Four days of jazz festivities take over Jara Island

GAPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- South Korea’s biggest jazz festival completed its four-day run on Monday with a total of 42 acts from around the world. The Jarasum International Jazz Festival, which started in 2004, takes place in October every year on Jara Island, a river island in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province -- some 40 minutes from Seoul by the ITX Cheongchun High Speed Train. This year, more than 30,000 music lovers attended the paid areas of the festival, the event organizer said. The 2

Oct. 9, 2023

N.SSign to resume album promotion without Doha

K-pop boy group n.SSign will continue promoting its debut album one member short, with Doha on a break due to health issues, according to n.CH Entertainment on Monday. “Doha has been having health issues and he is currently taking a break for a medical diagnosis of his symptoms," said the agency in a press release. "As we prioritize our artist’s health and stability, we have decided along with other members of n.SSign that it is for the best for Doha to halt group activitie

Oct. 9, 2023

Jungkook of BTS to hold fan showcase on Nov. 20

Global pop star Jungkook will hold a fan showcase, “Jungkook Golden Live On Stage,” at Jangchung Municipal Stadium in Seoul on Nov. 20, according to Big Hit Music. Jungkook will perform the tracks of his upcoming solo album, “Golden,” for fans at the event. The event was prepared at the request of Jungkook, as he wanted to perform for his fans and also wished to communicate closely with them. The artist is also expected to share some behind-the-scenes stories of bringing

Oct. 9, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Lee Min-hwi on bringing big questions into music

Singer-songwriter Lee Min-hwi's serene acoustic music and soft melodies disguise a cynical edge. "Your tongue and ears were never yours" she says on her first album "Borrowed Tongue." Lee's lyrics -- delivered in a whispering tone, sometimes like reciting poetry -- are the part of songwriting she finds most time-consuming. "Once I sat down to work on my music, many questions pop up in my head, and usually they lead to one question," Lee told The Korea He

Oct. 9, 2023

[Herald Review] Ive gives a sneak peek of new album, kicks off first world tour with Seoul gigs

The first concerts of Ive's "Show What I Have" world tour in Seoul on Saturday and Sunday were more than just the group's first-ever live music gigs since its debut in December 2021. The shows represented a dream-come-true moment and the realization of the band's biggest goal, which the members set for themselves less than two years ago when they set foot in the music scene. "It's been a dream to hold a concert. I said during our debut showcase that we wanted t

Oct. 9, 2023

Disney+’s ‘Moving’ sweeps BIFF’s Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards

The 28th Busan International Film Festival held its new awards festival, the Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards, at Busan Cinema Center on Sunday, with Disney+ drama "Moving" the biggest winner on the night. The Asia Contents Awards, established in 2019, has been renamed to the Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards this year, to reflect the global trend toward streaming. At this year’s edition, five new awards have been added, including the Best Creative award. D

Oct. 8, 2023

Ive kicks off first world tour, 'Show What I Have'

Ive launched its first world tour, "Show What I Have," in Seoul on Saturday. The two-day event, held over the weekend at the Jamsil Arena, comes a few days ahead of the group's comeback, set for Friday. On Sunday, the six-piece girl group held a press conference at the concert venue a few hours ahead of its gig that evening. "It was our dream to hold a concert. I said during our debut showcase (in 2021) that we want to hold a world tour, and I'm delighted that my dream a

Oct. 8, 2023

KCON Saudi Arabia 2023 attracts 23,000 K-pop fans

KCON, the world’s largest Korean culture and music celebration, attracted 23,000 people in Saudi Arabia on Friday and Saturday, according to organizer CJ ENM on Sunday. Around 3.5 million more from around 171 countries enjoyed a live stream of the concert. Under the theme “Be A KCONer,” KCON offered diverse Korean cultural content such as talk shows with K-pop artists and K-pop performances. Many Korean brands from the food and beverage, cosmetic and lifestyle sectors opened up

Oct. 8, 2023

Youn Yuh-jung, Han Hyo-joo share behind-the-scene stories at BIFF

South Korean veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung and prolific actor Han Hyo-joo went over their latest acting career feats with the audience in Busan during the 28th Busan International Film Festival’s flagship special talk session Actors' House. Launched in 2021 as an intimate, in-depth talk show, Actors' House has become a place where actors go over their filmography, reveal behind-the-scene stories and their new plans and projects. Youn shared what it meant for her to receive the pres

Oct. 8, 2023

BIFF expands award categories beyond Asian content to global titles

The Busan International Film Festival has traditionally focused on Asian content, but this year's edition newly added awards for global streaming titles to expand its reach to a broader market. Launched in 2019, the Asia Contents Awards has celebrated outstanding TV shows, streaming content and online platform content from around Asia. This year, the annual awards were renamed the Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards to recognize global content, reflecting the changing industry tren

Oct. 8, 2023

[New on the Scene] Kim Seong-sik makes directorial debut after 10 years as assistant director

