[Today’s K-pop] Wanna One may reunite: report

  There have been talks about disbanded boy band Wanna One reuniting, according to local media reports on Wednesday. 　 Following the reports, CJ ENM confirmed that it is discussing a range of plans, including an appearance at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, a concert and an album, which would include every member of the group. 　 The project group was formed on the second season of audition program “Produce 101” in 2017 and officially disbanded after approximately 1 1/2 years toge

Nov. 3, 2021

Films created during pandemic the mainstay of 47th SIFF

The 47th Seoul Independent Film Festival will be screening films mostly created since the beginning of COVID-19 last year. “The largest number of films ever were submitted this year. A total of 1,550 films were submitted,” said SIFF director Kim Dong-hyun during a press conference Wednesday. “We had the largest number of submitters last year so I thought the number would decrease this year. Especially since last year was not an easy time to make films,” Kim said. &ldq

Nov. 3, 2021

Vienna Philharmonic, ‘Nutcracker’ performances signal return to normal at Sejong Center

With the local performing arts scene excited for a return to normalcy under South Korea’s “living with COVID-19” strategy, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced its winter lineup, from a Vienna Philharmonic concert to “The Nutcracker” ballet. One of the most anticipated highlights of the center’s winter schedule is a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic and maestro Riccardo Muti on Nov. 14. The prestigious orchestra will perform Mozart’s S

Nov. 3, 2021

Director hopes viewers see ‘Melancholia’ as beautiful story about math

The upcoming tvN romance drama “Melancholia,” directed by Kim Sang-hyub, revolves around a math teacher and a gifted pupil at a private school, where corruption and favoritism runs rampant. “A drama involving mathematical formulas may sound odd and strange at first, but I am certain that the viewers will be drawn by how the two characters communicate through math,” Kim said in an online press conference Tuesday. The director, who is known for the hit series “True

Nov. 3, 2021

SPO gears up for new 2022 season

While Korea is taking the first step toward normalcy with its “living with COVID” strategy, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is also planning for an exciting 2022. Music Director Osmo Vanska shared snippets of plans for the upcoming season at an event held for the supporters of the SPO at Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, Seoul, on Sunday. Just as the orchestra began the year 2021 with a requiem, with conductor Sung Shi-yeon taking the baton for Lutoslawski’s Musique funebre, t

Nov. 3, 2021

BTS-Coldplay collaboration ranks 20th on Billboard Hot 100

"My Universe," a collaborative song between K-pop superstars BTS and British rock band Coldplay, ranked No. 20 on the Billboard main albums chart for this week. According to the latest chart that became available Tuesday (US time), the song was down seven notches from the previous week's No. 13 on the Hot 100 chart, which ranks the most popular songs of the week in the United States by blending streaming, airplay and sales data. The tune debuted atop the chart in the first week of it

Nov. 3, 2021

[Herald Interview] oceanfromtheblue on making music that carries time

As the seasons change, so too does the ocean. The water is warm in the summer, wrapping around the body pleasantly as the waves gently slap the skin, while in the winter, the currents turn stronger, surging up and down below the high, gray skies as the abyss delves down unfathomably. Singer-songwriter and producer oceanfromtheblue, initially going by the name Ocean, said his music is like the vast waters that change with the turn of the seasons. “It’s the same ocean, but it exude

Nov. 3, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s 9th EP lands on Billboard 200 at No. 13

Seventeen’s ninth EP “Attacca” entered the Billboard 200 at No. 13, the group’s agency Pledis Entertainment announced Tuesday. 　 The EP came out on Oct. 22 and is now the group’s highest ranking release yet. Its previous EP “Your Choice” ranked No. 15 on the chart. The EP topped Billboard’s top album sales chart as well as Oricon’s daily and weekly album ranking, and Billboard Japan’s three main charts. 　 With the EP having sold mor

Nov. 2, 2021

NCSoft to present Lineage W with global ambitions

South Korean major game developer NCSoft has global ambitions for its new massively multiplayer online role playing game Lineage W, set for launch Thursday at midnight. Lineage W will first be available in 12 languages for users in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. NCSoft then plans to expand its service to North America, Europe and South America. Instead of operating separate servers for each country, NCSoft has created the Global One Build service that allows

Nov. 2, 2021

Han Hyo-joo, Park Hyung-sik make highly anticipated return with tvN’s ‘Happiness’

For director Ahn Gil-ho, a desire to portray the life of ordinary people was the reason to film “Happiness.” “When I read the script, the scenario was really interesting and had the power to draw a viewer‘s attention. But the biggest reason for me to choose this drama was my plan to make a series that focuses on the stories and feelings of common individuals,” the director said in an online press conference on Monday. The upcoming tvN Friday-Saturday series revolv

