'Single’s Inferno Season 3' returns with no-holds-barred romance

Netflix Korea's popular dating reality show "Single's Inferno" has returned with its third season, with a brand new group of young, attractive singles and a plot that moves faster than ever. “Single’s Inferno,” the first season of which debuted in December 2021, has garnered worldwide attention, with the series becoming the first Korean reality show to be listed on Netflix's global top 10 chart. Building on this success, Netflix extended the series wi

Dec. 4, 2023

Seoul Art Center highlights next-generation musicians

The Seoul Arts Center’s Inchoon Art Hall will host the last installment of a special series that highlights the rising classic musicians this month. Launched in May, the "Seoul Arts Center Inchoon Art Hall Special – The Next" series showcases talented young musicians. Throughout this year, a total of seven young musicians have been featured. The last part of the series will present pianist Park Jin-hyung, violist Yun So-hui and pianist Chon Sae-yoon, all of whom won sever

Dec. 4, 2023

P1Harmony expands reach in US with iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour

P1Harmony has expanded its presence in the US, performing in front of some 30,000 people during the annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, performing in front of some 30,000 local fans. The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, a holiday concert presented by Capital One, featuring the year’s top artists performing their No. 1 hits, kicked off Nov. 26 in Tampa, Florida. The multicity tour's lineup is one of the most anticipated, particularly of the Christmas holiday season. It stops at 11 cities

Dec. 4, 2023

Itzy to drop new album, go on second world tour

JYP Entertainment’s girl group Itzy is set to release a new album, "Born to Be," on Jan. 8. The agency announced the five-member group's comeback scheduled for next year, including the album promotion schedule and the album tracklist, on its official social media accounts, Monday. The upcoming release is a 10-track studio album led by the title track, “Untouchable.” The lead track was produced by renowned K-pop lyricists and producers Lee Seuran, Jam Factory and

Dec. 4, 2023

49th Seoul Independent Film Festival to screen indie Korean animations

The 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival, the only independent film festival in South Korea that features a competitive showcase, will for the first time screen independent Korean animation films from the 1980s and 1990s in local theaters. This year's Independent Film Archive Exhibition, being held alongside the film festival, will feature six indie Korean animations from the 1980s and '90s created using the cel animation method. Cel animation involves the manual creation of two-dimens

Dec. 3, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“12.12: The Day” (South Korea) Opened Nov. 22 Drama/Action Directed by Kim Seong-su The film covers nine hours on Dec. 12, 1979 during a coup attempt by Gen. Chun Doo-gwang (Hwang Jung-min), an officer in the new military. Another commander, Lee Tae-shin (Jung Woo-sung), tries to stop the secret plan. “Five Nights at Freddy'” (US) Opened Nov. 15 Horror/Mystery Directed by Emma Tammi Mike starts working as a security guard at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. Spending

Dec. 2, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS member Jungkook’s ‘Golden’ 4th most-streamed on Spotify this year

The solo single from Jungkook of BTS was the fourth most-streamed song this year on Spotify, according to the platform’s year-end roundup announced Wednesday. His “Seven (feat. Latto)” ranked No. 4 on Spotify’s Top 10 Songs Globally, after “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Kill Bill” by SZA and “As It Was” by Harry Styles. The single was No. 1 on its Global Top K-Pop Songs of the Year list. He earned a Guinness World Record with the single fo

Dec. 1, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘Our Season’ Kim Hae-sook wants to play mothers of all kinds

Veteran actor Kim Hae-sook, mostly known for her mother role in hit projects “My Brother” (2004), “Sunflower” (2006) and “Mom” (2010), stars once again as a mother in “Our Season.” Kim plays Bok-ja, a deceased woman who has come to visit her daughter Jin-joo (Shin Min-a) in the world of the living as part of her “vacation from heaven” led by a guide (Kang Ki-young). While Bok-ja can see her daughter from a close distance, Jin-joo cannot

Dec. 1, 2023

Ateez closes 1st chapter of career with 'The World Ep. Fin: Will’

K-pop boy group Ateez dropped its second full-length album “The World Ep. Fin: Will” on Friday. “It took us four years to release our second studio album. This album wraps up our five years as Ateez and previews what is to come in the following years. Also, we included some unit and solo singles in this album for the first time ever,” said the group’s leader Hong Joong during a press conference in Seoul. The new album carries a total of 12 tracks led by the title tr

Dec. 1, 2023

Lee Jung-jae donates W50m to support senior actors

Actor Lee Jung-jae has donated 50 million won ($38,000) to the Korean Senior Filmmaker Association to support members of the local film industry, according to Shin Young Kyun Arts and Culture Foundation. The donation included the 20 million won the actor received in prize money for the film artist award at the 13th Beautiful Artist Award organized by the Shin Young Kyun foundation in October. “Whenever I hear of senior members inthe industry who devoted their youth to film but are living a

