Highlights from BTS’ ‘Love Yourself: Speak Yourself’ stadium tour

BTS’ “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” world tour has come to an end with the grand finale in Seoul on Tuesday. Starting from sunny California, the colossal stadium tour took the septet to ten cities across the US, Brazil, the UK, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally to the band’s home ground of Korea from May to October. With the latest concert series, BTS broke records at each of the venues, selling out tickets at breakneck pace. It only took 2 1/2 hours

Oct. 25, 2019

BTS nominated in 3 categories for 2019 American Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS was nominated in three categories for the upcoming 2019 American Music Awards next month, poised to clinch a title for the second year in a row.According to the lineup for nominees for the event released Thursday (US time), the superstars will compete in the categories of Favorite Duo or Group -- Pop/Rock, Favorite Social Artist and Tour of the Year. BTS won the Favorite Social Artist prize last year, becoming the first South Korean band to capture an award at the AMAs.In the

Oct. 25, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil(US)Opened Oct. 17Adventure, Family, Fantasy Directed by Joachim Ronning Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) and her goddaughter Aurora (Elle Fanning) begin to question the complex family ties that bind them as they are pulled in different directions by impending nuptials, unexpected allies, and dark new forces at play. Their relationship has flourished, yet the hatred between man and the fairies still exists.Joker(US)Opened Oct. 2Drama, Mystery, Suspense Directed by Todd Phi

Oct. 24, 2019

TV star Lee Eliajah debuts on big screen as lead in ‘My Bossy Girl’

Actress Lee Elijah is a well-known name to fans of Korean TV, but her acting chops have been limited to the small screen. Yet director Lee Jang-hee cast Lee Elijah as lead character Hye-jin in the upcoming romantic comedy “My Bossy Girl.” “There is a certain excitement and tension that comes from the word ‘first.’ Since this is my first (movie role), I just focused on having fun, doing the best I can to make a great film,” Lee Elijah said during a press confer

Oct. 24, 2019

Winner shows artistic and personal growth in ‘Cross’

Winner is showcasing growth both artistically and personally in its third EP “Cross.”The album, released Wednesday, comes only five months after EP “WE,” as the group delivers on the promise to fans that they would release two records within this year.As the title subtly suggests, the group sings together but also separately on the album packed with crossover tracks. “The album mostly consists of crossover tracks with multiple meanings. We wanted to move away from o

Oct. 23, 2019

Day6 returns with ‘Sweet Chaos’ amid ongoing world tour

Amid its ongoing world tour, Day6 came out with the fully packed album “The Book of Us: Entropy,” which deals with various aspects of human relations. The prolific act’s third full-length album, which follows the July single “Time of Our Life,” features 11 tracks including lead track “Sweet Chaos.” Looking nervous after their first live performance of “Sweet Chaos” at their first-ever press showcase, held in Seoul on Tuesday, the band members

Oct. 23, 2019

[Herald Review] Old formula a double-edged sword for ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

Pro: “Terminator: Dark Fate” is the best in the “Terminator” franchise other than the first two films, which were both amazing.Con: That’s not saying much considering what followed those two magnificent flicks.The upcoming sci-fi action film by Tim Miller packs good action, a solid message and ample story for quite some fun. The problem is that it rehashes the old formula that has been done before and better, which results in it being neither fresh nor very impressi

Oct. 23, 2019

SuperM's debut album comes down to 11th on Billboard 200

K-pop band SuperM's debut album edged down to 11th on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week, after debuting at No. 1, chart results showed Wednesday. The album, "SuperM: The 1st Mini Album," topped the chart for the week of Oct. 19, making the septet the second-ever K-pop artists to conquer the chart following BTS. This week marks the second week in a row that the album has ranked high on the chart. The septet was formed in a high-profile collaboration project between South Korea's

Oct. 23, 2019

Upcoming BTS concerts in Seoul to be broadcast live

Global K-pop superband BTS' upcoming concerts in Seoul will be broadcast live in movie theaters in six Asian countries, the band's management agency said Wednesday.With three days of concerts in the band's home country, set for Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday, BTS will wrap up its latest globe-trotting concert tour, "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself." The Saturday concert will be broadcast on V Live, the live broadcasting service of the biggest South Korean internet portal, Naver, according

Oct. 23, 2019

‘The Faceless Boss’ to be a noir film about cruelty of gangster world

The early 2000s in Korean cinema was marked by an onslaught of gangster comedies, which ranged in quality but soon came under fire for glorifying criminals through their affectionate depiction of the mob. This was followed by a period of gritty realism, with ruthless, 19-rated stories.Director Song Chang-yong’s upcoming crime drama “The Faceless Boss” looks to maintain the realism but open it up to a wider audience. Starring Chun Jung-myung, Jin Yi-han and Lee Si-a, it follows

