Netflix hopes for turnaround with Korean original ‘20th Century Girl’

At the beginning of this year, global streaming giant Netflix, which had not produced films here since its arrival in 2016, announced a plan to release five original Korean-language movies. The list included the romance film "Moral Sense," action film "Carter," action blockbuster "Seoul Vibe," sci-fi film "Jung_E" and romance film "20th Century Girl." So far, the streaming platform has released three films that were on the list and an additio

Sept. 27, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Mamamoo to make full-group return next month

    Mamamoo will make a comeback with its 12th EP on Oct. 11, according to agency RBW Entertainment on Tuesday. The company uploaded a poster for the EP “Mic On,” signaling the group’s first full-group return in about a month. It released the best-of album “I Say Mamamoo: The Best” in September last year to mark its seventh anniversary. Last month Solar and Moonbyul dropped the single “Better” as the quartet’s first subunit Mamamoo P

Sept. 27, 2022

[Album Review] An ode to the ‘90s: Xiumin’s ‘Brand New’ is a retro delight

One thing K-pop fans, or listeners who love Korean music in general, haven’t heard much of and enjoyed in the past few years is retro K-pop. Younger music aficionados may not know much about this genre, but songs from those earlier times had catchy melodies that were easy on the ears and simply fun to listen to on repeat. That’s what Xiumin of boy band Exo hopes to do with his first-ever solo musical project, “Brand New,” which was released on Monday evening. As a singer

Sept. 27, 2022

‘Glitch’ presents friendship with dash of sci-fi

Global streaming service Netflix is set to unveil its new alien comedy thriller “Glitch,” notable for an absence of bloody fights, thundering gunfire or life-threatening actions, which have been essential elements behind previous Netflix Korean originals like “Squid Game,” “All of Us Are Dead” and “Hellbound.” Though the most eye-catching role in “Glitch” may be its green hat-wearing alien, series creator Roh Deok shared that the chem

Sept. 27, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT 127 hits Billboard 200 at No. 3

    NCT 127 had its fourth studio album place at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, according to the publication’s online article that came out on Sunday in the US. The LP “2 Baddies” tied the band’s previous career-high, achieved with third LP “Stickers” last year. Its second LP, “NCT #127 Neo Zone,” ranked No. 5 on the chart. The new LP sold over 1.54 million copies in its first week and swept a series of major music charts at home and in

Sept. 26, 2022

Hybe to transform Busan into theme park for BTS fans for ‘The City’ project

Celebrating BTS' upcoming concert in Busan in support of the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the boy band, will turn the port city into a BTS-themed park through its special project. “BTS ‘Yet to Come’ The City in Busan,” or simply “The City,” will turn Busan into an immersive festival site for fans visiting the city for BTS’ upcoming concert, the K-pop agency said via the fan community platform Weve

Sept. 26, 2022

Xiumin brings out old school in first solo album ‘Brand New’

Months after celebrating his 10th anniversary, Xiumin of boy band EXO welcomed the rustling sound of falling leaves with his first-ever solo album, “Brand New,” released Monday evening. The singer-turned-soloist is the seventh bandmate to go solo, while other members like Baekhyun, Kai and Suho have branched out as a soloist with their own musical projects. In a press conference Monday hosted by his bandmate Sehun, Xiumin described the new album as his “turning point.” &l

Sept. 26, 2022

[Herald Interview] Im Chang-jung on learning from "mistake of his life"

Actor Im Chang-jung's worst nightmare came true when he returned to the musical stage for the first time in 10 years: He forgot his lines. Im, who played the role of Daniel in the musical "Mrs. Doubtfire," called it the "mistake of his life" over and over again during an interview with reporters on Thursday. “I’d never made that kind of mistake in my life. Forgetting an entire line of a scene. I felt terribly sorry for the audience and still think about h

Sept. 26, 2022

Nam Joo-hyuk returns as innocent man mixed up in murderous revenge plot

  Korean actor Nam Joo-hyuk is returning to the big screen as an innocent man who gets mixed up in a revenge scheme to kill former Japanese collaborators. In “Remember” directed by Lee Il-hyung, Pil-Joo (Lee Sung-min), an Alzheimer's patient in his 80s who lost his family during the Japanese colonial era in the hands of pro-Japanese collaborators, decides to execute a lifelong revenge plan before his memory fails him. Pil-joo enlists In-kyu (Nam) to help him pus his plan to act

Sept. 26, 2022

Song Joong-ki's gangster film 'Hwaran' starts shooting

Korean heartthrob Song Joong-ki’s new crime movie "Hwaran" -- meaning disaster or chaos -- started shooting on Sept. 13 at a site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M. Directed by Kim Chang-hoon, the film revolves around Yun-kyu, who wants to escape from his everyday struggles. One day, Yun-kyu meets a crime organization’s underboss Chi-gun (Song) and becomes involved in risky situations. “I am glad to b

