Korean-American violinist Jennifer Koh’s pandemic-defying project wins her Grammy

Korean-American violinist Jennifer Koh has won the Best Instrumental Solo Award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for her recording “Alone Together” on Sunday (US time). “Alone Together” is based on Koh’s online performance series of the same name, created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial hardship that many in the arts community face. In the album released by Cedille Records, a not-for-profit record label, Koh plays 39 world premiere recor

April 5, 2022

Transition committee, K-pop execs discuss support measures

The presidential transition committee for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol met with executives of the country’s top K-pop agencies and industry experts to discuss a range of support measures for the K-pop industry. Those who attended Monday’s closed-door meeting included Hybe CEO Park Ji-won, S.M. Entertainment co-CEO Tak Young-jun, JYP Entertainment CEO Jung Wook, MNH Entertainment CEO Lee Ju-seop and BarunsonWIP Entertainment Vice President Yun Heung-kwan. The industry stakeholders

April 5, 2022

Seoul Jazz Festa at Nodeul Island to add to spring vibe in the city with in-person concerts

A six-day music festival bringing together Korean jazz musicians will be held next month, organizers announced Tuesday. The 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa will take place on Nodeul Island, Seoul, starting April 26, according to the Korea Jazz Association. The in-person festival aims to celebrate the UNESCO-designated International Jazz Day, highlighting jazz and its role in uniting people around the globe. It has been selected as one of the seven leading festivals in Seoul this year. Admission is fre

April 5, 2022

Artist Woosung to release all-English EP ‘Moth’ next month

Korean American singer-songwriter Woosung will release an all-English language EP titled “Moth” next month, according to Transparent Arts. The upcoming EP will include four tracks written and produced by the artist that encapsulate the theme of moth. “Moth” will be released May 13 via global music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. The music video will be available on Woosung’s official YouTube channel. “This album is for the people t

April 5, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Kwon Eun-bi rolls out 2nd EP ‘Color’

   　 Kwon Eun-bi, formerly of IZ*ONE, held an online showcase Monday to introduce her second solo EP “Color.” 　 “I wish to be remembered as colors of the rainbow,” she said of the new EP. If the first EP “Open” signified the beginning of her solo career like opening a door, the new album is more about showing a broader range of herself, she explained. 　 “I endeavored to show the real Kwon Eun-bi rather than a prepared Kwon Eun-bi,” s

April 4, 2022

‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ ends on a questionable note

TvN coming-of-age romance drama “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” came to an end Sunday, landing top ratings for its time slot. Featuring the strong friendship of teen fencers Na Hee-do (played by Kim Tae-ri) and Ko Yu-rim (Bona) along with high school friends Ji Seung-wan (Lee Ju-myoung) and Moon Ji-woong (Choi Hyun-wook), “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” caught drama fans’ hearts with stories of teenagers pursuing their dreams. Viewers shared their thoughts about the series in

April 4, 2022

Webtoon make jump to animation

After supplying storylines for hard hitting dramas to local broadcasters and global streaming services, webtoons are poised to be turned into TV animations. Content production company BY4M Studio announced Monday that it would be reproducing Naver Webtoon’s romance series “A Daytime Moon.” Serialized from 2013 to 2017, the webtoon centers on the romance between a couple who transcend the flow of time by traveling between Daegaya, a nation that inhabited southern parts of the

April 4, 2022

BTS lights up Grammys with first in-person showcase

BTS brightened up the Grammy Awards with its megahit “Butter,” marking the K-pop phenomenon’s first live stand-alone performance on music’s biggest night. The septet -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- was the fourth act to go onstage at the awards, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday. BTS transformed themselves into undercover agents for a performance that began with Jin operating computers straight out of a spy movie, while Jungko

April 4, 2022

Blue Man Group returns to Korea

Blue Man Group, a nonverbal stage show that blends art, technology, music and comedy, is coming back to meet Korean audiences after a pandemic-induced delay, its Korean distribution company Mast Entertainment said Monday. The Blue Man Group features three bald and blue characters, who “explore the world and discover music, comedy and surprises at every turn.” Since its debut in 1991 in New York, the show has been performed in front of more than 35 million people around the world.

