[Herald Interview] ‘D.P.’ star Koo Kyo-hwan wishes to live up to his name as go-to actor

While Koo Kyo-hwan stays humble and tries not to dwell too much on the public’s praise, his fans already consider him one of the go-to actors with an impressive list of successive hits. His hits include “Peninsula” (2020), “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” (2021), “D.P.” (2021) and “Escape from Mogadishu” (2021). “I am grateful (to the viewers) for loving my performances. Whenever I hear such feedback and expressions like ‘go-to act

May 3, 2022

[Exclusive] Tiger JK eyes return with new digital single as early as June

Korean hip-hop legend Tiger JK is gearing up for the release of a new digital single sometime in June, an industry source told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “Tiger JK has completed recording and is going to start mastering the record and film a music video for the upcoming song,” the source said. It will likely to mark the musician’s return to music nearly nine months after the release of “Love Peace Movement,” the remix of “Love Peace” which dropped

May 3, 2022

Seventeen's upcoming album sells record 1.74m in preorders

The upcoming full-length album by K-pop supergroup Seventeen has sold more than 1.74 million copies in preorders, a new record for the group, its management agency said Tuesday. Preorders for the band's fourth studio album "Face the Sun" began a week ago. It became the most-preordered album from Seventeen, surpassing 1.41 million copies for the band's previous release, ninth EP "Attacca." With the strong presales, the upcoming album is expected to become the band's sixth mill

May 3, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to kick off world tour in Seoul in July

Tomorrow X Together will kick off its first international tour with a two-day concert in Seoul, slated for July 2-3. 　 The second day’s live performance will be broadcast online as well. 　 The tour, named “Act: Love Sick,” will carry on in the United States from July 7, bringing the band to seven cities including Chicago, New York and Los Angeles. 　 Meanwhile, the five-member band will make a comeback with its fourth EP “minisode 2: Thursday’s Child” on Ju

May 2, 2022

Hybe’s first girl group Le Sserafim makes iconic first step through ‘Fearless’

  Amid frenzied hype, Hybe’s first-ever girl group Le Sserafim finally made their official debut and stepped into the spotlight on Monday evening with the release of their five-song package “Fearless.” The six-member group threw their glitzy hats into the ring under Source Music, an affiliate label of Hybe, as the first all-female act launched by the multi-label entertainment company. Among the six members, there are four Korean members -- Chae-won, Yun-jin, Garam, and

May 2, 2022

Benedict Cumberbatch returns with anticipated ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel

Even before it hits local theaters on Wednesday, Hollywood blockbuster “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is stirring excitement among Marvel Cinematic Universe film fans here. As of Monday, 673,489 tickets were sold for the upcoming movie, a sequel to “Doctor Strange” (2016), according to data by the Korean Film Council. The presales dwarfed those for “Spider-Man,” the most-watched film during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, which sold

May 2, 2022

Korean TV dramas climb back up global video streaming chart

While Korean original series have been drawing attention from the creative content industry since Netflix’s global phenomenon “Squid Game” (2021), local television dramas -- including many that have ended their runs -- are starting to enjoy unexpected worldwide popularity as well. With the continued success of Korean content on video streaming services, seeing Korean originals ranked high on a global chart is no longer an unexpected, mind-blowing event. However, TV dramas cl

May 2, 2022

[Herald Review] Pre-pandemic glory is back: Stray Kids bring crowd noise and fan chants to its second world tour ‘Maniac’ in Seoul

  Fan chants, sing-alongs and clapping were absent during the past two years due to the pandemic. But the boisterous noise of crowds and chants by concert-goers filled the Jamsil Indoor Stadium Sunday night as K-pop sensation Stray Kids took the stage for its second world tour “Maniac” in Seoul. Sunday’s concert was a jam-packed three-hour event. The eight members performed 23 songs and prepared four encore performances to satisfy their fans. The setlist was composed of

May 2, 2022

Actor Park Bo-gum to host Baeksang Arts Awards as first activity after military discharge

Actor Park Bo-gum will resume his activities after completing his mandatory military service duties by hosting the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards, the ceremony’s organizers said Monday. The 28-year-old will host the show with singer-actor Suzy and comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup, reuniting the team from two years ago. Before enlisting in the military, the actor promised to return to Baeksang Awards as a host. The trio hosted the annual award ceremony for three years in a row until 2020

May 2, 2022

Hybe's first girl group to drop debut album

K-pop powerhouse Hybe will unveil its first girl group Le Sserafim on Monday amid high anticipation from global music fans. The six-piece group composed of Miyawaki Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha, Kim Garam and Hong Eunchae will drop its debut EP "Fearless" at 6 p.m., Source Music said. The first two are ex-members of the now-disbanded girl group IZ*ONE, while Huh was a contestant on the TV survival show "Produce 48." The upcoming EP depicts a story of the six member

