'Handsome Guys' to depict Hollywood occult vibe

South Korean comedy occult flick "Handsome Guys," starring veteran actors Lee Hee-jun and Lee Sung-min, will set itself apart from recent occult box office hit "Exhuma" by incorporating a Hollywood occult vibe, alongside a narrative rife with comedic scenes, said the director, Monday. "Handsome Guys" tells the story of Jae-pil (played by Lee Sung-min) and Sang-gu (played by Lee Hee-jun), two friends who decide to move to a new house in a rural area. In there, they d

May 27, 2024

[Herald Review] Shinee wraps up 6th world tour with Onew back from hiatus

As K-pop veteran Shinee's final encore concert began Sunday at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, the giant LED screens showed video art of the boy band's silhouette. When the mid-section of the LED screens lowered, they revealed the main stage with Onew, Minho, Key and Taemin. The members kicked off the final performance of their three-day encore concert, "Perfect Illumination: Shinee’s Back," with their mega-hit singles “Clue” and "Sherlock." The enco

May 27, 2024

[Music in drama] Delve into destined love story with touching melodies

Romance with a divine being is always intriguing, yet never simple or safe -- at least in Korean dramas. "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," aired through tvN from December 2016 to January 2017, is a series that reinterprets beings from Korean folklore into a modern, touching love story. The male protagonist, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), an immortal being that can be roughly translated as a goblin, is a general wrongfully killed a thousand years ago, who now longs for rest. He meets Ji Eun-t

May 27, 2024

[Herald Review] ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ expands gripping universe of ‘Mad Max’ franchise

The hit action blockbuster "Mad Max" franchise has returned after nine years. This time, instead of releasing a sequel to 2015's “Mad Max: Fury Road,” director George Miller decided to create a prequel to that film with a young Furiosa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) narrating her 18-year-long vengeful journey back home to find warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) in “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” What’s unique about this grand-scale movie is the universe desig

May 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'The 8 Show' questions capitalism's class system

The director and one of the actors of Netflix's original series, "The 8 Show," sought to criticize capitalism today while asking how far creators should go in the pursuit of entertainment. Based on popular webtoons "Money Game" and "Pie Game," "The 8 Show" follows the stories of eight contestants in dire financial straits as they strive to earn money in a mysterious reality variety show. The participants are trapped on separate floors in an eight-st

May 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Imagination’ key to acting, says Gang Dong-won

In his 21-year acting career, actor Gang Dong-won has played many different types of characters, hardly any of them overlapping. While his previous roles have been somewhat witty, easygoing characters with boyish charm, “The Plot,” his latest film, portrays the actor at his coldest. With no smile on his face, Gang plays Yeong-il, the mastermind of contract killings that appear to be accidents. Many of his scenes involve tight shots showing his dry and sharp eyes. He also has few line

May 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] SM subsidiary KMR aims to broaden K-pop spectrum

Even as K-pop giant Hybe’s multilabel system is being tested by the ongoing feud with the CEO of one of its subsidiaries, Ador’s Min Hee-jin, the longest-standing K-pop agency, SM Entertainment is forging ahead with establishing its own multilabel system, dubbed “SM 3.0.” SM 3.0 focuses on broadening the spectrum of K-pop, according to Choi Jin-suk, global A&R executive of Kreation Music Rights (KMR), a music publishing subsidiary of SM Entertainment. “Within KM

May 26, 2024

[Africa Forum] Traditional Korean, African dances celebrate ties

Traditional Korean and African dances by both the Little Angels and TAGG marked the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum on Thursday, with a side event introducing African food and craft. Twenty-three members of the Little Angles opened the celebrations with “buchaechum,” or fan dance, followed by the singing of “A Beautiful Country,” a Korean song, at the forum cohosted by Herald Media Group and the African Group of Ambassadors at the Swiss Grand Hotel Convention Center

May 26, 2024

Battle of petitions is latest in Hybe-Ador dispute

Ahead of Ador’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting Friday to decide on the dismissal of CEO Min Hee-jin, NewJeans fans and Hybe staffers are showing their respective support by submitting petitions to the Seoul court. In a petition submitted to the Seoul Central District Court on May 24, NewJeans fans wrote, “Until it is legally concluded that Min acted unlawfully, the contract terms signed between Min and Hybe should be respected and we hope she remains the CEO of Ador. We kn

May 26, 2024

NewJeans' new album sells over 800,000 on release day

The two-lead single album "How Sweet" by popular girl group NewJeans sold over 800,000 on its release day, Hanteo Chart, a local market tracker, said Saturday. The album, dropped Friday, marks the girl group's first release in 10 months. The album carries the title track "How Sweet" and the prereleased song "Bubble Gum," along with instrumental versions of both songs. "How Sweet" was described as a bouncy hip-hop style song based on Miami bass, allowi

