BTS wins four prizes at MTV Europe Music Awards

K-pop megastar BTS has clinched four trophies at this year's MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA), including the coveted Best Song prize. The seven-member act took home four prizes in total, winning the Best Song category with its latest hit "Dynamite" and Best Virtual Live for its concert that was held online amid the new coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony was streamed live earlier Monday. Other nominees who competed for Best Song included DaBaby with "Rockstar," featuring Roddy

Nov. 9, 2020

Agency cancels release of Blackpink panda footage after Chinese netizens complain

YG Entertainment announced Saturday that it has decided not to release the latest episode of Blackpink’s online reality show, “Blackpink - ‘24/365 with Blackpink',” which features the K-pop girl band members meeting South Korea’s first panda cub. The video was scheduled to be posted on the girl band’s YouTube channel Saturday. The decision came after a trailer posted Wednesday caused an uproar in China because it appeared that the band members were handlin

Nov. 8, 2020

Kim Hye-soo says ‘The Day I Died’ was like her destiny

Actor Kim Hye-soo said her upcoming film “The Day I Died” was like her destiny. “It is hard to explain but I felt a strong pull to take the role. I think it is because that was the time that I had a strong desire for some sort of comfort,” Kim said during a press conference at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on Wednesday. “At that time, I was broken down and had wounds. (Like Hyun-soo in the movie,) I got comfort from meeting actors at our filming site.” “The Da

Nov. 7, 2020

BTS' Suga to take break following shoulder surgery: agency

Suga, a member of K-pop megastar BTS, will take a break from official activities, including promotion for an upcoming album, to fully recover from a recent shoulder surgery, the band's agency said Friday. "Suga underwent surgery to repair his torn shoulder labrum on November 3," Big Hit Entertainment said in an announcement posted on fan community Weverse, adding that the BTS member is resting well following the successful surgery. The agency said Suga has suffered from shoulder-rela

Nov. 6, 2020

[Herald Interview] Treasure talks new album, making three comebacks in less than 100 days

After making its long-awaited debut in August, Treasure has dropped three albums in less than 100 days as if to prove its presence as a rising rookie of the year. YG Entertainment‘s 12-piece boy band released its third EP “The First Step”: CHAPTER THREE” on Friday evening, shortly after rolling out its second installment of the “The First Step” series in September. The new album is fronted by the lead single “MMM,” a groovy and aggressive hyb

Nov. 6, 2020

‘KBS Drama Special’ brings one-act dramas to life

As the last remaining platform for one-act dramas, KBS2’s “KBS Drama Specia” will kick off with its first episode “Modern Girl” on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Marking the 10th anniversary of “KBS Drama Special,” one of the 10 one-act dramas prepared this year will be shown every week starting this Saturday. The show‘s online press conference on Friday featured the cast and director of the first three dramas -- “Modern Girl,” “Crevice

Nov. 6, 2020

Movie theaters hope for return of moviegoers on eased social distancing

South Korean movie theaters are rolling up their sleeves to receive more film buffs as the 2-meter distancing rule in theaters is set to be lifted under the new five-tier scheme next week. Last week, the South Korean government announced a detailed set of social distancing and stay-in-place mandates to improve antivirus measures and clarify business restrictions in a tailored fashion. It came as the country has reported around 100 cases of COVID-19 per day for more than a month, having success

Nov. 6, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Martin Eden (Italy, France) Opened Oct. 29 Drama, Romance Directed by Pietro Marcello Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli), a ship worker, falls in love at first sight when he meets Helena (Jessica Cressy), an upper-class woman. Hoping to gain a place among the literary elite to be with her, he decides to become a writer and embarks on a quest to educate himself. The movie is based on a 1909 novel by American author Jack London. Tesla (US) Opened Oct. 28 Drama Directed by Michael Almereyda Inventor

Nov. 6, 2020

Comedian Jung Hyung-don to take break due to anxiety disorder

Popular comedian and TV host Jung Hyung-don will take a break from broadcasting to focus on dealing with his anxiety disorder, his agency said Thursday. "Jung Hyung-don has recently felt his long-time anxiety disorder get worse," FNC Entertainment said. "He has decided to halt broadcasting activities for now." The agency said Jung was determined to continue working but decided to prioritize his health and take a break after talks with the agency. "Jung Hyung-don plans

Nov. 5, 2020

BTS’ pop-up showcase quenches fans’ thirst amid pandemic

A BTS pop-up showcase in Seoul quenched local fans’ thirst during the pandemic era, offering them a unique experience related to the global pop music juggernaut. Taking over a three-story building at trendy Garosugil in Gangnam, southern Seoul, the offline showcase dubbed “BTS pop-up: Map of the Soul” opened its door to fans on Oct. 23. It follows BTS’ first pop-up store that opened last year in Seoul. Due to the prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, some major alterations were

