‘Gangnam Zombie’ fails to pique interest with not-so-grisly outbreak

Director Lee Soo-seong released his second zombie movie “Gangnam Zombie” Thursday, 13 years after he filmed “Mr. Zombie.” The zombie apocalypse had been an omnipresent element in almost all types of arts from video games to music and movies, long before it pervaded Korean movies and dramas and became a prolific genre. And in recent years, zombies in films and dramas such as “Train to Busan,” “Kingdom” and “All of Us are Dead” have becom

Jan. 5, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink tops 2b views with ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ video

Blackpink rewrote history with the music video for “Ddu-du Ddu-du” as it topped 2 billion views on YouTube. It is the first video to reach the milestone in K-pop history, underlined label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. The megahit is the title track from its first EP “Square Up” that hit the Billboard 200 at No. 40 when it came out in 2018. The song was No. 55 on its Hot 100 chart while the music video was the most-viewed K-pop video in the year on the platform. The quar

Jan. 4, 2023

Moonbin, Sanha of Astro make return as perfumers with 'Incense'

Moonbin and Sanha of K-pop band Astro released their third EP, "Incense," on Wednesday, along with the music video for lead track "Madness." The two members conducted a press conference Wednesday afternoon ahead of the album's release. "I'm excited and nervous. I'm also a little worried whether our fans will be satisfied, but we've really put in our everything so there is no regret," Sanha said during Wednesday's event. "Incense" m

Jan. 4, 2023

Big Bang's Taeyang to return with “Vibe” next week featuring BTS’ Jimin

Taeyang of Big Bang is making a grandiose comeback with a collaboration with BTS member Jimin. His new digital single, “Vibe,” will be released next Friday at 2 p.m., Taeyang’s new agency, the Black Label, announced Wednesday with a teaser image. The teaser image shows Taeyang and Jimin dressed in black and red standing together and gazing into the camera. The single comes six years after his last solo release, his third studio album "White Night." Jimin’s uniqu

Jan. 4, 2023

Jang Keun-suk returns to small screen with ‘Decoy’

Top star Jang Keun-suk is returning to the small screen for the first time in five years in Coupang Play’s new crime thriller “Decoy” set to start airing on Jan. 27. The upcoming project is the 35-year-old actor's first for a streaming service original series since his discharge from the military in May 2020. His most recent TV series include SBS’ “Switch” in 2018 and “The Royal Gambler” (2016). The 12-part series centers around the man behind

Jan. 4, 2023

NewJeans' new title track "OMG" follows success of "Ditto" while MV draws controversy

NewJeans is at it again, taking over local and international music charts with their tracks “Ditto” and “OMG” from their new album “OMG” unveiled on Monday. Following the success of the prerelease track “Ditto" is the title track “OMG,” trending in both South Korea and abroad. It reached No. 1 on the iTunes Top Song chart in nine countries including Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. “OMG” is a hip-hop R&B with a mix of tra

Jan. 4, 2023

Jeonju International Film Festival to support indie films overseas

Jeonju International Film Festival will support the global distribution of local indie films with a new program this year. According to the festival organizing committee, the Work in Progress program will be established this year as part of the festival’s 15-year-running networking program for indie art filmmakers, called Jeonju Project. While the committee already operates a networking program dedicated to documentary films under its K-DOC Class program, the latest program will invite f

Jan. 4, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Moon Man’ follows familiar plot, adds romantic twist

“Moon Man,” a Chinese sci-fi comedy film which was adapted from the Korean webtoon “Moon You” by Cho Seok, follows the original’s familiar plot of a stranded survivor, but takes a unique turn that different generations can enjoy. Sticking to the webtoon storyline, “Moon Man,” centers on Dugu Yue, played by Chinese comedy star Shen Teng, who is accidentally stranded in a lunar research facility after an asteroid destroys Earth and believes he is the last

Jan. 4, 2023

Twice to drop new English single 'Moonlight Sunrise'

K-pop girl group Twice will unveil its new English single "Moonlight Sunrise" later this month, making its first step of the new year. JYP Entertainment, the act's agency, on Wednesday said Twice will drop the new song, a prerelease from the upcoming album, at 2 p.m. on Jan. 20. Ahead of the announcement, JYP posted on the act's social media the online cover image of "Moonlight Sunrise," revealing the title for the first time. The image showed a blurry white orb han

Jan. 4, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s ‘Shut Down’ music video tops 300m views

The music video for Blackpink’s “Shut Down” has amassed 300 million views on YouTube, label YG Entertainment said Tuesday. The video reached the milestone 109 days after the release. “Shut Down” is the main track from the group’s second studio album “Born Pink.” The album landed atop Billboard 200 and has been on the chart for 12 weeks. The song hit the Hot 100 chart at No. 25 and stayed on it for six weeks. The dance practice video for Lisa&rsquo

