Singer Heo Young-ji confirms relationship with Guckkasten’s Ha Hyun-woo

Heo Young-ji of the defunct girl group Kara has been in a relationship with Ha Hyun-woo of the indie-rock band Guckkasten for around six months, Heo’s agency said Thursday. The two began their relationship in the second half of last year according to DPS Media.“After meeting through mutual friends, Ha Hyun-woo and Heo Young-ki contacted each other and recently began to have feelings for one another. They are cautiously getting to know each other,” it said. Heo Young-ji’s InstagramHeo and Ha repo

March 1, 2018

BTS wins Musician of the Year at 2018 Korean Music Awards

K-pop group BTS on Wednesday won the Musician of the Year award at the 2018 Korean Music Awards, an independent music award show that focuses on both mainstream and genre music by South Korean artists.BTS was chosen winner of the award by the KMA's selection committee, composed of 56 judges who are music journalists, radio and television music program producers, columnists and critics. BTS was nominated earlier this month along with singer-songwriter IU, indie rock band Hyukoh and folk musician

March 1, 2018

[Album review] Is it Sunggyu‘s album or Kim Jong-wan’s?

Sunggyu“10 Stories”Loen Entertainment　When offstage, Sunggyu of Infinite has always been an upfront man unafraid of expressing his deep, sophisticated feelings. And it’s a good thing to see his trait bloom musically, with the help of his mentor Kim Jong-wan, the singer with indie band Nell. Sunggyu’s first full-length solo album, also his third solo release, shows a lot of influence from Kim, who produced all of the album’s 10 tracks. It’s not surprising to see the Nell frontman’s fingerprints a

Feb. 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] Oh Dal-su apologizes for sexual harassment

Actor Oh Dal-su on Wednesday issued a public apology for sexually harassing fellow actors a few decades ago.“The series of events are all my fault...I bow my head in apology for anyone who has been hurt because of me,” he said.Stage actress Uhm Ji-young and others have recently accused Oh of sexual attacks in the 1990s.Oh, who had initially denied the allegations, said the allegations were not exactly the same as he remembered. “I wanted to verify (the allegations) and talk to them. I was frustr

Feb. 28, 2018

iKon makes surprise announcement for new song

Fans of iKon are in for an unexpected treat, as the boy band on Tuesday announced an unscheduled release of a new song for Monday.A teaser image for the song, whose title and concept have not been revealed, was released on YG Entertainment’s official blog (www.yg-life.com) with an image of a red rubber band being pulled on both sides. A teaser image for iKon’s new song (YG Entertainment)The release will come just a little over a month after iKon released its second full-length studio album “Retu

Feb. 28, 2018

Oh Dal-su sinks deeper into harassment scandal

The sexual harassment scandal surrounding popular actor Oh Dal-su took a new turn recently, as his accuser appeared on local TV for an official interview.Theater actress Uhm Ji-young appeared on JTBC News Room on Tuesday evening to disclose the details concerning her accusation. She said that she had been performing in a play in the early 2000s, when Oh came to see it. Oh Dal-su (Yonhap)After Uhm asked Oh for an advice, Oh supposedly took her to a motel. She said that he tried to undress her and

Feb. 28, 2018

SHINee pays tribute to Jonghyun in Japan concert

Standing before avid fans in Japan, the members of SHINee expressed love and respect for their former bandmate Jonghyun, whose premature death last year shocked the Asian music scene.The K-pop act on Monday and Tuesday held concerts at Tokyo Dome to wrap up its Japan tour, which kicked off with performances at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka from Feb. 17-18. The concerts brought together an accumulated 180,000 fans. SHINee (S.M. Entertainment)But the highlight of the tour was when the members pa

Feb. 28, 2018

WJSN works on making ‘Dreams Come True’

Back with a brand new concept, WJSN wishes to work some magic as it tries to encourage fans to achieve their dreams. The 13-member girl band dropped its fourth EP “Dream Your Dream” on Tuesday. A few hours before the release, the band held a media showcase at Gwangjin-gu in eastern Seoul.  WJSN performs “Dreams Come True” at a media showcase Tuesday at Yes24 Live Hall, Gwangjin-gu of Seoul. (Yonhap)With the title song “Dreams Come True,” the EP contains six songs in total --“Love O’clock,” “Rena

Feb. 28, 2018

Universal Ballet Company to hold gala performances this week

Universal Ballet Company will hold its second gala premiere from Friday to Sunday. Celebrating its 34th anniversary this year, the ballet company will give special performances comprising 11 scenes from works it has produced over the years. They include major scenes from “Swan Lake,” “Onegin,” “Giselle,” “Le Corsaire,” “Don Quixote,” “The Love of Chunhyang,” “Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness,” and Mariinsky Ballet Company’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Ballet 101.”A scene from

Feb. 28, 2018

Crush, KARD, 3rd Line Butterfly among Korean artists to perform at 2018 SXSW, TGE

Up-and-coming Korean musicians will showcase a wide range of genres at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) and The Great Escape music festivals.They will perform in this year’s “Korea Spotlight,” which consists of annual showcases for Korean talent hosted by the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency at SXSW and TGE.  Musicians who are to perform at the “Korea Spotlight” showcase event of the South by Southwest music festival pose during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (Korea Creative

