[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Take Point(Korea)Opened Dec. 26Action, Adventure, DramaDirected by Kim Byung-woo On the day of the US presidential election in 2024, Ahab (Ha Jung-woo) and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct North Korea’s armed forces minister in an underground bunker below the Korean Demilitarized Zone. However, they get caught in the crossfire that causes tensions to escalate to the brink of World War III.Bumblebee(US)Opened Dec. 25Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Travi

Dec. 27, 2018

Kwanghee’s manager faces bullying rumors

Kwanghee’s manager, who recently appeared on a reality show with the star, faces allegations of childhood bullying, though the agency has denied the claims. Kwanghee appeared on MBC’s “Omniscient” with his manager Yoo Si-jong. After the episode aired Saturday, an anonymous post regarding the manager was uploaded on an online community the next day, claiming that Yoo was a bully in middle school. (MBC's “Omniscient”)Bonboo Entertainment said Wednesday that it had confirmed with Kwanghee’s manager

Dec. 27, 2018

[Video] Jinyoung at the center of body-swapping comedy

With each year there buds in a person’s mind the wish to begin anew, to be a new person and a better me for the New Year. Now imagine waking up in a hospital bed in a body that is not yours. Imagine finding out you’re 30 years younger but a social outcast at school, or a powerful man with rivals out to kill you. Such is the plot of the comedy-drama film “Inside Me,” where Jinyoung plays Kim Dong-hyun, a bullied, introverted high school student; and veteran actor Park Sung-woong plays Jang Pa

Dec. 26, 2018

Child actor receives death threats from male fan

Child actor Wang Seok-hyun has received death threats from a male fan in his 30s.A source said Tuesday that Wang received death-threat calls via his school and agency on Thursday. (Lionheart Entertainment)His agency immediately reported the matter to police. Police caught the suspect on Monday, and handed the case to prosecutors for further investigation.The suspect was reportedly Wang’s fan since his appearance on the film “Scandal Makers.” (Yonhap)Wang’s agency has contacted private security c

Dec. 26, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Digging deeper into Korean Wave’

One summer night in 2016, David Kim and Danny Kim were drinking at a pub. Then college students, they were interning at an advertising company and music distribution company, respectively. Company life was draining. They didn’t feel like they were making something of themselves. After hours of complaining, there came the question: Why don’t we make something of our own?YouTube was booming, and so was K-pop. The two noticed a dearth of K-pop content produced by Koreans in English. A few days late

Dec. 26, 2018

Actor Son Seung-won caught drunk driving while license revoked

Actor Son Seung-won has been taken into police custody for drunk driving and injuring two -- all while having his license revoked.Seoul Gangnam Police said Wednesday that Son hit another car while driving under the influence of alcohol nearby a movie theater. Two men who were inside the car were injured and transferred to the hospital. (Blossom Entertainment)Son reportedly attempted to flee, driving away approximately 150 meters until a civilian and taxi driver stopped his car.According to polic

Dec. 26, 2018

Viewers gush over ‘SKY Castle’ as ratings skyrocket

The ratings for “SKY Castle” are soaring as enthusiastic viewers gush over the show’s depiction of South Korea’s education craze as well as the larger-than-life housewives played by some of the best actresses on Korean TV.JTBC’s Friday-Saturday series saw its ratings rise from just 1.7 percent viewership with its pilot episode in November to 11.3 percent on Saturday, according to Nielsen Korea. The ratings have risen each week consistently. Yum Jung-ah (left) and Kim Seo-hyung appear in “SKY Cas

Dec. 24, 2018

Top 10 most-streamed Christmas songs in December

Genie Music has revealed some of the most-streamed Christmas carols in December.The music steaming service said that “Because It’s Christmas” by Jelly Christmas 2012 Heart Project was the No. 1 Christmas single between Dec. 1 and Thursday. The song by the supergroup boasting singers Sung Si-kyung and Park Hyo-shin as members was the only South Korean act to chart in the top five. (Yonhap)Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree” from her album “Wrapped in Red” was a runner-up, while Mariah Carey’s

Dec. 23, 2018

BTS’ ‘Mic Drop’ hits 400m views, sets Korean record

BTS has left yet another mark in Korea’s music history, as its music video for “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” has become its fifth video to surpass 400 million views on YouTube, the most for any artist in the country. As of 11:09 a.m. Sunday, the remixed version of the megahit had hit the milestone, a little over a year after its initial 2017 November release. As of now, the boy band has five songs with over 400 million views, including “DNA,” “Fire,” “Dope” and “Fake Love.”The most-viewed video

Dec. 23, 2018

Lee Young-ja 1st woman to win grand prize at KBS Entertainment Awards

Comedian Lee Young-ja made history by becoming the first female comedian to win the grand prize at the KBS Entertainment Awards held Saturday. KBS has held the annual awards ceremony since 2002 to recognize achievements in variety and entertainment programs. The grand prize had been won by men for 16 years in a row. There were six nominees for the grand prize this year, including Yoo Jae-suk, Shin dong-yup, Lee Dong-guk and Kim Jun-ho.  (Yonhap)Lee Young-ja, who debuted 27 years ago, burst into

