[Today’s K-pop] Ateez confirms US tour details

Ateez announced plans for its North American tour Tuesday via agency KQ Entertainment. The band will resume the American leg of tour “Towards the Light: Will to Power” that began with a concert in Seoul in January, starting with a live show in Tacoma, US on July 14. It will then visit nine cities in the US and Canada, including: Los Angeles, Washington DC, New York and Toronto. The eight-member act hinted at visiting the region, telling the audience that it will be back in the US thi

April 23, 2024

Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns

K-pop giant Hybe has initiated an audit of its subsidiary Ador, home to NewJeans, claiming that Ador CEO Min Hee-jin attempted a takeover of the sublabel. This is the first time that Hybe, the parent company for multiple smaller K-pop labels, has taken such a move against a subsidiary. Min, who is also the producer of popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, has denied the allegation, arguing that Hybe took action against her after she pointed out that the entertainment monolith's new K-pop girl

April 23, 2024

Virtual K-pop idol group Plave to go global this year

Plave, the virtual K-pop boy group launched by Vlast, aims to expand its reach overseas this year. “Our goal for Plave this year is to go global. We are currently in negotiations with an agency abroad for the group’s launch in foreign music markets. We are close to inking the deal,” said Lee Sung-gu, CEO of Vlast, during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. Vlast is a virtual intellectual property startup that created and manages Plave. “We are creating a whole new genr

April 23, 2024

[New on the scene] Director protests middle-aged women's loss of name

Director Jeong Ji-hye, 29, depicts in great detail an ordinary woman in her 50s in her feature film debut “Jeong-sun.” The concept was based on Jeong's year-long experience working part-time at a food packaging factory -- the same setting where the protagonist Jeong-sun works and faces an unexpected event. “While working at the factory, I became close with many middle-aged women who worked there. I could hear their life stories and about the environment they were in,&rdquo

April 23, 2024

Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok team up in 'Whenever Possible'

Get ready for an entertaining ride as South Korea's top comedian Yoo Jae-suk teams up with actor Yoo Yeon-seok. Exploring how Koreans spend their spare time, the duo are the lead MCs in the local broadcaster SBS's upcoming entertainment show "Whenever Possible." The eight-part program will hear from audiences and share their stories by visiting them in person. Each episode also features three other celebrity guests. "The show was designed after we noticed that a lot of

April 23, 2024

Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre's iconic 'Ilmu' returns

The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre is set to perform its iconic work "One Dance" -- "Ilmu" in Korean -- at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts May 16-19. This is the fourth run since its premiere in 2022, following a second run in Seoul and a performance in New York in 2023. In July last year, the SMDT was invited to perform at New York’s Lincoln Center during the “Korean Arts Week,” one of the highlights of the Lincoln Center's annual summer fe

April 22, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Illit logs 100m Spotify streams with debut song

Rookie girl group Illit generated 100 million streams on Spotify with its debut single “Magnetic,” said agency Belift Lab on Monday citing the platform’s data. It reached the milestone in 26 days and set a record for a K-pop girl group’s debut song. The single fronted the EP “Super Real Me” and made Billboard’s Hot 100 and the UK’s Official Singles Top 100 charts, at No. 91 and No. 87 respectively, becoming the first debut song from a K-pop artist

April 22, 2024

K-pop reality audition shows transform, strive to appeal to fandom culture

The fever for reality TV audition programs featuring K-pop idol singers continues unabated, with South Korean broadcasters launching more, similar programs but with new formats to keep viewers entertained. Local music channel Mnet, which produced the most successful K-pop audition show franchise “Produce,” launched “I-Land2: N/a” earlier this month. It is a sequel to the 2020 reality audition show “I-Land.” Next month, the national broadcaster KBS 2TV is set t

April 22, 2024

[Herald Review] Xdinary Heroes showcase 5-month project, teases new album

The six-piece-band Xdinary Heroes kicked off a five-month-long project with the solo concert “Closed beta ver. 6” on Sunday, which continued from Friday for three days. The concert, which took place at Yes24 Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, comes after successfully wrapping up the sextets’ first world tour last month. Xdinary Heroes, a rock band that debuted in 2021 under JYP Entertainment's sub-label Studio J, will showcase a five-month-long “2024 Xperiment Project&rdquo

April 22, 2024

Ateez to drop 10th EP ‘Golden Hour: Part.1’ on May 31

Ateez is returning to the K-pop scene with their 10th EP, “Golden Hour: Part.1,” which will be released on May 31. KQ Entertainment dropped a poster and announced the promotion schedule for the new album on Monday. From this week, more concept photos, a track list poster, an album preview and a music video teaser will be revealed, the agency said. The K-pop group teased their comeback on stage during their performance at the Coachella Valley Music Festival performance on April 19. Th

