Playlist: 10 relaxing IU songs to keep you warm this winter

The nippy winter is in full swing -- time to take out the cozy essentials like a fuzzy blanket, padded coat and, most importantly, a renewed winter playlist. And just in time, K-pop fans have recently been treated to a new album from IU, whose sweet, comforting vocals make her one of the most sought-after acts this time of the season. While the chart-topping singer-songwriter is beloved regardless of the weather, many of her emotional ballads have especially served as a remedy for winter blues,

Dec. 5, 2019

'House of Hummingbird' picked as Best Film of Year by KFPA

South Korean film producers chose "House of Hummingbird" as the Best Film of the Year on Thursday.The Korean Film Producers Association said it has decided to give the honor of the 2019 KFPA Awards to the indie movie directed by Kim Bo-ra. Set in a rapidly developing Seoul in 1994, the film is a touching coming-of-age drama centered around Eun-hee, an isolated, lonely 14-year-old girl in a dysfunctional family. As a middle school student, Eun-hee wanders aimlessly while continuously se

Dec. 5, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Frozen 2(US)Opened Nov. 27Animation, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient forest in an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom. Ford v Ferrari(US)Opened Dec. 4Action, Biography, Drama Directed by James Mangold American car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles

Dec. 5, 2019

Celeb chef Baek Jong-won's new show focuses on farm products

Baek Jong-won has a number of jobs and titles, such as chef, food researcher, entertainer, writer, essayist and businessman. He is busy running big franchise restaurants and coffee shop chains, while appearing on various TV shows, including "Baek Jong-won's Alley Restaurant" of SBS and "High School Lunch Cook-off" of tvN.This winter, the prolific and active Jack of all trades launched a new reality show, "Delicious Rendezvous," to be first aired Thursday night on SB

Dec. 5, 2019

BTS sweeps top prizes at 2019 MAMA in Nagoya

K-pop sensation BTS picked up nine prizes at this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards in the Japanese city of Nagoya on Wednesday, monopolizing the biggest Asian music awards event.The septet took home the top three prizes at the 2019 MAMA -- Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year -- winning big at the awards ceremony held at Nagoya Dome.Six other awards including Best Male Group, Best Dance Performance-Male Group and Best Music Video also went to BTS. "Year 2019 has been a y

Dec. 5, 2019

K-pop star Kang Daniel suspends engagements over mental health

K-pop star Kang Daniel has temporarily halted entertainment activities, his management company said Wednesday, citing Kang’s ongoing struggle with depression and panic disorder Wednesday.Kang has canceled recordings for TV programs, including “Show! Champion,” an MBC music program that was scheduled for Wednesday. “Securing enough rest for the artist’s condition is the first priority,” management agency Konnect Entertainment said in a statement, adding th

Dec. 4, 2019

Park Ji-hoon returns with seductive second EP '360'

K-pop singer and actor Park Ji-hoon returned Wednesday as a musician following his recent acting project, with his second solo EP "360."The album's title track is an alluring pop number that sheds light on the heartthrob star's seductive side. Park described the song as reflective of his three major qualities -- purity at the zero-degree point, youthfulness at the 180-degree point and professionalism as an artist at the 360-degree point."I hoped to put into the new album the music

Dec. 4, 2019

[Herald Review] Two’s company: Hopkins and Pryce enliven papal buddy film ‘The Two Popes’

This was honestly not what I expected from a film about papal succession: a delightful buddy film about an unlikely friendship that took place -- of all places -- at the Vatican. Forget about grappling with faith or messages about the Catholic Church reaching out to the world in a humble way. “The Two Popes” director Fernando Meirelles has created a perfectly riveting drama brought to life by the fascinating back-and-forth performance by Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce.The story t

Dec. 4, 2019

BTS to perform on popular Japanese year-end TV show

K-pop sensation BTS will perform at "FNS Music Festival," one of the biggest and most prestigious year-end musical events in Japan, later this week, the TV network broadcasting the show said Tuesday.BTS will make its appearance on the first day of the annual music show on Wednesday, Fuji Television said. The second show will be aired on Dec. 11.  The Japanese TV broadcaster said it will be the first time BTS has participated in the annual music gathering, which has been held since

Dec. 4, 2019

Cho Yeo-jeong shows off different side in TV drama

After what many would call a career-defining performance in Cannes-winning film “Parasite,” Cho Yeo-jeong is demonstrating a different side of her acting spectrum with a role in a new KBS series.In the upcoming “Woman of 9.9 billion,” Cho plays a woman who used to live a hopeless life but becomes relentless when it comes to money, a far cry from the naive housewife that has become familiar to international audiences.“I had a desire to play a different role from the

Dec. 4, 2019

Dictator’s assassination, volcanic eruptions at Paektusan coming to big screens soon

