[Herald Interview] AKMU Suhyun to debut solo with dance pop single ‘Alien’

AKMU’s Lee Suhyun is stepping forward to show her own colors with her first solo single “Alien.” “Working as part of AKMU, I realized my musical preference was evolving, and feeling the change, I wanted to produce something of just my taste. That was how ‘Alien’ was born,” Suhyun said in an interview with The Korea Herald ahead of the single’s official release at 6 p.m. Friday. “It’s full of unique yet peppy sounds. And I hope that,

Oct. 16, 2020

Two more Korean movies likely to debut on Netflix amid pandemic

A local distributor of two South Korean movies is considering releasing the films on Netflix without theatrical runs as the novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted their opening schedules, a company official said Friday. The thriller "Call," starring Park Shin-hye, was first planned to hit local screens in March, but the release has been postponed for several months due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The distributor has also been struggling to fix the release date for the crime thriller

Oct. 16, 2020

Upcoming album by Seventeen exceeds 1m in presales

The upcoming special album by K-pop boy band Seventeen has scored more than 1 million preorders ahead of its release next week, the group's management agency said Friday. "Presales of 'Semicolon' topped 1.1 million as of Friday," Pledis Entertainment said. "It is expected to become its second million-seller album, following the previous 'Heng:garae.'" The 13-member band will release its new special album "Semicolon" on Monday, along with the music video of its tit

Oct. 16, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? (US) Opened Oct. 8 Comedy Directed by Richard Linklater Architect-turned-recluse Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) lives in Seattle with her husband Elgin Branch (Billy Crudup), and their 15-year-old daughter Balakrishna (Emma Nelson). One day, Bernadette’s daughter requests a family trip to Antarctica, which she reluctantly agrees to. As Bernadette prepares for the trip with her Siri-like virtual assistant named Manjula in India, an FBI agent comes to Be

Oct. 16, 2020

BTS wins fourth Top Social Artist prize at Billboard Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS won the Top Social Artist award at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), their fourth consecutive victory in the category. At the award event held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles without spectators on Wednesday (US time), the septet beat Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, as well as fellow K-pop acts EXO and GOT7. BTS has won the fan-voted Top Social Artist category since 2017. The group thanked its global fanbase, called "Army," for helping it earn the awa

Oct. 15, 2020

BTS becomes 1st artist to top Billboard Social 50 chart for 200th consecutive week

K-pop superstar BTS became the first-ever musical act in history to top Billboard's Social 50 chart for 200 weeks in a row this week. Billboard said Tuesday (US time) that BTS ranked No. 1 on this week's Social 50 chart, reigning the chart for the longest ever streak by any musician. The Social 50 chart, launched in December 2010, measures an artist's popularity and engagement on social media. The seven-member boy band first landed on the chart in October 2016, climbed to No. 1 on July 29, 2

Oct. 14, 2020

Rhee Keun sues Kim Yong-ho while assault victim demands end to mention of the case

Rhee Keun, also known as Ken Rhee, sued YouTube content creator Kim Yong-ho on Wednesday for claiming that Rhee lied about having worked at the United Nations. Kim raised suspicions about the document that Rhee, popularly known as “Lt. Lee,” posted on Instagram on Monday as proof of his stint at the UN. An earlier video by Kim had raised questioned about Rhee’s career record. Rhee sued Kim on charges of obstruction, defamation and dissemination of false information at around

Oct. 14, 2020

BLACKPINK says filming Netflix doc was 'much-needed time' for K-pop group

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK called its latest project -- appearing in the first K-pop documentary produced by Netflix -- something that gave "much-needed time" for the quartet that has emerged as one of the most successful acts in the K-pop industry. Netflix is set to release "BLACKPINK: Light up the Sky," an original documentary that follows BLACKPINK's journey from being teenage trainees to a K-pop phenomenon. "It was a time for us to get to know each other mor

Oct. 14, 2020

Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk star in tvN drama on growing up

Actress Bae Suzy has joined hands with screenwriter Park Hye-ryun and director Oh Choong-hwan once again in the newest tvN drama, “Start-up,” set to start airing at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Suzy has appeared as the lead actor in several of Park‘s dramas, including KBS’ “Dream High” (2011) and SBS’ “While You Were Sleeping” (2017), which was also directed by Oh. “I had the opportunity to work with our director and screenwriter again, and p

Oct. 14, 2020

Blackpink unveiled: Netflix documentary searches beyond the spotlight

Before they became a global K-pop sensation, the four members of Blackpink had their ordinary moments, growing up in different parts of the globe and coming together to spread back out to the world as a unit. The new Netflix original documentary “Blackpink: Light Up the Sky” shows the personal stories on how the four girls turned into K-pop’s biggest girl group. Ahead of the film’s release, the quartet conducted a global press conference in Seoul on Tuesday afternoon,

