[Today’s K-pop] Ateez featured on Pentatonix’s new song

San, Yoonho and Jongho of Ateez participated in Pentatonix’s newest song, which was unveiled Friday.   　 The three bandmates were the featured artists on the American a cappella group’s retake of “A Little Space.” The triple Grammy-winning quintet reached out to the boy band and the trio gladly accepted the idea to work together on a remix of the song that was originally released in February.   　 The collaborative work also will be included on Pentatonix&rsqu

Aug. 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] ‘Sinkhole,’ disaster movie with comedy twist: Cha Seung-won

Veteran actor Cha Seung-won, 51, is not afraid of challenges. When choosing movies, he tries to pick something out of the ordinary. “I don’t like films that have a single genre. I am into stories with twists. I liked ‘Sinkhole’ because it is a movie about the disaster, but there are comedy elements to it. I love how humor is being used in an extreme situation,” Cha emphasized during an interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters. “It was really funny

Aug. 20, 2021

Politically censored S. Korean films to be released online

The Korean Film Archive announced that it will sequentially post a collection of South Korea’s earlier films censored by the state through the Korean Movie Database online history archive center, starting Thursday. The KOFA received donations and preserved some 10,000 materials regarding censorship from the Korea Council for Performing Arts Promotion, the predecessor of the current Korea Media Rating Board, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. In the past, the materials had only been avai

Aug. 20, 2021

BTS cancels postponed world tour due to yearlong pandemic

K-pop sensation BTS' planned world tour, which has been put off for more than a year due to the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, has been officially canceled, its agency here said Friday. "Our company has worked hard to resume preparations for the BTS Map of the Soul Tour, knowing that all fans have been waiting eagerly and long for the tour," Big Hit Music said in a statement released via its fan community Weverse. "Due to changing circumstances beyond our control, it has become d

Aug. 20, 2021

TV queens set to return to small screen in fall

The South Korean entertainment scene is expected to experience a heated-up competition this fall among breakout A-list celebrities who will return to the small screen after years of absence. JTBC will open up the "star wars" with the melodrama "Lost," starring Cannes-winning Jeon Do-yeon, premiering on Sept. 4. Choosing the show for her return to TV five years after "The Good Wife" (2016), Jeon will play a ghostwriter who has done her best but suddenly realizes he

Aug. 20, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Sinkhole (Korea) Opened Aug. 11 Comedy Directed by Kim Ji-hoon Although he has an annoying neighbor (Cha Seung-won), office worker Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun) is very happy that he finally has become a homeowner after saving up for more than 10 years. Dong-won invites his co-workers over to his new place for a housewarming party, but the next morning the building falls into a giant sinkhole. The Suicide Squad (US) Opened Aug. 4 Action Directed by James Gunn Intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Vi

Aug. 20, 2021

Bold and fearless, Cravity returns with ‘Gas Pedal’

Hoping to hit the August music charts, Cravity returned in nearly seven months with their first full-length album, “The Awakening: Written In The Stars,” released Thursday evening. The eight-song package is an album that talks about how the group plans to walk toward their destiny, the band said during an online press conference held Thursday. The album’s lead track “Gas Pedal” is a song that shows how the up-and-coming rookie act aims to solidify their presenc

Aug. 19, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Cravity pushes pedal harder for next phase

Cravity put out its first studio album Thursday and held an online showcase. 　 “It was on my bucket list as a singer to release a full album,” said Wonjin, “It is like doing up the first button and we’ve been so fastidious.” 　 The group rolled out “The Awakening: Written in the Stars,” about 16 months after its debut. Three EPs have come out in the intervening time. 　 “All albums under the name of Cravity are precious but a studio album certainly

Aug. 19, 2021

Virtual comics fest to be held next month

Comics and web-based cartoons will be virtually screened at the 24th Bucheon International Comics Festival from Sept. 4, the festival’s organizers said in a press release Thursday. The annual festival, hosted by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency, is being held online for the second consecutive year via its YouTube channel. The theme of this year’s festival is “new normal, new connection,” highlighting the change in lifestyle as a result from the extended social distancin

Aug. 19, 2021

Violinist searches for ‘Spiritual Reflections’

Violinist Stephen Kim is to hold a recital on Sunday at the Seoul Arts Center, opening the 2021 Hic et Nunc! music festival organized by the string ensemble Sejong Soloists. The Korean American violinist, 26, won the third prize at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. It is his first solo recital in Korea. 　 “The title of the recital is ‘Spiritual Reflection.’ I wanted to create a program consisting of -- of course something that I enjoy playing -- but

