[Eye Interview] Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen on HBO's upcoming 'Sympathizer' with Park Chan-wook

The decision to make a television adaptation of his 2016 Pulitzer-winning novel "The Sympathizer” was a double joy for Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen. “It's a thrill for any writer to have their book adapted to the screen, and in my case, a particular thrill because I'm very excited to be working with Park Chan-wook, whose work I've greatly admired even before I wrote the novel,” Nguyen said in an interview with The Korea Herald in June. Powere

July 22, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] 2PM’s Junho drops single before solo Japan tour

  Lee Junho of 2PM will tour Japan on his own for the first time in almost five years, according to JYP Entertainment on Friday. Under the title “Mata Aeru Hi,” or “The Day We Can Meet Again,” the singer and actor will perform at arenas in three cities -- Yokohama this weekend, then Kobe and Nagoya the following two weekends. The final concert will also be broadcast live. Before commencing the tour, the artist on Friday released “Can I,” the main track fr

July 21, 2023

A year on, NewJeans continues to shift K-pop paradigms

NewJeans began their career last summer with the hopes of sharing their timeless music with their listeners. The past year has seen the five-piece group reign supreme on the music charts, both at home and abroad, with its debut EP, "New Jeans," as well as its following singles. The act's four-song debut EP saw its three title songs land on the top of local music charts, marking the biggest girl group entrance into the K-pop scene since Blackpink in 2016. Like a pair of jeans, &quo

July 21, 2023

Series of music, theater festivals to fill the summer

This summer the stage is set for a series of thrilling arts festivals, starting with the Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival on Friday. As the season unfolds, various other festivals will return every week through the end of August. The 23rd edition of the Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival will run until July 29 at Miryang Aria and other venues in the small city located in South Gyeongsang Province. The city has a population of about 100,000, but it will temporarily become the nation

July 21, 2023

Hit animation film ‘Blue Giant’ to close 19th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival

Jazz-themed hit Japanese animation “Blue Giant” will close this year’s Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, which kicks off on Aug. 10. Written and illustrated by Shinichi Ishizuka, with music by Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, the film will be shown in Korea for the first time through the JIMFF. “Blue Giant” follows the story of a student band called Jass, comprised of tenor saxophonist Dai, pianist Sawabe and drummer Tamada, as they pl

July 21, 2023

Stray Kids to headline Lollapalooza Paris on Friday

Stray Kids are headlining Lollapalooza Paris on Friday. The eight-piece boy band will become the first K-pop act to headline the French music festival. Stray Kids are set to take the stage on the first of the three-day run, performing in front of some 65,000 daily concertgoers at the Hippodrome ParisLongchamp in Paris. Other headlining artists include Spanish singer Rosalia on Saturday and American rapper Kendrick Lamar on Sunday. Lollapalooza Paris is the French edition of the annual concert se

July 21, 2023

Blue Planet Future Festival in Busan set for Sept. 1

The Blue Planet Future Festival in Busan, a film and video screening event that aims to raise public awareness of the global environmental change, will kick off on Sept. 1 for a five-day run, featuring 52 films from 19 countries, the event organizer said Friday. Hosted and organized by Global Networks For Blue Planet and supported by the city of Busan, the second edition of BPFF will run under the slogan "Our Only Home.” The event organizer said it hopes for BPFF to work as a platform

July 21, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Barbie” (US) Opened June 19 Comedy/Drama Directed by Greta Gerwig Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) live in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. But, when Barbie discovers a crack in a portal that connects Barbie Land and the real world, she and Ken get a chance to travel to the real world and live among humans. “Insidious: The Red Door” (US) Opened July 19 Horror/Mystery Directed by Patrick Wilson The fifth installment of the "Insi

July 21, 2023

Boy band Mirae drops fresh album 'Boys will be Boys'

Recharged with youthful energy, K-pop band Mirae on Wednesday returned with its fifth EP, "Boys will be Boys." The band held a media showcase event that afternoon in Seoul just before the album release. This marks the seven-member group's return with a new release since with its fourth EP "Ourturn," which had marked the start of the group's new "Boy" series. With "Boys will be Boys," Mirae members said they turned away from the "cosmic fresh

July 20, 2023

Pianist Hayato Sumino weaves unusual way to classical acclaim

YouTube fame and classical music acclaim are both significant achievements in their own right but Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino, who is set to perform in South Korea for his second recital next week, can lay claim to both. Sumino, also known by his name on YouTube, Cateen, not only has 1.24 million subscribers on YouTube, but has also been acknowledged in prestigious competitions. The 28-year-old was born with a talent for playing the piano, but instead of choosing to formally study music,

