Dramas depicting dark side of social media gain popularity

Two recent Korean dramas presenting an intimate look into social media-driven lives are enjoying local popularity with unique stories that are easily relatable to many viewers. Though a lot of creative content such as dramas, films and variety shows have included brief scenes depicting social media usage, Netflix’s latest suspense series “Celebrity” and cable channel ENA’s “Battle for Happiness” put the spotlight on characters’ social media interaction

July 16, 2023

Classical music lovers to get their fill come October, November

In October and November, a number of orchestras from around the world will be performing back-to-back in South Korea. These performances will feature collaborations with top Korean and international musicians like pianists Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan. They will also be an opportunity to compare different renditions of the same piece by different orchestras. A concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra on Oct. 7 at the Seoul Arts Center will launch the string of concerts. Led by Edward Gardn

July 15, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (US) Opened July 12 Adventure/Action Directed by Christopher McQuarrie The seventh installment of this “Mission” series follows Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the Impossible Mission Force team as they try to prevent a new weapon falling into the wrong hands in order to save all of humanity. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (US) Opened June 21 Animation Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos The Multiverse opens

July 15, 2023

‘Father’s Heart’ shows journey of dad who lost son meeting son who lost dad

Director Kim Sang-cheol, an established filmmaker here focusing on Christian films, returns with new documentary film “The Father’s Heart,” which shows the journey of Hwang Tae-hwan, an influencer also known as Hajun Papa on YouTube and Instagram, through the Philippines, South Korea, Rwanda and the US. Hwang, whose followers on YouTube and Instagram surpass 500,000, lost his second son at just 6 months old in 2020. He died of sudden cardiac arrest. The film starts with Hwang v

July 15, 2023

BTS' Jungkook tops iTunes charts of 106 countries with first solo single 'Seven'

BTS member Jungkook's first solo single, "Seven," topped iTunes Top Song charts of 106 countries around the world Saturday, one day after its release, its agency, BigHit Music, said. Jungkook unveiled the digital single Friday, becoming the sixth member of the septet to debut as a soloist, after J-Hope, Jin, RM, Jimin and Suga. The summer song, described as having an addictive and energizing melody, debuted at No. 1 on the iTunes charts in 106 countries, including the United State

July 15, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] 3 members of Super Junior leave SM Entertainment

Three members of Super Junior will leave SM Entertainment but stay with the group, according to the management firm on Friday. Eunhyuk, Donghae and Kyuhyun decided not to renew their contract with the label, while the remaining six will re-sign, it added. The three will, however, continue their activities as part of the band. The band debuted in 2005 with “Super Junior 05,” and put out 11th studio album “The Road” last year. Kyuhyun is said to be in talks to sign with An

July 14, 2023

Solo debut with 'Seven' motivates BTS’ Jungkook to continue enhancing musical skills

BTS’ Jungkook finally made his official solo debut on Friday, with his first solo single, “Seven.” This solo debut comes a decade after Jungkook made his debut in the music scene as a member of K-pop sensation BTS back in 2013. “Through this single, I showed a new facet of myself that has never been shown better. The single is an addictive song that can be enjoyed easily by anyone. The first time I heard the song, I immediately thought, ‘I need to do this. This is i

July 14, 2023

[Graphic News] BTS boasts most loyal fanbase in music: survey

The K-pop sensation BTS enjoys the most loyal fanbase based on how far its supporters are willing to travel, a survey by a US travel information site showed. Upgraded Points released the results of its poll titled, “How Far Would You Travel to See Your Favorite Artist?” on its website, based on answers from 3,200 American music fans. On the website’s 100-point loyalty index, BTS scored 88.4 points to lead all artists. The score was based on survey questions that included how fa

July 14, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT tops CD album sales in US in H1

Tomorrow X Together sold the most CDs in the US in the first half of this year, according to a report from data company Luminate on Wednesday. Its fifth EP “The Name Chapter: Temptation” sold over 395,000 copies in the country and ranked No. 1 on the Top CD Album Sales chart, said Luminate, whose data is used to compile Billboard's weekly charts. The mini album was No. 2 on the Top Albums Total Sales chart that tallies sales of physical and digital album, only after Taylor Swift&rsq

July 13, 2023

‘King the Land’ producers apologize for show's depiction of Arab prince

The production company behind JTBC’s romantic comedy “King the Land” issued an official apology on Wednesday for its cultural insensitivity. The creators -- Npio Entertainment, BY4M Studio and SLL -- expressed their sincere apology to the viewers in an official apology letter posted on the show's website in Korean, English and Arabic. “We had no intention of caricaturing or distorting any particular country or culture,” the production companies said in the lett

