[Today’s K-pop] Wanna One’s album release might face hitch: report

The plans to release a new song from Wanna One may be rescheduled, according to local media reports on Thursday. 　 CJ ENM said that talks with all related management companies to put out “Beautiful Part 3” on Jan. 27 have been completed. However, there still are administrative procedures that need to be finalized, it acknowledged. 　 CJ ENM has been pushing for the band’s reunion and put all members, except for Lai Kuanlin who is in China, on the stage for 2021 Mnet Asia Music

Jan. 20, 2022

‘2022 Camping Music Festival’ to go ahead next month despite pandemic

A two-day music festival will bring together K-pop musicians like modern rock band Monni, Broccoli, You Too and indie singer-songwriter Yun DDan DDan next month to provide comfort to music fans who are exhausted from COVID-19, according to the festival’s organizer Thursday. “2022 Camping Music Festival” will take place at Nodeul Live House on Nodeul Island, central Seoul, on Feb. 26-27, according to ModernBoy Entertainment. Under the theme of “Musical Journey in Do

Jan. 20, 2022

Bong Joon-ho braces for sci-fi film based on unpublished novel about clone

Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho will likely come back with an English-language movie based on an unpublished US science-fiction novel on clones, with Hollywood star Robert Pattinson likely in a starring role, US media outlets reported Thursday. According to Deadline and other news media, the South Korean director is preparing to adapt Edward Ashton's upcoming novel "Mickey7" into a film with Warner Bros. Robert Pattinson, one of the most-sought after actors in Hollywood, is in t

Jan. 20, 2022

Hong Sang-soo's latest film to compete at this year’s Berlin film fest

South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo will compete at the Berlin International Film Festival for the third year in a row. 　 　According to the lineup for the 72nd edition announced Wednesday, Hong‘s 27th feature, “The Novelist’s Film,” was listed as one of the 18 movies that will vie for the Gold and Silver Bears at the festival scheduled for Feb. 10-16. 　 　It is the third consecutive year that a Hong Sang-soo film has been invited to the competition section of the Berlin fes

Jan. 19, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Lumious wants to console listeners with music

   　 Boy band Luminous held an online showcase to put out its second EP “Self n Ego” on Wednesday. 　 There are many artists coming out with new music this month, but they would rather not follow the trend that tends to be fancy or catchy, and base their music on solid ambience, said Woobin. This EP goes deeper than their debut EP, making listeners think, he added. 　 “When you are down, someone’s consolation or sympathy can give you great strength. Such feel

Jan. 19, 2022

Netflix Korea VP introduces 25 upcoming Korean-language originals

Kang Dong-han, vice president of content at Netflix Korea, on Wednesday introduced 25 new Korean original content works that the streaming platform will introduce in 2022 with an expectation to see more successful cases like the global hit series “Squid Game.” “Last year was special, as Oh Young-soo who won the Golden Globes said, it was no longer ‘us in the world’, but ‘the world in us’,” Kang said during a press conference held via Zoom with loc

Jan. 19, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kang Ha-neul returns as trouble-making swordsman in ‘The Pirates: Goblin Flag’

Kang Ha-neul is returning to the big screen as a trouble-making swordsman in “The Pirates: Goblin Flag” directed by Kim Jung-hoon. Director Kim’s new movie is set in the Joseon era and revolves around a journey by pirates looking for hidden treasures of a Goryeo Kingdom that no longer exists. “When I first read the script, I thought of Muchi (the character played by Kang) as a troublemaker, so it was important for him to stay somewhat hyper most of the time. I thought o

Jan. 19, 2022

Seoul Record Fair returns after 2 year hiatus amid pandemic

Seoul Record Fair (SRF), which was launched as the first vinyl record selling event in Korea a decade ago, is set to return this week despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic after a nearly two-year haitus, the SRF committee and fair’s operator Roundx2 announced on Wednesday. Although the fair will go offline, showcasing performances and selling records and music-related products, it is scheduled for one day only on Saturday this year due to the government’s strengthened COVID-19 mea

Jan. 19, 2022

Netflix to release record 25 Korean-language originals this year

Global streaming service Netflix said Wednesday that more than 25 Korean-language works, including five original films, will be released in 2022, expected to fuel the stellar drive led by the global sensation "Squid Game" last year. "In a bid to continue the successful Korean storytelling, Netflix will release more than 25 Korean contents this year," Netflix said in a statement. "We will provide Netflix-exclusive creative stories and high quality that meets viewers' dem

Jan. 19, 2022

[Herald Interview] Moonbyul says 'love is a movie' with new EP ‘6equence’

The process of falling in love and coming out of it is not all pink, but every moment of it remains in the memory like scenes from the movies, and Moonbyul takes her listeners through the emotional ride with her third EP “6equence.” Ahead of dropping the seven-track EP on Wednesday, Moonbyul conducted a joint interview with local media in Seoul to talk about the album and her career. “It’s my first solo album in almost two years, and it was a long time of deliberation,