Feb. 27, 2018

TIMF 2018 to celebrate return of Yun I-sang

“Now 23 years after his death, he will finally return home and find his last resting place in Tongyeong,” said Florian Riem, CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, during a press conference at the Goethe-Institut in Seoul on Tuesday. The TIMF 2018 is slated to kick off on March 30, along with the reinterment ceremony for Yun I-sang scheduled on the same day. Originally developed from a concert titled “‘Night of Yun I-sang’s Music” in 1999, TIMF this year will become a special tribute

Feb. 27, 2018

G-Dragon of Big Bang joins military

Big Bang’s G-Dragon has enlisted in the military. Rapper-singer Kwon Ji-yong, widely known by his stage name G-Dragon, began his mandatory military service by joining the five-week basic training camp Tuesday. Military service is compulsory for all able-bodied men in Korea.  G-Dragon enters the basic training camp at Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, Tuesday.(Yonhap)His management agency YG Entertainment previously announced that it would not hold any official farewell events for fans, adding that the

Feb. 27, 2018

Jang Dong-gun to blur line between good and evil in ‘Seven Years of Night’

Director Choo Chang-min managed to do something that nearly no one had managed to do: He made Jang Dong-gun, one of the most marketable figures and the perennial sex symbol of Korean cinema, somewhat unattractive.“The point (of casting Jang) was how it would be if an actor whose face represents the good depicted the evil,” Choo said, in a press conference for the upcoming movie “Seven Years of Night” held in Seoul on Tuesday. The thriller, based on a novel of the same name by Jung Yoo-jung, foll

Feb. 27, 2018

Infinite’s Sungkyu fills new solo album with 10 stories

Veering away from the aggressive dance he once did with his bandmates, Sungkyu of K-pop boy band Infinite returned as an emotional soloist with “10 Stories,” the singer‘s first solo full-length album. “This is my third solo album, and I feel more nervous than if it were Infinite’s comeback. When I was part of Infinite, we’d told stories of the members, but today, I feel nervous as I have to talk alone,” said Sungkyu during a media showcase for his new album “10 Stories” in Seoul on Monday. The 1

Feb. 27, 2018

TV entertainer Jun Hyun-moo, model Han Hye-jin confirm relationship

TV personality Jun Hyun-moo and fashion model Han Hye-jin are dating, Jun’s agency said Tuesday. The agency’s confirmation came shortly after a local media outlet reported that the two stars are in a romantic relationship. The report claimed that the couple often go on late-night dates, despite their busy schedules. Photos from the scenes were revealed with the report.  Jun Hyun-moo (left, SM C&C) and Han Hye-jinA few hours later, Jun’s management agency SM Culture & Contents put out a statement

Feb. 27, 2018

[Trending] CL’s ‘Bad Girl’ performance sparks mixed reactions

When the lights went down at PyeongChang main stadium Sunday night, CL appeared on stage to get the crowd going. However, her fierce performance to her hit song “The Baddest Female” didn’t seem in-line with the much-anticipated closing ceremony show. As soon as the K-pop diva appeared on stage, the name “CL” shot to the first spot of the real-time trending bar on Naver and stayed on the rankings until the end of the day. CL performs at PyeongChang main stadium on Feb. 25. (Yonhap)“I wanted to in

Feb. 26, 2018

Actor Oh Dal-su denies sexual harassment accusation

Popular comedy actor Oh Dal-su denied Monday that he sexually harassed a junior theater actor back in the '90s, three days after the accusation against him was made public."The claim against me is not true. I didn't do it," Oh said in a statement. "I look back on the past, some 30 years ago when I was in my early 20s, but I have never done such things." Oh Dal-su (Yonhap)The accusation against the actor began with an anonymous online posting dated Feb. 15, in which the author accused the actor o

Feb. 26, 2018

H.O.T. relives heyday through MBC’s ‘Infinite Challenge’

Legendary K-pop act H.O.T. presented fans with the best present they had been waiting for: Reuniting after 17 years through MBC’s “Infinite Challenge.”Saturday’s episode of MBC’s variety program featured the five-piece band throwing a concert attended by about 2,500 fans at the Olympic Hall in Seoul as a part of the program’s special edition “ToToGa 3: Return of the Kings,” which chronicled the group’s process for its reunion. The actual concert was recorded earlier on Feb. 15. H.O.T. performs a

Feb. 25, 2018

More #MeToo sexual misconduct claims hit Korea's culture sector

With a spate of #MeToo accusations spreading through the Korean entertainment scene, local broadcasters and production companies are grappling with the repercussions of the global movement as they witness a cascade of sexual harassment accusations made against big-name actors. On Friday, actors Cho Jae-hyun and Oh Dal-soo were accused of sexual harassment after online posts by victims and witnesses about their misconduct surfaced online. Accusations against Cho, 52, came after actress Choi Yul w

Feb. 25, 2018

Rapper under fire for sexually harassing underage fan

Rapper Don Malik has admitted to sexually harassing a high school student. On Wednesday, the rapper, whose actual name is Moon In-sub, was accused of sexually assaulting a high school student fan. The victim said through social media that the rapper demanded sexual acts against her will. Later in the day, the rapper’s management agency, Daze Alive Music, admitted to the accusation and announced that Don Malik would immediately be expelled from the label.  Don Malik (Daze Alive Music)Don Malik is

Feb. 23, 2018