Pandemic-hit musicals on strong rebound

Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to restrict many aspects of our lives, the local musical scene has been striving to bounce back. After the government relaxed the social distancing rules for performing arts venues in early February, local musical productions have been recording sell-outs with musical fans returning to theaters. According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), aggregate ticket sales of performing arts productions recorded 16.7 billion won in

March 9, 2021

Preorders for BLACKPINK member Rose's debut solo album tops 400,000

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK member Rose's upcoming solo album has sold 400,000 units in global preorders, the singer's management agency said Tuesday. The number comes in just four days since the company started taking preorders, according to YG Entertainment. It claimed that the figure is a record for a K-pop solo female act. Rose, known as the four-piece act's main vocalist, is set to release her first-ever solo material on Friday. The album is titled "R," after the singer's initial

March 9, 2021

67 indie music groups to perform for 5-day #saveourstages Korea

Korean online music festival #saveourstages kicked off Monday with the aim of supporting indie music venues hit hard by COVID-19. A total of 67 groups will be performing through Friday at five different stages -- Rolling Hall, West Bridge, Prism Hall, Radio Gaga and Dream Hall -- all located in the Hongdae area in Seoul, which is known for its indie music scene. Each venue will host about two acts per day, giving guests a diverse choice of music to listen to. “We can’t solve this

March 9, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Twice to release 8th Japanese single

Twice surprised fans with a clip that announced that it will unveil its eighth Japanese single in May. 　 At the end of its online live show “Twice in Wonderland” that was broadcast on Saturday, Nayeon said: “The concert may be over and we look forward to meeting you again. We’ll drop a huge spoiler.” Then the band sent their audience abuzz at the end with the snippet that said it will come out with new single named “Kura Kura” on May 12. 　 Head produ

March 8, 2021

TWICE to drop new Japanese single album in May

K-pop girl group TWICE will drop a new single in Japan in May, according to its label-management company Monday. The group's eighth Japanese single, titled "Kura Kura," will be released on May 12, according to JYP Entertainment. Written by Park Jin-young, producer and founder of JYP Entertainment, the new song features the enchanted emotion of two lovers, according to the company. It is a follow-up announcement on the upcoming release after the group surprisingly disclosed the plan

March 8, 2021

'Minari' wins best foreign language film at Critics Choice Awards

"Minari," a drama film about a Korean American immigrant family, has won two prizes, including best foreign language film, at this year's Critics Choice Awards. In the awarding ceremony of the annual 26th Critics Choice Awards held Sunday (US time), the best foreign language film award went to "Minari," directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, beating "Another Round," "Collective," "La Llorona," "The Life Ahead" and "Two Of Us

March 8, 2021

Weekend box office hits 4-month high thanks to 'Minari'

South Korea's box office hit a four-month high over the weekend on the back of upbeat performance by the award-winning US immigration film "Minari," data showed Monday. A combined 524,000 people went to theaters from Friday to Sunday, according to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the largest three-day weekend figure since the second weekend of November, when the box office posted a total of 580,000 moviegoers before the third wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic s

March 8, 2021

BTS to become 1st Korean nominee to perform at upcoming Grammy Awards

K-pop sensation BTS, which earned a nomination from this year's Grammy Awards, is set to perform at music's biggest night in the United States next week, the event's organizers have said. The Recording Academy on Sunday (US time) announced the full performers lineup for the 63rd Grammys. BTS is among 22 listed musicians, including Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion and Post Malone, that will perform at the event this coming Sunday. It is the first

March 8, 2021

Hong Sang-soo wins third Silver Bear at Berlinale with ‘Introduction’

Director Hong Sang-soo won the Silver Bear for best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival for his 25th feature film, “Introduction,” on Friday. The three-part movie, starring Shin Seok-ho, Park Mi-so and Kim Min-hee, revolves around a young man named Young-ho’s journey to visit his father, his lover and his mother. “More than telling a story, or advancing a narration with efficiency, this script fabricates those momentary intervals between one action and

March 7, 2021

Orchestral music to return this spring

The 2021 Korean Orchestra Festival will be held from March 30 to April 22 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Though the COVID-19 pandemic presents new restrictions to classical music performances – especially for symphonic works which require large orchestras – this year’s festival will be held under a “new normal” theme, reflecting the virus-plagued times. The festival features the biggest lineup in nearly a decade with 21 orchestras participating. Las

