[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Baekhyun addresses fans after patching up with label

Baekhyun of EXO thanked and apologized to fans Monday over trouble with label SM Entertainment. Through a statement released through the firm, the veteran idol, along with Chen and Xiumin, reassured fans that they have reached an agreement over their contracts. Earlier this month, the three members voiced their discontent over the fairness of their contracts. “Thank you for believing and sorry for making it hard for you,” wrote Baekhyun via a platform dedicated to communications wit

June 19, 2023

‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’ promises chilling suspense to beat summer heat

Cable channel Genie TV will kick off the summer with its highly anticipated eight-part suspense thriller series “Lies Hidden in My Garden.” Director Jung Ji-hyun and the star-studded cast did not hide their excitement for the series during a press conference at Stanford Hotel Seoul in Mapo-gu, Seoul on Monday. “Our drama does not have a lot of sensational, shocking scenes to surprise and thrill viewers like many existing thriller projects. However, our show has a mysterious aur

June 19, 2023

Dream Concert kicks off smoothly in Japan

Dream Concert, a major K-pop concert, made its historic debut in Japan on Sunday. Officially titled "2023 Dream Concert in Japan," the event took place in Japan's Saitama Super Arena, a stadium located on the outskirts of Tokyo, with some 30,000 fans attending in person. Fourteen acts, including Dream Catcher, Xia, Kim Jae-joong and AB6IX, performed that day. The full list includes Korean artists Kingdom, Class:y, Ily:1, Aimers and Hi-Fi Un!corn and Japanese artists JO1, INI, DXTe

June 19, 2023

NewJeans to drop new album 'Get Up' on July 21

NewJeans will make a comeback on July 21 with the new album "Get Up," the group's agency Ador announced Monday. The album will be comprised of six songs -- three title songs "Super Shy," "ETA" and "Cool With You," the prologue track "New Jeans," interlude track "Get up" and epilogue track "ASAP." Two tracks, "Super Shy" and "New Jeans," will be released on July 7 ahead of the album. The six songs will

June 19, 2023

Itzy to drop new album, 3 music videos in July

Girl group Itzy will herald an epic comeback with a new mini album to be released on July 31, JYP Entertainment said Monday. The album will be a six-track collection consisting of the title song "Cake" and five other songs, "Bet On Me," "None of My Business," Bratty," "Psychic Lover" and "Kill Shot." With the album, Itzy is rolling out three official music videos, each for "Cake," "Bet On Me" and "None of My Business

June 19, 2023

[New on the Scene] Lee Shin-young does not want to be defined in acting

Actor Lee Shin-young, who appeared as third-year medical resident Dong-hwa in the third season of the SBS hit drama “Dr. Romantic” that just finished last week, has kept himself busy in the first half of this year. In the sports comedy film “Rebound,” which opened in local theaters on April 5, the 25-year-old played a high school basketball genius who leads the underdog team as they approach the final round in the national competition league. “I don’t really s

June 19, 2023

Dynamic Duo to release digital single prior to 10th studio album drop

Hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo is preparing to drop its first new studio album in four years, later this year. Prior to what will be the duo’s 10th studio album, Dynamic Duo will first release digital single “2 Kids on the Block - Part 1” on Friday. Amoeba Culture, which houses the hip-hop duo, unveiled a teaser image for the upcoming album showing the artists surrounded by musical production equipment and previous albums. Dynamic Duo’s 10th studio album is expected to carry the

June 19, 2023

Treasure’s first unit T5 to debut with single “Move”

So Junghwan, Doyoung, Jihoon, Yoon Jaehyuk and Junkyu of Treasure are dropping a single called “Move” as a new unit called T5 in July. YG Entertainment unveiled Monday a credit poster for the upcoming single which shows that Junkyu took part in composing and writing the lyrics to “Move.” This is the first time since his debut that Junkyu has taken part in producing a track. “The single ‘Move’ will be a fresh and new type of song never done by Treasure be

June 19, 2023

South Korea's Hong Seok-young nabs top prize at junior edition of Cliburn Piano Competition

South Korean teen pianist Hong Seok-young became the winner of the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival that ended Saturday in Dallas, Texas. For the final round that took place on Saturday, the 15-year-old performed Rachmaninov’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43.” Hong also took home the Audience Award. The third edition of the junior competition designed for pianists age 13 to 17 took place from June 8 to Saturday, with 37 pianists out of 248

June 19, 2023

[Graphic News] Following BTS’ footsteps in Seoul

K-pop boy band BTS is in the midst of two weeks of events for “2023 BTS Festa” at various venues in Seoul until next Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary since its debut. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Foundation have rolled out the “Seoul BTS Tour Map - Map of the SEOUL,” featuring 13 important locations the iconic group has visited along with filming locations for web series “Run BTS.” The map will be available at six Seoul Tourism In

