Chungha comes out fiercer in her first studio album ‘Querencia’

Chungha has finally dropped her first studio album “Querencia” on Monday, four years since her solo debut in 2017. “The fans and I have been waiting just too long. It feels all very unrealistic,” Chungha said on Monday during a press conference held in Seoul ahead of the release that afternoon. The singer seemed very calm, even slightly cautious, as she spoke on the stage. Her comeback, a year and eight months since she released the EP “Flourishing” in 201

Feb. 16, 2021

'Night in Paradise' skips theaters to release on Netflix in April

“Night in Paradise” by director Park Hoon-jung is set to be released on Netflix on April 9. In announcing the release date Tuesday, Netflix said the film would be available to stream in 190 countries. Starring actors Eom Tae-goo, Cha Seung-won and Jeon Yeo-been, the film depicts a story of a man who becomes a target of an organized crime group and a woman who sees no hope in life. Actor Lee Ki-young and Park Ho-san also star in Park’s new crime film. “Night in Paradis

Feb. 16, 2021

Global K-pop fest KCON to again open online next month amid pandemic

KCON, a major K-pop and Korean culture festival that draws millions of viewers each season, will be held online again next month amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, its organizer said Tuesday. The third season of the online event, titled "KCON:TACT," will stream from March 20-28 through YouTube and the Mnet K-pop channel for global fans and on local over-the-top service Tving for domestic fans, according to South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. It marks the third time CJ ENM

Feb. 16, 2021

National Gugak Center member confirmed with COVID-19

A dancer at the National Gugak Center has been confirmed with novel coronavirus infection. The person tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, along with her family, including her husband and two children. She had previously tested negative on Feb. 8, but her husband tested positive. Prior to the COVID-19 test, the dancer went onstage at the center in southern Seoul on Feb. 6 for a weekly performance show. Sixty-eight members from the Court Music Orchestra, Folk Music Group and Dance Theate

Feb. 16, 2021

‘Sing Again’ top 3 reflect on their audition experience

Winner Lee Seung-yoon, runner-up Jeong Hong-il and third-place contestant Lee Mu-jin of JTBC’s audition program “Sing Again” shared their thoughts on going from nameless singers to famous singers during an online press conference Tuesday. “Sing Again,” which aired its final episode Feb. 7, captured the audience by giving a second chance to 71 singers who had released albums in the past but never attained popularity. The producer’s strategy hit the mark: The s

Feb. 16, 2021

Song Joong-ki as antihero in tvN drama ‘Vincenzo’

Actor Song Joong-ki is returning to the small screen as a lawyer and an Italian mafia consigliere in the tvN drama “Vincenzo” this Saturday. “Vincenzo” centers on the story of an antihero named Vincenzo Cassano, who fights against the villains of society with veteran lawyer Hong Cha-young, played by actress Jeon Yeo-been. Vincenzo takes on villains who have escaped the clutches of the law by being more evil than the criminals. “I don’t think I’m alone

Feb. 15, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] NCT 127 drops prerelease from 2nd Japanese EP

  NCT 127 unveiled the focus track from its forthcoming Japanese EP on Monday. 　 The song, titled “Gimme Gimme,” is a progressive hip-hop number and a direct statement from a guy in love. The video for “Gimme Gimme” will come out at 6 p.m. via the band’s YouTube channel, and the band will perform the song onstage for the first time at 10 p.m. Monday on the TBS music program “CDTV Live! Live!” 　 The EP, “Loveholic,” consists of six tra

Feb. 15, 2021

Hong Sang-soo to compete at Berlinale with ‘Introduction’

Award-winning director Hong Sang-soo’s 25th feature film, “Introduction,” will be part of the competition section at the 71st Berlin Film Festival. “We are delighted to welcome one of the most ingenious writers in the film industry again. Director Hong Sang-soo’s work presents great joy and challenge to the audience,” Berlin Film Festival Executive Chairman Carlo Umberto Chatrian said in a statement. “Director Hong’s work deepens the understandi

Feb. 15, 2021

SBS draws fire for editing out gay kisses from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

“Bohemian Rhapsody” reached the highest viewership share of all movies shown on TV during the Seollal holidays, but terrestrial broadcaster SBS faced criticism for deleting the film’s homosexual scenes. With gatherings restricted due to COVID-19, the broadcasters paid special attention to their movie selections to capture viewers stuck at home. SBS aired “Bohemian Rhapsody” at 8:40 p.m. on Saturday and it worked -- the movie drew 3.4 percent of viewers aged 20-49

Feb. 15, 2021

Historical comedy series 'Mr. Queen' ends with high ratings

"Mr. Queen," a historical comedic drama series that drew both popularity and controversy, has wrapped up on a strong note, with the final episode becoming the fifth most-watched drama on cable channel tvN. The series' 20th episode aired Sunday and recorded 17.4 percent in viewership, according to data by Nielson Korea. The figure marks the fifth-highest rating among tvN's drama series, following 21.7 percent by the romantic comedy "Crash Landing On You" (2019), 20.5 percent

