World-renowned musicians debut experimental opera in Korea

International chamber ensemble Sejong Soloists will join hands with Joyce DiDonato, one of the world's most celebrated opera singers, to perform the Asian premiere of Tod Machover’s “Overstory Overture” in Seoul on March 16. “Overstory Overture” is inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Overstory” by Richard Powers, which explores the relationship between humans and nature. Machover, known for his innovative approach to music, said in a r

Feb. 22, 2023

More terrestrial talent hops over to streaming

After breaking the boundary between films and TV shows by releasing multiple episodes of drama series at once, video streaming services are bringing about yet another change in the South Korean media environment: content creators working across different platforms. When terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s star director Kim Tae-ho, 47, made his Netflix debut with “The Hungry and the Hairy” in 2021, Kim's fans, industry insiders and experts felt that would be a one-time thing, as

Feb. 22, 2023

Koo Kyo-hwan to take on first-ever lead role in SF film ‘Looking for King’

“D.P” star Koo Kyo-hwan will take on his first-ever lead role in the upcoming sci-fi film “Looking for King” (working title), directed by Won Shin-yun of “The Battle: Roar to Victory” (2019). “Looking for King,” set in the 1980s, revolves around an Army surgeon Do-jin (Koo) who encounters an unexpected guest at a town called Punch Bowl, located inside the demilitarized zone. Along with Koo, actor Yoo Jae-myung will star as a righteous town reside

Feb. 22, 2023

SM announces IP monetization strategy

SM Entertainment on Tuesday announced its intellectual property monetization strategy, a business it sees as a core growth area and the first part of the company’s ambitious SM 3.0 business project to be unveiled. Under the plan, the K-pop powerhouse targets at reaching 1.2 trillion won ($926 million) in revenue with an operating margin of 35 percent by 2025. This would be a 134 percent growth in sales compared to the 512.1 billion won in preliminary sales last year. SM plans to achieve s

Feb. 22, 2023

Twice to set off on world tour in Spring

K-pop girl group Twice is getting back on the plane this April to embark on its fifth world tour, “Ready To Be." This comes a year and four months after their last world tour, with this tour to it be held on the largest scale yet. Twice will kick off the tour in Seoul at the KSPO Dome on April 15 for two days, according to a statement by JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. As of now, they are scheduled to play 17 shows in 14 different cities across South Korea, Australia, Japan and North Am

Feb. 22, 2023

Jimin of BTS to debut solo with 'Face' on March 24

Jimin of K-pop band BTS is set to make his official solo debut in March. BTS' agency Big Hit Music on Wednesday announced Jimin will drop a new solo album titled "Face" on March 24, taking his first step as a solo musician. According to the agency, "Face" will be an album that shares Jimin's story of facing himself before embarking on a new journey as a solo artist. With the album, Jimin is set to portray his musical universe and unique talents through his charming

Feb. 22, 2023

NTCK starts new season with ‘Manseon’

The National Theater Company of Korea starts the 2023 season with realism drama “Manseon: The Yearning of a Fisherman” in March. The acclaimed play of depth and energy is slated to run at Myeongdong Theater from March 16 to April 9. Set in a small village on the southern coast, a fisherman named Gomchi harbors dreams of making a fortune with a boatload of fish -- white croakers specifically. However, he becomes penniless when the ship owner charges him extortionate rates of interest

Feb. 21, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS amasses 700m views with ‘Save Me’ music video

The music video for BTS’ “Save Me” surpassed 700 million views on YouTube on Monday, according to Big Hit Music on Tuesday. It is the band’s 11th music video to reach the milestone. It was touted as a “top-notch music video” as the artists “perform their intense choreography … in a one-take video which solidifies how strong and cohesive this group is with their performances,” commented American media outlet Fuse TV when it was unveiled. &ld

Feb. 21, 2023

[Herald Interview] Jason Kim dedicates ‘My Heart Puppy’ to his beloved dog

Anyone who has a dog will experience heartbreak at least once -- letting your beloved companion go. But it’s not so easy to make a film dedicated to your dear dog. Jason Kim, the filmmaker behind the 2017 action comedy hit “Midnight Runners,” is releasing “My Heart Puppy,” a canine-themed film based on his own personal experiences of separation from his 10-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. “I raised two dogs called Rooney and Ray, small Yorkshire Terriers less tha

Feb. 21, 2023

Disney+’s ‘Call It Love’ presents realistic love story

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., presents a calm, soothing romance of ordinary people in its upcoming series “Call It Love.” The slice-of-life series follows the lead characters who fall in love at first sight, a departure from the big, sweeping romances featuring estranged childhood sweethearts or dramatic plot twists. Director Lee Kwang-young said the stories of her romance series will be told at a slow pace, allowing viewers to slowly imme

Feb. 21, 2023

The Boyz returns as fallen angels for 8th mini album "Be Awake"

