[Today’s K-pop] SF9, with Rowoon, to release 12th EP

SF9 will return with a 12th EP on Jan. 9, 2023, announced agency FNC Entertainment on Tuesday. The band surprised fans with a poster for the EP, “The Piece of 9,” that will be fronted by “Puzzle.” Seven members of the nine-piece act participated in releasing the album, including Rowoon who was absent from promoting its previous EP “The Wave of 9” as he was shooting a drama. He also missed the band’s recent US tour. The six members of the band toured New

Dec. 20, 2022

Hwang Jung-min, Hyun Bin say overseas filming for 'The Point Men' challenging

Actors Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin said shooting for their upcoming movie “The Point Men” was challenging as the majority of scenes took place overseas in Jordan, where the scorching heat proved exhausting. Although the movie is set in Afghanistan, based on the true event when 23 South Korean missionaries were captured as hostages in 2007, director Lim Soon-rye suffered various setbacks and chose Jordan after visiting the country three times. “I focused on portraying the tens

Dec. 20, 2022

NewJeans reclaims No. 1 in local charts with 'Ditto'

NewJeans’ pre-release track “Ditto” from their upcoming single “OMG” topped local charts just within a few hours following its release on Monday at 6 p.m., setting a new record for the rookies. “Ditto,” a winter-themed subtle pop song, helped the girls take the throne once again following the success of their previous singles "Attention," "Hype boy," and "Cookie," in local music charts including Flo, Bugs, Genie and Melon. N

Dec. 20, 2022

Screenwriter Kim Eun-sook challenges new genre with Song Hye-kyo

Top Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-sook and actor Song Hye-kyo is set to highlight the year-end with the female-led revenge drama “The Glory” on Netflix. While many drama fans were surprised with the renowned melodrama writer’s decision to make her Netflix debut with a thriller suspense, Kim explained that the life as a mother of a high school student gave her huge inspiration for the story. “I will become a mother of an 11th grade student in 2023. School violence is a ver

Dec. 20, 2022

BTS' Busan concert 'Yet To Come' to hit global cinemas

K-pop sensation BTS' latest concert in Busan will be screened via CGV in February around the world. CGV, the leading multiplex franchise run by the local entertainment giant CJ ENM, said on Tuesday that it is releasing the live recording of "BTS 'Yet To Come' in Busan" as a movie on Feb. 1. The film will be officially titled "BTS: Yet To Come in Cinemas," and get a global release via the multiplex's theaters in over 110 countries around the world, CGV said

Dec. 20, 2022

Singer Eru booked for alleged drunk driving

Singer Eru was booked for investigation Tuesday for allegedly driving while under the influence of alcohol, police said. The 39-year-old singer, whose real name is Cho Sung-hyun, crashed his car into a guard rail on Seoul's Gangbyeon expressway around 11:25 p.m. Monday, according to the Yongsan Police Station. His blood alcohol content exceeded a level high enough to have his driver's license suspended, they said. Police said they plan to bring in the singer for questioning later and a

Dec. 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream’s “Candy” sells 2m copies in preorders

    NCT Dream sold more than two million copies of its winter album “Candy,” said label SM Entertainment on Monday. Main track of the same title is a retake on H.O.T.’s hit song from 1996 and topped a series of music charts at home when it was released in advance on Friday. The physical album will be rolled out on Monday. The album landed atop iTunes top albums chart in 16 regions and its worldwide albums chart. The seven-piece act’s second studio album &ld

Dec. 19, 2022

NewJeans unveils 'Ditto' ahead of dropping new album 'OMG'

NewJeans, a rookie group that has dominated the K-pop scene this year, dropped the track “Ditto” from the upcoming single album “OMG” on Monday at 6 p.m. The release comes four months after the girl group made its debut in August with the breakout album “New Jeans.” “Ditto," a reinterpretation of the Baltimore club music genre, was specially produced for NewJeans’ official fandom Bunnies. The genre, which originated from the Maryland city in t

Dec. 19, 2022

[Herald Interview] Building the team behind a K-pop superstar

"Million-seller" had been a title not many in the K-pop industry could achieve, but it has become undeniably more commonplace compared to a few years ago. K-pop, once a minor genre in the global music market, has grown at an ever-faster pace to form a whole industry unto itself. Success inside the industry is now not just about the fame and fandom of a single K-pop act. It's the whole system of personnel working together to place and keep that artist -- the "brand" -- in

Dec. 19, 2022

Korean period action film ‘Phantom’ combines action with vivid mise-en-scenes

There are a number of South Korean period action films set in 1933, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. Although director Lee Hae-young’s upcoming period action film “Phantom” shares the same background, the film’s plot revolving around five protagonists is about action and mind games between characters hunting down a spy called Phantom. “I did not depend too much on the historical record. Instead, I based it on information regarding a group of independence

