Winner kicks off its second chapter with best team chemistry so far

Nine years into its K-pop career, Winner declared it is embarking on a second chapter as a four-piece group with the fourth EP “Holiday.” “This is the starting point as Winner begins the second part of our journey. The members are all in their 30s now, and the album conveys the good energy of the more vigorous future laid out in front of us,” Winner’s leader Kang Seungyoon said in a press conference for the album on Tuesday. Ahead of dropping the new album in th

July 5, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Zico to return later this month: report

　 Zico will make a comeback on July 27 with a new album, according to a local media report Tuesday. 　 He is gearing up for return and more details will be announced later, agency KOZ Entertainment said following the report.  　 It will be his first activities since he was discharged in April. 　 The musician debuted as a member of Block B, a seven-piece boy band, in 2011. He went solo in 2014 and has been releasing a series of hits songs, including the megahit “Any Song” in 202

July 5, 2022

‘Squid Game’ lead Lee Jung-jae’s ‘Hunt’ stars best friend Jung Woo-sung

Not many people were surprised when it was announced that top Korean actor Jung Woo-sung would star in “Squid Game” lead actor Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut feature. The two top movie stars, who became close while filming “City of the Rising Sun” (1999), directed by Kim Sung-soo, have long been showing off their friendship on and off the screen. At a press conference to introduce his upcoming “Hunt” at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul on Tuesday, Lee said

July 5, 2022

Oh Eun-young, Kang Hyeong-uk, Paik Jong-won: Three most sought-after TV mentors

The three most sought-after experts for many Koreans nowadays may be child psychiatrist Oh Eun-young, dog trainer Kang Hyeong-uk and star chef, food researcher and businessman Paik Jong-won. The three, at the pinnacle of their respective fields, have captivated both online and offline viewers with their insights, sense of wit and strong charisma, making consulting programs a mainstay of TV programming in Korea. Kang Hyeong-uk, ‘president of dogs’ The rising pet ownership in the c

July 5, 2022

Montreal Symphony Orchestra to present passionate repertoire

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra will present a “passionate repertoire” during its visit to South Korea this week, the orchestra’s new conductor and musical director Rafael Payare said Tuesday.　 The orchestra’s first overseas tour under the direction of the 42-year-old Venezuelan conductor consists of four concerts: Tuesday’s concert with South Korean concert pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, the winner of the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, at Lotte Conce

July 5, 2022

CIX unites fans in Saudi Arabia with ‘Jeddah K-Pop Festival 2022’

Boy band CIX met fans in Saudi Arabia through “Saranghae KSA - Jeddah K-Pop Festival 2022,” held at Jeddah Superdome on Friday. The three-day Korean music and culture event was Saudi Arabia’s first K-pop festival, introducing fans to a range of Korean favorites. The group closed the last day of the jam-packed live session with mega-hits “What You Wanted,” “Bad Dream,” “Lost,” “Change Me,” “Everything,” “Cine

July 5, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose tops 200m views with solo music video

Rose of Blackpink amassed 200 million views with the music video for her solo song “Gone” as of Sunday, said label YG Entertainment on Monday. 　 The video generated 100 million views in half a day since its release, and had the most views in 24 hours on the platform. 　 The single is the second track from the two-track album “R,” her first solo work from March 2021. It reached 100 million streams on Spotify last month following the opener “On The Ground,” wh

July 4, 2022

Kakao Entertainment’s webtoon ‘Solo Leveling’ to make jump to animation

Kakao Entertainment announced the animated adaptation of its popular webtoon series “Solo Leveling” on Monday. According to the company, the action-fantasy will be co-produced by Kakao Entertainment and Japan’s renowned animation studio A-1 Pictures, the company behind many successful animated adaptations such as “Sword Art Online,” “The Seven Deadly Sins,” “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Erased” and “Your Lie in April.”

July 4, 2022

Past is tense, but future perfect, Enhyphen says through 3rd EP

With the ambition to canvass the summer music charts with its new album, boy band Enhypen dropped its third EP, “Manifesto: Day 1,” Monday evening. This marks the K-pop act’s return nearly six months after it released “Dimension: Answer” in January. “Manifesto: Day 1” tells the story of the seven bandmates with doubts about the meaning of “success.” The EP is aptly named -- Enhypen marches forward to find the word’s true definition

July 4, 2022

‘Next Sohee’ starring Bae Doo-na to screen at Fantasia International Film Festival

Korean director July Jung’s second feature film, “Next Sohee” starring movie star Bae Doo-na, has been invited to the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival, which will be held from July 14 to Aug. 3 in Montreal. Jung’s feminist police thriller will get its North American premiere on Fantasia’s closing night. The Korean director is known for creating movies that realistically portray social issues in Korea. The Canadian film festival organizer announced t