While South Korea’s box office is dominated by Disney’s “Frozen 2” at the moment, the competition is expected to get fierce later this month and early next month, when a number of local tent-pole films hit the theater.The producers of “The Man Standing Next” confirmed Tuesday that the film -- inspired by the true story of the assassination of a former Korean president -- will open next month.Starring Lee Byung-hun, Lee Sung-min and Kwak Do-won, the film is bas

Dec. 3, 2019

Zion.T will unveil new song on his YouTube channel

South Korean singer-songwriter Zion.T will unveil his new song “Nothing Today” on Tuesday by uploading the piece on his YouTube channel, without distributing it on major music streaming services. The reason for his unprecedented decision is not known. However, in a response to an online comment asking whether the song would be distributed on music sites, he replied, “in the manner that has no winners or losers” -- implying that he wanted to avoid the ranking system of the

Dec. 2, 2019

‘Frozen 2’ accused of monopoly, fueling screen-quota controversy

A Korean civic group on Monday filed a complaint against Walt Disney Company Korea with prosecutors, claiming the film “Frozen 2” violated anti-monopoly law here.The Public Welfare Committee said the screening of the hit Disney animation film at over 88 percent of screens throughout the country on Nov. 23 violates the country’s anti-monopoly law.It claimed the film falls under the clause that defines any individual that has over 50 percent of market share as a market-dominant e

Dec. 2, 2019

TWICE to close world tour in Seoul next year

K-pop girl group TWICE will close its almost one-year-long concert journey in Seoul next year, the band's agency said Monday.The two-day concert, titled "TWICE World Tour 2019 Twicelights," will be held at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in southeastern Seoul from March 7, according to JYP Entertainment.That will put an end to the nine-member team's world tour that kicked off in May at the same venue. By March next year, TWICE will have traveled to 16 cities, including Tokyo, Los Angeles

Dec. 2, 2019

Ryan Reynolds says ‘6 Undergrounds’ shows how times are changing

For decades, big-budget Hollywood blockbusters have been linked to the silver screen.But the upcoming release of Michael Bay’s “6 Underground” by global streaming giant Netflix is a reminder that the movie distribution industry is changing fast. “I’ve been lucky enough to work in this business for 25 years now, and I don’t think I’ve worked on a movie of this scale and scope. Just the fact that they’re bringing this to Netflix is a real sign of the

Dec. 2, 2019

K-Pop stars introduce favorite sightseeing spots in Korea

A number of K-Pop stars joined a campaign to introduce attractions in Korea by taking videos of their favorite spots, aimed at giving travel tips to foreigners. The campaign is organized by Seo Kyoung-duk, a Sungshin Women’s University professor. The content, created by the K-pop stars, is shared on Korea Tourism Organization’s social media accounts, with translations in English, Chinese and Japanese. The campaign kicked off with two members of K-Pop group NU’EST, Min-hyun and

Dec. 1, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Fukuoka’ tells multilayered story in dreamlike narrative

Watching a Zhang Lu film is like being led through a labyrinth, with each of the director’s choices sparking thoughts, and ending up with more questions than answers.“Fukuoka,” the story of a pair of estranged friends, two middle-aged men journeying both physically and metaphysically, looks at various aspects of life and the world itself in a new context.The story begins when used-book seller Je-moon (Yoon Je-moon) from Seoul is talked into traveling to Fukuoka by So-dam (Park

Dec. 1, 2019

K-pop stars to walk fans through major Korean tourist spots

Three K-pop idols, including members from boy band NU‘EST, have joined a tourism promotion campaign to walk fans and YouTube users through major Korean tourist spots.Two NU’EST members, Hwang Min-hyun and Ren, as well as the soloist Ha Sung-woon joined the video campaign operated by Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women‘s University in Seoul, and sponsored by the state-run Korea Tourism Organization.The three stars are the first Korean TV entertainers who have joined the

Nov. 30, 2019

Box-office hit 'Frozen 2' reignites debate over anti-monopoly regulations

As Walt Disney's ambitious film "Frozen 2" smashes the South Korean box office, the local cinema market is again engulfed in a long-running debate over anti-monopoly regulations. "Frozen 2," the sequel to 2013's "Frozen," exceeded 6 million admissions on the ninth day of its release as of Friday, according to the latest data compiled by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).In particular, about 1.66 million people saw the animated film on Saturday alone, on par with the a

Nov. 29, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Frozen 2(US)Opened Nov. 27Animation, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient forest in an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom. Bring Me Home(Korea)Opened Nov. 27ThrillerDirected by Kim Seung-wooJeong-yeon (Lee Yeong-ae) heads to a village after receiving a tipoff that her son, wh

Nov. 29, 2019