'Squid Game' to return for 2nd season

The global sensation "Squid Game" will return for a second season, Netflix confirmed Monday. "A whole new round is coming," director, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a letter to fans released by Netflix. "And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming." Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, is the debt-ridden character who gets involved in a mysterious deadly contest to win 45.6 billion won ($37.9 million) in prize money in the ni

June 13, 2022

KBS to air new webtoon-based drama ‘Jinxed at First’

Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to air a new webtoon-based romance series titled “Jinxed at First” on June 15. The broadcaster’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama is an adaptation of a popular Kakao Page webtoon of the same title created by author Han Ji-hye and illustrator Goo Seul, which recorded 100 million cumulative views over its three-season run from 2016 to 2020. Helmed by television director Yoon Sang-ho, the series features a poor, unlucky fish vendor named Soo-kwan

June 12, 2022

CGV to focus more on high-tech screens, premium theaters to brace for post-pandemic

CJ CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex cinema chain, said Sunday that it will expand investment in high-technology, multi-projection screens and premium theaters to meet changing customer demand in the post-pandemic era. "We will focus more on expanding high-tech screens in a bid to help movie fans not only watch content but also experience something more special at theaters," said Cho Jin-ho, who is in charge of content programming in CGV. "We are also adding more small pri

June 12, 2022

'The Roundup' tops 10 mln admissions in S. Korea

The Korean action comedy "The Roundup" topped 10 million admissions in local theaters on Saturday. The sequel to the 2017 hit movie "The Outlaws" had set the record by 1:50 p.m., according to its local distributor, ABO Entertainment Co., based on a real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council. It exceeded the mark on the 25th day since its release on May 18 and became the 28th film to reach the milestone of 10 million ticket sales in South Korea. The 27th film w

June 11, 2022

BTS' new album 'Proof' sold over 2m on 1st day of release

K-pop supergroup BTS' new album "Proof" sold over 2 million copies on the first day of its release, its entertainment agency said Saturday. The anthology album had sold a total of 2.15 million copies as of 11 p.m. Friday, just 10 hours after it became available in the market, according to Hanteo Chart, a South Korean music chart. It was the second time that the boy band's album sales surpassed 2 million on the first day, after its fourth album, "Map of the Soul: 7," in 2020

June 11, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] S.M. Entertainment to find new NCT member through audition

    S.M. Entertainment announced on Friday that it will carry out a worldwide search for the next member to join NCT. 　 A global audition called “2022 Welcome to the Neo CiTy” will be held from June 10. Males born between 2001 and 2008 are welcome to participate regardless of nationality. The second round of auditions will be held in person in 14 cities in eight countries including the US, Canada, Japan, China, Thailand and Korea. 　 Founder and chief producer Lee Soo

June 10, 2022

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’s in-person events return after two years

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on Friday announced that it will hold in-person events at the festival year, slated to take place from July 7 to 17. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the fest had been holding opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a red carpet event at various locations in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, such as Bucheon City Hall and Bucheon Gymnasium. During the last two years, the fest had been downsized with all in-person events without audiences, and the openin

June 10, 2022

BTS releases career-spanning anthology album ‘Proof’

Global K-pop sensation BTS dropped its anthology album “Proof” on Friday afternoon, unveiling three new songs and one music video with the three-CD package. At 1 p.m. on Friday, Big Hit Music released the album, along with the music video of the new lead single “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)” via YouTube. The three-CD album marks the septet’s first official release since “Butter” in July last year, and with new songs released for the first t

June 10, 2022

Cannes-winning Park Chan-wook, Song Kang-ho movies to get special screenings

South Korea’s biggest cinema chain CJ CGV will hold special screenings of seven movies with Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho, from Thursday to June 29. “To celebrate director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho winning the awards, we created this special screening event to share a meaningful achievement of Korean cinema which raised its reputation,” CGV official Yeo Kwang-jin said in a statement released Thursday. “I hope audiences can take

June 10, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Broker (Korea) Opened June 8 Drama Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda So-young (IU) leaves her child in a baby box in front of a church. Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) secretly steal the baby to sell him to a family who cannot legally adopt. So-young returns to the church the next day to retrieve the baby and finds out that Sang-hyun and Dong-soo have taken the child. Soon, So-young and the two men agree to look for the right parents for the baby together. After Yang (Ko

June 10, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Chungha to come out with 2nd LP next month: report

