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

‘Goodbye Earth’ director never doubted revealing the series despite Yoo’s drug scandal

The director of the Netflix series “Goodbye Earth,” which was put in the middle of controversy ahead of its release after actor Yoo Ah-in was indicted on drug charges in October, said he never doubted the series would make it to screens. “Although there was a significant amount of time for waiting, I never doubted that this series would not be revealed. It was fate to come out to the world and meet the audience,” director Kim Jin-min told reporters during a press conferen

April 19, 2024

Bae Doo-na shares portraying Korean identity in Hollywood's 'Rebel Moon'

Actor Bae Doo-na, who stars as sword master Nemesis in Netflix original “Rebel Moon -- Part Two: The Scargiver,” said she suggested costume and makeup ideas for this mega-scale Hollywood project. Director Zack Snyder, who has also helmed “Justice League” and “300,” has stressed several times before that Bae’s character, Nemesis, is rooted in Korean identity. “In the original script, Nemesis didn’t wear anything particularly Korean, such as a

April 19, 2024

Jay Park to release new single album ‘Jay Park Season 1’

Singer Jay Park is set to release a new single, “Jay Park Season 1,” on April 25, according to More Vision. He announced his comeback by posting a teaser image of the upcoming album on his social media Thursday. The single will be led by the track “Your/My” and carry one B-side, “Like I do.” This is the first among several releases Jay Park plans for this year. “In the past few years, I’ve been occupied with exploring my entrepreneurial side and fo

April 19, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Kung Fu Panda 4” (US) Opened April 10 Comedy Adventure Directed by Mike Mitchell Po becomes the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace and now he needs to train a new warrior, although he is not ready for it. But the emergence of a shape-shifting sorceress pushes Po to team up with a quick-witted corsac fox and move on. “The First Omen” (US) Opened April 3 Horror Directed by Arkasha Stevenson Young American woman Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) heads to Rome to devote her

April 19, 2024

Park Chan-wook adds comedy to his version of 'The Sympathizer'

South Korean auteur director Park Chan-wook said he focused on adding comedic elements to his latest series, “The Sympathizer.” The HBO original series, which is currently streaming via Coupang Play, is based on the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen. "To add a cinematic methodology to a series production, it was important for me to set up a special narrative and add humor when it comes to the ironic, paradoxical s

April 18, 2024

Popular foreign acts make return trips this summer

From pop to rock, foreign artists are gearing up to entertain Korean fans this summer. Japanese singer Lisa will hold her first solo concert in Korea in July. The upcoming concert is part of her Asian tour. It will take place on July 20 at Korea University's Hwajeong Gymnasium. Tickets sold out in just three minutes, demonstrating Korean fans' interest in the singer-songwriter. Lisa debuted with the mini-album "Letters to U" in 2011. In 2018, she gained widespread recognition

April 18, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Zico drops snippet of collaboration with Jennie

Zico has raised expectations for his upcoming digital single with a picture showing him with Jennie of Blackpink. In the photo uploaded Wednesday on his Instagram account, the two artists are looking at Polaroid pictures of themselves between working on his 11th single, “Stop!,” which marks the 10th anniversary of the singer and songwriter’s debut. “Come vibe with us,” he wrote in the caption, also sharing a video that captured Jennie perched on a table singing and

April 18, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS pop-up event to come to Seoul

A pop-up event for fans of BTS will run in Seoul from April 26 to May 12, according to an announcement by Big Hit Music on Tuesday. The news for the event “Monochrome” came with posters, one of which used a never-seen-before black-and-white photograph of the seven members, shot before they enlisted. Another showed boxes moving along a conveyor belt hinting that the temporary occasion will be theme after “memory clouds” which was the main concept from its fan meetup held

April 17, 2024

Highlight to tour Asia

K-pop boy group Highlight will perform in five cities across Asia starting in May, marking the group's 15th debut anniversary, according to an announcement by Around Us. The “Lights Go On, Again” tour will kick off in Seoul with three days of concerts on May 10-12 at the KSPO Dome. All tickets to the group’s Seoul concert have been sold out, the agency said. Highlight is then set to perform in Hong Kong on June 22, Bangkok on June 30, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on July 6 and Tokyo

April 17, 2024