[Video] Celebrity trio’s food truck challenge in Thailand

Spicy, aromatic and rich in taste and texture, phad tai and tom yang goong are definitely one of the most ubiquitous Thai dishes served in Thai restaurants in Korea. While many of them are said to be cooked up in the most authentic way, tvN’s new variety show “Will This Do Well Locally?” asks, “Will Thai food cooked by Koreans capture hearts of Thai people?”  From left, Lee Min-woo, Hong Suk-chun and Yeo Jin-gu pose during a press conference for tvN’s new variety show “Will This Do Well Locally?

March 26, 2018

Korea National Opera’s new artistic director Yun Ho-gen pledges more Korean operas

Fans of opera can expect to see more Korean singers performing local productions.Artistic Director of the Korea National Opera Yun Ho-gen pledged to introduce more Korean productions and original Korean operas during a press conference held in Seoul to promote the company’s upcoming “Manon.” Yun was appointed to the post on Feb. 9.Yun, who started at the Stadttheater Gieseen in 1999, previously worked at the Kammeroper Frankfurt as well. He assisted conductor Daniel Barenboim at the Berlin State

March 26, 2018

Minwoo of K-pop act 100% dies

Seo Min-woo of 100% died of a heart attack Sunday at the age of 33. The boy band’s agency TOP Media announced the death of group leader Seo Min-woo, better known as just Minwoo, through its official website.  Minwoo (TOP Media)“He was found at his home in Gangnam, Seoul. Paramedics rushed to the scene, who pronounced him dead,” the announcement read. Seo debuted as an actor in 2006 through TV drama series “Sharp 3.” He switched to pop music in 2012, as the leader of 100%. The group was to hold c

March 26, 2018

Gang Dong-won’s first Hollywood film to start shooting in April

Gang Dong-won may be looking to expand his fan base to the US, as “Tsunami LA,” the Korean actor’s first Hollywood film, will start filming next month.The film is a disaster movie in which Gang appears as a man who struggles to cope as the most powerful tsunami in history hits Los Angeles. All of Gang’s lines will be in English, and the film will be shot in Mexico and Europe. Gang Dong-won (YG Entertainment)“I have great expectations for this project and the character I’m playing, and I’m honore

March 26, 2018

Monsta X completes coming-of-age story with ‘The Connect’

Each of them has a different story and world view, but the members of Monsta X said they are all connected after all.  The seven-piece boy band returned with its sixth EP “The Connect” on Monday, bringing to an end its coming-of-age story that began unfolding in its previous album “The Code” from last November.After hopping about different years as time travelers in “The Code,” the members stand side-by-side as a full-group in its new album, delivering the message, “We are one after all.”  "Seve

March 26, 2018

JYP’s Stray Kids debuts with ‘District 9’

After taking over the global charts with its pre-debut release, Stray Kids, a new boy band under JYP Entertainment, finally made what could be the most intriguing K-pop debut of the year. The nine-member group was formed through an Mnet competition show of the same name that aired last year. Equipped with talents not only for vocals but also song writing and producing, Stray Kids had garnered attention even before its debut as it was JYP’s first boy band in four years. And rather than gradually

March 25, 2018

Rapper Yook Ji-dam clarifies rumors

Female rapper Yook Ji-dam on Sunday posted a lengthy piece of writing on her social media account, containing information regarding the issues she had with her agency CJ E&M, as well as her past relationship with Wanna One’s Kang Daniel. Rapper Yook Ji-dam (Herald DB)Answering to a private comment to the blog post, Yook said that her relationship with Wanna One’s Kang Daniel lasted only about a month, ending just before Kang started filming the second season of “Produce 101.” I ended the relatio

March 25, 2018

Twice to release album on April 9

K-pop group Twice will return with the new EP “What is Love” on April 9, its agency JYP Entertainment said Sunday. The group’s fifth EP will be fronted by the lead track “What is Love.” The nine-member act will promote the new EP from March 26 until the day of its release, according the agency’s official website Sunday.  A promotional image for Twice’s upcoming EP “What is Love” (JYP Entertainment)Twice is also scheduled to stage a series of concerts titled “TWICELAND ZONE 2: Fantasy Park” at Ja

March 25, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Pacific Rim: Uprising(US)Opened March 21Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Steven S. DeKnightBe With You(Korea)Opened March 14Romance, DramaDirected by Lee Jang-hoonWoo-jin (So Ji-sub) and his son Ji-ho (Kim Ji-hwan) struggle to cope with the loss of Woo-jin’s wife Soo-ah (Son Ye-jin). Ji-ho believes that his mother will return during the rainy season, just like in his favorite fairy tale. One day, Soo-ah miraculously comes back without her memory.The Vanished(Korea)Opened March 7ThrillerDire

March 23, 2018

[Herald Interview] Rookie director Lee Chang-hee shows potential in toying with human psychology

Despite the disadvantage of not being distributed by powerhouses like CJ E&M, crime thriller “The Vanished” managed to stay afloat in the Korean box officer for nearly three weeks. This is thanks to a strong story and good acting, along with solid directing by Lee Chang-hee. The first feature-length film of the young director knows how to depict the tumultuous state of men pushed to the edge, and use a plot twist effectively. Lee Chang-hee is seen during a press conference after the premiere of