July 4, 2022

TXT embarks on first world tour with ‘Act: Love Sick’ in Seoul

After three years and four months on the K-pop scene, global boy band Tomorrow X Together finally came together with fans with its first in-person concert “Tomorrow X Together World Tour ‘Act : Love Sick’ in Seoul” over the weekend. The concerts, marking the start to the quintet’s first world tour “Act : Love Sick,” took place at the Jamsil Arena of the Seoul Sports Complex in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The two-day event, which ran for three hours each day, fea

July 4, 2022

Maroon 5 accused of using Rising Sun flag in world tour poster

Rock band Maroon 5 has been embroiled in controversy for using the design of a disputed Japanese Rising Sun flag in its world tour poster. The band recently announced through its official website that it will kick off the tour in Quebec City on Saturday and travel to Asia to perform in Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Manila and Bangkok. The five-piece act’s Seoul concert is scheduled for Nov. 30 at Gocheok Sky Dome.　 While the upcoming visit to Korea marks a return for Maroon 5 after ne

July 4, 2022

S. Korea box office tops 15m admissions in June

South Korea's box office reported 15 million admissions for June, marking the largest monthly tally for over two years, data showed Monday. A total of 15.5 million people went to theaters last month, up 6.3 percent from 14.6 million a month earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council. It is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the monthly audience numbers topped the 10 million level for two straight months. And the June figure marked the highest since 16.84 mill

July 4, 2022

Nayeon debuts at No. 7 on Billboard 200, becoming highest-charting K-pop solo artist

K-pop girl group TWICE's Nayeon ranked seventh on the Billboard's main albums chart with her solo debut EP, "Im Nayeon," the US chart operator has said in an article. She became the Billboard 200's highest-charting K-pop solo artist by earning 57,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending June 30, the magazine said Sunday (US time). Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week in the US, measured by equivalent album units, comprising ph

July 4, 2022

[Herald Interview] K-Arts President Kim Dae-jin hails role of devoted teachers

Kim Dae-jin, 58, took the reins of the Korea National University of Arts, known as K-Arts, only 10 months ago, but his history with the school goes back to 1994, when he became a professor two years after the school opened. K-Arts, the country’s top arts school, was founded in 1992 with a mission to provide high-quality education so that students would not have to go abroad seeking great teachers and top-class training. Fast forward to 2022, the school is seeing the fruits of its labor

July 4, 2022

Music in PyeongChang opens with masks in focus

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The 19th edition of Music in Pyeongchang, an orchestral event in Gangwon Province, finally kicked off Saturday with an opening concert that mixes modern and classical music pieces. The first half of the opening concert began with Frederic Rzewski’s “To The Earth,” performed by percussionist Matthew Ernster. The percussion session that accompanied a poem recitation was followed by George Crumb’s “Voice of the Whale” for Th

July 3, 2022

‘Broker’ wins top prize at Munich International Film Festival

“Broker,” the first Korean-language film project by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, on Sunday won the top award at the 39th Munich International Film Festival. According to the festival organizer, the ARRI award, established in 2008, is given to the filmmakers of the best international film in the CineMasters competition section. An independent three-member jury decides who shall receive the award, worth 50,000 euros ($52,000). Kore-eda’s “Broker” centers

July 3, 2022

Sequels in cinemas bolster streaming popularity of original films

With three sequels -- “Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Roundup” and “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One” -- currently bringing back moviegoers to local theaters, the original movies that preceded these second installments are also grabbing viewers’ attention. Hollywood blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick,” which opened here June 22, has sold more than 3 million tickets locally in under two weeks, according to Lotte Entertainment. The original Tom Crui

July 3, 2022

Heize sings she’s not ready to ‘Undo’ her love with her 2nd LP

The breakup queen is back, and this time singer-songwriter Heize is dropping a whole package of lingering post-love feelings and yearning to turn back time. Returning with her second LP “Undo,” the first full-length album from the artist in three years, Heize said while the term “full-length album” itself weighs heavy on her shoulders, she was confident she could put together a whole studio set with that single theme. “I’ve released singles and EPs until no

July 2, 2022

Girl group aespa to attend UN meeting on sustainable development

  　South Korean girl group aespa will attend the U.N. High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development next week, its agency said Friday. 　 　The band will attend the opening session of the forum, to be held at the U.N. headquarters in New York at 9 a.m. on Tuesday (U.S. time), SM Entertainment said. 　 　During the meeting, the quartet will deliver a speech on the subject of “Next generation to the next level” and perform its hit song “Next Level.” 　 　The annual

July 2, 2022