Super Junior-D&E to perform in Japan

K-pop boy group Super Junior’s duo, Donghae and Eunhyuk, also known as Super Junior-D&E, is set to tour Japan, according to Ode Entertainment. The duo's “Departure” tour kicks off with a concert in Osaka on April 12 followed by concerts in Tokyo, Shizuoka, Aichi, Saitama, Kanagawa, Fukuoka, Hiroshima and Hyogo for a total of 17 shows. The initial plan was to perform 13 shows but four more concerts were added as tickets sold out quickly. The duo is set to perform a setl

April 2, 2024

TXT sums up its five-year story with ‘minisode 3: TOMORROW’

Tomorrow X Together returned with its sixth mini album, "minisode 3: TOMORROW," which encompasses the stories of the albums they have released over the past five years. The quintet held a press conference at Korea University’s Hwajung Gymnasium on Monday. The new album is the first after the group’s 3rd full-length album, “The Name Chapter: Freefall,” released last October. "It's an album with outstanding completeness, and I believe listeners will be a

April 1, 2024

[Herald Interview] Babymonster sets out to target global listeners with YG ‘DNA’

Dropping the group's first EP, “Babymos7er,” Monday, YG Entertainment’s latest girl group, Babymonster, made its official debut. “We are announcing our new beginning as a group of seven with Ahyeon joining us for the promotion of this album,” said Rora of Babymonster during a group interview with local reporters on Monday. Babymonster previously debuted with a digital single, “Batter Up,” on Nov. 27, 2023 as a group of six -- Ruka, Pharita, Asa, Ram

April 1, 2024

K-content streaming service Kocowa to launch services in Europe, Oceania

Kocowa, a streaming platform operated by Wavve Americas, which distributes Korean content to overseas audiences, said it has started offering its services in 39 countries in Europe and Oceania on Monday. Previously, Kocowa was available in some 30 countries in North and South America, including the US, Canada and Brazil. England, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, as well as Australia and New Zealand, are some of the countries where Kocowa became available Monday. In Europe and Oceania, Kocowa is only

April 1, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook hits Spotify milestone in record time

Jungkook of BTS has reached 1.5 billion streams on Spotify with solo single “Seven (feat. Latto)” as of March 29. He is the first K-pop solo act to achieve the feat and did so in the shortest time for an Asian artist in the history of the platform, at 259 days. It is only bested by Harry Styles’ “As It Was” and Justin Bieber and The Kid Laroi’s collaboration, “Stay.” He has earned three Guinness World Records so far with the single: hitting 1 billi

April 1, 2024

[Herald Interview] Director Ahn Gooc-jin brings his mistrust of the internet to big screen

It took director Ahn Gooc-jin nine years to return to the big screen after his award-winning “Alice In Earnestland.” Just like the previous film, Ahn's latest work, “Troll Factory,” criticizes aspects of modern-day Korea through satire. “Troll Factory,” a film adaptation of the eponymous 2015 novel by Chang Kang-myoung, reorganizes the story into a completely new structure. Unlike in the novel, the movie focuses on the character of Yim Sang-jin (Son Suk-k

April 1, 2024

[Herald Review] Lucy kicks off 1st world tour with dynamic performance

South Korean group Lucy delivered a thrilling and powerful performance to fans Sunday, successfully kicking off its first world tour. The Seoul performance of the group's first world tour, “Written by Flower,” took place at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in the Olympic Park in Seoul, on Saturday and Sunday. Audiences of over 10,000 people gathered at the concert hall over the two days. The four members appeared on the stage in white outfits -- which was the pre-set dress cod

April 1, 2024

[Herald Review] Seventeen announces 2 album releases this year during concert

Surrounded by some 28,000 people that had gathered at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium on Sunday, all 13 members of Seventeen slowly descended towards the stage in lifts shaped like rectangular cuboids. Sporting glittering silver jackets, the K-pop sensations kicked off the last day of its two-day concert with “Super.” The group added a dance break to the song, during which fireworks exploded, ramping up the energy throughout the stadium. Fans were excited finally to see all 13 members

April 1, 2024

[Herald Interview] Minseo returns with dark charisma in ‘Dead Love’

Although she is often thought of as a ballad singer with a soft, emotion-laden voice, Minseo is full of bright energy and has so much more she wants to express. "Everyone is surprised when they meet me in person. I became famous for the lyrical, emotional ballad 'Yes,' so everyone assumes I would be a sentimental, quiet person," the singer said during a group interview on March 21. Minseo came to attention when she made it to the top eight on “Superstar K7” in 201

March 31, 2024

Two vastly different 'Romeo and Juliet' ballets take to stage in May

In May, Seoul will host two different ballet productions of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, "Romeo and Juliet." Universal Ballet's "Romeo and Juliet" choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan will grace the stage of the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater from May 10 to May 12. The production, for which Universal Ballet acquired the performance rights in Korea in 2012, will return to the stage after its last performances in 2016 and 2012. On May 10 at 7:30 p.m. an

