[Video] From K-pop to Boys’ Love drama: meet this idol changing the K-drama scene

DKZ’s Jaechan dropped out of high school to become a K-pop idol, but not everything went as he imagined. Then “Semantic Error,” Korean streaming platform Watcha’s first original “BL” (Boys’ Love) series, changed his life. Playing the lead role, he won the popularity award at the very first Blue Dragon Series Award. Learn more about the sensational series that topped the platform for 8 weeks straight and how this K-pop idol made a big step forward for LG

Aug. 11, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream reschedules concert for September

NCT Dream will host a standalone concert in Seoul on Sept. 8-9, announced label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The seven-piece act was slated to perform in Seoul for three days last month, but the concerts were canceled at the last minute as two members – Mark and Renjun – tested positive for COVID-19. 　 Some fans were not happy that the band’s second concert was canceled, not postponed, but the fact that the new venue is Olympic Stadium, the largest concert venue in Seoul

Aug. 10, 2022

Blackpink to drop 2nd LP ‘Born Pink’ next month, begin world tour

Global K-pop sensation Blackpink is returning with its 2nd LP titled “Born Pink” on Sept. 16, marking its return to the music scene after nearly two years away. On Wednesday, the band’s agency YG Entertainment dropped a teaser image with the date “2022.09.16,” the date of its second album release. “As the title suggests, ‘Born Pink’ shows the confidence and splendor Blackpink is known for. The album will be brimming with Blackpink’s uniq

Aug. 10, 2022

DMZ fantasy musical “Wonder Ticket” to be staged outdoors near N. Korea

What if a rusty train that had stopped its operation between the two Koreas for over 70 years can move back in time through a wish that transcends generations? The musical “Wonder Ticket” centers around such plot, with a young girl listening to her grandfather’s love story and reminiscing on his days before the division of the Korean Peninsula. The musical, which debuted in 2020 during the pandemic, is making its third run outdoors at the Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park in the Imjingak

Aug. 10, 2022

Korean actioner 'Carter' debuts at No. 1 on Netflix's weekly chart

The Korean action thriller "Carter" has debuted at No. 1 on Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English films. Released last Friday, the Netflix Korean-language original marked 27.3 million hours of viewing for the week of Aug. 1-7 to lead the official top 10 list for non-English films available on the service, according to Netflix on Tuesday (US time). It became the first Korean-language film to top the streamer's chart for the category since Netflix released the

Aug. 10, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Key to return with 2nd solo LP

Key of SHINee will release his second solo studio album on Aug. 30, his label SM Entertainment announced on Tuesday. 　 It has been about 11 months since his first solo EP “Bad Love” topped iTunes top albums charts in 32 regions. The song “Hate That...” from the EP topped the iTunes top songs charts in 11 regions.  　 The new album “Gasoline” will consist of 11 tracks. 　 The veteran idol put out his first full solo album “Face” in November 2

Aug. 9, 2022

Jung Woo, Park Hee-soon return with nail-biting Netflix original

Debuting this Friday, crime-thriller “A Model Family” tells an entangled story of an ordinary-looking family that gets dragged into a string of disastrous incidents after making one wrong choice. Explaining the title, director Kim Jin-woo said he wanted to look into the meaning of “family” and “model” by portraying different groups of people who are bound under the name of “family.” “When we say something is exemplary, it’s usually

Aug. 9, 2022

Breaking news programs’ 115-year record rainfall coverage under fire

South Korean broadcasting companies came under fire for their breaking news coverage of the worst rainfall in 115 years in Seoul and its surrounding areas. The record overnight rainfall resulted in hundreds of flood victims, and jeopardized citizens in the capital area on their after-work commute. Roads and sidewalks in the capital area were flooded, causing some people to leave their cars on the road. A number of cars and buses were stuck for hours on expressways from Seoul to Gyeonggi Prov

Aug. 9, 2022

‘Perhaps Love’ bags two awards at 21st New York Asian Film Festival

Director Cho Eun-ji’s debut feature “Perhaps Love” bagged two awards -- audience award and best from the East award-- at the 21st New York Asian Film Festival, according to the film’s distributor NEW on Tuesday. “It has not been long since we celebrated Ryu Seung-ryong receiving the award for his performance, and I am truly honored to receive the audience award as well,” Cho said, according to NEW. “I would like to express my gratitude to the audience

Aug. 9, 2022

Blackpink to embark on world tour with ‘Born Pink’ in Seoul in Oct.

