Korea’s angry young men and women in Jeonju cinema competition

The Korean competition at the 19th Jeonju International Film Festival has taken a youthful turn. According to festival organizers, much of the focus of the 10 Korean films competing this year is on the “anger and deprivation of young people,” even as Korean independent cinema itself can be seen evolving and maturing.What you won’t find in this year’s local competition are the dysfunctional -- but still happy, or at least together -- families of previous years. The spotlight has shifted to damage

April 30, 2018

Cho Yong-pil’s 50th anniversary celebrated in Times Square

An advertisement celebrating Korean “King of Pop” Cho Yong-pil’s 50th anniversary has been screened in Times Square, New York. Cho’s three fan clubs, Eternally, Club Mizi and The Great Birth, said Monday that they jointly raised money to celebrate the singer’s 50th anniversary by putting up an advertisement at the major commercial intersection in Manhattan.  (Yonhap)Alongside a picture of him playing the guitar, the advertisement reads, “Cho Yong Pil: The K-Pop Legend. Celebrating the 50th anniv

April 30, 2018

Hwang Chi-yeul’s face hangs in Times Square

Just for a day, K-pop singer Hwang Chi-yeul became one of the most-viewed faces in the Big Apple as an advertisement for his second EP was screened in Times Square.According to his agency How Entertainment, an advertisement for Hwang’s EP “Be Myself” was put on the 32-story Thomson Reuters Building at the world-famous intersection in New York from 6 a.m. until Saturday to 2 a.m. Hwang’s fans commissioned the ad. Hwang Chi-yeul‘s ad in Times Square, New York (How Entertainment)Along with the titl

April 30, 2018

'Avengers' smashes S. Korean box office in first weekend

"Avengers: Infinity War" swept the box office in its debuting weekend in South Korea, selling 95.1 percent of all tickets available in theaters, data showed Monday. This image released by Marvel Studios shows, from left, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff in a scene from "Avengers: Infinity War." (Marvel Studios-AP-Yonhap)The Marvel superhero mashup collected more than 3.18 million admissions on 2,553 screens around the country from Friday to Sunday, b

April 30, 2018

SHINee to hold fan meeting, make comeback in May

K-pop group SHINee will make a comeback near the end of May, according to SM Entertainment.The agency said Monday that “SHINee is in its final preparations to release a new album at the end of May.”The group is also scheduled to hold a fan meeting on May 27, celebrating the 10th anniversary of debut.  (SM Entertainment)SHINee made its debut in 2008 with “Replay.” Some of its other hit tracks include “Love Like Oxygen,” “Juliette,” “Ring Ding Dong,” Lucifer” and “View.”The unexpected death of lea

April 30, 2018

Remakes of foreign hit series fill up local TV screen

Remakes of popular foreign TV drama series are hitting the local small screen, possibly as they are considered a “safe choice” in the near-saturated current market.  (KBS2) (KBS2)KBS2 recently started to air “Suits,” a remake of the popular US series. The Korean adaptation has marked a favorable start, noting an average viewership rating of 7.4 percent for its two episodes. OCN’s remake of BBC hit series “Mistresses” captured the public’s attention over the weekend. As the original British produ

April 29, 2018

Jeonju International Film Festival to open this week

The 19th annual Jeonju International Film Festival will commence on Thursday showcasing Korea’s largest collection of art-house films from across the world.It will kick off with the screening of “Yakiniku Dragon” directed by Korean-Japanese director Chong Wishing. The film, about a Korea-Japanese family running a small bulgogi (Korean barbecue) joint in Osaka, depicts the hardship and life of ethnic Koreans living in the country. “Yakiniku Dragon” (JIFF)The opening and closing ceremony will be h

April 29, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Avengers: Infinity War(US)Opened April 25Action, Adventure, FantasyDirected by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Thanos (Josh Brolin) wants collect all of the Infinity Stones to set what he believes is the perfect balance of the universe, by wiping out half of its population. It is up to The Avenger and their superhero allies to stop him in the deadliest showdown of all time. Dangal (India) Opened April 25Action, Biography, DramaDirected by Nitesh Tiwari Mahavir Singh (Aamir Khan), an ex-wrestler, is for

April 27, 2018

‘Avengers 3’ translator under fire for alleged mistranslation

A Korean translator for “Avengers: Infinity War,” a Marvel superhero flick that has been conquering the Korean box office, has come under fire for the movie’s alleged mistranslations. The controversy surrounding Park Ji-hoon, who is well known for having translated other Marvel series such as “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” “Ant-Man” and “Avengers: Age of Wultron,” escalated Wednesday as netizens flooded social media with complaints claiming that the movie’s Korean subtitle featured sever

April 27, 2018

Son Ye-jin has never been so blissful as she is with ‘Something in the Rain’

In her mid-30s, veteran actress Son Ye-jin has never felt so blissful in her career that spans more than a decade as she does now. It’s rare for an actress not to feel wistful about the end of a project, Son confessed. But this time with “Something in the Rain,” an ongoing JTBC hit series in which she takes a lead role, her time on the set has never been so delightful. “I’ve starred in many melodramas, but the reason ‘Something in the Rain’ is so special to me is that I feel like I’m living in r

