TXT to drop 3rd LP 'The Name Chapter: Freefall' on Oct. 13

Boy band Tomorrow X Together, also known as TXT, is returning with a new studio album in October. The band's agency Big Hit Music on Wednesday announced that the quintet will drop its third full-length album "The Name Chapter: Freefall" on Oct. 13. This will mark the team's return to the music scene in nine months since it released its fifth EP "The Name Chapter: Temptation" in January. TXT, which has been telling a dynamic growth story from boyhood to maturity thro

Aug. 30, 2023

28th Busan Film Festival unveils selection for Asian auteur, rookie directors

The 28th Busan International Film Festival announced the list of films selected for its New Currents and Jiseok competition sections, which will showcase the works of Asia’s rookie and auteur directors. The New Current competition section focuses on showing up-and-coming Asian filmmakers’ works, reserved for those making their first or second feature films. Ten works are nominated, including two from Japan, two from Korea, two from Bangladesh and one each from China, Thailand, Malays

Aug. 30, 2023

Gumiho becomes new symbol of beauty in Korean drama series

The “gumiho,” a shape-shifting nine-tailed fox, has solidified its position as a character that symbolizes captivating beauty, replacing one of the best-known royal concubines of the Joseon era, Jang Ok-jung , more widely known as Jang Hui-bin. Born to a middle-class family, Jang worked as a lady attendant in the palace and eventually became a consort of King Sukjong, the 19th king of Joseon. The tales of Jang, with a love triangle between the king and Queen Inhyeon, the palace intri

Aug. 30, 2023

More than just stans: what sets Korean fandom culture apart

As K-pop’s global reach continues to expand, so has attention on K-pop fan culture. It's common for fans around the world to devote their time and resources to their favorite celebrities, but Korean fans’ expression of their love stands out for the way in which it is more organized and systematic, and often based around communities. “On the way home” One fan phenomenon is named after the Korean expression that literally means “the way home after work,” a

Aug. 30, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Twice’ Jihyo hits Billboard 200 at No. 14 with solo EP

Jihyo of Twice entered Billboard 200 at No. 14 with her first solo EP “Zone,” the publication tweeted Monday. It is the second highest spot for a solo female K-pop musician, after only bandmate Nayeon who notched No. 7 spot last year. Separately, Twice will go live at four more stadiums across the world, expand its ongoing international tour to 42 concerts in 25 cities in total, according to label JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. The management firm announced the additional destination

Aug. 29, 2023

Hybe x Geffen begins girl group project 'Dream Academy,' unveils 20 finalists

Hybe, the company behind the global K-pop phenomenon BTS, has embarked on its blockbuster girl group project, "The Debut: Dream Academy." Marking the start of the new project, Hybe and its partner on the journey, Geffen Records, held a press conference on Monday at IGA Studios in Santa Monica, California. Hybe founder and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and Interscope Geffen A&M Records CEO and Chairman John Janick spoke at the event and addressed the initiative and plans for the project. Al

Aug. 29, 2023

'Revenant' a ghost story about lost generation

SBS' "Revenant," an occult thriller series crafted by star screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, ended with an 11.2 percent viewership rating last month. The positive response for a terrestrial broadcaster whose ratings have plummeted in recent years is thought to be a result of the use of folklore to shed light on today's social issues. "Revenant" takes familiar characters from folklore and puts them in a modern setting, dealing with day-to-day life problems. While the story r

Aug. 29, 2023

FT Island to release new album next month

FT Island is returning to the music scene next month with a new album. The band’s last release was its eighth EP, “Lock Up,” in December 2021. The band unveiled a teaser clip of its upcoming ninth EP on social media on Monday. The teaser clip for the album scheduled for release on Sep. 7 shows the band performing in a living room. It also casts a spotlight on the performance of the three members of the band -- lead vocalist Lee Hong-gi, bassist Lee Jae-jin and drummer Choi Min

Aug. 29, 2023

Hwasa to return solo next month

Hwasa is set to release a new solo album next month with a concept that will highlight another aspect of herself as a singer. P Nation unveiled a teaser image for Hwasa’s upcoming album on social media Tuesday, showing Hwasa surrounded by pink balloons in the shape of various letters of the alphabet. This solo comeback scheduled for Sept. 6 comes two years after Hwasa’s single “Guilty Pleasure.” The upcoming album is also Hwasa’s first release under the new agency,

Aug. 29, 2023

Nodeul Island to turn into outdoor stage for 'Swan Lake' and 'The Barber of Seville'

Every Saturday and Sunday night from Oct. 14 to 22, a small island at the center of the Han River will be turned into a stage for spellbinding ballet and opera performances. Under the theme of “Timeless Classic,” the second edition of Hangang Nodeul Island Festival by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will present one ballet and one opera, bringing together Korea’s top performers. After presenting “The Magic Flute” at the inaugural festival last year, this y

Aug. 29, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kang Full says popularity of ‘Moving’ still feels unreal

