[Rising Virtuosos] 'Nerd' pianist Kim Jun-hyung unveils artistic vision at Kumho

It was early morning when Munich-based pianist Kim Jun-hyung received a phone call from Kumho Art Hall at Yonsei University. Over the phone, the second-prize winner of the 2022 ARD International Music Competition’s piano category was invited to be Kumho Art Hall’s artist-in-residence for 2024. Kim, a night owl who goes to sleep at 4 or 5 in the morning, couldn’t fall back to sleep. As the artist-in-residence, he would be given a chance to design his own program for four concert

Jan. 23, 2024

[Herald Review] 'Wife': A look at 90 years of shifting notions of marriage

"I am no longer your wife." With these final words, Nora in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" leaves her home and husband, discarding from her identity as someone's wife and mother, while determined to be just herself. Nora hints at her journey to discover herself as the play concludes. And it is from this point, that the story of the play "Wife" unfolds. Written by British playwright Samuel Adamson, "Wife" draws inspiration from Ibsen's

Jan. 23, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Mamamoo’s Moonbyul to release 1st solo LP

     Moonbyul of Mamamoo is set to drop her first solo studio album on Feb. 20, announced agency RBW Entertainment on Tuesday. A motion logo for the LP “Starlit of Muse” accompanied the news, featuring a slew of symbols – from flowers to a turtle – that represent nine muses of music and art from Greek and Roman mythology. The songstress launched an official fan club as a solo act last week, over nine years since she debuted as a member of Mamamoo. She

Jan. 23, 2024

Korean TV programs show former couples together amid cultural shift

South Korean entertainment shows which invite past lovers on the program are gaining popularity. Following a shift in Korean culture towards more openly discussing past relationships, there is an increase in audience demand for shows to more directly fulfill innate desires, according to experts. Korean streaming service Tving said the reality dating show "Transit Love 3" ranked first among the platform's original titles in contributing to the rising number of paid subscribers on

Jan. 23, 2024

Hong Sang-soo’s 'A Traveler's Needs' invited to 74th Berlinale

South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo’s upcoming “A Traveler’s Needs,” the auteur director's 31st film, will compete in the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which is slated to take place Feb. 15-25. This marks the 63-year-old filmmaker’s fifth consecutive invitation to one of the world’s three largest film festivals. “A Traveler’s Needs” revolves around a woman from France who relies on makkeolli – Korean rice wine – f

Jan. 23, 2024

TWS hopes to spread positive energy through music, performances

TWS, the much-anticipated boy group from Pledis Entertainment, made its debut Monday with the release of its first EP, “Sparkling Blue.” TWS is the first K-pop boy group to debut in nine years under Pledis Entertainment, the agency that houses K-pop sensation Seventeen. “We’ve worked hard to accomplish this dream of debuting as a K-pop act. We will continue to do our best to shine even brighter,” said member Dohoon during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. &ldqu

Jan. 23, 2024

Director Hong Sang-soo's film to compete in upcoming Berlin Int'l Film Festival

South Korean director Hong Sang-soo's new film, "A Traveler's Needs," will compete in the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival next month, the event's website showed Monday. The film by Hong was among the 19 full-length titles announced on the website to compete in the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled to take place from Feb. 15-25. The 31st feature film by Hong stars French actress Isabelle Huppert, alongside Korean actors and actresses such as K

Jan. 22, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Baekhyun to tour Asia alone

Baekhyun of EXO is planning to visit 13 cities across Asia as a solo act starting March, announced agency INB100 on Monday. Tour “Lonsdaleite” is his first in-person solo concert since he debuted as a member of the veteran idol band 12 years ago. His first-ever solo concert, “Baekhyun: Light,” was held online in January 2021 due to COVID-19. The tour, named after a kind of diamond, will begin with a two-day concert in Seoul slated to be held on March 16-17 and will take

Jan. 22, 2024

Overseas artists to visit Korean fans

A number of overseas musicians are set to visit South Korea to entertain local fans this year. Canadian punk rock band Sum 41 will visit Korea in February, as part of the group's final world tour before disbanding. The five-member group formed in 1996, rising to global acclaim after the success of its first studio album, "All Killer No Filler," in 2001. The band continued to release several hits, including "Still Waiting," "Make No Difference" and "Undercl

Jan. 22, 2024

Korean dramas depicting countryside youth enjoy bump in popularity

The end of 2023 and start of 2024 have been flooded with South Korean dramas depicting the lives of youth who lead their lives in countryside, amid the increase in demand from the audience for stress relief, according to experts, Monday. "Welcome to Samdal-ri," a popular 16-part JTBC romantic comedy drama, which released its first episode on Dec. 2, 2023, wrapped up with its last episode on Sunday. The drama series narrates the story of Cho Sam-dal (played by Shin Hye-sun), who lived i

