Jin Seon-kyu’s boxing comedy film ‘Count’ tells story of fearless underdogs

Actor Jin Seon-kyu garnered the spotlight through his supporting roles in “The Outlaws” (2017) and “Extreme Job” (2018) after long years of anonymity. The 45-year-old actor finally made his debut as a leading role actor in the comedy film “Count,” which is in some ways a story about Jin himself. In “Count,” Jin plays Si-heon, a former boxing Olympic medalist who now teaches students at a high school in Jinhae, North Gyeongsang Province. A stubborn

Feb. 14, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Onew adds date to 1st solo concert

Onew of SHINee will perform one more time on March 3, SM Entertainment announced Monday. He was set to host his first stand-alone concert as a solo musician, dubbed “O-New-Note,” in Seoul on March 4-5, but decided to add a day as tickets sold out upon release. The veteran idol put out his first solo album, “Voice,” in 2018 and second EP, “Dice,” last year. He also released his first full album in Japan, “Life Goes On,” last year and toured four ci

Feb. 13, 2023

'Xcalibur' to be recreated with all-female cast in Japan

“Xcalibur,” a musical by the Korean musical company EMK, will be made into a Japanese version by the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe. The Japanese production will take to the stage from July 23 to Aug. 5 at Tokyo Tatemono Brillia Hall. The Takarazuka Revue is an all-female theater troupe founded in 1913 to attract tourists to Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Daiichi Inaba will direct “Xcalibur,” featuring actress Toa Serika and Haruno Sakura in the le

Feb. 13, 2023

SHINee’s Key returns with 2nd repackaged album 'Killer'

Key of SHINee unveiled his second repackaged album, “Killer,” on Monday. The comeback comes six months after the release of Key’s second solo studio album “Gasoline” last August. The album includes three new tracks, including "Killer," “Heartless” and “Easy.” It also includes 11 tracks from Key’s second full-length album, including “Gasoline,” “I Can’t Sleep” and “Ain’t Gonna Dance.&rd

Feb. 13, 2023

‘Little Dinosaur Dooly’ returns with remastered 4K version

In celebration of the 40th year anniversary of the beloved Korean cartoon character Dooly, the 1996 cartoon series “Little Dinosaur Dooly” is making a return after 26 years on the silver screen remastered in 4K. “Little Dinosaur Dooly” was initially a cartoon series from Kim Ju-jeong and published in a cartoon magazine called Bomulseom, which translates to Treasure Island, from 1983 to 1993. It was made into a TV animation series and later released in cinemas. The story c

Feb. 13, 2023

NewJeans' 'OMG, 'Ditto' most-streamed in the US

NewJeans continues to take the world by storm, with its releases recently showing a steady yet significant growth in the US music market. "OMG" and "Ditto" were the most-streamed on Spotify in the US among all regions, the world's biggest music streaming service said Monday in a press release. "OMG," the title track of the act's namesake second EP released in January, tallied accumulated streams of 111.28 million on the global music platform as of Friday.

Feb. 13, 2023

Woodz to return with pre-release single ‘Abyss’

Singer and songwriter Woodz, also known as Cho Seung-youn, is making a comeback with the pre-release single “Abyss” from his fifth mini-album. EDAM Entertainment, Woodz's managing agency, unveiled Monday the teaser image and title of the pre-release single. The teaser image, which looks like a movie poster, shows Woodz standing alone in front of an old castle with a message that reads “It’s alright if you want a lot. I’ll let you have it all.” “Abys

Feb. 13, 2023

Enjoy latest plays from UK, France and Netherlands at Haeoreum Theater

The National Theater of Korea will screen three plays in February and March as part of “NTOK Live+,” a program introducing prominent overseas theatrical performances. Three classic plays -- Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Moliere’s “Le Tartuffe ou l'Hypocrite” and Arthur Schnitzler’s “Professor Bernhardi” -- have been reinterpreted by the National Theatre in London, La Comedie Francaise in Paris and the International Theater

Feb. 12, 2023

BTS wins 6 trophies without attendance at Hanteo awards

Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Hanteo Chart, the Hanteo Music Awards 2022 took place in person for the first time this year. The awarding ceremony happened over two days at the Jamsil Arena in Seoul, on Friday and Saturday, with the winners of the grand prizes, or "Daesang" in Korean, announced on the second night. BTS was the biggest winner of this year's awards, taking home six trophies in total, including two grand prizes, the best artist prize and the best song pr

Feb. 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] July Jung consoles victims of society’s structural abuse with her films

July Jung, who debuted with the 2014 feature film “A Girl at My Door,” has only released two films so far, but all both have been acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival. Her second feature film in 9 years, “Next Sohee,” is a gut-wrenching drama which centers on a high school student, So-hee (Kim Si-eun), who is sent to a call center for a grueling internship. Later in the film, You-jin (Bae Doo-na), a detective, looks into the death of So-hee. The film, which been selected

