Berlinale-bound ‘Fighter’ set for release next month

Film director Jero Yun’s “Fighter”, which has been invited to compete at the 71st Berlin Film Festival, will be released in local theaters on March 18. “Fighter” depicts the story of North Korean refugee Jin-ah (Lim Seong-mi) who is always exhausted from her part-time jobs. One day, Jin-ah discovers boxing and finds meaning to her life through the sport. Yun’s new movie was invited to compete in the Generation 14plus category at the Berlinale, which is a c

Feb. 22, 2021

Collectible tickets attract moviegoers in pandemic times

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we lost the traditional moviegoing experience. But even before the virus, lines stopped forming at ticket booths and printed movie tickets became a thing of the past as e-tickets replaced them. Cinemagoers could simply present their smartphone screens to show their tickets. Yet on Jan. 27, people lined up in front of the ticket booths at local Megabox branches to get limited-edition tickets for the Japanese animation “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.” Me

Feb. 21, 2021

[Herald Review] 25-year-old ‘Last Empress’ returns with more color

The original Korean-language musical “Last Empress” opened its curtains in Seoul earlier this month. The musical, which had its premiere in 1995, shows the life of 19th-century Empress Myeongseong, who was assassinated by Japanese agents in the years before Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its premiere, the show went through some major changes to appeal to modern audiences. The musical, which originally featured only musical numbers withou

Feb. 21, 2021

‘Penthouse 2’ kicks off with over 20% viewership rating

SBS suspense drama series “The Penthouse: War in Life” reached over 20 percent viewership rating with its first two episodes in its follow-up season, continuing the success from the first season. Written by popular screenwriter Kim Soon-ok, “The Penthouse: War in Life” revolves around the intense conflict between residents of Hera Palace, a prestigious high-rise apartment in Seoul. The dark and convoluted relationship along with the suspense-filled story involving murde

Feb. 21, 2021

NTCK to stream ‘Scapin,’ premiere of new ‘Hamlet’

The National Theater Company of Korea is to stream barrier-free play “Scapin” and the premiere of newly-produced “Hamlet” online. Play “Scapin” will be streamed Friday and Saturday. “Scapin,” based on “The Rogueries of Scapin” written by French playwright Moliere, had its Korean premiere with the theater company in 2019.  The play is led by Scapin, a cunning, deceitful servant who plays the other characters off against each ot

Feb. 20, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] GOT7’s Yugyeom signs with AOMG

  Yugyeom of GOT7 marked the opening of a new chapter under his new agency, AOMG, with a dance clip. 　 Uploaded at midnight Friday on the company’s YouTube and social networks, the video showed the main dancer of the seven-piece act performing to “Franchise,” a hip-hop number by Travis Scott featuring Young Thug and M.I.A. 　 Set against the backdrop of a grand construction site, Yugyeom demonstrated his dance skills alongside a crew. 　 The video confirmed earlier report

Feb. 19, 2021

A look back on IU’s 13-year music career

“I want to say this to those people who were born rough yet special, including my friend. You’re not strange but stellar.” IU’s latest single, “Celebrity,” embodies that message -- for her friend, for herself and for everyone who finds it hard to love themselves, as the singer wrote in her introduction to the song. The song’s lyrics started off as a letter to a friend who is often considered odd by others. Writing down the words, IU realized they wer

Feb. 19, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

New Year Blues (Korea) Opened Feb. 10 Romance, Comedy Directed by Hong Ji-young Four couples go through their own various struggles during seven days before New Year’s Day. Paralympic athlete trainer Hyo-young (Yoo In-na), who wants to get divorced, asks for a week of personal protection from police officer Ji-ho (Kim Kang-woo), who has been divorced for four years. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (UK) Reopened Feb. 10 Action, Fantasy Directed by Mike Newell Harry Potter (Daniel Ra

Feb. 19, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT’s Doyoung to star in a drama

  Doyoung of NCT will be the male lead in a television drama that will air on Friday. 　 In his first serious acting role, the singer will play a good-looking straight-A high school student who has found a way to take a peek at the future while looking for his mother. Titled “Midnight Cafe Season 3 - The Curious Stalker,” this is the third season of an ongoing drama series that featured Bora, of the now-disbanded Sistar, in the second season. 　 Set at a café in Busan th

Feb. 18, 2021

[FULL TRANSCRIPT] Big Hit-Universal Music Group launches strategic partnership

Big Hit Entertainment, the powerhouse of global K-pop sensation BTS, and the world’s biggest music corporation Universal Music Group is partnering up to expand their foothold in the global entertainment industry. The two firms announced on Thursday morning the establishment of a joint venture that will oversee the launching of a new K-pop boy band on the global stage. The group is set to debut through an audition program set to be aired globally in 2022. UMG CEO Lucian Grainge, UMG affi

