Special free screening of EIDF 2022 winners and opening film

The opening film and two winners from this year's EBS International Documentary Festival will be shown at a special free screening at Megabox Ilsan Bellacitta in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 29. Recognized for its splendid presentation of 20,000 Buddhist nuns at an annual retreat on a Tibetan plateau filmed over eight years, Chinese director Jin Haquin's “Dark Red Forest” opened the EIDF held in August. The 85-minute documentary offers a glimpse of the religious women

Oct. 24, 2022

[Herald Review] SHINee’s Key invites fans to enjoy the best night at ‘Keyland’

A super-sized stage, pyrotechnics and innocuous screaming from the jam-packed audience at Jangchung Arena in Seoul was befitting of a K-pop superstar concert. SHINee's Key brought unseen energy and enthusiasm to his live show, “G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) In The Keyland,” on Saturday for the first time in a little less than four years, having to make up for lost time due to the pandemic and his two-year military service. Saturday’s concert was a mixture of high product

Oct. 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] Pianist Andras Schiff to bring 'element of surprise' to Korea

When celebrated pianist Andras Schiff returns to South Korea in November after three years of pandemic-caused delays, the longest gap since he started performing in the country in 2008, the Hungarian-born Austro-British classical pianist said he will bring an "element of surprise." In the past recitals in Korea, he performed a wide range of works by Bach, Schumann, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Brahms. Departing from his usual repertoire, he will perform "something out of Bach, Haydn

Oct. 24, 2022

Indie film ‘Jeong-sun’ wins grand jury, best actress prizes at Rome Film Festival

Korean independent film “Jeong-sun” is bringing home two awards from the 17th Rome International Film Festival held on Saturday. Director Jeong Ji-hye won the Grand Jury Prize for her first full-length film, which is centered on a digital sex crime, while actress Kim Kum-soon won the best actress award. The ceremony was held at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, where the international film festival took place from Oct. 13 to Oct. 23. Kim and Jeong delivered their acceptance speeches

Oct. 24, 2022

Twitter to be official partner for 58th Daejong Film Awards

Global social media platform Twitter inked a content partnership deal for the 58th Daejong Film Awards, set to be held on Dec. 9, the tech giant said Wednesday. Under the new agreement, the two sides aim to bolster South Korea’s film industry and the help aficionados of Korea-based movie content and cinema around the globe access Korean films more easily. By clinching the deal, Twitter will be the only social media platform to exclusively stream the awards ceremony and other events durin

Oct. 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘I was once a perfectionist but learned how to embrace my shortcomings'

Jo Yu-ri might have made her name as a vocalist in project girl group IZ*ONE, but her more recent solo career has taken her further, to a point where she is comfortable with herself. Jo debuted solo with the single “Glassy” in October last year and released her first EP, “Op. 22 Y-Waltz: in Major” in June. After a four-month break, the singer returned to the stage with her second single, “Op. 22 Y-Waltz: in Minor” on Monday. In a recent interview with a group

Oct. 24, 2022

Cirque Du Soleil unveils reimagined 'Alegria' in Seoul

"Alegria," a long-running contemporary circus production by Cirque Du Soleil, unveiled its brand-new version on Thursday in Seoul under the Big Top set up at Seoul Sports Complex in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. "Alegria: In a New Light" is the seventh production of Canada-based Cirque Du Soleil to be introduced in South Korea, following "Quidam" in 2007 and 2015, the previous version of "Alegria" in 2008, "Varekai" in 2011, "Michael Jackson: The

Oct. 23, 2022

[Eye Plus] Korean dance embodies harmony, everyday life

Korean traditional dance is something that comes out “naturally” in the everyday life of Koreans, says Park So-young, a 28-year-old dancer of the National Dance Company of Korea. Park specializes in Korean dance at the national dance troupe, performing works inspired by traditional dances. She focuses on displaying the features of Korea’s traditional emotions and lifestyle into dance while seeking ways to share the tradition with contemporary audience. The young professional da

Oct. 22, 2022

Mnet’s ‘Show Me the Money’ aims to have positive effect on hip-hop scene

The 11th season of “Show Me the Money,” the longest-running hip-hop competition on Mnet, is set to premiere at 11 p.m. on Friday. As it is about to kick-start a new season, the program hopes to contribute positively to the local hip-hop scene. “‘Show Me the Money’ has long been associated with hip-hop. Beyond creating a virtuous circle, the two have coexisted with each other,” Choi Hyo-jin, the program’s chief producer, said during an online conference

Oct. 21, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa tops 700m views with ‘Money’ dance video

Lisa of Blackpink hit 700 million views on YouTube with the performance video for her solo single “Money,” YG Entertainment announced Friday. The video is the quartet’s 11th to reach the milestone. “Money” is from Lisa's solo debut single “LaLisa,” and topped iTunes top songs chart in 66 regions. It hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 84 and ranked No. 46 on UK’s Official Chart Top 100. The superband left Seoul on Friday and headed to Dallas, whe

