S. Korea is ideal country for ticket scalping, says Record Label Industry Association of Korea

South Korean laws have limited scope in enforcing ticket scalping regulations, according to the Record Label Industry Association of Korea's Chairman Yoon Dong-hwan, who spoke in response to the association's recent report on ticket scalping laws in several foreign countries. The report, published Tuesday, compares the ticket scalping policies and laws of seven countries -- Japan, China, Taiwan, the US, Canada, France and Belgium. Ticket scalping in these countries is subject to fines

Jan. 30, 2024

IU to unveil 6th EP ‘The Winning’ next month

Singer-songwriter and actress IU will release her sixth mini album, “The Winning,” on Feb. 20, according to Edam Entertainment. The artist’s new album is the first in two years and two months after the release of her special extended play, “Pieces," in December 2021. The teaser clip of IU’s upcoming album uploaded to her official YouTube channel shows the artist with long bleached hair, wearing a red outfit. IU is seen spraying a red-colored spray at the camera

Jan. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Vanner ready for 'Jackpot'

South Korean boy band Vanner is contending for victory in the K-pop scene this year with a full transformation of their image from fresh youth to powerful and charismatic artists. “We want to show that Banner is a group that can handle sexy, powerful and charismatic themes through our second mini album, ‘Capture the Flag,’” said Taehwan of Vanner during a group interview in Seoul on Thursday. The quintet’s new album, scheduled to be released on Tuesday at 6 p.m., is

Jan. 30, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to go encore in Korea, Japan

Seventeen is adding more dates to its tour, announced agency Pledis Entertainment on Monday. The 13-member act will perform in Incheon on March 30-31 and in Osaka and Kanagawa, Japan on May 18-19 and May 25-26, respectively. All venues are stadiums, with Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa being the largest in the country and accommodating about 70,000 audience members. The band will be the second K-pop boy band to hold a concert there, after TVXQ. The bandmates have toured Asia since July last year, pe

Jan. 29, 2024

'SNL Korea' lawsuit sheds light on streaming shows' working conditions

The legal disputes surrounding the popular Korean entertainment show "SNL Korea" is shedding light on the poor working conditions experienced by staff working at production companies that supply content to streaming services, according to experts, Monday. South Korean production company Astory, which produces content for various streaming services, said on Thursday the company has filed a lawsuit claiming 7 billion won ($5.2 million) in damages for restraint of trade against CP Enter

Jan. 29, 2024

[Herald Review] Ateez kicks off world tour with dramatic performance

Boy band Ateez completed a two-day concert in Seoul, marking the beginning of the group’s second world tour, “Towards The Light: Will To Power," last weekend. From Saturday to Sunday, 15,000 fans gathered at Jamsil Indoor Stadium to support the eight-member group with enthusiastic cheers. The group’s second world tour follows the group’s 8th mini album, “The World Ep.1: Movement,” 9th mini album, “The World Ep.2: Outlaw,” and second full-lengt

Jan. 29, 2024

Jason Yu’s ‘Sleep’ wins top prize at Gerardmer Fantastic Film Festival

South Korean director Jason Yu’s mystery thriller “Sleep” won the top Grand Prix award at the 31st Gerardmer Fantastic Film Festival in Gerardmer, France. Yu’s win marks the first for a Korean film in 20 years, after Kim Jee-woon’s “A Tale of Two Sisters” won the prize in 2004. “Sleep,” which opened in domestic theaters in September last year, is Yu's feature-length directorial debut. The late actor Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Yu-mi star as ne

Jan. 29, 2024

Captain Rock leads 70 indie artists in biggest Kyungrockjeol ever

One of South Korea’s largest annual indie rock music festivals, Kyugrockjeol, on Tuesday kicks off 2024 Rock and Roll Paradise, in its largest iteration ever. Kyungrockjeol, considered one of the top three festivities in Seoul's indie enclave of Hongdae, along with Christmas Eve and Halloween, started in 2005 as a birthday party for Han Kyung-rok, the bassist of punk band Crying Nut. The event became one of the biggest festivals for South Korean indie musicians and took place at the l

Jan. 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Hyun-joo, Park Hee-soon explore paradoxical nature of family in 'The Bequeathed'

South Korean veteran actors Kim Hyun-joo and Park Hee-soon said, through their latest work "The Bequeathed," they wanted to ask their audience about the meaning of family. Netflix's six-part mystery thriller "The Bequeathed" tells the story of Yoon Seo-ha, who becomes mired in a series of ominous events including the murder of her husband, after inheriting a family grave site from her deceased uncle. The series explores the concept of family in depth, while incorporating

Jan. 28, 2024

[Herald Review] Senior actors prove age is just a number in sold-out 'Waiting for Godot'

The sepia-toned stage stands vacant except for a leafless tree and a solitary rock. The actors appear equally disheveled in their muted, grubby suits, sporting scruffy grey hair. And nothing dramatic unfolds. The two characters, Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), wait and wait for Godot, who never arrives. While one might ask where's the fun in watching someone simply waiting, waiting and waiting, the Korean production of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” which kicke

