[Herald Interview] Kim Nam-gil says working with director Jung Woo-sung ‘not an easy choice’

Actor Kim Nam-gil, who stars in actor Jung Woo-sung’s directorial debut film, “A Man of Reason,” said working with Jung was not “an easy choice,” despite his close friendship with one of the country’s top actors. "To be honest, I had decided to avoid doing projects with actors-turned-directors because they know acting too well and there is no way for me to escape. Jung knows about acting very well and has accumulated expertise in working with actors. That

Aug. 18, 2023

Jihyo of Twice kicks off solo career

Jihyo of Twice made her solo debut on Friday with EP "Zone," venturing on a new journey nine years since her debut. The 26-year-old is the second member of the girl group to debut solo, following Nayeon who released the album "Im Nayeon" in June 2022. Jihyo held a press conference in Seoul on Friday, a few hours before "Zone" came out at 1 p.m. that day. According to Jihyo, she began working on the album last year. "When the company told me that I'd be mak

Aug. 18, 2023

SAC Summer Music Festival set to present variety while establishing prominence

Seoul Arts Center’s annual Summer Music Festival is back with more diversity as it returns to its original goal of becoming a leading international summer music festival, organizers said Thursday. For this year’s festival, SAC will present a diverse array of genres, ranging from baroque to contemporary composers to jazz. The lineup will feature musicians with both domestic and overseas backgrounds, encompassing both emerging artists and seasoned performers. This includes South Korean

Aug. 17, 2023

TripleS launches 3rd subunit LOVElution, debut album

TripleS introduced a new subunit, LOVElution, on Thursday. LOVElution consists of eight members from the 24-member K-pop girl group tripleS that debuted earlier this year — Seoyeon, Hyerin, Yubin, Kaede, Dahyun, Nien, Sohyun and Xinyu. “We are so excited for this debut. It has always been my dream to debut in Korea. I sometimes face language and cultural barriers working in Korea but my members are always there to help me out. We will do our best to show the best of us through this a

Aug. 17, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Yojaya Yojaya,' Ahn Eun-me's ode to 'modern girls'

A group of 12 dancers dressed in white jeogori, or the upper piece of a hanbok, paired with black skirts move tirelessly through the practice room. The sound of gunshots can be heard as dancers mimic shooting using long plastic pipes. When the music quiets down, the dancers cast off their jeogori and put on vibrant red, yellow, green and blue skirts. Through a sequence of choreographed movements, they eventually discard the skirts as well, tossing them high into the air. The dancers then move gr

Aug. 17, 2023

'Street Woman Fighter' goes global with second season

Two years after Mnet's "Street Woman Fighter" shook the nation, the dance survival show is back with a global lineup. The original series was a megahit, leading to a relay of similar dance survival programs -- including its own spinoff of "Street Man Fighter" and "Street Dance Girls Fighter." The TV channel is set to launch the second season of its dance survival show on Tuesday, with eight top-tier female dance crews from in and out of the country -- 1Million,

Aug. 17, 2023

Netflix Korea to make first animation film ‘Lost in Starlight’

Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung have been confirmed as voice actors for Netflix’s new animation film, “Lost in Starlight.” “Lost in Starlight” will be Netflix’s first Korean animation project and will center on the unique love story of long-distance lovers -- Nan-young (Kim), an astronaut, and Jay (Hong), a musician. Nan-young's dream is to land on Mars to find traces of her mother, who failed to return to Earth after a research mission on the planet. While rep

Aug. 17, 2023

Autistic character joins EBS children’s show in a first for Korea

Educational Broadcasting System recently announced that its “Ding Dong Dang Kindergarten” will welcome its first autistic character in its upcoming episode, marking the first time a local children’s show will feature a character with autistic spectrum disorder. The new character “Byeori” will make her debut on the Friday episode of the show, aired every weekday at 8 a.m. The show describes the child character as perceiving sound, smell and color more strongly than o

Aug. 17, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lucy aims to expand reach with pop-rock music

The band Lucy never grows tired of being experimental when it comes to their music. Even their debut in 2019 was sensational as they blended violin sounds with pop rock. “There was a lot of trial and error in the beginning. We had to come up with a way to harmonize the sound of a guitar and a violin. These two instruments have similar sounds but are difficult to mix up. After various attempts, we figured out that the order of tuning the sounds of these instruments is the key. We started to

Aug. 17, 2023

StayC blows out in summer festivity with iconic 'Teenfresh'

The pop queens of StayC is returning Wednesday to enthrall the nation yet again with their bubbly energy. This time, they have gone all-out on youthful effervescence with "Teenfresh." During a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, the members called the album a summer blowout, welcoming listeners to a playground of seasonal festivity. "The album embraces StayC's iconic genre of 'teen fresh.' We've jam-packed it with six songs flourishing in our unique colors