Nov. 5, 2020

K-pop artist BoA to drop album marking 20th anniversary

K-pop soloist BoA is set to drop an album celebrating her 20th anniversary in the music industry next month, her agency said Thursday. BoA will release her 10th full-length album titled "Better" on Dec. 1, SM Entertainment said in a press release, without elaborating on the album's 11 tracks. The 34-year-old, who debuted in 2000, is one of the first K-pop artists who rose to overseas fame and is often credited for helping "hallyu," or the global popularity of Korean pop mus

Nov. 5, 2020

[Herald Review] Cho Seong-jin lights up Seoul with 30-minute encore

The lobby of Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall was packed with concertgoers Wednesday afternoon, as if a K-pop band were due to play. The people were eagerly awaiting a performance by concert pianist Cho Seong-jin. Fans lined up to buy Cho’s autographed album. Another line was formed to take a photo in front of the recital placard. Compared to other classical music performances, the audience was mostly relatively younger woman in their 20s and 30s. Cho, 26, who won the 2015 Cho

Nov. 5, 2020

tvN’s ‘I’m a Survivor’ teaches survival skills in crisis situations

The upcoming tvN variety show “I’m a Survivor,” which brings together six female celebrities for survival training, is set to air its first episode at 8:40 p.m. on Thursday. “I’m a Survivor” focuses on teaching celebrities how to survive in a crisis situation under the instruction of Park Eun-ha, a former non-commissioned officer of the 707th Counterterrorist Special Mission Battalion. Her charges are actress Kim Sung-ryung, former boxer and actress Lee Si-y

Nov. 4, 2020

Krystal plays pregnant university student in debut feature ‘More Than Family’

Jung Soo-jung, more widely known as Krystal of K-pop girl band f(x), plays a confident university student, Toe-il, who becomes pregnant at a young age, in her debut feature “More Than Family.” “At first, I was hesitant to play this role. But after reading the script I said I will take the role,” Jung said during a press conference at CGV Yongsan on Tuesday. “Toe-il is confident and she believes in herself. I think she is representative of women today. She is relat

Nov. 4, 2020

T1 meets BTS on ‘Run BTS’

League of Legends players from T1 Entertainment & Sports made a guest appearance on global superstar band BTS’ variety program “Run BTS!” on Tuesday, becoming the program’s first-ever guests in time for its 114th episode.　 T1 superstars Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, Park “Teddy” Jin-sung, Lee “Effort” Sang-ho, Mun “Cuzz” Uchan and Kim “Canna” Chang-dong met with BTS’ RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung

Nov. 4, 2020

BTS' 'Dynamite' ranks No. 12 on Billboard singles chart

K-pop superstar BTS ranked No. 12 on the Billboard's main singles chart this week with its mega-hit single "Dynamite" while also keeping three of its albums on the main albums chart. "Dynamite" dropped five notches to come in 12th on the Hot 100 chart for the week ending this Saturday, snapping its nine-week streak in the chart's top 10, according to the lately refreshed Billboard chart. The Hot 100 blends all-genre US streaming, radio airplay and sales data. The septet's

Nov. 4, 2020

Korea, ASEAN music festival Round 2020 announces additional lineup

Round 2020, a music festival held by Korea and 10 ASEAN countries, on Tuesday announced additional artists who will be performing at the Dec. 6 show. Four additional Korean solo artists -- Sunwoojunga, Bol4, George and Elaine-- were announced Tuesday. Nine-member folk-pop band Ben &Ben of the Philippines, which was recently nominated for the 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards, will also join the virtual festival, as well as Cambodian band SmallWorld SmallBand and Brunei singer Dinshe. This yea

Nov. 3, 2020

[Herald Interview] Weki Meki talks growth, shares lessons learned

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, this year turned out to be quite prolific for Weki Meki.  Having released three EPs from February to October, most recently highlighted by its power-driven single “Cool,” the eight girls of the rising K-pop girl group took time to look back on their four-year career, talk growth as musicians and share each of their life lessons for this year. “It was definitely a busy year, but we were glad to have shown new sides of us in terms of perf

Nov. 3, 2020

BTS' 'Dynamite' hits top 10 of Billboard's Pop Songs radio chart

K-pop superstar BTS has hit the top 10 on a Billboard radio airplay chart for the first time with its mega-hit single "Dynamite." The septet's first English song rose two notches to place ninth for this week on the Pop Songs radio chart to be updated on Tuesday, according to Billboard on Monday (US local time). The chart is one of the radio airplay charts of Billboard, measuring total weekly plays of the top 40 songs on some 160 mainstream radio stations. It is the highest ranking o

Nov. 3, 2020

Watcha to stream works by film academy’s graduating class

Local OTT platform Watcha is holding an online film festival Nov. 1-25 that will showcase the works of the Korean Academy of Film Arts’ graduating class. “Eye Contact,” co-hosted by the platform and the school, will consist of 24 short films created by the KAFA’s 36th batch of graduates. The movies will include “Doong-ji,” Jo Kyoung-won’s film about a teenage girl who wants to avoid bringing friends home to work on a school project; “Help Me!&rd

Nov. 2, 2020