[Video] Why do South Korean presidential election candidates love to dance?

By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun (jungje@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com) Kim Jeong-ryul (ryul@heraldcorp.com)

Feb. 25, 2022

BTS crowned IFPI Global Recording Artist for 2nd consecutive year

K-pop phenomenon BTS was recognized as Global Recording Artist of the Year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, an organization representing the worldwide recording industry, on Thursday in the UK. The seven-member act became the first artists to nab the honor in two consecutive years, after having made history by becoming the first Asian act to win the award last year. The award is given to the bestselling artist of the year globally, based on a number of measuremen

Feb. 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director Park Moon-chil connects ‘comfort woman’ with #MeToo victims in ‘Comfort’

In his new documentary film “Comfort,” director Park Moon-chil has set up a special “meeting” between the late Kim Soon-ak, a former wartime sex slave of the Japanese military, and victims of sexual misconduct that have been taking part in the #MeToo movement. Park said he read Kim’s autobiography with the #MeToo victims before filming. The young women victims in their 20s and 30s also read Kim’s testimony out loud in the movie. “Her oral records also

Feb. 25, 2022

Tickets nearly sold out for livestreaming of upcoming BTS concert at movie theaters

Tickets to remotely watch the upcoming BTS concert at movie theaters have nearly sold out, reflecting the high fan interest in the group's first in-person concert in Seoul in two years, officials said Friday. Some 36,000 tickets for "live viewing" of the K-pop superstars' concert on March 12 at the theaters of CJ CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox nearly sold out in minutes, according to the multiplex chains Friday. Each ticket costs 49,000 won ($40). CGV opened the sales of 25,000 tickets

Feb. 25, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Serve the People (Korea) Opened Feb. 23 Romance Directed by Jang Cheol-soo Mu-gwang (Yeon Woo-jin), who is a soldier hungry for success, sees an opportunity for a promotion in the army when he starts working at the house of his commander (Jo Sung-ha). There he meets his boss’s wife, Soo-ryun (Ji An). When his commander is away, Mu-gwang and Soo-ryun engage in a dangerous and forbidden love affair. Uncharted (US) Opened Feb. 16 Action Directed by Ruben Fleischer Nathan Drake (Tom Holland

Feb. 25, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] (G)I-dle to release 1st LP next month

   　 (G)I-dle uploaded an artwork Thursday to share the news that it will put out its first studio album on March 14. 　 The teaser image themed after a shooting target spelled out “I Never Die.” 　 It has been over a year since the group released its fourth EP “I Burn.” It also is the first new album since it reorganized into a five-member act since Soojin left following a bullying rumor when she was in school. 　 In the meantime, claims were made online tha

Feb. 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘It took 10 years to be called singer Lee So-jung’

Lee So-jung reintroduced herself as a soloist to the public through JTBC’s popular “Sing Again” last year. Stepping outside her long-held comfort zone as part of Ladies’ Code and shrugging aside the burdens that came with the name, she said she “now hopes to become a singer who can smile” during the show. A year has passed since then, and Lee now thinks that she is happy, the artist said in an interview conducted in January at Herald Square in Yongsan, Seoul

Feb. 24, 2022

Korean TV industry welcomes remakes of American, European series

Recent Korean TV series adapted from American and European originals have made their presence felt on the local entertainment scene, which is expanding its horizons to the global market. Starring big-name stars Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won, "One Ordinary Day," an original by local stream service Coupang Play, is based on BBC's popular crime drama "Criminal Justice." The eight-part series delves into the criminal justice system through the story of two men connected to woman

Feb. 24, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] TXT collabs again with Salem Ilese

　 Yeonjun and Taehyun of Tomorrow X Together teamed up with American musician Salem Ilese again, announced label Big Hit Music Wednesday. 　 The two were the featured artist for the singer/songwriter’s new single “PS5.” It was produced by DJ Alan Walker and released online on the day. It will be included in her upcoming EP “Unsponsored Content,” due on Feb. 25 in the US. 　 As the title suggests, the song describes how one is torn between playing video games and

Feb. 23, 2022

Kim Hye-soo returns with Netflix’s ‘Juvenile Justice’

Top actor Kim Hye-soo will make her Netflix debut Friday in yet another legal drama, “Juvenile Justice,” following the 2020 SBS’ courtroom drama series “Hyena.” “Before ‘Juvenile Justice,’ I thought I continued to have an interest in juvenile delinquency. After studying real cases, learning from the juvenile court judges and taking the role of Sim Eun-seok, a judge who despises juvenile offenders, I learned that my interest was only the tip of the

Feb. 23, 2022

Choi Min-sik returns as math genius in Korean version of ‘Good Will Hunting’