Jan. 3, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lee Min-jung wants to deliver heartwarming, universal message through ‘Switch’

Eleven years after playing an idol singer-turned-radio DJ in rom-com “Love On-air,” actor Lee Min-jung returns to the big screen, this time as a devoted and loving wife. In “Switch,” which hits theaters Wednesday, Lee plays Soo-hyun who suddenly has to financially support her husband and A-list actor Park Kang (Kwon Sang-woo) gets in a taxi on Christmas Day and wakes up the next day as his manager, Joo Yoon (Oh Jung-se). “I think I’m 80 percent like Soo-hyun,

Jan. 3, 2023

[Video] “Asia” cast play “Guess who” I Exclusive interview with the cast of film “Asia” (Part 3)

It’s here – the final episode of our three-part interview series with the cast of the film “Asia”! Check out the other episodes if you haven’t already and let us know what you think!

Jan. 3, 2023

Musical industry made dramatic comeback in 2022

Rebounding from two years of pandemic-related difficulties, South Korea's performing arts industry came back last year stronger than ever, backed by record ticket sales in musicals. According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, which collects and analyzes ticket sales data, the total number of ticket sales for performing arts reached 545.2 billion won ($429 million) as of Dec. 28. Out of 545.2 billion won, 76.2 percent (415.5 billion won) was attributed to ticket sal

Jan. 3, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Jisoo ready for solo album

Jisoo of Blackpink is gearing up to put out her first solo album, YG Entertainment said Monday. She is currently in the process of recording songs. She has already finished shooting the jacket cover for the album and has been devoting what time she has while touring the world to working on the album, the company said, adding that she will soon be able to announce good news to fans. She will be the last member of the quartet to release solo work. Jennie was the first, dropping “Solo”

Jan. 2, 2023

What to look forward to from K-pop in 2023

The year that just ended saw the Korean music scene go through a whirlwind of changes. But don't sit back yet, as the new year is already hyping up with unexpected returns, anniversary celebrations and lingering questions to be answered. Among the biggest events to come this year is the unveiling of a new YG Entertainment girl group. The company broke the news at midnight on Sunday, releasing a video that gave a peek into the upcoming girl group to be named Baby Monster. According to the vi

Jan. 2, 2023

[Herald Review] From laughter to tears, BTOB gifts fans with 10th anniversary concert

As the lights went off to signal the beginning of the long-awaited concert of the K-pop boy band BTOB, the concert hall turned into a sea of shimmering blue as chanting fans waved their fandom light sticks. BTOB kicked off their 10th-anniversary concert, “2022 BTOB TIME [Be Together],” on Friday at the KSPO Dome in Jamsil, Seoul, singing “Finale.” The act of six was overwhelmed with emotions as they were welcomed onstage with cries of joy from their fandom, Melody, whom t

Jan. 2, 2023

Broadcasters’ drama awards mostly ignored by viewers

With lesser-known projects and decreasing viewership ratings, local broadcasters’ annual award ceremonies were largely ignored by the public. Since the 1980s, the three major broadcasters -- SBS, KBS and MBC -- have recognized outstanding achievements in Korean dramas through year-end award ceremonies aired on their respective networks. The prizes are awarded to applaud the stars’ performance and dedication. It was a chance for broadcasters to show what it felt were the biggest ser

Jan. 2, 2023

'Next Sohee' starring Bae Doo-na to hit theaters next month

Director Jung Ju-ri's drama thriller, “Next Sohee” starring Bae Doo-na, will be released in local cinemas in February. “Next Sohee” is director Jung’s newest release since “A Girl at My Door” (2014) which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. "Next Sohee" sees Jung reunited with Bae after "A Girl at My Door," and features Kim Si-eun as the other protagonist. This is Kim's full-length

Jan. 2, 2023

Streaming services to offer closer look at K-pop stars

Streaming services are looking to quench the thirst of K-pop fans with documentary series featuring their beloved artists in early 2023. Disney+ announced that it would release a music documentary of K-pop boy band Super Junior, titled “Super Junior: The Last Man Standing,” on Jan. 18. The upcoming series presents the 17-year journey of the boy band. The show looks back on past achievements as well as showcasing Super Junior as a group as well as individual members on TV shows, radio

Jan. 1, 2023

[Newsmaker] Hollywood blockbusters, pandemic-deferred films to open in 2023

The year that just ended was all about finally seeing a number of movies that began production prior to the pandemic. Despite better-than-expected ticket sales, having so many options to watch comfortably at home led many film buffs and moviegoers to stay inside. How will upcoming movies this year impact ticket sales at the cinema? From Hollywood’s megasized projects to a variety of local films finally meeting audiences after enduring setbacks and delays due to the pandemic, following are

Jan. 1, 2023