[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

CJ ENM announces lineup for KCON 2022 LA

KCON, the world’s biggest Korean popular culture festival, will return to a physical location in over two years in Los Angeles in August. The event is headlined by the trendiest lineup of K-pop groups, including Enhypen, Itzy and NCT Dream. CJ ENM, the Korean entertainment conglomerate organizing KCON, revealed on Wednesday the lineup of performers to feature in the global K-pop event, slated to run from Aug. 19-21 at the Crypto.com Arena (previously the Staples Center) and the LA Convent

June 22, 2022

'Decision to Leave,' Cannes-winner Park Chan-wook‘s version of mature love

Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook said his new film “Decision to Love” shows what he considers to be mature love between two adults. “I started the movie thinking I would like to tell a story that only experienced people will understand,” the director said during a press conference at Yongsan CGV on Tuesday. “When we are young, we show all our emotions and express them, but as we get older, due to different situations and circumstances, it is difficult to b

June 22, 2022

Two new BTS songs on Billboard singles chart, 'Yet To Come' at 13th

Two new singles from the BTS anthology album "Proof" have entered the Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart for this week. According to the latest chart unveiled Tuesday (US time), "Yet To Come," the main track of the album, debuted at No. 13 and "Run BTS," also off the same album, at 73rd on the chart. Released on June 10, "Proof" started on top of the Billboard 200 main albums chart for this week despite the group's recent announcement of a pa

June 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to tour 4 cities in Asia in October

Tomorrow X Together announced plans to visit four cities in Asia in October on Tuesday. 　 The band uploaded a poster that showed destinations for the Asian leg of its international tour, adding Jakarta, Manila, Taipei and Bangkok to its itinerary. 　 The quintet will kick off its first world tour, dubbed “Act: Love Sick,” with two concerts in Seoul on July 2-3. The following week, it will fly over to the US, performing eight times in seven cities from Chicago and New York to San Fra

June 21, 2022

Gangneung film fest’s Kim Dong-ho to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Malaysian International Film Festival

Kim Dong-ho, the chairperson of the Gangneung International Film Festival, is to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Malaysia International Film Festival. Kim and co-recipient Hou Hsiao-hsien, a China-born director, will receive the award at the Malaysia Golden Global Awards 2022 ceremony to be held July 16. The award is given to members of the international film community with significant contributions to film festivals and the film industry. Kim has been the honorary president

June 21, 2022

Forgotten boy bands to get second chance for revival on JTBC‘s ’Peak Time‘

Every year, around 30 new boy bands make their debut on the K-pop scene, dreaming of the limelight and glitter that comes with the idol lifestyle. But only a lucky few are given the chance to climb the ladder and get the recognition they aspire to. JTBC is launching a project to give a second chance to K-pop acts who have fallen short in making a successful career. According to JTBC, its upcoming program “Peak Time” will be a competition for boy bands that have already debuted.

June 21, 2022

Dream Concert goes live again after pandemic pause

Dream Concert, one of the world’s biggest K-pop events, was held in person for the first time in three years on Saturday, becoming the longest-running K-pop event in the country. According to data compiled by the Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association on Tuesday, the accumulated number of people who attended the festival rose to 1.67 million since its first show in 1995. It has featured a total of 616 K-pop acts so far, the data showed.  The 28th Dream Concert took pla

June 21, 2022

TV director Na Young-seok takes chance with new partners in tvN reality show 'Earth Arcade'

Star television director Na Young-seok returns with tvN’s new reality show “Earth Arcade,” featuring stars with whom he has not worked previously on television. “I have worked on many projects with television celebrities who I felt very comfortable with and spent a lot of time with, like comedian Kang Ho-dong, actor Lee Seo-jin and more. And I wanted to do something new for the upcoming series,” director Na said in an online press conference held on Monday. &ldqu

June 21, 2022

BTS tops global music charts with anthology album ‘Proof’ and new song ‘Yet To Come’

K-pop sensation BTS’ winning streak on global music charts continues with its latest anthology album “Proof” and new song “Yet To Come.” The band’s new single “Yet To Come” scored No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Excl. US chart, which ranks songs based on streaming and sales activities in 200 regions worldwide, excluding the US. According to the chart operator, BTS racked up 96.5 million streams and sold 42,000 copies in the June 10-16 tracki

June 21, 2022

‘Top Gun’ Tom Cruise tells long-waiting Korean fans ‘it is OK to cry’