Oct. 14, 2020

Tourism promotion videos featuring Leenalchi back with more S. Korean cities

The eccentric yet addictive tourism promotional videos featuring Korean music act Leenalchi and the Ambiguous Dance Company are back -- with three more videos featuring other South Korean cities. The latest videos, released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) late Tuesday, introduce the picturesque seaside city of Gangneung; Andong, known for its traditional ambience; and the southwestern port city of Mokpo, with its rugged charm. The three videos have together racked up more than 1 millio

Oct. 14, 2020

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival to go live online

As the COVID-19 pandemic brings a more contactless world, a rock music festival -- an event usually associated with heat and sweat -- will go online. Iconic rock music event the 2020 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will be streamed live online Friday and Saturday. It will be the first online-only event in the festival’s 15-year history. Organized by Incheon Metropolitan City, the annual festival is held every August at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park. This year, due to the COVID-19 pan

Oct. 13, 2020

Seoul International Pride Film Festival to proceed with in-person screenings of 105 movies

The Seoul International Pride Film Festival, a festival featuring movies telling the stories of sexual minorities, will take place Nov. 5 - 11 at CGV Myeongdong Station Cine Library in Seoul. “Due to the pandemic, many film festivals are either going online or have been canceled. However, we decided to hold the festival offline as the situation in Korea is improving,“ Head of Executive Committee Kim Jho Gwang-soo said during a press conference on Tuesday. ”Initially, we plan

Oct. 13, 2020

BTS' pop-up stores to open online next week amid pandemic

K-pop superstar BTS will open online pop-up stores inspired by its latest studio album, "Map of the Soul: 7," next week amid the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic, the band's management agency said Tuesday. "BTS Pop-up: Map of the Soul" will first open on the septet's online fan community BTS Weverse for fans in South Korea and the United States on Oct. 23 and run until Jan. 24, 2021, according to Big Hit Entertainment. From Nov. 14, separate online stores will be availa

Oct. 13, 2020

Park Chan-wook’s new film to start shooting in October

South Korean director Park Chan-wook will start shooting his new film, “Decision to Leave,” in October, having cast all the main characters. Tang Wei and Park Hye-il will star as the protagonists. Lee Jung-hyun, Go Kyung-pyo and Park Yong-woo are also part of the cast. The new movie centers on a polite and honest police officer named Hye-jun, played by Park Hye-il. Hye-jun looks into a suspicious death that occurred on a mountain and comes to suspect the dead man’s wife, Se

Oct. 13, 2020

Celebrities head to Kakao TV for entertainment show opportunities

Over a month has passed since Kakao M launched Kakao TV, a mobile content streaming platform, on Sept. 1, with seven of the 25 original shows that it promised until the end of the year. On Monday, producers and celebrities on original Kakao TV entertainment shows gathered for an online news conference to talk about how the shows came into being and the reasons for joining the platform. “We prepared a new form of entertainment show to lead the changing trend and environment,” said

Oct. 13, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'Boombayah' tops 1b YouTube views

The music video of "Boombayah," K-pop megastar BLACKPINK's debut song, became the band's third video to exceed 1 billion YouTube views on Tuesday. The music video hit the milestone around 8:26 a.m., four years after its release in August 2016, according to YG Entertainment. Prior to "Boombayah," "Ddu-du Ddu-du," a hit song released in 2018, and "Kill This Love," dropped in 2019, achieved the feat. No K-pop band other than the quartet has three music vid

Oct. 13, 2020

BTS takes top two spots on Billboard singles chart

WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korean boy group BTS has achieved its second No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart with a song featuring the South Korean septet climbing to the summit this week, Billboard reported Monday. "Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)," the latest version of hit song "Savage Love" by US singer Jason Derulo and New Zealand producer Jawsh 685 featuring BTS, has taken the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, according to Billboard. "The song becomes the sec

Oct. 13, 2020

[Newsmaker] Chinese fans upset by BTS’ Korean War remark: report

Hit K-pop act BTS has come under fire in China for a remark about the Korean War, according to a Chinese news outlet. BTS recently received the General James A. Van Fleet Award from the Korea Society, a US-based nonprofit organization. The award, named after a US commander who fought in the Korean War (1950-1953), is given to South Korean and US nationals who have strengthened the ties between the two nations. In a video clip released by the organization on Wednesday, BTS member RM made an

Oct. 12, 2020

BTS' online concert draws nearly 1m viewers from 191 countries: agency

Nearly 1 million viewers watched an online concert of K-pop superstar BTS held over the weekend, the band's agency said Monday. Some 993,000 viewers from 191 countries and territories watched "BTS MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E" that was streamed online due to the pandemic, according to Big Hit Entertainment. The two-day concert, held in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday, was initially planned to be held in person and livestreamed. But the agency decided to only livestream it, as the new coronaviru

Oct. 12, 2020