Aug. 16, 2023

‘Beef’ creator Lee Sung-jin shares importance of being yourself at BCWW 2023

Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2023, an annual event showcasing South Korean content and insights to broadcasters around the world, kicked off its three-day run at Coex Hall D in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Organized by the Korean Creative Content Agency, BCWW kicked off on opening day with a special session featuring Lee Sung-jin, the creator behind the hit US Netflix original series “Beef.” The black comedy revolves around Danny Cho (played by Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (played by Ali Wo

Aug. 16, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kim Jun-han finds acting success in synergy of life and script

Kim Jun-han, who began his acting career in 2012 in indie films, really began to draw attention in “Anarchist From Colony” in 2017. Since then, he has appeared in various hit series, such as “Hospital Playlist” and “Anna,” as well films “The King’s Letters” (2019) and “Beasts Clawing at Straws” (2020). It was the 2020 film that convinced Jung Woo-sung that Kim should star in his directorial debut, “A Man of Reason.” &l

Aug. 16, 2023

Cinema operators, film distributors sent to prosecutor for allegedly inflating box office numbers

South Korean police said Wednesday that they have booked 69 people from local cinemas and film distributors they claim were involved in fabricating box office figures over the past several years, on charges of obstruction of business. According to police, the ticket sales for at least 323 movies that opened in local theaters from March 2018 to June this year were manipulated to bump up movies’ box office rankings. Multiplex cinema operators like CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox are alleged to

Aug. 16, 2023

2023 JIMFF reclaims its roots by "going back to the beginning"

How music shapes a city and accords identity: Scenes of 19th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival JECHEON, North Chungcheong Province -- The 19th edition of the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival -- the only internationally recognized festival that encompasses both music and film -- came to a close Tuesday with dampened festivities and controversy. The festival got off to a rocky start this year, suffering from budget cuts and leadership changes. This year's budget was

Aug. 15, 2023

EMK to remake musical 'Sister Act' for Asian tour

The musical adaptation of “Sister Act,” based on the hit 1992 film of the same title, will be produced for an Asian tour under the guidance of South Korea's EMK Musical Company. Known for its success in turning international productions into popular musicals here, EMK now aspires to expand its scope by creating productions for a broad audience, its producer said on Monday. The musical “Sister Act” was produced by American actor Whoopi Goldberg and premiered at Pasade

Aug. 15, 2023

‘Smugglers,’ ‘Concrete Utopia’ score at box office while ‘The Moon’ flops

Homegrown blockbuster films are vying for viewers this summer, with their distributors hoping to see consecutive releases bring back moviegoers. But moviegoers’ taste for “something new” over impressive visuals and star-studded casting have determined the fate of major film releases. Director Ryoo Seung-wan’s female-led crime action “Smugglers” passed its breakeven point in its third week of release on Sunday, having pulled in 4.35 million moviegoers nationwid

Aug. 15, 2023

NTCK to stage 5-hour modern take on Greek trilogy

In staging “This Restless House,” English playwright Zinnie Harris' contemporary reworking of the "Oresteia" Greek trilogy, the National Theater Company of Korea takes on a daunting challenge: keeping the audience engaged throughout the five-hour performance. Friday's rehearsal for the first part, which was open to the press, exceeded two hours. With a total performance time of five hours, including intermission, it is the longest work ever staged by the NTCK. &ld

Aug. 15, 2023

Secret Number to drop new album on Aug. 24

Multinational K-pop group Secret Number is making a comeback with a new album, the band's agency Vine Entertainment said Tuesday. According to the agency, the album will be released at 12 p.m. on Aug. 24. The forthcoming album marks the band's swift return in three months since releasing its sixth EP "Doxa" in May. Secret Number is six-member act that debuted in May 2020 with the single "Who Dis?" The multinational group is comprised of Lea from Japan; Dita from Ind

Aug. 15, 2023

Two storied European orchestras to perform Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in October

For the fans of Brahms' Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68, October will be a chance to compare two different renditions by two top European orchestras at the same venue, just six days apart. On Oct. 7, the London Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the composer’s first symphony in the second part of their concert at Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall under the baton of Edward Gardner. Gardner has been the LPO’s principal conductor since September 2021. On Oct. 13, the Tonha

Aug. 14, 2023

[Herald Review] Le Sserafim overcomes fear with first concert 'Flame Rises'

Le Sserafim's standalone concert was one of many firsts for the five members. A valiant first attempt, and the first time the charismatic and bold group got vulnerable on stage. The two-day event, held over the weekend at the Jamsil Arena located in the Olympic Sports Complex in Seoul, marked the start of the group's first global concert tour "Flame Rises." Some 10,500 tickets for the long-awaited concert were sold out in just eight minutes, according to the band's label

Aug. 14, 2023