[Trending] Tom Cruise visits Korea for ‘Mission: Impossible - Fallout’

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise arrived in Seoul on Sunday to promote his upcoming movie “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” It was his ninth visit to Korea. The actor was welcomed by local fans who awaited his arrival at Gimpo Airport. Cruise greeted the fans by waving his hands with a big smile and spent about 40 minutes with them at the airport. The friendly manner of the 56-year-old actor has earned him a nickname “Hospitable Tom Ajeossi” among Koreans. Ajeossi is a word used to describe or addr

July 16, 2018

BTS' 'Love Yourself: Tear' tops S. Korea's main record sales chart for H1

K-pop superstars BTS' latest record, "Love Yourself: Tear," ranked atop South Korea's leading record sales chart for the first half of this year, the chart result showed Monday.The album, released in May, sold 1,750,117 copies, claiming No.1 on the album category of Gaon Chart for the January-June period. (Yonhap)The chart is filed by the Korean Music Content Association. With the result, the BTS record was given Gaon Chart's recognition of "Million" sales record, becoming the first album to ear

July 16, 2018

Actor Jang Geun-suk starts alternative military service

Actor Jang Keun-seuk began his mandatory military service on Monday, his agency Tree J said in the morning.Earlier this month, the agency said the actor would do alternative service as a social office worker following his diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 2011, which classified him as ineligible for active duty in the military. The agency didn't disclose where the 31-year-old actor will work for the coming two years. Actor Jang Keun-suk is shown in this photo provided by Tree J Company. (Yonhap)U

July 16, 2018

British pop star Ellie Goulding to hold first Seoul concert

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding will perform for the first time in South Korea in September.The female singer will hold her first Korean gig at Olympic Hall in Olympic Park in southern Seoul on Sept. 6.Goulding was propelled to stardom with her debut album “Lights” in 2010, topping the BBC’s Sound of 2010 list and leaving behind the likes of Hurts and Owl City. (Live Nation Korea)The singer has a bank of hit singles including “Lights,” which peaked at the second spot on the US Billboard

July 16, 2018

Ku Hye-sun opens up on rumors of pregnancy, plastic surgery

Actress and director Ku Hye-sun addressed recent rumors that she was either pregnant or had undergone plastic surgery. She was invited Saturday to speak with viewers about her new short film “Mystery Pink,” as part of the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. 　 Ku Hye-sun at GV event (Naver‘s V live)During an interview, she mentioned the rumors about her weight gain, saying she found it amusing how the matter had garnered attention. She also talked about accepting changes in her bo

July 15, 2018

LA police looking into death threat against BTS member

The Los Angeles Police Department is looking into a death threat made against Jimin, a member of K-pop act BTS that is scheduled to perform in the US in September. US broadcaster NBC News reported Saturday that LAPD has confirmed the matter and is currently looking into it, quoting an officer of the LAPD’s media relations section. Jimin, a vocalist of the seven-piece boy band, recently received a death threat from an anonymous Instagram user who posted a photo of a gun and a statement that the u

July 15, 2018

Mystery romance follows woman's search for her identity lost after plastic surgery

A woman undergoes a major surgery to change her appearance, after which she loses her memory and becomes a totally different person. Her doctor helps her bring back her lost memory and in the process, falls in love with her.The new mystery romance thriller "Let Me Introduce Her," set to begin this weekend on SBS, follows the journey of a confused woman seeking to find out her past and discover her true self.Actress Nam Sang-mi, who plays protagonist Ji Eun-han, said Friday she was "absolutely at

July 13, 2018

With ‘Secretary Kim,’ Park Min-young rises as fashion icon

TvN’s “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” has been a roaring success. The rom-com drama has been ruling the Wednesday-Thursday evening slot, with an average viewership share of 8.4 percent as of Friday. Lead female actress Park Min-young, who features as secretary Kim Mi-so, rose as a fashion icon for women in their 20s and 30s. Park has always been recognized as a trendy character. Her photos taken during traveling in Europe went viral here a few years ago, with many posing for same shots when tr

July 13, 2018

Black Pink rocks! Here are 10 reasons

US-based Billboard spotlighted Black Pink with a feature titled “10 Things to Know About Black Pink” on Wednesday.  (Yonhap)“Female quartet Black Pink is making big waves in the K-pop scene,” it said. “As they grow more prominent internationally, here are a few facts to know about the revolution that is Black Pink.”The following are 10 key points about Black Pink listed by Billboard:1. They’re the best charting female Korean act ever2. They have only nine songs3. Four members, four flavors4. Bot

July 13, 2018

Will BTS and Charlie Puth collaborate?