Feb. 15, 2021

Lunar New Year's theater attendance plunges amid pandemic

Lingering concerns over COVID-19 kept South Korean people from going to cinemas during the Lunar New Year holiday, but recently eased social distancing is expected to brighten prospects for the virus-hit film industry, box office data showed Monday. The number of moviegoers reached a total of 707,000 during the four-day lunar New Year holiday weekend that began on Thursday, according to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is just one seventh of more than 4.9 million attendees tal

Feb. 15, 2021

Spotify set for uphill battle in S. Korea

Spotify Technology SA, which opened its service in South Korea early this month, is expected to face fierce competition in the music streaming market currently dominated by local players. While the Swedish company is one of the top audio streaming services in the world, with 345 million users across 93 markets, it is up against established homegrown services in South Korea -- the sixth-largest music market in the world -- such as tech giant Kakao Corp.'s Melon, Genie Music under telecom operato

Feb. 14, 2021

K-pop rookies take over Japanese music charts

Despite the trade war between Korea and Japan and restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, up-and-coming K-pop acts are enjoying a strong presence in the Japanese entertainment industry, topping the local music charts. 　While hit K-pop groups such as Twice and IZ*ONE have already risen to major stardom in Japan, more K-pop groups are making their way in Japan, releasing Japanese-language albums targeted to the wider public.   　Big Hit Entertainment’s TXT, also known as Tomorrow

Feb. 13, 2021

SHINee, 2PM among boy bands poised to return to stage after military service

  In a country where enlisting in the military for two years is mandatory for all able-bodied men, the rule has long been an unavoidable hurdle for singers and actors in their 20s who are flourishing in their career heyday.    In that sense, having completed the two-year service can be an advantage for entertainers who are now eligible to plan long-term career goals. In the music industry, some major K-pop acts are set to return to the stage after members have successfully serve

Feb. 13, 2021

VR journalism seeks new ways of storytelling

In a deep, dark underground tunnel, photos of a young man appear, alongside those of his favorite music albums, films, endearing messages exchanged with his parents and video clips of him fooling around cheerfully with his friends. As one walks through the tunnel, the young man’s access card for Taean power station appears. It reads, “Name: Kim Yong-kyun; Expiration date: 2018-12-31.” Those are scenes from the last episode of season 2 of MBC’s VR documentary series, &l

Feb. 12, 2021

Movies for your soul during Seollal holiday

Films that aim to refresh moviegoers who are exhausted by the pandemic are dominating the screens during the Lunar New Year holiday, widely known as Seollal. The Disney-Pixar animated film “Soul,” which opened Jan. 20 and became the first movie of 2021to reach more than 1.2 million viewers here, comforts viewers with its colorful images, its music, and its hopeful and relatable message. “Soul” follows schoolteacher Joe, who dreams of becoming a jazz musician. One day,

Feb. 11, 2021

Rock stars to hold 17-hour online concert

Rock musician Han Kyung-rock, a bassist in the legendary punk rock band Crying Nut, is celebrating his birthday Thursday with a 17-hour virtual concert. Han will be hosting “2021 Kyungrockjeol in the House,” which starts Thursday at noon and features 83 music acts. The lineup includes rock bands Crying Nut, No Brain, Galaxy Express, Broccoli You Too, Romantic Punch and Jannabi, along with hip-hop singer Jay Park, singer Seonwoo Jung A, Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols, Japanese p

Feb. 10, 2021

Wavve compensates customers 140 free movies for network failures

Local video streaming platform Wavve announced that it is providing 140 movies for free as compensation for network failures this year. Wavve, which has the highest number of users of all Korean OTTs, faced network problems on Jan. 27 that lasted over a week and prevented users from viewing much of its content. Another network failure on Jan. 29 led to adult content being shown for several seconds during the children‘s film “Pororo Movie,” further infuriating users. “W

Feb. 10, 2021

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink’s Rose gears up for solo gig

  Rose of Blackpink’s solo debut is likely to happen very soon, according to a local media on Wednesday. She has been signaling for a solo gig since last year and she unveiled “Gone,” thought to be the sub-title track from her upcoming own album, at the band’s first online streaming concert on Jan. 31.  Her company YG Entertainment confirmed that the musician has already finished shooting the music video for the title song from the album. It has spent one of t

Feb. 10, 2021

BLACKPINK's debut full album rebounds to No. 59 on Billboard 200

K-pop megastar BLACKPINK's debut studio album has rebounded big on Billboard's main albums chart this week following its first online concert held late last month. "The Album" has resurged to No. 59 on the Billboard 200 chart updated Tuesday (US time), ascending 89 notches from a week before. It marks the 18th consecutive week the four-member band has stayed on the chart with its album since debuting at No. 2 in October, making history as a South Korean girl group. The album also sw

Feb. 10, 2021