Sales of physical albums by K-pop artists surge 67% on-year in January

The K-pop music industry has extended its growth momentum this year with a surge in physical album sales in January, according to data compiled by South Korean music chart tracker Gaon Chart. The top 400 albums sold more than 4.05 million copies in and out of the country last month, up 66.9 percent from the same period previous year. The figure, however, dropped by 5.4 percentage points from December, the data showed. Of the top 400 albums, boy band Enhypen topped the list by selling 723,478

Feb. 17, 2022

Korean director Hong Sang-soo wins grand jury prize for 'The Novelist's Film' at Berlin film fest

South Korean director Hong Sang-soo on Thursday (Korean time) won the grand jury prize at this year's Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, "The Novelist's Film." At the award ceremony streamed online, the director's 27th feature was awarded the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 72nd Berlin festival, which kicked off on Feb. 10 in-person. It is the third year in a row that auteur Hong has won a silver bear prize at the Berlinale, following his best director honor fo

Feb. 17, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Treasure tops iTunes chart in 30 regions

Returning after a year, Treasure headed straight to the top of the iTunes chart in 30 regions with its first EP “The Second Step: Chapter One.” 　 Main track “Jikjin” claimed the No. 1 spot on a string of music charts at home as well as Line Music’s top 100 chart in Japan. 　 The accompanying music video that reportedly cost 500 million won ($417,711) to produce garnered 10 million views on YouTube in about 21 hours since release, according to label YG Entertainmen

Feb. 16, 2022

Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do and Kim Ji-hyun presents heartwarming stories of three women nearing 40

The upcoming JTBC drama “Thirty-Nine” may look like a typical romance, but for director Kim Sang-ho, it is much more meaningful. “Many people in South Korea believe the age of 39 a little special. I think 39 is a bit too early to have something special accomplished, but too late to start something new. The drama mainly presents a trio of best friends and their romance on the brink of turning 40, but it is more about how their lives develop with lovers, families and relatives,

Feb. 16, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director Jang Cheol-soo defends provocative scenes in ‘Serve the People’

After the press screening of director Jang Cheol-soo’s new film “Serve the People” on Monday, a few local media outlets criticized his work, saying that it has too many unnecessary erotic scenes. During his interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters on Tuesday, Jang addressed these criticisms. “I did not intend to make it provocative. I value the emotion (of the characters),” Jang said. “When filming sex scenes, I focused on how I would portray the c

Feb. 16, 2022

BTS to hold first live concerts in Seoul in over 2 years next month

K-pop supergroup BTS will hold its first live concerts in Seoul in about 2 1/2 years next month, the group‘s management agency said Wednesday. Three concerts, titled “BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul,” will be held on March 10 and March 12-13 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, Big Hit Music said in a statement on Weverse. These will be the seven-member band’s first in-person concerts in Seoul since the band’s world tour performance in Octobe

Feb. 16, 2022

[Feature] Local audiences conflicted over sensational Netflix Korean originals

Global expectations for and interest in Korean content, specifically Korean Netflix originals, look set to endure, with series -- such as “My Name,” “Hellbound,” “The Silent Sea” and “All of Us Are Dead” -- all having followed Squid Game's lead to enter the platform's global top 10. According to the global streaming service Netflix, its latest zombie thriller “All of Us Are Dead” retained the No. 1 slot on the service’s weekly v

Feb. 16, 2022

BTS to hold first live concerts in Seoul in over 2 years next month

K-pop supergroup BTS will hold its first live concerts in Seoul in about two and a half years next month, the group's management agency said Wednesday. Three concerts, titled "BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul," will be held on March 10 and March 12-13 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, Big Hit Music said in a statement on Weverse. This will be the septet's first in-person concerts in Seoul since its world tour performance in October 2019. The first and the last sh

Feb. 16, 2022

'All of Us Are Dead' tops Netflix weekly viewership chart for 3rd week

The coming-of-age zombie apocalypse drama "All of Us Are Dead" topped Netflix's weekly viewership chart for the third consecutive week, the global video streaming service said Wednesday. The 12-part Korean-language series marked 113.2 million hours of viewing for the week of Feb. 7-13 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs, according to Netflix. It has stayed at the No. 1 position since its first entry two weeks ago with 124.8 million hours of viewing just t

Feb. 16, 2022

BTS' V tests positive for COVID-19

K-pop supergroup BTS' V has become the fifth member of the group to test positive for COVID-19. The 26-year-old singer, whose original Korean name is Kim Tae-hyung, visited a hospital Tuesday to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test after experiencing a mild sore throat and received a positive result, the group's management agency Big Hit Music said in a statement posted to Weverse. He completed two rounds of vaccinations and was not presenting any extraordinary symptoms other than a mild f

