[Herald Review] ‘Narco-Saints’ enthralls world with gripping story, cast

Korean dramas have long had a thing for making viewers chuckle while drawing them into a vortex of suspense, mystery and drama. Be it romance, legal drama or crime thriller, a good share of K-shows never lose their touch when it comes to humor and bringing out the charming side of its main characters, often banking on brilliant actors to deliver light relief while driving a serious plot. The latest hit Netflix series “Narco-Saints” (Korean title "Suriname") is no exceptio

Sept. 19, 2022

NMIXX creates new world for itself in second single ‘ENTWURF’

Seven months after making its debut, JYP Entertainment’s rookie girl group NMIXX beckoned music listeners to revel in its second digital single, “ENTWURF,” released Monday evening, just right in time for the new season. This marks a return for the act since it threw its hat into the ring with its debut single “Ad Mare” on Feb. 22. The band’s latest musical project is a follow-up to its debut single. The title of the seven-member act’s debut album transla

Sept. 19, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim to return next month

Le Sserafim will come out with second EP “AntiFragile” on Oct. 17, announced agency Source Music on Monday. The group’s EP “Fearless” was released in May. The title track from the EP entered Billboard’s global chart, maintaining its spot for 19 weeks. The music video for the debut song amassed 100 million views on YouTube in 100 days. The EP also sold more than 300,000 copies in the first week of sales, a record for a debut album from a K-pop girl group at the

Sept. 19, 2022

[Herald Review] A universe between fans and singers: Enhypen kicks off first world tour ‘Manifesto’

Like the way hyphens connect differently to make new meanings, Enhypen was formed in September 2020 through TV competition “I-Land.” True to their words, the boy band populated the 4,000-seat venue Saturday night to signal the start of its first world tour, “Manifesto.” A sign in light-emitting diodes of “Enhypen World Tour Manifesto” beckoned Engenes, the group’s official fandom, who flocked to the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium. And as the sold-out aren

Sept. 19, 2022

[Herald Review] A promise for 14 more years: IU’s ‘Golden Hour’

  The orange sun hung low in the Seoul sky on Sunday evening, and as the clock ticked to 7 p.m., IU’s “Eight” began ringing out at Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, Seoul, marking the start of the second of her two days of “The Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun” concerts. While all IU concerts are special, “The Golden Hour” was historic in another sense, as it marked her debut at Olympic Stadium, one of the nation’s biggest and most-coveted concert v

Sept. 19, 2022

BIFF opening, closing ceremony tickets go on sale Friday

Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 27th Busan International Film Festival will go on sale online at 2 p.m., Friday. This year's BIFF, which takes place Oct. 5-14, will return to its pre-pandemic full scale with 243 films from 71 countries. This year’s opener will be Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind," while Japanese director Ishikawa Kei's "A Man" will close the festival. Tickets for films screened during the festival will open onl

Sept. 19, 2022

Kara to make comeback in November after seven-year hiatus

Girl group Kara will make a long-awaited comeback in November in celebration of its 15th anniversary. After rumors that the K-pop act is gearing for a return, the band’s agency RBW confirmed Monday that the band will drop a new album sometime in November. “Since the new musical project is to celebrate the band’s 15th anniversary and is coming out after a long hiatus, we plan to fully support the members in gifting their fans with new music as much as possible,” the agency

Sept. 19, 2022

[Herald Interview] True story ‘Narco-Saints’ is based on almost unreal, director says

Hit movie director Yoon Jong-bin, who made his drama debut with Netflix’s thriller crime series “Narco-Saints,” felt that the real-life story of a businessman on whom the series' protagnist, Kang In-gu (played by Ha Jung-woo), is based, was too dramatic and seemed almost made up. “At first, I personally found it difficult to believe the three-year experience of an ordinary man working with the National Intelligence Service. It’s like a story from a movie,&rdq

Sept. 18, 2022

NCT127 says 4th LP ‘2 Baddies’ is a masterpiece

  NCT127 dropped its fourth full-length album “2 Baddies” on Friday, returning to the music scene after almost a year. Decked out in bright silver suits, the members of NCT127 appeared Friday morning at a press conference in Seoul just a few hours ahead of the album's release at 1 p.m. that day. This marks some 11 months since NCT127 dropped its third repackaged full-length album, “Favorite,” in October 2021. “We devoted ourselves to making a masterpiece with t

Sept. 16, 2022

[Album Review] Worth the wait: Diving into Blackpink’s ‘Born Pink’ like biting into trick candy

Blackpink is officially back in your area. The global K-pop sensation is back with its second LP, which dropped Friday. Aptly titled “Born Pink,” the eight-song set is born out of confidence, wildness, and slick, groovy and seasoned music. With YG Entertainment producer Teddy at the helm along with 24, Danny Chung, Bekuh Boom and R.Tee, it was clear why it took two years for Blackpink to return with "Born Pink" and why it was worth the wait. Jennie, Lisa, Jisoo and Rose, wh