April 4, 2022

Kim Tae-ri makes extra efforts for teen character in 'Twenty Five Twenty One'

Star actress Kim Tae-ri said she made extra efforts to look as young as she could to play the part of a teenager in her latest TV series "Twenty Five Twenty One." In the tvN's rom-com, which released its final 16th episode Sunday, Kim, 31, plays Hee-do, a member of a high school fencing team that is about to be disbanded due to financial issues stemming from the Asianwide financial crisis that affected the country in the late 1990s. In an online media interview held Wednesday last week

April 4, 2022

BTS’ military exemption not discussed ‘yet’: Presidential transition team

Saturday’s meeting between officials of the agency of boy band BTS, Hybe, and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition committee went without discussing the K-pop sensation’s possible military service exemption, a high-ranking official said, while hinting it could be discussed in the new administration. There was “no mention about the military service at all,” Ahn Cheol-soo, chief of Yoon’s presidential transition committee, told reporters after his visit t

April 3, 2022

Actor Kong Hyo-jin, singer-songwriter Kevin Oh confirm relationship

Actor Kong Hyo-jin and Korean American singer-songwriter Kevin Oh are in a relationship, Kong’s agency Management Soop and Oh confirmed. The couple was responding to marriage rumors after Kong caught the bouquet at top actors Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin’s wedding on Thursday. While confirming the relationship on Friday, Management Soop did not elaborate further on the marriage speculations. Oh, who is not represented by an agency, later on the same day posted a letter on his official

April 3, 2022

‘Squid Game’ star Jung Ho-yeon to appear in The Weeknd’s new music video

South Korean model and actor Jung Ho-yeon, who rose to global stardom in the Netflix hit series “Squid Game,” will appear in the music video of Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. The Weeknd posted a photo of the two holding hands in an elevator on his social media, Friday, hinting that the music video for “Out of Time” is set to be released Tuesday. “Out of Time” is a track from the pop singer’s fifth studio album titled “Dawn FM,” whic

April 3, 2022

[Herald Interview] Actor Son Ho-jun shows off chemistry with ‘Stellar’ co-star -- a car

Actor Son Ho-jun, who rose to stardom after appearing in tvN’s hit drama “Reply 1994,” said his latest project challenged him to build on-screen chemistry with an unlikely co-star -- a car. Son, who was cast as the main lead in the movie “Stellar” directed by Kwon Soo-kyung, said it was much harder than working with human actors. “Performing with a car was not easy since there was no reaction from it,” Son said during an interview with a group of repo

April 2, 2022

Violinist E.S. Kim to play through 300 years of violin history

Violinist Edwin E.S. Kim is embarking on an unprecedented journey with 30 concerts, collectively titled “Dots and Lines,” aiming to explore 300 years of violin history. “By mathematical definition, a point is a place in space; a line is a set of points, and a surface is a set of lines,” Kim said during a press conference Tuesday. “I thought it would be intriguing to showcase how the works of great composers throughout history are connected. Each work is a formulat

April 2, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim to give sneak peek at debut song next week

   　 Soon-to-debut group Le Sserafim will reveal part of its debut song through its debut project. 　 The six-member act will debut next month and fans will be able to create a “digital souvenir” to mark their “first encounter.” 　 It will unveil the song partially on the website for the project, dubbed “The First Moment of Le Sserafim,” and fans can pick and choose from images, messages and voices of the bandmates for a unique combination. 　 Th

April 1, 2022

23rd Jeonju International Film Festival announces selections for this year

The upcoming Jeonju International Film Festival will feature 217 films, including works by “Hellbound” director Yeon Sang-ho and “Pachinko” creator Kogonada, its organizing committee said Thursday during a press conference at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. The 23rd edition of Jeonju IFF will kick off April 28 and run through May 7 at five theaters in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. It will be an online-offline hybrid festival, similar to last year, but the committee sa

April 1, 2022

Seventeen to drop 1st English single this month

K-pop supergroup Seventeen will release its first English single this month to expand its presence in the global music market, the group's agency said Friday. The digital single will hit online music services at home and abroad at 1 p.m. on April 15, Pledis Entertainment said, adding it is a pre-release song of the band's fourth full-length album set to come out in May. "It marks the first time that Seventeen releases an English song in the form of a digital single. With the release, the gr

April 1, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Hot Blooded (Korea) Opened March 23 Crime, Action Directed by Cheon Myoung-kwan In 1993 in Kuam, a small port town outside Busan, third-rate gangster Hee-su acts as a hotel manager under Don Son (Kim Kap-soo). One day, Yong-kang (Choi Mu-sung), who fled the country suspected of murder, returns home and begins causing trouble. Hee-su finds out that the trouble was caused by the drugs that Yong-kang has been smuggling. Moonfall (US) Opened March 16 Science-fiction Directed by Roland Emmer

April 1, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Girls’ Generation may return for 15th anniversary

    Sooyoung of Girls’ Generation hinted that the veteran idol group might make a comeback to mark the 15th anniversary of its debut. 　 On Wednesday during a Q&A session on her Instagram account, upon the request to comment on how she feels about the upcoming anniversary, she simply asked: “Are you ready?” 　 Earlier this month at the online signing event to celebrate the release of her third full album “INVU,” Taeyeon said it might be possible to

March 31, 2022