[Herald Review] Psy blows away sultry summer with ‘Summer Swag’

Thousands of people dressed in blue flocked to the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Friday to get wet and wild with the iconic K-pop singer Psy. Psy kicked off the first day of his nationwide tour, “Summer Swag,” this year with a video clip of himself and actor Heo Sung-tae dancing to “Kokain 2021,” the wildly popular track that took over social media with its addictive melody. The song got everyone in the stadium on their feet, jumping to the song. Psy soon appeared on

July 3, 2023

Margot Robbie says so much to discover in ‘Barbie’

Award-winning filmmaker Greta Gerwig, along with actor and producer Margot Robbie and actor America Ferrera of American film “Barbie” held a press conference in Seoul to promote their film, which will be released in Korea on July 19. Director Gerwig, who starred in “Frances Ha,” (2012) and won a Golden Globe as producer of her debut film, “Lady Bird,” (2017) returned as a screenwriter and the producer of “Barbie,” after Robbie suggested the two wor

July 3, 2023

Public theater Quad to showcase two anticipated hybrid performances

Two hybrid performances that feature a mix of traditional and modern are set to kick off at the Quad, a public theater operated by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, in Daehagno, in July. “Everything OK,” set for Friday-Sunday performances, is a new collaborative work by contemporary dancer-choreographer Ahn Eun-me's dance company and vocalist Seo Do from the Seo Do Band. Seo Do Band is known for pioneering the Joseon Pop genre, a term now used to refer to music that has

July 2, 2023

Homage gone wrong: Yena removes 'Hate Rodrigo' music video, cancels promotion

K-pop singer Yena's cheeky attempt to express her reverence for Olivia Rodrigo seems to have fallen flat, with the music video for her new song, "Hate Rodrigo," being taken following a series of controversies. Yena, who goes by Choi Yena in Korea, released her new single on Tuesday, along with a music video. The song was highly anticipated, especially as it features the collaboration of Yena and her best friend Yuqi from the girl group (G)I-DLE. The song's lyrics, which were partly wri

July 2, 2023

‘The Roundup: No Way Out’ draws 10m admissions as other movies struggle to break even

South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has attracted a record-setting 10.9 million moviegoers as of Saturday, according to the movie’s distributor ABO Entertainment. "The Roundup: No Way Out" is the 21st local film and the 30th film released in South Korea to reach the milestone. It is also the first film this year to set such a record. The film opened on May 31. This comes as a significant feat amid

July 2, 2023

BTS' Jungkook renews Billboard records ahead of solo debut

BTS' Jungkook continues his record-setting streak on Billboard's global charts as he gears up for his solo debut this month. The US music publication's latest chart release on Saturday showed Charlie Puth's Jungkook collaboration, "Left And Right," hit No. 179 on the Billboard Global US Exclusive chart that day, marking its 38th week on the chart. This extends Jungkook's own record of longest streak by an individual K-pop singer on the song chart. He also renewed his record on Billboar

July 2, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT to launch last team through reality show

A reality show that will follow the launch of a new team under NCT will start airing on July 27, according to label SM Entertainment Friday. As the title “NCT Universe: Lastart” -- a combination of last and start -- suggests, it will be the last expansion of the boy band and also will hail the beginning of a new team. Trainees from the label will participate in the program to be judged by senior artists including BoA and Eunhyuk of Super Junior. The show will portray the entire proc

June 30, 2023

Eight South Koreans honored at Tchaikovsky competition

A total of eight South Korean classical musicians have received awards, including three first prizes, at this year’s International Tchaikovsky Competition, a once bustling but now diminished event amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The International Tchaikovsky Competition is held every four years in both Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia for pianists, violinists, cellists, woodwind players and brace performers aged 16-32 and singers aged 19-32. According to the competition's web

June 30, 2023

Exhibition gives Choi Min-sik ‘chance to reflect’ on 34-year career

The 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival that kicked off Thursday for an 11 day-run is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean veteran actor Choi Min-sik called “I Saw Choi Min Sik” in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Choi said he is grateful but also feels embarrassed to be featured in the exhibition. “This special exhibition comes at a pivotal time for me, as I had wished to take time off after my latest work ‘Big Bet.’ Since I do not belo

June 30, 2023

‘Sasha & Milo’ to expand reach to China and Latin America

Korean action comedy animation “Shasha & Milo” is scheduled to make its local and global premiere in the second half of the year. The animation was sold to Chinese and Latin American distributors during the 2023 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market in Annecy, France, the world’s largest event for animation industry, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Domestically, "Shasha & Milo" will be released on public education TV ch

