Sejong Center to present 1,000 won shows

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul will present two shows this month for 1,000 won, in an effort to promote the arts and lower the barriers for the public. Since the center’s “A Whole Rest” program began in 2007, it has offered diverse shows, crisscrossing genres from classical music and musical theater to dance and gugak, traditional Korean music, for 1,000 won (83 cents) per ticket. The musical “Spring Dream” will be staged at the cente

July 13, 2020

New dramas focus on breakup of conventional families

Family TV series usually revolve around how the family as a whole reacts to relationship challenges like divorce and adoption, or present conventionally fundamental values, such as love and happiness. In recent days, however, the eased influence of the traditional family structure and newly emerging family issues of "graduation from marriage" and marriages of sexual minorities have penetrated into the small screen in South Korea and resonated with audiences. The KBS weekend show &qu

July 13, 2020

Exporting the template: K-pop agencies' overseas idol projects yield solid results

Touted as one of South Korea's biggest export products, K-pop and its industry have always had a strong impulse to go beyond the borders of South Korea to capture the imaginations of audiences across borders and cultures -- as well documented in the BTS phenomenon and global hype surrounding acts such as BLACKPINK and Monsta X. Major companies and creative forces behind today's K-pop are now stepping up their game of overseas expansions in 2020, this time by trying out their time-tested templa

July 13, 2020

A decade of celebs chasing each other

“Running Man” marked its 10th anniversary on Sunday, becoming SBS’ longest-running variety show. A game program where celebrities chase each other and snatch their opponents’ name tags, it is one of the most popular South Korean TV shows in Korea as well as abroad. Kicking off as a segment on the SBS reality show “Good Sunday” on July 11, 2010, “Running Man” became its own show in March 2017 when “Good Sunday” came to a close. The var

July 12, 2020

‘Peninsula’ of zombies, mad survivors opens hushed summer blockbuster season

“Peninsula,” a sequel of “Train to Busan,” touts itself as a zombie flick that everyone can watch. “I tried my best to deliver a universal message through a film which people of all ages could watch. I’m hoping ‘Peninsula’ becomes something for everyone to enjoy in theaters during this COVID-19 era,” director Yeon Sang-ho said during a press conference held Thursday in Seoul. Exactly four years after the release of “Train to Busan&rd

July 10, 2020

Plunging YouTube subscriptions reflect public disdain for Jimin: data

Over the past week, 5,000 people, equivalent to 12.8 percent of former AOA leader Jimin’s YouTube channel subscribers, had unsubscribed, the highest percentage of users unsubscribing among any such channel in Korea, according to data analysis platform Influencer. Viewers have been unsubscribing from Jimin’s YouTube channel, “Boss Baby Jiminem,” since July 3, when former AOA bandmate Mina posted on social media regarding Jimin’s bullying. Mina posted a series of p

July 10, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Better Days (China) Opened July 9 Drama, Crime Directed by Kwok Cheung Tsang Nian (Dongyu Zhou) finds her life at a standstill when faced by relentless bullying from her peers as she prepares for her college entrance exam. Fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei (Jackson Yee), but before they can retreat into a world of their own, both are dragged into the middle of a murder investigation that will change their lives forever.  Fanfare (Korea) Opened July 9 Thriller, Crime

July 10, 2020

Japanese film starring Choi Hee-seo to hit Seoul early 2021

Korean actress Choi Hee-seo will star in Japanese director Yuya Ishii’s upcoming film tentatively titled “Asian Angels.” The film, which has recently finished shooting in Korea, is set to premiere in Seoul in the first half of next year, according to an announcement released Thursday. “Asian Angels” is a human drama revolving around two families, one from Japan and the other from Korea, who have been hurt by others and have come to Seoul in search of shelter. Al

July 9, 2020

Seventeen’s top 30 tracks, ranked

Since their debut in 2015, boy band Seventeen has shown strong and steady growth. And with their latest seventh EP “Heng:garae,” the act again set a new record -- the release sold over one million copies in its first week. This figure, while impressive on its own, is even more oustanding considering the unfavorable market conditions due to the ongoing pandemic. Let us celebrate the group’s remarkable feat with these top 30 tracks from the band over the past five years. 30

July 9, 2020

Korean film directors venture for sci-fi anthology with ‘SF8’

Everything about the upcoming series “SF8” -- a sci-fi anthology series which will be streamed via streaming platform Wavve and TV channel MBC -- is new. Under the collaboration of major TV channel network MBC and the Directors Guild of Korea, eight filmmakers from the association teamed up with production company Soo Film to helm each episode of the eight-part sci-fi anthology. After a year and half long haul of production, “SF8” will be released through local over-th