Nov. 2, 2021

10 years on, Super Junior D&E is back to square one

When Super Junior D&E was formed in 2011 as a subunit of the popular boy band Super Junior, its members Donghae and Eunhyuk never expected it would remain active even after 10 years. The two, both born in 1986 and having been with the group since they were trainees, looked back on their past years during an online press conference held Tuesday to promote their first full-length album. The new release will drop at 6 p.m., ahead of the unit's 10th anniversary next month. "Super Junior D

Nov. 2, 2021

BLACKPINK's Lisa makes second appearance on Billboard Hot 100 with 'Money'

Lisa, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, scored her second-ever appearance on the Hot 100, Billboard's main singles chart, with "Money." According to Billboard on Monday (US time), "Money," a track from Lisa's first individual single album released in September, opened at 90th on the chart for the week ending Nov. 6. The singer and rapper first entered the chart with "Lalisa," the title track of the album, ranking No. 84 in the first week of its release. The

Nov. 2, 2021

TV series about K-pop singers set to premier next week

Two TV series about the lives and struggles of K-pop singers will hit small screens in South Korea next week, their broadcasters said Tuesday. "Let Me Be Your Knight" will premier this Sunday on SBS, depicting a romance between a popular idol singer suffering from sleepwalking and a live-in doctor who has to cure his condition secretly. Former and active K-pop singers take part in the 12-episode drama, with Lee Jun-young, a former member of boy band U-Kiss, playing Yoon Tae-in who is

Nov. 2, 2021

BTS 'Dynamite' certified triple platinum in US

"Dynamite," a megahit single by K-pop superstars BTS, has received triple platinum certification in the United States. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) revealed the certification on its website Monday (US time), recognizing the song for achieving more than 3 million certified units in sales and streams. The awards range from gold certification (500,000 units) to platinum (1 million units), multi-platinum (2 million units) and diamond (10 million units). The certi

Nov. 2, 2021

All Lovelyz members except Baby Soul to leave Woollim this month

Almost all members of K-pop girl group Lovelyz will leave their management agency Woollim Entertainment this month when their contracts with the company expire, the agency said. "Exclusive contracts between our company and Lovelyz members are set to expire on Nov. 16," it said in a statement Monday. "After a long in-depth discussion, seven members -- Yoo Ji-ae, Seo Ji-soo, Lee Mi-joo, Kei, Jin, Ryu Su-jeong and Jung Ye-in -- have decided to prepare for another start." But t

Nov. 2, 2021

‘Tomb of the River’ director says he was inspired by PyeongChang Winter Olympics

The director of the upcoming Korean action film “Tomb of the River” Yoon Young-bin said he got the idea for the film’s script from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The movie’s Korean title, “Gangneung,” is the name of a city in Gangwon Province, on South Korea’s east coast. The city is also adjacent to PyeongChang. “After Korea was liberated, Gangneung never received any development assistance,” Yoon said during a brief press confere

Nov. 1, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz dip deeper into hip-hop with 3rd single

The Boyz exuded charisma at an online showcase held on Monday to introduce its third single “Maverick.” 　 It has been only three months since the release of its sixth EP “Thrill-ing,” but the members were full of confidence saying that the new single will show off the band even clearer. 　 “We wanted to showcase more diverse sides of ourselves as fast as possible,” said Eric, adding with a laugh that there were no difficulties preparing for the return except

Nov. 1, 2021

‘Neighbours’ wins Best Picture at Gangneung International Film Festival

“Neighbours,” a film by Kurdish Swiss director Mano Khalil, won the Best Picture Award at the Gangneung International Film Festival, which ended Sunday. During the 10-day festival, which kicked off Oct. 22 with Albert Birney’s “Strawberry Mansion,” 116 films from 42 countries were screened at five theaters in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on South Korea’s east coast.   The winners of the International Narrative Competition Awards, created last year, wer

Nov. 1, 2021

National Theater Company launches on-demand theater

The National Theater Company of Korea has opened an online theater, offering its performances to a wider public during the pandemic times. The state-run company said the online theater would be its fourth theater, following the Myeongdong Theater, Baek Seonghui & Jang Minho Theater and Theater Pan, allowing audiences to enjoy performances whenever and wherever. “The online theater is more than just a platform offering recorded performances. This is about providing new experiences

Nov. 1, 2021

Naver Webtoon drops surprise ‘Eternals’ webcomic

Just days ahead of the theater release of Marvel Studio’s “Eternals,” Naver Webtoon unveiled the movie’s Korean webtoon version Sunday. The first two episodes, titled “Intelligent Design 1“ and ”Intelligent Design 2,” have a 9.26 rating on the Naver platform as of Monday. Celebrating the release of the film, the first four episodes are available free of charge, Naver Webtoon said. The webtoon, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same titl

Nov. 1, 2021