[Newsmaker] Korea to support online concerts

The recent news that K-pop sensation BTS had become the first South Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its new single created economic ripple effects worth around 1.7 trillion won ($1.43 billion), according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday. The amount is based on an analysis of data from multiple sources, including sales data for BTS’ agency, Big Hit Entertainment, as well as trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service and search statistics f

Sept. 7, 2020

BTS' Billboard win expected to create economic effect worth 1.7tr won: report

An estimated 1.7 trillion won ($1.43 billion) worth of economic effect is expected to be created by K-pop sensation BTS' conquest of the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week, government data showed Monday. Last week, BTS debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart with its latest English-language single "Dynamite," becoming the first South Korean singer or group to achieve the feat. According to a report co-published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affilia

Sept. 7, 2020

Putting age behind silver screen

The film “An Old Lady,” dealing with the story of a sexually abused 69-year-old woman, has an open ending, as however old they may be, “life goes on for the aged characters,” said Lim Sun-ae, the auteur of the film. “The film’s message is not about telling people to respect or pay attention to the elderly, but more about the two seniors becoming aware of their own dignity and supporting each other,” Lim said during a press event held in August ahead o

Sept. 6, 2020

[Herald Interview] Meet Big Hit’s creatives behind BTS-inspired TinyTAN

Ever since Big Hit Entertainment launched the BTS-inspired animated characters called TinyTAN about a month ago, the characters seem like they haven’t had a day of rest. With their looks, behaviors and good-hearted influence modeled after the septet, the characters were recently featured in an advertisement for the fabric softener product Downy. They also released a music video called “Magic Door,” where they sang and danced to “Mic Drop,” as well as launched an

Sept. 4, 2020

[Newsmaker] Discussion over BTS members' military service reignited

K-pop sensation BTS becoming the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its recently released single has reignited a debate over the seven members’ military service. Under the current law, all able-bodied South Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for 18 to 22 months. The band’s eldest member Jin, whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, has to start military service before the end of next year, according to Big Hit Entertainment. Jin was set to begin his m

Sept. 4, 2020

Pre-orders for BLACKPINK's upcoming album top 800,000 units

BLACKPINK is poised to potentially make the biggest South Korean girl group album debut next month, with retail pre-orders for its inaugural studio record reaching 800,000 units worldwide, according to the band's agency Friday. The number of pre-orders for the record titled "The Album" reached over 530,000 copies in South Korea, according to YG Entertainment. Combined pre-orders from the United States and Europe amounted to around 270,000 units, YG added. YG began accepting global

Sept. 4, 2020

K-pop artists hop online to meet their fans

As the pandemic continues to persist, K-pop artists are increasingly going online to meet and communicate with their fans. Most recently, boy band Seventeen hosted their fourth annual fan meeting “Seventeen in Carat Land” on Sunday via fan community platform Weverse. It was a tightly-packed four-hour show that offered a variety of entertainment, from stage performances of the band’s iconic songs to themed acts where members pretended they were newscasters or athletes compet

Sept. 4, 2020

Seoul Drama Awards to go without audience, behind closed doors

This year’s Seoul International Drama Awards will go ahead without any audience, including the nominees, award presenters and guests. In accordance with the government’s “Level 2.5” social distancing measure currently placed over the Seoul area, the 15th edition of the television drama awards will be taking a different format, the event’s organizing committee announced Thursday. The organizers will personally be delivering the trophies to both the local and over

Sept. 3, 2020

[FULL TRANSCRIPT] BTS shares thoughts on Billboard victory

Global sensation BTS broke another record Tuesday by becoming the first South Korean act to land at No. 1 on Billboard’s main singles chart with its newest track, “Dynamite.”  Only one other Asian musician, Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, has ever made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and that was back in 1963. Korean soloist Psy got close in 2012 with “Gangnam Style,” peaking at No. 2.  To celebrate the historic win, the septet hosted a surprise me

Sept. 2, 2020

DMZ documentary festival to go ahead on-site despite pandemic

The 12th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will take place this month on-site as planned, but in a significantly scaled down form amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its organizers said Wednesday. Asia’s largest documentary film festival will run Sept. 17-24 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, just north of Seoul. The festival, which was originally scheduled to take place at three screening venues, will now be held only at the Megabox Baekseok branch. Audience numbers will be limited to 50 p

