BiBi, Seo Samuel and Balming Tiger to Perform at TGE in May

Korean performers Balming Tiger, BiBi and Seo Samuel were among 100 additional groups announced for The Great Escape festival’s 2020 lineup, as posted on its official website on Jan. 28. This is the second round of groups, following the initial 50 participating groups who were announced earlier in September. The Great Escape will be held in Brighton, England, from May 13-16, where over 400 emerging artists from over 25 countries are expected to participate this year. It is known as the

Feb. 3, 2020

National Gugak Center releases publication on NK performing arts

The National Gugak Center recently released an English-language publication on the performing art scene in North Korea. The center has been publishing the Korean Musicology Series since 2007, aiming to promote understanding about traditional Korean arts, encouraging its globalization and international exchanges.  A total of 10 English-language books have been released, one each on pansori (traditional narrative singing), sanjo (instrumental music) and Korea’s traditional folk song

Feb. 3, 2020

Coronavirus concerns loom over K-pop

A series of K-pop events are being canceled amid concerns over the deadly coronavirus outbreak, as organizers opt out to be on the safe side. Big Hit Entertainment, home to BTS, announced last week that it would hold its corporate briefing privately on Tuesday, despite having originally planned to open the event to the media and fans. The agency said the event would go ahead without a live audience, and a video would be uploaded the following day. According to YG Entertainment, Blackpink&rsqu

Feb. 3, 2020

“Beasts Clawing at Straws” wins jury award at Rotterdam

  Crime noir film “Beasts Clawing at Straws” has won the special jury award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The first feature from director Kim Yong-hoon nabbed the award at this year’s Rotterdam Tiger Competition, where up-and-coming international filmmakers compete with their debut pieces, the movie’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M announced Monday. The jury for the Tiger Competition also honored “The Cloud in Her Room” by Zheng Lu

Feb. 3, 2020

Kang Sue-jin reappointed Korean National Ballet artistic director

Kang Sue-jin has been reappointed as artistic director of the Korean National Ballet for the next three years, her third term after first taking the post in 2014. “We expect Kang to continue to interact with well-known national ballet groups and choreographers abroad to improve the level of our national ballet company. We also hope she will create original pieces based on Korean traditions for the development of Korean ballet,” Culture Minister Park Yang-woo said in a statement.

Feb. 3, 2020

IZ*ONE set to return with new album this month

Resuming its high-profile music career, girl band IZ*ONE will release a new album, "Bloom*Iz," this month, its management agency said Monday. The new album, set for release on Feb. 17, is the 12-member girl group's first full-length album, marking the resumption of the band's activities after a three-month hiatus. The band temporarily suspended its activities in November as producers of cable music channel Mnet's "Produce" audition show came under a police investigation o

Feb. 3, 2020

BTS drops 2nd trailer for upcoming album, 'Map of the Soul: 7'

K-pop band BTS on Monday dropped the second trailer for its upcoming album, "Map of the Soul: 7," set for official release on Feb. 21. "Outro: Ego," member J-Hope's solo song and the outro track of the band's fourth full album, was released on BTS' social media accounts and to the band's mobile app-based fan community early Monday. The first trailer, "Interlude: Shadow," starring member Suga, was released last month. The video for "Ego" briefly walk

Feb. 3, 2020

'Parasite' wins two titles at British Academy awards

Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" won two titles, including best foreign language film, at this year's British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards. At the ceremony of the BAFTA Film Awards held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday (British time), the awards of best original screenplay and best film not in the English language were given to "Parasite," which was nominated in four categories, including best film and best director. It is the second time that a

Feb. 3, 2020

Hollywood film by Korean-American director wins top prizes at Sundance

A Hollywood drama by a Korean-American director starring South Korean actresses has received top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival.   Sundance said "Minari," directed by Lee Isaac Chung and featuring, among others, Youn Yuh-jung and Han Ye-ri, won the US Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the Dramatic category at its annual ceremony in Park City, Utah, on Saturday (local time).   The film follows a seven-year-old Korean-American boy named David, whose

Feb. 2, 2020

'Parasite' receives top screenplay prize from Writers Guild of America

The Oscar-nominated South Korean film "Parasite" has picked up yet another trophy in the buildup to the Academy Awards. Director Bong Joon-ho and co-writer Han Jin-won received the Writers Guild of America (WGA) award for best original screenplay in dual ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday (local time). The cutting satire has earned six nominations for the Oscars, including best picture, best director and best original screenplay. At the WGA awards, "Parasite&qu