May 2, 2022

Director Yeon Sang-ho selects 5 movies for special section at Jeonju film fest

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province – At this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, director Yeon Sang-ho of “Train to Busan” selected five films as a programmer for the special section “J Special: Programmer of the Year.” “I remember watching ‘Dead Man’ directed by Jim Jarmusch when I was a freshman or sophomore in university. It was a special screening. I watched it with my friend. I used to live in Mapo back then, and we watched the movi

May 1, 2022

[Herald Interview] Korean American actor Justin H. Min excited to be part of Jeonju IFF in person

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- For Korean American actor Justin H. Min, participating in the Jeonju International Film Festival was special not only because it is being held in his parent’s home country, but also because it is an in-person event. “I missed Cannes because I was filming and they wouldn’t let me leave because of the quarantine. And Sundance, we were finally excited to go. And then two weeks before, they shut Sundance down. So I missed two film festivals,&rdqu

May 1, 2022

Apple TV+’s ‘Pachinko’ to return with season 2

Apple TV+ on Saturday confirmed the return of its Korean original series “Pachinko” with a second season. The period drama shows the life of Korean family moving to Japan in the 20th century, presenting the universal story of immigrants throughout the world. Based on Korean American author Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, the series depicts the life of a Korean woman named Sunja (played by Youn Yuh-jung and Kim Min-ha), who was born to a poor family in Busan

May 1, 2022

[Herald Review] 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa provides musical healing to COVID weary

People thirsty for stage performances flocked to Nodeul Island, central Seoul on Saturday, seeking to find comfort in jazz music in line with the South Korean government’s “phased return to normal” scheme. It was a perfect day to enjoy jazz music outdoors in spring weather, with the gentle breeze scattering flower petals. Marking the UNESCO-designated International Jazz Day, the 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa drew roughly 750 music fans who showed their excitement over the return of lon

May 1, 2022

Psy makes star-studded return with K-pop’s biggest names, including BTS Suga

Veteran K-pop star Psy, the man behind the 2012 global hit “Gangnam Style,” dropped his ninth full-length album “Psy 9th” on Friday, making a grand come back to the music world after a more than five-year hiatus. The 44-year-old invited local media to a press listening session on Friday afternoon, giving a glimpse into the album ahead of its release at 6 p.m. that day. During the event, Psy played the seven music videos that come with the album, sharing details of how e

April 29, 2022

iKON to open a big year with 4th EP ‘Flashback’

Returning with new music after a 14-month hiatus and to the stage for the first time in over three years, K-pop boy band iKON is gearing up for one their biggest comebacks. Next Tuesday, the sextet -- comprising of members Jay, Song, Bobby, DK, Ju-ne and Chan -- will drop its fourth EP, “Flashback,” which will be the first Korean album from the band in over two years. Fronting the six-track album is “But You,” which the band’s agency YG Entertainment describes as

April 29, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] BTS now has 20 music videos with over 300m views

BTS’ music video for “War of Hormone” surpassed 300 million views on YouTube, becoming the band’s 20th music video to reach the milestone. 　 The song is a track from its first studio album “Dark & Wild” that came out in August 2014. The hip-hop tune combines strong sounds of guitar and drums, and the bandmates show off dazzling performance in the music video that uses a fake one-take method. 　 On Sunday, the video for “Butter (Hotter Remix)”

April 29, 2022

Veteran Korean director Lee Chang-dong looks back at his 25-year career

JEONJU--Renowned Korean director Lee Chang-dong on Friday looked back on his 25 years in the Korean film industry during a press conference held at Jeonju Jungbu Vision Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, as part of the Jeonju International Film Festival. “I participated in Vancouver Film Festival with my debut film ‘Green Fish.’ Back then, nobody had any interest in Korean films,” he recalled. “Vancouver Film Festival was one of the few events that screened

April 29, 2022

Jeonju IFF opening ceremony returns to normal with full crowd cheering, red carpet

For the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeonju International Film Festival’s iconic white dome finally returned on Thursday. Though crowds had to wear masks, the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival appeared to return to its pre-pandemic grand opening ceremony. Actors and directors walked on the red carpet into the dome as onlookers, siting side by side without distancing, clapped and cheered loudly, which were banned before the social distancing measures were li

April 29, 2022

Psy's 'Gangnam Style' surpasses 4.4b YouTube views

"Gangnam Style," a 2012 global sensation by South Korean singer-rapper Psy, reached another milestone Friday as the song's popularity has continued for more than a decade. The music video for the song exceeded 4.4 billion streams on YouTube on Thursday, the singer's management agency P Nation said the following day. The feat was achieved three months after the video reached 4.3 billion views. Unveiled in July 2012, the main track from Psy's sixth full-length album became a global sensa

April 29, 2022