NewJeans wins Group of the Year at 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards

NewJeans won Group of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards, becoming the first K-pop female act to take home such an honor. NewJeans is attending the ceremony to take place on March 6 at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles, according to the group's agency, Ador. Billboard Women In Music Awards is an annual event held by Billboard, established in 2007 to recognize women in the music industry who have made significant contributions to the business. Other honorees for this year&

Jan. 25, 2024

Babymonster to return as septet next month with new single

With Ahyeon back in the group, Babymonster is releasing its new single “Stuck In The Middle” on Feb. 1 YG Entertainment made the surprise announcement of the new release with a video on its official YouTube channel on Thursday. “Ahyeon has fully recovered and she is now back recording the singles for the group’s upcoming album. We wanted to drop this announcement that many of you have been waiting for as soon as possible,” YG founder and executive producer Yang Hyu

Jan. 25, 2024

How ‘Sing Again’ stays a hit brand in a sea of audition shows

A 27-year-old office worker Choi Ji-yeon recently bought a ticket for a concert of the Top 10 participants of the audition program “Sing Again 3.” Tickets for the concert sold out within 10 minutes of opening, showing the popularity of the program. “I have been a big fan of the program since its first season. In the recent season, I’m obsessed with the voice of So Soo-bin, the runner-up of the show,” said Choi. “Audition program is one of the most common theme

Jan. 25, 2024

‘Past Lives’ receives 2 nods at 2024 Academy Awards

Korean Canadian director and playwright Celine Song’s directorial debut “Past Lives” has been nominated in two categories -- best picture and original screenplay -- at this year’s Academy Awards slated to take place on March 10. At the 96th edition of the world’s top film festival, also known as the Oscars, eyes are on whether “Past Lives” could repeat the success of Lee Isaac Chung's heartwarming family drama “Minari," which was nominate

Jan. 24, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans ties Blackpink’s record on Billboard 200

NewJeans’ second EP ranked No. 197 on Billboard 200, extending its stay on the main albums chart to 26 weeks, said agency Ador on Wednesday. This ties the record streak Blackpink set with first full album “The Album,” and is bested only by BTS. The rookie group’s EP “Get Up” debuted atop Billboard 200 in August and “Super Shy,” one of the three focus tracks, enjoyed an eight-week stay on Billboard’s Hot 100, peaking at No. 48. The single is

Jan. 24, 2024

[Herald Interview] After dream come true in 'Les Miserables,' Lumina begins real journey

On Tuesday evening, the 112th performance of the third run of the musical “Les Miserables” took place at Blue Square in Seoul. During the intermission, a couple in seats in the 10th row discussed whether Eponine was biracial, while two other women in the same row, seemingly in their 50s, praised her singing. Eponine is a character from Victor Hugo's 1862 novel "Les Miserables." Despite being the daughter of the unscrupulous Thenardiers, she assists her friend Marius, w

Jan. 24, 2024

Inspire Arena aims for paradigm shift in live concert experience

YEONGJONGDO, Incheon -- Inspire Arena, the first multipurpose arena in South Korea created and managed by Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort, aims to offer a whole new experience for concerts, festivals and sporting events. That begins with visitors buying tickets indoors and waiting in the lobby that can accommodate up to 6,000 for the event to start. Making the wait less tedious is the lobby's kinetic chandelier, or Rotunda. Three main gates at the arena help divert traffic and the aren

Jan. 24, 2024

Lee Min-ho, Ahn Hyo-seop to lead movie adaptation of ‘Omniscient Reader’

Actors Lee Min-ho and Ahn Hyo-seop have been cast as lead actors in the movie adaptation of “Omniscient Reader,” a popular web novel that has garnered 200 million views since 2018. “Omniscient Reader” follows the story of Kim Dok-Ja (Ahn), whose world turns upside down when the novel he’s reading comes to life. In the new world, Kim is the only one who knows the story’s ending, which is why he must do everything in his power to change the course of the outco

Jan. 24, 2024

[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