So Yoo-jin gives birth to daughter

Actress So Yoo-jin is now a mother of three, having given birth to a daughter. Her management agency SOPM announced in an official statement that So had delivered her third child.  So Yoo-jin / Yonhap“So gave birth to her daughter at a hospital in Seoul, Thursday,” the statement read. “The mother and the baby are well. So will work on recovery and child care for a while.” The actress is married to food restaurateur Baek Jong-won, who is known in Korea for launching successful food businesses. Th

Feb. 9, 2018

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead (Korea)Opened Feb.8Comedy, CrimeWhen a series of unusual murders occurs, Detective K (Kim Myung-min) and his partner (Oh Dal-soo) are once again called into action as they discover a trail of bodies with mysterious bite marks. Along the way, the pair comes across with a woman with mystical powers and a hidden past.Paddington 2(US)Opened Feb.8Animation, Adventure, ComedyPaddington (Voiced by Ben Wishaw), now happily settled with the Brown family and a popula

Feb. 9, 2018

Actor Jung Suk-won arrested for drug use: police

Police said Friday they have arrested Jung Suk-won, a South Korean actor and the husband of pop singer Baek Ji-young, on drugs charges.Jung, 33, was taken into custody by police officers at Incheon Airport late Thursday night for allegedly shooting up meth in a pub in Australia, an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said, without giving further details.  Jung Suk-won (C-JeS Entertainment)Police said the arrest was made after they got intelligence on Jung’s possible use of the dru

Feb. 9, 2018

SBS drops Go Hyun-jung from ‘Return’

Actress Go Hyun-jung has officially been dropped from SBS hit drama series “Return.” “Go Hyun-jung has officially left ‘Return,’“ said Go’s management agency IOK Company in a statement released Thursday. It further explained that the actress and the staff could not come to an agreement on decisions concerning the production process.  Go Hyun-jung poses at press conference for drama “Return” on Jan. 15 at Times Square Mall in Seoul. / YonhapThe broadcaster had notified the veteran actress of its

Feb. 9, 2018

Opera ‘Seonbi’ to be staged PyeongChang Olympics

Adding an original opera to the vast array of cultural offerings during the Olympics period, Chosun Opera Company’s opera “Seonbi: The Noble and Wise Man” will be staged at the Gangneung Dano Culture Center on Saturday.The opera performance will be accompanied by the Herald Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Kim Bong-mi.  Opera ”Seonbi“ at the National Theater of Korea in 2015 (National Theater of Korea)”Herald Philharmonic Orchestra and I have accompanied the opera many times since its Ko

Feb. 8, 2018

Trot singer Hong Jin-young returns with retro ‘Good Bye’

Singer Hong Jin-young, one of the most recognized trot singers in Korea, returned with new single “Good Bye” on Wednesday. “Each time I release a new single, I‘ve always thought that its popularity should outdo my previous hit ‘Love Battery.’ I just couldn’t help but put a lot of thought into each single,” Hong said during a media showcase for “Good Bye” in Seoul on Wednesday. Hong Jin-young performs during a media showcase for “Good Bye” in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)　Hong, who made her breakt

Feb. 8, 2018

Big Bang’s Seungri to star in Chinese film ‘Love Only’

Big Bang member Seungri will star in upcoming Chinese film “Love Only,” the singer’s agency YG Entertainment said Thursday. Seungri, who is making his Chinese acting debut in “Love Only,” will begin promotions for the movie by attending a press conference in Hong Kong on Thursday, according to the agency.  “Love Only” (YG Entertainment)In the romance flick, the singer will play the lead role of Yun Sheng, the marketing director of a conglomerate who grew up in Europe and puts love on top of ever

Feb. 8, 2018

[Album review] Seventeen just gets better and better

Seventeen“Director’s Cut”(Loen Entertainment) Whether they are crafted for special occasions or are part of the group’s regular album, Seventeen’s music has been improving with each new release. The group’s “Director’s Cut,” an extended, reissued version of the K-pop act’s “Teen, Age” album from last year, features four new songs. The new songs are off-cuts that were not released at the time, but each of them sparkles with Seventeen’s signature bubbly energy, flagging themselves as perfect singl

Feb. 7, 2018

Jo Kwon caught in academic favor controversy

Jo Kwon (Yonhap)A news broadcast reported Tuesday that a K-pop star received a graduate degree from Kyung Hee University despite not meeting the requirements.Along with the report, a photo of the singer was revealed. Though the face was blurred, the public was able to identify the person as singer Jo Kwon, who majored in Postmodern Music at the university. While Jo‘s agency, Cube Entertainment, has been refusing to comment on the matter, the singer’s acquaintance spoke to another media outlet, h

Feb. 7, 2018

Kim Ki-duk’s film still headed to Berlin amid film fest’s #MeToo drive

While the upcoming 68th Berlin International Film Festival has announced that it disqualified certain films over sexual misconduct allegations, Korean film director Kim Ki-duk’s work remains on its program. The film festival director Dieter Kosslick said to the press Tuesday that certain productions had been disqualified from participating because a director, screenwriter or star related to the production was involved in credible sexual-assault allegations. Kim Ki-duk (Yonhap)Mentioning that “le