Jan. 22, 2024

Le Sserafim to return with 3rd EP, ‘Easy,’ next month

K-pop girl group Le Sserafim will release its third EP, “Easy,” on Feb. 19. Le Sserafim announced its comeback on the fan community platform Weverse on Monday. The upcoming album is about the anxiety and worries that exist behind the group’s confident appearance, according to Source Music. This is the first time that the group will sing about their insecurities, as all their past releases have been about being fearless. Le Sserafim’s return with a new album in Korea comes

Jan. 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] Evnne shows off vulnerabilities as 'rascals' in 'Un: SEEN’

Behind every stage beaming with blinding lights are hours spent in the dark, getting ready for that moment in the limelight. The road to debuting as a K-pop artist is likewise a difficult and exacting one. It is a journey that Evnne sings about in its second EP, “Un: SEEN,” released Monday. “We tried to talk about our hidden scars in this album. Such scars represent the difficult journey we’ve been through trying to debut as a K-pop act. As you know, our group consist

Jan. 22, 2024

[Herald Review] In ‘Nature of Forgetting,’ movements speak louder than words

In the vibrant season of youth, Tom dashes eagerly to catch up with his school crush, who rides ahead on her bicycle. Next moment, he finds himself in the lead, with her at his back, their heartbeats echoing the fluttering memories. Through an ordinary moment, the audience gets a glimpse of Tom’s most cherished memories. But the recollections are gradually slipping away as he grapples with dementia. Maybe it’s the fleeting nature of the memories that renders the beauty, or its poigna

Jan. 21, 2024

IU renames new single ‘Love Wins All’ in response to queerbaiting allegations

K-pop artist IU has changed the title of her upcoming single from “Love Wins” to “Love Wins All” after a backlash from sexual minorities and fans alleging queerbaiting. “We recognized that the original title of the single could blur the message of the song. We would like to respect and support everyone who loves and lives in various ways,” said Edam Entertainment, the agency representing IU, in a press release on Friday. The agency revealed on Thursday the IU&

Jan. 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Citizen of a Kind’ shows power of film based on true story

Director Park Young-ju’s upcoming commercial film debut, “Citizen of a Kind” is based on true events from 2016 in which Kim Seong-ja, a middle-aged laundry shop owner, helped lead to the arrest of a criminal organization boss after a gang member had asked her to rescue him in a phone call. The film revolves around Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who travels to Qingdao, China, to capture the boss of a criminal organization after she falls victim to a voice phishing scam. It was Son Jae-min

Jan. 21, 2024

Final NCT subunit, NCT Wish, to debut in February

NCT Wish, the last NCT subunit, will debut in February, SM Entertainment confirmed Thursday. The new team was created through the audition program “NCT Universe: Lastart,” organized by the entertainment agency to select new NCT members. The show aired from July to September 2023. The six-member group, consisting of Korean members Sion and Jaehee, and Japanese members Riku, Yushi, Ryo and Sakuya, will mainly perform in Korea and Japan. "Wish" in the subunit's name stand

Jan. 20, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Riize to drop Japanese-language version of ‘Love 119’

Riize will sing its recent hit “Love 119” in Japanese, according to label SM Entertainment on Friday. The Japanese-language version will be released online on Jan. 24. The dreamy song comparing one's first love to an emergency was originally dropped on Jan. 5 and topped the real-time Top 100 chart of LINE Music, the largest music chart in Japan. It also topped iTunes' top songs chart in nine regions, ranking among the top 10 in 16 regions. The single earned the rookie boy band its f

Jan. 19, 2024

Kakao Entertainment names new CEOs amid continued controversy

Kakao Entertainment said Friday it has designated the company's Chief Operating Officer Kweon Ki-su and Global Strategy Officer Joseph Chang as the company's co-chief executive officers, in a bid to push for reform amid public criticisms surrounding the company's alleged stock manipulations. According to Kakao Entertainment, before Kweon and Chang are officially appointed, which will take place after Kakao's board meetings and shareholders' meetings, the two co-CEO nomin

Jan. 19, 2024

[Herald Interview] Ra Mi-ran expresses story of self-esteem, personal growth in "Citizen of a Kind"

Ra Mi-ran, best known for her comic relief roles in a slew of hit Korean dramas such as "Reply 1988" (2015) and "Dr. Park's Clinic" (2022), said her new comedy film "Citizen of a Kind" tells story of the personal growth of an individual and what it means to maintain one's self-esteem through hardships. "Citizen of a Kind" is the story of an ordinary individual named Duk-hee, who falls victim to a voice phishing scam and travels to China to captur

Jan. 19, 2024

Super Junior to meet global fans on Asia tour

Legendary boy band Super Junior will hold an Asia tour. The group, celebrating 19 year since its debut, will hold an Asia concert tour titled "2024 Super Junior Super Show Spin-off: Halftime." The tour begins with a concert in Seoul in June, according to the band's agency SM Entertainment. After the Seoul concert, the group will visit Bangkok and Singapore in July, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Taipei, Taiwan in August, Hong Kong and Jakarta, Indonesia in September. Detailed informat

Jan. 19, 2024