Oct. 21, 2022

Men, Seoul residents overrepresented in Korean films: study

An interim report on Korean films has determined that roles for men and characters living in Greater Seoul are overrepresented. As part of the Korean Movie Diversity & Inclusion Week, the report for the Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film, named "Deundeun," analyzed 446 Korean films in the top 40 percent of box office hits -- commercial films and independent films separately -- and streaming original films released from 2017 to 2021. The research looked at the main lead chara

Oct. 21, 2022

KOMACON to promote webtoons to global readers

Korean webtoons are out to make a splash in New York later this month. "Bang! K-webtoon," an exhibition of Korean webtoons, will be held at Gallery Korea of the Korean Cultural Center New York, from Oct. 31 to Dec. 16, the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, or KOMACON, said Friday. Organized by KOMACON and Korean Cultural Center New York, the exhibit will feature three webtoons popular both at home abroad: “Navillera: Like a Butterfly,” “True Beauty” and “The R

Oct. 21, 2022

Korean documentary series to receive global distribution

Two Korean documentaries, “Guardians of Tundra” and “The Era of Library,” have signed agreements with overseas content distributors during the 38th International Co-Production and Entertainment Content Market (MIPCOM), the Ministry of Science and ICT said Thursday. According to the ministry, terrestrial broadcaster SBS’ documentary series “Guardians of Tundra” signed a letter of intent with the European production company Off the Fence. Supported by the

Oct. 21, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Kara to drop Japanese album in December

    Kara will release a new album in Japan on December 21 to mark its 15th anniversary, its agency RBW Entertainment announced on Thursday. The Japanese-language album “Move Again [Japan Edition]” will be its first album released in the country in six years. Beginning Feb. 23, the veteran group will tour Japan, hopping from Osaka to Fukuoka and Yokohama. The band made an official debut in Japan in 2010 with the single “Mister” and swept the Oricon charts wi

Oct. 20, 2022

[Album Review] For (G)I-dle, self-love is not silly. It’s how to feel like the otherworldly person you are

People love to talk about the things they love. For some, it could be their friends and family, while for others its a pet or hobby. Girl group (G)I-dle approached the word “love” in a way that the five members have never experienced before. On its latest project, the group ponders a different way to approach love: How you love yourself is how you teach others to love you. And to do that, the band offers a look into pompous love. With So-yeon at the helm of producing the group’

Oct. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kirill Karabits talks about Kim Sun-wook, Ukraine and Beethoven

Korean concert pianist Kim Sun-wook and conductor Kirill Karabits met for the first time in 2008 in Seoul when they performed with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Karabits recalled being overwhelmed by Kim’s playing and musicality. “Since then, we've become close friends and regularly perform together,” Karabits said in a recent email interview. The two have taken the stage together several times, including Kim's debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2019.

Oct. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Top star So Ji-sub tired of playing good guys

Top Korean actor So Ji-sub said he was tired of playing good guys in TV dramas and movies when he got the script for “Confession,” directed by Yoon Jong-seok. “It has been a while since I started playing lead roles. All the protagonists have something in common. They are mostly nice guys. But this character was not, and that was appealing to me,” So said during an interview with a group of local reporters on Wednesday. “At the time I really wanted to play a new r

Oct. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Leenalchi returns with much-anticipated second project 'Mul Mit'

Leenalchi, the group that took South Korea by storm with “Tiger Is Coming” in 2020, is back with “Mul Mit” with a lot of pressure on their shoulders this time. The sensational success of “Tiger Is Coming” has kept the band busy for the past two years as the members continued to experiment with what the band could offer. But that means a lot more ears and eyes have been anticipating their new project. “We feel a lot of pressure but hope people can enjoy

Oct. 19, 2022

WEi hopes to ‘spray’ listeners’ playlists with fifth EP ‘Love Pt.2: Passion’

When you're young, developing a crush can happen in an instant. But in many ways, falling in love is quite difficult. With that knowledge, boy band WEi has made a return to show off a more mature approach to love with its fifth EP, "Love Pt.2: Passion," which dropped Wednesday evening. “We’re back with a whole new concept, and our band is excited to showcase this change to people,” the band’s leader Dae-hyeon said during Wednesday’s media press confer

Oct. 19, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] (G)I-dle tops iTunes chart in 40 regions with 5th EP

(G)I-dle landed atop iTunes top albums chart in 40 regions with the group's fifth EP “I Love.” The EP was released Monday and main track “Nxde” debuted at No. 1 on all major real-time music charts at home. Paying homage to Marilyn Monroe, the five bandmates all went blonde for the new album that takes a stab at prejudices against female stereotypes. The six-track EP sold over 700,000 copies in preorders, a new best for the quintet. It comes about seven months since the g

Oct. 19, 2022