BTS’ Jungkook and Charlie Puth have had a thing going on for about a year and a half now, and we are not sure what to call it.  Jungkook of BTS (left, Big Hit Entertainment), Charlie Puth (right, Charlie Puth official website)Let’s not say ‘bromance,’ which has become too hackneyed a term they will call any sight of two men not hating each other "bromance." It’s more than mere professional admiration between two musicians. It’s not quite a full-blown “stanship (stan: a maniacal fan),” as some ha

July 13, 2018

Korean film sales hit $10 million at Marche du Film in Cannes

South Korean films landed deals worth $10 million at this year’s Marche du Film, a trade event for the film industry held alongside the Cannes Film Festival. Films sold at this year’s event in Cannes include “Believer,” as well as “The Spy Gone North,” “Drug King” and “Her Story.”According to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Korean production houses inked a total of 292 deals at the event this year, valued at a record 11.6 billion won ($10.3 million). The value of the deals jumped 47 p

July 13, 2018

Mamamoo’s agency to release two ‘brother’ boy bands

Two new boy bands are on the way, produced by the agency that created girl group Mamamoo.RBW said Friday that it will launch ONEUS and ONEWE in the second half of this year. They are to have distinctly different musical styles but are to be “brother groups” that developed deep friendships during their training period. ONEUS (RBW) ONEWE (RBW)ONEUS, a six-piece group, consists of former participants of audition programs like “Produce 101 Season 2” and “Mix Nine,” including Lee Gun-hee and Yeo Hwan

July 13, 2018

Cast and director of 'Along With the Gods 2' to visit Taiwan for promotional activities

The director and main cast members of the forthcoming sequel to the 2017 box-office smash "Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds" will visit Taiwan to promote the film ahead of its release early next month, the film's local distributor said Friday.Director Kim Yong-hwa and actors Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Dong-wook and Lee Jung-jae will leave for Taiwan on Aug. 5 for a four-day trip, Lotte Entertainment said. (Lotte Entertainment)In Taiwan, they will attend a red car

July 13, 2018

Jung Eun-ji confirms first big screen role

Jung Eun-ji, the beloved star of coming-of-age drama “Reply 1997,” is getting her first leading role on the silver screen.According to her agency Plan A Entertainment, she has been cast as the lead for the horror film “0.0MHz.” The movie, based on a popular webtoon of the same name, will be directed by Yoo Seon-dong. The film will start shooting later in the month. (Plan A Entertainment)Jung, who is a member of K-pop act Apink, first took up acting in “Reply 1997,” which stirred up the country w

July 13, 2018

[BIFAN preview] N. Korean films highlight BIFAN

What better way to spend Friday the 13th then to indulge in films of horror, thriller, fantasy and mystery at the biggest genre film festival in Asia?The 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival kicked off Thursday at the western city of Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, to showcase 290 films, 163 features and 127 shorts. Out of the 53 countries represented on the silver screens, one participant stands out. Nine films shot in North Korea were cleared by the government for screening at this y

July 12, 2018

What is life on Mars like?

Even at this very moment, humankind is moving one step closer to Mars. Mars is getting more frequently mentioned by scientists and even non-scientists, as institutions such as NASA and Space X reach for the planet. To bring the exploration one step closer to viewers, tvN’s upcoming sci-fi reality series “Galileo: Awakened Universe” aims to explore what life on Mars would be like, though from the safety of Earth.  Poster for “Galileo: Awakened Universe” (tvN)In June, the cast and crew visited the

July 12, 2018

5 best K-pop summer tunes that will make you nostalgic

(Screencaptured from YouTube)If this summer is too hot and humid for you, it’s time to for you to freshen your summer playlist. Sistar’s “Touch My Body” and Girls’ Generation’s “Party” may be longtime favorite K-pop summer songs, but let’s go back several years to when K-pop sounded refreshing and remained faithful to its classic seasonal tunes. Here are the five best throwbacks that may evoke nostalgia. 1. Dancing Out – Super Junior (2006)Released in 2006 as part of SMTown’s studio album, the s

July 12, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Ant-Man and the Wasp(US)Opened July 4Action, Adventure, Sci-fiDirected by Peyton ReedAfter “Captain America: Civil War,” Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) with an urgent new mission.The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion(Korea)Opened June 27Action, Thriller, MysteryD

July 12, 2018

Twice’s ‘Heart Shaker’ YouTube video tops 200 million views

The music video for Twice’s “Heart Shaker” has been watched more than 200 million times on YouTube, following in the footsteps of the group’s previous singles.The group’s agency JYP Entertainment confirmed Thursday that the video, which was released in early December last year, surpassed 200 million views on YouTube on Wednesday night, becoming the fifth video from the group to reach the 200 million threshold.Another of the nine-piece band’s singles “TT” became the first video by a female K-pop

July 12, 2018