‘Decision to Leave’ wins 6 awards at Blue Dragon Film Awards, including best film

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook’s Cannes-winning romance-thriller “Decision to Leave” swept major categories at this year’s Blue Dragon Film Awards, one of the most prestigious film events here. The film, nominated in 12 categories, took six trophies including best film, best director, best actor and best actress awards during the 43rd edition of the ceremony held at KBS Hall in Seoul, on Friday night. The film revolves around a detective, played by Park Hae-il, who investigates

Nov. 27, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s ‘Kill This Love’ video tops 1.7b views

The music video for Blackpink’s “Kill This Love” surpassed 1.7 billion views on YouTube, label YG Entertainment said Friday. It is the group’s second video to reach the milestone on the platform, following that of its mega hit “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” and the quartet became the first K-pop artist to have two to do so. “Kill This Love” is the titular track from its EP that came out in April 2019. The main track debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 4

Nov. 25, 2022

Positive mindset brings positive things: Itzy on ‘Cheshire’

After enjoying immense success with its first-ever world tour, K-pop girl group Itzy made its way back to the music charts with its new EP, “Cheshire,” which will be released on Wednesday evening. The EP comes after it dropped “Sneakers” in July. Itzy’s press conference was held five days ahead of the release as they will be attending the 2022 Mama Awards on Wednesday at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan. During Friday’s event, Lia said the latest release means some

Nov. 25, 2022

2022 Mama Awards announce presenter lineup

Ahead of the 2022 Mama Awards set to take place at the end of the month in Japan, the awards organizers on Friday announced the star-studded lineup of presenters from both Korea and Japan. Veteran actors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung, singer-turned-actors Ahn so-hee, Han Sun-hwa, Im Si-wan and Hwang Min-hyun, and actors Kim Dong-wook, Seo Ji-hye, Yeo Jin-goo, Woo Do-hwan and Nam Yoon-su were confirmed as presenters for the biggest annual music awards in the K-pop industry. Along with comedian

Nov. 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] German pianist Christopher Park on making connection with music

Anyone who is familiar with Korean surnames would assume that the German pianist Christopher Park has some Korean roots. And, indeed, he has. He was born to a German mother and a Korean American father in 1987, but it wasn’t until 2009 that he was able to make his first trip to South Korea. The opportunity came through a chance encounter of Park’s elementary school teacher and Pete Song, who runs a classical music production company, Pete Music, on a train in Germany in 2008. Upon he

Nov. 25, 2022

BTS member RM's solo debut album to be led by 'Wild Flower Play'

A song with a Korean title that roughly translates as "Wild Flower Play" will be the main track of the first individual album from K-pop group BTS' leader RM, the band's agency said Friday. The rapper will drop the album "Indigo" next Friday to become the third BTS member to debut as a soloist. "Wild Flower Play" carries the rapper's wish to live just like a calm wild flower, not a flame that is flamboyant but disappears in an instant, according to Bi

Nov. 25, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Night Owl (Korea) Opened Nov. 23 Drama Directed by An Tae-jin Set in the Joseon era (1392-1910), Kyeong-soo (Ryu Jun-yeol) is a day-blind acupuncturist working in the palace. He is unable to see anything during daytime, but, strangely, he can see fine at night. One evening, Kyeong-soo happens to witness the death of Crown Prince Sohyeon. This death leads the prince's father, King Injo (Yoo Hae-jin), to madness. Kyeong-soo, who is used to keeping secrets, considers revealing the truth

Nov. 25, 2022

[Graphic News] BTS nominated for multiple Grammys

　South Korean supergroup BTS has been nominated in two categories for the 2023 Grammy Awards, becoming the first K-pop act to receive Grammy nominations for the third consecutive year. 　The septet was nominated for the best pop duo or group performance for “My Universe,” along with British rock band Coldplay, and best music video for “Yet to Come,” during the official Grammy nomination ceremony livestreamed by the US Recording Academy. 　The best pop duo/group performan

Nov. 25, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream adds Osaka to Japan tour

NCT Dream announced that it will add two concerts to its ongoing Japan tour. At the end of its first show in Nagoya on Wednesday, the bandmates told the audience that it will take the stage at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on Feb. 17-19. This extends the “In A Dream” tour which was originally planned for Nagoya, Yokohama and Fukuoka. The seven-member act will also release the single “Best Friend Ever” on Feb. 8 to mark its Japan tour. The single will consist of two songs –

Nov. 24, 2022

Korean comedy ‘Switch’ retells 'Prince and the Pauper’

Film director Ma Dae-yoon said he aimed to retell Mark Twain’s “The Prince and the Pauper” in his new comedy film “Switch.” “At the beginning, I thought about making a movie about a protagonist having an epiphany, like ‘A Christmas Carol.’ Then I added ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ element to it,” Ma said in a press conference at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University on Wednesday. Leading actors Kwon Sang-woo, Oh Jung-se and Lee Min-jung

