Benois de la Danse winner Kang Mi-sun reflects on 21-year career in Korea

It has been a week since Kang Mi-sun won the top prize at the Benois de la Danse, yet she said the surreal feeling of her win has yet to fully sink in. “I still find it hard to believe that I received such a huge honor,” said Kang during a press conference held to mark her win at the Universal Arts Center in Seoul on Tuesday. The principal dancer at the Seoul-based Universal Ballet shared the best female dance award with China’s Qiu Yunting at the awards ceremony held at the Bo

June 28, 2023

'Self-love is my style': Yena returns with 'Hate XX'

K-pop singer Yena released new single "Hate XX" on Tuesday, returning after five months following the release of her first single, "Love War," in January. "There are three songs, and I expressed various emotions in my unique cheerful energy," Yena, going by her real name Choi Yena in Korean, said during a press conference held on the same day as the release. The single's main song is "Hate Rodrigo," a dance tune that sings of the cute jealousy toward

June 28, 2023

Robot to conduct orchestra for the first time in Korea

Can a robot conduct an orchestra? Would a robot replace a human conductor? A National Theater of Korea rehearsal which was open to the press on Monday aimed to answer the questions amid growing concerns that cutting-edge technology may challenge a job that has been regarded one that only humans can do. As soon as the host said, “We will now begin,” the human-like robot named EveR 6 raised its hands. When EveR 6 swished its baton, the sound of a gong resonated in the rehearsal room. W

June 27, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee lands atop iTunes chart in 40 regions with LP No. 8

  SHINee topped the iTunes top albums chart in 40 regions with eighth studio album, according to label SM Entertainment on Tuesday. LP “Hard” also was No. 1 on the worldwide iTunes albums chart as well as multiple music charts at home. The album consists of 10 tracks including the titular track and the bandmates performed six of them for the first time at its concert held in Seoul last week. Leader Onew, however, was absent from the live show as he is taking a break for health r

June 27, 2023

With pants on backward, 8TURN makes a splash with 'Uncharted Drift'

Rookie boy band 8TURN continues its adventure to break the rules with its second EP, "Uncharted Drift," which was released Monday. "We want to show we've grown with every comeback, and this time, as it's our very first, we tried hard to improve in terms of our visuals, music and performance," Yoonsung said at the band's comeback showcase held in Seoul on Monday. The fledgling team takes another go at shaking up the scene with its new summer sizzler, "Uncha

June 27, 2023

Rising K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty's outlook for near future is foggy

It has been over four months since K-pop girl group Fifty Fifty shot to fame with the hit single “Cupid” but the outlook for the group remains foggy. Although Fifty Fifty's management announced in May that the group will be releasing an album in the near future, several impediments that have emerged since then appear to be holding the group back. Attrakt, Fifty Fifty's agency, released a press statement Monday saying that there has been an attempt by a third party to poach

June 27, 2023

Band production master FNC Entertainment debuts new boy band Hi-Fi Un!corn

FNC Entertainment’s new boy band Hi-Fi Un!corn made its debut on Monday with the single “Over the Rainbow.” “We hope to comfort listeners with our music in diverse languages. We are really nervous and excited about this debut, but we can confidently say that we are ready to face the public,” said Taemin of Hi-Fi Un!corn during a press conference in Seoul to mark the band’s simultaneous debut in South Korea and Japan. Hi-Fi Un!corn consists of five members&mdas

June 27, 2023

Director over “The Moon” with sci-fi blockbuster

Director Kim Yong-hwa, whose two movies “Along with the Gods” in 2017 and 2018 notched up more than 10 million admissions each, returns with sci-fi film “The Moon.” Starring actors Sol Kyung-gu, Do Kyung-soo and Kim Hee-ae, the movie was motivated by director Kim’s long-yearning to set story around the moon and backed by Korea’s sophisticated visual effects. “While I was shooting the ‘Along With the Gods,’ I thought that even a fantasy story

June 27, 2023

[New on the Scene] Ka Sung-moon portrays human imperfections in ‘Dream Palace’

Director Ka Sung-moon described the four years he spent working on his debut feature film, “Dream Palace,” as a time of breaking barriers in the indie film scene. “For short, indie films, (I tend to work with) people who know me well, so communication is easy and the staff all understand who I am and what kind of life I have lived. But working on a long feature film required me to communicate with a variety of people and meant that I often had to persuade them (of my vision),&r

June 27, 2023

Enchanted evenings with star-studded ballet gala

Enchanted evenings of ballet gala performances by a group of star dancers from prestigious international dance companies are in store this week. The Korea World Dance Stars Festival 2023, celebrating its 20th anniversary, will take place at the Universal Arts Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday and Thursday. This year’s star-studded lineup includes Kang Hyo-jung, first soloist from the Vienna State Ballet, Lee Eun-won, principal dancer from the Washington Ballet, Chae Ji-young, prin

