Who is Son Suk-ku?

Son Suk-ku, the South Korean actor who rose to instant fame with his performance in “My Liberation Notes,” has interesting stories to tell, not just in fiction, but also in real life. While many fans may be drawn to the wild, rebellious spirit he has shown in recent performances, the actor was “morbidly shy” during his teenage years, according to his own words. This was one of the reasons he moved to the United States as a middle school student. “My father was

June 8, 2022

Director Park Hoon-jung’s ‘The Witch’ universe expands with sequel

Director Park Hoon-jung’s “The Witch” universe is expanding further with new characters, upgraded special powers and storyline in “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.” Park’s “The Witch”, released in 2018, features the story of a seemingly ordinary girl named Ja-yoon (Kim Da-mi) who wins top prize on a TV audition program. After her victory, a series of unusual people enter Ja-yoon’s life, including the mysterious scientist, Dr. Baek. The s

June 8, 2022

‘Yumi’s Cells’ makes confident return

Armed with smile-inducing characters and their heart-pounding romance, the second season of Tving’s “Yumi’s Cells” is set to mesmerize drama fans once again with a combination of live action and animated scenes. “Though our drama series has many charms to attract viewers’ attention, the cute, lovely cells are what make ‘Yumi’s Cells’ special. I am certain that fans will fall in love with the old and new cells making their appearance in our

June 8, 2022

The strange appeal of Son Suk-ku

Son Suk-ku has never been hotter. After mesmerizing viewers as the mysterious Mr. Gu in JTBC’s hit drama “My Liberation Notes,” the 39-year-old actor plays a ruthless villain who kidnaps and kills tourists for ransom in Vietnam in the film “The Roundup,” the biggest box office hit since the pandemic hit South Korea. Before “My Liberation Notes,” the last episode of which aired on May 31, Son was little known. He did some acting in stage productions

June 8, 2022

No Brain returns with first all-English EP ‘Big Mistake’ after 8-year hiatus

Legendary punk rock band No Brain returned with its long-awaited first all-English EP “Big Mistake” on Wednesday. The album was made in 2014 in the US, but it took about eight years to finally hit online music streaming platforms due to copyright and contract issues in the US, according to the band’s agency Roxta Muzik & Live. The five-track album starts with lead track “Uh-huh,” with rhythmical drum beats that build into heavy guitar riffs blended with the

June 8, 2022

BTS to celebrate 9th anniversary with fans, album drop

Celebrating its ninth anniversary, global K-pop phenomenon BTS will mark the milestone with fans around the world with a round of festivities both online and offline. On Tuesday, BTS’ label Big Hit Music said the boy band is set to conduct the online live show “‘Proof’ Live” on June 13, during which the band will premiere the stage for its upcoming single “Yet To Come.” Kicking off the show at 9 p.m. via the act’s official YouTube channel “B

June 8, 2022

aespa to embark on global promotions ahead of July release

Ahead of a highly anticipated new release this summer, girl group aespa is set to hold its ever-first US showcase in the Los Angeles area. S.M. Entertainment said Tuesday that the four-piece act would meet American fans through “aespa Showcase SYNK in LA” at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California, June 26. The quartet will perform its hits and new songs and enjoy talks with fans during the event, according to the agency.  The upcoming showcase marks a return stateside f

June 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Meet two forces of Aida: producer Tracey Corea and actor Jeon Na-young

  Associate director and choreographer of the musical “Aida” Tracey Corea and actor Jeon Na-young may be separated by a few decades in age, but their love for the Disney production bridges that gap. One takes the stage as Aida, the leading protagonist, while the other shines behind the scenes as the musical’s producer. Corea was part of the original team responsible for the birth of the musical when it first appeared on Broadway in 2000. Starting out as a choreographer in

June 8, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to host 1st concert Japan in September

Tomorrow X Together will hold its first in-person concert in Japan in September, announced label Big Hit Music on Tuesday. 　 Under the title “Act: Love Sick in Japan,” the band will perform four times: in Osaka on Sept. 3-4 and in Chiba prefecture on Sept. 7-8. 　 The quintet released first Japanese studio album “Still Dreaming” and first Japanese EP “Chaotic Wonderland.” It also has been setting records on Japan’s Oricon charts. It put six consecutive

June 7, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to introduce movies in Spain, Hong Kong

Seoul Independent Film Festival will take part in film screening events to introduce Korean independent movies in Spain and Hong Kong. The SIFF will introduce selected independent Korean films at Korea Fest BCN 2022, held at Cinemes Boliche in Barcelona, Spain for five days from June 15 to 19. There will be an Indie Seoul section during the film festival in Spain, which will screen five selected works among films that were screened at the SIFF, including “Fighter,” directed by J

