[Today’s K-pop] (G)I-dle to begin world tour in June

(G)I-dle will launch an international tour in mid-June with concerts in Seoul, said agency Cube Entertainment on Thursday. The group will hold two concerts June 17-18 and from July, tour nine cities in Asia and the US, including Bangkok and Hong Kong, as well as New York, Chicago and San Francisco. More concerts may be added as the concert poster wrote “And More.” In the meantime, the quintet gave fans a taste of its upcoming sixth EP on Thursday. Part of “All Night,” on

April 27, 2023

Jeonju IFF opens with Cannes-winning ‘Tori and Lokita’

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday, opening the 10-day event with the Korea premiere of award-winning Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s tight, gripping moral thriller, “Tori and Lokita.” The Dardenne brothers tell the story of two underage African migrants, Tori and Lokita, who struggle to settle in Belgium. Staying at a temporary shelter for young new settlers, they work as drug dealers by night under the direction of the owner of a local pizza s

April 27, 2023

KNB to perform its re-choreographed 'Le Corsaire' in Switzerland, Germany

The Korean National Ballet is set to perform in Switzerland and Germany with its own rechoreographed version of the classical ballet “Le Corsaire” (The Pirate) in May. The company will perform at the Theatre de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 8 and at the Hessian State Theatre of Wiesbaden in Germany on May 11-12. The performances are organized to commemorate diplomatic relations between Korea and the two countries – the 60th anniversary for Switzerland, and the 140th

April 27, 2023

Health issues holding back young K-pop stars

The K-pop industry has been witnessing a recent relay of health issues among young K-pop artists. The ailments vary from physical to psychological problems. SM Entertainment announced Wednesday that Joy of girl group Red Velvet will take a temporary break from group activities due to her health condition. “Joy recently paid a visit to doctors after feeling unwell. After diagnosis, she was recommended to take a break and focus on recovery,” the statement said. “Joy will be takin

April 27, 2023

Disney Korea to hold Star Wars Day events at Jeonju IFF

Walt Disney Co. Korea will celebrate the annual Star Wars Day during the 24th edition of the Jeonju International Film Festival on May 4 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The US media giant fetes its beloved franchise on May the Fourth, referencing the popular “Star Wars” phrase “May the force be with you.” Following the Jeonju IFF opening ceremony on Friday, “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977), “Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi” (1983), “Star Wars:

April 27, 2023

Epex spells out growing pains of love in new album

K-pop boy band Epex on Wednesday released its new album "Prelude of Love Chapter 2. Growing Pains." The album comes six months after the release of its fourth EP "Prelude of Love Chapter 1. Puppy Love" in October. A few hours ahead of the album’s release on Wednesday, the eight-piece band held a press conference in Seoul. "We've been waiting for this moment for a long time. We're happy to be back," Wish said, to which Yewang added, "All the memb

April 27, 2023

Brave Girls get back in the ring after signing with Warner Music Korea

Brave Girls are returning to the music scene under a new agency, after the quartet signed with Warner Music Korea. All four members -- Minyoung, Yujeong, Yuna and Eunji -- joined Warner Music Korea, according to the label on Thursday. “We came to a mutual conclusion that we would prioritize the activities as a full unit. We will not hesitate to support their career to the fullest,” Warner Music Korea said. "We are aiming for a comeback this summer. We will be back with a fresh l

April 27, 2023

[Herald Interview] Hong Isaac and Chin Sooyoung's jazzy conversation over piano in 'Everland'

It was their attitudes, or perhaps personalities, that clicked between singer-songwriter Hong Isaac and jazz pianist Chin Sooyoung at their second encounter in October 2022. Photographer Rie -- well acquainted with both musicians and many others in the local entertainment industry -- connected the two, based on a hunch that Hong and Chin would connect artistically. She was more than right. Through six months of close-knit collaboration, Hong and Chin released their first project album "Ever

April 27, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to hold encore concert in Seoul in June

    NCT Dream will go live again in Seoul on June 2-3, announced label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. The band will greet its fans at the encore concert for the first time in seven months after its previous gig in the Korean capital. The last day’s performance will be broadcast live online. The seven-member act returned to Seoul on Sunday after its first US tour came to an end last week in Seattle. The American leg of the tour brought the bandmates to seven cities across the

April 26, 2023

K-pop girl groups to continue dominating music scene in May

The streak of comebacks by girl groups looks likely to continue in the month of May as some of the biggest female K-pop idols are gearing up for new releases. On the front line is Le Sserafim releasing its first full-length album “Unforgiven” on the first day of May. Le Sserafim will make a grandiose entrance hosting its own show that will be aired worldwide simultaneously through Mnet's and M2’s YouTube channels, as well as in CGV theaters, on the day of its album drop. T

