Lee Jong-suk flies back home after detainment in Jakarta

Lee Jong-suk has returned home to South Korea after being detained in Jakarta, Indonesia, for about two days.Lee visited Jakarta on Nov. 3 as a part of his fan meetup tour, which included visits to Japan in August, and Taiwan and Thailand in September. He was scheduled to board a plane for South Korea the next day, but Lee and his team weren’t granted departure.(A-man Project)The actor’s detainment in Jakarta was made public through his Instagram post Monday, which read, “All of (the) staff memb

Nov. 6, 2018

From BTS to Charlie Puth, what to expect from 2018 MGA

With the clock ticking to this year’s K-pop MGA awards, excitement has been running high, as the star-studded event will feature diversity in its nominations and exclusive collaborations.Here’s what we can expect from the highly anticipated awards show, which is set to be held at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon on Tuesday. 1. Head-turning performances and collaborations (BTS, Charlie Puth Twitter)The 2018 MGA will offer exclusive performances by beloved K-pop artists. Headlining the event is a join

Nov. 6, 2018

Twice’s ‘Yes or Yes’ dominates digital charts

K-pop group Twice is reigning over local digital music platforms with its latest EP “Yes or Yes.”The title track with the same name as the EP ranked No. 1 on multiple local music charts as soon as it was released on 6 p.m., Monday. It has topped six music streaming sites including Melon, Genie, Bugs, Soribada, Mnet and Naver Music, as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. (Twice official homepage)“Yes or Yes” is the sixth EP of the group, with songs including an electric-pop track with a bouncy hook declaring “Cho

Nov. 6, 2018

Angelina Jolie speaks out for refugees, tours Yonsei campus, during weekend visit to Korea

What are your chances of running into a Hollywood superstar casually dining with her children at a local restaurant in South Korea? Angelina Jolie was one of the least expected guests at Maple Tree House, a Korean barbecue diner in Samcheong-dong, downtown Seoul, on a Friday night. Yet, there she was, leaving the locals in her vicinity with gaping mouths and disbelieving camera snaps.Instagram and Twitter were abuzz with people demanding to know if the rumors were true, and photos were posted in

Nov. 5, 2018

Violinist Yang In-mo releases first Deutsche Grammophon album

Violinist Yang In-mo on Monday released his first album under the Deutsche Grammophon label. The album is a live recording of a May 3 recital at Kumho Art Hall, where he performed all 24 caprices by Paganini.The latest album is imbued with his personal style, Yang, winner of the 2015 Paganini Competition, explained. “I think it was possible because it is Paganini. If I were to play Beethoven, it would have been totally different. (In other compositions) there is always a given formality (one is

Nov. 5, 2018

JYJ Junsu discharged from military

JYJ’s Xia Junsu, 31, was discharged from his alternative military duty in the conscripted police force on Monday. Junsu had enlisted in February 2017 on the same day as Big Bang’s T.O.P. The latter’s discharge date was pushed back to June 2019 after he failed a drug test while also serving with the conscripted police.Prior to his momentous day, Junsu spoke with a wire service about his experience with candor and detail. Yonhap News Agency on Sunday quoted Junsu as saying, “(The military is) a pl

Nov. 5, 2018

TVXQ draws more than legendary home acts in Japan

In Japan, more fans came to K-pop duo TVXQ’s concerts than to those of the legendary home acts of Arashi and Namie Amuro, according to S.M. Entertainment on Monday. The agency said TVXQ was atop the list compiled by Japan’s Nikkei Entertainment that gauged fan attendance at concerts in 2018.TVXQ concerts in Japan this year drew an accumulated 1.28 million people, more than any local or foreign performers with concerts in Japan. (S.M. Entertainment's Twitter)S.M. marked TVXQ’s success as meaningf

Nov. 5, 2018

Big Bang T.O.P’s fans from 4 countries donate W11m

Big Bang bandmate T.O.P’s fans from South Korea, China, Japan and Thailand collaborated to donate 11 million won ($9,900) to the Yongsan Public Welfare Foundation to help those less fortunate, marking the K-pop star’s birthday Sunday. T.O.P is currently serving his alternative military duty at the Yongsan Crafts Museum in Itaewon, central Seoul, after he was pulled from his previous position with the conscripted police force for failing a drug test. T.O.P was originally to be discharged from dut

Nov. 5, 2018

Cellists Lee Sang-eun and Lee Jeong-hyoun win Isang Yun Competition 2018

Korean cellists Lee Sang-eun and Lee Jeong-hyoun won first prize at Isang Yun Competition 2018, Tongyeong International Music Foundation announced Saturday. Third prize went to Russian cellist Lev Sivkov, and Chun Yeh-jin won the Seong-Yawng Park Special Prize. There was no winner of the Isang Yun Special Prize this year, as participants who were to perform Yun’s cello concertos all failed to proceed to the final round. The special prize is given to an artist who wins a prize with a Yun composit

Nov. 4, 2018

[Newsmaker] Shin Sung-il dies of cancer at 81

Actor Shin Sung-il died of lung cancer Sunday. He was 81.Shin was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in June 2017 and was undergoing chemotherapy when his condition recently deteriorated.Shin was born Kang Shin-yeong in Daegu in 1937. He attended Kyungbock High School, an elite school in Seoul, but gave up going to college due to his family’s financial circumstances. In 1957, he joined director Shin Sang-ok’s studio, where he adopted the stage name Shin Sung-il at the director’s suggestion. Shin

