[Herald Interview] Yoon Doo-joon 'felt pressure' to return to drama after military

More than two years have passed since K-pop boy band Highlight’s group leader Yoon Doo-joon was discharged from his mandatory military service, but the singer and actor is still figuring out how to best juggle his many jobs.  “I felt a huge responsibility when I accepted the lead role in ‘Goo Pil-soo Is Not There.’ I wanted many viewers to watch the drama, and hoped that it wouldn’t come to an end with the public not even noticing the series had aired,”

June 26, 2022

BTS' J-Hope to release 1st solo album next month

J-Hope, a rapper and dancer of K-pop supergroup BTS, plans to release his solo album "Jack in the Box" next month, his agency said Sunday. J-hope will debut his first solo album on July 15 and drop a prerelease single Friday, according to Big Hit Music. He will be the first BTS member to go solo since the septet announced plans earlier this month to take a temporary break to focus on their individual projects. J-Hope released his first solo mix tape, "Hope World," in 2018, wh

June 26, 2022

Korean hitmaker combines sci-fi with Korean folklore in new film ‘Alienoid’

Director Choi Dong-hoon, known for “The Thieves” (2012) and “Assassination” (2015), which attracted over 10 million viewers, is returning this summer after a seven-year break from the industry with “Alienoid,” an extraordinary film that combines science fiction with Korean folklore. “When I was a kid, I used to wonder about the existence of aliens. It made me excited and, at times, also frightened. Imagining aliens made my childhood more entertaining. I

June 25, 2022

[Weekender] Korean War as seen through films

The Korean War, which broke out 72 years ago on June 25, 1950, is a tragedy that divided the Korean Peninsula into South and North Korea, a division that remains to this day with the two countries still technically at war. It is no surprise that the war and postwar situation of Korea have become common subject matters for numerous films of various genres. Most Korean War-related movies tend to be serious and aim at showing the difficulties that people faced during and after the war. The amb

June 25, 2022

Twice’s Nayeon overcomes limits with first solo EP ‘Im Nayeon’

Nayeon of K-pop band Twice dropped her first solo album “Im Nayeon” on Friday as the first member from the group to go solo. Ahead of dropping the album at 1 p.m., Nayeon conducted a press conference in Seoul to discuss her first album. “I have very mixed feelings right now. I’m kind of relieved as I’ve been preparing this for so long, but at the same time, I feel excited and very anxious,” Nayeon said, sporting platinum-blonde hair and in an elegant black p

June 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream to host concert in Seoul next month

NCT Dream will hold its second standalone concert series in Seoul from July 29-31, SM Entertainment announced Friday. 　 It has been over 2 1/2 years since its previous standalone concert, and it will be an upgrade in terms of music and performance, the band’s label proclaimed. The last day’s performance will be broadcast live as well via Beyond Live. 　 The septet put out their second full-length album “Glitch Mode” and repackaged album “Beatbox” in March an

June 24, 2022

‘Taekwon, Fly Up!’ presents charm of taekwondo with music and dance

A musical that highlights the charm of taekwondo, Korea’s traditional martial arts, has recently been unveiled at Theater Yong at the National Museum of Korea. With a mixed group of musical actors and actual taekwondo athletes, “Taekwon, Fly Up!” offers a dynamic 70 minutes for all ages. The musical revolves around the story of a high school taekwondo team that used to be famous for its high ranking. But after several years of underperforming, their school decides to give th

June 24, 2022

Two decades of dedication to young talent pays off at international classical music competitions

On Sunday, Lim Yun-chan, 18, received the Gold Medal at the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. The news arrived two weeks after cellist Choi Ha-young won the Queen Elisabeth competition and three weeks after violinist Yang In-mo became the first Korean winner of the Sibelius Violin Competition, making it an inspiring time for Koreans. But the phenomenon didn’t start in 2022. Last year, Korean pianists Park Jae-hong won first place at the Busoni International Piano Comp

June 24, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Lightyear (US) Opened June 15 Drama Directed by Angus MacLane While spending years attempting to return home, legendary Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg, who aims to steal his fuel source. To fight against Zurg, Buzz Lightyear embarks on an adventure alongside ambitious recruits Izzy, Mo, Darby and his robot companion Sox.  The Witch: Part 2. The Other One (Korea) Opened June 15 Action Directed by Park Hoon-jung So-nyeo (Shin Shi

June 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen confirms Japan tour plan

Seventeen will tour three cities in Japan from Nov. 19, Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday. 　 It will perform six times, in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya, until Dec. 4. It will be the band’s first dome tour in the country. 　 The Japan leg is likely to be the final part of its upcoming international tour. The first show is in Seoul on Saturday. In August, the band will start the North American leg bringing it to 12 cities, including Vancouver, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington.

