[Newsmaker] Big Hit denies rumored disputes with BTS

Big Hit Entertainment has denied a recent report that the agency and BTS have been in dispute over profit distribution and the renewal of a contract. On Monday, broadcast station JTBC’s “News Room” aired a report that said the band and its members’ parents have been looking into taking legal action against the agency. A few hours after the news was broadcast, the agency released a statement saying, “The report is groundless.” “BTS and the members&rs

Dec. 10, 2019

Big Hit denies report it is in profit dispute with BTS

BTS’ agent Big Hit Entertainment on Tuesday flatly denied a report that the label and BTS members are in a legal dispute over profit-sharing. On Monday evening, local cable TV network JTBC reported that the K-pop group had reached out to a large law firm in Seoul to pursue legal action against Big Hit over how profits are distributed. The news was broadcast as part of the channel’s flagship current affairs show “Newsroom.” Shortly after, however, Big Hit issued a lengthy

Dec. 10, 2019

‘Virtual Play’: Genie Music VR service lets you see Mamamoo up-close

Streaming service Genie Music launched a new virtual reality-powered video service on Tuesday with girl group Mamamoo’s ultra-high resolution performances as the platform’s first project.The Korean streaming giant’s new platform, dubbed “Virtual Play,” uses all the latest VR technology to present a 360-degree, 3D, 8K ultrahigh resolution experience.  Speaking at a press conference in Seoul, Cho Hoon, CEO of Genie Music, explained the name was inspired by the co

Dec. 10, 2019

[Herald Review] U2’s 1st outing in Seoul a gift after long wait

As incredible as it sounds, U2 -- one of biggest names in rock history -- has never had a huge following in Korea. The disparity between the band’s international fame and popularity in Korea, among other things, has prevented U2 fans in the country from enjoying the group’s music live. That was until the Seoul leg of the Joshua Tree Tour 2019 in Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday, held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of one of their best-received albums, “The Joshua T

Dec. 10, 2019

'Parasite' earns three Golden Globe nominations

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" was nominated in three categories for the upcoming 2020 Golden Globe Awards, organizers said Monday.In the nominations for the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards to be held at Beverley Hills on Jan. 5 next year, "Parasite" was listed in the categories of Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It is the first time that a South Korean film has made it to the final list of the Golden Globe Awards,

Dec. 10, 2019

Secret love story between Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin takes place in North Korea

The new tvN drama “Crash Landing on You,” starring seasoned actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin, features a secret romance across the border between South and North Korea. The fantasy-romance drama begins as Yoon Se-ri, heiress of a South Korean conglomerate, accidently lands in North Korea while paragliding, and meets Lee Jung-hyuk, a North Korean commissioned officer.  Yoon, played by Son, soon falls in love with the North Korean officer, played by Hyun Bin, who tries to help the a

Dec. 9, 2019

Agency warns of legal action after TWICE member injured by crowd of fans

The management agency of girl band TWICE has warned of legal action against aggressive fans after a band member was injured by a crowd of fans."Today, there was an accident involving our artist, who fell over and got injured due to disorderly and excessive photo taking (by fans) at Gimpo International Airport," TWICE's management agency, JYP Entertainment, said in a post on the band's official SNS accounts on Sunday.  A crowd of fans gathered at Gimpo International Airport earlier

Dec. 9, 2019

'Parasite' named best film by LA film critics

South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho's family satire "Parasite" has been awarded three prizes, including Best Film, by the film critics association in Los Angeles, the association said Monday.The LA Film Critics Association said it chose "Parasite," the winner of this year's Cannes' Palme d'Or, as the best film of the year, with Martin Scorsese's crime film "Irishman" coming in next.Moreover, Best Director was given to the film's director Bong Joon-ho, while actor Song

Dec. 9, 2019

Disney's 'Frozen 2' becomes biggest animation hit in S. Korea

Walt Disney's "Frozen 2" continued its bullish mode in the South Korea box office over the weekend to become the most successful animated film in the country's history, data showed Monday.Released Nov. 21, "Frozen 2" had attracted a cumulative 10.7 million moviegoers as of Sunday, slightly surpassing the 10.3 million tallied by its prequel "Frozen" in 2014, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. It became the most-viewed animated film in South Korea, rele

Dec. 9, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Killed My Wife’ shows why webcomic-based films rarely work

After watching the thoroughly boring “Killed My Wife,” I checked out the webcomic on which it is based. Surprisingly, it was pretty good. The story was intriguing, the style was tasteful and the presentation was effective in building suspense. Why, then, was director Kim Ha-la’s thriller such a flop? While Lee Si-eon does a fairly good job in his first leading role, the film fails to understand that storytelling methods of a webcomic and a movie are very different, ultimately f