June 30, 2023

Wavve offers BIFAN films online

Local streaming service Wavve announced Friday that has launched a special Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival section, offering online screenings of the films that are being screened at this year’s film festival. The 27th edition of BIFAN, which kicked off Thursday, mainly focuses on Korean and international horror, thriller, mystery and fantasy films. Wavve subscribers can enjoy the same program as at BIFAN, including films in the international competition, Korean competition,

June 30, 2023

K-pop high school to open in Busan

A high school specializing in educating students in K-pop and related performances will open in Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, by 2028, the city’s education authorities announced Friday. The school will provide quality vocal, dance, composing and songwriting lessons taught by experienced K-pop faculty. International students will be eligible to apply, Ha Yoon-su, the superintendent of education in Busan, said in an official briefing. An official at the Busan Metropolitan

June 30, 2023

Global K-pop girl group launching project 'A2K' to be unveiled next month

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment and the American music label Republic Records will unveil its new K-pop girl group production project “A2K” on JYP’s official YouTube channel starting from July 13, JYP Entertainment said Friday. “A2K” is the first project between the two labels to create a female band under the K-pop idol training system. Through a series of clips on YouTube, JYP Entertainment will be sharing the process of selecting candidates of diverse national

June 30, 2023

Jungkook of BTS to debut solo with single ‘Seven’ next month

Jungkook of BTS is making his official solo debut next month with the digital single “Seven.” The artist announced through the global fandom communication platform Weverse on Friday that he would be dropping the single on July 14 at 1 p.m. The single “Seven” will be a rhythmic song perfect to tune into in the summer season, according to Big Hit Music. Jungkook is the sixth member of BTS to debut solo, following J-Hope, Jin, RM, Jimin and Suga. This series of solo debuts o

June 30, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Childe” (South Korea) Opened June 21 Adventure Directed by Park Hoon-jung Gwi Gong-ja (Kim Seon-ho) -- a name that roughly means "the nobleman" -- goes on a mysterious, mad chase after a boxer, Marco, from the Philippines to Seoul. Rookie actor Kang Tae-joo plays Marco, a Kopino -- mixed Korean Filipino -- in search of his father. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (US) Opened June 21 Animation Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos The Multiverse opens up i

June 30, 2023

Tom Cruise focused on bringing cinematic journey in 7th ‘Mission Impossible’ film

Tom Cruise, the “Mission Impossible” franchise star, urged fans to watch the seventh installment of the world famous spy series in the cinema for a “shared experience.” “I love cinema. I love the people and people from all cultures and walks of life. We sit down at cinemas and share community experience. I think it’s one of the joys in the life for me,” Cruise told reporters during a press conference in Lotte Cinema World Tower on Thursday. “I don&

June 29, 2023

Monthlong summer Yeowoorak Festival explores future of traditional music

The National Theater of Korea's summer music festival Yeowoorak Festival kicks off Friday, featuring collaborations across generations, cultures and genres that seek to redefine traditional Korean music. Under the theme of “Homo Festivus,” the festival presents 12 performances until July 22 at the Daloreum Theater, the Haneul Round Theater and the Cultural Plaza. Master pansori singer Yun Jin-cheol and shaman Kim Dong-eon will perform “Break a Common Law” on Friday.

June 29, 2023

Ukiss celebrates 15th anniversary with 'Play List'

It seems like time has not been wasted for Ukiss' members, despite the years they have spent apart. The members have spent several years -- a dozen years at the longest -- apart, but the six men boasted a boisterous yet smooth demeanor onstage at their 15th anniversary comeback showcase event on Wednesday. It was a long-awaited comeback, a feat achieved five years and six months after the group dropped its last single, "Ready For You," in December 2017. But for each of the six mem

June 29, 2023

IU to cherish her 15 years with media art exhibition

Singer-songwriter IU is set to launch a media art exhibition in celebration of her 15th anniversary in July. "IU is set to hold a media art exhibition 'Moment,' for around a month between July 21 until Aug. 20 at The Seouliteum in Seongdong-gu, Seoul," the singer's agency, Edam Entertainment, said Thursday. The title "Moment," portrays IU's wish to cherish the memories she has made with her fandom, Uena, through the exhibition, the agency explained. This i

June 29, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s Jun to drop 4th solo single in China

Jun of Seventeen will put out his fourth solo digital single in China on July 4, agency Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday. The teaser video for the upcoming single, “Psycho,” opened with a view of the idol's back and showed a box wrapped up in chains fall and a moving logo change from Limbo to Psycho. “Limbo” is his previous solo single that came out about nine months before. In the meantime, the band’s tenth EP “FML” from April is proving its sta

June 29, 2023