Universal Ballet's Kang Mi-sun wins best female dancer at Benois de la Danse

Kang Mi-sun, a principal dancer at Universal Ballet in Seoul, has won the top prize at the prestigious Benois de la Danse, an annual ballet competition held in Moscow. Kang, along with China's Qiu Yunting, jointly received the best female dancer award at the awards ceremony held at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on Tuesday, according to the organizing committee. Kang was honored with the award for her role as a widow who bids farewell to her husband in "Mirinaegil,” an original pr

June 21, 2023

[Herald Review] Lee Soon-jae's charisma shines in final turn as 'King Lear'

Veteran actor Lee Soon-jae, recently wrapped up a 16-day run of “King Lear” on Sunday at the LG Arts Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The 88-year-old -- the oldest actor still active in Korea -- commanded the stage for 200 minutes, in captivating performance as Shakespeare’s tragic ruler. Having completed the 16 performances from June 1-18, Lee expressed his gratitude through a statement released by the production company, Theater Yeonwoo, Monday: “I would like to thank all t

June 21, 2023

[Herald Interview] Restraints are off for return of ‘The Zone: Survival Mission’

Disney+’s “The Zone: Survival Mission,” has scaled up the set pieces for its second series. Using escape room-style games, the first season of “The Zone: Survival Mission” threw a star-studded cast of Yu Jae-seok, Lee Kwang-soo and Kwon Yuri into catastrophic situations such as a zombie apocalypse, water shortage, gambling addiction and more, for four hours. In an interview with local reporters at a cafe in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, directors Cho Hyo-jin and Kim Don

June 21, 2023

[Today's K-pop] Le Sserafim joins hands with Bibi for new campaign

Le Sserafim has invited fans to create their own take on “Eve, Psyche ＆ …,” a B-side track from its first studio album “Unforgiven.” It uploaded the instrumental version of the song Tuesday for the project, allowing fans to add their personal messages and share them online. Singer Bibi unveiled hers in a video clip in which the bandmates appeared at the end. The single has climbed up to the top five rankings on a series of music charts at home. The song is also po

June 21, 2023

Park Chan-wook touts first-ever Netflix project in front of co-CEO

Award-winning director Park Chan-wook talked about his first-ever film project with Netflix during a roundtable discussion with the US streaming giant's co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who is on a two-day visit to Seoul. On Wednesday, Park and Sarandos gave a talk to aspiring filmmakers and content creators in Korea, sharing their insights and ideas on the future of the digital content market. Park, who recently announced his participation as co-screenwriter and producer in the new Netflix film &ldq

June 21, 2023

‘Concrete Utopia’ more black comedy than disaster flick

Six years after “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned,” director Um Tae-hwa returns with disaster thriller “Concrete Utopia,” in which home turns hostile for a group of apartment dwellers. The movie is based on the second part of a webtoon about an earthquake and its aftermath, “Pleasant Neighbor.” Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young star as few residents of Hwang Gung Apartments in the devastated city. Lee plays Young-tak, a leader among the resident

June 21, 2023

BTS tops Billboard Global 200 with latest single 'Take Two'

K-pop sensation BTS topped the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US charts dated June 24 with its latest single, “Take Two.” BTS' single “Take Two,” released to mark its 10th debut anniversary, was streamed 60.2 million times and sold 64,000 copies worldwide from its release June 9 through June 15, according to Billboard. It garnered 54.3 million streams and 48,000 copies were sold outside the US during the same period. The Billboard Global 200 and Bill

June 21, 2023

Five former Loona members to re-debut under new agency Modhaus

Haseul, a former member of the disbanded K-pop girl group Loona, has signed an exclusive contract with Modhaus, the company said Wednesday. “We will do our best to help Haseul show off her talents and meet with her fans in many ways,” said Modhaus in a press release on Wednesday. With Haseul joining the agency, Modhaus now houses a total of five former members of Loona: Heejin, Kimlip, Jinsoul, Choerry and Haseul. They will be part of the agency’s Artms project, under which the

June 21, 2023

Park Seo-joon ‘doesn’t deny’ dating YouTuber Xooos

Asked to make a comment on his personal life, actor Park Seo-joon, meeting with the press a day after a media report said the actor was dating Korean YouTuber and singer Xooos, neither confirmed nor denied the news. Park was attending a press conference for his upcoming disaster thriller flick “Concrete Utopia,” held at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University in Seoul, Wednesday. “I heard the news late yesterday because I was shooting another project. First thing I felt after reading th

June 21, 2023

Singer Kim Jae-hwan aspires to become next Psy, Bruno Mars

"Journey above music," the full name of Kim Jae-hwan's new album, "J.A.M," perfectly reflects what the new piece means for the 27-year-old singer. Appearing in front of the local press on Tuesday for the album's media showcase, Kim took to the stage with an air different from the temperate demeanor he has shown in the past. "I feel like I'm debuting again as a soloist. I can't remember where the past Kim Jae-hwan has disappeared to. I'm reveling