Sept. 26, 2022

K-pop Herald hosts first ‘Herald K Awards with Twitter’

K-pop Herald, an in-house unit under the nation’s largest English daily The Korea Herald, held the first-ever “Herald K Awards with Twitter” to celebrate the global popularity of K-pop. Officially supported by Twitter, a total of 25 K-pop acts took awards in five categories: My Solo, an award for the best singer-turned-soloist; My Boys, the best male group; My Girls, the best female group; My Song, the song of the year award; and My Rookie, the rookie of the year. Voting for

Sept. 26, 2022

Netflix animation series ‘Lookism’ to start in November

One of the best known Naver Webtoon IPs is being adapted as an animation. Global streaming service Netflix announced on Sunday that a new webtoon-based series “Lookism” is scheduled to be premiere Nov. 4. Unlike the service’s previous webtoon-based titles -- “D.P.,” “Hellbound,” “All of Us Are Dead” and “The Sound of Magic,” “Lookism” makes its debut on Netflix as an animation. According to the company, the series, bas

Sept. 26, 2022

Blackpink becomes first K-pop girl group to top Billboard 200

Blackpink has become the first K-pop female group in history to clinch the No. 1 spot on the US music and entertainment magazine Billboard’s main albums chart. The band has cemented itself as one of global music fans’ most beloved artists, six years after its debut. Billboard said Sunday (US time) that the quartet’s second full-length album, “Born Pink,” released on Sept. 16, landed atop its 200 chart with 102,000 equivalent album units sold. It made Blackpink the f

Sept. 26, 2022

Day6 renews contract with JYP

All four members of boy band Day6 have renewed their contracts with JYP Entertainment. “We agreed to renew the contracts with all members of Day6. We and Day6 will continue making meaningful processes together in the future based on strong mutual trust. We’ll fully support Day6 for another big jump,” the K-pop agency said in a press release statement Monday. The news means that the bandmates -- Sungjin, Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon -- broke the “seven-year curse,” a c

Sept. 26, 2022

Lee Young-ae, Kim Sang-kyung to judge BIFF acting awards

Korean actors Lee Young-ae and Kim Sang-kyung will be the jurors for the 27th Busan International Film Festival’s actor and actress of the year award, according to the event organizer. This year's BIFF, which takes place Oct. 5-14, will return to its pre-pandemic full scale with 243 films from 71 countries. Established in 2014, the awards are presented to one actor and one actress every year for their outstanding performances. The two jurors will select this year's winner after evaluat

Sept. 25, 2022

Yum Jung-ah on learning new things for musical film ‘Life is Beautiful’

Actor Yum Jung-ah's new project has left her covered in bruises from practicing action sequences until they are perfect, but it is a badge she proudly wears. “For good projects, I have to learn new things. There is no other way of doing it,” Yum told a group of reporters on Wednesday. Such outlook on life is what has guided her throughout her career. Recalling the first time that she read the script of “Life is Beautiful,” Yum said she instantly got the feeling that

Sept. 25, 2022

Yet more legal series to hit Korean TV screens

Hot on the heels of the “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” craze, drama fans have yet many more options when it comes to Korean courtroom series. Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney, premiered its new Korean original “May It Please The Court” on Wednesday. Starring actors Jung Ryeo-won, Lee Kyu-hyung and Jung Jin-young, the 12-part legal series centers around two lawyers who work together to reveal the truth behind a serial murder case. Followi

Sept. 23, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez ‘leaks’ plans for Seoul concert

Ateez surprised fans with a poster that showed its plans for an upcoming Seoul concert on Friday. The poster is designed to look like a leaked document that details its first-ever performance of “New World” and that of much-anticipated “Sunrise.” The format is in line with its promotion for its most recent album “The World Ep. 1: Movement.” The group's third EP came out in July and entered Billboard 200 at No. 3, its career-high. It also became the band&rsquo

Sept. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] Park Hae-soo wants ‘Narco-Saints’ prequel

Actor Park Hae-soo has been on a roll since playing Cho Sang-woo, the best friend of Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae) and one of the finalists of the bloody competition in “Squid Game.” "Money Heist Korea -- Joint Economic Area” soon followed in which he played a gang member who goes by the code name "Berlin." And now "Narco-Saints," in which Park plays Choi Chang-ho, a National Intelligence Service agent, is on top of Netflix's non-English

Sept. 23, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Project Wolf Hunting (Korea)　 Opened Sept. 21 Crime Directed by Kim Hong-sun A team of Korean police officers are on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon), who has an Interpol red notice on him. Meanwhile, a mysterious presence created in a secret lab onboard puts everyone's lives at risk. Confidential Assignment 2: International (Ko

Sept. 23, 2022