Dec. 8, 2019

Married actresses returning to small screen after childbirth

In local entertainment circles, big-time actresses used to disappear from the public eye after marriage in the past. Lately, however, a number of married actresses are returning to the small screen after lengthy hiatuses for the entertainment of their fans.Kim Tae-hee, who married the singer Rain in January 2017 and bore two daughters, will resume acting by appearing in "Hi Bye, Mama!" -- a new drama set to air on tvN in the first half of next year.The drama tells the story of a housew

Dec. 8, 2019

Disney's 'Frozen 2' tops 10m admissions in S. Korea

Walt Disney’s sensational film “Frozen 2” surpassed 10 million admissions in South Korean theaters on Saturday.The animated flick set the record by 2:40 p.m., according to Walt Disney Company Korea, the local film distributing unit of the US giant, based on a real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council.It exceeded the mark on the 17th day since its release on Nov. 21 and became the 27th film to reach the milestone of 10 million ticket sales in South Korea.Its 2014 p

Dec. 7, 2019

[Photo news] BTS performs at 2019 Jingle Ball

K-pop supergroup BTS  on Friday wowed the audience of the 102.7 KIIS FM‘s Jingle Ball concert in Inglewood, California, US, with its performances of "Boy With Luv", "Mic Drop," and other hit songs.  

Dec. 7, 2019

BTS' Suga releases collaboration with Halsey

Suga, a member of K-pop sensation BTS, released a song in collaboration with American singer-songwriter Halsey on Friday.The song, "SUGA's Interlude," featuring the BTS member is one of the tracks on Halsey's new album, "Manic," to be officially released on Jan. 17. The two sides pre-released the track in digital single format through major online music stores and streaming platforms on Friday ahead of the official release next month.  It is the second joint project betw

Dec. 6, 2019

BTS' 'Boy with Luv' most-viewed YouTube music video in S. Korea in 2019

The music video of K-pop boy band BTS' latest single "Boy With Luv" was the most viewed music video on YouTube in South Korea this year, the company said Friday.The music video has topped the milestone of 600 million YouTube views, according to YouTube. "Boy With Luv" is a track off the latest BTS album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," released April 12 and featuring American diva Halsey. Its music video set a Guinness World Record for the most views on YouTube in 24 ho

Dec. 6, 2019

S. Korean cinemas expected to hit record attendance in 2019

South Korean movie theaters are expected to attract the largest-ever number of viewers this year on the back of a number of smash-hit series in the first half of the year, data showed Friday.More than 204 million tickets were sold in theaters around the country in the first 11 months, up 5 percent from the same period last year, according to the data by the Korean Film Council.The number is expected to hit an all-time high of 220 million by the end of 2019 given that about 20 million tickets are

Dec. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Experimental musicians bring Korean instruments to global audience

K-pop has become synonymous with the idea of Korean music on a global scale recently, but genres extend much wider here. One of the most fascinating and experimental musical genres that is gaining traction in Korea has its roots in gugak, Korea’s traditional music. With a unique blend of old and new, East and West, young gugak musicians are making global strides, performing at international music festivals, signing with global labels and racking up rave reviews from foreign media.Here

Dec. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Hot to trot

In Korea’s music history, 2019 may be remembered as the year of a global K-pop explosion. But on the home turf of BTS, Blackpink and other popular idol groups, the year’s biggest breakout star came from an unlikely music genre: trot.  Once ridiculed as music for grannies, the oldest form of Korean popular music is seeing a resurgence, evident from the stellar rise of trot diva Song Ga-in. Song was crowned “Ms. Trot” in a smash-hit TV audition show of the same title t

Dec. 6, 2019

What went wrong at MAMA 2019

K-pop Twitter was set abuzz Wednesday night as the 2019 Mnet Asian Music Awards went down at Nagoya Dome in Japan.BTS swept up nine awards, including the top three prizes -- Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year -- while Itzy and TXT took home Best New Female Artist and Best New Male Artist, respectively. While fans cheered on their favorite acts’ achievements, many viewers thought the show came across as rushed and lacking in energy. It had already faced criticism ove

Dec. 5, 2019

BLACKPINK cheered by 55,000 fans at Tokyo Dome concert

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK successfully held its first Tokyo Dome concert this week, with the attendance reaching about 55,000 fans, its management agency said Thursday.According to YG Entertainment, the concert as part of the BLACKPINK 2019-2020 World Tour in Your Area in Japan took place at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, featuring dynamic energy and performances by the four-member girl group amid a festive mood.As the "DDU-DU DDU-DU" intro announced the beginning of the concert, the

Dec. 5, 2019