Seoul Metropolitan Ballet begins inaugural season with contemporary focus

The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet, centering its artistic vision on contemporary ballet, has been officially inaugurated, announced the Seoul City and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts at a press conference held on Tuesday. This marks the establishment of the third public ballet company in Korea in 48 years, after the Korean National Ballet in 1962 and the Gwangju City Ballet in 1976. Diverging from traditional ballet companies that predominantly focus on classical repertoire, Seoul Metropolitan

Feb. 20, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream confirms 3rd world tour

NCT Dream announced plans for its third international tour “The Dream Show 3” Tuesday. The NCT subunit will kick off the tour in Seoul with a three-day concert starting May 2. In Japan, it will perform at three major domes – in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya – for the first time and then visit Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore and Manila until August. The Asian leg of the tour will be followed by concerts in South and North America as well as Europe through November. It

Feb. 20, 2024

IU adds her own definition of ‘winning’ into 6th EP 'The Winning'

Singer-songwriter and actor IU thinks living a successful life, or "winning" as she calls it, does not always have to be about making a lot of money or living a life everyone looks up to. Instead, through her sixth EP, "The Winning," the artist shares her own definition of “winning,” which she says is accepting the fact that not everyone blooms into a flower. The new EP was released Tuesday. On the day of her new album release, IU posted a video on her official Y

Feb. 20, 2024

Timeless tunes reworked with trendy spin by young musicians

Masterpieces stand the test of time, retaining their value and significance throughout the ages. Songs from the 1970s to the 2000s are these days gaining new life through reinterpretations by junior singers. Hong Joo-chan, a member of the boy group Golden Child, released solo digital single "Still Thinking About You" on Sunday. It is a remake of ballad singer Lee Jung-bong's debut album title track, which was released in 1996. The original song gained huge popularity, mesmerizing

Feb. 20, 2024

Timothee Chalamet to shoot local shows in Seoul to promote ‘Dune: Part Two’

French American actor Timothee Chalamet, who arrived in Seoul Monday evening to kick off his Seoul tour for the promotion of his latest film, “Dune: Part Two,” will appear in local TV shows and meet with Korean TV personalities, according to the industry on Tuesday. Industry sources said that Chalamet will shoot a program with Pengsoo during his stay in Seoul. Pengsoo is a penguin character from the YouTube channel Giant Peng TV, a show run by Korea's Educational Broadcasting Sy

Feb. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Moonbyul of Mamamoo pursues diversity releasing LP in time for 10th anniversary

Moonbyul of K-pop girl group Mamamoo always tries to step outside of her comfort zone to develop into a better artist. “I am fortunate to have established a character in the entertainment industry as a singer who has been active for 10 years. But to become a better artist, I hope to go beyond my limits,” said Moonbyul in a group interview in Seoul on Wednesday. That involves continuously working on enhancing her vocal and dancing skills despite being a rapper by receiving lessons. &l

Feb. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Theater Ganda marks 20th Anniversary with yearlong parade of original productions

In Korean, the word "ganda" means "to go." Yet, the name of this 20-year-old South Korean theater troupe also carries a dual meaning, signifying its commitment to creating compact ("gan" in Hanja) and diverse ("da" in Hanja) performances. Theatre Ganda is set to showcase a series of the company's most notable works, one after another, until early 2025, in a rare and precious moment for a theater group as it marks its 20th anniversary with a parade of

Feb. 19, 2024

Le Sserafim talks about their fear and doubts in 3rd EP ‘Easy’

Le Sserafim members spoke candidly about their fears and concerns hidden behind their fearless attitude in their third EP, “Easy,” released on Monday. “We focused on expressing our inner side to show that we are no different to ordinary people who have concerns and doubts in their life,” said Kazuha of the K-pop girl group during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. The group tried to express that even though their fame could look as easily achieved, there is always the

Feb. 19, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ J-Hope to unveil album, documentary next month

J-Hope of BTS will drop a special solo album on March 29 along with a documentary film, said label Big Hit Music on Monday. As the title “Hope on the Street Vol. 1” suggests, the six-track album is themed after street dance, which the main dancer of the band harks back on. A series of the same title also will be rolled out on the day before, starting with the first episode from the total of six. Shot before he enlisted in April last year, the series follows the artist across the wo

Feb. 19, 2024

[Indie spirit] Maktub on broadening spectrum, contemplating deeper emotions

In the 13 years since his debut, most of the songs that singer Maktub released have been about sweet, overwhelming love. The singer said he takes a bit of pride in his songs being chosen for romantic events such as proposals and weddings. "I'm a love enthusiast. I may have written countless love songs because I didn’t have particularly hard times dating. But I also believe that messages about love are the messages that the world needs." The 35-year-old singer-songwriter made