The Boyz unveiled their eighth mini album, “Be Awake,” on Monday during a media showcase in Seoul. The full-unit return comes six months after the group released its seventh mini album “Be Aware.” Eric is back with the group after a year of hiatus that he had taken due to health issues. The new album “Be Awake” tells the story of boys that fight for love after realizing they have fallen in love. The Boyz transformed into fallen angels, showing their dark insti

Feb. 21, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT stays among top 10 on Billboard 200

Tomorrow X Together maintained a spot on the Billboard 200 for the third week, according to a preview article from the publication. The group's fifth EP “The Name Chapter: Temptation” ranked No. 10 on the chart dated Feb. 25, making them the third K-pop act to sit among the top 10 on the chart for three weeks in a row, following BTS and Blackpink. The EP debuted on the chart at No. 1 and was No. 3 the following week. The album sold more than 2.18 million copies in its first week. Se

Feb. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Yim Si-wan seeks balance between singing, acting

Yim Si-wan’s latest thriller film, “Unlocked,” depicts the 34-year-old actor as psychopathic killer Jun-young, who hacks into Na-mi's (Chun Woo-hee) smartphone and later threatens to kill her. It’s hard to imagine the actor, who started out in entertainment as part of idol boy band ZE:A and usually exudes a prince charming image, as a ruthless villain. But Yim said it was not difficult to get into character. It is Yim’s second time playing the villain after &ld

Feb. 20, 2023

Kim Yun-seok, Yoon Kye-sang to star in Netflix’s ‘Alone in the Woods’

Global streaming service Netflix announced a star-studded lineup for its new mystery series “Alone in the Woods” on Monday. “Alone in the Woods” will mark South Korean movie star Kim Yun-seok’s first drama series in 16 years. His last television role was in MBC’s human drama “Do Well” (2006-2007). Since then Kim has worked exclusively on big-screen projects as a lead actor, including in heist movie “The Thieves” (2012) and action film &

Feb. 20, 2023

NewJeans debut album "New Jeans" sells 1M copies

NewJeans became the first K-pop female act to sell more than one million copies of a debut album with their EP "New Jeans." The album sold a total of 1,036,811 copies by Feb. 11, according to data collected by Circle Chart. This is the first time since Circle Chart’s record began in 2011 that a K-pop act’s debut album has sold more than a million copies. NewJeans came out with its namesake debut EP on Aug. 1 and took the music world by storm as “Attention” and &

Feb. 20, 2023

SM raises concern over K-pop industry monopolization

SM Entertainment raised concerns over the K-pop industry monopolization that could result from Hybe’s acquisition of SM. SM Entertainment’s Chief Financial Officer Jang Cheol-hyuk took to the company’s official YouTube Channel on Monday to lay out the reasons why the company opposes Hybe’s “hostile” merger and acquisition. The video was titled "The reason why SM is against HYBE's hostile takeover." “SM and Hybe are the largest entertainmen

Feb. 20, 2023

Korean variety show ‘Jinny’s Kitchen’ to debut in Amazon Prime

South Korean movie stars Lee Seo-jin, Park Seo-joon and K-pop boy band BTS’ V are scheduled to make their variety show debut on Amazon Prime Video with its much-anticipated travel series, “Jinny’s Kitchen.” Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon. As the first Korean reality program available on Amazon’s streaming service, “Jinny’s Kitchen” features the cast members’ journey to present popular on-the-g

Feb. 19, 2023

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (US) Opened Feb. 15 Action Directed by Peyton Reed In this sequel to "Ant-Man" (2015) and "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018) and the 31st film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp explore the Quantum Realm and interact with strange new creatures. “Titanic” (US) Opened Feb. 8 Romance Directed by James Cameron Celebrating the 25th anniversary of James Cameron’s box office phenomenon “Titani

Feb. 18, 2023

Bong Joon-ho returns to Florence Korean Film Fest after 12 years

South Korean star director Bong Joon-ho will attend the Florence Korean Film Fest for the first time in 12 years. Bong will participate in a master class on April 6 at the festival, which introduces Korean films throughout Europe and particularly in Italy, according to festival organizer Taegeukgi Cultural Association. His last visit to the fest, which has been held annually for the past 21 years, was in 2011. “We are pleased to have director Bong, one of the most widely acclaimed filmmake

Feb. 18, 2023

SM, Hybe dispute snowballs over Lee Soo-man tax evasion allegation

The feud between SM Entertainment and Hybe is escalating as the two companies continue to refute each other's position in relation to SM founder Lee Soo-man's suspected offshore tax evasion. The allegation was first made Thursday by SM's co-CEO Lee Sung-soo, also the founder's nephew, when he posted a video to YouTube exposing his uncle's alleged offshore tax evasion. In the video, the CEO claimed Lee Soo-man had established a production company in Hong Kong in 2019 unde

Feb. 17, 2023