Hollywood star Tom Cruise on Monday said he hopes long-waiting Korean fans of “Top Gun” who watched the action film as kids back in 1986 will fully enjoy the new sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Grown-up man, you can enjoy that film, and you can cry  in that movie, and that‘s OK. It’s for you and it’s for everybody, so enjoy,” Cruise said during a press conference held at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on Monday. Along with Cruise, four of the sta

June 20, 2022

Loona aims to become K-pop summer queen with ‘Flip That’

As the summer season approaches and music charts are ready to revel in new anthems, K-pop girl group Loona has eyes set on becoming the new summer queens of the K-pop scene, with a new mini album just in time for summer. The 12-member act’s new release, “Flip That” marks a return for the full group a year since the release of fourth EP “&” dropped in June last year. It is also the band’s first-ever summer album since the group’s debut in August 201

June 20, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ “Black Swan” music video tops 400m views

The music video of BTS’ “Black Swan” reached 400 million views on YouTube, said label Big Hit Music on Monday. 　 It became the band’s 18th music video to achieve the feat. “Black Swan” is an emo hip-hop number that was dropped in January 2020, in advance of the release of fourth full album “Map of The Soul: 7.” It topped the iTunes songs chart in 93 regions. 　 On the same day, its “Yet To Come” music video surpassed 100 million views

June 20, 2022

Kep1er invites fans to musical island for a summer rest with second EP ‘Doublast’

As many big-name K-pop artists are set to return this summer, rookie girl group Kep1er opened the sunny season music craze with second EP, “Doublast,” released Monday evening. This marks the nonet‘s return, nearly six months since its debut album, “First Impact,” released in January. In a press conference Monday, leader Yu-jin described it as “an album where Kep1er embarks on a new adventure after its debut.” She continued, saying that the bandmate

June 20, 2022

How K-pop idols have come to stand the test of time

A wave of change is slowly sinking into the once harshly systematic K-pop industry. Last Tuesday, boy band BTS announced it will halt group activities in order for the seven bandmates to focus on their individual pursuits, which have been pushed back for the past decade. While the members stated several reasons for their group’s hiatus, they openly condemned the systematic pressures of the K-pop idol industry, which innately restricts the personal time they ought to have as individuals.

June 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] Yerin Ha stays humble amid Hollywood blockbuster debut

Korean Australian actor Yerin Ha is thrilled that her project “Halo” is being premiered on two major streaming platforms -- Korean streaming platform Tving and US-based Paramount+. Hoping to be judged for her acting in Paramount+‘s military action series before being recognized as a granddaughter of Korea’s acclaimed stage actor Son Sook, Ha shared her thoughts on starring in the series. “I was honored and thrilled to be part of an amazing project, surrounded by m

June 20, 2022

Soprano Im Sun-hae releases surprising, yet not-so-surprising musical album

The latest album by South Korean soprano Im Sun-hae is unlike most of her previous releases. Betraying her love for musicals, “The Man I Love” is a pleasant picnic away from her career as a soprano, according to the performer. “I‘ve always loved all genres of musical performance. I will always be a classical singer at heart because once you fall in love with classical music, you never give it up completely. But I often felt a need to explore different genres and diver

June 20, 2022

Cannes-winning stars return with air disaster film ‘Emergency Declaration’

Two Cannes-winning movie stars -- Song Kang-ho and Jeon Do-yeon -- are returning to the big screen in the highly anticipated aviation disaster flick “Emergency Declaration,” directed by Han Jae-rim. Song became the first Korean male actor to win an acting prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival this year for his role in “Broker,” directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. In 2007, Jeon won the award for best actress at Cannes for her performance in “Secret Sunshine,” d

June 20, 2022

Classical music to be performed at Deoksugung

Deoksugung’s Seokjojeon, the first European-style stone building built during King Gojong’s reign (1863-1907), will be filled with classical tunes on the evening of June 29, the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Deoksugung Palace Management Office said Monday. Since 2015, several concerts have been performed at the venue. Historical records show that Korean pianist Kim Yeong-hwan performed recitals for King Gojong at the Seokjojeon main hall in the early 1910s. Hosted and o

June 20, 2022

'Chun Tae-il,' 'Persona' win at Annecy animation film fest

Two South Korean animated films, "Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On" and "Persona," have been awarded at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival. According to the winner's list Monday (Korean time), "Chun Tae-il," a biopic on the Korean workers' rights activist directed by Hong Jun-pyo, received the Contrechamp Jury Distinction prize at the 46th edition of the festival that kicked off June 13 and ran through Saturday. The 109-minute

June 20, 2022