'Parasite' wins top prize from American Cinema Editors

Bong Joon-ho's sensation "Parasite" won the top prize for best edited feature film at the 70th annual ACE Eddie Awards, US media have reported.It marked the first time that a foreign language film has won the top prize in ACE Eddie Awards history. Parasite editor Yang Jin-mo said in an acceptance speech, "First of all, this all feels like a dream. I can't believe this is happening," according to Deadline Hollywood, an entertainment industry news site."It's such a huge ho

Jan. 19, 2020

BTS' modern art project, 'CONNECT, BTS' hits Berlin

BTS' global contemporary art initiative, "CONNECT, BTS," has landed in Berlin, the second destination following London, the band's management agency said Sunday.Big Hit said, "Rituals of Care," an exhibition of performances, kicked off at Martin-Gropius-Bau, a modern art museum in the German capital Wednesday as the second leg of the "CONNECT, BTS" art project.  The first "CONNECT, BTS" project opened at London's Serpentine Gallery Tuesday, an exhibit

Jan. 19, 2020

BTS to showcase new single on CBS' 'The Late Late Show' this month

K-pop super band BTS will appear on US broadcaster CBS' "The Late Late Show with James Corden" later this month to showcase their new single, the band's management agency said Saturday.Joining the famous US talk show on Jan. 28 (US time), BTS will stage "Black Swan," a track from the bands' upcoming "Map of the Soul: 7" album, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS previously appeared on the show in 2017 and 2018.  The song hit major South Korean and overseas

Jan. 19, 2020

[Herald Interview] Lee Byung-hun talks about playing controversial president’s assassin

The upcoming film “The Man Standing Next” goes back to the darkest period of South Korea’s democracy, actor Lee Byung-hun said at a group interview in Seoul on Friday.Directed by Woo Min-ho, the movie concerns itself with the assassination of President Park Chung-hee on Oct. 26, 1979, by one of his closest aides. Park, previously an Army general, seized power in a 1961 military coup.Based on the nonfiction work “Directors of Namsan” by former Dong-a Ilbo reporter Ki

Jan. 17, 2020

BTS unveils ‘Black Swan’ ahead of February return

Offering a taste of its “Map of the Soul: 7” album, BTS unveiled “Black Swan,” the first single of the group’s upcoming LP. On Friday evening, the seven-piece act released the song on streaming sites at home and abroad, along with an art film performed by Slovenian dance troupe MN Dance Company.  Based on the emo hip-hop genre, the reflective song delves deeply into BTS members’ emotional depth and contemplations as artists. Lyrically, the musicians fear

Jan. 17, 2020

‘A nose ring is not weird -- you are not used to it’

Actress Han Ye-seul created a buzz earlier this month when she attended the 34th Golden Disc Awards in western Seoul on Jan. 5. Wearing a colorful floral off-shoulder dress and dark smoky eye makeup, she looked daring and bold, but what caught the eyes of viewers was her nose ring -- an accessory not commonly seen in the relatively conservative entertainment industry here.Her look evoked mixed responses online, drawing both compliments and disapproval.  On Wednesday, she shared with the 620

Jan. 17, 2020

KCON to hit Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles and Bangkok this year

KCON, an annual overseas K-pop concert series from entertainment giant CJ ENM, will hit four global cities this year including Tokyo and New York, the company said Friday. This year's KCON, a festival of Korean music and culture, will kick off on April 3 at the Makuhari Messe convention center in Chiba Prefecture, just outside Tokyo, for a three-day run. For the American leg, KCON will move to New York's Manhattan from June 12-14 before a four-day event in Los Angeles from Aug. 27-30.The show wi

Jan. 17, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Portrait of a Lady on Fire(France)Opened Jan. 16Drama, RomanceDirected by Celine SciammaFrance, 1760. Marianne (Noemie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Heloise (Adele Haenel), a young woman who has just left the convent. Because Heloise is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne approaches her under the guise of companionship, observing Heloise by day and secretly painting her at night. The two women become closer as they share Heloise’s last moments of freedom before th

Jan. 17, 2020

Queen to hit Seoul stage re-creating Bohemian sensation

Legendary British rock band Queen’s guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and their vocalist of a decade hailing from the US, Adam Lambert, have returned to Korea perform at this year’s Hyundai Card Super Concert.“I think this time, our visit to Korea may be on another level, after the fantastic success of the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ movie on our career and Freddie,” Taylor said at a press conference Thursday at the Conrad Seoul Hotel. The band last performed

Jan. 16, 2020

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha to perform at Deoksugung

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday it will hold a New Year’s concert at the palace Deoksugung at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.Korean violinist Chung Kyung-wha and pianist Kim Tae-hyung will perform in the first concert of the year at Deoksugung’s Seokjojeon Hall.  The two artists will be performing violin sonatas of Beethoven and Mozart.Admission is by invitation only. The Cultural Heritage Administration said that multicultural families and people with disabilities wh

