'We fight because we love': Choi Yena taps into her raw, honest emotions in love

Love is not always pink, and oftentimes it brings out a raw side of us that even we had not been aware ourselves. With her first single "Love War," solo musician Choi Yena looks into such an unrefined side of herself that comes out during a heated romance. On Monday, just a day before her first anniversary, Yena dropped her first single "Love War." Ahead of the record's release at 6 p.m. that day, Yena conducted a press conference in Seoul on Monday afternoon. "Love

Jan. 17, 2023

Biggest birthday party in Hongdae returns for renaissance of indie scene

Over 120 indie rock acts will participate in one of the biggest ever "Hongdae holidays.” The event, “2023 Kyungrockjeol -- Mapo Renaissance,” kicks off Feb. 8 and runs to Feb. 12 in hopes of reviving the indie, cultural and arts scene in Hongdae. The five-day festival is hosted by Crying Nut bassist Han Kyung-rock, also known as Captain Rock, celebrating the rock band’s 28th anniversary. Captain Rock Company announced on Monday the first lineup for this year’s

Jan. 16, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jimin to release solo album: report

Jimin of BTS is set to drop his first solo album in February, according to a local media report Monday. Big Hit Music said that it would announce the specific date as soon as it is confirmed, following the report. Jimin will become the fourth member of the septet to put out solo work, following J-Hope, Jin and RM. The artist collaborated with Ha Sungwoon for the drama theme song “With You,” putting it atop iTunes top songs chart in 100 regions in record time. Along with Jin, V and J

Jan. 16, 2023

GOT the beat drops first mini album 'Stamp On It'

GOT the beat, a seven-member female unit from K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, unveiled its first mini-album “Stamp On It” on Monday. The title track “Stamp On It” is a R&B hip-hop dance song composed of a groovy piano sound and strong 808 bass beats. The lyrics center on the extreme competition to become the best on stage. Likewise, the music video for the title track is rough and powerful with a caper movie concept. GOT the beat is the first subunit that marked th

Jan. 16, 2023

‘Pachinko’ edges out ‘Attorney Woo’ at Critics Choice Awards

Apple TV+’s original series “Pachinko” was crowned as the best foreign language series at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards held in Los Angeles, Monday. Filmed in Korean, Japanese and English, the period drama follows the life of a Korean family moving to Japan in the 20th century. The drama won the award over eight other competitors in the category. Also in the running was Korean legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” starring Park Eun-bin. “It’

Jan. 16, 2023

Yeon Sang-ho tells another dystopian story through sci-fi film ‘Jung_E’

“Jung_E,” an upcoming Netfilx sci-fi film, depicts a dystopian society through director Yeon Sang-ho’s iconic dark, inscrutable characters and futuristic setting. Having told stories through zombies in “Train to Busan” (2016) and humongous supernatural monsters in “Hellbound” (2021), Yeon has chosen AI robots for his latest sci-fi project -- a rare genre in South Korea. In this cyberpunk flick, Yeon said he wanted to portray AI robots in the most Korea

Jan. 16, 2023

Taeyang dominates global charts in comeback after 6 years

Backed by K-pop phenomenon BTS' Jimin, Taeyang made a smooth return back onto global charts with his new song "Vibe." Taeyang on Friday dropped his new digital single "Vibe," featuring BTS' Jimin, and quickly found himself atop local and global music charts. According to the Black Label, Taeyang's agency, "Vibe" shot to the topmost tiers of the local music charts within an hour of its release and notched No. 1 on iTunes top songs charts in 60 regions

Jan. 16, 2023

Blackpink to take part in Yellow Pieces Gala

Blackpink is returning to Paris to perform at the Yellow Pieces Gala next Wednesday, according to local reports. The Yellow Pieces Gala is a musical charity event held to raise funds for the Hospital Foundation, a charity institution chaired by France’s first lady Brigitte Macron. Brigitte Macron took over the chair position of the foundation from the former first lady of France, Bernadette Chirac, in 2019. Since its establishment in 1989, the Hospital Foundation has been raising funds to

Jan. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korean content industry exports hit all-time high in 2021

South Korea’s exports of cultural content hit an all-time high of $12.4 billion in 2021, boosted by the global boom of Korean pop culture, a government report showed. According to a 2021 research study on the cultural content industry released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the industry’s exports increased 4.4 percent to $12.45 billion in 2021 from $11.92 billion in 2020. The content industry is an umbrella term for organizations that produce copyrighted works availa

Jan. 16, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Phantom,’ a colorful, classy spy action film set in 1930s

Director Lee Hae-young’s upcoming period action flick “Phantom” is set in Korea under Japanese colonial rule, but patriotic or historical messages are well-hidden throughout a highly-charged plot. Rather, it invites the audience to immerse themselves in stunt-studded action. Lee’s articulate approach to mise-en-sceneis also on show through the five protagonists' outfits in leather or velvet that match their characters. After shortly showing the background on how anti

