[Today’s K-pop] Ateez returns with 11th EP

Ateez rolled out its 11th EP, “Golden Hour: Part 2,” on Friday, along with the music video for main track “Ice on My Teeth.” Not afraid to push the limits, the single adds hip-hop to sophisticated, calm sounds of strings, demonstrating even those seemingly unlikely to match can coexist beautifully when truly appreciated. “We were so committed to move forward, we’ve never expressed pride in what journey we have made,” said Hongjoong, “and wanted to

Nov. 15, 2024

Stray Kids to wrap up 2024 with ‘Skzhop Hiptape’

Stray Kids will adorn the end of the year with the release of their new album, “Skzhop Hiptape,” on Dec. 13. The group announced Friday via social media the upcoming release of the new album by unveiling its first teaser, showcasing graphic artwork. “Skzhop Hiptape” is a creative combination of the group’s initials with “hip-hop.” It suggests that the album will feature the type of hip-hop music that defines Stray Kids. The teaser clip shows two glowing

Nov. 15, 2024

BTS Jin releases 1st solo album ‘Happy’

Jin of BTS released his first solo album, “Happy,” on Friday. The album explores the journey of finding happiness and features themes of love, excitement, courage and positivity. Through the album, Jin describes himself as a "ray of sunshine," hoping listeners will find happiness through his music. “It’s meaningful to release a solo album. I hope that Army (the BTS fandom) enjoys it. I’d like for everyone who listens to this album to feel happy. This album

Nov. 15, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Hear Me: Our Summer” (South Korea) Opened Nov. 6 Drama Directed by Jo Seon-ho A 26-year-old Yong-jun (Hong Kyung) falls for Yeo-reum (Roh Yoon-seo) at first sight -- an older sister who takes care of her little sister Ga-eul (Kim Min-ju), a swimmer with hearing impairments. “Venom: The Last Dance” (US) Opened Oct. 23 Action/Sci-fi Directed by Kelly Marcel Former journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his gooey, alien symbiote Venom, conclude their journey as Venom trie

Nov. 15, 2024

‘FC Shooting Star’ brings legends Park Ji-sung, Seol Ki-hyeon back to field

Legendary South Korean soccer stars including Park Ji-sung and Seol Ki-hyeon are lacing up their cleats to lead a new team: FC Shooting Star. Local streaming platform Coupang Play’s new “FC Shooting Star” features Park as the head of the sports club with Seol as its executive coach. Former soccer player and coach Choi Yong-su joins as a manager. Other former soccer players forming the team include former national team goalkeeper Kim Yeong-gwang, assistant coach of the Indonesia

Nov. 15, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans reaches 200m views with ‘Hype Boy’ music video

NewJeans surpassed 200 million views on YouTube with the music video for “Hype Boy,” said agency Ador Thursday. The video reached the milestone Wednesday and is the third from the group to do so, after those for “OMG” and “Super Shy.” The video, shot in a long take to highlight the performance, was their first to hit the 100-million mark on the platform. “Hype Boy” is one of the main tracks from the group's eponymous debut album that took the

Nov. 14, 2024

NewJeans reassure fans after giving ultimatum to Ador

NewJeans members reassured fans after issuing an ultimatum to Ador that they would terminate their exclusive contracts if certain demands, including former CEO Min Hee-jin’s reinstatement, were not met. “Just in case, do not worry about us. Everyone has an important stage in their lives and for us, it’s just now. Don’t worry about us when taking the test,” Hanni of NewJeans shared on the fan community app Phoning on Wednesday, a day ahead of Korea's college ent

Nov. 14, 2024

[Herald Review] Cho Seung-woo takes 'Hamlet' crown

When the Seoul Arts Center announced its production of "Hamlet" for the year, it was met with mixed reactions, some asking, "Another Hamlet?" After all, the play had already been staged twice in 2024 -- once by Seensee Company (June 9 - Sept. 1) under the direction of veteran director Sohn Jin-chaek, and again by the National Theater Company of Korea in July in a genre-bending iteration with Princess Hamlet. Both productions had already captured the public’s attention,

Nov. 14, 2024

Jin of BTS to appear on NBC’s ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’

Jin of BTS will begin the global promotion of his upcoming solo album, “Happy,” by starring on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Falon,” on Nov. 21. The show dropped a trailer for Jin’s episode on its official social media Wednesday. The 33-second clip shows Jimmy, the host of the show, opening a “top secret” envelope in an 1990s-style office. In the envelope is a disk that says “Special Guest,” showing a photo of Jin with the date

Nov. 14, 2024

[Herald Interview] Yves wraps up her solo debut year with EP ‘I Did’

After a protracted legal battle and period of uncertainty, Yves has emerged stronger and more committed to proving herself as a solo artist with her second solo album. Yves first entered the music scene as a member of Loona, a 12-member girl group that officially debuted in August 2018. However, in 2022, the group faced a crisis, with all members filing injunctions to suspend their contracts with their agency Blockberry Creative. Though the members won the lawsuit, the group was disbanded. Some

