Busan film fest pushed back 2 weeks, downsized amid COVID-19

The 25th Busan International Film Festival has been postponed two weeks and scaled down considerably as the new coronavirus cases continues to spike in number nationwide. The board members of the festival’s organizing committee on Friday afternoon held an extraordinary general meeting and decided to delay the festival two weeks from Oct. 7-16 to Oct. 21-30. The decision was made out of concerns over further spread of COVID-19 following the Chuseok holiday season that is set to start on S

Sept. 11, 2020

[Herald Review] ‘The Woman Who Ran’ and the three women who did not run

“If he keeps on repeating himself, how can he be sincere?” Nearing the end of “The Woman Who Ran,” this line, blurted out by a wife about her famous and “hypocritical” novelist husband, sounds like the perfect wakeup call and a punch in the head for the protagonist Gam-hee, who until now, has been forcing herself to be satisfied with the feeling of being loved. Unlike what is implied by the title, South Korean arthouse auteur Hong Sang-soo’s 24th feat

Sept. 11, 2020

[Herald Interview] Lang Lang hopes to ‘reach people’s heart and soul’

  Pianist Lang Lang, known for his power-charged, knuckle-busting performances, is to share another side of his music with the world through Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The celebrated Chinese pianist has released a recording of the monumental 1741 keyboard work from earlier this month under the Deutsche Grammophon label. The album features two performances -- one recorded in a studio and the other recorded live at the St Thomas’s Church in Leipzig, Germany, where Bach resided

Sept. 11, 2020

‘Our sincerity has overcome language and race’

With the gigantic success of “Dynamite” under their belt, BTS took to KBS News 9, one of the most-watched news shows in Korea, on Thursday evening. Throughout the 20-minute interview, the seven bandmates shared their thoughts on the recent No. 1 debut on Billboard Hot 100, looked back on their seven-year career and talked about their Grammy ambitions. “We are still overwhelmed with the Billboard Hot 100 success, and feel wistful for not being able to share this joy with our

Sept. 11, 2020

BTS says its years of efforts have exploded with 'Dynamite'

K-pop superstar BTS said Thursday that their years of efforts to overcome linguistic and racial barriers have appealed to the musical mainstream in the United States and exploded with their latest hit "Dynamite." The boy band debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with the English-language song last week, becoming the first-ever South Korean singer or group to conquer the highly coveted chart. "Dynamite" retained the top position for a second consecutive week. It is

Sept. 11, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Beauty Water’ makes breakthrough for Korean genre animation

If you were able to change your appearance exactly the way you want for 200 million won ($168,000), would you do it? Horror-thriller “Beauty Water,” which hit the local cinemas Wednesday, explores just that question, and in doing so, is forging a new path for Korean genre animation. The film, based on the “Beauty Water” episodes of Oh Sung-dae’s hit omnibus webtoon series “Tales of the Unusual,” was invited to several international film and animation

Sept. 10, 2020

Bong Joon-ho joins team on ‘Sea Fog’ remake

Oscar-winning auteur Bong Joon-ho is to join the production of the Hollywood remake of “Sea Fog,” a 2014 South Korean thriller. Bong was the producer of the original film. American film studio Participant -- which produced feature-length titles “Dark Waters,” “Green Book,” and “Contagion” -- is in charge of the project, according to US entertainment media outlet Deadline. Matt Palmer, who made his feature debut with Netflix thriller flick &ldquo

Sept. 10, 2020

Seoul city to unveil promotional tourism video featuring BTS

A promotional video of K-pop superstars BTS introducing travel spots in the South Korean capital will go live this week, the Seoul city government said Thursday. While the new coronavirus has put a brake on the global tourism industry, the city government said the video was aimed at "continuously inducing affection for Seoul and 'hallyu," while "positioning the city as a bucket list destination for fans" when the pandemic fades. The video was produced to allow viewers to f

Sept. 10, 2020

BTS tops Billboard's Artist 100 and Social 50 charts

K-pop superstar BTS topped the Billboard Artist 100 and Social 50 charts as its new single "Dynamite" scored its second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard said Wednesday (US local time) that BTS ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive week on this week's Artist 100 chart for measuring artist popularity. The boy band rose to the top of the chart last week when "Dynamite" debuted on top of the Billboard Hot 100 main singles chart. It is the band's eighth time

Sept. 10, 2020

Netflix documentary on BLACKPINK to premier Oct. 14

Netflix plans to next month release a documentary chronicling BLACKPINK's four-year journey from talented trainees to K-pop superstars. The streaming giant and YG Entertainment, the band's agency, said Wednesday "BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky," the first Netflix film about a South Korean music band, will premiere Oct. 14. It is the fourth Netflix original documentary featuring female artists, after "Gaga: Five Foot Two" on Lady Gaga, "Homecoming" on Beyonce and &qu

