S. Korean director rejects #MeToo charges at Berlin fest

BERLIN -- A South Korean director in the eye of a #MeToo storm defiantly rejected abuse accusations against him at the Berlin film festival Saturday, saying he ensures no one “suffers” on the sets of his ultraviolent, sexually explicit art movies.Acclaimed filmmaker Kim Ki-duk, who has picked up prizes at the Cannes, Venice and Berlinale festivals, faced a barrage of questions from reporters about allegations of physical and sexual abuse by an actress he worked with in 2013. Director Kim Ki-duk

Feb. 18, 2018

NCT signals major return with ‘Boss’

NCT hinted its return to the K-pop scene, pre-releasing the music video of its unit’s new track “Boss” on Sunday. NCT U, consisted of seven members from the original group, recorded the song and shot the accompanied music clip in Ukraine. Taeyong and Mark participated in the lyric writing.  Teaser image of NCT U’s new track “Boss” (S.M. Entertainment)The song is a hint to the upcoming album “NCT 2018” which will be released in March. All 18 bandmates of the group are to participate in the album

Feb. 18, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Gangneung Olympic Park’s Live Site a hot spot for visitors

Gangneung Olympic Park’s Live Site, an outdoor space dedicated to live broadcasts and performances, has emerged as a hot place for visitors to the Olympics. Gangneung Olympic Park’s Live Site (PyeongChang 2018)The outdoor venue attracted some 5,000 people for a music performance by North Korea art troupe on Thursday Live Site is set to attract more visitors for the weekend as it will host a K-pop concert that will feature well-known singers including boy group B.A.P, rock band No Brain, Rose Mot

Feb. 16, 2018

EXO, Girl's Generation, other S.M. artists to hold large K-pop concert in Dubai

EXO, Girl's Generation and other top K-pop stars will stage a joint concert in Dubai in April, organizers said Thursday. EXO (Yonhap)The SM Town Live World Tour VI in Dubai will be held at Autism Rocks Arena on April 6 and will also feature such S.M. Entertainment artists as BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee and Red Velvet, according to Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing.The SM Town Live series was launched in 2008 and concerts have been held in New York, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing an

Feb. 15, 2018

Big Bang’s Taeyang to enlist on March 12

K-pop star Taeyang of Big Bang is set to begin his mandatory military service on March 12, according to YG Entertainment on Thursday.  Taeyang (YG Entertainment)The 29-year-old who recently married actress Min Hyo-rin will begin his service two weeks after his bandmate G-Dragon enlists on Feb. 27. Taeyang will  be the third member to enlist for active duty service. T.O.P is currently serving as a public service worker to fulfill the military duty.By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)

Feb. 15, 2018

[Herald Interview] From Brazil to Europe, VAV hopes to expand global footprint

Having recently returned from a tour in Brazil, K-pop boy band VAV isore motivated than ever, with a goal in mind to expand its reach all around the globe. "It’s really interesting that more than half of our social media followers were from Brazil, even before we visited the country. We didn’t realize our popularity in Brazil until we got there,” said Ayno from the seven-piece group in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Tuesday. VAV, from “Very Awesome Voice,” may sound unfamiliar to

Feb. 14, 2018

Jun. K of boy band 2PM caught for drunk driving

Jun. K, a member of South Korean boy band 2PM, was caught driving under the influence of alcohol over the weekend, police said Tuesday. Jun. K (Yonhap)Jun. K was caught for drunk driving in southern Seoul at 7 a.m. on Saturday, officials at Gangnam Police Station said. His blood alcohol content was 0.074 percent, a level that would lead to the suspension of his driver's license.Police plan to question him soon over how he got behind the wheel while intoxicated.His agency JYP Entertainment issued

Feb. 13, 2018

Finding composer Yun I-sang‘s musical origin in Korea’s traditional music

Works by acclaimed contemporary classical composer Yun I-sang will be performed by the National Gugak Center, the state-led institution dedicated to traditional Korean gugak, and the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in a joint concert on Feb. 23.  “Yun Isang: Embracing the Roots of Korean Aesthetic” (The Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation)“The Traditional Performing Arts Foundation first decided to initiate the project to offer a better understanding of composer Yun I-sang’s musical ro

Feb. 13, 2018

Actress ‘hurt’ by Berlin film fest, says it ignored allegations against director Kim Ki-duk

A Korean actress has expressed her disappointment with the Berlin International Film Festival organizers for their inviting filmmaker Kim Ki-duk to the event while championing the values of the global #MeToo movement.The same actress, who wishes to remain anonymous, accused the prize-winning filmmaker of physically and sexually abusing her during the filming of “Moebius” in 2013. Kim was fined 5 million won ($4,600) in December on the physical assault charge. Other charges were dismissed due to