April 26, 2023

[News Analysis] Experts, industry insiders have mixed reactions to Netflix's investment pledge

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos’ decision to invest $2.5 billion in Korean content for the next four years made headlines across local media outlets on Tuesday. The announcement represented South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s first major accomplishment on his US state visit. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Yoon said he “sincerely welcomed the unprecedented investment” made by Netflix. But some speculation remains as to whether Sarandos’ announc

April 26, 2023

[Herald Interview] IU learns to let go for ‘Dream’

Though singer and actor IU made her silver screen debut in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s award-winning “Broker” last year, she said she considers Lee Byeong-heon’s sports comedy “Dream,” which opened in local theaters this week, to be her long feature film debut. “It was so fortunate for me to debut in a long feature film with such a kind cast and nice fellow actors. It was so meaningful for me, allowing me to work with a beginner’s mindset on the movie set,

April 26, 2023

'BTS Forest' created in Seoul's Nanji park

Melon, a local music streaming service, said Wednesday it has created a forest named after the K-pop supergroup BTS as part of its eco-friendly project. Located in Nanji Han River Park in western Seoul, the BTS Forest consists of three fringe trees and 400 sacred bamboo trees, the service said, adding the trees were bought with money donated by its subscribers. According to the service, when subscribers select their favorite singer's name on the project homepage, 2 percent of their monthly

April 26, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Kiss’ explores things lost in translation

With the click of a button, we easily access news from the other side of the world. We may even feel that we understand the horrors of war when we witness images of bombings, destruction and refugees on our screens. However, can we truly comprehend the tragedy of war through mere fragments of videos and news reports? “Kiss,” the Seoul Metropolitan Theatre's opening play for the 2023 season, introduces the rising Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderon to Korea. The play serves as

April 25, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen breaks first week sales record with 10th EP

    Seventeen broke the record for sales during the first week with its tenth EP, “FML,” according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. The EP sold more than 3.99 million units on its first day, replacing the previous record set by BTS, whose fourth studio album from 2020 logged 3.37 million in the first week. The mini album is the first in K-pop history to sell more than 3 million copies in one day. The new album surpassed 4.64 million in pre-orders, another rec

April 25, 2023

[Album Review] Seventeen's "FML" encourages youth with message of hope

K-pop boy group Seventeen is ready to face the hardships of life as they returned full of energy with their 10th EP, “FML,” on Monday. The 13-member group dived deep into the difficulties the youth face in their life journey and decoded them into healthy and positive music that embraces a message of hope and encouragement. “F*ck My Life,” shouts the group through the first titular track of the new album. But the track is actually the opposite of how pessimistic the title

April 25, 2023

BTS' Suga continues successful solo career, heads overseas

Making a successful solo comeback with his new album "D-Day," Suga of sensational K-pop band BTS gears up to extend his reach to overseas. Suga on Wednesday is set to begin his global concert tour, "'Suga | Agust D-Day Tour," in the US. Following the first gig at the UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, on Wednesday, the series will continue in Newark, Rosemont, Los Angeles and Oakland until mid-May. Suga will then embark on his Asian leg of the tour, starting off with c

April 25, 2023

‘The Dessert’ poised to become the sweetest cooking competition

South Korea has had a diverse array of survival series, spanning everything from K-pop idol auditions to Korean cookery battles and grueling physical challenges. You might be forgiven for thinking there are no new survival ideas, Tving is set to add a touch of freshness with a dessert-making competition. “Dessert-related programs are not new in overseas countries but I found that South Korea did not have such programs yet. I simply wanted to take the first step to produce this type of pr

April 25, 2023

After 6 years, Taeyang rises again with 'Down to Earth'

Keeping the seed of life alive inside him as he waited six prolonged years for his comeback was the sunset, singer Taeyang said ahead of the release of his new solo album. Watching the final burning of the sky before it loses its light, he felt comforted and healed. "Sunset is always followed by the night, and I saw myself in it as I'd felt like being drowned by darkness everyday. The sunset blends into darkness without complaining, and it made me think about what I could do and how I

April 25, 2023

Korean film 'Project Silence' additionally invited to Cannes

South Korean director Kim Tae-gon's "Project Silence" has been officially invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival. The festival on Monday announced that the Korean horror "Project Silence" will be shown at the Midnight Screening section as it released a raft of new additions to the Official Selection of its 76th edition on its homepage. Starring Lee Sun-kyun and Ju Ji-hoon, the flick tells the story of people struggling to survive on a collapsing bridge shrouded

April 25, 2023