Kakao Entertainment to expand its webtoon NFTs

Having released its first webtoon NFTs of “Solo Leveling” Wednesday, Kakao Entertainment said it is seeking to expand its NFT business with “The Soulless Duchess.” According to the company, the upcoming NFT is a joint project between Kakao Entertainment’s IP “The Soulless Duchess” and the generative art project company Treasures Club, making the country’s first ever generative webtoon NFT. Generative art is a form of digital art in which the art

Jan. 12, 2022

AfreecaTV looks to expand global communication through esports

AfreecaTV will aim to expand communication with global users through esports content, the Korean video streaming service said Wednesday. According to the company, AfreecaTV currently operates a total of six firms in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the US, Thailand and Hong Kong to provide various streaming content in different languages so that overseas users can watch it without any communication barriers. The Korean video streaming service has held a number of esports competitions abroad, with

Jan. 12, 2022

Hybe to premiere webtoon series featuring BTS this week

Hybe, the agency behind the global K-pop sensation BTS, will premiere its original webtoon and web-novel series starring the seven-member band and other artists of the firm’s labels this week. The agency on Wednesday said “7Fates: Chakho,” a web-comic and web-novel series based an on original story featuring BTS, will be unveiled on Saturday via Naver’s web comic platform, Naver Webtoon. Two other episodes, “Dark Moon” and “The Star Seekers,” ea

Jan. 12, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘Street Dance Girls Fighter’ producers to show more talented, passionate dancers

After creating a dance boom in South Korea with the hit dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter,” local cable channel Mnet continued to keep the momentum going by transplanting the premise of the show in a spinoff titled “Street Dance Girls Fighter.” Premiering in November last year, the six-episode “Street Dance Girls Fighter” wrapped up with a record-high nationwide viewership rating of 2.3 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. The show captivated view

Jan. 12, 2022

BTS-inspired webtoon to be released this week

A new fantasy webtoon and web novel inspired by K-pop superstars BTS will be released later this week, the group's management agency said Wednesday. Hybe said its original story of "7Fates: Chakho" will be available on Naver Webtoon, an online platform for web-based comics run by South Korea's top portal operator, on Saturday. "7Fates" is based on tales of a tiger-hunting corps during the Joseon Dynasty called chakhogapsa. It tells the story of seven boys, based on each mem

Jan. 12, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Taeyeon to put out 3rd LP next month

Taeyeon will return as a solo musician with her third studio album in February, her label SM Entertainment announced on Tuesday. 　 She dropped a summer song, titled “Weekend,” last July, but it has been two years and four months since the release of her previous LP “Purpose” and the songstress will give fans a sample of the upcoming LP with a pre-release single “Can’t Control Myself,” due out on Jan. 17. 　 Taeyeon debuted as a member of Girls’ Ge

Jan. 11, 2022

Korean drama soundtracks booming as major medium of ‘Hallyu’

Although most countries have COVID-19-related travel restrictions, the worldwide popularity of Korean pop culture has continuously crossed borders, reaching new heights. Taking the baton from K-pop, songs featured in local dramas have newly become a major medium for the spread of “Hallyu,” or the Korean Wave. Korean soundtracks have recently been made with an eye on the charts with the soaring popularity of dramas. The use of mainstream popular singers like BTS members Jin and V, an

Jan. 11, 2022

[Feature] Female film leads still out of sight in 2022

The Korean film industry as a whole weathered a tough year in 2021, with only a few movies opening in theaters amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Looking at the list of films that did get a cinematic release, once again, it is hard to ignore the conspicuous absence of female actors. On the list of 20 highest grossing films in Korea last year are five Korean films --“Escape from Mogadishu, “Sinkhole,” “Hostage: Missing Celebrity,” “Hard Hit” and &ldq

Jan. 11, 2022

‘Sewing Sisters,’ a documentary that moved Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook

The upcoming documentary “Sewing Sisters” is a film recommended by the nation’s top filmmakers Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook. “Sewing Sisters,” co-directed by Kim Jung-young and Lee Hyuk-rae centers around three women who used to work for textile companies at Peace Market in the 1970s. “Parasite” director Bong appeared on stage before the film’s pre-screening event held on Jan. 4 and said, “I came here as a supporter and fan of the movie

Jan. 11, 2022

Where is Netflix's 'Single's Inferno' filmed?