Jan. 19, 2022

[Today's K-pop] GFriend’s Yuju debuts as solo musician

Yuju of GFriend held an online media conference Tuesday to introduce herself as a solo musician. 　 She is the first to strike out on her own from the group, which disbanded in May last year. 　 “I’ve gone through a lot of new experiences preparing for this album, and I’m excited and nervous at the same time,” she said. The album contains the pang of tension she feels from watching the light go red whenever an audio recording or video shooting starts, explained the singer

Jan. 18, 2022

[Herald Interview] Actor Cho Yi-hyun says ‘School 2021’ holds special meanings in many ways

For actor Cho Yi-hyun, 22, “School 2021” was like a gift. Speaking to the Korea Herald on Monday, she said she had a lot of new experiences through the drama as she took another step to becoming a better actor. “‘School 2021’ was my first television series, in which I took in charge of the drama’s storyline from the beginning to the end as a lead character. I felt a little bit of pressure in performing more than 30 scenes and huge amount of lines in an episo

Jan. 18, 2022

Song Ji-ah from Netflix’s ‘Single’s Inferno’ under fire for wearing fake luxury goods

Song Ji-ah, a contestant on Netflix’s latest hit reality dating show “Single’s Inferno,” who is also known as YouTuber FreeZia, has been embroiled in controversy over wearing counterfeit luxury fashion items. Criticism flew in from online community users earlier, claiming that Song’s outfits and pieces of jewelry worn for the dating show and her YouTube clips are partially fake, which resembled high-priced brands including Chanel and Dior. Before joining the rea

Jan. 18, 2022

Enhypen's repackage album sold 510,000 copies in first week

K-pop boy group Enhypen's latest repackage album sold more than 500,000 copies in the first week of its release, the group's management agency said Tuesday. "Dimension: Answer," a repackaged version of the group's first full-length album "Dimension: Dilemma" released in October, has sold 514,291 copies for a week from last Monday when the album dropped, Belift Lab said, citing data from Hanteo Chart, a local album sales tracker. It was the second straight success for the ro

Jan. 18, 2022

Star producer Kim Tae-ho leaves MBC after 21 years

Kim Tae-ho, the star producer best known for the hit MBC TV show "Infinite Challenge," has left the broadcaster after 21 years. Monday was the last day of Kim's 21-year-long work for MBC, company officials said Tuesday. Kim began working for the broadcaster in January 2001. He went on to produce "Infinite Challenge" for 13 years and "Hangout with Yoo," also a hit variety show starring comedian Yoo Jae-suk, from 2019 until recently. He also produced Netflix's Kore

Jan. 18, 2022

Readers share different views about webtoon featuring BTS

The highly anticipated “7 Fates: Chakho,” a joint webtoon project between Naver Webtoon and Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the superband BTS, is drawing mixed reactions from both webtoon and BTS fans at home and abroad. “7 Fates: Chakho,” the webtoon and web-novel series starring BTS members, released its first episode on Saturday. The series received a 7.70 rating as of Monday, which is a harsh start considering most of the Naver platform series have ratings above 8

Jan. 17, 2022

Fromis_9 makes a bold confession of love with ‘DM’

K-pop girl group Fromis_9 is back more daring yet mature with “DM,” the title song of their fourth EP “Midnight Guest,” on Monday. Ahead of dropping their new album, the nine members conducted a media showcase in Seoul on Monday afternoon, with the event livestreamed online via YouTube due to concerns of the novel coronavirus spread. Returning in four months with new music, the members greeted their fans, Flover, first. “We received huge love with our previous al

Jan. 17, 2022

23rd Jeonju International Film Festival to kick off in April

Jeonju International Film Festival’s organizing committee announced that the annual film fest will be held for 10 days from April 28 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The 23rd Jeonju IFF committee also added that it is hoping to return nearly to how it previously operated the international film festival before the pandemic. There will be 18 sections and 230 films will be screened during the festival, which shows the committee’s determination to host an event just how it was before

Jan. 17, 2022

New form of music concert to go on stage at Seoul Arts Center

A classical music concert that experiments to break out from conventional forms, “Beyond the Classic 2,” is to set the stage on Feb. 18, at the Seoul Arts Center by the Sam Philharmonic Orchestra, the organizer said on Monday. The concert aims to reach music fans weary from the long-lasting pandemic, to bring hopes and laughter throughout its 100-minute session, the organizer added. Various artists’ collaborative performances will be put together under the theme of “a c

Jan. 17, 2022

President Moon, first lady attend K-pop concert at Dubai Expo

President Moon Jae-in, who is visiting the United Arab Emirates, attended a concert of South Korean pop artists at Jubilee Park of the World Exposition in Dubai on Sunday with first lady Kim Jung-sook. Co-hosted by the Korean Cultural Center in the UAE and the Korea Creative Content Agency, the 2 1/2-hour “KITE: K-pop in the Emirates” concert took place to celebrate Korea National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai. It was held in a hybrid form that combines on-site and online performances due

Jan. 17, 2022