June 19, 2023

Tenor Kim Sung-ho wins Song Prize from BBC Cardiff Singer of the World

South Korean tenor Kim Sung-ho became the Song Prize winner at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition held at St David's Hall, Cardiff, on Thursday. Kim, 32, took home the prize for his rendition of “Let Beauty Awake” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “Mit Myrten und Rosen” by Schumann, “Do not sing, my beauty” by Rachmaninoff, “Morgen!” by Strauss and “Dongsimcho” by Kim Seong-tae. The winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the Wor

June 18, 2023

Hybe's &Team takes first global step with 'Firework'

Japan-based K-pop boy band &Team held a global media showcase event on Sunday, following the release of its second EP, "First Howling: We." The event, held at Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo, was livestreamed via YouTube for overseas media. The nine bandmates spoke mostly in Japanese with Korean, English and Chinese mixed in between. "First Howling: We," which released Wednesday, marked a return from the boy band just six months since its debut under Korean entertainment co

June 18, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘Bloodhounds’ producer, actors bond tightly after final two episodes rewritten

Director Jason Kim’s first-ever drama series “Bloodhounds,” which released on Netflix on June 9, runs for a total of eight hours, about four times longer than his previous films “Midnight Runners” and “The Divine Fury.” Yet with an unexpected setback involving the series’ main female actor, the effort and time invested in bringing the eight-episode series to life ended up far exceeding the director’s initial expectations of a mere fourfold in

June 18, 2023

[BTS' 10th] Yeouido covered in purple with BTS festivities

The color purple dominating everything is not a rare sight at a gathering for K-pop superband BTS and its fans, Army. But what stood out the most on Saturday at the main event of the group's 10th anniversary fete, "2023 BTS Festa," held in Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul was the diverse make up of the people who came, ranging widely in terms of race, age and gender. The day-long event not only welcomed fans, but also families and residents of the city to mingle and enjoy the atmosphere.

June 18, 2023

Netflix announces new cast for ‘Squid Game 2’

Netflix Korea on Sunday announced the new cast for the second season of the sensational series “Squid Game.” Joining the original cast will be actors Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon and Yang Dong-geun. Yim most recently starred in the Netflix thriller flick “Unlocked,” while Park played a villain in Netflix’s “The Glory.” Kang was the lead actor in hit TV drama “When the Camellia Blooms” (2019) and Yang appeared in Netflix action fli

June 18, 2023

[BTS' 10th] RM of BTS tunes in live with fans at Yeouido

Laughter rippled across the grass field in Yeouido Hangang Park on Saturday as RM, the leader of BTS, read out a story from one of the group's 10-year fan who first discovered BTS in her middle school and grew up with the band. She recently landed her first job, RM read from her message. "I remember training to become a singer as a student with Yoongi (Suga), and it feels strange celebrating our 10th anniversary like this right now," RM said. "Thank you for being with us as you gr

June 17, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Flash” (US) Opened June 14 Action Directed by Andres Muschietti The Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change events of the past. But his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future and he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (US) Opened June 6 Action Directed by Steven Caple Jr. Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge ye

June 17, 2023

Fifty Fifty's 'Cupid' spends 12th consecutive week on British chart

K-pop rookie sensation's hit song "Cupid" has charted for the 12th consecutive week on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100. According to the latest chart released Friday (British time), the song ranked 12th, dropping five places from 11th the previous week. "Cupid" tied for the longest-charting song from a K-pop girl group with "Kiss and Make Up," a collaborative single between BLACKPINK and Dua Lipa. After entering the chart at No. 96 in early April,

June 17, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127, NCT Dream to mark 7th debut anniversary with fan meets

NCT127 and NCT Dream will celebrate their seventh anniversaries with fan meet events in Seoul, announced label SM Entertainment on Friday. NCT127 will greet fans on July 16 under the title “Once Upon a 7uly” themed after a party held at a kingdom. It will include a range of performances and games. NCT Dream will hold its, dubbed “Dream Land,” on July 22 inviting fans to the event fashioned after a theme park. On July 17, the seven-piece subunit is slated to make a comeba

June 16, 2023

Star-studded Disney+ series ‘Moving’ to premiere in August

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., announced the release of its new action hero series “Moving” in early August. With a star-studded lineup of actors, ranging from top stars Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, go-to actors Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Sung-kyun to veteran actors Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Hee-won and rising star Go Youn-jung, “Moving” is one of the most anticipated series of the year. Based on the webtoon of the same title by renowned webtoon

June 16, 2023