April 27, 2018

20 years on, Kim Bum-soo’s musical journey just starting

There is a famous phrase “Kim-Na-Park-Lee” among fans of Korean pop music, referring to singers Kim Bum-soo, Naul, Park Hyo-shin and Lee Soo who are widely considered the country‘s top vocalists.“It’s an interesting phenomenon. It’s not like there are just four great vocalists in the country, but it has become like a symbol for good singers. I’m honored as it’s a list picked by the public, but I don’t really know what’s so great about me,” said Kim, during a press conference for a new project co

April 26, 2018

Super Junior’s ‘Lo Siento’ debuts on Billboard’s Latin Chart

K-pop act Super Junior’s recent Latin-inspired single “Lo Siento” debuted at No. 13 on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales chart this week.According to Billboard on Tuesday, Super Junior became the first K-pop act to enter the chart with the trilingual single, which incorporates Spanish, Korean and English and features Latin pop star Leslie Grace and DJ duo Play N Skillz. The song has also hit No. 2 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart.  (Billboard)Billboard stated that the move could

April 26, 2018

Preorders for new BTS album top 1.44 million

More than 1.44 million copies of BTS' new album have been preordered ahead of its release next month, the group's management agency said Thursday."Love Yourself: Tear," the K-pop sensation's third full-length album, has garnered a total of 1,449,287 preorders as of Tuesday since it became available for preorders on April 18, Big Hit Entertainment said.It is the largest preorder volume for a BTS album, 400,000 more than the band's 2017 hit album "Love Yourself: Her," the first in its band's "Love

April 26, 2018

BTS to perform new track at Billboard Awards

BTS’ first performance of a new track from its upcoming album will be at the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs). The K-pop act will perform the song at the BBMAs, according to the band’s agency Big Hit Entertainment. The group has also been nominated for the top social artist award for the second consecutive year. It won the award last year, beating other well-known global artists.  BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)The track is part of BTS’ new full-length album “Love Yourself: Tear” set for release on Ma

April 25, 2018

[Album review] Despite changes, Lovelyz is still Lovelyz

Lovelyz“Healing”Loen Entertainment  Unlike many K-pop competitors that juggle genres and concepts under pressure to keep impressing fans, Lovelyz has rarely stepped out of its pink wonderland, seemingly completely immune to any teardrops or sadness in life. For the first time, the eight-piece K-pop darlings soaked up a small drop of pain in its break-up song “That Day,” a lead track from the recent EP “Healing.” The irresistible nature of those happy Tinker Bells, however, doesn’t seem to have c

April 25, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Infinity War,’ a gift for loyal Marvel fans

This is it. For 10 years, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe waited for the heroes to battle Thanos -- the greatest supervillain in the comic book-based superhero franchise. The result? Awesome, but maybe not for those who haven’t been following the MCU.“Avengers: Infinity War” kicks off where things were left off at the end of “Thor: Ragnarok,” when Thanos and his goons came face to face with Thor, Loki, Hulk and a group of Asguardian refugees. I have to stop there because even talking about

April 25, 2018

EXO-CBX to drop first full-length album in Japan in May

EXO-CBX, the K-pop boy band EXO's sub-unit, will release its first full-length album, titled "MAGIC," in Japan next month, its agency said Wednesday.SM Entertainment said the album features 11 tracks, including eight new songs, such as "Horololo" and solo songs by its members, Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin.With the May 9 release, the sub-unit will go on tour in Japan. Titled "EXO-CBX Magical Circus Tour 2018," the concert will start off in Yokohama from May 11-13, followed by Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osa

April 25, 2018

BTS to perform new song at Billboard Music Awards next month

Korean Boy band BTS will perform at the Billboard Music Awards next month as the first K-pop artist to do so.Announcing the news on the band's official Twitter account Tuesday night, Big Hit Entertainment said the seven-member K-pop sensation will return to the BBMAs as a performer and debut its new single."Look out for our second appearance or - say what? - FIRST PERFORMANCE at the BBMAs!" the group wrote. It also thanked its fans, known as Army, for making the performance possible with their e

April 25, 2018

Hwang Chi-yeol returns as heart-stirring balladeer

Hwang Chi-yeol, one of the best-known tear-jerking balladeers in K-pop history, has returned with an ever-deeper voice to deliver emotion in a new EP. Drenched in heart-melting strings and melodies, Hwang’s second EP, “Be Myself,” is led by “The Only Star,” a poignant ballad displaying the singer’s romantic side. Likening his lover to his only star, he wails, “I only think about you. ... Why does my heart beat?/Because you are my star,” in the syrupy song penned by the singer himself.  (Yonhap)“

April 25, 2018

‘High School Rapper’ muses on teenage life

The once-controversial “High School Rapper” has wrapped its second season, after striving to deliver teenagers’ stories and messages.　The TV competition, the high school counterpart to “Show Me the Money” and “Unpretty Rapstar,” aired its season finale on April 13. The eight-part show ranked an average viewership rating of 1.5 percent, relatively high for a cable channel. Songs from the show are also currently ranking near the tops of local music charts. 　What set the second season apart from th

April 24, 2018