K-pop singer Chungha tests positive for coronavirus

Singer Chungha has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, her agency said Monday, as a huge wave of mass infections has been penetrating the K-pop industry. "After being aware that she has come into contact with a COVID-19 patient, Chungha got tested and received the positive result Monday," MNH Entertainment said in an announcement posted on a fansite. It said the singer has halted all schedules and gone into self-isolation, while her colleagues, staff members and other close co

Dec. 7, 2020

Movie theaters screen TV drama series amid protracted pandemic

South Korea's movie theaters have been opening their doors to television series as part of efforts to survive the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic. CGV, a multiplex chain run by entertainment giant CJ Group, will start screening the fantasy romance "Breakup Suspension" on Wednesday before the series hits the small screen later this month. "Breakup Suspension," starring Yuri of K-pop girl band Girls' Generation and Hyun Woo, is a story about a woman who has to leave her

Dec. 7, 2020

BTS' new album 'BE' ranks No. 3 on Billboard 200

"BE," the latest album by K-pop megastar BTS, came in at No. 3 on the Billboard's weekly main albums chart. "BTS' 'Be' falls from No. 1 to No. 3 on the new Billboard 200 in its second week," the US music publication and chart tracker reported on Sunday (US time). The band earned 55,000 equivalent album units, down 77 percent from the previous week, it said. "BE," fronted by the ballad "Life Goes On," is an eight-track album released on Nov. 20. It is the

Dec. 7, 2020

BTS wins big, performs at K-pop awards show MAMA 2020

After winning trophies at major music awards around the world, BTS picked up the top prizes at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA), the biggest year-end music awards show in the K-pop industry, held late Sunday. The seven-piece group took home all four of the grand prizes -- Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Worldwide Icon of the Year -- at the annual music ceremony that was held virtually amid the new coronavirus pandemic. BTS also picked up Best Male Group, as well a

Dec. 7, 2020

How K-webtoons jumped from online to TV, theaters

More and more webtoons, or web comics, are being made into dramas and movies, as the rich storytelling format gains broader popularity. Webtoons are comics posted online that are read by scrolling down the screen, a presentation format that is unique to Korea. While some webtoons had existed online on personal blogs and websites, it was when popular local web portals like Naver and Daum started releasing daily webtoons that the market really expanded. In its early days in the early 2000s, web

Dec. 7, 2020

Stage lights go off after Seoul orders shutdown

As the Seoul capital has gone into a partial lockdown and Korea has decided to raise distancing regulations for the metropolitan area, the lights have gone out at performing art stages and cinemas across the city. With the South Korean government announcing the Level 2.5 distancing, the second highest notch in the country’s five-tier COVID-19 scheme, performing arts venues will have to leave the two thirds of audience seats empty from Tuesday. The tight limitations on the audience capac

Dec. 6, 2020

Youn Yuh-jung wins Best Supporting Actress at Sunset Circle Awards

Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung won the award for best supporting actress at the Sunset Circle Awards on Tuesday for her role in “Minari,” by director Lee Isaac Chung. The 73-year-old actress won over other nominees, Amanda Seyfried of “Mank,” Amy Adams of “Hillbilly Elegy,” Zazie Beetz of “Nine Days” and Oliva Colman of “The Father.” As many of them are thought to be in the running for 2021 Oscar nominations, Youn’s win raises hope

Dec. 5, 2020

Pianist Kim Sun-wook’s recital canceled due to pandemic

Kim Sun-wook’s piano recital scheduled for Monday at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, has been canceled. Classical music concert organizer Vincero said the decision to indefinitely postpone Kim’s recital was made soon after the Seoul city government announced Friday afternoon that stricter social distancing rules would be in effect from Saturday to Dec. 18. This is not the first time that a performance of Kim’s has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dec. 4, 2020

SIFF organizer connects local indie movie creators with distributors

The organizer of the Seoul Independent Film Festival announced Friday that its two-day event “Next Link,” held Tuesday and Wednesday to connect indie movie creators with distributors, was a success. The event at the Eyelove Art Center in Gangnam, Seoul, was organized jointly with Indie Ground, an independent movie retail and distribution hub created by the Korean Film Council in August. Short and feature-length indie films had separate sessions during the event where the directors

Dec. 4, 2020

Paik Jong-won to star in Netflix original series ‘Paik’s Spirit’

Online TV platform Netflix announced the making of a new project Friday titled “Paik’s Spirit,” featuring food researcher, businessman and entertainer Paik Jong-won. On the show, Paik will have a drink with guests in diverse fields who represent South Korea and will talk about their stories, as well as the stories behind the liquors they prefer. “Paik’s Spirit” will be Netflix’s first reality series introducing Korean drinks, food and culture. Paik wi

