[What to Play] Start spring with a little luck

Although it is the third month of the year, March can be a month of new beginnings, as sprouts poke through the ground and a gentle spring breeze shakes off the dust of a dark winter. Celebrating the beginning of a new semester and the warmth of spring, The Korea Herald presents some cheerful songs to wish for luck in the heart-throbbing season. Peppertones – “Good Luck to You” Peppertones, a duo of Shin Jae-pyung and Lee Jang-won, formed in 2003 after the two friends met

March 14, 2024

AleXa to tour six American cities

Singer AleXa will kick off her American concert tour and visit six local cities. AleXa will begin her United States tour concert dubbed, "Sick of you US Tour," on March 29, local time. The tour will open in New York, move to Chicago, Atlanta and Tulsa, Texas, before ending in Los Angeles. Concert title "Sick of you" is an extension of AleXa's latest song title, "Sick," which was released in the US on Feb. 23. AleXa has prepared a "love and concern counseli

March 14, 2024

Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" to open in Korea on Jan. 28 next year

Moviegoers will have to wait a little bit more to finally see Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming work "Mickey 17." The movie distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said Thursday that Bong’s first new work in six years will first release in theaters here on Jan. 28, 2025, before opening in other countries around the globe. “Mickey 17,” which completed production in England in December 2022, will be Bong’s first movie since “Parasite.” The

March 14, 2024

Two Korean drama series invited to Canneseries

Two Korean dramas "Tarot" and "Pleasant Outcast" are set to appear at Canneseries, held from April 5 to April 10 in France. "Tarot," produced by Studio X+U, a mid-form content production studio under telecommunications provider LG Uplus, was invited to compete in the short film competition section of the Cannes International Series Festival. With this, "Tarot" became the first Korean title to compete in the short film section. "Tarot" revolves ar

March 14, 2024

'Physical:100 Underground' to feature skilled participants, quests of increased difficulty

The second season of Netflix Korea's flagship survival competition show "Physical: 100" will feature formidable participants, including renowned national athletes, taking part in quests of increased difficulty, the show's producers said Thursday. "Physical: 100" series features 100 contestants competing in survival matches to see who is the most physically fit. The winner gets prize money of 300 million won ($228,000). Its first season unveiled last year became a gl

March 14, 2024

[Herald Interview] YooA looks to break boundaries, fly high with new single album, ‘Borderline’

YooA of Oh My Girl hopes to show off her chic side in her first solo single album, “Borderline,” which is set to be released at 6 p.m., Thursday. “As a solo artist, I hope to showcase what I do best, one bit at a time. In this new album, I thought I could best demonstrate a mature, dark and chic feminine version of myself,” said YooA during a group interview with local reporters in Seoul on March 7. “Borderline” is led by the title track “Rooftop,”

March 14, 2024

[Herald Review] Two Victor Hugo stories unfold on musical stage

Two musicals based on works by French author Victor Hugo are attracting audiences in Korea: “Les Miserables” and “Notre-Dame de Paris.” Both musicals are inspired by stories written by the prominent French writer, poet, and playwright and utilize a sing-through format, where the majority, if not all, of the dialogue is sung rather than spoken. The musicals include melodies that are iconic numbers worth enjoying on a live stage. “Belle (Beautiful),” sung by Q

March 13, 2024

[Indie spirit] With gentle comfort, Kim Sawol portrays raw emotions

Singer-songwriter Kim Sawol is a sincere yet mysterious figure, a quality that is often reflected in her music. Not much is known about the soft-voiced musician, including her real name and age. She uses the stage name "Sawol," the Korean word for April, which is the month of her birth. Kim explained that she began her musical journey without disclosing any of her personal details because she is shy. "I am a musician, which means I need an audience. But paradoxically, I didn&rsquo

March 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Ex-NCT Lucas to tour Asia for fan concerts

Lucas, formerly of NCT, will host a fan concert tour in Asia from April, according to label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. He will kick off tour Fiat Lux: 熙 in Hong Kong on April 13 and visit Jakarta, Taipei and Manila until mid-June. More cities will be added to the tour soon, said the firm. The performer is set to release first solo single “Renegade” on April 1, returning to the spotlight after a two-year hiatus. He confirmed the news of his solo debut last week, ending speculati

March 13, 2024

Netflix original 'Chicken Nugget' brings creativity of Korean storytellers to life

Netflix mystery comedy original "Chicken Nugget," set to premiere Friday, will bring to life the creativity and ingenuity of Korean storytellers via its surprising plot. "Chicken Nugget" narrates the story of Go Baek-joong (played by Ahn Jae-hong) and Choi Seon-man (played by Ryu Seung-ryong), who endeavor to turn Choi Min-ah (played by Kim You-jung) back into a human. In the story, Min-ah, the daughter of Seon-man, is accidentally turned into a chicken nugget by a mysterious

