Over 35 million viewers watch SM Town Live on New Year’s Day

S.M. Entertainment’s livestreamed global music festival SM Town Live drew a record-breaking 35 million-plus viewers on New Year’s Day, the company said Saturday. Viewers in 186 countries streamed the concert, featuring the likes of Taeyeon, Taemin, Red Velvet, NCT 127, SuperM and aespa. Themed “culture humanity,” this year’s show was online only and free to watch on videostreaming platforms such as V Live, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok. Taeyeon said she&r

Jan. 2, 2021

‘Youn’s Stay’ hopes to give foreigners little taste of Korea

New tvN entertainment show “Youn’s Stay” plans to bring the warmth of hanok, or traditional Korean houses, to the small screen this winter. In the program from star director Na Young-seok, veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung runs a hanok guest house in Gurye, South Jeolla Province, for foreigners who have been in Korea for less than a year. Guests include those who came to Korea on business or for education, as the COVID-19 situation hinders tourist travel. While Youn’s previ

Jan. 1, 2021

COVID-19 decimates theaters, Netflix takes over

Coming in at 226 million, the number of theatergoers in Korea in 2019 was a record high. Five movies surpassed 10 million ticket sales and the main concern was the monopolization of screens by CJ and Disney (mainly Marvel) movies. A PwC report predicted in 2019 that the number of theatergoers would increase at an average of 4% per annum for the global movie market until 2023. That all changed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, making 2020 a year that the movie industry would rather forg

Jan. 1, 2021

Actors Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin dating since March: agency

Star actor Hyun Bin and his on-screen partner in the hit drama "Crash Landing On You," Son Ye-jin, have been dating for eight months, their agencies confirmed Friday. "The two have become intimate as co-stars and have developed such intimacy into a romantic one as lovers after the series concluded," said VAST Entertainment, the management of Hyun Bin, in a statement. The two had repeatedly denied the dating rumors. Rumors had particularly intensified during their costarrin

Jan. 1, 2021

Kim Go-eun to star in new webtoon-based drama ‘Yumi’s Cells’

  South Korean production firm Studio Dragon on Thursday confirmed that it has cast actor Kim Go-eun as the protagonist in the upcoming webtoon-based drama “Yumi’s Cells.” Kim will play Kim Yumi, an ordinary woman in her 30s. “I think many people were able to enjoy happy and sad moments while reading about an ordinary woman character Yumi’s love life for such a long time because it is relatable. I am looking forward to starting on this journey,” Kim s

Dec. 31, 2020

BTS wins special award at Japan Record Awards

BTS has become the inaugural winner of a special category at the Japan Record Awards hosted by Japanese broadcaster TBS, the band's agency said Thursday. The septet won the Special International Music Award at the 62nd Japan Record Awards that was broadcasted live late Wednesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS, which was the sole overseas artist that won a trophy at this year's ceremony, performed its hit songs "Dynamite" and "Life Goes On." It was the group's firs

Dec. 31, 2020

‘Delayed Justice’ returns with Jung Woo-sung

After three weeks of reorganization, SBS drama series “Delayed Justice,” starring veteran actor Kwon Sang-woo, will return with its 13th episode on New Year’s Day. Jung Woo-sung, who replaces actor Bae Seung-woo following a drunk driving incident, will join the TV drama starting from the 17th episode, adding more star power to the program.　 The decision to take a three-week break following its 12th episode on Dec. 12 was made after reports surfaced that Bae was caught drivin

Dec. 31, 2020

[Graphic News] BTS 6th-most-tweeted-about people worldwide in 2020

　K-pop superstars BTS ranked as the sixth-most-tweeted-about people globally, data from Twitter showed, reflecting the seven-member group’s strong influence on the social media platform. 　While US President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden topped the list, BTS was one of two music acts to make the list of the 10 most-tweeted-about global figures. The other was American rapper Kanye West. 　BTS also topped Twitter’s list of the most-tweeted-about K-pop accounts globally

Dec. 31, 2020

Star lecturer Seol announces departure from all shows, admitting plagiarism

Star lecturer Seol Min-seok said he will leave all programs in which he appears, admitting to plagiarism of his master’s degree thesis written 10 years ago. He holds a master’s degree in history education from Yonsei University. “I sincerely apologize for causing concerns over thesis plagiarism which was reported on news today. I admit I neglected my research and was not sufficiently thorough with noting references and footnotes,” he wrote via Facebook on Tuesday. &ldquo

Dec. 30, 2020

Illegal websites, pandemic-related problems hamper growing webtoon market: KOCCA report

With many webtoons being made into movies, TV dramas and games, the medium is enjoying new heights of popularity. Although COVID-19 has made the creation of webtoons more difficult, it could not stop the fast growth of the industry. At the same time, however, illegal websites that feature pirated webtoons have persisted with no signs of abating, despite governmental efforts. The Korea Creative Content Agency and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism released its 2020 annual report on the

