BTS to join LA stop of this year's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour

Globally popular K-pop group BTS will perform on the Los Angeles stop of this year's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the largest year-end radio show in the United States, organizers said Tuesday. The septet was included in a star-studded lineup for the LA show scheduled for Dec. 3, the iHeartRadio, the country's largest online radio platform, announced on its website and social media. The South Korean band will open the show performing its mega-hit songs "Dynamite" and "Butter,&qu

Oct. 19, 2021

[Herald Interview] Seori: Sharing a piece of herself to make healing music

Facing the deepest, darkest emotions in life, we are often comforted not through words of hope, but by the presence of someone who sits by us silently, sharing our feelings. Seori, making a splash debut into the global spotlight last year with her soulful, husky voice, hoped her music could be that friend beside her listeners in life, sharing a piece of her own, genuine story in her songwriting. “I remember, I decided it was a singer-songwriter that I wanted to become when I realized tha

Oct. 18, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Lee Jinhyuk reaches out to fans with 4th EP

Lee Jinhyuk held an online showcase Monday to discuss his fourth EP, “Ctrl+V.”   　 Even though it has not been long since his previous EP, “Scene26,” he acknowledged he was full of excitement.   　 “I am working in a range of areas but am most excited when I get to present a new side of me as a singer,” said the singer and actor.   　 “The expectant feelings for the first solo album are still vivid, but it already is the fourth,” he s

Oct. 18, 2021

SIDance 2021 goes hybrid, featuring 77 works

The 24th Seoul International Dance Festival is taking place through Nov. 14 at various venues around Seoul, featuring 77 dance works of diverse genres by choreographers and dance companies from 14 countries. The performances will be held both online and offline. The SIDance festival, organized by the Seoul Section of the UNESCO International Dance Council, kicked off Saturday with dance show “The Object,” presented by the Daegu Arts Center and Gyeonggi Arts Center. This year sees

Oct. 18, 2021

Big Hit Music to host global audition to recruit talent

Big Hit Music, the K-pop agency behind BTS and Tomorrow X Together, said Monday it will throw a global audition to launch a next-generation boy band. Any males born after 2002 can apply from Monday through Dec. 20 regardless of their nationality and country of residence, according to the agency. Applicants are required to send a video of themselves singing, rapping and dancing along with their frontal photo to the audition website at bighitaudition.com. The video should be at least longer than

Oct. 18, 2021

'Venom 2' tops 1m admissions on its first week in South Korea

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" has dominated the South Korean box office in its opening weekend, topping 1 million total admissions, box office data showed Monday. The sequel to 2018's "Venom" sold a combined 778,000 tickets over the Friday to Sunday period, bringing its combined total to over 1.1 million since its release last Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It is the third film this year to surpass the 1 million mark in its first week of release,

Oct. 18, 2021

Seoul International Music Festival to be held with ‘Amusement Park’ theme

The 13th Seoul International Music Festival will be held from Oct. 23 to 30 with the theme “Amusement Park.” The festival will take place across Seoul, including the Seoul Arts Center and the Lotte Concert Hall. During the press conference held on Wednesday in Gangnam, SIMF artistic director Ryu Jae-joon explained that the theme of the festival was decided when the pandemic just broke out last year. “We selected our theme last year, thinking that things would be back to no

Oct. 17, 2021

Lee Hyuk makes Chopin Competition finals

Korean pianist Lee Hyuk, 21, is among the12 finalists of the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition, taking place in Warsaw, Poland. The Chopin Competition, organized by the Polish Chopin Institute, had its first edition in 1927. Previous winners of the prestigious competition for musicians include big names in classical music, such as Martha Argerich and Krystian Zimerman. In 2015, pianist Cho Seong-jin rose became the first Korean winner of the competition and rose to stardom. The co

Oct. 17, 2021

Musicians gradually return to in-person concerts

As South Korea prepares to “live with” COVID-19, the music industry is readying itself to bring back live in-person concerts. While large music festivals have been canceled or switched to online formats, some individual artists are already returning to physical stages. From Oct. 29-31, K-pop artist Kwon Jin-ah will hold a solo concert series titled “The Way for Us.” According to her agency Antenna Music, “The Way for Us,” named after her latest EP release

Oct. 17, 2021

26th BIFF holds closing ceremony on Friday

The 26th Busan International Film Festival wrapped up its 10-day run on Friday at the Busan Cinema Center, with the closing ceremony hosted by two Korean rookie actors -- Lee Jun-hyuk and Lee Joo-young. This year‘s BIFF, which opened Oct. 6, screened 223 films from 70 countries offline at six selected theaters in Busan. This change was significant as the BIFF organizer held a much scaled-down event last year in light of COVID protocols. Each film was also screened only once at the Busan