Feb. 18, 2021

NCT 127 tops Oricon daily albums chart with new Japanese EP

NCT 127, a sub-unit of the popular K-pop boy band NCT, topped the Japanese Oricon daily music chart Thursday with its latest EP released in Japan. "Loveholic," the group's first new Japanese album in two years, ranked No. 1 on the daily albums chart just a day after its release on Wednesday, with more than 97,000 unit sales in the country. It marks the second album by the K-pop act to reach top spot on the Oricon's daily chart, following "Chain," its debut in Japan. The si

Feb. 18, 2021

Big Hit, Universal Music Group to launch new K-pop boy band in US

Big Hit Entertainment and Universal Music Group announced Thursday plans for a Los Angeles-based joint venture between UMG’s Geffen Records and Bit Hit Ent for the launch of a new global K-pop band in the US. The members of the new boy group will be chosen through a global audition that will air in the US in 2022. Big Hit Entertainment created K-pop group BTS while UMG is one of the biggest music companies in the world, with top artists such as Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Maroon 5. In th

Feb. 18, 2021

KOMCA copyright fee hike angers local streaming services

Local over-the-top media services gathered at Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday to express their anger at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s approval in December of an increase in the music copyright fee levied on local streaming services. Watcha, Tving and Wavve formed the OTT Music Copyright Committee in July after the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA) attempted to increase the music copyright fee. KOMCA proposed to the Culture Ministry in July an increase in the copyright f

Feb. 17, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose lands 40 million views with teaser

 Rose of Blackpink is demonstrating her global presence, with the teaser clip for her solo debut having surpassed 40 million views on YouTube in just three weeks. 　 The 33-second trailer is said to be a part of the video for “Gone,” a song from her solo debut album. She performed it for the first time Jan. 31 at Blackpink’s first livestreamed concert, “The Show.” 　 Rose, who turned 25 last week, will be the second band member to have a solo project. She has

Feb. 17, 2021

Musical ‘Lost Face 1895’ to be screened in 40 CGV cinemas

“Lost Face 1895,” a musical performance film, will soon be coming to 40 CGV cinemas across the country starting Feb. 24. The film is created and distributed by the Seoul Performing Arts Company under the Culture Ministry. “Abroad, a number of musical performances were recorded to be made into films, such as the UK National Theater’s NT Live and the US Metropolitan Opera Live. But this has not been tried much in Korea,” SPAC President Yoo Hee-sung said during a pr

Feb. 17, 2021

Two Korean indie films to compete at Berlin Film Festival

Two Korean independent films -- “Fighter” directed by Jero Yun and “Short Vacation” directed by Kwon Min-pyo and Seo Han-sol -- have been chosen to compete at the 71st Berlin Film Festival. According to the distributor Indiestory for “Fighter”, the movie was invited to compete in the Generation 14plus category at the Berlinale. “Fighter” which is set to be released here in March, depicts the story of a woman Jin-ah (Lim Seong-mi) who finds the

Feb. 17, 2021

[Herald Review] Green-skinned witch makes ‘Wicked’ return

The Wicked Witch of the West has returned to Seoul, with the musical “Wicked” officially opening its Seoul run on Tuesday. Inspired by the classic “The Wizard of the Oz,” and based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba, the wicked green witch of the west, and Glinda, the good white witch. Featuring musical divas Ock Joo-hyun and Jeong Seon-ah, and

Feb. 17, 2021

Gender-bending casting opens up new opportunities for actors, dramas

In recent years, gender-bending casting, where actors are cast for roles regardless of their gender, has come under the spotlight for its fresh take on the traditionally male-oriented performing arts scene. Gender-bending casting, more often referred to as gender-free casting in Korea, is about giving actors opportunities to perform regardless of their gender. Veteran stage actor Kim Seong-nyeo is to take the role of Faust in the National Theater of Korea’s upcoming play “Faus

Feb. 17, 2021

Spotify Korea hopes to push personalized music discoveries

With Spotify’s new launch into Korea, the music streaming platform hopes it can spearhead change in how Koreans listen to and discover music with more personalized curations. In an interview with The Korea Herald, Managing Director of Spotify Korea David Park said he hopes users can find joy from discovering new music through the platform’s curating algorithm, instead of relying solely on music chart rankings. “It’s been only a week since we launched the platform and w

Feb. 16, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Monsta X to meet fans in person

Monsta X announced Tuesday that the band will meet its fans online and offline in March. 　 Via its official social media channels, the band’s company, Starship Entertainment, said it will host a two-day fan meet and concert March 6-7 at a venue in Seoul. The event will be held offline and broadcast live through the band’s channel on Naver’s V Live. 　 Seating arrangements will comply with the government’s COVID-19 guidelines and may need to be adjusted if the social di

Feb. 16, 2021