Yunmin of Touched makes history with 9 wins on ‘King of Masked Singers’

Yunmin, the lead vocalist of the prominent South Korean band Touched, has made a significant mark on “King of Masked Singers” by achieving nine consecutive wins, a milestone not seen in nine years. “King of Masked Singers,” which has been airing on MBC since 2015, is a singing competition where singers and celebrities wear masks, leaving behind their careers and fame to compete solely based on their voice and singing ability. Yunmin maintained her top position from mid-Ja

June 13, 2024

Riize to open pop-up store promoting 1st EP ‘Riizing’

K-pop boy group Riize is opening a pop-up store to promote its first mini album, “Riizing,” to be released on Monday. The pop-up store will be open at Starfield Suwon in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province for 10 days, June 14-23. Visitors can tune into “Boom Boom Bass,” the lead track of Riize’s upcoming EP, at a special listening zone in the pop-up store. The six-piece band has also prepared a photo booth in which fans can take pictures with members of the group in its frame

June 13, 2024

XG expands first world tour to US, Europe

K-pop girl group XG, which consists of seven Japanese members, is expanding its first-ever world tour to the US and Europe. Starting with a concert in Las Vegas on Oct. 4, XG is to visit seven more cities in the US to meet with American fans. The group is then crosses the Atlantic to perform in Manchester, England, on Nov. 18, followed by shows in five more cities in Europe. XG kicked off its first world tour with two days of concerts at the Osaka-Jo Hall in Osaka, Japan, on May 18 and 19. Altho

June 13, 2024

Canneseries-invited 'TAROT' will tell stories of people attempting to defy fate

Structured within a unique omnibus format, horror flick "TAROT" will tell the stories of individuals who try to challenge their destinies, the director said Wednesday. Produced by Studio X+U, "TAROT" is originally an omnibus drama series consisting of seven episodes. The series follows the stories of individuals who face ominous events predicted by tarot cards. For the movie version, three episodes from the series -- "Do You Believe in Santa?," "Going Home"

June 13, 2024

Bucheon film fest unveils 2024 lineup

BUCHEON, South Korea -- The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) on Wednesday unveiled the list of movies to be screened at this year's edition, with "Love Lies Bleeding" selected as the opening film and "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" chosen as the closing film. In addition to that, the annual film fest, a celebration of genre films from around the world, will showcase 255 short and feature films from around the world. The opening film, "Lo

June 12, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Riize to unveil 1st EP at June 17 showcase

Riize will unveil its first EP, “Riizing,” in Seoul on June 17 at a “premiere” showcase, according to label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The six-piece band will perform “Boom Boom Bass,” its main track from the eight-track album, for the first time at the event, which will be broadcast live as well. The pop dance tune is mainly based on bass guitar, as the title suggests, and continues the theme of musical instruments that weaves through debut single “

June 12, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Jellyfish' playwright discusses authenticity of disabled portrayals

The preproduction showcase of "Jellyfish," starring actors with disabilities at Seoul's Modu Art Theater in late May, was different in many ways. From the outset, it set itself apart with an unconventional beginning where the cast and creative team gathered on stage in a small circle, introduced themselves and engaged in a quick chanting game to check on each other’s mental and physical states before the performance. The play was presented in a relaxed style, with dim lighti

June 12, 2024

[Herald Review] Son Suk-ku’s 13-minute-long ‘Night Fishing’ a dynamic one-man show

South Korean actor Son Suk-ku’s upcoming film, “Night Fishing,” is a sci-fi thriller short with a running time of 12 minutes and 59 seconds. The number of cameras used for this short film is seven, all of which are built-in cameras integrated into an electric car. The movie, which unfolds a story from the car’s point of view, revolves around an anonymous agent (Son) who is on a mission to track down an unidentified creature flying in the sky. As the sun sets, he lies in w

June 12, 2024

2024 Dream Concert to be held in October in Goyang

The 2024 Dream Concert will be held Oct. 19 at Goyang Stadium in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, according to the Korean Entertainment Producer’s Association on Wednesday. Dream Concert is the longest-standing K-pop concert, held annually since 1995. This year’s event is co-hosted by the Korean Entertainment Producer’s Association, the Korea Tourism Organization and Goyang city. Dream Concert has attracted 1.98 million concertgoers so far over the past nearly 30 years. Fro

June 12, 2024

[Herald Review] Propaganda play turns into absurdist black comedy

Playwright Cha Beom-seok's "Hwal Hwa San," which premiered in 1974, was a work of political propaganda inspired by the real-life figure Kim Myung-soon, a model example of the Saemaul Undong movement. In bringing the play back to the stage after almost half a century, director Yoon Han-sol was intrigued by the question of how a 50-year-old propaganda play could resonate with a contemporary audience. Rather than adapt or alter the script, he chose to add twists in directing through