Sept. 9, 2020

DMZ doc fest settles on closed-door screenings

South Korea’s biggest documentary film festival, the DMZ International Film Festival, will be held behind closed doors this year -- its efforts to push ahead with an in-person festival thwarted amid the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak. The festival’s organizing committee on Wednesday announced the cancellation of ticket sales, which were scheduled to begin Wednesday. The festival will be open to only to participating directors, invited guests, press and industry personnel. &l

Sept. 9, 2020

Pianist Kim Sun-wook to make formal debut as conductor in December

Having already had performances postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, pianist Kim Sun-wook seems headed for a busy year-end, making his official debut as a conductor along with plans for solo and duo recitals. Kim, 32, who became the first Asian and youngest winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006, will mark his formal debut as a conductor by leading the KBS Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 14 at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. Kim received a master of arts de

Sept. 9, 2020

BTS tops Billboard Hot 100 chart for 2nd consecutive week

K-pop superstar BTS ranked first on the Billboard main singles chart for the second consecutive week Tuesday with its latest single "Dynamite." "BTS' 'Dynamite' is officially No. 1 on this week's Hot 100 chart for a second consecutive week," Billboard said on Twitter. The Hot 100 blends all-genre US streaming, radio airplay and sales data. Billboard will update all charts later this week. Last week, the boy group debuted at No. 1 on the chart with the English-language song

Sept. 9, 2020

For-pay dance show to be livestreamed on 3 continents

London-based contemporary dance company Rambert and celebrated Belgian choreographer-filmmaker Wim Vandekeybus have joined hands to present a socially distanced dance performance fit for the COVID-19 pandemic era. Their new dance production “Draw From Within” will be livestreamed for audiences around the world, from London to Seoul. In the show, around 20 Rambert dancers will dance against the backdrop of Rambert’s London South Bank studios. The concept behind the produc

Sept. 8, 2020

Everything you need to know about Big Hit IPO

Next month, Big Hit Entertainment will begin its long-awaited initial public offering process. There has been plenty of excitement among investors and fans, as the label is home to global sensation BTS and boasts a valuation higher than the combined value of S.M. Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment, the country’s three major entertainment companies. Going public is not an easy step for a company to take, and difficult for many who don’t follow the stock market c

Sept. 8, 2020

Pianist Paik returns with Schumann

  Pianist Paik Kun-woo will hold a recital Oct. 9 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul, following the release of a new album under the Deutsche Grammophon label this month. Paik, a celebrated pianist based in Paris, will look into the life of German Romantic composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) in a recital that begins with Schumann’s first work and ends with his last. The program will include Schumann’s Abegg Variations, Op. 1; Drei Fantasiestu (Three Fantasy Pieces), O

Sept. 8, 2020

Second COVID-19 shockwave hits cinemas

Two weeks into stricter social distancing measures that ban gatherings of 50 or more people indoors and 100 or more people outdoors, local cinemas have been hit with the double whammy of low attendance and virtually no new film releases. While the release of most films slated to open this month have been put on hold, film companies said they closely monitoring the virus situation, especially with the Chuseok holiday period -- a peak cinema season – coming up at the end of the month. CJ

Sept. 8, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'How You Like That' tops 500m YouTube views at record speed

The music video of South Korean girl group BLACKPINK's hit song "How You Like That" exceeded 500 million YouTube views in the shortest time in K-pop history, the band's agency said Tuesday. The music video surpassed the 500 million mark around 3:50 a.m. Tuesday, 73 days after its release in June, according to BLACKPINK's management agency, YG Entertainment. The feat was achieved some 40 days earlier than the previous record of 111 days held by the quartet's 2019 megahit song "K

Sept. 8, 2020

Park So-dam, Park Bo-gum’s ‘Record of Youth’ kicks off

Actress Park So-dam is returning to small screen for the first time in four years with the new tvN series “Record of Youth” set to start airing at 9 p.m. on Monday. Park, who had a breakthrough year in 2019 for her role in the Academy Award-winning film “Parasite,” is partnered with heartthrob Park Bo-gum and up-and-coming actor Byeon Woo-seok in the new series. The drama revolves around three 25-year-olds in the modeling business, each striving towards their dreams i

Sept. 7, 2020

Bringing Central Asia on screen in Seoul

The Korea-Central Asia Cooperation Forum Secretariat under the Korea Foundation will host Central Asian Cinema Week 2020 for 10 days, starting Thursday. Five films -- one each from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- will be available for viewing via Naver TV. The films to be shown are “The Road to Mother” (Kazakhstan, 2016), “The Song of the Tree” (Kyrgyzstan, 2018), “Mirror without Reflection” (Tajikistan, 2013), “At

Sept. 7, 2020