Dec. 4, 2020

Celebrities self-quarantine after Lee Chan-won tests positive for COVID-19

After popular trot singer Lee Chan-won tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, celebrities who had come into contact with him were quickly tested and quarantined. How Lee got infected is unknown. On Thursday morning, Lee’s agency New Era Project announced that the singer had tested positive and gone into self-quarantine. “Currently, everyone associated with Lee Chan-won is being tested, and some have already finished testing and are in self-quarantine,” said New Era Projec

Dec. 4, 2020

BTS tops Billboard's year-end Top Artists Duo/Group chart

After a record-breaking 2020, BTS has ranked No. 1 on the Billboard's year-end Top Artists Duo/Group chart for the first time in its career, the US music publication reported. "BTS is the first non-US act to be the year's top duo/group since British/Irish boy band One Direction led in both 2015 and 2014," the Billboard reported Thursday (US time). It added that the band ranked No. 18 in the overall Top Artists chart. BTS ranked second place on the chart in 2017, 2018 and 2019, when T

Dec. 4, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Freaky (US) Opened Nov. 25 Comedy, Horror Directed by Christopher Landon A serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) murders four teenagers and steals an ancient dagger known as La Dola. The next day, bullied high school student Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) is attacked by the Butcher. The serial killer stabs Millie in the shoulder with La Dola, causing an identical wound to instantly appear on his shoulder. Fortunately, Millie‘s older sister Charlene, a police office

Dec. 4, 2020

Back with new album, GOT7 feels more responsible for music

It’s been a while since the group entered a stable orbit, and GOT7 feels responsible for its musical output more than ever. Back with new album “Breath of Love: Last Piece,” the seven bandmates, having participated directly in the creative process, expressed their hopes to continue growing as musicians with an unwavering mindset. “I get more serious about music each time we release an album. Since it‘s the same as producing my output and leaving my trace, I thin

Dec. 3, 2020

W400m budget created for project to support Asian artists’ K-pop training

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a budget of 400 million won ($365,000) for the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism’s project to support Asian artists’ K-pop training. The amount is far less than the 1.5 billion won the Culture Ministry initially hoped for to conduct the project with six groups from three other Asian countries. “Since the budget has been slashed to 400 million won. we will have to adjust our initial plan and conduct a program with less than six g

Dec. 3, 2020

BLACKPINK to hold first livestream concert this month

K-pop group BLACKPINK is set to hold its first-ever online concert in collaboration with YouTube Music later this month, its management agency said Thursday. The concert, titled "YG Palm Stage - 2020 BLACKPINK: The Show," will take place at 2 p.m. on Dec. 27, according to YG Entertainment. It will be the four-piece band's first time performing in a concert in roughly 17 months since it wrapped up a successful global tour in 23 countries in four continents. YG Entertainment said BLAC

Dec. 3, 2020

Rookie girl group NiziU tops Japan music chart with debut album

JYP Entertainment's new girl group NiziU has landed at No. 1 on Japan's Oricon music chart with its debut single album, the company said Thursday. The nine-piece group's album "Step and a Step" topped the daily CD single chart on the Oricon, according to the agency. The album, released on Wednesday, includes the lead track "Step and a Step," written by JYP chief and K-pop guru Park Jin-young, as well as the pre-debut track "Make You Happy." "Make You Happy&q

Dec. 3, 2020

'Idol' becomes 5th BTS music video to hit 800m YouTube views

The music video of "Idol," K-pop superstar BTS' 2018 hit song, has surpassed 800 million views on YouTube, its agency said Thursday. The video reached the milestone at around 6:14 p.m. Wednesday, just a day after the BTS music video "MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) topped 800 million views, according to Big Hit Entertainment. Big Hit said the 2018 song has exceeded 900 million views when including another version of the "Idol" music video featuring American pop star Nicki

Dec. 3, 2020

“The Call” director reaches out to global audiences with Netflix debut

Director Lee Chung-hyun‘s highly anticipated thriller “The Call” was released through Netflix on Friday, after several delays in its theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Releasing on Netflix means the film will not only be viewed by Koreans, but by audiences in 190 countries, an advantage not lost on the 30-year-old director. “It was interesting to receive feedback from many people living abroad, especially from other Asian countries,” Lee told The K

Dec. 2, 2020

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon to give virtual reality tour of Lotte Concert Hall

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon is planning to show the public around the Lotte Concert Hall in virtual reality. The Lotte Foundation for Arts and LG Uplus, a major local telecom operator, joined hands to present a VR tour of the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, featuring celebrated pianist Sunwoo Yekwon as the docent. In the first video, Sunwoo appears in the audience and looks around the venue, joined by a house manager. They walk around the vineyard-style classical music concert hall, bui

Dec. 2, 2020