Jan. 15, 2023

'Kill Boksoon' invited to Berlin International Film Festival

The 2023 Berlin International Film Festival has added Netflix' film "Kill Boksoon" at its Berlinale Special program, according to Netflix on Saturday. Selections for the Berlinale Special include documentary, feature and short films that elevate and explore cinema as an art form. The special films also try to reconnect the audience with beloved characters or people while reflecting upon current topics or history. A total of eight films have been invited to the program this year, i

Jan. 14, 2023

11-year-old cellist wins 1st prize in junior Tchaikovsky

Eleven-year-old Korean cellist Kim Jung-a won the first prize in the cello section at the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Russia, according to Korea National University of Arts on Thursday. Kim competed against seven other cellists in the final round, which was held at the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic on Monday. A total of 128 contestants from 14 countries participated in the piano, violin and cello categories this year. The finalists performed

Jan. 13, 2023

Taeyang of Bigbang returns with single collaboration with BTS' Jimin

The legendary K-pop idol group Bigbang’s Taeyang has made a comeback with a collaboration with BTS member Jimin. His new digital single, “Vibe,” was released Friday, six years after his last solo release, his third studio album “White Night.” “Vibe” is composed of addictive and strong beats that sing of subtle emotions in a relationship. Not only did the K-pop megastar take part by featuring the song but he also starred in the music video. The track is a

Jan. 13, 2023

Film industry post-pandemic recovery remains slow

Forecasts for the domestic film industry's sales are pessimistic, amid a weaker than expected recovery at the box office. The number of moviegoers reached 112.8 million in 2022, according to the 2022 Korean film industry's sales report released by the Korean Film Council on Thursday. That was more than double the 52.28 million of the year before, but still sharply down from 226.68 million in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019. Sales were 1 trillion won ($807 million) last year, 49.8 pe

Jan. 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink 1st K-pop girl group to be nominated for Brit Award

Blackpink was named as one of the nominees for 2023 The BRIT Awards, one of the most prestigious music awards in the UK. The group earned a nomination for international group of the year, along with Drake ＆ 21 Savage, First Aid Kit, Fontaines D.C. and Gabriels. The foursome is the only K-pop musicians to be nominated for the award besides BTS. BTS competed for the award in 2021 and 2022 but did not pick up the trophy. The award ceremony will be held on Feb. 12. Blackpink also was nominated for

Jan. 13, 2023

[Newsmaker] Stop-motion animation 'Mother Land' stays away from 3D effect for story about nature

“Mother Land,” South Korea’s first major stop-motion animated film in 45 years, did not use 3D effects in the film to better portray the mother nature story, the film’s director Park Jae-beom told reporters Tuesday. “When I first thought about the storyline of ‘Mother Land,’ it was obvious for me to turn it into a stop-motion animation. Not only because I’m a huge fan of stop-motion animation, but because I wanted to portray a story of mother natur

Jan. 13, 2023

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (United States) Opened Jan. 4 Adventure/Comedy Directed by Joel Crawford Puss in Boots decides to live a life as a pet cat instead of a hero, after discovering that he has burnt through eight of his nine lives. Knowing that an adventure will take its toll, Puss departs for a legendary journey to find the mythical Last Wish for the Wishing Star and restore the rest of his eight lives. With his unexpected companions -- Kitty Softpaws and the kind-hearted

Jan. 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans stuck in US, cancels activities

NewJeans could not return to Korea from the US and had to cancel activities scheduled for Friday after a flight system outage in the US grounded thousands of flights, announced agency Ador on Thursday. The group was set to appear in a television music chart show and greet fans at an autograph session but was unable to catch a flight home due to the US' Federal Aviation Administration system outage. Even though the FAA restored the system and lifted the temporary halt, airline operators have had

Jan. 12, 2023

[Herald Review] Thriller play ‘Misery’ keeps audience on edge of seats

Outside the window, it is raining heavily as lightning cracks. In the dreary atmosphere, Annie Wilkes barges into the room, her face distorted in anger, she screams, “Misery cannot be dead! How could you? You murdered her!” Unable to control her rage, Annie almost swings a chair at Paul Sheldon, unable to move due to leg injuries. Then suddenly in a surprisingly soft voice, she whispers: “Try to experience what pain is. Don’t even dream that someone will come and save you

Jan. 12, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Taeyang uploads teaser video for Jimin collab

Taeyang’s agency, the Black Label, floated a teaser trailer for the music video of his digital single, "Vibe (Feat. Jimin of BTS),” on Wednesday. Beginning with a shirtless Taeyang, the video then cuts to him and BTS' Jimin in black suits, dancing in sync to the thumping beats. The digital single, Taeyang's first solo work in over five years, will be fully unveiled on Friday. The Big Bang star will host a livestream on the day an hour before the release to discuss the new song

Jan. 11, 2023