June 11, 2024

National Theater Company revives legendary Cha Beom-seok's 'Hwal Hwa San'

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of renowned playwright Cha Beom-seok's birth, the National Theater Company of Korea is staging "Hwal Hwa San." Directly translated to "active volcano," the play is set in a small rural village in North Gyeongsang Province during the late 1960s. It follows the story of Jeong-sook (played by Kang Min-ji), the daughter-in-law of the Lee family. Despite their noble lineage, the family teeters on the brink of ruin due to mounting debts. Jeong

June 11, 2024

Dispute between Hybe and Ador CEO grows with lawsuit and rebuttal video

The conflict between Hybe and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin is showing no sign of improvement despite Min's offer of reconciliation, marked by a fresh lawsuit and the release of a rebuttal video by Belift Lab, the agency behind a K-pop rookie girl group Illit. Belift Lab announced Monday in a statement shared on X that they are filing an additional civil lawsuit against Min accusing her of business interference and defamation. Also on Monday, it released a 28-minute YouTube video refuting the alle

June 11, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 to mark debut anniversary with fan meeting

NCT127 will host a fan meetup in Seoul Aug. 3-4 to celebrate the eighth anniversary of its debut, label SM Entertainment announced on Tuesday. The live event will be broadcast online as well for fans who could not attend. The nine-member subunit will greet fans at the event dubbed “8ecret Inviation,” although only eight of them will be present, as Taeyong is serving his mandatory military service. In March, the nonet wrapped up its third international tour, “The Unity,” w

June 11, 2024

EXO-CBX and SM clash over contract issues again

SM Entertainment has denied a claim made by Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin of boy band EXO that it is making an "unfair" demand regarding revenue from their individual activities. Shortly after the trio, also known as EXO-CBX, held a press conference in Seoul on Monday to issue the claim, SM released a press statement saying that the trio was able to get a good distribution deal and suffered no damage from their contract signed with the K-pop powerhouse in June last year. Last year, EXO-CBX

June 11, 2024

Seventeen named UNESCO Youth Goodwill Ambassadors, in first as K-pop act

The bandmates of K-pop sensation Seventeen were appointed as Goodwill Ambassadors for Youth by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Tuesday. It is the first time for a K-pop act to assume the role. According to Seventeen's agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday, the 13-member boy band was named for continuously sharing their growth narratives through music and their international influence on young people dating to their debut in 2015. "Seventeen and

June 11, 2024

More TV producers appear in front of camera, star in own shows

More TV producers are appearing in front of the camera and gaining popularity as they take a more active role, rather than remaining behind the scenes. From star producer Na Young-seok, who runs his show on Channel Fullmoon on YouTube, to the latest EBS show "PD Log," TV producers are embracing new roles as emcees or guests to add to the entertainment value. In "Earth Arcade's Vroom Vroom" on tvN, Na entertains viewers by teasing the cast when they fail to win a game in

June 11, 2024

Everglow returns as eerie and enchanting “Zombie”

Everglow dropped an intense new single, presenting themselves as hauntingly beautiful zombies. The new single comes in 10 months, during which they held tour concerts in the US, Europe and Japan. The group released a new single called “Zombie” on Monday. Besides the title track, two B-sides -- “Colourz” and “Back 2 Luv” -- are included. The title song “Zombie” already garnered attention for working with The Stereotypes -- a producer behind projects

June 11, 2024

3 EXO members accuse SM of 'unfair' revenue demands, renewing dispute

Three members of the popular K-pop group EXO -- Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin -- claimed Monday their agency SM Entertainment is making an "unfair" demand over revenue from their individual activities, reigniting their conflict with the K-pop powerhouse after a year. They alleged that the agency is unjustly demanding a 10 percent royalty from revenue of their individual activities without fulfilling its end of a behind-the-scenes deal made to resolve the conflict in June last year. During

June 10, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans to drop pre-release from Japan debut single

NewJeans will drop a B-side track from its debut single in Japan in advance of the full release, agency Ador said Monday. With the second teaser trailer for “Right Now” came the announcement that music video for the song will be unveiled June 17, four days before the single “Supernatural” is rolled out. It will feature characters from the American animation series The Powerpuff Girls stylized for each of the five members, as were those for “Get Up,” second EP

June 10, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘World Dice Tour’ applies YouTube formula to reality TV: producer

“World Dice Tour,” one of ENA's most successful shows to date, ended the seventh and last episode of its second season Saturday. In addition to airing every Saturday on the airwaves, each episode of “World Dice Tour” has been released in an edited version via YouTube every Thursday. It has recorded a cumulative 24 million views on the video-sharing platform, reaching new highs in viewer count with each new episode released. The show has also been sold to 115 countrie

June 10, 2024