Jan. 16, 2020

Celltrion Chairman Seo appointed Korea National Opera’s board director

South Korean biopharma giant Celltrion Group Chairman Seo Jeong-jin has been appointed the director of the board of the Korea National Opera.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Seo’s appointment Wednesday. His three-year term will run until Jan. 14, 2023.  Seo’s contributions to the cultural sector include a 3 billion won ($2.5 million) investment in the 2016 film “Operation Chromite” through Celltrion Entertainment as well as developing expertise a

Jan. 16, 2020

Park Na-rae to ‘Stand Up’ on small screen

Comedian Park Na-rae has landed a new stand-up comedy show on the small screen.After airing two pilot episodes in November, KBS will air comedy show “Stand Up” every Tuesday starting Jan. 28, featuring Park as the main host. A total of 10 episodes are scheduled for release. “Stand Up” is a comedy show for adults that delivers diverse stories about life, according to KBS. Park will lead the program, with guest comedians joining her on the show. The 34-year-old comedian has

Jan. 16, 2020

GFriend to release 1st album under BTS' music label next month

Girl band GFriend will release a new album next month, the six-member group's first music release under its new agency, Big Hit Entertainment, the band's agency said Thursday. GFriend is on its way to release "回: Labyrinth" on Feb. 3, the first release since the last album, "Fever Season," in early July last year, according to Source Music.  It also is the group's first release since Source Music was merged into Big Hit, the music label of BTS, later that month.Pre-order

Jan. 16, 2020

Pre-orders for BTS' new album hit all-time high of over 3.4m copies

Pre-orders for K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album hit an all-time high of 3.42 million copies within a week after it became available, the album's distributor said Thursday.Since pre-orders for "Map of the Soul: 7," the upcoming fourth full-length album by BTS, began on Jan. 9, the accumulated orders for the album have surpassed more than 3.42 million copies as of Wednesday, according to Dreamus Company, which is in charge of the BTS album's distribution. The number includes pre-orde

Jan. 16, 2020

World DJ Festival is coming back bigger, louder

The World DJ Festival, is returning to Seoul this summer, bigger than ever.The organizers of World DJ Festival 2020 -- its 14th edition -- said Seoul will see three separate shows, starting with a prefestival concert at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in the southern Seoul on April 30. The event will take place as part of the Formula-E Championship, an electric vehicle racing championship being held in Seoul for the first time. The World DJ Festival will resume May 30-31 and again on April 6-7, at th

Jan. 15, 2020

National Theater of Korea celebrates 70th anniversary

The National Theater of Korea is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year by presenting numerous programs by various performing art troupes. The National Theater Center, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is the hub of Korea’s performing arts scene, with the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, National Dance Company of Korea and the National Orchestra of Korea under its wings. Founded in 1950, it is the oldest of its kind in Asia. To celebrate its 70 years of histor

Jan. 15, 2020

BTS' music label Big Hit expanding business portfolio after successful year

Big Hit Entertainment, the music label of K-pop super band BTS, is scrambling to expand its business portfolio of K-pop artists following a sensationally successful year in 2019.A media report said earlier this week that Big Hit is on its way to acquire and merge with Pledis Entertainment, home to an army of popular K-pop bands including NU'EST and Seventeen. Pledis was established in 2010 by Han Sung-soo, who worked as a manager of K-pop diva BoA under South Korea's biggest K-pop music label, S

Jan. 15, 2020

Berlin concertmaster to grace Seoul stage as soloist

Violinist Lee Ji-yoon may be only 28 years old, but she is a musician trained in the legacy of a 450-year-old orchestra. In 2020, she will be sharing the legacy with Korean audiences at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei. The prodigy-turned-virtuoso of the Staatskapelle Berlin was selected as Kumho Art Hall’s artist-in-residence for 2020. Each year the art hall run by the Kumho Art Cultural Foundation selects an under-30 classical musician for its program. Lee took the classical music scene by storm in

Jan. 14, 2020

Stray Kids, Ateez to kick off world tours over the next month

Two emerging K-pop boy bands, Stray Kids and Ateez, will kick off globe-trotting concert tours over the next month in a bid to expand their presence outside of their home country. Stray Kids, an eight-member boy band managed by JYP Entertainment, is scheduled to go on the overseas legs of its latest concert series, "District 9: Unlock," whose inaugural Seoul edition took place in November last year. The concert series' first overseas destination is New York on Jan. 29 and will be follo

Jan. 14, 2020

Korean documentary ‘In the Absence’ nominated for Oscar

The 92nd Academy Awards on Monday named “In the Absence,” directed by Yi Seung-Jun and produced by Gary Byung-Seok Kam, as a nominee for best documentary (short subject).The category comprises released nonfiction motion pictures with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits. Along with Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” which earned six nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards, “In the Absence” has become one of the first South Korean-

Jan. 14, 2020