National Theater Company revives legendary Cha Beom-seok's 'Hwal Hwa San'

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of renowned playwright Cha Beom-seok's birth, the National Theater Company of Korea is staging "Hwal Hwa San." Directly translated to "active volcano," the play is set in a small rural village in North Gyeongsang Province during the late 1960s. It follows the story of Jeong-sook (played by Kang Min-ji), the daughter-in-law of the Lee family. Despite their noble lineage, the family teeters on the brink of ruin due to mounting debts. Jeong

June 11, 2024

Dispute between Hybe and Ador CEO grows with lawsuit and rebuttal video

The conflict between Hybe and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin is showing no sign of improvement despite Min's offer of reconciliation, marked by a fresh lawsuit and the release of a rebuttal video by Belift Lab, the agency behind a K-pop rookie girl group Illit. Belift Lab announced Monday in a statement shared on X that they are filing an additional civil lawsuit against Min accusing her of business interference and defamation. Also on Monday, it released a 28-minute YouTube video refuting the alle

June 11, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 to mark debut anniversary with fan meeting

NCT127 will host a fan meetup in Seoul Aug. 3-4 to celebrate the eighth anniversary of its debut, label SM Entertainment announced on Tuesday. The live event will be broadcast online as well for fans who could not attend. The nine-member subunit will greet fans at the event dubbed “8ecret Inviation,” although only eight of them will be present, as Taeyong is serving his mandatory military service. In March, the nonet wrapped up its third international tour, “The Unity,” w

June 11, 2024

EXO-CBX and SM clash over contract issues again

SM Entertainment has denied a claim made by Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin of boy band EXO that it is making an "unfair" demand regarding revenue from their individual activities. Shortly after the trio, also known as EXO-CBX, held a press conference in Seoul on Monday to issue the claim, SM released a press statement saying that the trio was able to get a good distribution deal and suffered no damage from their contract signed with the K-pop powerhouse in June last year. Last year, EXO-CBX

June 11, 2024

Seventeen named UNESCO Youth Goodwill Ambassadors, in first as K-pop act

The bandmates of K-pop sensation Seventeen were appointed as Goodwill Ambassadors for Youth by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on Tuesday. It is the first time for a K-pop act to assume the role. According to Seventeen's agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday, the 13-member boy band was named for continuously sharing their growth narratives through music and their international influence on young people dating to their debut in 2015. "Seventeen and

June 11, 2024

More TV producers appear in front of camera, star in own shows

More TV producers are appearing in front of the camera and gaining popularity as they take a more active role, rather than remaining behind the scenes. From star producer Na Young-seok, who runs his show on Channel Fullmoon on YouTube, to the latest EBS show "PD Log," TV producers are embracing new roles as emcees or guests to add to the entertainment value. In "Earth Arcade's Vroom Vroom" on tvN, Na entertains viewers by teasing the cast when they fail to win a game in

June 11, 2024

Everglow returns as eerie and enchanting “Zombie”

Everglow dropped an intense new single, presenting themselves as hauntingly beautiful zombies. The new single comes in 10 months, during which they held tour concerts in the US, Europe and Japan. The group released a new single called “Zombie” on Monday. Besides the title track, two B-sides -- “Colourz” and “Back 2 Luv” -- are included. The title song “Zombie” already garnered attention for working with The Stereotypes -- a producer behind projects

June 11, 2024

3 EXO members accuse SM of 'unfair' revenue demands, renewing dispute

Three members of the popular K-pop group EXO -- Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin -- claimed Monday their agency SM Entertainment is making an "unfair" demand over revenue from their individual activities, reigniting their conflict with the K-pop powerhouse after a year. They alleged that the agency is unjustly demanding a 10 percent royalty from revenue of their individual activities without fulfilling its end of a behind-the-scenes deal made to resolve the conflict in June last year. During

June 10, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans to drop pre-release from Japan debut single

NewJeans will drop a B-side track from its debut single in Japan in advance of the full release, agency Ador said Monday. With the second teaser trailer for “Right Now” came the announcement that music video for the song will be unveiled June 17, four days before the single “Supernatural” is rolled out. It will feature characters from the American animation series The Powerpuff Girls stylized for each of the five members, as were those for “Get Up,” second EP

June 10, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘World Dice Tour’ applies YouTube formula to reality TV: producer

“World Dice Tour,” one of ENA's most successful shows to date, ended the seventh and last episode of its second season Saturday. In addition to airing every Saturday on the airwaves, each episode of “World Dice Tour” has been released in an edited version via YouTube every Thursday. It has recorded a cumulative 24 million views on the video-sharing platform, reaching new highs in viewer count with each new episode released. The show has also been sold to 115 countrie

