BTS to unveil teaser for its new song 'ON' ahead of official release

A sample of "ON," the lead track of K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album "Map of the Soul: 7," will hit the popular video-sharing service TikTok half a day ahead of the song's official release this week, TikTok said Wednesday. A 30-second video will be released on the social networking service at 6 a.m. Friday, 12 hours ahead of the official release set for 6 p.m. the same day, according to the service. It is the first time in its seven-year career that BTS will unveil a

Feb. 19, 2020

'Parasite' wins prestigious Italian award

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's film "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards this month and the Cannes Film Festival's top honor, the Palme d'Or, last year, captured a prestigious Italian award dubbed Italy's Oscars, an Italian news agency said Wednesday. "Parasite" has been selected as this year's winner of best foreign language film at the David di Donatello awards, ANSA said. The South Korean social comedy-thriller beat Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time

Feb. 19, 2020

Kim Tae-hee returns to small screen as ghost mom in ‘Hi Bye, Mama!’

Actress Kim Tae-hee is returning to the small screen in five years as a ghost mom in tvN’s new comedy drama series “Hi Bye, Mama!” Kim, a mother of two daughters, said her character in the upcoming drama, Cha Yu-ri, is one that is the most similar to herself of all the characters she has played so far. “(Yu-ri) Is an ordinary mom of a daughter, a member of a family, and I felt she was the closest to myself,” the actress said during a video press conference held

Feb. 18, 2020

Indie film ‘Lucky Chan-sil’ wishes dreamers well

While indie film “Lucky Chan-sil” may seem like a story about cineastes, director Kim Cho-hee is dedicating the movie to anyone pursuing a dream. “There is an underlying pressure in our society that makes people with dreams feel as if they have to achieve something,” the director said during a press conference held Monday to promote the movie. “Small and big twists in life sometimes turn out to be an opportunity leading to a new life. I hope the audience can laugh

Feb. 18, 2020

[Herald Interview] Baritone comes full circle in ‘Barber of Seville’

Baritone Kim Ju-taek, also known as Julian Kim, is a singer recognized beyond the Italian opera scene, even by non-classical music audiences in Korea. Kim is to perform in opera concert “Barber of Seville” in March, as part of art management agency Arts&Artists’ opera concert series.　 He is exceptionally attached to the opera piece as he made his official debut as Figaro in “Barber of Seville” at Teatro G.B. Pergolesi in Jesi, Italy in 2009, Kim, 33, said. &

Feb. 18, 2020

BTS’ top 50 singles and album tracks, ranked

50. Paradise The R&B track from “Love Yourself: Tear” keeps things simple and brings back the memories of 2000s R&B. 49. Jamais Vu J-Hope, Jin and Jungkook teamed up in a rare occasion for this dramatic song that takes an edgy turn a third way through. 48. Anpanman As the title suggests, the light-hearted and playful tune was inspired by the character from the popular anime series “Anpanman.” Rather than siding with the likes of Batman, it’s endearing

Feb. 18, 2020

Pre-orders for BTS album top record 4 million

Pre-orders for K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album have topped the 4 million mark, the biggest pre-order volume ever for a South Korean album. Pre-orders for "Map of the Soul: 7," set for official release on Friday, reached 4.02 million copies as of Monday, BTS' management agency, Big Hit Entertainment said, citing data from record distributor Dreamus Company. It is the biggest pre-order volume for any South Korean album as well as for any BTS record. The album achieved 3.42 mil

Feb. 18, 2020

IZ*ONE breaks first-week sales record for girl group albums

IZ*ONE has shattered a first-week sales record for albums by girl groups of all time with its new album, the band's management agency said Tuesday. The group's first full-length album "Bloom*Iz" sold some 184,000 copies within the first day of its release Monday at 6 p.m., Off the Record said, citing data from domestic album sales tracker Hanteo Chart. It took less than a day for the group to break the previous record set by TWICE when its eighth EP album "Feel Special" so

Feb. 18, 2020

Oscar-winning 'Parasite' tops Japanese box office

The Oscar-winning film "Parasite" topped the Japanese box office over the weekend, becoming the most-watched Korean movie in the neighboring country in 15 years. According to Japanese box-office tracker Kogyo Tsushinsha, director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" stood atop the box office for the Saturday-Sunday period in Japan. The war film "1917" placed second. "We are calculating its exact box office revenue for the weekend," the film's Japanese

Feb. 17, 2020

Park Shin-hye says ‘Call’ a never-before-seen mystery thriller

Actress Park Shin-hye will be returning to the big screen for the first time in three years with “Call,” a movie she describes as the tensest and fiercest among those in which she has acted. “There are stories that stimulate my imagination as I read on. They make me wonder how alike or different those imaginations will be when the stories are actualized on the set,” Park said at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Park exclaimed she got goosebumps just reading the s