April 22, 2024

Aespa to release 1st LP ‘Armageddon’ on May 27

K-pop girl group aespa is releasing its first studio album, “Armageddon,” on May 27. SM Entertainment said the LP will be led by two title tracks: “Supernova” and “Armageddon.” “Supernova” will be released on May 13 before the official album release. The album carries a total of 10 tracks with diverse genres including hip-hop, dance and ballad music. The agency hinted that the studio album will serve as an introduction to the second chapter of the

April 22, 2024

Movie on Fu Bao set for fall release

A South Korean movie depicting the interaction between Fu Bao, the beloved giant panda born here in July 2020, and her zookeepers will be released in the fall. Tentatively titled "Hello, Grandpa," the movie is currently under production by Korean animation production company Accomz, in collaboration with Everland, the Korean theme park and zoo where Fu Bao lived before departing for China. "Hello, Grandpa" is to be an animated documentary based on interviews with zookeepers S

April 22, 2024

Gang Dong-won masterminds plots to seem like accidents

Actor Gang Dong-won turns a meticulous mastermind behind plots that appear to be accidents in his upcoming crime drama flick, “The Plot.” “The Plot” follows Young-il, played by Gang, who believes that all kinds of accidents can be manipulated. Next to him are his security master, Jackie (Lee Mi-sook), disguise master, Wol-cheon (Lee Hyun-wook) and youngest teammate, Jeom-man (Tang Joon-sang), who sincerely support Young-il’s plotting the scheme. But their solidity a

April 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] Doyoung of NCT to share his story of ‘youth’ in 1st solo album

Over the past nine years, Doyoung has built a career as the vocalist of the popular K-pop boy group NCT. But it was just a year ago, as NCT embarked on a world tour and released various albums, when Doyoung realized he was ready to debut as a soloist. “Last year, I released three albums as a member of NCT when one of our vocalists Taeil took a break due to health concerns. I felt pressure in having to fill in his void. But after having overcome such challenges, I thought I had improved my

April 22, 2024

Ateez member Yunho throws first pitch at MLB match between Dodgers, Mets

Yunho, a member of K-pop boy band Ateez, threw the first pitch at a Major League Baseball match between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets, his agency, KQ Entertainment, said Sunday. Yunho, a vehement baseball fan since his childhood, mounted the ground and pitched the first ball to open the match held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday (U.S. time). He and three other Ateez members, Yeosang, Wooyoung and Jongho, were invited to the event. "It was an honor to step onto t

April 21, 2024

NCT Dream's Renjun to take hiatus due to anxiety

Renjun from NCT Dream is suspending his activities. The agency, SM Entertainment, announced through the global fandom live platform Weverse on Saturday that Renjun will take a hiatus due to health issues. "Renjun recently visited the hospital due to poor physical condition and symptoms of anxiety, and received medical advice that sufficient stability and rest are necessary," said the agency. Renjun was absent from the scheduled fan signing event on Saturday. Only six members -- Mark, J

April 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Romeo and Juliet for, and about, a new generation,' says Matthew Bourne

Renowned British choreographer Matthew Bourne's "Romeo and Juliet" is set to make its Korean premiere at the LG Arts Center in Seoul from May 8 to May 19. This contemporary reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragic romance and Prokofiev’s ballet masterpiece takes the audience to the near future at the Verona Institute, an imaginary reformatory for young people that is tightly watched over by security guards. In a written interview with The Korea Herald on Thursday, Bourne de

April 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] Lim Yunchan: Chopin album feels like long-awaited eruption

When practicing for the recording of his first solo album, "Chopin Etudes," which was released internationally on April 19, Lim Yunchan, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, paid meticulous attention to each note. He would assess whether they could strike his heart, sometimes spending several hours to perfect just two measures. “When you press the first note, if it doesn't strike your heart, then it's not practice, right? So,

April 19, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Illit drops debut single remix

Illit set fans abuzz Thursday with remixes of debut single “Magnetic.” There are three different remixes -- a soft and dreamy R&B version, a fresh and upbeat “starlight” version and a slower “city night” take on the tune. The original song is a dance song that combines house and trap and fronted the rookie girl group’s first EP “Super Real Me” that came out last month. It hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 91, a first for a debut single

April 19, 2024

Seventeen unveils track list for upcoming album

K-pop boy group Seventeen unveiled the track list for their upcoming album, “17 Is Right Here,” to be released on April 29. The album will not only carry the group's most loved songs, but also four new singles -- “Maestro,” “Lalali,” “Spell” and “Cheers to Youth,” according to Pledis Entertainment. Woozi of Seventeen and K-pop producer Bumzu, who is behind several Seventeen hits, took part in producing "Maestro." The othe

April 19, 2024