March 23, 2018

Wanna One clears name through audio analysis

Fans of Wanna One attempted to clear the band’s name by requesting a digital forensic audio analysis.Wanna One became embroiled in controversy Monday, when some of its members allegedly made vulgar comments during a live broadcast.  Wanna One poses during a press conference for its new EP “0+1=0 (I Promise You)” in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)The members allegedly used inappropriate language, including slang and a sexual term, unaware of the fact that they were being aired live on cable channel Mne

March 23, 2018

Big Bang’s ‘Bang Bang Bang’ tops 300m views on YouTube

The official music video for Big Bang’s “Bang Bang Bang” surpassed 300 million views on YouTube as of Thursday afternoon.According to YG Entertainment, the video topped 300 million at around 6:30 p.m. The agency released a poster on its YG Life website celebrating the record number of views.The music video was released on June 1, 2015, along with the single which was released as part of the group’s album, “MADE” in December 2016. (YG Entertainment)This is the second music video by Big Bang to br

March 23, 2018

[Video] ‘What A Man Wants,’ romantic comedy of affairs

The upcoming romantic comedy film “What A Man Wants” features the tempestuous affairs of four middle-aged characters.“Why is it that we are constantly lonely, even if we fall in love, even if we get married?” reads the film’s tagline.Shin Ha-kyun stars as Bong-soo, who once dreamt of being a top chef but is now the meek husband of Mi-young, played by Song Ji-hyo.Bong-soo is led into the world of social media dating through his friend Seok-geun, played by Lee Sung-min. Shin Ha-kyun (left) and Son

March 23, 2018

Choi Soo-young to star in ‘Memories of a Dead End’

Choi Soo-young, better known as Sooyoung of Girls’ Generation, is to take a leading role in a Korean-and-Japanese-made film. Choi will play a leading role in the film “Memories of a Dead End,” based on a novel written by Japanese writer Banana Yoshimoto. It depicts how a female character faces a life-changing moment. The film will start shooting in April in Japan.  Choi Soo-young (Echo Global Group)Choi debuted as a member of Girls’ Generation in 2007. She did not renew her contract with the age

March 22, 2018

[Trending] #My Mister #IU

A romance between a 45-year-old man and 21-year-old woman? It can’t be certain yet, but it seems drama series “My Mister” has drawn enough attention to kick off a good start.(tvN)The first episode of tvN’s new series “My Mister” premiered Wednesday night to a high viewership rating of 3.9 percent, but viewers showed mixed reactions on the drama. The rating was the second highest of tvN’s Wednesday-Thursday lineup, following “Prison Playbook.”The series received massive attention from the public

March 22, 2018

[Herald Review] Story behind ‘the evil’

Director Choo Chang-ho said he wanted to explore the evil within people, which is exactly what he did in the “Seven Years of Night.” But he does more than depict someone who does the unforgiveable; he points his camera at the human elements that lurk inside what is told to be evil.The thriller, based on a novel of the same name, centers on two men. Choi Hyun-soo -- played by Ryu Seung-ryong -- is an average, middle-aged man who unintentionally commits the heinous crime of killing a young girl, t

March 22, 2018

Oh My Girl confirms April 2 release

Oh My Girl on Thursday confirmed earlier reports that the K-pop act will release a new record on April 2.According to its agency WM Entertainment, the group is currently putting the finishing touches on the new song, which comes after the EP “Secret Garden” released in January. A teaser image for Oh My Girl’s upcoming release (WM Entertainment)The group at midnight Wednesday uploaded on its official social media pages a teaser image that showed bananas falling from the sky and three monkeys buri

March 22, 2018

R&B trio Solid returns after 21 years

After disbanding 21 years ago, R&B trio Solid returned with the album “Into the Light” on Tuesday.The group may sound unfamiliar to many young K-pop fans, but those who listened to Solid’s breakout hits “Holding on to Tonight” and “Destiny” in the 1990s may have taken a trip down memory lane when Kim Jo-han, Lee Joon and Jeong Jae-yoon made a surprise announcement about their reunion last week.Consisting of members who all hail from the US, Solid shot to stardom after its debut in 1993, breathin

March 22, 2018

BTS' 'MIC Drop' remix surpasses 200m YouTube views

The official music video for the "MIC Drop" remix from BTS exceeded 200 million views on YouTube on Thursday, becoming the seventh video by the K-pop sensation to pass the threshold, the group's agency said.The video for the remix of "MIC Drop" topped 200 million at about 11:43 a.m., according to the Big Hit Entertainment.The song, originally released in September on the album "Love Yourself: Her," was released again in November as a remix by Steve Aoki. The remix later debuted on the Billboard

March 22, 2018

[Herald Review] Navigating the dark corners of a haunted asylum

Editors of CNN were right on the money when they introduced Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital by saying, “The story of this abandoned psychiatric hospital reads like a textbook plot of a horror film.”Directed by Jung Bum-shik, a masterful horror director who made “Epitaph,” the movie “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” follows seven people who meet up via a YouTube project to explore what is supposed to be the most haunted place in Korea.A scene from “Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum” (Showbox)Ha-jun, who runs a YouTub

March 21, 2018