Feb. 13, 2018

Music variety show ‘Begin Again 2’ to air first episode on March 23

The second season of “Begin Again,” a music variety show that features Korean musicians promoting their music overseas, will air its first episode on March 23, according to broadcaster JTBC on Tuesday.The music show follows Korean musicians traveling overseas, where their names are unknown, and busking and promoting their music to foreigners. 　A poster for second season of “Begin Again” (JTBC)The upcoming season will star musicians Kim Yoon-ah and Lee Sun-kyu of band Jaurim, Lena Park, Hareem, Y

Feb. 13, 2018

Roy Kim’s new single ‘Only Then’ sweeps charts

Soloist Roy Kim’s new single “Only Then” dominated major local music charts shortly after its release on Monday. As of Tuesday afternoon, the singer’s poignant pop ballad remained atop six major real time charts including Melon, Bugs, Naver and Mnet. Roy Kim (CJ E&M)Penned and composed by Kim, “Only Then” centers on a couple‘s long-distance relationship and describes a man’s heartbreak he decides to break up. His agency CJ E&M explained that the song also includes the singer‘s own experiences of

Feb. 13, 2018

10 bands and singers coming to Korea in 3 months

1. Oh Wonder (Oh Wonder's Instagram)Feb. 20 (Tues.) 9 p.m.MUV-HallTickets: 80,000 won (purchase on the spot from 6 p.m.)http://ticket.yes24.com/Pages/Perf/Detail/Detail.aspx?IdPerf=28878 A London-based alt-pop duo, Oh Wonder are holding their first concert in Korea after their first-ever performance here at Holiday Land Festival, July 2017. The duo has released two studio albums so far, both of which have gained favorable reviews -- their self-titled debut album and “Ultralife.” Their voices cre

Feb. 13, 2018

BoA to drop new EP ‘One Shot, Two Shot’

Having just returned to the K-pop scene, solo singer BoA will release a new EP on Feb. 20. “One Shot, Two Shot” will contain seven tracks. The singer has released 18 regular albums since her 2000 debut, but this is her first EP release. BoA (S.M. Entertainment)BoA’s new songs will be dropped on local music websites at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20. The physical albums are to go on sale the next day. BoA released her latest album “Nega Dola” on Jan. 31. The powerful dance anthem was well received for showing

Feb. 12, 2018

Singer Seohyun sings about unification with North Korean art troupe

Seohyun of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation joined a North Korean art troupe in singing about unification and peace in Seoul on Sunday.The 140-member Samjiyon Orchestra, led by Hyon Song-wol, head of the all-female Moranbong Band, held a special concert at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul to celebrate the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.  (Yonhap)According to local media reports, Seohyun, dressed in a white dress and matching heels, made a surprise appearance at the grand finale of the con

Feb. 12, 2018

Musical highlights prejudice against women through Victorian writer‘s struggles

Singer-turned-actress Ivy admitted that she paid little attention to women’s rights before landing the lead role in“Red Book,” a local musical production that explores the theme of discrimination against women.”(It is) embarrassing to tell, but I had not given much thought to issues such as women’s rights or discrimination against women in the past. However, I recently became more aware of these issues. I have learned a great deal while preparing for the role, and I began studying the issues as

Feb. 11, 2018

Troubled TV series ’Return‘ tries to get back on track

Troubled TV series “Return” is eying to restart its production process, according to industry sources Sunday. The sources say the actors and actresses on Saturday met with producers to work on their scripts. They will meet again Sunday for filming, it also has been reported.  The new poster of SBS TV series “Return” /SBSOn Saturday, SBS also uploaded an altered poster for “Return.” The new poster does not include the actors and actresses, instead opting for just the letters of the title.Who will

Feb. 11, 2018

Baek Ji-young apologizes for husband’s drug charges

Singer Baek Ji-young apologized for the recent drug scandal involving her husband, actor Jung Suk-won, during a concert in Seoul on Saturday.On Friday, local media reported that Jung was nabbed by police at Incheon Airport late Thursday for allegedly using methamphetamine while overseas.  Baek Ji-young (Yonhap)“I recognize my husband’s misdeed, and as his wife, spouse and lifelong companion, I’ve been deeply regretting it along with him,” said Baek tearfully, during the concert that took place a

Feb. 11, 2018

Weekly K-pop concerts at Gangneung Olympic Park

Weekly K-pop concerts will take place at Gangneung’s Olympic Park starting Sunday, as part of the Olympic celebrations.Gangneung, Gangwon Province, is one of the cities hosting events for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Games in PyeongChang. All the games on ice take place in Gangneung.There will be three concerts during the Olympics and one during the Paralympics. The first is on Sunday, when rock bank YB, rapper and singer Heize, and K-pop groups EXID, WJSN and Teen Top are slated to perform.T

Feb. 11, 2018