June 27, 2023

Shin Gu says ‘Freud’s Last Session’ could be his last play

When asked to recite a line from his latest play, Shin Gu adjusted his posture and transformed himself into Freud. “When I was a child, the two of us were walking down the street. When a man knocked his hat off, the man shouted at him, ‘Jew! Get off the sidewalk!’” Starting his lines quietly, the 86-year-old's voice crescendoed into a bellow, stunning the audience. Returning for the third season, following previous runs in 2020 and 2022, Shin is set to play Freud in

June 26, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez hits Billboard 200 at No. 2 with 9th EP

The ninth EP from Ateez debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 2, according to the publication’s preview article on Sunday in the US. “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw” notched second place on the main albums chart, marking a career-high for the band. “The World Ep. 1 Movement” from July last year was No. 3 on the chart, while first single “Spin Off: From the Witness” in December was No. 7. The mini album sold over 1.52 million copies in its first week, another rec

June 26, 2023

[Herald Review] BTS' Suga proves solo power with 'D-Day' in Seoul

Suga made a bold jump from BTS rapper to solo musician Agust D this year, dropping his first official album, "D-Day," in April and instantly kicking off a global tour. The two-month odyssey was set to end on Sunday in Seoul, with the world tour -- officially titled "Suga | Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’" making its apparent final two-day run in the rapper's home country, before Suga made the surprise announcement of encore concerts the same day. Opening the act to the

June 26, 2023

[Herald Review] 15 years after debut, SHINee makes radiant comeback with 3-day concert

The KSPO Dome in Seoul was packed Sunday with 10,000 SHINee fans, eagerly waiting for the K-pop veterans to appear on stage and kick off its much-anticipated concert. As the lights dimmed to signal the beginning of the last day of SHINee’s three-day concert, “Perfect Illumination," the dome rippled with cries of joy. Minho, Taemin and Key of SHINee appeared in front of the audience on a spacecraft-like platform singing “Chemistry.” Dressed in bejeweled sky blue suits

June 26, 2023

'Revenant,' starring evil-possessed Kim Tae-ri, off to strong start

"Revenant," a new mystery thriller from the star writer behind “Kingdom,” is off to a strong start, with two episodes aired so far. With the second episode aired Saturday, the SBS TV drama, starring Kim Tae-ri, the heroine of “Mr. Sunshine,” as the protagonist who is possessed by a devil spirit, recorded a viewership rating of 10.8 percent among the Seoul metropolitan area's TV-watching households, while nabbing 10 percent of viewers nationwide, according t

June 25, 2023

[Korean Producers] Han Seung-won: Growing bigger with smaller, original musicals

HJ Culture, a South Korean musical theater production company, embarked on its musical journey with an enchanting production of "Vincent van Gogh" in 2014. This inaugural musical set the stage for the company's commitment to introducing historical figures through musicals, bringing to life the stories of legendary artists and other luminaries in musicals "Rachmaninoff," "Farinelli," "Paganini," "Egon Schiele," "Modigliani" and &q

June 24, 2023

Fifty Fifty becomes longest-charting K-pop girl group on British Official Singles Chart

Fifty Fifty's hit song "Cupid" has set a new record for the longest entry on the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 by a K-pop girl group. According to the latest data released Friday (the United Kingdom time), the song ranked 16th, down from 12th the previous week, staying on the chart for the 13th consecutive week. The previous record for the longest-charting song from a K-pop girl group was held by "Kiss and Make Up," a collaborative single between BLACKPINK and D

June 24, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez’s 9th EP sells 1.5m in 1st week

Ateez's ninth EP sold more than 1.52 million units in its first week, according to agency KQ Entertainment on Friday. Sales of “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” which came out last week, surpasses that of its previous EP, “The World Ep. 1: Movement,” at 930,000 last year. The new album topped Oricon’s daily album ranking and worldwide iTunes albums chart as well as a number of weekly albums charts at home. The music video for main track “Bouncy (K-Hot Chilli Peppers

June 23, 2023

I.M sets off afresh with 'Overdrive'

Singer-songwriter I.M has set off afresh as a solo musician with "Overdrive," his first album dropped under his new label Sony Music. I.M, whose real name is Im Chang-kyun, released his new solo album, "Overdrive," on Friday. The album marked the artist's return as a soloist for the first time in over two years since the release of his first EP "Duality" in February 2021. "Overdrive" is the first release from the artist since he signed with Sony Music

June 23, 2023

In seventh run, Musical 'Mozart!' returns with all new faces

Musical "Mozart!" has returned for its seventh run in South Korea since its premiere in 2010. The musical follows the struggles of the genius composer and pianist until his death. EXO member Suho, musical actor Lee Hae-jun, N.Flying member Yoo Hwe-seung and singer Kim Hee-jae, who makes his musical theater debut, will take turns in the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. All four actors portraying Mozart are making their debut in the role. "The director and I expected a lot of work

June 23, 2023