In Netflix’s reality dating show “Single’s Inferno,” 12 attractive men and women try to escape a deserted island by becoming a couple.  The Korean show portrays the island as an “inferno,” where only successfully-matched couples can be heliported out of to “paradise,” a luxurious hotel. However, the location drew curiosity among global viewers for its beauty.  It is Saseungbongdo, an uninhabited island off the west coast of South Korea,

Jan. 11, 2022

Korean movie, TV series released in China for first time in about 6 yrs

A South Korean movie and a TV series have been officially released in Chinese theaters and via a local streaming platform for the first time in about six years, raising cautious hopes that the yearslong cultural freeze between the neighboring countries is thawing. The comedy film "Oh! My Gran" (2020), starring veteran actress Na Moon-hee, hit Chinese theaters in December, becoming the first Korean-made film released in China since the period action movie "Assassination" in 2

Jan. 11, 2022

‘Hadestown’ takes top prize at Korea Musical Awards

Broadway-born musical “Hadestown,” which made its first landing in Korea in September last year, was honored with the grand prize at the sixth Korea Musical Awards, hosted by the Korea Musical Theatre Association, on Monday. Korea Musical Awards are given annually to selected musicals among those that premiered over the previous year. For this year, the performance of “Hadestown” beat prominent fellow candidates such as “Who Lives in the Kuroi Mansion?” &ldq

Jan. 11, 2022

Kim Yo-han says love is sweet through ‘Dessert’

Kim Yo-han of boy band WEi welcomed the second week of the new year by hopping onto the September music chart craze with his mini-album “Illusion.” The album, which dropped Monday evening, touches on the different colors and melodies of music. In a press conference on Monday, the singer said that as the name of his album suggests, the term “illusion” translates into a fantasy – a reverie that everyone dreams of. The musician added that he wanted the album to have

Jan. 10, 2022

President Moon congratulates ‘Squid Game’ actor Oh Young-soo

In a congratulatory message released after actor Oh Young-soo was announced as the winner in the supporting actor in a series, limited series, or television movie category at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, President Moon Jae-in applauded the actor, saying, “His journey of acting for more than half a century eventually overcame borders and cultural differences, creating great emotional and lingering impressions on the world stage. I would like to express my respect and gratitude to actor Oh

Jan. 10, 2022

[Today's K-pop] Wanna One to release new song: report

Wanna One will officially drop a new song on Jan. 27, according to local media reports on Monday. 　 The song named “Beautiful Part 3” was unveiled at the 2021 Mnet Asia Music Awards last month. The 11-member act, except for Lai Kuanlin who is in China, reunited for the first time in about three years and presented the song at the awards ceremony. 　 It has been about three years and two months since the band put out a new song, and the date coincides with the day it announced that

Jan. 10, 2022

Oh shines after decades in theater, TV, films

Since his debut in classic Korean film “The Seashore Village” in 1965, Oh Young-soo, 77, has taken various roles in theatrical projects, drama series and films, eventually winning the award for best supporting actor at the 97th Golden Globe Awards for his role as Oh Il-nam in “Squid Game.” He is the first Korean actor to win a Golden Globe. “After hearing the news, I told myself that ‘you are a good guy’ for the first time in my life,” the actor

Jan. 10, 2022

Million-seller rookie Enhypen return powerful with ‘Dimension: Answer’

K-pop boy band Enhypen on Monday returned with their new album “Dimension: Answer,” a repackage of the act’s million-selling first studio album “Dimension: Dilemma.” The seven-member band conducted a media showcase in Seoul on Monday afternoon ahead of the album’s release at 6 p.m. that day. “With the first studio album, we felt we had grown much as a team, and with the new repackage, we hope to show that we’ve advanced even more,” Sunoo sa

Jan. 10, 2022

[Herald Review] Musicians from S. Korea, ASEAN harmonize through ‘Round in Korea’

The COVID-19 pandemic may restrict travel, but the power of music to connect and bring people together across borders was apparent Sunday night at the ASEAN-Korea Music Festival’s “Round in Korea.” The six-hour online festival featuring 15 musicians from Korea and nine of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was hosted by state-run broadcaster KBS and sponsored by Seoul‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund and the

Jan. 10, 2022

All the world’s a stage: Success of ‘Squid Game’ opens doors for Korean actors

The influence of global OTT platforms was once again proven with Netflix original series “Squid Game” supporting actor Oh Young-soo‘s win at the 79th Golden Globes on Monday. International successes like Oh’s are increasingly likely in the near future as more Korean actors have started working on projects targeting global audiences. Many big-name stars are choosing to appear in Netflix’s original series, which are made available in 190 countries. Kim Hye-soo and

Jan. 10, 2022

‘Squid Game’ actor Oh Young-soo wins Golden Globe

Oh Young-soo, who played player No.1 in Netflix’s South Korean megahit “Squid Game,” directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, took home the best performance by a supporting actor in a series, limited series, or television movie trophy at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, becoming the first Korean actor win at the awards organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Oh was nominated in the category along with Brett Goldstein of AppleTV+’s “Ted Lasso” and HBO’s K

Jan. 10, 2022