Sept. 16, 2022

[Newsmaker] Emmy-winning director Hwang says that ‘Squid Game 2’ is his next project

His Emmy trophy for outstanding directing for a drama series in hand, director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the mastermind behind global phenomenon “Squid Game,” on Friday confidently entered a celebratory press conference following the Emmys win at the Westin Josun Seoul. At this stage, Hwang confirmed that his next project will be nothing other than a second season of “Squid Game.” “We will film the sequel next year and the series will likely be released in 2024. I am workin

Sept. 16, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” music video garners 300m views

The music video for Blackpink’s “Pink Venom” logged 300 million views on YouTube on Friday, according to YG Entertainment. This coincides with the full release of the group's second studio album, “Born Pink,” from which the single was prereleased. The video was unveiled on Aug. 19 and surpassed 90.4 million views on the platform in 24 hours, a record for a female artist. The single landed atop iTunes top songs chart in 75 regions and hit Billboard’s Hot 100 a

Sept. 16, 2022

Circus Caravan invites audience to contemporary circus feast

A man throws a woman in the open air and catches her with one hand. Then she carefully balances herself upside down with one hand holding his other hand. Getting a sneak peek into the performance “Enva” by Spanish artist group Amer i Africa Circ Cia, the hand-to-hand circus is sure to provoke “oohs” and “ahhs” from the audience with their compelling acrobatics. With music adding a mischievous mood to the act, the pair perform awe-inspiring acrobatics between 2

Sept. 15, 2022

[Eye interview] Understanding Korea through its classical musicians

On May 29, violinist Yang In-mo, the first ever Korean to win the Paganini International Violin Competition in 2015, won the top prize at the jean Sibelius International Violin Competition. A few days later, cellist Choi Ha-young won the first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition held in Belgium. And two weeks after that, pianist Lim Yun-chan won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, becoming the youngest winner at age 18. Lim quickly became a household name -- even those who have

Sept. 15, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink adds more dates to US tour

Blackpink will perform three more times in North America, YG Entertainment announced Thursday. The quartet was originally planning to perform 10 times across seven cities for the North American leg of its world tour, but added three more concerts at fans' strong urging. The girl group will hit Dallas on Oct. 25 and go live in Los Angeles, the final destination of the leg, on Nov. 19. The ever-expanding tour is estimated to attract about 1.5 million concertgoers in total, and is likely to set a

Sept. 15, 2022

Blackpink begins new chapter with second LP ‘Born Pink’

As a new season is right around the corner, K-pop sensation Blackpink is returning with a new batch of songs to fill the soft breeze of fall. After a 23-month hiatus, girl group Blackpink is making grand return with its second LP, “Born Pink.” Ahead of the album's release on Friday, the four bandmates shared their thoughts and musical ideas that went into their upcoming music project via an official press release. Ji-soo says she's just as excited for fans to hear the new

Sept. 15, 2022

[Herald Interview] Ha Jung-woo breaks silence after two-year break with ‘Narco-Saints’

After meeting with a group of local reporters at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, actor Ha Jung-woo, 44, wished to deliver an apology for violating the Narcotics Control Act and his illegal use of propofol in 2019. Though the court decided Ha does not seem to have a dependence on the drug or have visited the local hospital only to receive propofol injections, it said in a ruling in September 2021 that the actor colluded with his doctor to fabricate his medical records to cover up illicit

Sept. 15, 2022

Bursting with local flavor, “Mrs. Doubtfire” hits the spot

The previews of the musical adaptation of “Mrs. Doubtfire” opened on Broadway at an unfortunate time -- on March 9, 2020 -- right as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in New York. 　Like most theaters and productions around the world, it only ran three performances before going on an uncertain hiatus. 　The previews returned in October last year, but had to close again in January. In May, the show was closed again, just one month after reopening, due to the spread of the omicron vibran

Sept. 14, 2022

‘Life is Beautiful,’ a long-awaited Korean jukebox musical film

  It is no secret that Korean moviegoers have a soft spot for musical films. From “Mamma Mia” (2008) to “Les Miserables” (2012) and “La La Land,” (2016), many Hollywood musical films have found great success in Korea. Yet, memorable Korean musical films that appeal to local audiences have been conspicuously absent. This is why there has been a lot of hype in Korean online communities around Korea’s first jukebox musical film “Life is Bea

Sept. 14, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] (G)I-dle will be back next month

   (G)I-dle will return with its fifth EP on Oct. 17, the group's agency Cube Entertainment announced on Wednesday. A poster for the “I Love” EP shows a lady in red top with a sweetheart neckline accentuated by hands clad in long black gloves. The EP comes about seven months after the group's first studio album “I Never Die” that topped iTunes top albums chart in 24 regions. It also ranked No. 58 on Billboard’s Global 200, while main track “Tomboy&rd

Sept. 14, 2022