Three Korean films confirm April release, gear up to top local box office

Three South Korean films will be released in April with the support of local multiplex theaters in an attempt to top local box offices currently dominated by foreign films such as Japanese animated films “Suzume” and “The First Slam Dunk.” According to local multiplex theaters CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox, films “Rebound,” “Killing Romance” and “Dream” will open in April, along with sponsorships by multiplex theaters to revitalize loca

March 12, 2023

‘HyeMiLeeYeChaePa’ director confident show will become ENA’s next big hit

Local cable channel ENA, which made a name for itself with the megahit legal drama series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022), is aiming for another memorable hit with a highly anticipated weekly variety show called “HyeMiLeeYeChaePa.” The travel show is named after the first syllable of cast members' names: Singer-turned-actor Hyeri, Miyeon of (G)I-dle, Leejung of dance crew YGX, vocalist Choi Yena, Chaewon of Le Sserafim and TV personality Patricia. “If &lsqu

March 11, 2023

BLACKPINK sets Guinness world record for most-streamed girl group on Spotify

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK was inscribed on the Guinness World Records as the most-streamed girl group on Spotify in the world, the group's agency said Saturday. The band's songs had garnered 8.88 billion streams as of March 3, breaking the previous record of 8.4 billion streams set by the British girl group Little Mix, YG Entertainment said, citing the announcement from the Guinness World Records. "Shut Down," the main single off BLACKPINK's second full-length album, to

March 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids tops Oricon monthly chart with 1st Japan LP

    (Credit: JYP Entertainment) Stray Kids claimed the top spot on Oricon’s monthly album chart with first studio album in Japan “The Sound,” announced label JYP Entertainment on Friday. Since the release on Feb. 22, the LP has swept Oricon charts, from daily and weekly to weekly combined. The LP consists of 10 tracks, including the titular track and Japanese-language version of “Case 143” and “Thunderous,” lead tracks from EP “Maxid

March 10, 2023

Yet untold stories of 'In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal' are more horrifying and cruel, director says

Among the four Korean religious cult leaders featured in Netflix’s latest Korean documentary series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” Jeong Myeong-seok – the leader of the Christian Gospel Mission, better known as the Jesus Morning Star or JMS church – has been taking over local headlines. “I recognized that many viewers felt uneasy with professor Kim Do-hyeong’s stories featured in the series, but they make up only one tenth of his experiences over

March 10, 2023

Tving’s ‘Island’ enjoys global popularity

Tving's latest sci-fi action thriller has landed on Amazon Prime Video top 10 charts in at least 17 countries as of Thursday, according to the South Korean online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM. Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon. “Island” topped Amazon Prime Video’s TV charts in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. It was listed among the top 10 on charts in 13 countries, including Br

March 10, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Devil’s Deal” (South Korea) Opened March 1 Drama/Thriller Directed by Lee Won-tae “The Devil’s Deal,” set in Busan in 1992, centers on both the confrontations and collaborations among an ever-unsuccessful politician, Hae-yong (Cho Jin-woong), a political heavyweight Soon-tae (Lee Sung-min), and a gang boss Pil-do (Kim Moo-yeol), together with their instinctive desire and betrayal revolving around power and money. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

March 10, 2023

[Graphic News] K-content exports hit all-time high

South Korea’s exports of the content industry hit an all-time high of $12.4 billion for the country in 2021, boosted by the global boom of Korean pop culture, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The ministry said it will increase such exports by an average of 12.3 percent every year to achieve $25 billion in 2027 by pushing its so-called “3E strategies” for K-content exports. Currently, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan account for more than half of South

March 10, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NCT to launch 1st subunit album: report

Eighteen-member NCT is preparing to roll out the first album of its subunit consisting of members Doyoung, Jaehyun and Jungwoo, according to a local media report on Thursday. The subunit is set to debut in the first half of this year, it added. Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. The three members performed their song, “Can’t We Go Back,” for the first time at NCT127’s standalone concert held in Seoul in October last year, raising expectations

March 9, 2023

Kwak Si-yang, Jo Yoon-seo to star in occult horror film

Actors Kwak Si-yang and Jo Yoon-seo will star in the occult horror film, “Three Evil Island” (working title), directed by Chae Ki-jun, according to film distributor The Content On. “Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021) star Kwak will play Japanese journalist Matsuda Ryuhei, who accompanies Chae So-yeon (Jo Yoon-seo), a TV producer who specializes in investigating pseudo-religions. “Three Evil Islands” (working title) tells the story of the investigative reporting tea

March 9, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ creators deny manipulation in final match

