BTS renews exclusive contract with Big Hit Music

All members of the K-pop sensation BTS have decided to renew their exclusive contract with Big Hit Music, according to a press release on Wednesday. This means that all members will continue making new music as a full unit after they each complete their mandatory military duties. “Our board of directors reached a conclusion over the renewal of the exclusive contract with the seven members of BTS,” Hybe said in the press release. This is the group’s second contract renewal with

Sept. 21, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa logs 1b Spotify streams with ‘Money’

    Lisa of Blackpink garnered 1 billion plays with solo song “Money,” according to the music platform on Wednesday. It is the first song from a K-pop female musician to achieve the feat. “Money,” the B-side track from her first solo album “Lalisa,” is the most streamed song from a K-pop solo artist on the platform, as is the album for a K-pop solo album. The performance video for “Money” surpassed 900 million views on YouTube as of

Sept. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Behind the scenes of Jongmyo Jeryeak with singers who breathe life into royal ceremony

Just as a conductor raises the baton in a Western classical orchestra, the “jipbak,” or the person playing the “bak” -- a wooden clapper used in Korean court and ritual music -- signals the beginning of the performance. Then the “chuk,’ a green box-drum that also signals the start of a royal ceremony, is struck nine times. Dressed in navy blue uniforms, the dancers in formation move gracefully and deliberately, with precise movements. As the musicians start to

Sept. 20, 2023

[Herald Review] Gang Dong-won in ‘Dr. Cheon’ gives viewers a welcome sense of deja vu

Actors often say they strive to show a different side of themselves in their latest films. But actor Gang Dong-won’s performance as Dr. Cheon in “Dr. Cheon and the Lost Talisman,” seems very familiar, as if he intended to act like he has done in the past. His comical swordsmanship and his impactful role as Dr. Cheon is reminiscent of his characters in “Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard” (2009) and “Kundo: Age of Rampant” (2014). His cunning wit is also sim

Sept. 20, 2023

Seventeen to drop 'Seventeenth Heaven' on Oct. 23

Boy band Seventeen is set for a grand finale to a busy year with its 11th EP "Seventeenth Heaven," its agency announced Wednesday. Pledis Entertainment said the group's next release would be "Seventeenth Heaven" on Oct. 23. The agency unveiled a poster that showed a red festival wristband with Seventeen's name and the new album title written around it. "Seventeenth Heaven" will be the group's first release since its record-setting album "FML"

Sept. 20, 2023

BTS' V debuts on Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 51

BTS’ V continues to thrive with his first solo album “Layover.” “Slow Dancing,” the title track of V’s album “Layover,” landed at No. 51 on Billboard’s Hot 100 dated Sept. 23. This is V’s third debut on the respective chart after his single “Christmas Tree,” an original soundtrack of the Korean drama series “Our Beloved Summer,” landed at No. 79, and “Love Me Again,” one of the tracks from a previous

Sept. 20, 2023

Evnne aims for the bull's-eye with debut album 'Target: ME'

Jellyfish Entertainment’s new boy group made its grand debut on Tuesday with its first mini album “Target: ME.” Evnne consists of seven members who took part in Mnet’s idol survival program “Boys Planet” but failed to make it into the final debut team. Their experience in the competitive show has nurtured them into skilled K-pop artists capable of singing and rapping live while dancing, as shown with their performance of the fast-tempo debut title track &ldquo

Sept. 20, 2023

Netflix Korea to bring Western flavor with ‘Song of the Bandits’

Global streamer Netflix is scheduled to present a Korean interpretation of popular Westerns with its upcoming period action drama “Song of the Bandits.” With about 70 percent of land covered by mountainous regions, not many Korean films and dramas are in the Western genre, which are typically set in dusty towns and desert-like wilderness. “The series will present a new style of Korean period drama. ‘Song of the Bandits’ adds Asia’s cultural and historical el

Sept. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singer-songwriter Yuju on 'Dalala,' liberation and staying true to herself

A member of once-famed girl group GFriend, singer-songwriter Yuju says one of her most liberating moments is when she strolls down the bustling streets of Gangnam, going unnoticed by anyone. With a cap over her head and mask covering the face, Yuju says she often goes on such night strolls in the glitzy neighborhood to get closer to the people and feel the energy. It was on one of those nights that her new song, "Dalala," was born, the singer recalled during an interview with local med

Sept. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Filmmaker Kang Je-gyu waited 3 years for ‘Road to Boston’ to open in cinemas

Director Kang Je-gyu's "Road to Boston" depicts the obstacle-laden path for Korean marathoners to participate in the 1947 Boston Marathon, but the film's journey to the screen was just as arduous. The film wrapped up shooting in January 2020, but Kang had to wait three years and eight months to see the film open in theaters. “It was hard, to be honest,” Kang told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Sept. 12. “Back then, I was expecting the film to b

