Ateez opens new chapter with ‘Inception’

Having reached a new career high, Ateez on Wednesday returned with the new single “Inception” to open a new chapter in its discography. “We had the longest hiatus since our debut, but we tried to fill in the gap with better preparation and a good new song,” said Seonghwa in a written statement released by the group’s agency, KQ Entertainment.  Leading off the group’s new “Zero: Fever Part.1” album, the electronic dance music cut marks a sh

July 30, 2020

K-pop stocks bounce back strong from pandemic blow

K-pop stocks are rapidly bouncing back from pandemic lows as investors are increasingly buying the stocks on the rosy outlook for further expansion of K-pop fandoms and new business models. The nation’s top three labels -- S.M. Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment -- are leading the upbeat mood, while excitement is also building up for Big Hit Entertainment’s planned stock debut possibly later this year. Their stocks suffered their worst fall in March when concert

July 29, 2020

Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae’s deadly reunion in ‘Deliver Us From Evil’

Veteran actors Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae, who called each other “brother” in the crime-noir “New World” (2013), are reunited in the action-packed thriller “Deliver Us From Evil,” this time as bitter enemies. The film revolves around hit man In-nam, played by Hwang, who finishes what he promised would be his last job before fleeing Japan, but unexpectedly gets mixed up in a case in Thailand. In Bangkok, a barbaric killer named Ray, played by Lee -- also

July 29, 2020

'Night in Paradise’ to premiere at Venice Biennale

“Night in Paradise” by director Park Hoon-jung has been officially invited to the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s out-of-competition section. “Night in Paradise” is the only Korean film to be invited to the Italian film festival this year, according to the film’s local distributor Next Entertainment World on Wednesday. Fronted by actors Eom Tae-goo, Cha Seung-won and Jeon Yeo-been, the film revolves around a man who is targeted by an organized cr

July 29, 2020

‘Doomed Marriage’ heats up Monday night with unfiltered adult talk

Sky Channel and Channel A’s new adult talk show, “Doomed Marriage” premiered Monday, bringing to light real problems that married couples face. The 90-minute program was divided into two parts with actors reenacting real situations faced by married couples sent to the show’s website in the first half and an actual married couple sharing their issues in the second half of the program. The five panel members then took side with either the husband or wife, with the winner

July 28, 2020

[Herald Interview] Jung Woo-sung discusses presidential role in ‘Steel Rain 2: Summit’

In sequels we often see the original cast reappear, taking up the same roles and continuing with the next chapter of the story. In other cases, a new cast may be chosen to show a different side of the same universe. But rarely do the same actors reappear as completely new characters. This was the case for veteran actor Jung Woo-sung, who plays a fictitious South Korean president in the upcoming action flick “Steel Rain 2: Summit,” having portrayed a North Korean special agent in i

July 28, 2020

[Herald Review] ‘Jamie’ kicks out hate with red high heels

It is said that high heels were originally designed for men. Though they are more conventionally worn by women these days, the Korean-language musical “Jamie” blurs the line between men and women with a pair of bright red high heels. The successful West End musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” opened in Korea earlier this month under the name “Jamie.” It was the first time the show was staged outside the UK, and the first adaptation in a language

July 28, 2020

BLACKPINK to drop first full-length album on Oct. 2

K-pop quartet BLACKPINK will drop its first full studio album in October, the group's management agency said Tuesday. On its official blog, YG Entertainment posted an album teaser poster titled "The Album," with a pink tiara in the middle and the date "2020.10.02" at the bottom. It is expected to be the first full-length album produced by the foursome, which debuted in 2016. "In 2020, BLACKPINK will target the global music market on the back of systemic and thorough

July 28, 2020

Bimonthly magazine on K-pop band BTS launched in Italy

ROME -- A bimonthly magazine dedicated to all things related to K-pop giant BTS has been launched in Italy, in a reflection of the band's growing popularity, according to the publisher Monday. Italian publishing house Sprea S.p.A launched the magazine, BTS, last month, with the full-color launch edition consisting of some 80 pages featuring photos and articles on their past activities. Found in 1993, Sprea publishes some 50 magazines on a wide range of topics from music, science, animals and

July 28, 2020

Veteran actor Lee Jung-jae to make directorial debut

Veteran actor Lee Jung-jae is set to make his directorial debut in an upcoming spy-action film. Tentatively titled “Hunt,” the film is expected to kick off production next year, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M last week. Lee will also play the lead role in the movie. Taking place in 1980s Korea, the film will revolve around national security agents Park Pyong-ho and Kim Jung-do, who are chasing after the chief of North Korea’s espionage oper

July 27, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘I am the luckiest conductor’

