[Herald Interview] Lee Jin-ah sings of emotions of city life with 'Hearts of the City'

While big cities bustle with energy and ambition during the day, at night, behind all the glitz and buzz, a tinge of uncertainty lingers. The city is where the singer-songwriter Lee Jin-ah explored the depths of her imagination over the past five years, delving into the different feelings a city harbors as its inhabitants try to endure and live their lives. Lee's new album, "Hearts of the City," taps straight into the hearts of the people. Through her new album, an extensive packa

Sept. 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ V sweeps Oricon chart with solo music

V of BTS placed his first solo album “Layover” atop the Oricon weekly digital album chart published Wednesday. The six-track EP was rolled out last week, with “Slow Dancing” from the album also topping Oricon's daily digital single ranking. The EP sold over 1.67 million copies on the day of release, breaking the first-week sales record for a K-pop release in a single day. This dethrones bandmate Jimin’s solo album “Face,” which shifted 1.45 million copi

Sept. 13, 2023

Rookie boy band Pow counts down to debut with single 'Favorite'

Pow, a new multinational boy band, is setting forth on its journey with "Favorite." The quintet dropped the single, which comes ahead of the band's upcoming official debut set for Oct. 11. Set to debut under novice local label Grid, the quintet on Wednesday marked the start of its start with pre-debut single "Favorite." Members Jungbin, Yorch, Hong, Dongyeon and Hyunbin held a press conference in Seoul, introducing themselves to the world. "We're excited and ne

Sept. 13, 2023

Stray Kids win for best K-pop, TXT wins for best 'Push' performance at VMAs

Stray Kids took home the award for best K-pop at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards for its latest single “S-Class," on Tuesday. “We’ve been making music ever since the start of our career, but to receive this award just really means a lot to us,” said Bang Chan of Stray Kids on the stage to receive the award at the event in Newark, New Jersey. “We want to thank our fans for being so supportive. We have so much to show you guys so please look forward to us in the

Sept. 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] Directors say ‘Free Chol Soo Lee’ asks us all to self-reflect

In 1974, Chol Soo Lee, a 21-year-old immigrant from Korea to the US, was sentenced to life in prison, wrongfully convicted for a gang murder in San Francisco’s Chinatown. “Free Chol Soo Lee,” journalist Julie Ha and Eugene Yi’s first documentary film, explores the complicated, “messy” life of Chol Soo who spends 10 years fighting for his life inside California’s prisons. Through unprecedented social justice advocacy by the Asian American community, Cho

Sept. 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'A Time Called You' star not fazed by success of original

While remakes can bring a fresh perspective to classic TV shows, new interpretations of projects are often met with ruthless criticism by fans loyal to the original work. The pressure that comes with working on such a project can cause a lot of stress for actors and directors, who want to take care to respect the original work while also creating something new and exciting. Actor Jeon Yeo-been, 34, however, was unfazed by the popularity of the original series and seized the opportunity to star i

Sept. 13, 2023

V unveils melancholic black-and-white 'Blue' music video

V of BTS on Wednesday released the music video for "Blue," a track from his first solo album “Layover.” This marks the fourth music video of a song on the new album. The music video was filmed in black-and-white to portray a profound melancholic mood throughout the clip, according to Big Hit Music. At the beginning of the music video, V appears talking on the phone with a worried face while driving. He then wanders around desperately looking for someone. “Blue”

Sept. 13, 2023

KBS board dismisses CEO Kim Eui-chul

The board of directors at South Korea's public broadcaster KBS passed a motion Tuesday to dismiss CEO Kim Eui-chul with the end of his term still more than a year away. Six out of 11 board members, who are considered aligning with the ruling bloc, voted for Kim's dismissal during a meeting at the company headquarters in Seoul, according to sources familiar with the matter. The five others, who stand with the opposition bloc, abstained from the vote in protest. President Yoon Suk Yeol a

Sept. 12, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen adds 3 cities to Asia tour

    Seventeen expanded its Asia tour, adding three more cities to the itinerary, announced agency Pledis Entertainment Tuesday. It will visit Bangkok, Thailand on Dec. 23, Bulacan, the Philippines on Jan. 13, 2024 and Macao Jan. 20-21, expanding the tour -- “‘Follow’ to Asia” -- to nine cities and 18 concerts. The 13 members kicked off the tour in Seoul on July 21 and went live at Tokyo Dome last week drawing about 100,000 audience members in two days. Seun

Sept. 12, 2023

New artistic director sets ambitious vision for KNCDC as Asia's contemoporary dance hub

Korea National Contemporary Dance Company's new director and artistic director Kim Sung-yong's ambition is to transform the dance company into a central contemporary dance hub in Asia. "I've been looking for an opportunity to create synergy by bringing together dancers from Asia. I think it’s fitting for the KNCDC, Asia's only national organization, to take on this role," Kim said speaking at a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center, on Monday. Kim off

Sept. 12, 2023

Han River sets the stage for crimes, heroic rescues in 'Han River Police'