Nov. 14, 2024

NewJeans sets 14-day deadline for Ador to meet demands, including return of Min Hee-jin

Girl group NewJeans sent a certification of contents to their agency, Ador, stating they would terminate their exclusive contracts if the agency does not address certain demands, including the return of former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, Wednesday. In the certification of contents, the bandmates listed various requests, asking Ador to “rectify all major contract violations within 14 days from the receipt of this letter.” The members of NewJeans pointed out that an internal Hybe document, r

Nov. 13, 2024

National Theater of Korea reignites folk spirit with pansori, folktales

The National Theater of Korea is set to present two new productions that celebrate the rich heritage of Korean performing arts. Featuring iconic pansori, or Korean traditional narrative singing, and an unexpected convergence of characters from classic folktales, these works promise to be a showcase of dynamic storytelling, captivating performances and a fresh take on timeless traditions. Tale of legendary pansori singer featuring greatest hits, tightrope acts Like a flying fish gliding swiftly

Nov. 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS tops 1.6b views with ‘DNA’ music video

BTS hit the 1.6 billion mark on YouTube for the third time with the music video for “DNA,” according to label Big Hit Music Wednesday. The video follows those of “Dynamite” and “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey).” “DNA” fronted the group’s fifth EP “Love Yourself: Her” which was released in 2017. The extended play and the electro-pop tune both entered the Billboard 200 and Hot 100, a first for a K-pop act. The song debuted on the main s

Nov. 13, 2024

Park Jin-young to hold 30th-anniversary concert ‘Still JYP’ in Tokyo

Celebrating his 30th debut anniversary, Park Jin-young, singer and founder of JYP Entertainment, will be holding two days of concerts titled, “Still JYP,” in Tokyo in February 2025. According to JYP Entertainment, the concerts will be held at Tokyo Dome City Hall Feb. 20-21, 2025. This marks Park’s return to Japan for a solo concert after nearly two years, following his “Groove Back in Japan” concert in January 2023. Prior to his Japan shows, Park will hold three da

Nov. 13, 2024

New feature film on Sewol ferry sinking opens next year

The tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 gets another look through the film “Sea Tiger” (direct translation) slated to open in the first half of next year. A decade has passed since the disaster, which claimed nearly 300 lives, most of them high school students on a field trip, and there have been several movies — mostly documentaries — made on the tragedy. "Sea Tiger" revolves around a diver, Kim Gwan-hong, who took part in the search and rescue operation

Nov. 13, 2024

'Squid Game 2' to explore whether individuals have power to change world: director

"Squid Game," a critique of social and economic inequality as well as widespread mistreatment of the disadvantaged, returns with a new season and a new theme: do individuals have power to change the world? "When Season 1 came out, many journalists asked why it became so popular, and I replied, ‘Maybe it’s because life has become as difficult as the world in 'Squid Game,''" said Hwang Dong-hyuk, director of the first and second seasons of "Squid

Nov. 13, 2024

Actor Song Jae-rim dies at 39

Actor Song Jae-rim died on Tuesday at the age of 39, with the cause of death still unclear as of Tuesday evening. According to Seoul Seongdong Police Station, Song was found dead at his home in Seoul in the afternoon Tuesday. “Currently, there is no evidence of foul play,” according to an official from the police station. Song's funeral is being held at the Yeouido St. Mary's Funeral Hall in Seoul. The actor had recently changed his Instagram profile message to “A lon

Nov. 12, 2024

‘About Family,’ a multi-layered soul-warming family comedy

“About Family,” the upcoming feature film by Yang Woo-seok, who directed the 2017 action thriller “Steel Rain,” is a heartwarming story of a family and a community -- a tale that its star Kim Yoon-seok on Tuesday compared to “dumpling soup.” The veteran actor Kim, who played a traumatized vacation rental owner in the recent Netflix series “The Frog,” stars as Ham Moo-ok, the owner of a popular dumpling restaurant. Moo-ok, who has made a fortune as

Nov. 12, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose hits 300m with ‘APT.’ video in record time

Rose of Blackpink garnered 300 million views on YouTube with the music video for “APT.” in record time, agency The Black Label said Tuesday. The music video featuring collaborating artist Bruno Mars reached the milestone Saturday, in 22 days and six hours since its release, shattering a record for a K-pop solo artist. Rose has been setting records as a K-pop female solo singer with the single, ranking No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK’s Official Singles Cha

Nov. 12, 2024

Who are the K-pop stars taking Suneung this year?

Among the more than 520,000 people sitting for Suneung, the national college entrance exam, on Thursday will be a number of well-known K-pop idols born in 2006. That list includes Park Jihoo of Evnne, Eunseop of Lun8, Kim Dogyun of 82Major and Seungmo and Mackiah of Ampers&One. Park Jihoo, for instance, debuted in September last year and is currently enrolled at Hanlim Arts School, a prestigious arts high school in Seoul with many singers and actors among its alum. Mackiah, who holds Austral

Nov. 12, 2024