[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans picks up Billboard Women in Music award

NewJeans was named Group of the Year from 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards, a first for a K-pop act. The five members picked up the trophy at the ceremony held in Los Angeles on Wednesday after performing “Super Shy” and “ETA” on stage in costumes fashioned after school uniforms. Participating in the awards alone “is so surreal and it’s hard to believe we’re in the same room as you all,” said Hanni for the acceptance speech. “I’

March 8, 2024

[Herald Interview] Song Joong-ki crafts his own kind of North Korean defector in 'My Name is Loh Kiwan'

Song Joong-ki, whose Netflix original film "My Name is Loh Kiwan” ranked 3rd on Netflix's non-English chart this week, said he was hesitant to play the character of North Korean defector Loh Ki-wan when he first received the script for the movie seven years ago. “I initially turned down the offer to play Loh Ki-wan seven years ago, because Ki-wan and Marie’s love affair didn't resonate with me. I told the production company that I didn’t think it was right

March 8, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Dune: Part Two” (US, Canada) Opened Feb. 28 Action/Sci-fi Directed by Denis Villeneuve In the year 10,191 on Arrakis, recently outcast heir to the throne of House Atreides Paul (Timothee Chalamet) finds a path to revenge against the emperor and, without knowing his choice could spell doom for the entire galaxy, he embarks on a holy war. “Exhuma” (South Korea) Opened Feb. 22 Mystery/Thriller Directed by Jang Jae-hyun A feng-shui expert, an undertaker and two shaman ex

March 8, 2024

Jennie of Blackpink’s collaboration with Matt Champion coming soon

Jennie of Blackpink is introduces her new single, “Slow Motion,” on Friday. The upcoming single is a collaboration between Jennie and Matt Champion, vocalist of American boy band Brockhampton. Matt Champion announced the release by posting a poster of the single in which he tagged Jennie. Jennie and Matt Champion had teased the single, each unveiling snippets of the single on their official social media channels. The single is a drum and bass song that will deliver a fresh and unique

March 7, 2024

K-pop artists spotted front-row at Paris Fashion Week

Iconic K-pop artists were invited to the Paris Fashion Week F/W 2024 as K-pop broadens its reach to the fashion industry. Paris Fashion Week F/W 2024 for womenswear took place in Paris, France Feb. 26- March 5. Lisa of Blackpink attended the Louis Vuitton show on March 5. She posted a picture taken with Nicolas Ghesquiere, the women’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, and wrote that “the final fashion week show ended beautifully.” Hyein of NewJeans and Nayeon of Twice also at

March 7, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream floats teaser for 5th EP

NCT Dream unveiled teaser photographs for the group's upcoming fifth EP on Wednesday. In line with the name of the teaser content -- “icantfeelanything” -- the seven bandmates can be seen standing expressionless on stairs and in front of a box gleaming in neon green. A series of props, from red yarn and a flower aflame to a broken mirror, also raised expectations for the story in the EP, “Dream()scape,” which rolls out on March 25. The EP will be the first to portray

March 7, 2024

'Queen of Tears' marks Kim Su-hyun's return to screen, explores woes of married life

South Korean actors Kim Ji-won and Kim Su-hyun will be depicting the woes of a married couple coming from vastly different backgrounds in tvN's latest drama series "Queen of Tears," set to air Saturday. Scripted by star screenwriter Park Ji-eun, who wrote the scripts for hit Korean romance dramas such as "My Love from the Star" and "Crash Landing on You," the 16-part drama series follows Baek Hyun-woo (played by Kim Su-hyun), a son of a supermarket owner from t

March 7, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink tops 300m views with ‘Lovesick Girls’ dance video

Blackpink's performance video for "Lovesick Girls" surpassed 300 million views as of Tuesday, according to label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. It is the group’s seventh dance video to reach the milestone and achieved the feat in almost 3 1/2 years. “Lovesick Girls” fronted Blackpink's first full album “The Album” and debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 59. The LP hit both the Billboard 200 and the UK’s Official albums chart at No

March 6, 2024

Changgeuk 'Lear' reimagines Shakespeare with traditional Korean splendor

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea's "Lear" is set to make a comeback after two years. Affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, the company will perform the changgeuk adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear" at the Daloreum Theater from March 29 to April 7. Changgeuk is a genre of Korean opera. It derives from pansori, a traditional narrative singing form involving a solo singer and a percussionist that is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cu

March 6, 2024

[Indie spirit] Singer-songwriter I’ll ventures to broaden his reach

Like the positive and brave image conveyed by his name, the singer-songwriter I’ll is bright and cheerful. The name, which evokes the feeling that anything can be accomplished, came from the singer’s birthday. “After contemplating various names before my debut, I created the name out of my birthday. Using the number 3 like an apostrophe, the date Nov. 13 became a stage name 'I’ll.' I liked the idea that it signifies 'I'll do something' when follow