Feb. 7, 2018

‘The Body’ a mystery of missing body in morgue

An ambitious professor who has been living an affluent but miserable married life murders his wife, thinking he has committed the perfect crime. Then the woman’s body goes missing from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. A tenacious detective starts chasing the truth of the mystery. Upcoming thriller “The Body,” starring Kim Hee-ae, Kim Gang-woo and Kim Sang-kyung, unfolds with the creepy tagline “A corpse of my wife I killed has disappeared,” zooming into the three characters’ t

Feb. 6, 2018

WJSN to return with wizardly ‘Dream Your Dream’ on Feb. 27

K-pop act WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, will return with its fourth EP “Dream Your Dream” on Feb. 27, the group’s agency Starship Entertainment said Monday. The upcoming album marks the group’s first release since its first full-length album “Happy Moment” in June last year.  WJSN (Starship Entertainment)The release schedule for the new album shared via WJSN’s official website featured dates for the release of track-list and a music video, slated for Feb. 21 and 22, respectively. The wizardl

Feb. 5, 2018

Yoon Do-hyun to release new singles

Yoon Do-hyun, frontman of YB, will release new digital songs on Feb. 22, his agency said Sunday.According to Dee Company, the two songs will come in the form of digital singles produced by Yoon himself. He recorded the songs with the London Symphony Orchestra at Air studios in London. The studio was founded in 1965 by Beatles producer George Martin and his partner John Burgess. Yoon Do-hyun during records in London. (Dee CompanyAll of the recording process, as well as the shooting for the music

Feb. 4, 2018

Foreigners return to small screen, targeting Korea’s national pride

More and more foreigners are appearing on Korean TV, featuring in numerous reality shows. As a large number of locals are curious of outsiders’ opinions of Korea, different formats showcasing foreigners’ reactions are continuously being produced. Recent reality TV show “Welcome! First Time in Korea?” on MBC every1 yielded successful results with a relatively simple format. Three foreigners visited Korea for the first time after being invited by their expat friends. Episodes of the friendly visit

Feb. 4, 2018

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

Insidious: The Last Key(US)Opened Jan.31Horror, Mystery, Thriller The fourth installment of the “Insidious” series follows parapsychologist Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) on her voyage into the “further.” During her work, Rainier receives a call from a client asking for help on paranormal activities in his house. It is revealed that the client is living in Rainer‘s childhood home. While hesitant at first, she decides to investigate.Psychokinesis(Korea)Opened Jan.31Action, Adventure, ComedyOrdinary mi

Feb. 2, 2018

Big Star’s Raehwan to enlist on Feb. 5

Raehwan of Big Star will begin his mandatory military service Monday, his agency Brave Entertainment said Friday.The agency said in an official statement that the singer will undergo basic military training at a recruitment training center at Goseong, Gangwon Province, after which he will serve as a full-time reserve solider for 21 months.  Raehwan of Big Star (Brave Entertainment)Raehwan, who had been competing in KBS2’s idol competition program “The Unit” since October last year, also shared a

Feb. 2, 2018

‘Law of the Jungle’ to explore glaciers, alpine regions of Patagonia

After exploring different parts of the globe from jungles to scorching deserts, the adventurers of the SBS reality show “Law of the Jungle” returned from Patagonia and heralded their most exciting and beautiful survival project ever. “It has been the longest ‘Law of the Jungle’ shooting, as we spent 21 days in the faraway land of Chile. The new edition set in Patagonia aims to present the beauty of Patagonia, while focusing on the cast’s arduous journey and survival,” said production director Pa

Feb. 1, 2018

Big Bang’s Seungri, Junkilla join forces with new Asia-based music label

Big Bang’s Seungri and Korean music duo Junkilla have joined forces with Liquid State, an electronic dance music label newly launched by Sony Music Entertainment and Tencent Music Entertainment. According to an official statement released by Sony Music on Thursday, Seungri and Junkilla signed up with the new EDM label to be involved in music collaborations across the dance genre. Seungri has also been tapped as an ambassador to promote the label, along with Hong Kong’s Nicholas Tse and China’s C

Feb. 1, 2018

MBC to air pilot variety show ‘Creaking Heroes’ for two weeks

MBC confirmed Thursday it will air a new pilot variety show with the working title “Creaking Heroes,” from Feb. 26. According to the channel, the new program will show ordinary people without special talents transform into “heroes” through various missions and training, under the slogan “everyone can be a hero.” It will feature celebrities including Zion. T, Woohyun, Sam Hammington, Hoshi of Seventeen, Din Din, Yoo Byung-jae and Ahn Jung-hwan.  “Creaking Heroes” (MBC)The show will focus on findi

Feb. 1, 2018

[Herald Interview] Memories, regrets bring Typhoon back after 10 years

“Our time as Typhoon, it was like a raging storm that leaves as quickly as it comes. But now that we are back together, we want to last long calmly, rather than sweeping in and out like a storm,” said Solbi, a vocalist of dance hip-hop trio Typhoon during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul.Despite its successful start, Typhoon lasted less than three years. Consisting of Solbi, Woojae and Jihwan, the co-ed trio made a major impression with its debut single “So” in 2006, coming on t

Feb. 1, 2018