[Photo News] BTS holds global press conference for new single ‘Butter’

K-pop supergroup BTS holds a global press conference for its much-awaited digital single “Butter” in Seoul, Friday. (Photos: Yonhap) By Yoon Chae-won (choenayoon@heraldcorp.com)

May 21, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Fast & Furious 9 (US) Opened May 19 Action Directed by Justin Lin Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) finds out that his younger brother Jakob (John Cena), a deadly assassin, is working with Cipher (Charlize Theron) to put the world in danger. To prevent this, Dominic gathers his family once again to create an amazing plan for a counter-attack. 　 The Courier (US) Opened April 28 Thriller Directed by Dominic Cooke In 1960, Soviet agent Oleg Penkovsky (Merab Ninidze) has a letter containing imp

May 21, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] 2AM to reunite after seven years: report

The four bandmates of 2AM are considering reuniting after seven years, media reports said Thursday. 　 The quartet debuted in 2008 with “This Song” and gained a huge fandom with a series of hits including “Never Let You Go,” “One Spring Day,” “You Wouldn’t Answer My Calls,” “What Should I Do?” and “I Was Wrong.” 　 The band released its third studio album, “Let’s Talk,” in 2014, but three of its member

May 20, 2021

9th Diaspora Film Festival movies get spotlight on Korean platform Purplay

The Korean streaming platform dedicated to presenting women’s cinema, Purplay, will screen movies from the 9th Diaspora Film Festival for three days starting from Friday without charge. Eighteen movies will be streamed on Purplay, which accounts for 30 percent of the total of 58 movies that were selected for the festival this year. The streaming platform has two separate sections for this year’s Diaspora Film Festival -– Diaspora in Focus and Diaspora Shorts. This year&r

May 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] There is fantasy in mime

There is more to mime than just being trapped in an imaginary box, pretending to walk down the stairs, or pulling a rope, says mime artist Yu Jin-gyu. Yu, 69, is a first-generation mime artist in Korea. Quitting veterinary science studies at Konkuk University, he joined the drama company Ejotto in 1970. He made his debut in 1972, presenting the country’s first mime show. “Mime refers to the art form of delivering one’s thoughts without words, with just movements and express

May 20, 2021

K-pop act GFriend bids farewell to fans after 6 years

Gfriend, known for its powerful performances and formerly school girl concept, bid farewell to fans after its longtime agency announced the termination of its contract. Source Music, which had represented the six-piece group since its debut in 2015, on Tuesday announced their contract will end Saturday. While the label, which was acquired by K-pop powerhouse Hybe in 2019, did not officially use the term "disbandment," it said in a statement that the group has agreed to walk "sep

May 20, 2021

[Herald interview] ‘Every passing moment is a source of music’

Twenty years since starting out as a session guitarist, and 12 years since debuting with a single, guitarist Park Ju-won believes he still has a long way to go. Just like Dorothy who meets the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, and all the friends with different spiritual strengths, the guitarist believes that the support from fans who await his music is what cheers him along the musical road. Known as the “Paco de Lucia of Korea,” among guitar lovers, Park, in his early 4

May 19, 2021

Renovated Haeoreum Theater set for new era

After a four-year renovation, the Haeoreum Grand Theater at the National Theater of Korea is ready to welcome audiences back to its seats. The first complete overhaul of the theater since its opening in 1973 cost 65.8 billion won ($58.3 million). The theater‘s 2004 renovation was limited to the lobby and theater seats. “The theater was outdated and the stage needed to be modernized,“ NToK CEO Kim Cheol-ho said during a press tour of the theater on Tuesday. “There wer

May 19, 2021

[Herald Interview] Gong Seung-yeon hopes viewers can understand socially isolated Jin-ah in ‘Aloners’

For actor Gong Seung-yeon, an extrovert who enjoys hanging out with different people, her character Jin-ah in “Aloners,” who tries to avoid any personal interaction with others, was not easy to understand. “I did not understand why she had to be so extreme,” Gong told local reporters during a joint media interview at the Korean Film Council’s office in Mapo, Seoul. “As the story developed I could understand her gradually. I hope audiences also experience thi

May 18, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Shinee’s Taemin hopes new EP will comfort fans

Taemin of Shinee and SuperM said he hoped his third solo EP, “Advice,” would console his fans during his absence for military service. 　 The new EP reflects how he tackled new challenges, such as singing rap for the title track. 　 “I’ve tried many things I haven’t done before,” said the veteran idol, adding that the title track would show a different side of him. He also collaborated with Taeyeon, a senior colleague from S.M. Entertainment, on a duet called