Oct. 15, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz to return on Nov. 1

The Boyz will come out with new music in November, agency Cre.ker Entertainment announced Friday. 　 It has been only three months since it rolled out its sixth EP, “Thrill-ing,” which brought five trophies from television music chart shows. The title track “Thrill Ride” topped iTunes’ songs chart in 36 regions. 　 Local media reported last week that the band was shooting a music video in Seoul. 　 Earlier this month, the boy band was named artist of the year at 20

Oct. 15, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Stillwater (US) Opened Oct. 6 Thriller Directed by Tom McCarthy Bill (Matt Damon) visits France to meet his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), who is five years into serving a nine-year prison sentence. She is in prison for killing her roommate and unfaithful lover Lina while attending university in France. When Bill meets his daughter he discovers that she could be innocent and tries to find a way to prove it with a French woman named Virginie (Camille Cottin). No Time To Die (US) Opened Sept

Oct. 15, 2021

TV show on fight against climate change needed, says actor Kong Hyo-jin

For top actor Kong Hyo-jin, raising awareness on environmental issues and fighting against climate change are causes that are very close to her heart. 　 “I wrote a book to talk about the environment and introduce basic measures that anyone can take to save the Earth from the climate crisis 10 years ago. Nothing has changed since then. I thought I needed a place to talk more about this issue to keep me alert about the ongoing climate crisis,” Kong said during an online press confere

Oct. 14, 2021

Disney+ reveals seven new Korean shows

Disney+, which will launch its service in Korea on Nov. 12, on Thursday revealed seven new Korean shows that will be available on its platform. The lineup is part of Disney’s plan to create over 50 Asia Pacific original contents by 2023. “For many decades, the Walt Disney Company has been entertaining consumers and has been an integral part of the local creative ecosystem,” Luke Kang, president of the Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, said at the start of the press event. &l

Oct. 14, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Lisa to collaborate with DJ Snake, Megan Thee Stallion

Lisa of Blackpink will team up with DJ Snake, Megan Thee Stallion and Ozuna, the French-Algerian producer/DJ announced via his Instagram on Thursday. 　 He shared a 30 second teaser that showed number plates -- with the names of the singers and himself -- on black cars, with the caption, “Coming Soon.” Label YG Entertainment confirmed the news. 　 Lisa left for Paris on Oct. 4 and is currently in France, reportedly working on the project and shooting a music video. She is due to be b

Oct. 14, 2021

Director Longman Leung hopes to shed light on legendary Hong Kong star Anita Mui‘s life

Director Longman Leung said he hopes to shed light on legendary Hong Kong singer and actor Anita Mui through his film “Anita,” which closes the 26th Busan International Film Festival on Friday. “First of all, I hope that people who grew up with Anita Mui don’t criticize me (after watching the film). Also, I hope that people who are around my age start to miss her,” the director said during an online press conference, organized by BIFF, Wednesday. “Lastly, I h

Oct. 14, 2021

Disney+ to expand partnership with Korean content creators

With the global success of Korean content such as Netflix’s “Squid Game,” streaming companies are expressing heightened interest in working with content creators here. Disney+, which will launch its streaming platform service in Korea on Nov. 12, also said it is ready to expand its partnership with Korean content makers. “Disney is a global entertainment company that has been playing an important role in many regional markets including Korea. Based on this experience,

Oct. 14, 2021

Japanese, Thai dramas invited to Seoul International Drama Awards

Japanese drama “Signal Special Episode” and Thai drama “I Told Sunset About You” have been invited to screen at the Seoul International Drama Awards 2021 in the International Drama of the Year category. The SDA annually invites drama series from around the world that enjoy global popularity and recognition. “Signal Special Episode” is a Japanese remake of tvN’s hit TV series, “Signal” (2016). The sci-fi crime thriller centers around several

Oct. 14, 2021

'Venom 2' tops opening day total of 'Black Widow' in S. Korea

"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" has beat the opening day total of "Black Widow," the latest Marvel release, in South Korea, data showed Thursday. The sequel to 2018's "Venom" topped the daily box-office chart by selling 203,263 tickets on the first day of its release Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). For comparison, "Black Widow," the most-watched foreign film for this year to date, attracted about 195,000 moviegoers on its

Oct. 14, 2021

‘Jirisan’ to show breathtaking action scenes set against spectacular mountains

For megahit screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, South Korea’s second-largest mountain range and its rangers were interesting materials with which to work. “To be honest, I have never been to Jirisan National Park. I have heard and read about the mountain in history classes and novels. I felt that Jirisan was a place to visit with a dearest wish. The mountain has been there for thousands of years and I thought a lot of souls would be wandering around the forest,” Kim said in an online

Oct. 13, 2021