Feb. 12, 2023

[Herald Review] Beethoven vs. Beethoven: two takes on the great musician’s life vie for public and critical acclaim

Currently in Seoul, eight time zones from where Ludwig van Beethoven was born and died, two musicals inspired by the musician are taking place. With the exception of the source of inspiration, the two productions are like chalk and cheese. “Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano” is a small-scale production in the off-off Broadway style, while “Beethoven: The Secret” is an extravagant production that takes place in a cavernous theater boasting 2,200 seats. The former, produced by Or

Feb. 11, 2023

[Rising Virtuosos] Cellist Han Jae-min, now done with competition, seeks to grow as musician

Cellist Han Jae-min, during the final stage of a competition in November last year, was 12 minutes and 50 seconds into Yun I-sang's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra when the thickest C string snapped. He stopped with a smile on his face, left the stage to restring his instrument and took to the stage again, picking up where he had left off, per competition rules. This happened once again about 13 minutes after Han had resumed playing. His face a bit tenser than the first time, but still wit

Feb. 11, 2023

Actor Yoo Ah-in tests positive for marijuana use

Actor Yoo Ah-in has tested positive for marijuana after undergoing a drug test as part of a probe into his alleged illegal use of an anesthetic medication, police officials said Friday. Police sent his hair and urine samples to the National Forensic Service for testing Sunday when he arrived here from the United States over his alleged use of propofol for non-medical purposes. His urine sample came back positive for cannabis, classified as an illegal drug here, while results from his hair sample

Feb. 10, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink adds concert to Mexico tour

Blackpink will perform one more time in Mexico City on April 27, label YG Entertainment announced Friday. The group originally planned to only hold one concert in the Mexican capital on April 26, but tickets sold out so fast it decided to add another on the following day. The foursome is in the middle of its international tour that started last year. It visited seven cities each in North America and Europe last year for 24 concerts. It resumed the tour in Asia this year that brings the bandmate

Feb. 10, 2023

National Dance Company of Korea presents surrealistic dance work 'The RoOm'

The National Dance Company of Korea returns with its surrealistic dance work first performed five years ago. “The RoOm,” which will run from March 2 to 4 at Daloreum Theater in Seoul, first premiered in 2018 in collaboration with choreographer and producer Kim Seol-jin. “The RoOm” centers on a space that is shared by many people and filled with memories left there, according to the NDCK. Kim, a contemporary dancer, pieced together the stories of eight NDCK dancers who he

Feb. 10, 2023

Cinecube to screen 2023 Academy Awards nominated films

Independent film theater Cinecube, located in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, announced Thursday that it will screen acclaimed films that have been nominated for the 95th Academy Awards. Eleven works nominated for this year's Oscars and three others selected by Cinecube will be screened through March 28. Among the 11 nominations are six films yet to be released in the country, including "Tar," "The Whale," "The Banshees of Inisherin," "Close," "EO"

Feb. 10, 2023

Big Bang's Seungri finishes 18-month jail term

Seungri, a former member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, was released from Yeoju Prison in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday after completing his 18-month sentence, according to the Ministry of Justice. Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was indicted in January 2020 over his involvement in the “Burning Sun scandal,” a far-reaching sex and drug scandal since 2018. The 33-year-old singer began his military service during trial and was sentenced to three years in prison in a military c

Feb. 10, 2023

Studio Dragon poised to become global production house with sequels, new projects

Eyeing to become a global studio presenting its content to a wider audience, Studio Dragon, South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s drama production subsidiary, is scheduled to offer a total of 35 drama series this year. The studio's beloved series, including “The Glory” and “Sweet Home” on Netflix, “Island” on Tving and “Shadow Detective” on Disney+ will make their anticipated return with sequels this year. Studio Dragon will a

Feb. 10, 2023

SM founder Lee Soo-man joins hands with Hybe to counter SM’s Kakao partnership

SM Entertainment’s founder and former producer Lee Soo-man joined hands with Hybe in the latest development of an internal business management feud between Lee and the co-CEOs of SM. Hybe, the Korean entertainment agency that houses supergroup BTS, announced Friday that it has signed a deal with Lee Soo-man to buy 14.8 percent of his SM shares at 422.8 billion won ($334.28 million). Lee Soo-man was the largest shareholder of SM Entertainment with an 18.46 percent share. While this deal alr

Feb. 10, 2023

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

“Someday or One Day” (Taiwan) Opened Jan. 25 Drama Directed by Hwang Cheonin Struggling to get over her boyfriend after he dies in a plane accident, Huang Yu-Xuan receives a mysterious tape one day that allows her to travel back in time. She dreams of meeting her boyfriend again and questions whether she will be able to change his destiny, in this film continuation of the same-titled 2019 TV series. “The Point Men” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 18 Drama Directed by Yim So

Feb. 10, 2023