The production team of the Netflix show “Physical: 100” disclosed the original video recordings of the show's final match and emphasized that “there was no manipulation of the results.” The reality survival program, which aimed to find the fittest among 100 contestants, crowned CrossFit athlete and snowboarder Woo Jin-yong as the winner after the final “rope pulling” match against Olympic cyclist Jung Hae-min on Feb. 21. However, controversy arose when ru

March 9, 2023

[Newsmaker] BTS' Suga marks birthday with donations for Turkey, Syria

Suga of BTS donated 100 million won ($75,700) to support relief efforts in Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the major earthquakes there. Global NGO Save the Children on Thursday said Suga delivered the 100 million won fund to the organization to help the children who have been affected by the disaster. The producer-rapper of BTS turned 30 on Thursday. The organization added that Suga's donation will be used to buy blankets, mattresses, stationery and other relief supplies and deliver th

March 9, 2023

Rachmaninoff gets spotlight to mark 150th anniversary of his birth

Sergei Rachmaninoff's music holds a special place in the hearts of many Koreans, with his Piano Concerto No. 2 consistently ranking among the top five classical music pieces in surveys conducted by KBS Classic FM in 1982, 2009, 2016 and 2021. The Piano Concerto No. 3 has become more familiar for Korean audiences after Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan's captivating performance during the final of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Competition. The video of his performance on YouTube has garn

March 9, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Twice sells 1.7m copies of 12th EP in pre-orders

Twice's upcoming EP sold over 1.7 million copies in pre-orders, announced label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. The group’s 12th EP “Ready to Be,” due out on Friday, is set to be another multi-million-seller following the previous EP “Between 1＆2” in August last year. Expectations for the album have been high, and pre-release from the EP “Moonlight Sunrise” ranked No. 84 on Billboard’s Hot 100 last month. The nine-member group will perform the mai

March 8, 2023

Fandom merchandise may have environmental repercussions: survey

Collecting fandom merchandise, a trend which began with giveaways to entice fans to buy albums, and was found to be one of the biggest reasons behind album purchases, has led to environmental concerns surrounding the disposal of plastic discs. The Korean Consumer Agency on Tuesday announced that 52.7 percent of K-pop fans answered that they had bought albums to “get fandom merchandise” in a survey of 500 citizens who purchased fandom-related goods over the latest two years. Fandom me

March 8, 2023

Alliance for Protection of Videogram to fight against pirate content sites

Major South Korean broadcasters, KBS, MBC, JTBC, and the Korean Copyright Commission have joined forces with the production company Studio LuluLala (SLL) and the video streaming platforms Wavve and Tving to launch an alliance to stop the illegal act of digital piracy, on Wednesday. Collaborating with the world’s leading content protection coalition, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, the Alliance for Protection of Videogram plans to take strict measures against any issues in re

March 8, 2023

‘Suzume’ director says he was inspired by 2016 drama ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai of the latest adventure animation film “Suzume,” which references the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that took nearly 20,000 lives and left much devastation, said the key motif of a magical door that a protagonist tries to close to stop the disaster was inspired by the 2016 hit South Korean drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” “When I watched ‘Guardian,’ it was impressive that the characters use a concept of door to move a

March 8, 2023

Aespa the 1st K-pop band to perform at Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

K-pop girl group aespa is taking part in the American outdoor music festival Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, the first K-pop band to do so. The festival consists of around 90 different performances on six different stages to be held on Aug. 11 to 13 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The festival also hosts diverse events and booths with foods representing different regions in America. More than 220,000 people flock to the annual festival which, this year, will feature Kendrick Lamar

March 8, 2023

‘Penthouse’ star Lee Ji-ah returns with another vengeful woman story

Lee Ji-ah is returning to the small screen in the action-packed revenge series “Pandora: Beneath the Paradise.” The 16-part mystery-action thriller revolves around ordinary housewife Hong Tae-ra (Lee), who is living her dream life. The story develops as Tae-ra’s long-forgotten, heartbreaking memories come back to her, leading her to plot all-out revenge against those responsible. The 44-year-old actor explained that her character was raised to become a professional killer. Port

March 8, 2023

[Herald Interview] Jung Jae-il: Breaking barriers beyond international success

Music director, composer and instrumentalist Jung Jae-il gained international recognition with his musical work for critically acclaimed films and TV dramas such as “Okja” (2017), “Parasite” (2019) and “Squid Game" (2021). In Korea, the 41-year-old has been making his mark on the industry for 25 years since his debut at 17. Jung is currently working with movie director Bong Joon-ho for his next film ‘Mickey 17.’ He recently had the opportunity to wo

March 8, 2023