March 6, 2024

Change of 'National Singing Contest' host garners mixed reactions

The news that KBS has changed the emcee of "National Singing Contest," one of the longest-running variety shows in Korea, has been met with mixed reactions from the public. First aired in 1980, "National Singing Contest" is a weekly singing competition show that takes place in cities, towns and villages around the country, featuring contestants from those areas. The contestants compete in various rounds and Korea's popular songwriters participate as judges to select the

March 6, 2024

[Herald Interview] Director Celine Song, actor Yoo Teo say ‘Past Lives’ was ‘inyeon’ for them

Korean Canadian director and playwright Celine Song’s directorial debut, “Past Lives,” is finally opening in Seoul, after winning 75 awards and over 200 nominations at film festivals around the world. “I honestly cannot predict how the Korean audience will react to my movie. While ‘inyeon’ is an unusual concept abroad, the term is used in daily life here in Korea. I just hope the Korean audience will enjoy the movie with an open mind,” director Song told

March 6, 2024

Karina of aespa apologizes for surprising fans with dating news

Karina of aespa has apologized to her fans for surprising them with the news of her dating actor Lee Jae-wook. The artist posted a handwritten letter to her Instagram account Tuesday in which she explained that it took her some time to talk about dating the actor with the MY fandom as she wanted to be cautious about it. “I know how MYs who have supported me must be disappointed thinking back on the things we’ve said to one another. Because I understand your feelings, I feel even more

March 6, 2024

Le Sserafim makes career debut on Billboard’s Hot 100

K-pop girl group Le Sserafim made its career debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 with the title track of their new EP “Easy” landing at No. 99. The song, released on Feb. 19, debuted at No. 99 with 5.2 million official streams and 1,000 downloads sold in the US in its first full tracking week (Feb. 23-29), according to Luminate. This makes Le Sserafim the sixth K-pop girl group to reach the Hot 100 following Wonder Girls, Blackpink, Twice, NewJeans and Fifty Fifty. The hit single &ldq

March 6, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Riize to launch fan concert tour in May

Rookie band Riize will visit fans in nine regions around the world for the group's first fan concert tour, according to SM Entertainment on Tuesday. The Rising Day tour will kick off in Seoul in the first week of May with a two-day concert, and will bring the six bandmates to Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Taiwan capital Taipei, the Philippines capital Manila, Singapore, Bangkok and Indonesia capital Jakarta up until the end of August. More cities may be added later, according to the mana

March 5, 2024

Controversy surrounds ‘pro-Putin’ ballerina ahead of Seoul performances

Renowned Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova’s upcoming shows in Seoul have become embroiled in a pro-Putin controversy, with the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea expressing strong opposition to her performances here. The embassy issued a press release Monday, in which it deemed Zakharova’s performances in Seoul as “unacceptable.” The press release said: "Against the background of escalating hostilities, mass murders and destruction in Ukraine, showcasing the perfor

March 5, 2024

Cube Entertainment to launch first boy group in eight years

Cube Entertainment is launching a new boy group called Nowadays in the first half of this year. The launch was made official with the agency establishing social media channels for the upcoming boy group on Monday. Nowadays is the first boy group debuting from Cube Entertainment in eight years. Pentagon was its last boy group. Nowadays consists of five members whose details will be unveiled in the days leading up to their debut. Cube Entertainment dropped a clip of the group members roaming aroun

March 5, 2024

Female idols to return as soloists

Several female singers who have found success both as members of girl groups and as soloists are set to release new solo albums this month. Chungha will return with her new album, "Eenie Meenie," on March 11. It will be her first new album since the release of her second studio album, "Bare&Rare Pt. 1," in July 2022. The new album will include two tracks: The title track, "Eenie Meenie," and "I'm Ready." Hong Joong, the leader of the boy group At

March 5, 2024

NCT Dream to return with new EP, ‘Dream()Scape,’ this month

NCT Dream is set to unveil its first release of the year, “Dream()Scape,” on March 25. Led by the title track “Smoothie,” the new album will carry five side-B tracks: “icantfeelanything,” “Box,” “Carat Cake,” “Unknown” and “Breathing.” Through the EP, NCT Dream hopes to relate with young people and overcome shared difficulties together, according to a statement by SM Entertainment. NCT Dream released a teaser ima

March 5, 2024

Legendary K-dramas to return to TV amid exodus of viewers to streaming services

A slew of legendary Korean dramas are set to return to the screen as broadcasters attempt to increase viewership ratings by attracting middle-aged and older audiences, while younger viewers increasingly turn to streaming services for content consumption. "Chief Detective 1958" will air its first episode on April 19, according to MBC. The new series is a prequel to MBC's 880-episode hit crime detective series "Chief Inspector," which aired from 1971 to 1989. Starring acto

March 5, 2024