Taeyeon’s musical versatility on full display in Seoul concert

Singer Taeyeon, a member of the K-pop powerhouse Girls’ Generation, came into her own Sunday as thousands of fans cheered on during her solo concert in Seoul.Taeyeon’s third solo concert was not only a commercial success, drawing nearly 10,000 people in two days, but also a celebration of her artistic identity as she powered through 24 songs in 2 1/2 hours, showcasing her versatility as an artist.Taeyeon kicked off the last day of her two-day Seoul concert with a new song, “Here I Am,” appearing

Oct. 22, 2018

Ed Sheeran to hold Seoul concert in April

Pop singer Ed Sheeran has confirmed that his first concert here will take place in April. The star will perform at the Songdo Moonlight Festival Park, an hour’s drive west of central Seoul, at 6 p.m. on April 21.  Poster for Ed Sheeran’s April concert (Private Curve)The artist will be visiting Seoul as a part of his Asian tour next spring. He will also be performing in Singapore and Thailand. A more detailed schedule of the tour has yet to be released. Tickets for his concert cost 110,000 ($97)

Oct. 22, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Intimate Strangers’ fun and enjoyable, until it’s not

Basketball fans may be familiar with the story of the Minnesota Timberwolves in their post-Kevin Garnett rebuilding years, when they repeatedly played exceptionally for three quarters and then collapsed in the fourth.Watching Lee Jae-kyoo’s “Intimate Strangers” felt just like watching the T-wolves play during that disappointing season. The film had such superb acting, so many funny and witty moments, before a huge letdown. “Intimate Strangers” (Lotte Entertainment)The comedy-drama starts off wit

Oct. 22, 2018

[K-Talk] Dark side of K-pop: Leader of The East Light claims years of abuse

Members of teenage K-pop boy band The East Light have suffered years of physical and verbal abuse and threats from a music director, the group’s leader Lee Seok-cheol told a press conference Friday. Lee, the 18-year-old band’s leader and drummer, fought back tears as he described abuse dating back to 2015. In a media report released Thursday, Lee had accused Media Line Entertainment Chairman Kim Chang-hwan of turning a blind eye to the abuse meted out to The East Light members by the resident pr

Oct. 21, 2018

Teenage K-pop band member claims beatings, threats by management agency staff

Members of teenage K-pop boy band The East Light have been beaten and verbally threatened by a producer and the head of their management agency, one of the members claimed Friday, vowing to take a legal action.Lee Seok-cheol, the 18-year-old band leader and drummer, held a press conference and confirmed a media report a day earlier that Kim Chang-hwan -- the chairman of Media Line Entertainment -- and a resident producer had assaulted or connived in assaulting the members before and after the ba

Oct. 19, 2018

YG silent on rumor Big Bang Seungri dating rookie actress

YG Entertainment is once again keeping silent about dating rumors surrounding Seungri of Big Bang and rookie actress Yu Hye-won. Earlier on Friday, a Taiwanese news outlet reported that the Big Bang member had been dating Yu for about a year, with photos of the two together and Instagram posts put up by the pair that seemed to feature matching “couple” items. Yoo is a rookie actress and a model for cosmetics and fashion brands.  (Seungri, Yu Hye-won`s Instagram)Following the rumor, Yoo’s agency

Oct. 19, 2018

Seoul Fashion Week KYE show draws K-pop celebrities

Designer Hanhee Kathleen Kye’s 2019 spring-summer show at HERA Seoul Fashion Week on Friday attracted a slew of K-pop celebrities in the audience, as well as strutting down the catwalk for her brand KYE. In the photo, from left, are GWSN’s Lena, singer Ko Sung-min, makeup artist Risabe, 9 Muses’ Kyungri, model Irene, f(X)’s Amber, Girls’ Generation’s Hyoyoen, Chungha, AKMU’s Lee Su-hyun and veteran singer Noh Sa-yeon.  (Lim Je

Oct. 19, 2018

NCT’s Lucas takes to catwalk in KYE show at Seoul Fashion Week

NCT’s Lucas strutted with nonchalant confidence in the KYE show at Hera Seoul Fashion Week, Friday.Sitting in the front row at the show was f(x)’s Amber, who whispered to Hyoyeon of Girls’ Generation as Lucas walked in front of them.A look of recognition flashed across Hyoyeon’s eyes as she took another measure of Lucas, while Amber took photos of him. (HERA Seoul Fashion Week) (Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heralcorp.com)

Oct. 19, 2018

Comedian Yoo Jae-suk and wife welcome second baby

Comedian and show host Yoo Jae-suk and his television announcer wife, Na Kyung-eun, welcomed their second baby on Friday, Yoo's management agency said. (Yonhap)FNC Entertainment said Na gave birth to a baby girl earlier in the day and that both mother and child are healthy.Yoo and Na were married in July 2008 and gave birth to their first son in May 2010. (Yonhap)

Oct. 19, 2018

EXO to hold showcase on Nov. 2

K-pop sensation EXO is returning to the stage as a whole group after a long hiatus.According to the group’s agency S.M. Entertainment on Friday, EXO will throw special showcase “EXO Comeback Showcase Tempo” on Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. in Paradise City’s Plaza in Incheon.  (S.M. Entertainment)On that same day the album releases, EXO will stage a performance for the upcoming LP “Don’t Mess Up My Tempo” for the first time. The group also plans to talk with fans in various sessions, including about episodes