Choi Min-sik is returning to the big screen as a genius mathematician from North Korea in “In Our Prime,” which has been promoted as the Korean version of Gus Van Sant’s American classic “Good Will Hunting.” “Our film can’t be compared with ‘Good Will Hunting’ and Robin Williams,” Choi said humbly during a press conference held after a press preview at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University on Tuesday. “I remember how moving that movie w

Feb. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] Chang Ki-ha discovers ‘voice’ is his identity

Chang Ki-ha, a former member of the now-disbanded indie rock band Kiha & The Faces, has returned as a solo artist with his first EP “Levitation.” It marked his return as a musician after a nearly three-year break following the band’s disbandment in December 2018. “(Returning to the music scene after a long break) still has not really sunk in yet. I’m excited and nervous at the same time, and glad to hear positive feedback on the latest album,” Chang said

Feb. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] Rapper Kisum talks about coping with COVID-19 with ‘Bare Trees’

Rapper and singer-songwriter Kisum has returned with her first new release in a year and ten months, putting behind a long winter and sharing her stories through the single “Bare Trees.” Penning both the melody and the lyrics, Kisum said the song compares the emotions she felt as she endured the COVID-19 pandemic to the bare trees. “Not just me, but all musicians, we have far fewer opportunities to work during the pandemic. I had to take a long break, and I felt then that I w

Feb. 23, 2022

BTS 'Butter' music video tops 700m views

The music video for BTS' 2021 megahit single "Butter" surpassed 700 million YouTube views Wednesday, becoming the 10th video from the K-pop group to hit the milestone. The video passed the 700 million threshold at 9:31 a.m., about nine months after it was uploaded online on May 21 last year, the group's agency Big Hit Music said. The upbeat summer song became a global hit upon its release, staying on the Billboard's Hot 100 main singles chart for 10 non-consecutive weeks. The song's mu

Feb. 23, 2022

JYP Entertainment accused of plagiarizing Ateez for new girl group’s music video

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment finds itself embroiled in controversy for alleged plagiarism of an Ateez music video and the boy band’s concept for its own rookie girl group’s debut. On Tuesday, the company's new girl group NMIXX entered the K-pop fray with the single “Ad Mare.” But just a day since the debut, the septet is making headlines for accusations of plagiarism: The band’s titular “O.O” has come under fire for copying boy band Ateez's music

Feb. 23, 2022

TXT’s Yeonjun, Taehyun feature in Salem Ilese’s new single ‘PS5’

Yeonjun and Taehyun, members of K-pop boy band Tomorrow X Together (TXT), took part in US pop singer Salem Ilese’s new single “PS5” as featured artists, according to Big Hit Music Wednesday. “PS5” is a love song that deals with choosing between playing a game and spending time with a lover, produced by famous DJ Alan Walker. In the song, the two TXT members rhythmically sing, “(Let me play the game) two more minutes, I’ll get a trophy.” “P

Feb. 23, 2022

BTS to hold four in-person concerts in Las Vegas in April

K-pop giant BTS will hold four live concerts at a stadium in Las Vegas in April, the group's management agency said Wednesday. The shows, titled "BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - Las Vegas," will take place at Allegiant Stadium on April 8-9 and 15-16, Big Hit Music said. They will be the first BTS concerts in the United States in about four months with the latest having been its four concerts in Los Angeles before more than 210,000 fans between Nov. 27 and Dec. 1. For those who fail

Feb. 23, 2022

Hybe tops W1tr in annual sales, first in K-pop industry

Hybe has become the first K-pop management agency to surpass 1 trillion won ($838 million) in annual sales, boosted by successes of its artists led by global superstars BTS. The company said in a regulatory filing Tuesday its sales for 2021 were tentatively tallied at 1.25 trillion won, up 58 percent from the previous year. Its operating profit rose 30.8 percent on-year to 190.3 billion won with a net profit estimated at 141 billion won, up 62 percent. It marks the first time Hybe has exceeded

Feb. 22, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Enhypen to release 2nd Japanese single in May

Enhypen will drop its second Japanese single on May 3, the group’s agency Belift Lab announced on Tuesday. 　 The single, titled “Dimension: Senkou,” will include Japanese versions of “Drunk-Dazed,” the lead track from its second EP “Border: Carnival,” and “Tamed-Dashed,” the lead track from its first LP “Dimension: Dilemma.” It will also contain “Always,” the band’s second original song in Japanese that was chos

Feb. 22, 2022

Korean startup Watcha to offer webtoons, music streaming this year

Korean startup Watcha on Tuesday announced the launch of Watcha 2.0 this year, including plans to provide webtoons and a music streaming service on its video streaming platform. “We think this year is the year to take a leap forward. We have to prepare for our next 10 to 20 years,” Watcha CEO Park Tae-hoon said during a media event held Tuesday in Yeouido, Seoul. “We are aiming to reach 100 million global subscribers by 2030,” Park added. Watcha’s chief operati

Feb. 22, 2022