'The Medium' director says film is ‘new type of horror’

The highly anticipated upcoming film “The Medium,” is a new type of horror movie, says director Banjong Pisanthanakun. “It is a new type. The new type of horror film is different because it makes people feel fear gradually,” the Thai filmmaker told reporters during an interview via Zoom on Thursday. Banjong explained that this was possible due to the original script which was written by Korean director Na Hong-jin. “As a director making horror films, I think it

July 9, 2021

BTS compilation album certified million-seller in Japan

A Japanese-language album by superband BTS has received a million-seller certification in Japan, the group's agency said Friday. "BTS, The Best," the seven-piece band's album released in the Asian country in June, received the certification by the Recording Industry Association of Japan, according to Big Hit Music. It is the first million-seller certified album in Japan this year. For BTS, it is their first album to receive the million-seller certification by the industry associatio

July 9, 2021

K-pop powerhouse JYP teases new girl group debut in 2022

JYP Entertainment, the agency-label behind K-pop girl groups like ITZY, TWICE and Wonder Girls, is poised to launch a new all-female act next year. The company, which recently posted a new teaser image and video for the upcoming launch, said the new act is set to debut in February next year. JYP said it has formed a new business unit dedicated to the girl group, comprising officials who helped scout and train members of Wonder Girls, 2AM, 2PM and TWICE. As part of a pre-debut scheme, JYP is s

July 9, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Black Widow (US) Opened July 7 Action Directed by Cate Shortland Following the events of “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) realizes that there is a huge conspiracy having to do with her past. To fight villain Taskmaster, who can duplicate an opponent’s abilities, Natasha must confront her history as a spy. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (US) Opened June 23 Action, Comedy Directed by Patrick Hughes After becoming a bodyguar

July 9, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] BTS to perform new song at ‘Tonight Show’

BTS will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” about a year after the group’s last visit, next week.   　 The band floated a teaser trailer on the show’s social media channel on Wednesday in the US in which RM said: “We’re coming back to ‘The Tonight Show.’ Make sure to tune in!”   　 The septet will perform “Butter” and upcoming song “Permission to Dance” on July 13 and 14, respectively. The t

July 8, 2021

K-pop leads Twitter’s live audio chat Spaces

K-pop is the most popular topic engaged by users on Twitter Spaces, live audio chat sessions streamed through the social media platform, with three of the five most-listened to Spaces being hosted by K-pop artists. According a survey done by Twitter, boy band GOT7’s member BamBam had the most-listened to Space with his chat on June 9, while girl group Twice ranked fifth with their Space hosted the same day. Boy band NCT, the first K-pop artist to host a Space on March 11 during the priv

July 8, 2021

K-pop couple Kim Hee-chul, Momo break up

Singers Kim Hee-chul and Momo have separated, roughly 1 1/2 years after acknowledging their romantic relationship, their agencies confirmed Thursday. SJ Label, which manages Super Junior, and JYP Entertainment, which represents TWICE, confirmed the couple has broken up without providing further details. The two celebrities, who are respective members of popular K-pop acts Super Junior and TWICE, were rumored to be dating since 2019. They acknowledged their relationship in January last year. T

July 8, 2021

BTS, TXT make splash on Billboard's Pop Airplay chart

BTS and Tomorrow X Together (TXT) -- both managed by K-pop powerhouse Big Hit Music -- have simultaneously landed on Billboard's Pop Airplay chart with their all-English tracks. BTS ranked No. 11 with "Butter" on the latest version of the radio chart, which reflects weekly data from around 160 U.S. radio stations. The chart, which counts the top 40 songs, is seen as a gauge of local popularity. The upbeat summer number, which has topped Billboard's main singles chart for the sixth st

July 8, 2021

Releases of video content increase in H1 amid protracted pandemic

The number of video content evaluated by the local media rating authority increased more than 80 percent in the first half of this year from a year ago amid the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. The Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) reviewed 6,784 shows for online streaming platforms and video-on-demand services in the first six months of 2021, up 81.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the data by the KMRB. A total of 1,674 films were evaluated by th

July 8, 2021

'Black Widow' tops S. Korean box office on its 1st day

Marvel Studios' latest superhero movie "Black Widow" made a bullish start in South Korea, topping the local box office on the day of its release, data showed Thursday. The film attracted 195,000 moviegoers on Wednesday, far outnumbering runner-up "Hard Hit" with 20,000 and No. 3 "Cruella" with 15,000, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Considering the fact that "Black Widow" hit local screens at 5 p.m., its opening score lived up to mark

July 8, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids’ new single debuts at No. 1 on Billboard chart

