Live music is finally back, but K-pop fans feel let down

Live music has returned as the pandemic peters out, but its return has been accompanied by higher ticket prices and with a slew of unexpected problems the fans did not pay for. Just this month, the internet was abuzz following news that a Malaysian lawyer was suing the organizer of K-pop band Blackpink's concerts in his county. Lawyer Nas Rahman bought two tickets for the band's Kuala Lumpur show from its "Born Pink" world tour. However, on the day of the concert, he discover

May 25, 2023

Rapper Swings offers free tickets to his label's concert due to flat ticket sales

Rapper Swings is hosting a free concert on June 3 with the artists that he houses in his hip-hop label AP Alchemy. “It was our CEO Swings’ decision to transition from the paid concert into a free one. He invested his personal money into it,” announced AP Alchemy on Thursday. The concert slated to be held at the Tiger Dome at Korea University on June 3 was initially planned as a paid concert with 5,000 tickets on sale. But as only 800 seats were sold, Swings decided to fill up t

May 25, 2023

Song Joong-ki attends Cannes after pro bono performance in ‘Hopeless’

Actor Song Joong-ki attended the 76th Cannes Film Festival for the first time in his 15 year acting career with his action thriller flick “Hopeless.” Invited as part of the Out of Competition category, the low-budget “Hopeless” is director Kim Chang-hoon's long feature debut film. Rookie actors Hong Sa-bin and Kim Hyeong-seo, also known as singer Bibi, were next to Song during the film's world premiere and the red carpet event prior to the screening on Wednesday

May 25, 2023

BTS 'is everywhere' for 10th anniversary

K-pop superstar group BTS is throwing a city-wide festival for its 10th anniversary next month in collaboration with the Seoul city government, Big Hit Music announced Thursday. Under the title "BTS Festa," the seven-member group has held a festival every year to mark its June 13 debut anniversary, but this is the first time the agency has teamed up with a city government for the annual festival. "In celebration of the band's 10th anniversary, we're rolling out a special

May 25, 2023

Taeyong of NCT to hold fan showcase to celebrate solo debut

Taeyong of NCT is holding a fan showcase to celebrate his solo debut. According to SM Entertainment, Taeyong will present his solo debut album “Shalala” to his fans during the showcase to be held in Seoul on June 5 at 8 p.m. The showcase, titled “Code: Stage,” will consist of Taeyong’s introduction of singles from his mini album, and performance of some of the tracks including the title track for the first time onstage. He is also expected to share with fans his rem

May 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Formerly unknown K-pop boy band Vanner proves hard work pays off

It took more than four years, but K-pop group Vanner is finally making a name for themselves. Over the last few years, the group struggled. The members had to work part-time jobs just to make ends meet, as becoming a K-pop artists only left them with debt. However, those days appear to have reached their end. “Once, I met a fan when working at a store. I was really worried about what the fan would think of me after seeing me off stage. But the fan told me that she likes me for who I am, w

May 25, 2023

Monthlong ballet fest of dance spectacles from classics to hit drama series

A series of ballet performances from classics to new creative works inspired by Korean literature and hit Spanish TV drama series “Money Heist” are set to be staged next month. Under the theme of “Face the Times in Ballet,” the 13th edition of Ballet Festival Korea will showcase 11 productions by both established and emerging dancers at the Seoul Arts Center from June 8-25, the organizing committee announced during a press conference on Tuesday. The Universal Ballet is sc

May 24, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids logs 400m views with ‘God’s menu’ music video

Stray Kids reached 400 million views with the music video for “God’s Menu,” said label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. It is the band’s first video to reach the milestone and has been setting records in YouTube viewings for the band. It is also the first music video from the so-called fourth-generation K-pop boy bands. The eight-member act has nine music videos with over 100 million total views on the platform. “God’s Menu” fronted the group's first ful

May 24, 2023

[Reporter’s Note] What ‘0 Korean films’ in competition at Cannes really means

Global attention for Korean cinema reached a peak when director Bong Joon-ho won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his darkly comic thriller “Parasite” in 2019. He was the first Korean director to win the top award at Cannes, after last appearing in competition with “Okja” (2017). He was also the second Asian winner in consecutive years, following Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s triumph with “Shoplifters” (2018). After skipping a

May 24, 2023

Korean dramas’ popularity still strong in Southeast Asia

Though no Korean drama so far this year has created an international sensation to the extent of “Squid Game” (2021), or even “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022) or “Reborn Rich” (2022), there are many series that are enjoying popularity overseas, especially in the Southeast Asian market. Cable channel tvN’s fantasy series “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” has landed on Amazon Prime Video's top 10 charts in 19 countries as of Tuesday, accord