Nov. 24, 2022

BTS Jin begins military service in one of the coldest parts of S. Korea

BTS’ member Jin is to begin his military service in one of the northernmost military bases in South Korea, on Dec. 13, according to the South Korean military. The bootcamp where he begins his 18 months of military service is that of the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. The 5th Infantry Division has a reputation for being a tough unit to serve in, due to harsh winters. Yeoncheon often sees the coldest temperatures in Gyeonggi Province. The average temperature ranges fr

Nov. 24, 2022

Lee Seung-gi demands disclosure of streaming revenue payment history to agency

Days after singer and actor Lee Seung-gi became embroiled in a payment dispute with his longtime agency, Lee’s legal representative demanded Hook Entertainment disclose all payments for digital streams of his songs since his debut. According to local online media outlet Dispatch on Monday, the singer has not received a single payment for his songs’ digital streams or downloads of his songs on online music platforms. The report claimed that Lee made some 9.6 billion won ($7.27 million

Nov. 24, 2022

‘Through My Midwinter’ depicts how money influences relationship

Korean indie film “Through My Midwinter” features the harsh reality of how a young couple’s relationship can be affected as their economic status changes. “I have done manual labor for nine years. One winter -- around three years ago -- I was breaking a wall with a drill and it caused my teeth to crack. It was a difficult time for me and I had to spend a lot of money at the dentist's office,” director Oh Seong-ho said during a press conference at Lotte Cinema

Nov. 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Young-kwang breaks from rom-coms with 'Somebody'

The fresh makeup, neatly blow dried hair and sharp suits that have been the signature look of model-turned-actor Kim Young-kwang since his drama debut in 2008 were hard to find in his latest crime thriller “Somebody.” “I only had two or three options for how I could dress as Seong Yun-o. And even this experience was exciting for me. I enjoyed every single moment that I spent shooting ‘Somebody,’” Kim said during an interview with reporters at a cafe in Samcheo

Nov. 24, 2022

BTS Jin to enlist in military on Dec. 13

Jin, the oldest bandmate of BTS, is set to enlist in the military on Dec. 13. According to local media reports, the band’s vocalist will enter the forward-stationed training unit next month and receive five weeks of basic training in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Jin will then be placed in an Army unit afterward. After the news broke out, Jin took to Weverse, an online platform for fans, to share his thoughts about entering the military. All able-bodied South Korean men between the ages of

Nov. 24, 2022

Star-studded lineup of nominees, presenters to grace Melon Music Awards

The long-awaited Melon Music Awards are just around the corner, with a star-studded lineup now in place. Returning as an in-person event after a nearly three-year hiatus due to COVID-19, big-name artists are set to grace the renowned musical event. The 14th edition of the awards show will be held at its usual venue at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, southwestern Seoul, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, according to Kakao Entertainment, which runs Melon, the country’s largest music streaming platform

Nov. 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ RM to host small gig next month to mark 1st solo album

   RM of BTS will invite about 200 fans to shoot a video on Dec. 5, Big Hit Music said Wednesday. The gig will be part of a project to promote his upcoming first solo album, “Indigo,” which will be unveiled Dec. 2. The invitees will be selected through a lottery. The artist has put out solo mixtapes before -- “RM” in 2015 and “mono.” in 2018 -- but “Indigo” will be the first solo album to be published since his debut in June 2013. He uplo

Nov. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] Romantic bad boys owning the stage: TO1 on 4th EP ‘UP2U’

2022 has been a roller-coaster ride for K-pop boy band TO1. Several members announced their departure, and three new bandmates -- Daigo and Renta from Japan and Yeojeong, who’s Korean -- joined the group in June. It’s unusual for a rookie band to go through such seismic changes less than two years after its debut because getting its name out to the public is crucial. But for TO1, it was an option to add value to its musical career. And now, as a nine-piece act, the group is ready to

Nov. 23, 2022

Gomak Boys are ready to melt ears with debut album

Like a catchy song on the radio, Gomak Boys, a special K-pop project group launched by Kakao Entertainment that introduced themselves to local media on Tuesday evening, hope to get stuck in the ears and hearts of music fans as they make their debut in the K-pop scene. Produced by South Korea’s entertainment giant, the highly-anticipated boy band was featured on Kakao TV’s original series “Gomak Boys,” which aired in September. Gomak Boys, which translates into eardrum boy

Nov. 23, 2022

Hanteo Chart to hold first offline music awards in Seoul next Feb.

Leading music sales tracker Hanteo Chart will host its first-ever offline music awards next year to commemorate its 30th anniversary, the chart's operator said Wednesday. The “Hanteo Music Awards 2022” ceremony will take place at the Jamsil Arena of the Seoul Sports Complex in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on Feb. 10-11, according to operator Hanteo Global. Awardees will be selected based on data collected in real time by Hanteo Chart. Starting with next year’s ceremony, it plans to h

Nov. 23, 2022