K-pop girl group Blackpink is embarking on a massive world tour starting in October. The group’s label YG Entertainment released the first teaser poster for Blackpink’s world tour entitled “Born Pink” via its official social media on Tuesday. The image shows partial dates of the quartet’s upcoming concerts in 26 major cities around the world. Blackpink will kick off its tour in Seoul with a two-day concert on Oct. 15 and 16. The act will head to North America, v

Aug. 9, 2022

Golden Child challenges itself with 6th EP ‘Aura’

K-pop boy band Golden Child dropped its sixth EP “Aura” on Monday, marking a return to the music scene after a 10-month hiatus. Members Y, Jangjun, Tag, Seungmin, Jaehyun, Jibeom, Donghyun, Joochan, Bomin and Daeyeol make up the group, though Daeyeol has temporarily halted group activities as he is serving his mandatory military service. Ahead of the album’s 6 p.m. online release, Golden Child held a showcase event at Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, to discuss

Aug. 8, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT127 to return next month: report

   　 NCT127 will make a comeback in September, according to local media reports on Monday. 　 Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news following the report. 　 The nine-member subunit is shooting a music video for the upcoming album that comes about 11 months after “Favorite,” the reissue of the group’s third studio album “Sticker.” 　 The third LP sold over 2.15 million copies in the first week of sales and the repack 1.17 million units. The third LP

Aug. 8, 2022

Listen to classical concerts all summer long

A number of classical music festivals are set to take place through the month of August in Seoul. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Korea-China diplomatic relations, the Culture Ministry is holding a special concert, bringing together renowned classical musicians from Korea and China, at the Lotte Concert Hall on Aug. 24. Led by conductor Chung Chi-yong, the Korean Symphony Orchestra will open the stage with Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, Op. 92. Joined by Chinese vio

Aug. 8, 2022

[Herald Review] With tears of joy, The Boyz wraps up first world tour ‘The B-Zone’ in Seoul

K-pop group The Boyz wrapped up its “The Boyz World Tour: The B-Zone” with a flourish in Seoul. Marking the end of the act’s first-ever international tour, the members cried out of joy on the final day of its three-day encore concerts on Sunday. Boisterous noise and chants from nearly 8,000 fans filled the KSPO Dome, one of the country‘s largest indoor concert venues. The 11-piece act performed 31 songs during a jam-packed four-hour concert. As the clock struck 5 p.m.

Aug. 8, 2022

Blackpink to return with ‘Pink Venom’ on Aug. 19

Blackpink will make its long-awaited return with the new single “Pink Venom” later this month. The act’s label YG Entertainment said Monday the band will be embarking on a new project with a prerelease single “Pink Venom” on Aug. 19. “Celebrating Blackpink‘s debut anniversary today (Aug. 8), we’re happy to announce the opening date of the pre-release single, which will mark the start of the ‘Born Pink’ project,” YG said through

Aug. 8, 2022

[Herald Review] Noisy crowds, fan chants and sing-alongs: Itzy makes up for lost time through first world tour ‘Checkmate’

Boisterous crowds, fan chants, sing-alongs and clapping are back – and so were the concertgoers who filled the SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium Sunday night as girl group Itzy took the stage to make up for the lost time through its first world tour “Checkmate” in Seoul. Sunday’s concert was a jam-packed two-hour event. The five members performed 20 songs and prepared five encore performances to bring joy to their fans. The set list was composed of the K-pop act’s bi

Aug. 8, 2022

LACMA Art+Film Gala to honor filmmaker Park Chan-wook

Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and American artist Helen Pashgian have been chosen as honorees at this year’s Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Art+Film Gala. “We are excited to recognize Park Chan-wook, whose unforgettable films never fail to show us the power of cinema,” said LACMA CEO Michael Govan in a statement last week. Park won the best director award for his latest work “Decision to Leave” at this year’s 75th Cannes Film Festival. Since the

Aug. 7, 2022

15-year longevity possible because ‘Girls’ Generation is Girls’ Generation’s fan’

On Aug. 5, 2007, K-pop group Girls Generation debuted with its first single album “Into the New World.” Just like the title of the band’s first single, “Into the New World,” Girls’ Generation opened up a new era in the K-pop scene with their debut on Aug. 5, 2007. The nine-piece instantly took the nation by storm, reigning on the top of the charts and popularity for years. Fifteen years have passed since, but their presence is still irreplaceable. Now, as th

Aug. 5, 2022

Hollywood star Brad Pitt to visit Korea for ‘Bullet Train’ promotion

Hollywood star Brad Pitt will visit Korea for the first time in eight years to promote his new film “Bullet Train” on Aug. 19. Along with Pitt, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson will also be in Korea before the release of the film here on Aug. 24. Taylor-Johnson is widely known to Korean fans for his appearance in hit films including “Tenet” and “The King‘s Man.” The two actors will participate in a number of promotional events including a red carpet which

Aug. 5, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Emergency Declaration (Korea) Opened Aug. 3 Disaster-action Directed by Han Jae-rim Veteran detective In-ho (Song Kang-ho) is investigating a suspected terrorist and finds out that the suspect has already boarded a flight bound for Hawaii. To make matters worse, In-ho‘s wife is also on the plane with her friends. While the passengers are trapped inside, those on the ground including In-ho and the transportation minister (Jeon Do-yeon) struggle to find a way to land the plane safely.

Aug. 5, 2022