For Wilson Ng, the associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, getting to the venue of the 2020 Mahler Competition was like “riding a roller coaster.” The competition was held from June 29 to July 5 in Bamberg, Germany, defying many people’s expectation that the prestigious competition for conductors under 35 may not take place as scheduled. Travel restrictions, however, presented challenges to some of the16 contestants invited to perform in Bamberg,

July 27, 2020

‘Peninsula’ continues to lead Asian box office

Dominating the domestic box office for two consecutive weeks, zombie thriller “Peninsula” surpassed its breakeven point of 2.5 million ticket sales over the weekend, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, data from government-run agency Korean Film Council showed the film had garnered just over 2.86 million admissions as of 7 a.m. Monday since its release on July 15. The film is said to have reached the breakev

July 27, 2020

Ssak 3 debuts on ‘Show! Music Core’ with record ratings

Ssak 3 made their debut on MBC’s “Show! Music Core” on Saturday, after sweeping the music charts with their song, “Beach Again.” The trio, made up of entertainer Yoo Jae-suk, singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain, performed their songs “Beach Again” and “In Summer,” on the weekly live music show Saturday afternoon, bringing a ’90s vibe to the K-pop idol stage. “Show! Music Core” reached its highest viewership rating of the year --

July 27, 2020

[Herald Review] Underwater summit holds key to future of two Koreas in ‘Steel Rain 2’

How would the leaders of South Korea, North Korea and the United States prevent a war from happening on the Korean Peninsula on a stealth submarine some 300 meters under the water? “Steel Rain 2: Summit” takes this highly unlikely premise and looks at the ongoing inter-Korean conflict. The film kicks off by showing heightening military tensions between the US and China and the impending complications for the surrounding nations -- the two Koreas and Japan. While tension hangs ove

July 26, 2020

‘Beasts Clawing at Straws’ grabs Special Mention at Far East Film Festival

Crime thriller “Beasts Clawing at Straws,” starring Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Woo-sung, won the Special Mention at the Far East Film Festival held in Italy, the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M announced on Friday. According to the distributor, the festival’s Executive Chairman Sabrina Baracetti acclaimed the Korean film as “an action thriller full of colorful casts, and a unique and unpredictable film,” adding that “the movie is very provocative

July 26, 2020

[Herald Review] Revival of ballet with impassioned ‘Onegin’

Universal Ballet successfully presented “Onegin,” the first full-length ballet to go on the stage in Korea in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Onegin,” a drama of tragic love, went onstage from July 18 to Sunday at the Chungmu Arts Center in central Seoul. The drama ballet created by celebrated choreographer John Cranko is based on Alexander Pushkin’s novel “Eugene Onegin.” Kurt-Heinz Stolze arranged the music for the production, editing various

July 26, 2020

Lee Joon-ki, Moon Chae-won partner for marriage suspense in ‘The Flower of Evil’

Lee Joon-ki and Moon Chae-won are returning to the small screen in the upcoming tvN series “The Flower of Evil.” Lee, Moon, producer Kim Chul-kyu and supporting actors Jang Hee-jin and Seo Hyeon-woo attended a promotional event for the drama series on Wednesday. The event was livestreamed due to concerns over the new coronavirus. This is the second time Lee and Moon are teaming up in a TV drama, following tvN’s “Criminal Mind” -- a remake of the popular American

July 25, 2020

Songpa-gu draws criticism over cancellation of ‘Mr. Trot’ concert

The much-anticipated “Mr. Trot” tour, scheduled to start Friday at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul and continue nationwide, has been delayed yet again after the local government banned concerts to crowds of over 5,000. TV Chosun’s “Mr. Trot,” an audition program that chose the best trot singer out of 100 contestants, posted record viewership ratings when it aired from January to March this year. Attesting to its popularity across generations, tickets to the

July 25, 2020

Former ILUV member Minah hospitalized as dispute with agency, band spirals out of control

The mother of Minah, formerly of K-pop group ILUV, posted to Minah’s Instagram in the early hours of Friday that the singer had collapsed and was sent to the emergency room. It was the latest development in an ongoing exchange of accusations online between Minah and her former ILUV bandmates, as well as with ILUV agency WKS ENE. “Mina collapsed today and was sent to the emergency room. She will be hospitalized soon and I hope negative comments and predictions about Mina’s s

July 24, 2020

Korea Film Museum reopens offline, featuring 12 North Korean movies

The Korea Film Archive announced the reopening of Korea Film Museum offline on Friday, among other facilities that it manages, after shutting them down due to the spread of COVID-19. At the Korea Film Museum, “Chaotic Times, Crossed Path: Movie People in Liberation Space” exhibition that was shown online starting July 7 will be opened to the public. The exhibition, which shows movie industry professionals who worked in both South and North Korea until the Korean War, marks the 70th

July 24, 2020