Feb. 17, 2020

“Crash Landing on You” ends with tvN’s highest ratings yet

“Crash Landing on You,” tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama, came to an end Sunday, breaking its own viewership record and scoring the highest ratings for any tvN drama. The final episode of the 16-part romantic comedy starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin saw its ratings peak at 24.1 percent, with the average viewer ratings for the whole series standing at 21.7 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. It set a record for the South Korean drama powerhouse tvN. Previously, “Guardian: T

Feb. 17, 2020

Zico's 'Any Song' rules S. Korean music charts backed by viral cover dance videos

Zico, a rapper and music producer, became the latest K-pop sensation as his latest hip-hop number, "Any Song," topped weekly domestic music charts for the fourth week in a row. The hypnotic song topped the Gaon weekly digital chart, operated by the Korea Music Content Association, for the week of Feb. 2-8, securing its fourth week atop the chart. Since its release on January, "Any Song" has stayed on top of daily digital song charts of major online music streaming service

Feb. 17, 2020

With fist bumps, Osmo Vanska signals SPO’s ‘Resurrection’

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra kicked off a new beginning over the weekend with Mahler’s symphony “Resurrection,” under the baton of new music director Osmo Vanska. Vanska, 67, was appointed as SPO music director last May. On Friday and Saturday, the Finnish conductor held his inaugural concerts at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul, presenting Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor “Resurrection.”   From the very start, the maestro was bold. Instead

Feb. 17, 2020

BTS shares longest-ever tracklist for upcoming album

BTS shared a whopping 20-song tracklist on Monday for its new album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” just ahead of its release Feb. 21. The list is the longest ever for a BTS's full-length album and features 15 new tracks -- including “On,” which fronts the new album -- along with five songs previously released as part of last year’s “Map of the Soul: Persona” EP. The new songs include “Filter,” “Louder Than Bombs,” “Zero O&

Feb. 17, 2020

Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho returns home to hero's welcome

  South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho made a triumphant return home on Sunday after capturing four Oscar titles, including best picture for his black comedy thriller "Parasite." "Thanks to so many of you for greeting me, despite the cold weather," Bong told hundreds of reporters, photographers and fans that were waiting for the director at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "I'm also so sorry for having bothered you many times since the Cannes

Feb. 16, 2020

Monsta X starts US promotion of new all-English album, 'All About Luv'

Monsta X met with fans in Los Angeles at its pop-up store, AAL POP_UP Experience, at Tower Records on Friday to promote its first English-language album in the US, “All About Luv.” The album has received much acclaim since its release Friday, featuring in Time magazine’s “5 Best Songs of the Week,” along with Billie Eilish. Upon its release, the album took the top spot on the iTunes album charts of 17 countries. Several well-known artists, including Pitbull, Fren

Feb. 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] News presenter Lim Hyun-ju reignites bra-free debate

News presenter Lim Hyun-ju has reignited debate on going braless after appearing on an MBC documentary on Thursday. In the program “Series M -- Do We Need to Wear Bras” (unofficial translation), Lim went bra-free for a day. She prepared for and did a live television show without wearing a bra, and shared how she felt about it afterward. On Sunday, Lim said people had left hateful comments on her Instagram account after she shared more information and her feelings about the exper

Feb. 16, 2020

Concerts for all daughters of the world

Kang Eun-il’s upcoming concerts seek to remind all daughters that they are precious. The artistic director of Seoul Donwhamun Traditional Theater is a renowned player of haegeum, a traditional Korean two-string instrument. She is also recognized for her crossover music featuring haegeum. On Saturday and Sunday, Kang will present five new original works in concerts titled “Ancient Futures: Stories of My Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother” at Arko Arts Theater in Seou

Feb. 16, 2020

Seohyun to face her deepest pain in ‘Hello, Dracula’

Singer-turned-actor Seohyun of Girls Generation is returing to the small screen with JTBC’s new short drama series “Hello, Dracula,” which is slated to air this week. Despite the title, the two-part series is not a fantasy thriller about vampires. It is a realistic but warm story about people of different generations who face their deepest fears to take the next step in their lives. The new drama is an omnibus set comprising of three stories each revolving around different c

Feb. 14, 2020

K-pop moguls make new move with girl groups

Prominent figures from K-pop agencies have been working with girl groups managed by other companies. Lee Soo-man, founder and chief producer of S.M. Entertainment, participated in the production of girl group LOONA’s second EP, “#,” released Feb. 5. The 12-piece act, whose Korean name translates to “Girl of the Month,” is managed by Blockberry Creative, a small entertainment agency. The EP has topped the iTunes Albums chart in 47 countries including Poland, Spa

Feb. 14, 2020