Oct. 22, 2019

BTS' global music career up in air as Seoul reviews military exemptions

The fate of K-pop superband BTS' roaring global music career with the full seven-member lineup is up in the air as the South Korean government is in the final stage of revising the country's controversial military duty exemption system.Jin, BTS' eldest member whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, is required by the military service law to enlist in the armed forces by 2020 when he turns the age of 28.All-able bodied South Korean young men are compelled to serve in the military for about two years fo

Oct. 22, 2019

Emails suggest SuperM’s Korean sales counted for Billboard charts

Emails between a South Korean record importer and a US record dealer reveal that SuperM’s debut record, released only in the US, was sold here with an assurance that the sales will be reflected in the US charts.In the conversation, obtained by The Korea Herald, record importer Hani Music secured a supply of records from a dealer that reports sales to Nielsen SoundScan, which powers the Billboard music charts. The company previously said they sold at least “thousands of copies”

Oct. 21, 2019

House of BTS offers special experience for fans

BTS’ pop-up store in Seoul, called “House of BTS,” has opened its doors to fans, offering them a unique and exciting experience related to the K-pop juggernaut. Taking over a three-story building in the posh district of Gangnam, southern Seoul, the pop-up was crowded with fans from all over the world Monday morning, many of whom waited in a long queue for hours before the store opened at 10 a.m. Mainly decorated in pink, inspired by BTS’ hit “Boy With Luv,

Oct. 21, 2019

[Herald Review] 2019 Grand Mint Festival features more band music

The 13th Grand Mint Festival took place at Olympic Park, eastern Seoul, over the weekend, with a heavier emphasis on band music than ever before.The all-genre music festival featuring K-pop artists, rock bands, hip-hop artists and more had a total of 50 acts in this year’s lineup. According to the festival, this year the main focus was band music. As with previous editions, “space hero” Minty was the festival mascot, appearing on all the festival posters as well as its mer

Oct. 21, 2019

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' racks up $1.3m over weekend in US

Cannes-winning black comedy "Parasite" racked up nearly $1.3 million over the weekend in the United States, industry data showed Monday.Directed by eclectic South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, the film, released stateside on Oct. 11, ranked 11th at the US box office during the Friday-Sunday period, with a cumulative total of $1.8 million, according to data from Box Office Mojo. It is now being screened in 33 theaters in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco

Oct. 21, 2019

Rookie TXT returns with new album ‘The Dream Chapter: Magic’

TXT, the rookie band from BTS agency Big Hit Entertainment, on Monday returned to the music scene with the group’s first full-length album, “The Dream Chapter: Magic.”The new album arrives seven months since the five-piece act -- leader Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai -- made a much-anticipated debut in March with EP “The Dream Chapter: Star.” The new eight-track album is led by “Run Away,” a synth-pop tune that highlights its brig

Oct. 21, 2019

Musical ‘Aida’ to kick off final run in Korea next month

The final South Korean production of the beloved musical “Aida” will kick off next month, wrapping up a run that spans 732 performances, 14 years and 730,000 audience members.The local promoter for “Aida,” the Seensee Company, said the musical will be performed Nov. 13 to Feb. 23, 2020, at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul. Yoon Gong-ju and Jeon Na-young have been cast as the title character and will appear along with other musical stars such as Kim Woo-hyun

Oct. 20, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Joker(US)Opened Oct.2Drama, mystery & suspense Directed by Todd Phillips A clown-for-hire by day, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) aspires to be a stand-up comic at night. But finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study. Crazy Romance (Korea)Opened Oct.2RomanceDirected by Kim Han-gyeolJae-hoon (Kim Rae-won) is hurt by

Oct. 18, 2019

BTS to issue remake of 'Make It Right' featuring Lauv

A new version of K-pop boy band BTS' song "Make It Right" featuring Lauv will be released Friday afternoon, the band said.The remade version of the BTS song, which comes from its latest album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," will be released at 6 p.m. (Korean time) through major online music distributors in and outside of Korea, the band said on its official social media accounts. The new version has revised lyrics and vocals. American singer-songwriter and producer Lauv wrote so

Oct. 18, 2019

Fans, friends bid final farewell to K-pop star Sulli

Fans and fellow K-pop stars bade their final farewells to Sulli as her coffin finally left for her burial early Thursday.The 25-year-old K-pop star and actress, whose legal name was Choi Jin-ri, was found dead at her residence in Seongnam, south of Seoul Monday, sending a shockwave across the country. Before her death, she was suffering from severe depression, according to her close aides.Following a four-day funeral and mourning ceremony at a Seoul hospital, the coffin carrying Sulli left the h

Oct. 17, 2019