May 18, 2021

Traditional gugak orchestra to reinterpret BTS music

The National Orchestra of Korea will use traditional instruments to perform one of BTS’ hit albums and a mobile game soundtrack, targeting young audiences who may be unfamiliar with “gugak,” traditional Korean music. The orchestra, under the National Theater of Korea, will hold a recital June 11 at the theater in central Seoul, introducing the gugak version of K-pop act BTS’ 2019 track “Mikrokosmos” and the soundtrack from hit mobile game “Cookie Run:

May 18, 2021

Two Koreans among winners of the Met Opera competition

Soprano Kim Hyo-young and tenor Duke Kim are among the five winners of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, formerly known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Award. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 67th edition of the prestigious annual competition was held virtually for the first time in its history, garnering a total of 1,200 applicants from around the world. The competition, originally founded in 1954, changed its name this year, in recognition of

May 18, 2021

BTS to perform on 'Good Morning America' summer concert series

K-pop supergroup BTS is set to appear as the first performer on a summer concert series hosted by the popular American TV show "Good Morning America." The seven-piece act is among a lineup of more than 20 musicians who will be performing at this year's series that will run through August. BTS will perform on May 28. BTS is not a new comer to the annual summer concert series. In 2019, the group put on a live performance of two hit tracks, "Boy with Luv" and "Fire,"

May 18, 2021

Rocket Punch promotes newtro-themed ‘Ring Ring’

Rookie girl group Rocket Punch marked the start of summer with the retro-inspired “Ring Ring.” Eight months after the six-piece group released its third mini-album, “Blue Punch,” it held a press conference in Seoul on Monday ahead of the new album’s release at 6 p.m. that day. The album is part of the “newtro” trend that continues to sweep the nation, the music scene being no exception. (The word is a combination of “new” and “retro.

May 17, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream’s 1st LP becomes million-seller

NCT Dream’s first studio album, “Hot Sauce,” sold over 1 million copies, a first for the boy band, according to label S.M. Entertainment on Monday. 　 The LP went on sale May 10 and reached the milestone in a week. It was the highest first-week sales figure among all the albums released this year. 　 This is the septet’s first million-selling album and the third for the NCT family, after NCT 127’s second LP, “Neo Zone,” and NCT’s second full-length

May 17, 2021

14-year-old refugee sings for Myanmar spring

  Wanyiwah Phondphaothanandon, one of Myanmar’s Karen ethnic minority, paid tribute to democracy and peace in Myanmar through a song, “The Spring of Myanmar.” The 14-year-old is a refugee in Korea with her mother and two younger brothers. Phondphaothanandon, who uses Wanyiwah as her stage name, attends a boarding school in Yongin, focusing on her studies and exams just like any teenager, but apart from the daily routine, she shares the pain and sorrow of the current situa

May 17, 2021

IU donates W500m for underprivileged on her birthday

Singer-actress IU has donated 500 million won ($441,350) to charity groups in aid to the underprivileged, her management agency said Monday. The money was delivered to five groups, including the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation and the Korea Unwed Mothers Families Association, on Sunday, which was her birthday, according to Edam Entertainment. "IU wished to do something good in the name of her fan club on her last birthday in her 20s to return some of the love she has received from peop

May 17, 2021

62 singers deliver message of hope

Well-known singers have come together with a message of hope in a remake of the 1999 song “Become One” (unofficial translation). The original song was created to deliver that message amid the 1997 financial crisis in South Korea. Big-name singers of the time, from Shin Seung-hun and Kim Jong-seo to Um Jung-hwa and hit K-pop acts such as H.O.T, Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L, took part in the recording, earning the iconic song the moniker “the Korean version of ‘We are the World

May 17, 2021

Japanese animation becomes 2nd movie to top 2m admissions this year

An animated Japanese film has become the second title attracting more than 2 million moviegoers in South Korea in 2021, box office data showed Monday. The dark fantasy "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train" sold 29,000 tickets over the weekend, surpassing the 2 million threshold nearly four months after its release in late January, according to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the second film released in 2021 to hit 2 million in the country, followi

May 17, 2021

Pianist Kim Su-yeon wins top prize at Concours Musical International de Montreal

Kim Su-yeon became the first Korean pianist to win the first prize at the Concours Musical International de Montreal. The list of winners for this year’s competition, held for the piano discipline, was unveiled Friday, with Kim announced as the first prize winner. Kim will receive awards and scholarships valued at a total of over $180,000, along with a concert tour in three North American cities, a concerto performance with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal and a solo album record

May 16, 2021