July 8, 2020

Bifan to open as online-offline hybrid festival

The 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival will kick off Thursday, downsized with parts of the festival going online amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the usual opening ceremony, the premiere of Korean horror movie “Whispering Corridors 6: Humming” from director Lee Mi-young will mark the start to the nation’s biggest genre film festival at 7 p.m. in CGV Sopung in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. With most events taking place at the theater just west of Seoul, the

July 8, 2020

[Herald Review] ‘Broadway 42nd’ shows glamour of musical

Though New York’s Broadway will remain closed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, musical “Broadway 42nd Street” takes its audiences straight to the 1930s of the iconic musical district. The Korean-language version of musical “Broadway 42nd Street” opened June 20 at the Charlotte Theater in eastern Seoul. With its premiere in New York in 1980, the musical is regarded as one of the earliest big-budget musical productions, often represented by “Cats,&rdq

July 7, 2020

SPO conductor wins 3rd place at Mahler Competition

The associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Wilson Ng has won the third place at the 2020 Mahler Competition. The Mahler Competition is a triennial competition for conductors under 35 organized by the Bamberg Symphony. This year’s competition was held from June 29 to July 5 in Bamberg, Germany. It was the first in-person international music competition to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was live streamed via Facebook and YouTube. A total of 334 contenders

July 7, 2020

K-dramas walk a fine line with controversial scenes

While the SBS drama series “Backstreet Rookie” has not responded to viewers’ complaints about its sexual objectification of women, the drama has been embroiled in yet more controversy, this time over the racist portrayal of a foreign character. During the show’s fifth episode that aired Friday, a man who introduces himself as Nigerian encounters a Korean man with a similar dreadlocked hairstyle to his own in a convenience store and the two suddenly embrace each other as

July 7, 2020

BLACKPINK's new song debuts at No. 33 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart

BLACKPINK landed at No. 33 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart with its latest single "How You Like That," according to the American music trade publication Tuesday, setting a new record for K-pop girl groups. Billboard's official Twitter account announced that "How You Like That" will debut at No. 33 on this week's Hot 100 chart, and at No. 1 on Billboard's World Digital Song Sales chart. BLACKPINK beat its previous record as the highest-charting K-pop girl group with "Kill

July 7, 2020

Bang shares his formula behind BTS’ success

In a recent paper published by Harvard Business School, Big Hit Entertainment Chairman Bang Si-hyuk shared how global sensation BTS deviates from the typical K-pop idol system and has more autonomy than other K-pop bands. During his interview with the authors of “Big Hit Entertainment and Blockbuster Band BTS: K-Pop Goes Global,” Bang said the band’s contract renegotiations -- a period when many stories of conflict arise among K-pop artists -- took place without the interventi

July 7, 2020

Hwang Jung-eum returns through fantasy rom-com ‘Men are Men’

Hwang Jung-eum who has enjoyed success with romantic-comedy dramas is returning to the small screen through another lovey-dovey drama show. In the new drama “Men are Men” on KBS2, Hwang will play Seo Hyun-joo, a workaholic web comic platform coordinator who vows marriage to herself, only to find herself challenged to rethink the value of love by two suitors. Hwang, along with the series’ producer Choi Yoon-suk and lead cast members Yoon Hyun-min, Seo Ji-hoon, Choi Myung-gil

July 6, 2020

Son Ye-jin to make Hollywood debut in Andrew Niccol’s ‘The Cross’

South Korean actress Son Ye-jin is set to make her debut in Hollywood with an upcoming film tentatively titled “The Cross.” According to an official from Son’s agency MS Team Entertainment on Monday, the actress has given consideration to the film and is undergoing negotiations over details. While stating the actress will likely star in the film, the official was cautious to confirm the decision as of now. The official also stated Son will play the film’s lead female r

July 6, 2020

Actor Lee Soon-jae apologizes for unfairly treating former manager

Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae released a personal statement Sunday through his agency apologizing for unfairly treating his former manager and asked the public to stop any criticism towards the manager. The statement came out after the manager, who worked for Lee for two months starting March, claimed that he had to work long hours without signing a proper contract during his interview with SBS on June 29. He also added that he was unfairly dismissed after he requested insurance coverage. &ldq

July 6, 2020

With 'Heng:garae,' Seventeen earns astounding feat after Big Hit integration

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to hamper the global music and entertainment industry-at-large, the K-pop scene has proven time and time again its resilience and nimbleness in audience outreach and commercial viability. BTS is estimated to have earned nearly $20 million through its one-off virtual concert, "Bang Bang Con: The Live," in mid-June, drawing a global audience of some 756,000. BLACKPINK has also proven that demand for K-pop's girl power remains high, with its new sin

July 6, 2020