March 13, 2024

K-pop song revitalizes sales of traditional jelly

"Bam Yang Gang (chestnut jelly)" by K-pop singer Bibi has become a sensation in South Korea, not just topping music charts but also dramatically boosting sales of the traditional jelly, yanggaeng. According to industry data, from the song’s release on Feb. 13 till March 6, major convenience store chains in South Korea, including CU, GS25, Seven Eleven, and Emart24, reported an increase of up to 100 percent in sales of Haitai Confectionery's “Yeon Yanggaeng." Craft

March 13, 2024

K-pop artists win big at Japan Gold Disc Awards

Seventeen won six awards at the 38th Japan Gold Disc Awards, according to the Record Industry Association of Japan on Tuesday. Established in 1987, the Japan Gold Disc Awards are presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan to reward Japanese and foreign artists based on net sales of CDs, music videos, singles, downloads and streaming. This year, Seventeen won Best Asian Artist for the first time since its debut, Album of the Year for its 10th EP, “FML,” and three of this

March 13, 2024

Jungkook becomes longest-charting K-pop soloist on Billboard Hot 100 after Psy

Jungkook of K-pop juggernaut BTS has become the longest-charting K-pop solo artist on US Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart after Psy. According to the latest chart unveiled Tuesday, Jungkook's "Standing Next to You" stayed on the chart for 18 consecutive weeks, the second-longest run for any K-pop soloist in history, following Psy's record of 31 consecutive weeks with "Gangnam Style" in 2012. This week, the BTS vocalist ascended two spots to reach No. 85.

March 13, 2024

Disney+ unveils lineup, strategy for Korean market

Emphasizing the importance of the Korean market, Disney+ said Tuesday that it will focus on quality over quantity going forward. "Disney Korea is evolving from playing the role of a distributor of global stories and content to producing content here and bringing it outside of Korea. The quality and the storytelling of Korean content is so attractive to audiences not only in APAC, but beyond," said Carol Choi, executive vice president of original content strategy at The Walt Disney Comp

March 13, 2024

'The Best Sopranos' concert highlights Maria Callas' life through familiar tunes

A tribute to American and Greek soprano Maria Callas took place Monday at Lotte Concert Hall. The concert, titled “The Best Sopranos” brought together five sopranos, whom the artistic director Ha Man-taek of the concert and CEO of Korea ARTS Group, said “are the best sopranos to me, even though they are so far less-well known to the world.” The sopranos -- Park Mi-ja, Kim Ra-hee, Shin Eun-hye, Lee Yun-jeong and Veronica Yoo -- were joined by two tenors Ha and Son Ji-hoon

March 12, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook hits 5 billion Spotify streams

Jungkook of BTS reached 5 billion hits on Spotify, a first for a K-pop solo artist. He achieved the feat in 748 days since he opened his own account on the platform, setting a record for a K-pop act. The record is led by his first solo single, “Seven (feat. Latto),” that amassed 1.4 billion streams. The single garnered 1 billion plays in 108 days, the shortest time in Spotify history. Meanwhile, the music video for “Standing Next to You,” which fronted his solo album &l

March 12, 2024

[New on the scene] ‘Dolphin’ director Bae Du-ri’s work has roots in her own experiences

Director Bae Du-ri came up with the original idea for her feature debut film “Dolphin” back in 2018. The movie centers on Na-young (Kwon Yu-ri), a 35-year-old woman in a seaside town whose only joy is caring for her mother and younger brother. After a troubled childhood, she is now settled into a calmer life, working as a journalist at a local newspaper. When her mother decides to sell the house and her brother insists on moving to Seoul, Na-young, struggling to accept these changes,

March 12, 2024

K-pop reality show ‘K-pop Dreams’ to launch in US

A K-pop reality show will be launched in the US through a partnership between Titan Content, a US-based K-pop label launched by former SM Entertainment CEO Han Se-min, and The Gurin Company, a Los Angeles-based entertainment studio. The show, titled "K-pop Dreams" is a 10-episode reality show that delves into Korean fashion, Korean beauty and Korean dance as well as look for the next K-pop stars who want to realize their “American K-pop dream,” Titan Content said. The show

March 12, 2024

Seventeen's ‘Seventeenth Heaven’ tops Oricon chart

K-pop boy group Seventeen topped Oricon’s weekly album chart dated March 18 with its 11th EP, “Seventeenth Heaven.” This marks the third time the album has landed at No. 1 on the Japanese music industry standard album popularity chart. Seventeen is only the second artist to top Oricon’s weekly album chart three times with the same album following BTS. The EP “Seventeenth Heaven” was released on Oct. 23. Soon after its release, Seventeen made history by becomin

March 12, 2024

[What to watch] Three movies to celebrate International Women’s Day

Friday marked International Women's Day, a day to appreciate the accomplishments of women and promote gender equality. Why not celebrate the day by watching films that highlight the spirit of womanhood? A cinematic experience of women’s strengths, diversity, achievements and their incredible stories is a good way to mark the day. "Dolphin" Directed by Korean female filmmaker Bae Du-ri, “Dolphin” marks the feature directorial debut of Bae, who wrote and directed

March 12, 2024