Dec. 30, 2020

[Herald Interview] Pop stars and ‘MORE’: Girl group K/DA comes ‘ALL OUT’ with first EP

Last month a girl group like no other, K/DA, dropped its first EP two years after its official debut. "ALL OUT” follows the smash single “POP/STARS,” released in November 2018. The group started with Ahri, a K-pop artist who made her debut in 2013 and shot to fame in less than three years. But like many artists, Ahri encountered troubles with her agency. Instead of going with the flow, she sought out and recruited current bandmates Kai’Sa, Evelynn and Akali so the

Dec. 29, 2020

[Herald Interview] How K/DA became the ultimate music fan experience, and beyond

The debut of K/DA, the virtual girl group of four characters from online arena game League of Legends, in 2018 could have ended as just a one-time gift for loyal fans of the game. But with the release of the group’s first single “POP/STARS” and their real-life stage performance at the 2018 World Championship Finals opening ceremony in South Korea that year, the song, along with the four members -- Ahri, Kai’Sa, Evelynn and Akali -- received acknowledgement even beyond t

Dec. 29, 2020

Cha In-pyo hopes to overcome slump with Netflix comedy film ‘What Happened to Mr. Cha?’

Cha In-pyo is an actor who enjoyed immense popularity in the 1990s. Now living on his past glory, Cha hopes to make a comeback but no one is willing to cast him. This description is true both for the 53-year-old South Korean actor and the fictional character of the same name in the upcoming Netflix production “What Happened to Mr. Cha?” “Instead of creating a completely fictional character, I wanted to use Cha’s existing image. I thought that it would make it easier fo

Dec. 28, 2020

SM Entertainment to stream free online concert

SM Entertainment said Monday it will hold a free online concert on the first day of next year to give comfort to those fighting against the novel coronavirus pandemic across the world. The "SMTOWN Live" concert will be live streamed this Friday on social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter and Beyond Live, an online channel run by South Korea's Naver. Under the theme of "Culture Humanity," SM's top artists like TVXQ, Super Junior, Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, SHINee

Dec. 28, 2020

Fast paced romance of 'Lovestruck in the City' captures audience

Just 10 minutes into watching Kakao TV’s latest drama, “Lovestruck in the City,” viewers realize it’s not your ordinary K-drama with a sequential plot. The Kakao TV original drama, with episodes also released on Netflix two hours after the Kakao TV release, targets the young generation with its fast-paced and unique storytelling, combining interviews of different characters and flashbacks to tell the love stories of young people in the city. The first episode of the 16

Dec. 27, 2020

[Herald Interview] Opera in times of COVID-19

Like most people now, conductor Sebastian Lang Lessing’s plans for the festive period have been thwarted. The 54-year-old conductor stayed in Korea for more than three months to lead two operas with the Korea National Opera. The German-born conductor, who has led the Hamburg State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin and other orchestras around the world, has been maintaining a close relationship with Korea‘s state opera company since 2018, taking the baton for operas “Manon&rdq

Dec. 26, 2020

IYF hosts global dance competition to give joy amid pandemic

International Youth Fellowship -- an international Christian youth organization -- held a global dance competition “Online Creative Dance Competition” that was streamed live on Saturday on its official YouTube channel under the title “Shall we dance like the stars?” The dance competition aimed to foster hope and offer joy to people amid the pandemic, according to the organization. A total of 30 selected teams from around the world -- 20 teams from Korea and 15 teams fr

Dec. 26, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Josee (Korea) Opened Dec. 10 Romance, Drama Directed by Kim Jong-kwan University student Young-seok (Nam Joo-hyuk) bumps into Josee (Han Ji-min), who uses a wheelchair, and falls in love. Young-seok finds out that Josee lives with her grandmother and barely leaves her house. As he develops feelings toward her, Yeong-seok approaches her slowly and also attempts to show her the real world.　 　 Good Neighbor (Korea) Opened Nov. 25 Drama Directed by Lee Hwan-kyung Agent Dae-kwon (Jung Woo) is tas

Dec. 25, 2020

Golden Globes’ ‘Minari’ snub draws racial discrimination controversy

Voices of criticism rose in Hollywood concerning the Golden Globes refusal to consider “Minari” for the main film categories because of its heavy use of Korean dialogue. The film by Korean-American director Lee Issac Chung depicts a story of a first-generation Korean immigrant family in pursuit of the American dream based in Middle America in the 1980s. “Minari,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, has been seen as a strong contender for the O

Dec. 25, 2020

[Feature] Hot to trot: Singers reign supreme on Korean small screen

The year of 2020 was the year of trot music, especially on the small screen. Trot music, which is thought to have grown out of Japanese Enka in the early 20th century, developed in its own style over the years to become a favorite of older generations. But in recent years, trot has been broadening its fan base, attracting new fans, including those from younger age groups. The latest wave of popularity began with trot singer Song Ga-in, who was crowned “Ms. Trot” in a smash hit T

Dec. 23, 2020