Actor Lee Jae-wook vows legal action against malicious rumors

Actor Lee Jae-wook, who recently confirmed rumors that he is in a romantic relationship with Karina of aespa, warned Thursday that he would take strong legal action against groundless rumors circulating online. Lee's agency CJes Studios said via a public statement that it was notified of "ill-intended, insulting online posts, which contain false claims and defame Lee." "It is a severe infringement of human rights, and our company will file criminal and civic charges against (

Feb. 29, 2024

'Burnt Offering III' takes top prize at Seoul Arts Awards

The dance performance “Burnt Offering III” by the 99 Art Company has won the top prize at the Second Seoul Arts Awards. The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture presented the award, which was accompanied by a prize of 20 million won ($1,498), during the award ceremony at the National Theater of Korea’s Haneul Round Theater on Wednesday. Choreographed by Jang Hye-rim, the artistic director of the 99 Art Company, "Burnt Offering III" draws inspiration from the movement

Feb. 29, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim’s 3rd EP becomes million-seller

Le Sserafim sold more than 1 million copies of its third EP, according to a local tally on Wednesday. The EP “Easy” is the group’s third million-selling album, following its second EP “Antifragile” and first studio album “Unforgiven.” The new mini album logged close to 990,000 in first-week sales, failing to surpass that of the first LP, but topped Oricon’s daily and weekly album rankings as well as the iTunes Top Albums chart in 18 regions. The

Feb. 28, 2024

Actor Sung Hoon makes stage debut in comedy 'Art'

When Marc visits the home of his friend Serge, he is taken aback by a recent acquisition -- a large and very expensive "blank" painting with a few fine white lines etched onto a white canvas. This peculiar artwork becomes a source of concern for three longtime friends -- Serge, Marc and Yvan. Their friendship is strained by their differing opinions on art, leading to heated bickering, estrangement and then reconciliation. The comedy play, titled "Art," filled with delightful

Feb. 28, 2024

Rush of male singers' concerts, fan meetings marks spring

This spring will see a rush of male singers, both members of groups and solo artists, holding concerts and fan meetings. Singer-actor Hwang Min-hyun, who is also a member of the boy band NU'EST and Wanna One, will hold three days of fan meetings March 8-10 at the Shinhan Card Artium in COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hwang will perform his new single, to be released in March, at the fan meeting, Pledis Entertainment, Hwang's agency, said. Daesung of Big Bang will hold his first-ever solo fa

Feb. 28, 2024

'Parasyte: The Grey' to hit Netflix in April

"Parasyte: The Grey," helmed by South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, who directed hit Korean Netflix original horror series "Hellbound" and "The Bequeathed," will stream on Netflix starting April 5, the streaming giant announced Wednesday. "Parasyte: The Grey" is set in the world of the hit Japanese manga series "Parasyte," which sold over 25 million copies globally. The manga series follows the story of a high school student named Shinichi Izum

Feb. 28, 2024

Seventeen’s ‘FML’ wins IFPI Global Album Award for 2023

K-pop boy group Seventeen’s 10th EP “FML” was named the winner of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Global Album Award for being the biggest-selling album worldwide last year. This is the first IFPI Global Charts Award for Seventeen. A nonprofit organization based in London that represents the global recording industry, IFPI presents the award to the artist whose album finishes at No. 1 on the IFPI Global Album Chart. The chart calculates an album’

Feb. 28, 2024

‘A Dance of Spring’ brings leading contemporary dance choreographers to National Jeongdong Theater

Leading contemporary dance choreographers are set to captivate audiences in a dance series at the National Jeongdong Theater in Korea in April. The series entitled "A Dance of Spring" will showcase the creative brilliance of Ahn Eun-me, Ahn Ae-soon and Ahn Sung-soo on April 3, 5 and 7, respectively. “A Dance of Spring” is a sequel to last year’s "A Midsummer Night's Dance," which featured works by choreographers in the traditional dance genre. The serie

Feb. 28, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Karina of aespa is dating actor Lee Jae-wook: report

Karina of aespa and actor Lee Jae-wook are confirmed as dating, according to Lee's agency CJeS Studios on Tuesday. The announcement follows a local media report that said the two have been dating since they both attended the fashion show in Milan for Prada’s fall/winter collection in January. It was love at first sight, the article said, citing an anonymous source. Karina's label SM Entertainment is yet to comment on the news report. Karina, as part of the quartet, will start t

Feb. 27, 2024

Germany probes Berlin film festival in anti-Semitism row

BERLIN - German officials will investigate how Berlin film festival winners made "one-sided" comments condemning Israel's war in Gaza at the awards gala, a government spokeswoman said on Monday. At Saturday's ceremony, several winners were accused of making anti-Semitic remarks on stage in relation to Israel's military assault, which began after an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas. US filmmaker Ben Russell, wearing a Palestinian scarf, accused Israel of com

Feb. 27, 2024

[Indie spirit] Singer-songwriter Ahn Ye-eun creates new identity with genre-defying music