Sept. 2, 2020

Son Yeol-eum, Clara-Jumi Kang recital to be streamed online

A much-awaited recital from pianist Son Yeol-eum and violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will be held online Friday without a live audience. Credia, organizer of the duo recital, announced Wednesday that Friday’s recital will be held without an audience for safety reasons. The recital was to be held at the Lotte Concert Hall, with audience members sitting in every other seat. The venue had been moved from the Seoul Arts Center as state-run cultural facilities were shut down under social distanci

Sept. 2, 2020

A pianist on a journey with Beethoven

Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas are deemed to provide a profound insight into the music and life of the iconic German composer. Pianist Sohn Min-soo thinks he came to understand the great mind more than ever before by recording the complete cycle of 32 sonatas. The album will be released Sept. 11 under the Sony Classical label. “Though the recording took 2 1/2 years, Beethoven is a lifelong journey for me. This album does not mean the end of my exploration of Beethoven. I am waitin

Sept. 2, 2020

BTS talks topping Billboard Hot 100 win, thanks fans and sets eyes on Grammys

The moment it was announed that BTS’ stellar smash “Dynamite” reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, during the wee hours in Korea, the bandmates were wide awake, pinching themselves to make sure that they weren’t dreaming. Tuesday marked a big day for both BTS and their fans worldwide, as the seven-piece group became the first Korean act to top the chart with its recently released single. It was the culmination of seven years of hard work and continual growth in the

Sept. 2, 2020

Release of new BTS movie postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19

The release of a documentary film on K-pop group BTS has been postponed in South Korea amid a surge in new coronavirus cases across the country since mid-August, the band's agency announced Wednesday. Big Hit Entertainment said the opening date for "Break The Silence: The Movie," originally planned for Sept. 10, has been postponed indefinitely, citing the rise in virus transmissions nationwide. The company said that overseas openings will be held according to schedules previously a

Sept. 2, 2020

Kakao M to launch 25 original contents this year

Kakao M, the entertainment arm of internet company Kakao, on Tuesday officially launched its mobile contents streaming platform Kakao TV and unveiled seven of 25 original titles that will be available this year. “We will showcase 25 titles -- six drama series and 19 variety show programs -- totaling some 350 episodes as Kakao TV’s original content within this year,” Shin Jong-su, the director of Kakao M’s digital media content department, said in a prerecorded video mes

Sept. 1, 2020

Era of virtual artist: Riot Games’ virtual K-pop group K/DA returns

Virtual K-pop group K/DA released the group’s new single, “The Baddest,” on Aug. 28, with the first EP to be released later this year. K/DA debuted at the opening of the 2018 League of Legends World Championship finals in Incheon, when four artists performed with their characters through hologram representations. K/DA consists of four female LoL characters -- Ahri, Kai’Sa, Evelynn and Akali -- who are each voiced by different artists. The group name derives from a stati

Sept. 1, 2020

[News Focus] BTS rewrites K-pop history with song that wasn't even supposed to happen

It's hard to fathom, but for global K-pop super group BTS, the band's biggest goal once was to enter not the top 10 or top 40 but just land on the Hot 100, the main singles chart of Billboard for the top 100 popular songs in the United States, period. "My personal goal this year is making it to the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Making it onto that chart is every artists' dream," member V of the South Korean septet said during a press conference in Seoul on Feb. 18, 2017 before its "W

Sept. 1, 2020

With 'Dynamite,' BTS becomes 1st S. Korean artist to top Billboard Hot 100

BTS became the first South Korean artist to land at No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart in the United States on Monday. "BTS achieves its first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as 'Dynamite' debuts at the summit," Billboard reported Monday, one day before its chart will be refreshed. Previously, the highest-charting South Korean artist ever on the Hot 100 was soloist PSY with his 2012 viral hit "Gangnam Style," which peaked at the No. 2 spot. The only Asian

Sept. 1, 2020

Korean musicals with English subtitles available online

Online festival K-Musical on Air, organized by the Korea Tourism Organization, kicked off its four-day run Monday. On Monday, the musical “Fan Letter” was streamed via Naver TV and V Live. Musicals “The Goddess is Watching,” “Red Cliff” and “The Fiction” will follow. The four musicals come with English subtitles. Since 2017, the KTO has supported 14 musicals in offering foreign-language subtitles with the goal of expanding the global audience b

Aug. 31, 2020

How will BIFF weather COVID-19?

Back in January, how long the COVID-19 pandemic would last was anyone’s guess. The organizers of the annual Busan International Film Festival slated for next month probably had no idea that it would continue to wreak havoc. The official preview press conference scheduled for Sept. 7 was canceled as the novel coronavirus spreads wider and faster than before in what is seen as a second surge. “We were supposed to announce whether the event would be held offline during the press co

Aug. 31, 2020