Feb. 19, 2024

K-pop idol-led variety shows expand to cable

A TV variety show featuring K-pop idols is proving that TV and fandom-based online platforms could be a winning combination. K-pop groups have been running their own variety shows for a while on social media and the fan platform Weverse. But for "Nana Tour with Seventeen," the episodes were also broadcast on cable channel tvN, looking to simultaneously appeal to the K-pop super-fans and a wider audience among the general public -- while making use of Weverse's potential for aud

Feb. 19, 2024

Photo of RM with saxophone in military band goes viral

Even while serving in the South Korean military, global K-pop star RM of BTS remains in the public eye. On Thursday, a photo of him in a red military band uniform, holding a saxophone, went viral on X, formerly known as Twitter. As of Monday, the photo had garnered over 20,000 likes and 4,000 reposts. The viral post said, "I received a photo of Nam-joon (better known as RM) from an acquaintance who attended the military's basic training completion ceremony." The ceremony is only o

Feb. 19, 2024

NCT Dream, Seventeen, Stray Kids, and Ive win grand prizes at Hanteo Music Awards

The 31st Hanteo Music Awards’ four grand prizes — Best Artist, Best Album, Best Performance and Best Song, went to NCT Dream, Seventeen, Stray Kids and Ive, respectively, on Sunday, the last day of the two-day event held in Seoul. NCT Dream bagged the Best Artist award for showing outstanding musical ability and powerful influence in the music industry. Only Mark, Jaemin and Chenle of NCT Dream attended the event, as other members of the group were working on the group’s upcomi

Feb. 19, 2024

TWS goes global through partnership with Geffen Records, Virgin Music

TWS is going global by partnering with the world’s leading music company Universal Music Group (UMG) labels in the US and Japan. According to TWS' agency Pledis Entertainment, a six-member boy band inked a partnership with UMG’s Geffen Records for its group promotion in the US and with Virgin Music under Universal Music Japan for its group promotion in Japan. Through this partnership, TWS will receive support from the above labels to promote and distribute its albums in the US a

Feb. 18, 2024

J-Hope of BTS to introduce new project ‘Hope on the Street’ in March

J-Hope of BTS is presenting a new project in March. He dropped a teaser clip of the upcoming project, “Hope on the Street” on BTS’ official YouTube channel Sunday, a day before his birthday. The clip begins with J-Hope, who is the main dancer of BTS, working on his performance at a dance studio back in 2015. The clip then fast forwards to 2024, and J-Hope appears dancing to a beat with a night view of a city in the background. “J-Hope came up with his own idea for this pr

Feb. 18, 2024

[Herald Interview] Choi Woo-shik shows inner turmoil of killer in 'A Killer's Paradox'

South Korean actor Choi Woo-shik, known for his role in hit TV shows and movies such as "Our Beloved Summer (2021)," "Parasite (2019)," and "Train to Busan (2016)," said he tried to portray the emotional turmoil of a character faced with the ethical dilemma of condemning evil through murder, in his latest work, "A Killer's Paradox." The 8-part Netflix original crime thriller drama series, based on the webtoon of the same title, tells the story of Yi T

Feb. 17, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] TXT will be back in April: report

Tomorrow X Together will make a comeback in April, according to a local media report on Friday. The band’s latest album was its third studio album “The Name Chapter: Freefall” that sold over 2.25 million copies in the first week when it came out in October last year and entered Billboard 200 at No. 3. The album stayed on the main albums chart for seven weeks in a row and reentered in the first week of January. The members told fans last month at an awards ceremony that they h

Feb. 16, 2024

Netflix co-CEO expresses excitement for return of popular Korean series this year

Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive officer of Netflix, said on Friday he is excited about the return of several popular Netflix originals this year. "We're very excited about the return of 'Physical: 100' and 'Sweet Home,' and of course, 'Squid Game' this year," Sarandos said during a brief meeting with reporters at Netflix headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Friday. Sarandos is on a two-day visit to the country, which marks his second visit since Jun

Feb. 16, 2024

K-content illegal streaming site shut down after US court ruling

A US court decided to shut down Kokoa TV, a streaming website which illegally streamed a slew of Korean contents to overseas streamers, while ruling in favor of Wavve Americas -- which raised a suit against the website for copyright and trademark infringement. According to the US District Court, District of Arizona, Tumi MAX, the operator of Kokoa TV, has been ordered to cease activities such as storing, reproducing, displaying, or distributing any of the copyrighted works, as of Feb. 9. The US

Feb. 16, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Wonka” (US) Opened Jan. 31 Fantasy Directed by Paul King Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet), who dreams of becoming the world’s best chocolatier, encounters a “chocolate cartel” and a plot to kick him out of town as its business is threatened. But next to him are four trustworthy supporters whom he meets at Mrs. Scrubitt’s launderette. “Citizen of a Kind” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 24 Drama Directed by Park Young-ju Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who lives an

Feb. 16, 2024