[Newsmaker] SBS cancels ‘Joseon Exorcist’ after historical controversy

Broadcaster SBS announced it will cancel “Joseon Exorcist” after the drama faced controversy over historical inaccuracies in just two episodes. “Joseon Exorcist,” about zombies appearing in the Joseon era, was criticized by many Koreans for using Chinese-style costumes and props, especially at a time when Chinese claims to kimchi and hanbok in recent months have angered the public here. Although the production team -- Crave Works, YG Studioplex and Lotte Cultureworks --

March 26, 2021

K-pop boy band Seventeen to appear on US TV show

K-pop boy band Seventeen will make its first appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" next month, its agency said Friday. The group is scheduled to hit the popular US daytime comedy talk show next Thursday and perform "HIT," the lead single from the band's third studio album, "An Ode," according to Pledis Entertainment. Released in 2019, "An Ode" reached No. 7 on the US Billboard World Albums chart. Several K-pop groups popular in the North American mar

March 26, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Box (Korea) Opened March 24 Drama Directed by Yang Jung-woong Aspiring musician Ji-hoon (Chanyeol) has a fear of performing in front of the public. He can sing only when he wears a box. One day, Ji-hoon meets once-popular producer Min-Soo (Jo Dal-hwan), and the two men sign a contract to hold 10 performances together.  The Mauritanian (US) Opened March 17 Drama Directed by Kevin Macdonald Attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) dec

March 26, 2021

SBS drama ‘Joseon Exorcist’ takes beating over historical inaccuracies

Despite apologies by broadcaster SBS and the production companies involved over what viewers criticize as historical inaccuracies and distortions in the TV series “Joseon Exorcist” on Wednesday, public anger continues unabated. As of Thursday, over 156,500 people had signed a petition on the Blue House website asking for the cancellation of all future ”‘Joseon Exorcist” episodes. The period drama sparked controversy immediately after the first episode aired Monday

March 25, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Rose’s dance video storms past 10 million views

Rose of Blackpink is taking the world by storm with her solo work. 　 The dance video for “On the Ground” from her solo debut album, “R,” surpassed 10 million views just two days after release, said label YG Entertainment on Thursday. 　 The music video went on to amass over 116 million views on YouTube, raising expectations that it could reach the 200 million milestone in record time for a K-pop female solo artist. It was the most watched music video in the world over

March 25, 2021

K-pop act Brave Girls extends winning streak on music charts

Brave Girls, the K-pop act that made a fairy tale comeback after four years thanks to social media, has reached No. 1 on more music charts with its 2017 single "Rollin'." The upbeat dance track topped Gaon's latest weekly digital and streaming charts, run by the Korea Music Content Association. The song sat atop the streaming chart for two straight weeks and reached its first No. 1 on the digital chart. "Rollin'" also swept Billboard's latest K-pop 100 chart, ousting K-pop

March 25, 2021

Blood Sweat & Tears: BTS talks about trainee life, fame, goals on Korean TV show

The K-pop juggernauts that have taken the world by storm got personal in the latest episode of a popular Korean TV show, talking about the blood, sweat and tears they put into their career and how they feel about being a contemporary music icon. BTS appeared on the 99th episode of the talk show "You Quiz on the Block," hosted by comedians Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho -- aptly titled "Blood Sweat & Tears" -- late Wednesday. The 100-minute show, filmed at the traditional setti

March 25, 2021

NEW ID launches seven new Korean channels on Samsung TV Plus

NEW ID, a digital platform business subsidiary of movie distributor Next Entertainment World, announced on Wednesday that it has launched seven additional channels on Samsung TV Plus for viewers in Korea. Samsung TV Plus is a free OTT platform pre-installed on Samsung’s Smart TV operating systems. The platform is available in 12 different countries, and this year Samsung aims to double the number of countries the service is available. Different from OTT platforms like Netflix that provi

March 24, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Baekhyun sings of love on new album

Baekhyun of EXO will croon love-themed songs on “Bambi,” his upcoming EP. 　 He revealed the list of all six tracks from the R&B-based EP, his third. In the title track, he sings about mature love to the tune of poetic guitar sounds. “Love Scene” describes the feeling of a person who falls in love as if they were experiencing a scene from a movie. Rising American R&B singer-songwriter Tone Stith wrote the heartwarming melody for “All I Got,” and SM E

March 24, 2021

Sayuri, single mom by choice, to appear on ‘The Return of Superman’

South Korea-based Japanese entertainer Sayuri Fujita will be joining “The Return of Superman,” broadcaster KBS said Tuesday. The entertainer, better known as Sayuri, became a single mother by choice in November last year. Her decision to get pregnant through a sperm bank in Japan -- because it is illegal in Korea for a single woman to do so -- raised awareness of the legal issues surrounding sperm donation in Korea. Sayuri, who has spoken out about her choice on TV and also has a

March 24, 2021

Which Korean military unit is the strongest?