March 7, 2021

Hybrid JEONJU film fest to kick off April 29

The 22nd edition of the JEONJU International Film Festival will be held from April 29 to May 8, under the slogan “Film Goes On.” Last year, the 21st edition of the international film fest, which was initially scheduled to commence April 30, was pushed back once and then was forced to be held behind closed doors in May due to the spread of COVID-19. The organizer at the time held a hybrid event, going both online and offline, for 114 days. This year’s festival will also be a h

March 6, 2021

Indie rock band HYUKOH to hold online concert in Gyeongju this month

HYUKOH, one of the most popular indie rock bands here, will hold its first online concert in the southeastern historical city of Gyeongju later this month, its management agency said Saturday. "HYUKOH 2021 Online World Tour: through love" will air twice for fans here and outside of Korea, according to DooRooDooRoo Artist Company. Local fans can tune in via Korean ticketing website Interpark at 7 p.m. on March 27, while fans outside of the country can watch on livestream platform Dice

March 6, 2021

Korean director Hong Sang-soo wins best screenplay for 'Introduction' at Berlin film fest

South Korean director Hong Sang-soo on Friday won best screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival for his latest film, "Introduction." At the announcement of this year's winners streamed online, the director's 25th feature film was awarded the Silver Bear prize for best screenplay at the 71st edition of the Berlin fest, which kicked off Monday for its five-day run in an online edition due to the pandemic. "More than telling a story, or advancing a narration with effic

March 5, 2021

BTS says 'Love Myself' initiative helped them embrace themselves more

Global superstar BTS said taking part in the United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) campaign aimed at ending violence and sharing hope among children and young people has actually helped them love themselves more. "I thought we're doing this for people around us but I realized as time passed that many changes also happened within myself," Jimin said in a video marking the renewal of the group's support for the global initiative. Jin agreed, noting how the campaign that kicked off

March 5, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Monsta X’s I.M sweeps Billboard’s global chart with solo EP

I.M of Monsta X saw all of the tracks from his first solo digital EP rank on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales Chart, according to the music media outlet’s tally for next week. 　 Title track “God Damn” ranked No. 9, and “Howlin,” “Happy to Die,” “Flower-ed” and “Burn” settled at No. 17, 18, 20 and 21, respectively. The EP, called “Duality,” rose to the top of iTunes worldwide albums chart upon its release i

March 5, 2021

Director Jero Yun comes back with indie film about North Korean defector ‘Fighter’

Director Jero Yun, who directed the film “Beautiful Days” about a mysterious North Korean woman refugee in 2017, has returned with “Fighter,” about a female North Korean defector living in South Korea. “I came up with the story for ‘Fighter,’ along with ‘Beautiful Days,’ back in 2012 when I was part of Cannes Film Festival’s residence program,” Yun said during a press conference held Thursday at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seou

March 5, 2021

K-pop fans hung out to dry over Kakao-Spotify music licensing termination

Last weekend, global K-pop fans on Spotify faced a blackout of hundreds of songs by popular artists, including Zico, Mamamoo and IU, after the Swedish audio giant's licensing agreement with South Korea's top music distributor Kakao M Corp. came to an end. While some music has since been restored under artists' separate labels, Spotify Technology SA and Kakao M, now known as Kakao Entertainment Corp., said discussions for a new deal are ongoing. The South Korean company's music has been availab

March 5, 2021

BTS named Global Recording Artist of 2020

After spending a phenomenal year with megahits "Dynamite" and "Life Goes On" in 2020, BTS has been crowned Global Recording Artist of the Year by an organization representing the worldwide recording industry. The win on Wednesday (US local time) marks a first for an act that performs primarily in a non-English language. It also is the first time for an artist who mostly sings in a language other than English to be included on the Global Artist Chart for a third consecutive

March 5, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Raya and the Last Dragon (US) Opened March 4 Animation Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, Donald Hall In the world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. As villainous monsters known as the Druun started attacking the land, magical dragons united their forces and sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Five hundred years later, the monsters have returned and it‘s now up to a warrior Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) to save Kumandra. Minari (US) Opened March 3 Drama Directed

March 5, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Baekhyun to return as solo

Baekhyun of EXO is preparing a new solo album that is slated to be released at the end of March, according to a local news report Thursday. SM Entertainment confirmed that it will be unveiled on March 30 following the report.  It has been 10 months since he put out second solo EP “Delight” but he has kept himself busy rolling out digital single “Amusement Park” in December 2020 and first Japanese solo EP “Baekhyun” in January. His solo debut EP &ldqu

March 4, 2021