Sept. 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] Song Kang-ho on why he doesn't do international projects

A household name in South Korea, actor Song Kang-ho returns to the screen in director Kim Jee-woon’s ensemble comedy “Cobweb,” marking their fifth project together. With “Cobweb,” Song visited Cannes for the eighth time. He said he joined "Cobweb" with a desire to wow the audience through the concept of "this is exactly what a movie is." “What intrigued me about ‘Cobweb’ was that it was not a typical genre film. The movie is abo

Sept. 19, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids gear up for return: report

Stray Kids are set to make a comeback in November, according to a local media report on Tuesday. Label JYP Entertainment acknowledged that the band is preparing an album but added that the date is yet to be determined. Its last album was third studio album “Five-Star," which was rolled out in June and notched the top spot on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the main albums chart for 13 weeks in a row. The LP rewrote the K-pop sales record for its first week, selling over 4.61 million

Sept. 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] R&B musician Sole is proud of how far she has come

For singer-songwriter Sole, the last year has been a transformative period, opening up new challenges that she wouldn't have taken on before. One big challenge was creating her album, "A Love Supreme," which consists of remakes of original songs by other artists. The album was released Monday. A self-made musician who built her career up from the bottom, Sole has always tried to keep moving forward since her debut in 2017. Last year, just when she felt she had achieved stability i

Sept. 19, 2023

TvN's ‘My Lovely Liar’ sweeps international viewing charts

Despite its muted performance in Korea, "My Lovely Liar" has swept viewing charts overseas. Cable channel tvN's latest fantasy, romantic comedy series has topped multiple video streamers’ charts for TV series in more than 140 countries, according to the broadcaster, which is run by entertainment giant CJ ENM. The 16-part series soared to the No. 1 slot on Rakuten Viki’s viewership chart for two consecutive weeks after its premiere on July 31 in more than 130 countri

Sept. 19, 2023

Sunmi to release new album next month

K-pop diva Sunmi is returning with a new album next month. She recently finished shooting the music video for her upcoming album, according to Abyss Company on Tuesday. This comeback comes a year and four months after the singer released her digital single “Heart Burn” in June of last year. All of Sunmi’s previous releases -- such as “Gashina,” “Heroine,” “Noir,” “LALALAY,” “Pporappippam,” and “Tail” -- hav

Sept. 19, 2023

DSP Media to debut new girl group Young Posse next month

DSP Media is launching a new girl group called Young Posse on Oct. 18. The agency dropped a teaser clip for the group’s debut on its social media accounts on Tuesday. In it, a frog is drinking a soda in front of a diner and five girls appear on skateboards. The new girl group consists of five members and the name of the group derives from the Latin verb “posse,” which means "to be able." Young Posse is expected to introduce music and performances that break K-pop norm

Sept. 19, 2023

Munich Philharmonic to offer seven all-Beethoven concerts with top Korean musicians

The Munich Philharmonic, a renowned German orchestra founded in 1893, will make a Korea-only tour in late November to take the stage seven times, featuring Korea’s most-sought after musicians. During their tour, which will be conducted by Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun, they will perform all-Beethoven programs in Daegu, Daejeon, Gyeonggi Province’s Gwangju and Seoul from Nov. 24 to Dec. 1. The orchestra will take the stage with pianist Lim Yun-chan four times, performing Beethoven&r

Sept. 18, 2023

Lee Hyori heats up Hyundai Card's Da Vinci Motel fest with solo performance

Hyundai Card's Da Vinci Motel culture fest on Sunday kicked into high gear with pop diva Lee Hyori gracing the stage. Lee was the final performer of the three-day music and culture event hosted by Korea's No. 1 card company at its cultural complex located in Itaewon of Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Celebrating the singer's long-awaited return to the stage, hundreds of fans gathered to Hyundai Card's Understage building, the part of the multipurpose culture spaces where music gigs took p

Sept. 18, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS' V hits Billboard 200 at No. 2 with 1st solo album

V of BTS debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 2 with his first solo album “Layover,” according to a preview of the chart published on Sunday in the US. It is the highest spot for a K-pop solo musician and ties with the records his bandmates Jimin and Suga set with their solo albums “Fate” in March and “D-Day” in April, respectively. V's EP “Layover” sold over 2.1 million copies in the first week, breaking the record for a solo artist in K-pop history.

Sept. 18, 2023

MODAFE explores artistic universe of modern dance

A festival of modern dance returns. The 2023 International Modern Dance Festival (MODAFE), the country’s longest-running festival for modern and contemporary dance, is gearing up to celebrate its 42nd anniversary this year. The festival runs from Wednesday to Oct. 15, at the National Theater of Korea’s Haeoreum Theater and ARKO Arts Theater in Seoul. Under the banner of MODAFE Universe, which alludes to the distinctive artistic views crafted by choreographers and dancers, this year&#

Sept. 18, 2023