A new military entertainment show “The Iron Squad,” which kicked off on Tuesday, will be the ultimate showdown to determine which branch of the armed forces is the strongest by pitting former members of different units against each other. Produced by Sky Channel and Channel A, the show is unlike many past military entertainment programs that featured celebrities experiencing military training. In the show, four former members each from six of the toughest military units -- Sea Sa

March 24, 2021

BTS hit 'Dynamite' rebounds to No. 34 on Billboard Hot 100

The megahit BTS single "Dynamite" resurged to the 34th spot on Billboard's main singles chart, following the K-pop act's recent performance of the song at the Grammy Awards. The disco-pop number, released in August, jumped nine notches in just one week to No. 34 on the Hot 100 chart, refreshed Tuesday (US time). The ascent comes after the seven-piece act put on a stellar performance of "Dynamite" during the 63rd Grammy Awards, where it was nominated for the best pop duo/gro

March 24, 2021

Red Velvet's Wendy to release debut solo material in April

Wendy, a member of K-pop girl group Red Velvet, is set to release her first solo material next month, her agency said Wednesday. The singer's debut solo album, "Like Water," will drop on April 5, with pre-orders set to start Wednesday, according to SM Entertainment. The upcoming album carries five tracks that capture "a genuine message and warm sentiment," the agency added. In addition to being the main vocalist of the five-piece act, the singer has taken part in several o

March 24, 2021

K-pop agency JYP to ink partnership with China's Tencent

JYP Entertainment, the K-pop agency that manages acts like TWICE and 2PM, on Wednesday announced it will sign a strategic partnership with Chinese technology giant Tencent. Under the deal between JYP and Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME), JYP will provide music to TME's platforms, like QQ Music, Kugou Music, Kuwo Music and WeSing, according to the company. The two companies will also cooperate on joint marketing and promotional events. "We are happy to join hands with JYP to create

March 24, 2021

'More than 70% of women in film biz experience sexual violence, harassment’

Close to 3 out of 4 women in the movie industry said they have experienced sexual violence or harassment, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film. Findings of the survey aimed at gauging the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual violence in the Korean film industry were released during an online event held Monday marking the third anniversary of the center that was launched in March 2018 by the Korean Film Council and Women in Film Korea. The sur

March 23, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Dream hails April music release

  NCT Dream is coming out with new music almost a year after it released its fourth EP, “Reload,” label SM Entertainment confirmed Tuesday. 　 Fans will be even more delighted to hear that Mark is returning as a member. The company changed the rules, which previously forced singers over 20 to leave the band. Although the seven members performed a new song together last year -- “Deja Vu” from NCT’s second studio album, “Resonance” -- the last time the

March 23, 2021

Maestro Chung to return as pianist with new album, recitals

Conductor Chung Myung-whun is to return as a pianist for the first time in seven years. Chung is to release his second piano album in April and will hold recitals in Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province and Daegu. The album, featuring the late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, among others, will be released under the Deutsche Grammophon label. Though more familiar to the classical music audience as a conductor, Chung was the first Korean to win the joint-second place at the

March 23, 2021

Composer has a ‘Playful’ attitude toward music

Composer Texu Kim is set to release his first album “Playful” Thursday, under classical music label Kreis Classic. The album consists of six works, performed by violinists Baek Ju-young and Kim Gye-hee, cellist Mun Tae-guk, pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy. Pianist Kim Jung-won participated in the recording as the producer. “I always compose works with the goal that the works should be fun,” Kim said at a press event held Monday in southern Seoul. “I want the fun to be

March 23, 2021

Rose hits No. 70 on Billboard with debut single 'On the Ground'

BLACKPINK's Rose saw her debut solo release reach No. 70 on Billboard's main singles chart in the highest ranking for a K-pop female soloist. "On the Ground," the title track of her double-track solo release "R," hit No. 70 on the latest version of the Billboard's Hot 100 updated weekly. This is the second time a K-pop female soloist has made it on the Billboard's main singles chart. In 2016, CL of 2NE1 hit No. 94 with the song "Lifted." The track, entirely sung

March 23, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] ITZY to release new music in April

ITZY took fans by surprise on Sunday when a poster announcing that it will put out a new album titled “Guess Who” on April 30 was uploaded to social media. 　 It has been eight months since the group’s last EP, “Not Shy.” 　 “Keep up your expectations as our new music will be a series of surprises for you,” the band said in a recent interview with Forbes. 　 The quintet held a live fan meet event over the weekend and presented “Midzy,” a so

March 22, 2021