Oct. 19, 2018

TV producer Na, actress Jung to sue over affair rumors

Na Young-seok, the producer of “Grandpas over Flowers,” a TV entertainment show remade in the US as “Better Late Than Never,” said he would sue the people behind rumors he was having an affair with actress Jung Yu-mi. Jung was in the cast of one of Na’s more recent series, “Youn’s Kitchen.” The show was a hit, and a pioneering work that took Korean celebrities overseas to Gili Trawangan Island in Indonesia in season one and a beachside Spanish town of Garachico in season two for them to start ov

Oct. 18, 2018

Music label accused of abusing artists confesses, issues apology

A music label with decades of history admitted Thursday to abusing members of one of its boy bands. Media Line Entertainment owned up to the allegations a few hours after local media outlets reported on suspicions of verbal and physical abuse by the label’s CEO and producer of The East Light, a six-member boy band that debuted under the label in November 2016.In the official statement issued in the afternoon, the label said it offers “words of apology for the disgraceful incident” and admitted t

Oct. 18, 2018

[Herald Interview] Unmasked by a mask

When rapper Mommy Son stepped out of his van and strolled along a street in the trendy Seoul neighborhood of Mangwon-dong, young passersby held their phones and started to take pictures.“Don’t let them take photos when the mask is off!” the rapper’s manager said, trying his best to keep the rookie artist’s true identity a secret.Mommy Son strolls down the street in Mangwon-dong, Seoul. (Park Hyun-koo / The Korea Herald)It has only been a month since masked rapper Mommy Son made his debut via Mne

Oct. 18, 2018

Nederlands Dans Theater returns to Seoul after 16 years

Nederlands Dans Theater is holding three concerts at Seoul Arts Center between Friday and Sunday, marking its first visit to Seoul since 2002.　Leading the cutting-edge contemporary dance company are artistic director Paul Lightfoot and artistic adviser Sol Leon. The two have been working for the company for some 30 years, in the past as dancers and choreographers, and now as the heads in charge.“It has been many years since the company has not been returning to Seoul. For us, it’s very significa

Oct. 18, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Dark Figure of Crime (Korea) Opened Oct. 3Crime, Drama, MysteryDirected by Kim Tae-kyunConvicted murderer Kang (Ju Ji-hoon) calls up detective Kim Hyung-min (Kim Yoon-seok) from his cellphone and confesses to six additional murders that were never reported to authorities. Kim investigates the cases, and soon learns that Kang’s testimony is mixed with lies and the criminal is manipulating him.Venom(US)Action, Adventure, Sci-fi Opened Oct. 3Directed by Ruben Fleischer Investigative journalist Eddi

Oct. 18, 2018

Kiha & The Faces to disband after 5th album release

Six-member band Kiha & The Faces announced in the dark of the night on Wednesday they would disband year-end after releasing the group’s final and the fifth regular album in November.Having worked together for 10 years, the members of Kiha & The Faces -- Jang Ki-ha, Lee Min-ki, Jeong Jung-yeop, Lee Jong-min, Yohei Hasegawa and Jeon Il-jun -- will go their separate ways after their final album as a group. “The soon-to-released fifth album will be the final work of Kiha & The Faces,” each member u

Oct. 18, 2018

Twice to be 1st K-pop girl group to hold dome tour

Top K-pop band Twice is to become the first girl group to hold a dome tour.It made an announcement Wednesday that it would be holding a dome tour in 2019 at the last performance of the “Twice 1st Arena Tour 2018 BDZ.”According to the schedule released, Twice will perform at Tokyo Dome for two days and hold one show each at the Nagoya Dome and the Kyosera Dome in Osaka. Further details are to be released next month. (JYP Entertainment)“We are very happy to meet Once through our first Arena Tour,”

Oct. 18, 2018

BTS renews contract with Big Hit Entertainment

Here’s good news for BTS fans: The K-pop heavyweight group has inked a deal to work with its agency for another seven years. Representing the act, Big Hit Entertainment said Thursday that it had signed a seven-year contract with all seven bandmates of BTS out of “deep trust and affection.”In its sixth year now, BTS still has over one year left in its first deal -- seven-year contracts have become the standard in K-pop -- but both sides decided to seal the deal early, which the agency explained i

Oct. 18, 2018

Korean TV stars pose with English newspaper

Proficiency in the English language adds to a person’s charm, it seems, as Korean celebrities update their social media feeds with The Korea Herald, the nation’s No. 1 English news daily, as props in their photo shoot or as inflight reading materials.1. Yang Se-hyeongYang Se-hyeong is the latest to join the trend with The Korea Herald. On Tuesday, Yang updated his Instagram with a series of black-and-white photos dressed in a smart suit. In one of the shots, Yang holds up The Korea Herald paper,

Oct. 18, 2018

[Herald Interview] Jung Eun-ji says she sings to comfort herself

Long before Jung Eun-ji started her K-pop career in 2011, music was more than just a hobby or something she was good at. Speaking to The Korea Herald at her record label’s headquarters, she confides it’s always been a source of healing and stability for her. Growing up, she would hum songs like Maya’s “Shout Myself” whenever she felt depressed and Kim Gun-mo’s “My Son” when her parents objected to her dream to become a musician. It’s an effect she hopes to have on others by sharing her soothing

Oct. 17, 2018