues. Park has come under fire over the past several days for making “inappropriate” remarks and gestures on CJ ENM’s web reality show “Hey Narae.” While there have been calls for terrestrial broadcaster MBC to pull Park off from its weekly entertainment shows “I Live Alone” and &

March 29, 2021

'Godzilla vs. Kong' tops weekend box office in S. Korea

The American monster film "Godzilla vs. Kong" topped the South Korean box office over the weekend, ending the three-week reign of Oscar-nominated "Minari," data showed Monday. Released Thursday, "Godzilla" garnered 285,000 viewers from Friday to Sunday to change the box office leader for the first time in three weeks, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. The fourth franchise film of Warner Bros' "MonsterVerse" series is effectively the first

March 29, 2021

[Newsmaker] SBS ‘Joseon Exorcist’ writer, cast apologize for historical controversy

The writer and cast of SBS ‘Joseon Exorcist’ on Saturday released apology statements for taking part in the show that depicts Korean history inaccurately. “I sincerely apologize for the trouble my inconsiderate script has caused to viewers over the past few days,” writer Park Kye-ok said in a statement. “I should have learned from my past mistakes and presented a better story as a writer, I made viewers angry with my lack of judgment.” The apology statement

March 28, 2021

K-pop stars take to English podcasts, reach global audience

As more and more K-pop singers gain prominence on the global stage, the demand for English-language K-pop content is on the rise. Comments on many of the videos featuring K-pop stars contain requests for English subtitles. “I sometimes joke with my (BTS) Army friends that the biggest fear as international Army is not having subtitles for BTS videos,” a BTS fan living in the Philippines, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Korea Herald. Army is the band’s official

March 28, 2021

Music returns to Tongyeong

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- During the last week of March, the city of Tongyeong was covered in pink, with cherry blossoms at their peak and pink banners displayed across the city for the 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival. The annual festival kicked off Friday under the title “Changing Reality.” Last year’s festival was canceled due to COVID-19 -- the first cancellation since the festival started in 2002. Though the virus continues to spread rapidly ac

March 28, 2021

Ballad singer Hwang Chi-yeul to release new album next month

South Korean ballad singer Hwang Chi-yeul will release an album next month, returning with new music after more than two years, his management agency said Sunday. Titled "Be My Reason," the EP will drop at 6 p.m. on Friday, according to Ten2 Entertainment. Hwang's most recent release was his second full-length Korean album, "The Four Seasons," released in January 2019. The six-track album will entirely consist of ballad songs, including the main track, "Two Letters,&qu

March 28, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Kang Daniel reveals title of focus track

  Kang Daniel has announced the name of his title track from his upcoming EP - “Antidote.” 　 His agency Connect Entertainment posted a video snippet of his new EP “Yellow” at Friday midnight along with the title of the lead track. The musician participated in writing the lyrics for the alternative R&B number infused with rock, a signal that he is attempting to push the limits of his musical spectrum. 　 “It will be interesting to see how the story weaves in

March 26, 2021

Wavve to invest W1tr in original content by 2025

Largest South Korean over-the-top platform Wavve on Friday announced that it will proceed with investing 1 trillion won ($885 million) in original content through 2025. Wavve is a joint venture between SK Telecom and terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS and the biggest local OTT platform. “Through investment in original content, we hope to expand the partnership between broadcasters, production companies and intellectual property holders. We will also work to discover smaller-size

March 26, 2021

Watcha movies hit CGV screens

Streaming platform Watcha will have screens dedicated to showing Watcha movies at 14 CGV theaters around the nation starting April 1. Eleven Watcha movies will be shown throughout April. “Little Joe” (2019) and “Swallow” (2019) will be available in all 14 theaters while “House of Hummingbird,” “Microhabitat,” “Bleak Night,” “Moving On,” “Worst Woman” and “Cheer Up Mr. Lee” will be shown for two wee

March 26, 2021