March 31, 2024

J-Hope brings his dance to ‘Hope on the Street’ pop-up store in Seongsu

J-Hope of BTS opened a street dance-themed pop-up store in Seongsu-dong, Seoul on Saturday, according to Big Hit Music. The “Hope on the Street” pop-up store promotes J-Hope’s special album “Hope on the Street Vol. 1” released Friday and the documentary series “Hope on the Street” which began streaming Thursday. J-Hope is the first member of BTS to organize a solo pop-up store. Three floors are filled with content related to the special album, the docume

March 31, 2024

This year's Busan film fest to proceed without festival director

Asia’s largest film festival, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), will proceed with the post of festival director yet to be filled. In a statement released Friday night, the BIFF said that there were “no qualified candidates” despite its continued search for someone to lead the festival. In February, the festival organizers began another search for the post of festival director, accepting applications through March 19. The post has been vacant since May last year. &ld

March 31, 2024

Han So-hee, Ryu Joon-yeol part ways 2 weeks after going public with relationship

South Korean actors Han So-hee and Ryu Joon-yeol have decided to “go their own ways” after two tumultuous weeks surrounding the stars’ admissions of dating and accusations of impropriety in Ryu dating Han so soon after his breakup from his longtime partner, singer and actor Hyeri. Ryu and Han’s breakup surfaced Saturday night when Han uploaded a 2001 photo of Nicole Kidman that had been taken by paparazzi as she walked out of the court following her divorce from Tom Cruis

March 31, 2024

Tongyeong Int'l Music Festival continues to embody diversity

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- The Tongyeong International Music Festival commenced Friday with its artistic director Chin Unsuk saying she’s hoping to provide a beautiful moment that will remain forever with an underlying theme of diversity. "We always strive to present as many diverse elements as possible to the audience within this short period,” she said. “For the past two years of the festival, I have often thought that this moment, when we share this beaut

March 31, 2024

BTS V's 'Fri(end)s' ranks 68th on British singles chart

BTS member V's new song, "Fri(end)s," entered Britain's Official Singles Chart Top 100 for the second consecutive week. His latest digital single ranked No. 68 on the Top 100 chart, down from No. 55 the previous week, according to the chart released Friday. Released March 15, "Fri(end)s" is the artist's first solo project since "Layover," released in September last year. The pop-soul track, entirely written in English, is a sweet love song portraying

March 30, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Zerobaseone to appear on Japan TV special

An exclusive television show with Zerobaseone will air on Japan’s TV Asahi Saturday, said agency WakeOne Entertainment on Friday. The special show titled “ZB1 Eyes on No. 1” is a "variety program for Zerobaseone, a nine-member boy band that has gained popularity across the world,” the broadcasting station said. The bandmates will be split into three teams, play games and perform “Yurayura – Unmeino Hana,” the group's Japanese debut track. The

March 29, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Ji-yeon, Jang Da-a stress zero tolerance for bullying via 'Pyramid Game'

South Korean actors Kim Ji-yeon and Jang Da-a said they tried to convey the message of absolute intolerance towards bullying via their latest Tving original series "Pyramid Game." Based on the webtoon of the same name, the 10-part drama series narrates the story of Sung Soo-ji (played by Kim), who transfers to a school that decides a target to bully monthly via a voting process. In the story, students are ranked from A to F based on the number of votes they get, and the person designat

March 29, 2024

J-Hope shows his passion for street dance in 'Hope On The Street Vol. 1'

A new album about BTS J-Hope's musical roots has been released. J-Hope's special album "Hope On The Street Vol. 1" is based on the artist’s passion for street dance and is his first solo album in seven months since "Jack In The Box," which was released in August last year. The title of the lead track, "Neuron," came from the name of the dance crew that J-Hope belonged to before his debut. The song is an old-school hip-hop song from the 2000s, marking

March 29, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Spy x Family Code: White” (Japan) Opened March 20 Action/Comedy Directed by Takashi Katagiri Loid, a spy, decides to help his stepdaughter Anya, who holds supernatural power, win a cooking competition at Eden Academy by making the principal's favorite meal. It is the the only way to stop him from getting replaced in a new operation. “Poor Things” (US) Opened March 6 Comedy Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Bella (Emma Stone), a Frankenstein-esque woman brought back fro

March 29, 2024

[Graphic News] Only 1 out of 35 Korean commercial films had female director last year

Only one out of 35 Korean films with a major budget was directed by a female director last year, a report showed. Action thriller “The Point Men,” directed by Yim Soon-rye, was the sole movie with a female director among the 35 commercial films with a production budget exceeding 3 billion won ($2.25 million), according to the report released by the Korean Film Council on the status of gender equality in the Korean film industry. The state-run movie promotion agency has been publish

March 29, 2024