Dec. 1, 2023

BM of Kard to return solo with single ‘Lowkey’ this month

BM from the co-ed quartet Kard is set to make a solo comeback this month for the first time in more than a year. According to RBW, BM is releasing his third single, “Lowkey,” on Dec. 7. This is his first solo comeback after releasing his second single, “Strangers,” in August 2022. BM has been expanding his career spectrum as a solo artist by releasing various singles he composed and wrote the lyrics to. The artist announced his comeback by releasing a teaser poster on his

Dec. 1, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Zerobaseone to debut in Japan in March

     Zerobaseone will officially debut in Japan in March, according to WakeOne Entertainment on Thursday. The band will debut in the country under a contract with Sony Music Label and will host a fan meet event, its first in Japan, in the same month. The rookie team of nine already has a huge following there, though. Its first-ever fan concert held in Seoul in August was broadcast live across the country in cinemas. Both its two albums -- “Youth In The Shade” and

Nov. 30, 2023

'Sweet Home 2' returns with new characters, sophisticated monsters

Netflix's monster horror franchise "Sweet Home" is back with new characters and more sophisticated visual effects. "Sweet Home 2" is directed by Lee Eung-bok, who helmed the series' first season three years ago and a slew of other megahits such as "Descendants of the Sun" (2016), "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" (2016) and "Mr. Sunshine" (2018). The first season of "Sweet Home" followed people living in Green Home, a dilap

Nov. 30, 2023

ASEAN filmmakers' works to be screened in Busan

Works by filmmakers from Korea and Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries will be screened at the Korea Foundation ASEAN Culture House in Busan in December. Films to be screened include the works of directors who participated in the Film Leaders Incubator, a film-making training program organized by the Busan Film Commission and funded by the ASEAN-ROK Cooperation Fund. Also known as FLY, the program accepts aspiring filmmakers from ASEAN member countries and South Korea, and pr

Nov. 30, 2023

Minho of SHINee to hold first solo fan concert in January

Minho of SHINee will begin the new year with his first solo fan concert, dubbed the "2024 Best Choi's Minho Fan-Con Multi-Chase," which is set to take place at Jangchung Arena in Seoul on Jan. 6-7. Minho also kicked 2023 with an event for his fans. From January to March, he traveled to Manila, the Philippines; Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong and Yokohama, Japan, for fan meets. The first solo fan concert scheduled next year is expected to be filled with performances and songs that show M

Nov. 30, 2023

NewJeans, Seventeen, BTS win top honors at 2023 MAMA Awards

NewJeans, the fourth-generation K-pop girl group, notched Artist of the Year on Wednesday, the last day of the two–day 2023 MAMA Awards. The MAMA Awards, the world’s biggest K-pop festival organized by CJ ENM, took place at the Tokyo Dome, Japan’s top concert venue, Nov. 28-29. Artist of the Year was one of the four top awards presented this year. Three other main awards were the Worldwide Icon of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. This is the first time in 12 ye

Nov. 30, 2023

Merger of Korean OTT platforms Tving and Wavve imminent: sources

Popular South Korean over-the-top streaming services Tving and Wavve are reportedly seeking a merger, according to the media reports on Wednesday. Currently, entertainment giant CJ ENM owns Tving, while conglomerate SK Square runs Wavve. The two OTT brands are seeking a merger to increase their share of the local OTT market, aiming to clinch the deal in December, according to a local media outlet, citing industry sources. According to the report, CJ ENM will become the largest shareholder of t

Nov. 29, 2023

National Orchestra of Korea's 'Winter Concert' to bring harmony of tradition, musicals

The National Orchestra of Korea, a traditional Korean music orchestra affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, is set to present "Winter Concert" at the Haneul Round Theater in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, on Dec. 16-17. This year-end performance has been a sold-out event for the National Orchestra of Korea every year since 2018. This year's program offers a diverse range of music that suits the end-of-year ambiance, including traditional Korean instrumental classics, movie soundt

Nov. 29, 2023

Remaining BTS members to begin military service next month

RM, Jimin, Jungkook and V of the K-pop sensation BTS are to join the Army next month to fulfill their mandatory military duty. This makes all seven members of the group serve their national defense obligation as Jin, the eldest of the group, began his service in December last year followed by J-Hope in April and Suga in September this year. Jin and J-Hope are currently serving as assistant instructors at a military recruit training center as part of their national service. Suga is fulfilling his

Nov. 29, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook joins forces with Usher for solo remix

    Jungkook of BTS will add Usher to his ever-growing star-studded list of collaborators. Big Hit Music announced Wednesday that the new remix for “Standing Next You,” which fronted Jungkook’s first solo album “Golden,” will feature the R＆B legend. The remix will be released Dec. 1. The original song remains on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 73 this week, down 23 rungs from last week. It debuted on the main singles chart at No. 5 two weeks before.

Nov. 29, 2023