June 7, 2022

Netflix’s ‘All of Us Are Dead’ to return with season 2

Global streaming service Netflix confirmed the return of its Korean zombie series “All of Us Are Dead” with a second season on Tuesday. The zombie thriller, an adaptation of the legendary Korean webtoon of the same title by author Joo Dong-geun, revolves around Hyosan High School students fighting to survive in a zombie apocalypse. As the drama series had introduced new zombie races -- those immune and immortal -- and had a different ending from the original webtoon, many fans ha

June 7, 2022

aespa to hold showcase for fans in Los Angeles this month

South Korean girl group aespa will hold a showcase in Los Angeles this month for its American fans, its agency said Tuesday. The group will perform its hit singles and new songs during the "aespa Showcase SYNK in LA" at YouTube Theater on June 26 (US time), SM Entertainment said. Aespa will then hold its first showcase in Japan from Aug. 6-7. Debuting in November 2020 with a unique metaverse-based concept, the quartet shot to fame with its debut single "Black Mamba" and follo

June 7, 2022

BTS to drop anthology album 'Proof' on Friday

K-pop supergroup BTS will make a highly anticipated return to the music scene Friday with an anthology album titled "Proof." The group will drop the album compiling the group's nine-year-long activities since its debut at 1 p.m. on Friday in South Korea, which is midnight US EST, apparently with the US market in mind, according to the local music scene. It will be the band's first physical album since it released the single CD with "Butter" and "Permission to D

June 7, 2022

‘Broker’ director Kore-eda aims to break prejudice against mothers who give up kids

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s new film “Broker” does not hide the key question that the director wants to ask the audience: Should mothers take all the blame for abandoning their children in “baby boxes”? “At the beginning of the movie, Soo-jin (played by Bae Doo-na) says ‘if you are going to abandon a newborn, you should not have given a birth to him.’ This shows that there is a kind of prejudice toward mothers. The film starts from the

June 6, 2022

Cellist Choi Ha-young wins prestigious Queen Elisabeth competition

Up-and-coming cellist Choi Ha-young has won the Queen Elisabeth Competition for the cello, becoming the first South Korean cellist to receive the top honor at one of the most demanding contests in the world. The 24-year-old cellist was announced as the winner of the competition at the awards ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, on Saturday after the final round of 12 contestants including three other South Korean cellists -- Mun Tae-guk, Yoon Sul and Jeong Woo-chan. The first prize came with a

June 6, 2022

'The Roundup' tops 9 million viewers

The Korean action comedy "The Roundup," starring "Eternals" star Ma Dong-seok, topped 9 million accumulated viewers Monday, data showed. On its 20th day on the big screen Monday, the sequel to the 2017 hit movie "The Outlaws" has nabbed more than 9 million in attendance, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The detective action flick released May 18 is continuing to shatter pandemic-era box-office records, having become the first film to reach the 8 milli

June 6, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Kep1er to return later this month

 　 Rookie girl group Kep1er has announced the release of a second EP, “Doublast,” on June 20.   　 The news came with a poster showing a glass of blue-tinged lemonade complete with a slice of lemon, signaling that the new EP as the perfect listen for the summer.   　 The nine bandmates were chosen through a TV competition series last year and debuted with the EP “First Impact” in January. The album set a record as the bestselling debut album from a K-pop gir

June 3, 2022

So Ji-sub returns with MBC’s ‘Doctor Lawyer’

Top actor So Ji-sub is making his much-anticipated TV drama comeback in MBC legal series “Doctor Lawyer.” “I have been in many press conferences for my previous projects, but I think I am always getting nervous before showcasing a series to talk about it,” So said with a smile of excitement during an online press conference Friday. Making his return for the first time after winning the grand prize in the 2018 MBC Drama Awards, So was certain that his upcoming series wo

June 3, 2022

Top dancers go dance busking around US cities in ‘Fly to the Dance’

The producers of JTBC’s popular busking series “Begin Again” are back, this time with a dance-based busking reality program. Korea’s top female dancers and choreographers journey through streets of New York and Los Angeles, showing off their dance moves and providing the vicarious satisfaction of overseas travel to audiences who have been unable to go abroad amid the pandemic. “Fly to the Dance” features choreographer Lia Kim, dance crews Hook’s Aiki,

June 3, 2022

Yeo Jin-goo, Moon Ga-young reunite in ‘Link: Eat, Love, Kill’

Yeo Jin-goo and Moon Ga-young, who first worked together in SBS period drama “Jamyunggo” (2009), are certain that their chemistry in upcoming rom-com “Link: Eat, Love, Kill” will be unmatched, as they have known each other since 2009. “We have worked together in two historical dramas as child actors and shared a lot of memories. Our reunion definitely helped me and Ga-young play a couple in a romance series, making our characters more emotional,” Yeo said in

June 3, 2022