While the superhero action series “Moving” has made history by becoming the most watched Korean original series on Disney+ and Hulu, topping TV series charts in various countries, including Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian nations, screenwriter Kang Full confessed that the series' success doesn't yet feel real. Instead of relishing in the show's positive reviews, Kang said he spends more time worrying about viewers' reactions after new episodes ar

Aug. 29, 2023

[Herald Review] Sleepwalking husband turns idyllic newlyweds’ lives into horror in ‘Sleep’

In director Jason Yu’s “Sleep,” newlywed Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) finds out her husband Hyun-soo (Lee Sun-kyun) suffers from a very bad sleeping habit. Soo-jin’s loving husband becomes a completely different person at night. On top of sleepwalking, he scratches his face until it bleeds or opens the refrigerator and munches on raw meat, fish and uncooked eggs. To protect their newborn baby, Soo-jin is willing to do even crazier things to confront her fear. The 94-minute film i

Aug. 29, 2023

‘Cobweb,’ an ensemble comedy about obsessive filmmaker, picky actors in 1970s

“Cobweb,” director Kim Jee-woon’s first feature film in 13 years, brings to the big screen an unprecedented ensemble comedy portraying a delusional filmmaker and picky, unsupportive actors set in the 1970s, the director told reporters Tuesday. Starring veteran actor Song Kang-ho, “Cobweb” revolves around the struggles of film director Kim Yeol (Song) when the industry languished due to government censorship in 1970s. Obsessed by a delusion that his work -- also titl

Aug. 29, 2023

Wonju city sues production company over title of horror film ‘Chiaksan’

The city government of Wonju in Gangwon Province said Monday that it would file a lawsuit to stop the release of “Chiaksan,” a horror film that is slated to open Sept. 16. Wonju city said it would ask the court to ban the film from being released and further sue for any damages that the film might cause the city and its residents. Directed by Kim Seon-woong and starring Yoon Kyun-sang, “Chiaksan” is set in 1980 and follows a ghost story in which pieces of a dismembered bo

Aug. 29, 2023

Court denies Fifty Fifty's injunction request to suspend contract with agency

A Seoul court rejected Monday an injunction request by K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty to suspend the effectiveness of its contract with its agency. The Seoul Central District Court denied the request the group filed on June 19, claiming the company, Attrakt, failed to fulfill its contractual obligations, such as providing financial documents and caring for their health. The court attempted to mediate a settlement between the two sides on Aug. 9 but failed. Earlier Monday, the group's legal re

Aug. 28, 2023

Two global streamers to release shows for Chuseok

Global streamers Netflix and Disney+ will each release a new action series in time for the upcoming Korean Thanksgiving holiday, known as Chuseok, which runs from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. Netflix recently confirmed that its period action drama, “Song of the Bandits,” will premiere on Sept. 22, a week before the Chuseok holidays. Set during the Japanese colonial period in 1920, the series revolves around a group of bandits, who are fighting to survive in the lawless Gando region during tur

Aug. 28, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 to return in October with 5th LP

NCT127 will return on Oct. 6 with a fifth full-length album, according to SM Entertainment on Sunday. The nine-piece subunit shared the news that it is bringing out a new album at the full-group concert on Saturday. “It will be of a huge scale,” said Taeyong after unveiling a teaser clip to the audience, and the LP “will be the epitome of NCT127,” added Jungwoo. The upcoming LP is titled “Fact Check,” and comes about nine months since “Ay-Yo,” a r

Aug. 28, 2023

Seoul International Dance Festival explores death and aging through movement

The 26th Seoul International Dance Festival (SIDance), organized by the Seoul Section of the International Dance Council CID-UNESCO, is set to kick off this Friday. A total of 23 dance troupes (196 dancers) from nine countries including Korea will showcase 26 works across Seoul until Sept. 17. As the curtains rise, the theme that will also carry over into the next year is “death and aging,” aiming to explore the profound dynamics of mortality and the human life cycle through the medi

Aug. 28, 2023

Twice’s Jihyo becomes half-million seller with 1st EP ‘Zone’

Twice’s Jihyo became a half-million seller with her solo debut album “Zone” in just a week since its release on Aug. 18. As of last Thursday, a total of 534,565 copies of the EP “Zone” were sold, according to local album sales tracker Hanteo Chart on Monday. This makes "Zone" the highest-selling mini album by a K-pop female soloist in the first week of its release. Her album and its title track “Killin’ Me Good” is currently thriving on t

Aug. 28, 2023

Kara’s Hur Youngji to debut solo with single ‘Toi Toi Toi’ next month

Second-generation K-pop girl group Kara’s youngest member, Hur Youngji, is making her debut as a solo artist with a single album next month. The artist announced her solo debut with a teaser poster of her upcoming single album, “Toi Toi Toi,” on social media, according to DSP Media on Monday. The title of her first single album, "Toi Toi Toi," which drops on Sept. 12, comes from the expression used in the performing arts industry, derived from German, to wish an artis

Aug. 28, 2023