May 25, 2024

BTS leader RM's new song "Lost!" tops iTunes charts in 73 countries

"Lost!," a new song by RM, the leader of K-pop superband BTS, has debuted atop iTunes Top Songs charts in 73 countries around the world, his agency said Saturday. The title song of his second solo album, titled "Right Place, Wrong Person," topped the iTunes charts in Italy, France, Japan and Mexico. On Friday, RM dropped his first solo album since "Indigo," his first official solo album, in December 2022. Including the main track, "Lost!," the album has a

May 25, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim garners 100m views with ‘Eve’ music video

Le Sserafim received 100 million views on YouTube for the music video of “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife,” agency Source Music said Friday. It is the group’s fourth video to reach the milestone, following those of “Fearless,” “Antifragile” and “Unforgiven (feat. Nile Rodgers),” and is its first music video for a B-side track to do so. “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife” is from the quintet’s first fu

May 24, 2024

SBS' thriller series 'Connection' deals with society's rising pain: drugs

SBS's new thriller drama series "Connection" will aim to raise awareness about drug use in Korean society by dealing with destructive effects of drugs -- a sensitive subject for terrestrial television. "Connection" is a 16-part series that narrates the story of Jang Jae-kyung (played by Ji Sung), a detective specialized in catching drug criminals, who becomes forcibly addicted to drugs by an unidentified person. The series' director, Kim Mun-kyo, said he aimed to sh

May 24, 2024

NewJeans drops new album amid Hybe-Ador dispute

Girl group NewJeans is releasing a new single amid their label's dispute with its parent company. “How Sweet” was released at 1 p.m. on Friday. It was their first release in 10 months and the single includes the title track “How Sweet,” the pre-released track “Bubble Gum,” and instrumental versions of both songs. The title track is a lively song based on Miami Bass, according to their agency Ador. Miami Bass is a hip-hop subgenre characterized by its fast

May 24, 2024

‘Escape’ featuring Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan to open in July

The action thriller “Escape” featuring Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan confirmed its local theatrical release for July 3. The movie will hit theaters in North America on July 5. The movie, helmed by Lee Jong-pil behind “Samjin Company” (2020), “The Man from Nowhere” (2010) and “Hindsight” (2011), revolves around two North Korean soldiers – Gyu-nam (played by Lee) who wants to defect for a better future and Hyun-sang (played by Koo) who chases af

May 24, 2024

Samulnori Ttamtti celebrates 20 year musical journey with concert

Samulnori Ttamtti, a Korean traditional music quartet composed of four individuals with disabilities, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a concert titled "Ttamtti's 20-Year Journey to Fly High." The group was formed in 2003 as part of a music therapy program for disabled individuals, bringing together Ko Tae-woog, who has a developmental disorder; Park Jun-ho, who has autism; Lee Seok-hyun, who has a brain disorder; and Cho Hyeong-gon, who has Down syndrome. All four members

May 24, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Following” (South Korea) Opened May 15 Mystery Thriller Directed by Kim Se-hwi Real estate agent Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han) has a strange, if not perverse, habit of peeping into other people’s lives. Whether it is a neighbor or a client at his office, he thinks nothing is wrong with his secretive life as a voyeur. “IF” (US) Opened May 15 Family/Comedy Directed by John Krasinski A girl discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends. With her new sup

May 24, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 drops single in Japan to mark anniversary

NCT127 released single “Colors” in Japan on Thursday to celebrate the sixth anniversary of debut in the country, according to label SM Entertainment. The seven-member subunit put the R&B tune on stage during its first dome tour in Japan “Neo City: Japan – The Link” in 2022 and fans have been asking for it to be published. The septet officially debuted in Japan with EP “Chain” in May 2018 and wrapped up its second dome tour in the nation, “Neo C

May 23, 2024

SM, YG Entertainment’s K-pop groups benefit from troubles at Hybe

SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are benefiting from Hybe’s momentary breakdown, as the rival companies’ K-pop groups are successfully wresting the spotlight from Hybe artists. In a private mobile message between Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, which was disclosed by Min following their fallout last month, Bang demanded that Min “crush” SM Entertainment’s popular girl band aespa. Exactly the opposite has unfolded since the message was made

May 23, 2024

‘Monk DJ’ takes global stage, with caveat

A South Korean DJ-comedian in a Buddhist monk’s robe is riding growing popularity to step onto the global stage, but he is increasingly forced to deal with resurfacing complaints questioning his way of spreading the religion. Youn Sung-ho -- the comedian known as NewJeansNim, “snim” meaning monk in Korean -- stepped into the global spotlight in late April during his first overseas tour in Taiwan, where he delivered his electronic dance music performance of echoing Buddhist vers

May 23, 2024