Chungha will make a comeback with second studio album next month, according to a local media report on Thursday. 　 It has been eight months since single “Killing Me” and about 1 1/2 years since her first LP “Querencia.” The LP came four years after her debut and the 21-track album was selected as one of The 50 Best Albums of 2021 listed by Billboard magazine. 　 Last month the songstress sang the theme song for period drama “Bloody Heart” and is the featured

June 9, 2022

[Video] Meet the son of Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, Korea's up-and-coming filmmaker Hyomin

“I don’t know why I was kind of mean to my dad,” says Bong Hyo-min, recalling his childhood. Growing up under two filmmakers, film has always been part of his life. But it wasn’t until he became a director himself that he started understanding his dad, Bong Joon-ho, a little more. Now a rising director himself, working under the mononym Hyomin, he is on his journey to discovering how he can make an impact through his film and creativity. Check out Hyomin’s first

June 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] I will not perform overseas: Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho

After appearing in Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019), as well as becoming the first Korean to win best actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his role in “Broker” (2022) in May, Song Kang-ho is now at the center of global attention. Song, however, said he does not have any plans to do projects overseas, adding that he decided to perform in “Broker” because it is being produced in his home country. “After ‘Parasite’ I got lots of o

June 9, 2022

Preorders for aespa's upcoming EP surpass 1m copies

Rising K-pop girl group aespa's second EP "Girls" has scored over 1 million units in preorders since they began a week ago, SM Entertainment, the group's agency, said Thursday. Debuting in November 2020 with a unique metaverse-based concept, the quartet shot to fame with its debut single "Black Mamba" and follow-up songs "Next Level" and "Savage." The large preorders herald the forthcoming album will also be a huge success. The quartet will relea

June 9, 2022

Secret Number goes cool and chic for 4th EP ‘Doomchita’

Less than a year since Secret Number graced the stages, the rookie girl group dropped its fourth EP “Doomchita.” This marks the sextet’s return in eight months since its previous work “Fire Saturday.” In a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday prior to the album release, Soo-dam described the EP as “an album that shows a different side of Secret Number.” The singer went on to say that all bandmates are looking forward to it and that she felt ne

June 8, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s Seoul concerts sell out

　 All tickets for Seventeen’s upcoming Seoul concerts have sold out, according to agency Pledis Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The band will have two live shows in Seoul on June 25 and 26 to kick off its second world tour, “Be the Sun.” It has been almost 2 1/2 years since its first, “Ode to You.” 　 After the Seoul gig, the 13-member group will head to Canada and the US, performing in 12 cities -- including Vancouver in British Columbia, Toronto, Los Angeles and Ch

June 8, 2022

Rookie boy band Trendz drops 2nd EP ‘Blue Set Chapter 2. Choice’

K-pop boy band Trendz released its second EP “Blue Set Chapter 2. Choice,” in which they continue their journey through the unknown space, Blue Set. The septet -- comprising of members Havit, Leon, Yoonwoo, Hankook, ra.L, Eunil and Yechan -- conducted a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the album‘s release at 6 p.m. that day. After overcoming the chaos and despair of Blue Set on their previous album, the boys are faced with a two-way crossroad inside

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bae Doo-na regrets not taking part in Cannes

Korean actor Bae Doo-na, 42, expressed regret over not being able to take part in promotional events for “Broker,” as she is currently filming Zack Snyder’s new sci-fi saga for Netflix, “Rebel Moon,” during an interview with local reporters via Zoom on Wednesday. Bae also could not be present at the 75th Cannes Film Festival where Song won the award for best actor for his role in “Broker.” “It is too bad that I could not make it to Cannes this

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Actor Gang Dong-won wants to see more ‘touching’ films succeed

Actor Gang Dong-won was skeptical at first as to whether the sentiment that flows in the heartwarming film “Broker” would come across well to Western audiences, although the film touches on the universal subject of abandoned children. “I was surprised to see audiences at Cannes Film Festival crying while watching the movie. I was relieved that the film received recognition,” the veteran actor said Wednesday during the interview held in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. G

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Why Lee Ji-eun agonized over single mother role in ‘Broker’

When singer-actress Lee Ji-eun played single mother So-young in “Broker,” she constantly thought about a special viewer she has known since filming at an orphanage when she was a teenager. “I met many children there, but there is a friend who is especially close to me. I had to think if any line or acting in the film could hurt that friend’s feelings,“ Lee said during a press interview Tuesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. Some trepidation remain

June 8, 2022