June 10, 2024

Game changer? K-pop industry leverages AI

The K-pop industry has begun using artificial intelligence in making music videos and songs for K-pop artists in line with technological advancements. Seventeen, a world-renowned K-pop boy group, for instance, introduced the music video for their latest song, “Maestro,” last month with a scene created by AI. The music video makes its viewers question who is the real maestro, when the subject responsible for creation is unclear, in a world where virtually everything can be made with A

June 10, 2024

Ateez lands at No. 2 on Billboard 200

K-pop boy group Ateez landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated June 15) with its 10th EP “Golden Hour: Part 1.” This is the group’s fourth consecutive album to chart in the top 3 on the Billboard 200 following its eighth EP “The World EP. 1: Movement,” ninth EP “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw” and second LP “The World Ep. Fin: Will.” The eight-member group’s latest EP carries six tracks led by the lead track “Work,”

June 10, 2024

[From the Scene] Rain couldn't dampen spirits at Busan International Dance Festival

BUSAN -- Despite unexpected rain and a shifting schedule, the Busan International Dance Festival wrapped up its vibrant three-day celebration Sunday, showcasing a rich tapestry of performances from around the globe in the southeastern city. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the festival offered a unique experience in seeing dancers perform on an outdoor stage next to the sea. As rain poured on Saturday, the festival’s official program at the Haeundae Beach Special Stage had to be

June 10, 2024

'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae accused of unfairly trying to take over management rights

Actor Lee Jung-jae has been accused of attempting to unfairly seize management rights over RaemongRaein, the Korean drama production company responsible for producing series such as "Maestra" (2023) and "Reborn Rich" (2022). Kim Dong-rae, the head of RaemongRaein, said via a press release on Monday that Artist United, a company in which Lee stands as the largest stakeholder, has been unjustly pushing RaemongRaein to convene an extraordinary general meeting in a bid to replace

June 10, 2024

Red Velvet to return with new album ‘Cosmic’

Red Velvet is releasing a new album in time for its 10th debut anniversary. The K-pop girl group is dropping its seventh EP, “Cosmic,” on June 24 at 6 p.m., according to SM Entertainment. The new album will carry six tracks that accentuate Red Velvet’s unique musical identity and are perfect for listening during summer, said the agency. This album marks the first release in seven months after the group put out its third full-length album “Chill Kill” in November 202

June 10, 2024

Jeonghan and Wonwoo of Seventeen unveil track list of their 1st single album

Jeonghan and Wonwoo of the popular K-pop boy group Seventeen’s first single album will be led by the title track “Last Night (Guitar by Park Ju-won).” “Last Night (Guitar by Park Joo-won)” was composed by Woozi and singer-songwriter Bumzu. Woozi, another Seventeen member, has produced various hit singles for his group. The single album “This Man,” which will be released on June 17, will carry a total of three tracks. The other two tracks are “Beaut

June 9, 2024

Sci-fi drama, thriller, occult comedy films coming to cinema in June

Three movies of distinctive genres are coming to the cinema in June, in the hope of gaining attraction by avoiding the summer blockbuster season which falls in July and August. On June 5, director Kim Tae-yong’s sci-fi drama flick “Wonderland” hit local theaters. After his romance drama “Late Autumn” (2010), he has returned with a cast as impressive as his previous feature film. “Wonderland,” starring Tang Wei, Suzy, Park Bo-gum, Jung Yu-mi and Choi Woo-

June 9, 2024

BTS' Jungkook tops iTunes charts in 96 countries with 'Never Let Go'

Jungkook of K-pop supergroup BTS has topped iTunes Top Song charts of 96 countries with "Never Let Go," a digital single dedicated to the band's fans, his agency said Saturday. BigHit Music said the song, released the previous day, ranked No. 1 on iTunes Top Songs charts in the United States, Italy and 94 other countries as of 9 a.m. The song expresses Jungkook's gratitude toward the boundless love he receives from ARMY, the name of the BTS fandom. It was released as part of

June 8, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT’s Doyoung adds dates to solo tour

Doyoung of NCT expanded his solo Asia tour as per the requests of his fans, announced label SM Entertainment on Friday. The news came with a poster for tour “Dear Youth,” which showed that he will visit Taipei on Aug. 16 and will hit the stage once more in Bangkok on Aug. 25. He kicked off the tour in Seoul with a three-day concert, his first solo live show May 25-27 to a sold-out crowd. The second day’s gig was broadcast live for fans across the world. The solo tour will resum

June 7, 2024

[Herald Review] Lee shines as warmhearted Jedi in action-packed 'The Acolyte'

The latest series in the "Star Wars" universe, "The Acolyte" boasts convincing acting by "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae, who portrays an unconventionally emotional and warmhearted Jedi. The series is also rife with meticulously choreographed action sequences that dynamically blends martial arts with the use of the Force. The eight-part series, set a century before "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," follows the story of Osha (Amandla Stenberg), w

June 7, 2024