Director Kim Seong-sik’s “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman,” which has been top of the box office since the extended Chuseok holiday that started Sept. 28, comes after he spent 10 years as an assistant director. In the first week of opening, the film attracted over 1.5 million moviegoers. Originally an animator who wished to become like renowned Japanese animation filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, Kim decided to change course after watching director Bong Joon-ho’s “Memories

Oct. 7, 2023

SPAF kicks off with boundary-breaking performances

The Seoul Performing Arts Festival, celebrating its 23rd year, kicks off Friday and runs until Oct. 29 in various venues across Seoul, including the National Theater of Korea, the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, the ARKO & Daehakro Arts Theater and Yohangza Theater. Nineteen Korean and international productions are set to deliver messages that transcend the boundaries of art and technology, as well as those between nations and regions. "We will introduce works that challenge conven

Oct. 6, 2023

'We overcame together': NCT127 returns on more solid ground

NCT127 seems to have safely survived K-pop's notorious "seven-year curse," although not things didn't go as smoothly as expected. "Reaching our seventh anniversary, it's been a tough year for all of us. Different thoughts and concerns have crossed our minds and we faced many temptations. We even felt lost at times," Taeyong, the group's leader, said during the band's press conference in Seoul on Friday. "It hit me then that NCT127 exists because

Oct. 6, 2023

Korean American actors, directors say 'Koreanness’ made them think more deeply about cinema

BUSAN -- Korean American actors and filmmakers including John Cho, Steven Yeun, Justin Chon and Lee Isaac Chung gathered Friday in the port city of Busan, South Korea, as part of the Busan International Film Festival’s newly established section, “Korea Diasporic Cinema,” which showcases critically acclaimed works by or featuring Korean Americans. The programmer of Asia’s largest film festival said that the festival organizers wanted to delve deeply into Korean Americans&r

Oct. 6, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] ZeroBaseOne to return next month with EP No. 2

Rookie boy band ZeroBaseOne will bring out its second EP on Nov. 6, announced agency WakeOne Entertainment on Friday. The agency uploaded a poster for EP “Melting Point” that showed the nine members as well as the snow field that was featured in the teaser video that was dropped along with its performance at KCON LA 2023 in August. They also appeared in a video clip uploaded the same day, opening up a door onto a snowy field while the melody of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star&rd

Oct. 6, 2023

Stray Kids to release new album 'Rock-Star' on Nov. 10

K-pop's powerhouse band Stray Kids are set to return with a new album next month, JYP Entertainment said Friday. The eight-piece boy group will drop its new album, "樂-Star (Rock-Star)," on Nov. 10, the band's agency announced Friday. The agency also released a prologue video on the group's official social media platforms. "樂," pronounced "rock" in Korean, is a Chinese letter that could mean both joy and music. The new album will mark the group's

Oct. 6, 2023

S. Korean breakdancers eye gold at Asian Games

South Korean breakdance competitors are eyeing the top stop for the Asian Games' first-ever breakdancing competitions, the preliminary round of which kicked off Friday. Two male and two female dancers Kim Heon-woo, Kim Hong-yul, Jeon Ji-ye and Kwon Seong-hui will represent Korea at the dance battle at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. They are stars in the breakdancing world, better known by their stage names -- Wing, Hong 10, Freshbella and Starry, respectively. Two golds are up for

Oct. 6, 2023

TvN’s ‘Unexpected Business’ to return with season 3

Cable channel tvN's reality show "Unexpected Business" is scheduled to return on a bigger scale with shooting overseas for its third season. The upcoming reality show revolves around the two beloved Korean actors, Cha Tae-hyun and Zo In-sung, as supermarket owners, meeting up and talking with the customers. Unlike in the previous seasons, in which Cha and Zo took over stores in remote areas in South Korea, “Unexpected Business 3" was shot in the seaside town of Monterey

Oct. 6, 2023

Netflix to release ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ in November

Global streaming service Netflix has announced the release of “Daily Dose of Sunshine," a heartwarming new drama, in early November. Adapted from a 2017 webtoon series of the same title by author Lee Ra-ha, the show presents the story of a young nurse named Jung Da-eun, who is moved from an internal medicine department to a psychiatric clinic. Based on the author’s real-life experiences, the series shows how Da-eun adapts to the new job, unfamiliar patients and work environment

Oct. 6, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“30 Days” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 3 Comedy Directed by Nam Dae-joong Jung-yeol (Kang Ha-neul), an intelligent lawyer, and his wife Nara (Jung So-min), a passionate film producer, see their idyllic newlywed life eventually drive nerdy Jung-yeol and quick-tempered Nara apart. “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 27 Fantasy/Mystery Directed by Kim Seong-sik Fraudulent exorcist Dr. Cheon (Gang Dong-won) meets a new client, You-kyung (Lee Som), who

Oct. 6, 2023