Feb. 2, 2020

BTS agency wins trademark suit against cosmetics firm

DAEJEON -- South Korea's intellectual property tribunal has recently ordered the cancellation of a cosmetics trademark that is similar to that of the K-pop group BTS. The Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board said Sunday it has ruled in favor of the band's agency, Big Hit Entertainment, in a suit against a company that has registered the trademark "BTS," along with its phonetic spelling in Korean, and used the name "BTS" on its beauty products. "This is a case

Feb. 2, 2020

Action-thriller 'Time to Hunt' envisions dystopia packed with subcultures

Director Yoon Sung-hyun, who bagged several awards here and abroad in 2011 with debut film “Bleak Night,” is returning to the big screen in February with the feature “Time to Hunt,” which he described as a true action flick. The action-thriller revolves around four young men who set out on a journey to start a new life in a fictional, completely destroyed society. The story takes place in what seems like Seoul in the near future, with the city turned into slums followi

Jan. 31, 2020

Eventful February of high-profile album releases awaits K-pop fans

Next month will see an unusually feverish K-pop scene with a new album release by superstars BTS. But the music world here will be further abuzz as a number of other high-profile music acts will unveil new albums in February. On the calendar for February is an unprecedentedly eventful lineup of returning K-pop stars, spearheaded by popular girl group GFriend. The six-member female group will be the first to rock the music scene next month, dropping "回:LABYRINTH" on Monday. It is

Jan. 31, 2020

Boston Symphony Orchestra cancels Seoul concert amid coronavirus crisis

With the death toll of China’s coronavirus outbreak rapidly increasing, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has called off its East Asia tour, including its first-ever performance in Seoul. The orchestra announced the cancellation of its tour led by music director Andris Nelsons in an official statement released Thursday. The tour was originally set to start off with two shows in Seoul on Feb. 6 and 7, followed by performances in Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai stretched out to Feb. 16. &ldqu

Jan. 31, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

For Sama (UK) Opened Jan. 23 Documentary Directed by Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts In 2011, a civil uprising begins in the city of Aleppo, Syria, demanding democratic reforms. A student and journalist Waad Al-Kateab decides to stay and document the war and her life in the battlefield. Amidst the conflict and confusion, she falls in love with Hamza Al-Kateab, a doctor, gets married and gives birth to their daughter Sama. While protecting and raising Sama, the Al-Kateabs continue to help the inno

Jan. 31, 2020

BTS wins album of the year at Seoul Music Awards

K-pop superstar BTS has won the grand prize at this year's Seoul Music Awards for the third year in a row. At the award-presenting ceremony at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Thursday night, the septet received the highest honor for "Map of the Soul: Persona," released in April last year. But the band did not attend the event. The group topped the Billboard 200 main albums chart for the first edition of the "Map of the Soul" series, last year, with its album sales reaching a

Jan. 31, 2020

Park Seo-jun to show perfect sync with original webcomic in 'Itaewon Class'

JTBC’s new drama series based on the webcomic of the same name, “Itaewon Class” is set to air its first episode Friday night. Original webtoon artist Cho Kwang-jin also took charge of the script. “When I was writing the comic it wasn’t easy for me to delve into the details of every character because of the weekly deadlines. So it was a grateful opportunity that I could get the chance to develop even the small characters through working on the script,” Cho

Jan. 30, 2020

Hong Sang-soo to compete at Berlinale with new film starring Kim Min-hee

The Berlin International Film Festival on Wednesday revealed this year’s lineup of films in competition, including Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo’s new “The Woman Who Ran.” Hong will be competing for the Gold and Silver Bear prizes with 17 other titles from 17 countries, including Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken,” Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow,” Philippe Garrel’s “The Salt of Tears,” Rithy Panh’s “Irrad

Jan. 30, 2020

iKON to release 1st album since leader B.I's departure last year

K-pop boy band iKON will return to the music scene with a new album, "i DECIDE," next week. The new album, set for official release on Feb. 6, is iKON's third EP and its first release since band leader B.I left in June last year over drug-related allegations, according to the band's management agency, YG Entertainment. B.I's departure reconfigured iKON as a six-member boy band. The new album contains tracks created by the former leader, including "Dive." YG said it ch

Jan. 30, 2020

Chin Un-suk wins Leonie Sonning Music Prize 2021

Composer Chin Un-suk, 58, has been named the winner of Leonie Sonning Music Prize 2021. The Leonie Sonning Music Prize is awarded every year to an internationally recognized composer, instrumentalist, conductor or singer. Chin is the first Asian to receive Denmark’s highest music award since its founding in 1959. Chin will receive 133,000 euros ($146,529), according to the Leonie Sonning Music Foundation. “With music rich in shimmering light effects and endless color play, Chin i

Jan. 30, 2020