Bong Joon-ho's detailed directing works behind the scene

Even before Bong Joon-ho grabbed four Oscars, including best picture and best director, for his black comedy masterpiece "Parasite," the South Korean auteur was not a new kid on the block. With seven features on his directorial career, including "Parasite," he has earned a nickname of "Bongtail" at home and abroad, a combination of his family name and the English word "detail." Even though he mentioned several times in interviews that he does not like t

Feb. 14, 2020

'Parasite' soundtrack album shares an Oscar bump

While the South Korean film "Parasite"'s historic Oscar triumph gives the film a bump at international box offices, its soundtrack album is also benefiting from the boost. Streaming of the "Parasite" album skyrocketed 11 fold on Monday on local online streaming service Genie Music, compared with the previous day, according to Genie. On Sunday (US time), the satirical thriller became the first non-English language film to take best picture, the main award, in the Academy's

Feb. 14, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Little Women (US) Opened Feb. 12 Drama, romance Directed by Greta Gerwig In the years following the Civil War, burgeoning author Jo March (Saoirse Ronan) lives in New York, while her sister Amy (Florence Pugh) studies painting in Paris. Their oldest sister, Meg (Emma Watson), is married to a schoolteacher, while Beth (Eliza Scanlen) develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together. Jo looks back on the four siblings’ Massachusetts childhoods and the events that helped

Feb. 14, 2020

BTS to premiere new album's main track on Jimmy Fallon show

K-pop superband BTS will stage the debut performance of its upcoming album's main track on late night US TV show, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," this month, the show has announced. Appearing on a special episode of the show by broadcaster NBC on Feb. 24 (US time), the septet will premiere the lead track of "Map of the Soul: 7," slated for official release on Feb. 21, according to an SNS announcement by the TV show. The special show will feature BTS' interview w

Feb. 14, 2020

Moon to meet Bong Joon-ho at Cheong Wa Dae next week

President Moon Jae-in has invited Bong Joon-ho, director of the film "Parasite," to Cheong Wa Dae next week in celebration and recognition of his Oscar honors, an aide to Moon said Thursday. The president plans to hold a luncheon meeting with Bong on Feb. 20 with related details yet to be fixed, including whether the cast of the dark comedy and thriller movie about social problems from the gap between rich and poor will attend as well, according to the official who requested anonymity

Feb. 13, 2020

[Herald Interview] Floating festival in middle of ocean

Though walking on water may not be possible, dancing on water is -- if you board the cruise music festival “It’s the Ship” this summer in Busan. The festival is a four-day-long journey of Electronic Dance Music party, held on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. This summer, for the first time, it will sail the waters off the shores of South Korea, Aug. 28-31, making a round trip to Fukuoka, Japan. Launched in Singapore 2014 by an event management company, Livescape Gr

Feb. 13, 2020

‘Parasite’ to return to big screen in black and white

The black-and-white version of Oscar-winning social satire “Parasite” will be screened in local cinemas starting Feb. 26, distributor CJ Entertainment said Thursday. “The black-and-white edition of ‘Parasite,’ which results from director Bong Joon-ho and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo adjusting the contrasts and tones shot by shot, will present a different impression of the film,” the company said. Bong and Hong previously worked together to produce a spec

Feb. 13, 2020

Pentagon releases first full-length album 3 years after debut

Nearly 3 1/2 years since its debut, Pentagon is releasing its very first full-length album, “Universe: The Black Hall.” The album consists of 11 tracks representing different genres, and leader Hui says it captures the essence of the band’s work so far. “The new album is an aggregation of our previous nine EPs we’ve released so far,” he said during the press showcase in Seoul on Wednesday. While some might think 3 1/2 years is a long delay, Jinho said he wa

Feb. 12, 2020

[Herald Interview] Playing harmonica more than a hobby

For Park Jong-seong, the harmonica is a sophisticated instrument with great versatility. The 34-year-old is a harmonica player, a rare profession in the local music scene. Although many pick up the instrument as a hobby, especially seniors, the number of professional harmonicists remains limited. Park is therefore unique, having won awards at international competitions in Japan, China and Germany. He has also released three solo albums. The third album, released in 2019, includes harmoni

Feb. 12, 2020

Samsung hints at partnership with BTS

SAN FRANCISCO/SEOUL -- Speculation is growing about Samsung Electronics possibly teaming up with global sensation BTS for the tech giant’s latest Galaxy devices. At the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event held at the Palace Fine Arts in San Francisco Tuesday, V, a member of the seven-piece group, made a surprise appearance in a presentation video of the latest Galaxy phones, including the flagship Galaxy S20 and the foldable Galaxy Z Flip. The screen flashed a photo of V wearing Samsung

