V of BTS tops solo album sales in Korea

V's "Layover" is the bestselling solo album in South Korea. Hanteo Chart, one of the biggest music sales trackers here, on Friday announced the BTS member's solo record tallied sales of 2,101,974 copies as of Thursday, marking the highest first-week album sales by a K-pop solo album and the 10th highest among all Korean albums. This is the first time that any solo artist's album has racked up over 2 million in sales in its first week. The latest feat extends the singer&#

Sept. 15, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Sleep” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 6 Mystery/Thriller Directed by Jason Yu A pregnant Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) discovers that her husband, Hyun-soo (Lee Sun-kyun), has started exhibiting strange behaviors while asleep. Overcome with anxiety that he may be a danger to the family, Soo-jin goes to great lengths to protect them and their baby. “A Haunting in Venice” (US) Opened Sept. 13 Mystery/Crime Directed by Kenneth Branagh Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot returns to his peace

Sept. 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Mamamoo’s Wheein to return next month: report

    Wheein of Mamamoo will return as a solo act, according to a local media report on Thursday. She is set to bring out a new album on Oct. 12, about 21 months since her second solo EP “Whee.” The six-track mini album topped iTunes top albums charts in 18 regions and she came in first place in a TV music chart show for the first time on her own with “Make Me Happy,” the main track from the EP. The songstress debuted as a member of Mamamoo in 2014 and has re

Sept. 14, 2023

From words to 'pansori' and music : Artistic performances inspired by literature performed at SIWF

Literary works served as an inspiration for various forms of three-dimensional readings, folk songs and "pansori" during the festival. The beauty of literature is that literary worlds can be expanded and reinterpreted into different forms, inspiring artists working in various genres. Two days of evening performances on Sept. 9 and 10 included a pansori performance, a music concert and a reading performance inspired by the works of writers who participated in this year’s SIWF. On

Sept. 14, 2023

The changing face of K-pop: foreign artists introduce their own K-pop music

K-pop groups composed entirely of non-Koreans created by Korean labels are expanding the K-pop spectrum. XG, a K-pop girl group consisting only of Japanese nationals formed by a Korean label XGALX, and Horizon, a K-pop boy group made up of Philippine members by MLD Entertainment, are successful examples of foreign artists garnering popularity in Korea and abroad through K-pop music. XG is a seven-member group that debuted in Korea in March last year with the single “Tippy Toes.” The

Sept. 14, 2023

Film festivals oppose budget cut, raise concerns over inclusiveness

Fifty local film festivals, including the big three of the Busan International Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and Jeonju International Film Festival, have joined forces to protest a cut in the budget for programs that support the local film industry. In a statement Wednesday, a group tentatively called the Film Festival Network strongly criticized the government's decision to remove funding earmarked for local film production and distribution, along with a sign

Sept. 14, 2023

Stray Kids to hit Gocheok Sky Dome in October

Boy band Stray Kids is headed to Gocheok Sky Dome, one of the nation's biggest and most coveted concert venues to perform in. The band's agency JYP Entertainment on Thursday announced Stray Kids will hold a two-day concert at Gocheok Sky Dome Oct. 21-22. It has taken Stray Kids five years to make it to performing at Gocheok Sky Dome, where many top singers from Korea and overseas have performed. The gig, titled "Stray Kids 5-Star Dome Tour 2023 Seoul Special Unveil 13," comes

Sept. 14, 2023

'Putin doesn't own Russian music'

Oksana Lyniv, a Ukrainian conductor who is set to debut in Korea later this week, said, "If Rachmaninoff were alive, he would have opposed the war and Putin." "Putin doesn't own Russian music and it is the cultural heritage of the entire world," Lyniv, 45, told reporters during a press conference held at Seoul Arts Center on Tuesday, when asked about a movement to exclude Russian music amid the ongoing war between her motherland of Ukraine and Russia. She shared the ho

Sept. 13, 2023

Grand Mint Festival to kick off on Oct. 20 with 43 acts

The Grand Mint Festival 2023 announced 13 more musicians and bands for its lineup on Wednesday, including Jung Joon-il, The Classic, Young K, Yudabin Band and Hynn, completing the line up of 43 acts. The annual indie music festival will take place from Oct. 20-22 with a variety of performers, ranging from K-pop singers and ballad singers to acoustic bands and modern rock bands. The event organizer Mint Paper announced a total of 30 performers and teams last month, including Nell, Thorn Apple, N.

Sept. 13, 2023

[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