Dec. 19, 2022

‘Organ Odyssey’: Concert explores pipe organ inside and out

The “Organ Odyssey” -- an annual flagship concert series exploring the sounds and mechanisms of a pipe organ -- is set for the last concert of the year at 11 a.m., Wednesday at the Lotte Concert Hall, Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul. For the special Christmas-themed concert, pianist and organist Cho Jae-hyuck, who also played in the 2017 edition, will perform signature music pieces for the organ, such as those by Bach and Dupre, highlighting the various tones of the instrument. Tenor K

Dec. 19, 2022

Spielberg regrets 'Jaws' impact on shark population

      LONDON -- Film-maker Steven Spielberg has said he truly regrets the "decimation of the shark population" following the success of his 1975 film "Jaws".    Spielberg's Oscar-winning thriller told the story of a man-eating great white shark that attacked a US seaside town, prompting a rise in sports fishing across America.    "I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and

Dec. 18, 2022

[Herald Review] Saay's first concert, a 'Mise-en-Scene' of her music

For Saay, it was all about the coherent flow, whether it be her album, her music or her life. It was the same for her first gig "Mise-en-Scene" on Thursday night. The show itself was a continuation from her second LP "S:inema." The night opened with the album's intro song "everything comes n goes" and the first track "Interstellar." After hyping everyone up with "Mind ur business," Saay turned down the music and spoke to her fans. "I�

Dec. 18, 2022

[Newsmaker] “Avatar: The Way of Water” tops 2.4M admissions in five days

Long-awaited Hollywood sci-fi film “Avatar: The Way of Water” has topped 2.4 million admissions in five days after its release, box-office data showed Sunday, breaking the record set by the original “Avatar” in 2009. Despite the film’s agonizingly long three-hour runtime, “Avatar: The Way of Water” drew 359,225 people on the first day, bringing its combined total to 1 million people in just three days. On Saturday alone, the first weekend day since the m

Dec. 18, 2022

[Herald Review] Kim Sun-wook gives form to fire

What do you do when, just hours before you are about to leave the country, you get a phone call asking if you could conduct a choral symphony in just one week? Pianist and conductor Kim Sun-wook, receiving such a call from Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on his way to Incheon Airport on Dec. 7, asked for some time to think it over -- until he arrived at the airport. “In those 30-40 minutes, I probably did the most thinking ever in my 34-year life,” said Kim during a press meeting on Tue

Dec. 18, 2022

South Korean film industry revenue surpasses W1tr for first time since COVID-19

South Korea’s film industry saw its accumulative revenue this year surpass 1 trillion won ($767 million) for the first time after movie theaters struggled to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data by Korean Film Council, total revenue from January to November recorded 1.26 trillion won, mostly buoyed by a slew of movies that were released targeting moviegoers during the summer and Chuseok holiday season. Such figure was up by 100.5 percent or 502.5 billion won compared to a year

Dec. 18, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s Vernon to drop 1st solo mixtape

Vernon of Seventeen will put out his first solo mixtape on Dec. 23, announced agency Pledis Entertainment on Friday. A teaser image for mixtape “Black Eye” showed him standing on what looks like an all-terrain vehicle, and said “Turn up the radio” piquing interests of his fans. In the meantime, the 13-member act left for Manila on Thursday to resume touring Asia. It has toured three cities in Japan earlier this month and performed on stage at the 2022 Asia Artist Awards

Dec. 16, 2022

Hook Entertainment claims to have squared up with singer and actor Lee Seung-gi

Hook Entertainment, the former longtime agency of singer and actor Lee Seung-gi, said Friday that it has settled the invoice for Lee’s long overdue payments for digital streams of his songs. A total of 4.1 billion won ($3.13 million) which includes 2.9 billion won for digital streams of the artist’s songs and 1.2 billion for the arrears of interest has been paid to the artist by the agency. According to Hook Entertainment, the two parties were not able to come to an agreement on the

Dec. 16, 2022

[Video] Everything about the film "Asia" I Exclusive interview with the cast of film “Asia” (Part 2)

Have you been wondering what the film “Asia” is about? Check out our exclusive interview with the cast! This is the second episode of a three-part series, filmed on Nov.6 in Seoul. Check out the first episode if you haven’t already, and watch out for the final episode to be released on Dec. 22!

Dec. 16, 2022

Intangible Cultural Heritage holder Ahn Sook-sun to perform ‘Chunhyangga’ pansori

Celebrated gugak musician Ahn Sook-sun is scheduled to perform pansori “Chunhyangga” at the National Theater of Korea, in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Dec. 31. The best-known pansori “Chunhyangga” tells a love tale between Chun-hyang, daughter of a courtesan, and Yi Mong-ryong, son of a magistrate. Ahn and four other pansori singers will perform the entire "Chunhyangga," which will take about 210 minutes. Coming on stage as the third pansori singer, Ahn will perform

Dec. 16, 2022