Aug. 19, 2021

Korean hit films set to be remade in US, Spain

Korean movies have been increasingly drawing interest from global production studios and streaming platforms for local adaptations amid the rising presence of Korean content in the world's show business. "The Villainess," directed by Jeong Byeong-gil, is set to be adapted for television by Amazon Studios, according to Next Entertainment World (NEW), the movie's Korean distributor. Amazon Studios is behind hit TV series "The Wilds" through its Amazon Prime Video service and O

Aug. 19, 2021

Musical promotes peace in DMZ area

The musical “Wonder Ticket” is to take the stage near the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas in hopes of spreading a message of peace. The musical, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization, will run from Sept. 17 to 26 at Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park in the Imjingak area, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The musical was inspired by an abandoned steam locomotive which sits at Jangdan Station in Imjingak, on the banks of Imjin River that

Aug. 18, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Winner renews contract on 7th anniversary

The bandmates of Winner all agreed to renew their contracts with label YG Entertainment, the company announced Wednesday.   　 They signed the contracts together for another five years, before the initial seven-year contract’s expiration and just in time for the seventh anniversary of their debut on Tuesday.   　 “We really want to tell Inner Circle, who has always been on our side and been there for us, that we respect them,” said the band through the management fir

Aug. 18, 2021

Naver Webtoon to partner with BTS, DC Comics

Naver Webtoon is partnering with Korean entertainment powerhouse Hybe and DC Comics. “One of our plans for this year, named ‘Super Casting,’ is the collaboration with other leading companies in the entertainment industry. We are planning to build an interesting platform and universe with the artists, including BTS, allowing both readers and K-pop fans to enjoy the new contents,” said Naver Webtoon CEO Kim Jun-koo at a press conference Wednesday morning. “The part

Aug. 18, 2021

Naver Webtoon to create BTS-themed content

The webcomic arm of South Korea's top portal operator, Naver Corp., said Wednesday it will expand cooperation with the agency of K-pop sensation BTS and other companies to create new original content. Webtoon Entertainment said it will create various locally made webcomics and other kinds of intellectual property (IP) content based on BTS and other K-pop artists under their management company, Hybe Co. "We aim to expand and grow our storytelling content into the core of the entertainment

Aug. 18, 2021

BTS' Japanese compilation album ranks No. 19 on Billboard 200

South Korean superband BTS has landed at No. 19 on this week's Billboard 200 chart with its latest Japanese compilation album. "BTS, the Best" came in at 19th place on Billboard's main albums chart refreshed Tuesday (US time), renewing the group's best first week ranking on Billboard for any of its Japanese-language album. The previous high was No. 43 made by the band's 2018 Japanese studio album "Face Yourself." Last year, the seven-piece band ranked 115th with its fourth

Aug. 18, 2021

Arrival of Disney+ likely to stir up streaming service market in S. Korea

Netflix, which made its Korean market debut in 2015, has been enjoying the first mover's advantage in the country, with a leading 7.9 million monthly active users as of June. It has spent $700 million on South Korean projects, creating 80 Korean-language originals, like the megahit historical zombie thriller "Kingdom," over the past years. The US streamer underwent rapid growth throughout last year as the pandemic-fueled demand for stay-at-home activities. To strengthen its foothold

Aug. 18, 2021

TXT speaks for youngsters through ‘LO$ER=LO♡ER’

Tomorrow x Together opened the door to their “The Chaos Chapter” in returning after nearly three months. The five-piece act is back with a repackage of its second studio album, “The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape,” a rearrangement of “The Chaos Chapter: Freeze,” released Tuesday evening. The 11-song repackaged album is about a boy who is ready to confront the brutal and frustrating reality of the world and talks about how the youngster muddles through times

Aug. 17, 2021

‘Sinkhole,’ ‘Escape From Mogadishu’ conquer box office over Liberation Day weekend

Over the three-day Liberation Day weekend Aug. 14-16, South Korean films “Sinkhole” and “Escape From Mogadishu” conquered the local box office. Disaster comedy “Sinkhole,” directed by Kim Ji-hoon, was released Aug. 11 and took the No. 1 spot, attracting more than 740,000 viewers over the holiday weekend for a total to date of over 1.14 million. It passed the 1 million mark faster than any other film this year.　 “Sinkhole” is set at Chungwoon Vil

Aug. 17, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] TXT willing to prove themselves over time

Tomorrow X Together held an online media showcase and rolled out “The Chaos Chapter: Fight or Escape,” a repackaged album of its second full-length album, on Tuesday. 　 The repack completes the “chaos” series and the title track “LO$ER=LO♡ER” is an emo-pop punk tune that carries on as another love song, following “0X1=LOVESONG.” 　 “It conveys the romantic feelings of a boy who says that he will fight against the world to save you, and even

Aug. 17, 2021