July 20, 2023

NewJeans ‘Cool With You’ videos reinterpret Eros, Aphrodite, Psyche

NewJeans released two music videos for “Cool With You” from its upcoming second EP “Get Up” on Thursday. The music videos star world-renowned actors including “Squid Game” star Jung Ho-yeon as Eros, the Hong Kong actor Tony Leung as Aphrodite, and actor Micol Vela as Psyche. NewJeans’ producer Min Hee-jin again created the music videos with director Shin Woo-seok, who runs commercial and movie production company Dolphiners Film. The same team was behind

July 20, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz to return next month: report

  The Boyz is set to bring out a new album on Aug. 7, according to a local media report on Thursday. Agency IST Entertainment confirmed the news following the report, adding that it will be the band’s second studio album. Its last album was the eighth EP “Be Awake,” which came out in February and topped the iTunes top albums chart in 11 regions. Main track “Roar” was No. 1 on its top songs chart in four and won first place four times in television music chart s

July 20, 2023

BTS book takes US bookstores by storm

The English version of a book about K-pop sensation BTS released earlier this month by the band's agency to mark the septet's 10 year anniversary is taking US bookstores by storm. The book, titled “Beyond the Story: 10-year Record of BTS,” by BTS and Myeongseok Kang, translated by Anton Hur and Claire Richards, topped the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover nonfiction on Wednesday. Rankings on the newspaper’s weekly list reflect sales including pre-orders for the week

July 20, 2023

Brave Girls rebranded as BB Girls, to drop new album early next month

BB Girls, formerly known as Brave Girls, are returning with a new album on Aug. 3. The group’s agency Warner Music Korea released a poster announcing the group’s comeback on its official social media accounts on Wednesday. In the photos, the BB Girls members exuded charisma, radiating confidence and intensity. This was in stark contrast to the refreshing mood of the band's last mini-album “Summer Queen.” This is the first time the group is releasing an album under a

July 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Ransomed' director trusts ‘familiar duo’ of Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon

Director Kim Seung-hun, who returns to the big screen for the first time in seven years with “Ransomed,” said his pick for Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon in the starring roles was based on his deep trust in the two actors, despite some concerns that this “familiar duo” is a bit cliche. “When this film was first planned at around 2020, there were already mixed reactions about casting these two as the stars. Some said their chemistry is guaranteed, while others said the a

July 20, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook sweeps charts with ‘Seven’

Jungkook of BTS headed straight to the top of Oricon’s weekly digital ranking with his solo single “Seven,” Wednesday. The clean version of “Seven (feat. Latto)” topped its daily digital single ranking for two days in a row last week and raised expectations for notching the top place on the weekly chart. The English-language single has stayed atop Spotify’s daily top song global chart for four days in a row after hitting the top spot upon release. He is the f

July 19, 2023

Ichillin’ ready for summer takeover with new album

K-pop girl group Ichillin’ is back with a new album, ready to take the music scene by storm this summer. Ichillin’ dropped its second mini album “I’m on It!” on Wednesday, which comes two months after the group’s fifth digital single “Siren.” Ichillin’ made its debut on Sept. 8, 2021, with the digital single “Got’ya.” The group consists of seven members — Chowon, Yeju, Chaerin, Joonie, Jackie, E.Ji and Jiyoon. The ener

July 19, 2023

Korean viewers get ready for second season of ‘D.P.’

South Korean viewers have been unable to hide their long-waiting excitement for Netflix’s upcoming second season of “D.P.,” as the original season ranked No. 10 on Netflix’s Korean top 10 chart for TV series as of Tuesday. “D.P.,” a drama series adapted from a popular webtoon series of the same title by creator Kim Bo-tong, revolves around the lives of Pvt. Ahn Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Cpl. Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) and their duty to capture Army deserters. W

July 19, 2023

NewJeans hits new highs with 'Super Shy'

The single "Super Shy" is taking NewJeans to new career highs on global music charts. Released July 7, the song entered Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 66 in the latest chart release, marking the quintet's highest spot on the list. This marks the third Hot 100 song from NewJeans, following "OMG" and "Ditto," which peaked at No. 74 and No. 82, respectively, on the US singles chart. The song, a prerelease from the act's upcoming second EP "Get Up," also came in a

July 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kim Hye-soo vigorously leads female-led blockbuster ‘Smugglers’

Hit filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s upcoming action crime flick “Smugglers” begins with a small boat sailing through a peaceful seaside town called Guncheon. The 130-minute movie quickly unfolds, showing how a group of “haenyeo,” female divers who collect seafood from the ocean floor, become involved in illegal smuggling to make ends meet. Jo Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo), who secretly escapes the crime scene, returns to the old town three years later. Her best buddy Um Jin-soo

July 19, 2023