Feb. 12, 2020

[Herald Interview] KARD returns with Moombahton, paying homage to their debut

Mixed-gender quartet KARD has returned to the local music scene after a five-month hiatus, the longest break they’ve had been since debuting in 2016, with fourth mini-album “Red Moon.” This five-track album might be the group’s last mini album for a while, as J.Seph has to enlist in the Korean Army by the end of the year to fulfill his military duty of about 18 months. Unlike the group’s latest single “Dumb Litty,” a song described as “very agg

Feb. 12, 2020

Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho’s films to be adapted into English TV series

“Parasite” continues to soar after winning four Oscars this week, including best picture. Last month, it was revealed that US cable network HBO had secured the rights to adapt the genre-defying film into a television series, helmed by writer-director of the original film Bong Joon-ho and HBO’s “Succession” executive producer Adam McKay. While no other details have been confirmed, Bong and HBO are reportedly in talks. Based on Bong’s previous interviews, th

Feb. 12, 2020

‘Parasite’ team returns home in Oscar glory

The cast members of “Parasite” returned to Korea early Wednesday morning, two days after they were honored at the 92nd Academy Awards with historic four wins. The “Parasite” cast, including Song Kang-ho, Choi Woo-shik and Park So-dam, arrived at Incheon International Airport, along with the film’s producer Kawk Sin-ae, screenwriter Han Jin-won, film editor Yang Jin-mo and production designer Lee Ha-jun. As the party passed through the airport doors, cheers and ap

Feb. 12, 2020

'Parasite' jumps to No. 4 at North American box office after Oscar wins

South Korean film "Parasite" soared to No. 4 at the North American box office after its Oscar victories, data has shown. According to Box Office Mojo, a box office revenue tracker, the black comedy was the fourth most sold title as of Monday (US time), sharply up from its 12th rank a day earlier. The box office ascent came one day after "Parasite" picked up four awards, including best picture, at the 92nd Academy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Korean film bec

Feb. 12, 2020

Cherry Bullet returns with charismatic ‘Hands Up’

Cherry Bullet has changed tack this year with its charismatic new single “Hands Up.” The rookie’s first release in nine months, “Hands Up” marks a dramatic shift from the act’s past bubbly image, featuring the girls as fierce dancers taking over the stage. The high-energy trap dance track was inspired by “Fur Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven, with the classic’s iconic main tune running throughout the song.   The song puts forth a mess

Feb. 12, 2020

BTS extends record-breaking dominance of Billboard Social 50 chart

BTS topped the Billboard Social 50 chart again this week, extending its record-breaking dominance of the chart. Coming atop the Social 50 chart for Feb. 15, BTS marked its 135th consecutive week on top of the chart and its 165th Social 50 No. 1.  A week earlier, BTS became the act with the most No. 1 rankings on the chart, beating pop icon Justin Bieber, who topped it 163 times. The Social 50 chart ranks the most popular artists on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Wikipedia,

Feb. 12, 2020

‘Parasite’ Oscars have Twitter abuzz

Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s dark comedy “Parasite” not only ruled the Oscars with its four wins, but also dominated social media, being the subject of more tweets than any other film from the event. “Parasite” won four awards at the Oscars: best picture, best director, best international feature film and best original screenplay. It was the first foreign language movie to win best picture in the 92-year history of the annual film event.  Since Jan. 13, when th

Feb. 11, 2020

‘Parasite’ to show in more theaters worldwide after historic Oscars win

The hype around “Parasite” after it won four Oscars on Monday has led to more theaters in the US screening the movie. Director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won for best picture, director, international feature film and original screenplay on Monday. It was also nominated for best editing and production design. According to entertainment magazine Variety, Neon, the film’s North American distributer, will double the number of screens showing the movie from 1,0

Feb. 11, 2020

[Herald Interview] Jeon Do-yeon can now dream about an Oscar

Veteran actress Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Woo-sung came together for the first time in the upcoming film “Beasts Clawing at Straws.” The debut feature by director Kim Yong-hoon recently won the Special Jury Award of the Tiger Competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival. The crime noir revolves around eight desperate individuals who chase after a mysterious Louis Vuitton bag full of cash. Jeon plays Yeon-hee, a former bar owner, and Jung, corrupt customs officer Tae-young. Yeon-hee app

Feb. 11, 2020

Oscar-winning 'Parasite' gets biggest-scale British screen release for Asian title

SEOUL/LONDON -- The Oscar-winning Korean film "Parasite" is getting the widest-ever theatrical release for an Asian title in Britain. The black comedy was officially released last Friday and is now showing on 1,554 screens in some 100 theaters across Britain. Tickets for several showings of "Parasite" sold out in the opening weekend, and the news of the film's victories at the Oscar is further boosting the film's appeal to British audiences. "Parasite" picked

Feb. 11, 2020