Jan. 28, 2024

Health issues halt (G)I-dle's comeback activities

Girl group (G)I-dle has suspended all activities ahead of the release of the group's second full-length album on Monday due to the health issues of two of its members. "Minnie and Yuqi visited the hospital the previous day due to fever and migraines. We decided to suspend all schedules of the two members and they will focus on getting enough rest and treatment following the medical team's instructions," Cube Entertainment, the group’s agency, said Saturday. The agency a

Jan. 28, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS logs 1.4b views with ‘Mic Drop’ remix video

The music video for BTS’ 2017 hit song “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” surpassed 1.4 billion views on YouTube on Friday, said label Big Hit Music. It is the band’s 14th music video to hit the milestone, following those of “Dynamite,” “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)” and “DNA.” “Mic Drop” is from its fifth EP “LOVE YOURSELF 承 ‘Her’” and DJ Steve Aoki spun it into an electro trap number which topped iTunes

Jan. 26, 2024

ARKO Selection’s February performances offer contemporary twist on classics

ARKO Selection will unveil its third set of productions in early February, offering two traditional performances, one musical, one dance performance and one music concert, which reinterpret classics and transcended traditions. Such works are among the 28 new repertoires funded by Arts Council Korea, an organization committed to fostering diverse arts and cultural activities in the country. The male "changgeuk" performance, "Salome," which is a reinterpretation of Oscar Wilde&

Jan. 26, 2024

VCHA debuts with single album ‘Girls of the Year'

JYP Entertainment’s new girl group VCHA debuted with the single album “Girls of the Year” Friday. VCHA is the first multinational girl group that JYP has launched in the US. The group consists of six members from Korea, the US, and Canada. They were chosen through JYP and the American music label Republic Record’s K-pop girl group production project “A2K” which aired on YouTube in July last year. The single album is led by the titular track “Girls of the

Jan. 26, 2024

Korea Film Archive recovers movies from 1960s, 70s

The Korean Film Archive said Friday that it recovered 16 Korean movies from the 1960s and 70s that were previously unavailable for viewing due to lost sound and deleted scenes. These movies are meaningful as they are from the Korean film industry’s so-called “first renaissance,” KOFA explained. “Recovering Korean films produced in the 1960s and 70s is a remarkable feat considering that it was when renowned filmmakers like Kim Ki-young and Shin Sang-ok actively produced mo

Jan. 26, 2024

Ten of NCT to debut solo next month

Ten of the K-pop boy group NCT is making his official solo debut in February. According to SM Entertainment, Ten will release his first solo mini album "Ten" on Feb. 13. He is the second member from NCT to debut solo, following Taeyong who released "Shalala" last year. The EP carries a total of six tracks, all sung in English. Ten, a Thai member of the multi-national idol group, made his debut as part of NCT U in 2016. He has also participated as a member of different boy g

Jan. 26, 2024

K-pop stars use NFT, fan reward systems to fight ticket scalping

With ticket scalping plaguing the local music scene, South Korean singers are adopting various methods to prevent fans from having to pay extortionate sums for concert tickets. Singer Jang Beom-jun recently announced that the ticket sales for his concert next month will be using the blockchain system, with the tickets being sold as non-fungible tokens that cannot be sold to anyone but the initial buyer. Jang had sold out the concert scheduled for this month, but cancelled all reservations due to

Jan. 26, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Wish” (US) Opened Jan. 3 Animation Directed by Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn Seventeen-year-old Asha interviews for an apprentice job to King Magnifico in the Kingdom of Rosas on the day of her grandfather Sabino's 100th birthday. The interview goes well until Magnifico declines Asha's request for Sabino's wish to be granted, seeing the wish as a potential threat to his power. “Alienoid Part 2” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 10 Action Directed by Choi Dong

Jan. 26, 2024

[Herald Review] ‘Wonka’ is sweetest take on a childhood dream

Timothee Chalamet piles on the charm in “Wonka” to provide a mesmerizing back story of one of Roald Dahl's most famous characters. Throughout the 116-minute runtime, it’s hard to take your eyes away from the fantasy-like journey Wonka (Chalamet) takes to open a chocolate shop and become the world-renowned chocolatier, a promise that he made his mother. The movie begins with Wonka pompously stepping into a town in Europe with 12 sovereign coins in his pocket and an old hat.

Jan. 25, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT’s Taeyong to drop 2nd solo album next month

Taeyong of NCT is gearing up to return again as a solo musician, according to SM Entertainment on Thursday. He will bring out his second solo album on Feb. 26, approximately eight months since his first EP, “Shalala.” He was the first of the boy band to drop a solo album -- seven years after the group's debut. The previous EP topped iTunes top albums chart in 31 regions, as did the title track on top songs charts for 14 regions. The musician participated in writing the words and mel

Jan. 25, 2024