June 21, 2023

[Herald Review] Changgeuk version of ‘Merchants of Venice’ balances East, West

For those unfamiliar with Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and the genre of Changgeuk, the combination of the two might not sound so appealing. After watching such an attempt, "The Merchants of Venice" by the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, one might change their mind. Changgeuk is akin to a Korean version of opera. It derives from pansori, Korea's traditional narrative singing form that is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. “Chang&r

June 20, 2023

KBS employees demand CEO’s resignation amid fee collection controversy

More than 1,000 KBS employees on Tuesday have demanded the resignation of CEO Kim Eui-cheol and the board of directors. The call for change comes as the broadcaster is expected to face a severe financial crisis when a relevant enforcement ordinance is amended for a separate collection of TV license fees. In a statement released Tuesday, the Joint Committee for KBS Employees and Broadcasters for the New KBS said they collected signatures from 1,080 employees calling for the resignation of Kim and

June 20, 2023

[Today's K-pop] Le Sserafim to release single in Japan

Le Sserafim will roll out second single in Japan “Unforgiven” on Aug. 23, agency Source Music said Tuesday. It will consist of three tracks: the title track, featuring Nile Rodgers, which also fronted its first studio album that was released last month; a Japanese-language version of “Antifragile,” the lead track from its second EP from October; and a collaboration with a Japanese artist. Its first LP topped a number of music charts in Japan including Oricon’s week

June 20, 2023

KOFIC eyes ASEAN cooperation to develop Asian cinema

The Korean Film Council emphasized the significance of Korea-ASEAN cooperation in the film industry, while promising to restructure itself to better support and promote Korean films as a state-funded entity. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism openly lambasted KOFIC on June 15 over its lax management, particularly the organization’s mishandled budget of 2.4 billion won ($1.86 million) over the last five years which was aimed at creating the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Film Organizati

June 20, 2023

Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah overcome fear of water for ‘Smugglers’

The hit filmmaker who helmed “Veteran” (2015) and “Escape From Mogadishu” (2021) returns with the star-studded female-led action film “Smugglers.” Set in a peaceful seaside village in the 1970s, the crime action film revolves around an accident in front of “haenyeo,” female divers who collect seafood from the ocean floor. Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jung-min, Kim Jong-soo and Go Min-si star in the film. Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ha

June 20, 2023

‘Fusion Korean Music Night’ set to perform in Japan

South Korean world music group Gongmyoung is set to perform “Fusion Korean Music Night” in the Japanese cities of Shimonoseki, Sendai and Niigata on June 23, 26 and 28, respectively. The touring show is co-hosted by the Korea Foundation and the Consulates General of the Republic of Korea in Hiroshima, Sendai and Niigata. Since its debut in 1997, Gongmyoung, which translates to “resonance” in Korean, has been introducing a new genre of Korean music, infusing traditional me

June 20, 2023

Tempest to hold 1st concert in August

K-pop boy band Tempest will hold its first-ever concert this summer, according to Yue Hua Entertainment. The concert, “2023 Tempest Show Con (T-OUR) in Seoul,” will be held at the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium in Seoul on Aug. 12-13. Tempest announced the concert Monday via a video clip in which the members showed their enthusiasm over holding a concert filled only with their performances. “This is the moment that we have dreamed of. We are so excited and overwhelmed. Please lo

June 20, 2023

NMIXX to return with new single “A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream” next month

K-pop girl group NMIXX is releasing a new single, “A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream,” on July 11. This comeback comes four months after the group dropped its first mini album, “expergo,” in March. JYP Entertainment announced the comeback by dropping a teaser image of NMIXX’s third single on Tuesday. The teaser image shows a mystic forest with floating bubbles which augments the curiosity over the new concept the girls will present this time. The six-member unit, whic

June 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Violinist Randall Goosby plays ways to more inclusive classical music scene

American violinist Randall Goosby had a profound revelation at the age of 14: Composers could be Black. That was seven years after he had started playing the violin. Goosby, the son of an African American father and a mother who is a third-generation Korean who grew up in Japan, was troubled by the realization, which only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There was a lot of attention on the divide between races in America and I think in classical music that divide is as clear as i

June 20, 2023

[Herald Review] Bruno Mars brings magic to sold-out crowd in Seoul with finesse

Every moment in Hawaiian-born superstar Bruno Mars' performance in Seoul was delicate and romantic -- and it was his unmatchable finesse that made it all seem so easy. The iconic “Uptown Funk” singer Bruno Mars, born Peter Hernandez, visited Korea for the first time in nine years for a two-day sold-out concert series at Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium from Saturday to Sunday. The shows were part of the 27th edition of Hyundai Card’s annual cultural project “Super Concert

June 20, 2023