May 24, 2023

'Merchants of Venice' meets Korean traditional opera

William Shakespeare’s famous play "The Merchant of Venice," will be reborn as "changgeuk," a traditional Korean opera, next month, with a contemporary twist. From June 8 to 11, the National Changgeuk Company of Korea will present the first changgeuk adaption of “The Merchant of Venice,” a highly anticipated production that has brought together renowned theater creators and talented "pansori" performers. “The Changgeuk Company has made numerou

May 23, 2023

[Herald Interview] Actor Lee Soon-jae celebrates 68-year acting career as King Lear

Actor Lee Soon-jae, celebrating the 68th year of his acting career this year, is set to make his return as King Lear in William Shakespeare’s tragic play “King Lear.” The production, which sold out during its premiere in 2021, is scheduled for performances at the LG Arts Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, from June 1-18. Lee will play the role of King Lear, an aged king whose plan to step down from the throne and divide his kingdom equally among his three daughters ends tragically. &

May 23, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids to greet fans in Seoul in July

Stray Kids will hold its third fan meet event in Seoul on July 1-2, announced label JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. Titled “Pilot: For Five-Star,” the eight bandmates will meet fans in person over two days, and the second day’s live performance will be broadcast online as well. Its last fan meeting was held around 1 1/2 years ago. The event was named after its third studio album, “Five-Star,” which is due out on June 2. The album consists of 12 tracks including main

May 23, 2023

Super Junior named as ambassador of Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority

Super Junior is the new ambassador of the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority, SM Entertainment announced Tuesday. The inauguration took place during a tourism roadshow at the Westin Josun Seoul on Monday. “We will do the most we can to advertise tourism in Saudi Arabia. We were recently invited to the country by the Saudi Arabia Tourism Authority and there we made unforgettable memories. Saudi Arabia was not as far as we thought because there is a direct flight from South Korea to Saudi Arabia

May 23, 2023

Fantagio’s new boy group Lun8 to debut on June 15

Fantagio’s new boy group Lun8 will debut on June 15, the agency said Tuesday. The eight-member group is dropping its first mini album “Continue?” on the same day, according to Fantagio. The eight-piece is Fantagio's first boy group in seven years since the debut of Astro. Lun8 consists of seven Korean members -- Chael, Jinsu, Junwoo, Dohyun, Ian, Eunho and Eunseop -- and one Japanese member, Takuma. The group name holds the meaning of “eight boys who embrace the moon

May 23, 2023

Blackpink's Jennie in Cannes for acting debut

Jennie of K-pop band Blackpink made her first foray into the Cannes Film Festival Monday, marking her acting debut in style. The K-pop singer attended the red carpet event for the international film festival's 76th edition held in Cannes, France. This was her first attendance at the fest. The event took place on Monday, prior to the Out of Competition gala premiere of HBO drama series "The Idol," with which Jennie is making her acting debut. Two of the show's six episodes wer

May 23, 2023

B.I becomes first K-pop artist to perform at Lollapalooza Berlin

K-pop solo artist B.I will perform at Lollapalooza Berlin, one of the biggest music festivals taking place at Olympiastadion and Olympiapark Berlin on September 9-10. He is the first K-pop artist to perform at the festival, according to 131 Label. B.I will take the stage on Sept. 10 along with other renowned artists including Imagine Dragons, Macklemore and Jason Derulo. B.I has previously performed at various hip hop festivals in both South Korea and abroad, including the Amazon Music Festival,

May 23, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘The Roundup: No Way Out’ sticks to tried-and-true action comedy formula

Don Lee is undoubtedly top dog when it comes to the crime action genre in Korea, and does little to disappoint fans with the third film starring combative detective Ma Seok-do. Just like its smash-hit predecessors “The Outlaws” (2017) and “The Roundup” (2022), threequel “The Roundup: No Way Out” diligently adheres to the action comedy formula -- action-packed scenes and a simple but satisfying plot line of a lead character knocking down villains -- of course i

May 23, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kard returns with steamy moombahton song

Co-ed quartet Kard is back after almost a year with its new track "Icky," another of the group's signature steamy moombahton sounds. "We didn't expect to take this long. We wanted the album to be good and we created every song very thoughtfully. The album is jam-packed with Kard's unique colors," the group's main vocalist Somin said at a joint interview with the local media on Thursday. "Icky" marks the group's comeback in almost 11 months s

May 23, 2023

‘Sleep,’ ‘Project Silence’ premiere at 76th Cannes Film Festival

Two Korean films invited to noncompetition categories at the 76th Cannes Film Festival each held screenings with the directors and main actors receiving the spotlight on the red carpet and at the theater after their world premieres. Director Kim Tae-gon’s “Project Silence” was scheduled for 12:30 a.m. Monday in Cannes, as it was invited to the Midnight Screening, an out-of-competition section dedicated to films with popular appeal and artistic value. Main actors Lee Sun-kyun, J

May 22, 2023