Nov. 4, 2018

Red Velvet unveil US tour schedule in 2019

K-pop girl group Red Velvet will have concerts in five US cities starting next February, their Seoul-based agency confirmed on Saturday. According to SM Entertainment, Red Velvet will start their US tour in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2019, and will go to Dallas two days later. They will also perform in Miami on Feb. 13, followed by Chicago on Feb. 15 and Newark, New Jersey, on Feb. 17.  (Yonhap)This will be the first time that the five-member group has given concerts in the United States as the sole

Nov. 3, 2018

[Exclusive] Angelina Jolie spotted at Korean barbecue restaurant in Seoul

What is Angelina Jolie doing in Seoul? American actress Angelina Jolie has been spotted in a restaurant in Samcheong-dong, a traditional area in central Seoul, by a number of people who shared her photos on social media on Friday. 　　According to the witnesses, the mega star was having samgyeopsal, the famous Korean style grilled pork dish, inside the restaurant at about 10 p.m.(Reader contribution/The Korea Herald)　“I just bumped into Angelina Jolie. She was eating Samgyepsal,” a Korean shared o

Nov. 2, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘The Wrath’ an outdated remake of a horror classic

When I first learned that Apink’s Son Na-eun was going to star in “The Wrath,” a remake of the 1986 horror classic of the same name, I thought that K-pop star’s acting would ruin the film. I was clearly wrong. It wasn’t just Son that brought the whole film down.It was everything, from the corny dialogue and nauseating camerawork to the director’s decision to directly bring an 80s-style horror film into the 2010s without proper adaptation.Director Yoo Young-sun’s film takes place in the household

Nov. 2, 2018

Are K-pop singers allowed to date?

When singer HyunA parted ways with Cube Entertainment after going public with her relationship with fellow singer E’Dawn, many fans, particularly those outside Korea, did not seem to understand the fuss.“This is one thing I really don’t understand about the Korean entertainment industry. These performers don’t belong to the fans or the companies who manage them. Let them date or marry who they want ... they’re entitled to a life of their own,” one Twitter user said of the dating scandal.Emotions

Nov. 2, 2018

‘Dear My Room’ sheds light on meaning of home

Upcoming cable series “Dear My Room,” which bills itself as a “do-it-yourself life drama” hopes to bring attention to interior design and the meaning of home on the small screen.The show, which first airs Tuesday on cable channel O’live, features four young main characters with design and arts backgrounds and their tangled relationships, including Shim Eun-joo, a former editorial designer now unemployed, played by Ryu Hye-yeong. Cast members and producers (from left) Yoon Ji-on, Park Ji-hyun, Ry

Nov. 1, 2018

‘Lion King’ a musical with animals, but story of humans

“The Lion King,” one of most beloved Disney animations of all time, is also one of the most successful and well-made musicals of all time. However, the reason the show has been enjoyed by over 95 million theatergoers across 25 productions across the past two decades extends beyond its brilliant music, clever use of props, masks and the energy that bursts from the onstage re-enactment of an African savanna.“The Lion King” (Clip Service)“With the ‘Lion King,’ one of the best things about the show

Nov. 1, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Intimate Strangers(Korea) Opened Oct. 31Drama, ComedyDirected by Lee Jae-kyooA married couple of Seok-ho (Cho Jin-woong) and Ye-jin (Kim Ji-soo), invite a group of lifelong friends to their housewarming party: Tae-soo (Yoo Hae-jin), Soo-hyun (Yum Jung-ah), Joon-mo (Lee Seo-jin), Se-kyung (Song Ha-yoon) and (Yoon Kyung-ho) all join with their seemingly perfect lives. After Ye-jin suggests they all reveal contents of their phone, however, a series of life-altering events unravels.Bohemian Rhapsody

Nov. 1, 2018

What dirt could Han Seo-hee have on T.O.P and YG? Speculations abound

Han Seo-hee, the controversial K-pop trainee who came to public attention in 2017 after being found that she had smoked marijuana with Big Bang’s T.O.P at his apartment, uploaded a lengthy Instagram post Wednesday night, implying she had undisclosed dirt on T.O.P and YG Entertainment.T.O.P, who had been serving as a conscripted policeman when he failed a drug test, has since been removed to serve alternative duty at a cultural center in Itaewon, Seoul. (Han Seo-hee's Instagram)Meanwhile, Han was

Nov. 1, 2018

[Trending] Shin Se-kyung’s YouTube channel creates online buzz

Top Korean actress Shin Se-kyung launched her YouTube channel and social media is abuzz concerning the celebrity’s self-made vlogs.The actress opened the channel in late September and uploaded her first video on Oct. 7 with the lengthy title “Daily life with JinSa, baking a spinach flatbread, mom makes me a red velvet cake, going for a walk and hanging out with friends.”“Hello, I’m a sister of Jinkook and Sarang,” Shin wrote in the caption of the video, referring to the featured dogs.  (Shin`s Y

Nov. 1, 2018

Yoon Eun-Hye learns true love in ‘Love Alert,’ following long hiatus

After five years’ hiatus from the small screen here, Yoon Eun-hye is returning in new rom-com “Love Alert.”The new MBN series, set to first air Wednesday night, sees Yoon star opposite Chun Jung-myung as the two form a fake relationship as a popular celebrity and doctor, before it blossoms into genuine romance.The new Wednesday-Thursday nighttime series is Yoon’s first work for South Korean audiences since KBS series “Marry Him If You Dare” in 2013, though the actress appeared on “Goddess Fashio

Oct. 31, 2018