July 13, 2023

Koyote marks 25th anniversary with new single 'Wish'

Veteran dance music trio Koyote on Wednesday marked its 25th debut anniversary with a new digital single, “Wish.” “This single can be described as a very ‘Koyote-like’ single, a song that describes our music style very well. It is a powerful dance song but its lyrics are quite sad. Just like our previous songs, this song is also easy to sing along to,” said Shin Ji of Koyote during a press conference in Seoul on the day of the single’s release. The new s

July 13, 2023

BamBam to embark on 1st standalone world tour in September

Thai rapper-singer BamBam of the K-pop boy band GOT7 is to set off on his first standalone world tour titled “Area 52” in September. Area 52 refers to unexplored places around the world. The tour is expected to offer a fruitful set list of newly arranged tracks and performances, according to label Abyss Company on Thursday. BamBam plans to have special performances that can only be seen at his solo concerts. The world tour will kick off at the Olympic Hall in Seoul on Sept. 16. BamBa

July 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Broadway needs to find ways to welcome new audiences'

K-Musical Market was launched in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service to promote Korean original musicals internationally. The Korean government's hope is that Korean musicals might replicate the achievements of K-pop, movies and dramas. And that hope is not groundless. Musicals account for 75 percent of ticket revenue in the country's performing arts industry and the musical scene is burgeoning with countless big an

July 13, 2023

Experimental music group Gongmyoung to embark on voyage 'With Sea'

South Korean experimental music group Gongmyoung is set to perform at the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater on Friday and Saturday. Known for experimenting with sounds from both Western and traditional Korean wind and percussion instruments, Gongmyoung has been an in-house artist at the traditional Korean music performance venue in Jongno-gu since 2022. The upcoming performance titled “With Sea” will take the audience on a musical voyage to the sea. The band has selected 10 songs t

July 12, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa may leave label: report

Lisa of Blackpink might not renew her contract with label YG Entertainment that expires next month, according to a local media report on Wednesday. The two parties have not been able to reach an agreement and a Chinese agency which requested to remain anonymous tipped off the media that the label told the company that it cannot arrange an activity for the artist from August and on due to the uncertainty surrounding the contract. YG Entertainment said that it was because of the group’s tou

July 12, 2023

‘Squid Game 2’ production staff apologizes for bossy attitude during shoot

“Squid Game 2,” the sequel to the megahit Netflix series, is stirring up controversy online over alleged rude behavior toward users of Incheon Airport from production staff. “We heard that citizens were inconvenienced while 'Squid Game 2' was filming at Incheon Airport on Monday,” stated "Squid Game 2” makers on Wednesday. “We did our best to announce to citizens of the on-site situation as much detail as possible.” The producers offered a

July 12, 2023

Mamamoo Plus to drop 1st EP 'Two Rabbits' next month

Mamamoo Plus, a subunit of K-pop girl group Mamamoo, returns with new music on Aug. 3. The duo of Sola and Moonbyul will drop first mini album “Two Rabbits,” according to RBW, the agency that houses Mamamoo Plus, on Wednesday. Sola and Moonbyul came up with the name of the album as they each hope to be as clever as a rabbit, overcoming difficulties wisely to expand their musical and conceptual spectrum. The two say they took an active role in making the album to present music worth l

July 12, 2023

Sandara Park returns to music scene, ends 6-year hiatus

K-pop solo artist Sandara Park is finally back in the music scene with a digital mini album that dropped on Wednesday. The new album, “Sandara Park,” is the artist’s first solo album, coming six years after 2NE1’s final single, “Goodbye,” was released in January 2017. Sandara Park had been a member of the now defunct 2NE1 since their debut in 2009. The concept of this new album that Sandara Park prepared especially for her fans, is inviting the solo artist&rsq

July 12, 2023

Kim Seo-hyung feels empathy, sadness for her character in ‘Greenhouse’

Actor Kim Seo-hyung explores why bad things happen to nice people in the thriller "Greenhouse," in which she stars as the protagonist. The story of “Greenhouse” revolves around a nurse and caregiver, Moon-jung, who lives in a greenhouse. It delves into the character's downfall as she tries to cover up the accidental death of an old couple in her care. Kim said she cried after reading the movie's script for the first time. “I did not ask myself whether or not

July 12, 2023

Nmixx returns with summer song produced by Park Jin-young

JYP girl group Nmixx on Tuesday returned to the stage with its third single album, “A Midsummer Nmixx’s Dream.” The new single album carries lead track “Party O’Clock” along with “Roller Coaster,” which was released prior to the official album drop. “The storyline from our first mini album ‘expergo’ continues into this new album in which we finally meet with Nswers (the group's official fandom, pronounced 'answers')

July 12, 2023