Dec. 23, 2018

Meet Aqua: K-pop’s first e-sports girl group

There is a new girl group in the K-pop scene. Billing itself as the very first “e-sports girl group” in South Korea, Aqua hopes to incorporate gaming into the growing music scene. At first glance, the six-piece group consisting of Hyeonju, Sua, Haesol, Seungji, Sihyeon and Hyerim looks like a typical K-pop idol group. But with the novel concept of e-sports, the group is already gaining attention, including from gamers, since its debut single with the fitting title “Log In” was released in Novemb

Dec. 20, 2018

Instagram Korea announces 2018’s most beloved celebrities

Instagram announced its list of the most beloved Korean celebrities of 2018 on Thursday.The yearly roundup, “Instagram Awards in Korea,” was launched last year to recognize highly influential celebrity Instagrammers. 　 (Big Hit Entertainment, YG Entertainment, S.M. Entertainment)The photo-sharing platform described the nascent awards as a way to celebrate K-pop’s status as “one of the most buzzed-about music genres three years in a row from 2015 to 2017,” adding that 2018 “was the year in which

Dec. 20, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Swing KidsWith the Korean War at its peak, the animosity between North Korean prisoners-of-war and the US forces runs high. Ki-soo (Do Kyung-soo), a fervent communist and war prisoner who was a member of a national dance troupe, meets Jackson (Jared Grimes), a Hollywood tap dancer-turned-US Army sergeant at the camp. Ki-soo joins a dance group, along with others who each have different goals.Aquaman (US)Opened Dec. 19Action, Adventure, Fantasy Directed by James WanHalf-human, half-Atlantean Arth

Dec. 20, 2018

Popular TV show’s staff say they worked 29 hours straight

Popular drama series “The Last Empress” has come under fire after allegations emerged that the major network SBS and production company SM Life Design Group made staff work nearly 30 hours in a row.A group consisting of labor union members, including the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center and Hope-Solidarity Union, filed a report on the matter to the Seoul Regional Employment Labor Office on Tuesday morning. According to a document outlining the filming schedule, revealed by the group, staff of “T

Dec. 20, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Mal-Mo-E’ has heart, comedy, great characters and a beautiful story

A disclaimer: It is possible that bias may have influenced this reviewer’s opinion that Eom Yu-na’s directorial debut, “Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission,” is one of the best films of the decade. Depictions of the people who fought to keep the nation’s spirit alive against foreign suppression always stirs patriotism in the hearts of South Koreans.But as someone who found the 2015 film “Assassination” a bit clunky and 2014’s “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” a bit too emotional, I can confidently say th

Dec. 19, 2018

Troye Sivan to hold Seoul concert in April

Singer-songwriter Troye Sivan will hold his first solo concert in Korea in April.　Live Nation Korea announced Wednesday that Sivan will come to Korea as part of his world tour titled “The Bloom Tour.” He will perform at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul on April 27. (Live Nation Korea)This will be Sivan’s second visit to Korea after his performance at the Jisan Valley Music & Arts Festival in 2016.Sivan will also tour other Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, from A

Dec. 19, 2018

K-pop's BTS 'worth $3.6 billion a year' to South Korea

South Korean boyband BTS are worth more than $3.6 billion to the country's economy every year -- equivalent to the contribution of 26 mid-sized companies -- a research institute said Tuesday.The floppy-haired songsters were also the reason that one in every 13 foreign tourists visited South Korea in 2017, the Hyundai Research Institute said. (Yonhap)Known for their boyish good looks and meticulously choreographed dance moves, BTS -- short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof B

Dec. 18, 2018

BTS tops nat'l survey on best recording artists of 2018

Global K-pop sensation BTS has topped a national survey on the best music acts of the year.Gallup Korea announced Tuesday that the seven-member boy band earned 24.4 percent of support in a survey on South Korea's top recording artists for 2018. BTS (Yonhap - CJ ENM)Gallup polled 4,200 South Koreans between the ages of 13 and 59 from July 4-22, Sept. 7-27 and Nov. 7-30. It has a margin of error of 1.5 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent.Participants were asked to pick their t

Dec. 18, 2018

Billboard highlights BTS, Red Velvet among best K-pop of year

Wrapping up 2018, Billboard released two lists, one ranking the 20 best K-pop albums and the other for songs. BTS, Red Velvet and Shinee’s Jonghyun were especially recognized atop the lists. Billboard picked BTS’ “Love Yourself: Answer” as the best K-pop album of the year. BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)“BTS has risen to the top of the global music industry,” commentary accompanying the list read. “They released their ‘Love Yourself’ album series, through which the group weaved a thematic discovery

Dec. 18, 2018

Queen tribute band to perform in Korea in Jan.

Queen tribute band The Bohemians will perform in Korea in January.They will perform at Daeyang Hall at Sejong University in Seoul, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center and Exco in Daegu on Jan. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. (Shangri-La Entertainment)The Bohemians were established in 1996 and are dedicated to re-enacting the legendary music of Queen. The band consists of four members -- Rob Comber, Christopher Gregory, Wayne Bourne and Kevin Goodwin -- who each represent a Queen member. They will perform 22

Dec. 18, 2018