Theaters prepare to raise curtains again

After an involuntary two-month break, the performing arts scene is gearing up to get back on track while taking precautions against the new coronavirus. A total of 24 national cultural institutions have closed since late February. Private institutions were shut down in past weeks, too.  Now that the number of new cases has dropped and South Korea is on the verge of going back to its normal routines, performing arts institutions and troupes are planning to resume their activities Wednesd

May 3, 2020

'The World of the Married' sets ratings record for cable drama

The smash-hit series "The World of the Married" has become the most-watched drama on Korean cable TV, data showed Sunday. The 12th episode of the JTBC series, which airs every Friday and Saturday, logged a record viewership of 24.3 percent on Saturday, outrunning the previous record of 23.8 percent set by another JTBC hit, "SKY Castle," according to Nielsen Korea. This marks the highest viewership by a drama episode aired on local cable networks and the second-highest for

May 3, 2020

Disney Plus service in Korea likely to face delay

Walt Disney’s plans to launch its over-the-top video streaming service Disney Plus in service outside of the US have been disrupted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Industry watchers expected Disney Plus to enter the Korean market toward the end of this year, but the outlook seems rather bleak. Earlier this month, it was reported that the US entertainment giant has furloughed more than 100,000 employees, nearly half of the company’s workforce. Production of Disney Plus origina

May 3, 2020

Jeonju film fest to open in late May without audience

Jeonju International Film Festival will take place next month behind closed doors, a month after its scheduled opening. A scaled-down 21st edition of Jeonju IFF will run May 28-June 6, with only a limited number of judges and filmmakers from each competition section -- international competition, Korean competition and Korean shorts -- attending the event. “As the upcoming long holiday period in May is raising the alarm for public health officials, Jeonju IFF had no choice but to think

May 2, 2020

Key film event Daejong Awards rescheduled for June with smaller audience

The Daejong Film Awards, a major South Korean film festival and award event, will be held in June with a smaller audience than usual after the event was postponed in February due to the coronavirus outbreak, its organizers said Thursday. The event's organizing committee announced that this year's 56th Daejong Film Awards, known as the Grand Bell Awards in English, has been scheduled for June 3 at a hotel in Seoul. "For the safety of visitors and artists who will attend the festival, we

April 30, 2020

EXO's Chen becomes father of daughter

Chen, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, became the father of a daughter Wednesday following his surprise marriage announcement in January. "Chen had a daughter born today as (reported)," EXO's management agency, SM Entertainment, said, confirming some media reports on the birth. The news came about three months after the 28-year-old, whose legal name is Kim Jong-dae, made a surprise marriage announcement in January in a handwritten letter. He said at that time that his fiancee was pr

April 29, 2020

‘Extracurricular’ raises questions about teenage crimes

Are teenagers responsible for their deliquency and are adults free of culpability for the teenagers’ crimes? Upcoming Netflix original series “Extracurricular” deviates from most Korean TV dramas about teenagers in exploring the dark reality of juvenile crimes. Yoon Sin-ae, CEO of the series’ production company Studio 329, said that when she received the script from budding writer Jin Han-sae, she knew she had to do it. “The series tells the story of teenagers w

April 29, 2020

Star-studded collaboration projects dazzle K-pop scene

In one of the highest-profile music collaboration projects to date in South Korea, female singer-songwriter IU and Suga of BTS are on course to hit the music scene with their collaboration song next week. "Eight," set for release next Wednesday, was jointly created by the K-pop queen and actress and the rapper from BTS, and comes with a rap part by the latter. The collaboration brings together the musical power of IU, arguably the country's most sought-after artist for music collabo

April 29, 2020

BTS to unveil documentary 'Break the Silence' next month

BTS will release next month a documentary series, "Break the Silence," which follows the band's globe-trotting 351-day concert journey last year, its management agency said Wednesday. According to Big Hit Entertainment, the seven-episode series will be unveiled exclusively on Weverse, a mobile application for the BTS fan community, at 9 p.m. on May 12. After the first two episodes are released on the day, each of the remaining five episodes will be available every Tuesday and Thursd

April 29, 2020

BTS to reschedule world tour amid coronavirus

BTS, a South Korean boy band, has decided to reschedule its upcoming world tour due to the coronavirus pandemic, its agency said Tuesday. Big Hit Entertainment announced the decision to indefinitely put off the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, saying it was made in "foremost consideration" of the health and safety of the artists and fans. In a notice posted on the fan community Weverse, the agency said it "will completely reschedule the tour and provide a new tour schedule to our fans

April 29, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Beyond the Mountain’ looks at childhood of late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan

Of all the remarkable moments in the life of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan, South Korea’s first Roman Catholic cardinal, the film “Beyond the Mountain” focuses on his childhood, as it is perhaps the most essential part of Kim’s life, according to director Choi Jong-tae. “It’s not a religious film. Cardinal Kim has always said he was ‘an ordinary person,’ and this is essentially where his greatness comes from,” Choi told The Korea Herald dur

April 28, 2020

TWICE wants to send message of hope with upcoming YouTube original documentary

An upcoming YouTube original series documenting K-pop girl group TWICE's struggles before its debut up till its record-setting global ascent could give a message of hope, the band said Tuesday. The eight-episode documentary series, "TWICE: Seize the Light," will hit YouTube on Wednesday as the global video streaming service's first original program featuring a K-pop girl group. It will be available in 81 countries and territories. The series is a tribute to the nine-member multinati

April 28, 2020

New annual classical music fest to add to the calendar

A new classical music festival is coming to town, in the usually slow summer season. The Lotte Foundation for Arts is to host classical music festival Classic Revolution 2020 Beethoven in August.  On Monday, the Lotte Foundation announced plans to host an annual classical music festival, Classic Revolution, featuring diverse offerings from recitals and chamber music to concertos and symphonies. The festival will highlight a single composer each year, with the inaugural year dedicated t

April 28, 2020

PIPFF nominates eight films for international competition

The 2nd Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival announced on Monday eight films nominated for its International Feature Competition. “A Distance Place” by Park Kun-young from Korea, “Dust and Ashes” by Park Hee-won from Korea, “Identifying Features” by Fernanda Valadez from Mexico, “Nafi’s Father” by Mamadou Dia from Senegal, “Negative Numbers” by Uta Beria from Georgia, “Tony Driver” by Ascanio Petrini from It

April 28, 2020

Tomorrow X Together to return with new 'The Dream Chapter' album next month

Boy band Tomorrow X Together will drop a new album, "The Dream Chapter: Eternity," next month, returning to dazzle the K-pop scene, its management agency said Tuesday. "The Dream Chapter: Eternity," the band's second EP set for release on May 18, is the third album under the "The Dream Chapter" series following the second, "The Dream Chapter: Magic," a full-length album dropped in October. Continuing from the previous albums, "Eternity" will d

April 28, 2020

[Herald Interview] Director challenges himself with action thriller ‘Time to Hunt’

After a two-month delay brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the announcement of a global release deal and subsequent legal wrangling, director Yoon Sung-hyun’s second feature, “Time to Hunt,” was finally released on Netflix on Thursday. “Although it is sad that I’m presenting my second piece in nine years’ time and I wish I could have returned earlier, I’m just happy that I can finally meet the audience,” Yoon said at an online press conference

April 27, 2020

Enjoy Jarasum ‘online’ jazz festival at home

An online version of the country’s biggest jazz festival will be livestreamed May 8-11, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic keeps jazz fans at home. Dubbed the Jarasum Online Alright Jazz Festival, the organizers of Jarasum International Jazz Festival said that it will be the first local music festival to be streamed online. The event aims to offer performance opportunities to local jazz musicians who have been struggling with the virus crisis, and also to encourage the stagnant performan

April 27, 2020

[Herald Interview] Stella Jang on her growth as singer-songwriter, co-writing BTS’ ‘Friends’

With an unbridled spirit, exceptional sound and dedication to music, Stella Jang is the kind of a musician who immediately attracts attention.  Reflecting her down-to-earth personality, her music used to revolve around ordinary topics people could easily relate to. Her lyrics were remarkably outspoken, creative and witty, so they almost felt like a diary written by the singer-songwriter herself. Having turned 30 this year in Korean age, Jang said that her music, however, inevitably had t

April 27, 2020

Major multiplex operators to reopen cinemas

Cinemas that were closed due to the spread of COVID-19 will resume operations this week, with CGV announcing Friday that it is to reopen 36 cinemas. “We decided to resume business and revitalize the movie industry and local market in order to overcome the difficult times caused by COVID-19,” said CGV. The 36 cinemas set to reopen Wednesday include the Myeongdong and Daehangno branches in Seoul as well as eight cinemas in Daegu and the Gyeongsang provinces. Additional CGV cinemas

April 26, 2020

More revenge coming in second part of ‘The World of the Married’

While a divorce usually signals the end of a relationship between a married couple, in the case of Ji Sun-woo and her cheating husband Lee Tae-oh in JTBC’s drama “The World of the Married,” it is only the beginning to the real revenge. Halfway through the 16-episode set, JTBC’s sensational drama “The World of the Married” is gaining more popularity with each episode as the relationship between the divorced couple intensifies. The series marked its highest vi

April 24, 2020