June 23, 2022

No longer nameless, Lee Mu-jin shows stories before he made it big through first EP

  Leaving behind the glitz and the glamour of a contestant who finished in third place on JTBC’s audition program “Sing Again” in 2020, singer-songwriter Lee Mu-jin is back with his first EP, “Room Vol. 1,” which released Thursday evening. As the title suggests, the aptly named “Room Vol. 1” marks the start of his “Room” series, and it’s music that best shows the stories of “musician Lee Mu-jin” and who he was before

June 23, 2022

KBS doc ‘Oops! We Forgot Your Order 2’ to meet local, global viewers in Asia

Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to release a new documentary series, “Oops! We Forgot Your Order 2,” featuring four mild dementia patients challenged to cook and sell their own food. Located on the beautiful island of Jeju, a small restaurant is run by four seniors with star chef Lee Yeon-bok, comedian Song Eun-i, actor Jin Ji-hee, and television celebrity and chef Hong Seok-cheon. A second season was commissioned after the huge success of its first, which explored issues such

June 23, 2022

Billie Eilish to return for one-day concert in Seoul in August

American pop star Billie Eilish will hold a one-day concert in Seoul in August, the concert's organizer said Thursday. The show will take place at 8 p.m. at Gocheok Sky Dome on Korean Liberation Day on Aug. 15, a holiday that commemorates the Korean liberation from Japanese colonial rule 77 years ago, Hyundai Card said. It will be her second concert in South Korea since the first one held on Aug. 15, 2018, at the 2,000-seat Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul. She originally planned to hold a

June 23, 2022

Singer-turned-actor Ivy to hold solo concert for first time in 15 years

Singer-turned-actor Ivy will hold a solo concert for the first time in 15 years in August, her management agency, Creative i, said on Thursday. The upcoming concert, titled “Next Page,” will take place at Nodeul Live House on Nodeul Island, central Seoul, on Aug. 13-14, the agency said in a statement. “Ivy will deliver a heartfelt performance on stage with her beloved fans for the first time in a long while,” the statement read. “She is preparing a variety of so

June 23, 2022

VIVIZ to drop 2nd EP next month

Girl group VIVIZ will put out its second EP next month, the group's management agency said Thursday. The EP titled "Summer Vibe" will hit various music services at 6 p.m. on July 6, Big Planet Made said. It will be the first release from the band since its first EP, "Beam of Prism," in February. The trio aims to become the new summer queen of the K-pop scene with the new EP after returning with a more mature side, the agency said in a release. VIVIZ debuted in February w

June 23, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids tops 100m views with “Maniac” video

The music video for Stray Kids’ “Maniac” reached 100 million views on YouTube, said label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The video was fully released in March and became the band’s sixth music video to reach the milestone, following those of “God’s Menu,” “Back Door,” “Miroh,” “My Pace” and “Thunderous.” 　 “Maniac” is the focus track from the EP “Oddinary” that ranked No. 1 on th

June 22, 2022

Back after 2 years, Kard is ready to start off fresh with EP ‘Re:’

Co-ed quartet Kard on Wednesday made its full group comeback after nearly two years with the new album “Re:,” through which the group hopes to embark on a new start of their musical journey. The four bandmates, consisting of two female members Minseo and Jiwoo alongside male members BM and J. Seph -- said they felt like they were redebuting in preparing the new album, so named the album “Re:.” “When you add the prefix ‘re-’ in front of a verb, it means

June 22, 2022

PyeongChang International Peace Film Fest to open with film on Ukraine

The PyeongChang International Peace Film Festival is to begin its six-day run on Thursday in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. It is the fourth iteration of the annual film festival since being founded in 2019, based on the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ primary aim of building world peace. “Olga,” by French director Elie Grappe, will open the film festival. The story revolves around a Ukrainian gymnast after the 2014 Maidan Uprising, a series of protests in Ukraine that e

June 22, 2022

Korean version of 'Money Heist' adds twists to Spanish original

Netflix’s upcoming series “Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area” hopes to set itself apart from the original Spanish drama with a new setting, new storyline and masks. “Watching the original series back in 2018, I was mesmerized by the fascinating characters. I was certain that bringing them to another time and space, like South Korea, would definitely catch the viewers’ attention,” director Kim Hong-sun said during a press conference held at the Grand B

June 22, 2022

[Herald Interview] Music, beauty, fashion … video maestros say videos offer the full K-pop package

The popularity of K-pop has skyrocketed in recent years, becoming one of the major influences on global culture, and the powerful dance performances and magnificent visuals shown in the music videos are two hallmarks of the scene. While an ever-growing number of artists have come and gone over the past two decades, two veteran creators behind some 1,500 music videos have remained strong through it all. And they are not shy about proclaiming the massive role music videos have played in K-pop&rsqu

June 22, 2022