Feb. 16, 2022

Tongyeong hit with concert cancellations

At least two classical concerts that were slated for later this month at Tongyeong Concert Hall have been canceled due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, but the organizers who are also preparing the Tongyeong International Music Festival in March said that its flagship music gala will take place as planned. The New York Philharmonic String Quartet, which was scheduled to play at Tongyeong Concert Hall on Sunday will skip the city, which was to have been the first of their performanc

Feb. 15, 2022

Treasure takes second step with ‘Jikjin,’ aims for music show No. 1

Boy band Treasure hopes to nab their first music show win with their new song “Jikjin.” Ahead of making a return with their latest EP “The Second Step: Chapter One” on Tuesday, the twelve-member group conducted a press conference and discussed the release and its lead single “Jikjin.” Over the past year, the boys spent their time gearing up to open up the second journey in their career. In January 2021, the band dropped their first studio album “The Fi

Feb. 15, 2022

‘Sing Again’ contestant Han Seung-yun marks solo start with ‘Lovender’

Singer-songwriter Han Seung-yun, contestant No. 17 on the first season of JTBC’s competition “Sing Again,” dropped his first mini album, “Lovender” at 6 p.m. Tuesday through online music streaming platforms, marking his new start as a solo artist. “It feels great to be on stage after a good while. ... I prepared the mini album like I were making a debut. My goal (for the album) is to let listeners know that I’m an artist who tries various genres of mus

Feb. 15, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Mamamoo’s Moonbyul to hold solo concert

Moonbyul of Mamamoo will perform two solo concerts in Seoul from March 5, according to agency RBW Entertainment Tuesday. 　 Under the title “Director’s Cut: 6quence,” she will perform a series of songs including the tracks from her recent solo third EP “6quence.” The EP was her first solo album in two years and topped the iTunes albums charts in 20 regions. It sold over 70,000 copies in the first week. 　 The concert will be similar to a movie that catches different

Feb. 15, 2022

‘Kill Heel’ shows human nature in cutthroat home shopping world

Television director No Do-cheol is certain that his upcoming tvN drama “Kill Heel” will surprise viewers with its powerful storyline and impressive performances from three renowned actors -- Kim Ha-neul, Lee Hye-young and Kim Sung-ryoung. “The straightforward depiction of human desire and greed was the most fascinating aspect about the series. After reading the script, I believed that this is not a characteristic found only in the home shopping sector. The show’s critica

Feb. 15, 2022

Pre-event of 20th Director’s Cut Awards to be held on Thursday, Friday

The 20th Director’s Cut Awards announced on Tuesday that it will hold its special pre-event Director’s Chair online on Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., before the award ceremony takes place on Feb. 24. Director’s Chair is a panel discussion event that had been held in person with five nominated Korean directors for the award. However, the event organizer, the Directors Guild of Korea, said that this year it is holding it through Zoom, and audiences will be able to watch on bot

Feb. 15, 2022

[Herald Interview] Lee You-mi embraces hate for her character in ‘All of Us Are Dead’

Actor Lee You-mi, 27, returned to the small screen as self-centered high school student Na-yeon in “All of Us Are Dead,” after rising to global stardom with Netflix’s megahit “Squid Game.” Playing a character that is nearly the opposite of her role in “Squid Game,” Lee was surprised to receive barbed comments from drama aficionados, but was satisfied with her performance in the latest zombie thriller. “Unlike how the viewers showed their love an

Feb. 15, 2022

Actress Lee Yoo-mi says 'Squid Game,''All of Us Are Dead' expanded her horizons

Lee Yoo-mi might be one of the luckiest actors in the world because she instantly skyrocketed to global fame for her roles in two highly successful Netflix dramas, "Squid Game" and "All of Us Are Dead." In the sensational survival drama "Squid Game," released in September last year, Lee played Ji-yeong, or Player 240, a young woman who competes for the 45.6 billion won ($38.1 million) in the mysterious contest after being released from prison for killing her abusive

Feb. 15, 2022

Taeyeon says third solo LP ‘INVU’ shows her ‘now’

Taeyeon hopes to prove that she is an irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind character with her third full-length album “INVU.” The soloist and member of K-pop group Girls’ Generation conducted a media showcase event on Monday afternoon ahead of dropping her new LP later that day to discuss the album and its production. The singer’s latest, “INVU,” read as “I envy you” is an attempt to show who she is “now.” “It’s a return after

Feb. 14, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids to return with EP next month

Stray Kids will make a comeback with an EP on March 18, announced label JYP Entertainment Monday. 　 It follows the teaser video that surprised fans at a fan meet event the band held in southern Seoul on Sunday. 　 In the trailer, Felix walked into a mysterious spot and looked around terrified. Then the rest of the bandmates appeared, further raising the tension until a word sign changed into “oddinary,” title of the EP, from “ordinary.” 　 “You are the special being

Feb. 14, 2022