Veteran actors Kwon Sang-woo and Kim Hee-won, and rising stars Bae Da-bin and Shin Hyeon-seung band together against Gi-seok (played by Lee Sang-yi), a malicious villain, in “Han River Police,” a new action comedy series premiering on Disney+ on Wednesday. The six-part series tells the stories of police officers who seek to ensure peace at the Han River, the main river which runs through the city. Director Kim Sang-cheol, who makes his streaming service debut with “Han River Po

Sept. 12, 2023

Kara's Hur Young-ji cheers 'Toi Toi Toi' on her new solo journey

Hur Young-ji of Kara launched her solo career on Tuesday with single "Toi Toi Toi." Hur's solo debut comes nine years after she started her singing career as a member of popular girl group Kara in 2014. "Toi Toi Toi," a German expression wishing luck to performing artists, was suggested by her sister, Hur said. "It's like 'fighting!' (in Korean). My sister recommended it after hearing all three songs and it sounded like a perfect match. With the singl

Sept. 12, 2023

'Any emotion you may feel is the right one'

o Concerto No. 3 in the final round, released an album dedicated to the Russian composer on Tuesday. Sunwoo’s second album, titled “Rachmaninoff. A Reflection,” is meant to commemorate Rachmaninoff, who was born 150 years ago, and also to reflect on the 34-year-old pianist himself. “'Reflection' has various meanings. It can reflect me, and also signifies that I will examine myself through the album,” Sunwoo told reporters during a press conference held a

Sept. 12, 2023

Independence fighters' parenting saga comes alive in musical

During the Japanese occupation, a man and a woman find love and give birth to a child while in exile in China, anticipating the day when their homeland might regain its sovereignty. Like any other parents, they raise their child, evolving and learning from their experiences. This story is the real life story of Yang Woo-jo (1897-1964) and Choi Seon-hwa (1911-2003). Yang worked for the Korean Provisional Government, a government-in-exile based in China. Raising their first daughter, whom they n

Sept. 12, 2023

Tomorrow X Together to perform with Brazilian pop artist Anitta at 2023 MTV VMAs

K-pop boy group Tomorrow X Together will perform its new single, “Back for More,” with the Brazilian pop artist Anitta at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards this Wednesday. “Back for More” is one of the singles in the group’s upcoming third LP, “The Name Chapter: Freefall,” which is scheduled to drop on Oct. 13. The single will be performed for the first time on stage at the award ceremony. “We think performing at an award ceremony in which many music

Sept. 12, 2023

Twice embarks on first Europe tour

K-pop girl group Twice has set off on a tour in Europe for the first time since its debut. Their first stop in Europe was London for a two-day concert last week, which was part of its fifth world tour, “Ready to Be.” The next concert was held in Paris on Monday. The set list for this year’s world tour includes mega-hit singles such as “Set Me Free,” which landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, “Alcohol-Free,” “Talk that Talk,” and English song

Sept. 12, 2023

Kim Jee-woon, Song Kang-ho’s ‘Cobweb’ to open in 187 countries

“Cobweb,” directed by Kim Jee-woon and starring actor Song Kang-ho, will open in 187 countries, according to the film’s distributor Barunson EA. Together, the two have made numerous box office hits like “The Foul King” (2000), “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (2008) and “The Age of Shadows” (2016). An ensemble comedy portraying a delusional filmmaker and picky, unsupportive actors in the 1970s, "Cobweb" is director Kim’s first f

Sept. 12, 2023

Jeonju Film Fest presents cinema packages with guided tour of Hanok Village

The Jeonju International Film Festival is offering a cinema package program it's calling “Jeonju Tour With a Movie,” featuring a guided tour of the much loved Jeonju Hanok Village in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The package is part of the “Jeonju Cinetour With Falling in Jeonju,” an event that rescreens a selection of films from the Jeonju IFF that took place in the spring. "Jeonju Tour With a Movie" will screen three films from the festival for 15,000 wo

Sept. 12, 2023

[Herald Review] 'It's 2PM' a throwback to boy band's golden era

Ear-splitting screams burst out the instant the iconic opening beats of "Again and Again" raised the curtains on boy band 2PM's concert in Seoul on Sunday. Blue laser beams flashed to the beat of the song that turned into a heart-pounding medley of the band's greatest hits. Even those who are not fervent fans of 2PM would recognize every part of the medley, as it thread through songs that had reigned the local music charts in the late 2000s to early 2010s. Sunday's gig a

Sept. 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 to host showcase for 5th LP

  NCT127 will hold a showcase on Oct. 6 to introduce its fifth studio album “Fact Check,” announced label SM Entertainment on Monday. The showcase, dubbed “A Night of Festival,” will be held in Seoul on the day of release and will be broadcast live across the world through its YouTube channel. The band will perform the lead single of the same title for the first time and share episodes from putting together the album as well as its plans to promote the album. The nin

Sept. 11, 2023