Singer-songwriter Ahn Ye-eun is a genre unto herself. Boldly using Korean myth and unusual motifs to create music, she is a musician who enriches the Korean music scene, captivating audiences with her unique blend of tradition and modernity. "It is hard to decide which genre to register with whenever I release a song. Now I have come to think of that as my strength – doing music that cannot be determined by traditional genre definitions," said Ahn. With the strong color of her mu

Feb. 27, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Go-eun aimed to perfect portrayal of Korean shamans in 'Exhuma'

South Korean actor Kim Go-eun said she aimed to perfect her performance of a Korean traditional shaman in "Exhuma," an occult flick directed by Jang Jae-hyun. Jang popularized the occult genre in Korea with hit occult mystery movies such as "The Priest" and "Svaha: The Sixth Finger." "Exhuma" unfolds as a group of exorcists, an undertaker and a feng shui specialist relocate a tomb. In the movie, Kim plays the role of Hwa-rim, a young shaman who is assign

Feb. 27, 2024

Jungkook, Gaeko, Yoon Mi-rae take part in J-Hope’s upcoming album

J-Hope, the main dancer of BTS, has collaborated with Gaeko of the hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo, and legendary hip-hop and R&B singer Yoon Mi-rae for his upcoming street dance-inspired special album. The there worked together on “Neuron,” from the album “Hope on the Street Vol. 1,” according to Big Hit Music. The album will be released March 29. The title of the track, “Neuron,” refers to the scientific team and the dance crew J-Hope belonged to before joining

Feb. 27, 2024

Karina of aespa and actor Lee Jae-wook confirmed to be dating

Karina of aespa and actor Lee Jae-wook are confirmed to be in a relationship. SM Entertainment, which houses aespa told The Korea Herald on Tuesday that “the two are getting to know each other.” Lee Jae-wook’s agency CJes Studios also confirmed the relationship, saying, “The two are getting to know each other. As the actor is currently filming a drama and the matter involves his privacy, so please respect (the couple's) privacy.” Earlier on Tuesday, a local rep

Feb. 27, 2024

BIFF struggles to fill director post

The Busan International Film Festival is once again accepting applications for the post of festival director after failing to fill the position, which has been vacant since last year. According to the organizing committee of Asia’s largest film festival, there were no qualified candidates who suited the generational change that the committee seeks. A total of seven people submitted applications in the most recent round which ended Feb. 13. “Although many candidates with expertise and

Feb. 27, 2024

Song Joong-ki says ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’ was emotional, fresh work for him

Actor Song Joong-ki, who appears as North Korean defector Loh Ki-wan in the new Netflix film “My Name is Loh Kiwan,” said playing Loh was an emotionally overwhelming, fresh work for him. “I read the script for the first time six or seven years ago. I didn’t know anything about the story, but the first thing that came to my mind after completing reading was that this was a heartbreaking story, but at the same time, something that I could try for the first time with a fresh

Feb. 27, 2024

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company kicks off season with 'Jungle'

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company will kick off the 2024 season with a new production entitled “Jungle,” choreographed by Kim Sung-yong, the company's director and artistic director. “Jungle” is set to be staged April 11-14 at the Seoul Arts Center’s CJ Towol Theater. Kim officially took his position on May 11, 2023, for a three-year term. In October, Kim’s “Jungle -- Sense and Response” premiered as the opening piece at the Intern

Feb. 26, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] EXO to host fan meet in April

EXO is planning to greet fans in person at a meetup on April 14 at Incheon's Inspire Arena, announced label SM Entertainment on Monday. Fan meet “One” will let fans gather with the band for the first time in about a year. All members except Kai and Sehoon, who are serving their military duty, will be present. The veteran idol band put out its seventh studio album “Exist” in July last year, its first full-group effort in almost five years. The LP sold over 1.56 mill

Feb. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] Choi Min-sik brings to fore charisma of shamanistic practitioners in 'Exhuma'

A veteran actor with 35 years of experience in films and TV, Choi Min-sik sought to bring to the screen the charisma of Korean practitioners of shamanistic beliefs such as geomancers, to push people to think about how our perceptions of land impact society, in "Exhuma," his first occult film. Directed by the master of K-occult, Jang Jae-hyun, "Exhuma" follows the story of a feng-shui expert, an undertaker and two shaman exorcists who try to find a new resting place for a dece

Feb. 26, 2024

[Herald Review] Taeyong shines as soloist at his first stand-alone concert

Taeyong, the leader of NCT 127, proved his ability as a solo artist through his first solo concert, "TY Track," held at Olympic Hall, Songpa-gu, Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. After debuting as a member of NCT 127 in 2016, Taeyong released his first mini album "Shalala" in June last year, marking the start of his career as a soloist. Taeyong appeared on the stage with a large T-shaped structure – T is his initial. About 3,000 audience members cheered enthusiastically as

Feb. 26, 2024