Stray Kids’ new single “Mixtape: OH” hit Billboard’s world digital song sales chart at No. 1, the publication announced in a tweet Wednesday.   　 “It earns the group its 26th career entry on the chart and first No.1,” said the tweet.   　 The songwriting trio 3Racha -- Bang Chan, Changbin and Han -- co-authored the song that sings of how one feels like a child when faced with the feeling of love.   　 As a Forbes article pointed out, the fact

July 7, 2021

More Korean film productions join multinational projects

More and more South Korean film producers and investors have been participating in multinational film projects in recent years, backed by the country's reputation as a rising powerhouse in the global cinema scene. The upcoming horror film "The Medium" is a collaboration of South Korea and Thailand, drawing attention for the teamwork of horror masters of the two countries -- Na Hong-jin of "The Wailing" (2016) and Banjong Pisanthanakun of "Shutter" (2004). Na, who

July 7, 2021

COVID-19 resurgence halts entertainment industry

The COVID-19 pandemic is once again standing in the way of the South Korean entertainment industry, as the coronavirus and its more contagious delta variant slash through the nation. Local broadcaster KBS is on alert as Lee Kun-jun, a producer at the KBS drama department, has tested positive for the virus. Lee is believed to have been in close contact with a cast member on June 29 and was informed the following day that person had been confirmed with the virus. He immediately went into self

July 7, 2021

[Newsmaker] Bong Joon-ho declares Cannes festival open in Korean

Palme d'Or and Oscar winner Bong Joon-ho has opened this year's Cannes Film Festival, celebrating the return of world cinema in theaters in about two years. "I declare (the opening of the 74th festival)," the South Korean auteur said in Korean during the opening ceremony held at the Grand Theatre Lumiere on Tuesday (local time). Along with him, American director-actress Jodie Foster, Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar and Cannes jury president Spike Lee made the same statements in Fre

July 7, 2021

BTS tops Billboard Hot 100 for 6th straight week in new record

Supergroup BTS rewrote its chart record on Wednesday as its upbeat summer number "Butter" retained the top spot on Billboard's main singles chart for the sixth consecutive week. ""Butter" is officially No. 1 on this week's #Hot100 chart for a sixth consecutive week," Billboard said Tuesday (US time) on its Twitter account. "'Butter' drew 11 million US streams and sold 153,600 downloads, cassette and vinyl combined (up 20 percent) in the week ending July 1. It

July 7, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Girls' Generation Taeyeon puts out solo song

Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation returned with new song “Weekend” on Tuesday.  The songstress discussed her new song through her label SM Entertainment introducing it as one that you can listen to casually and that would lift up the mood.  “I’m happy to bring out an upbeat song after a long while,” she said. The lightheartedness let her work on it with smiles and she wants to share more good energy. She tried to be as relaxed as possible while recordi

July 6, 2021

Musical goes on 2-week hiatus following coronavirus infection

The musical “Red Book” has canceled its performances for two weeks, after lead actor Cha Ji-yeon was confirmed to have COVID-19. Atheod, the production company behind the musical, announced through social media on Monday that all performances from Tuesday to July 17 have been canceled. A day before the announcement was made, actor Cha tested positive for the virus. According to Atheod’s announcement, all cast and staff members for the show have been tested. Several cast me

July 6, 2021

Mystery drama ‘The Cursed’ hits the big screen

Popular mystery drama “The Cursed” has made its way to the big screen in a feature film adaption of the tvN series that aired from January to March last year. Yeon Sang-ho, who is widely known for directing multiple zombie films including “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula,” wrote the script for the movie version, “The Cursed: Dead Man’s Prey,” which is being directed by Kim Yong-Wan. “The drama was a thriller that featured mysterious

July 6, 2021

Performing arts fest for youngsters to kick off nationwide

The ASSITEJ Korea International Summer Festival, a performing arts festival for children and teenagers, will be held around the country for the first time this year. The 23-day event will run July 17-Aug. 8 in major cities, including Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju and Incheon both in-person and virtually. “Quality performances for children are concentrated in the metropolitan area,” Bang Ji-young, chairperson of ASSITEJ Korea, said during a press conference held at Dream Art Center in Seoul

July 6, 2021

Rise of rookies and return of old school in K-pop

The return of group 2PM on Monday last week with their new album “Must” was special not just because they were officially reunited on the stage for the first time in five years, but also because the group managed to survive military service. It is often considered natural for K-pop groups to grow apart or disband after time as the members grow old and eventually leave the original agency when their contract expires. This was also the scenario some may have expected of 2

July 6, 2021