SuperM, BoA to perform at 2020 Global Goal in South Korea

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- K-pop supergroup SuperM and singer BoA will perform at a Global Citizen event in Asia as part of a massive multi-continent concert next year.The advocacy organization says the performers will join the lineup of Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 26, 2020. The event is a part of a yearlong initiative to achieve the United Nations' Global Goals to end poverty and tackle climate change. The goal is to secure $350 billion for the next 10 years.Th

Nov. 20, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Aida’ brings spectacle and drama to stage

One thing that is certain about the musical “Aida” is that no matter what version you check out, there is plenty happening onstage. The clever use of props and stage design was effective in making the show as grand as possible, even overcoming limitations in depicting various aspects of Africa.The Sunday performance of the show -- which runs through Feb. 23 at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul -- was truly a sight to behold. Beyond the colorful and creative stage and co

Nov. 20, 2019

CIX goes political in “Hello, Strange Place,” raises voice for teenagers

CIX is striking a political tone with the boy band’s second EP, “Hello Chapter 2: Hello, Strange Place,” set for release Tuesday.Having debuted in July, the five-piece act appears to be fairly comfortable in highlighting social issues facing teenagers in South Korea in their music, such as studying too hard, school violence and neglect on the part of adults.Speaking at a press showcase, Yonghee said, “The album talks about many of the issues affecting our generation with

Nov. 19, 2019

Myth-based production connects tradition with modern fantasy

The National Gugak Center presented its much-anticipated production “Man in Red and Lady Youngsan” on Tuesday. The musical production is a gugak (traditional Korean music) fantasy drama based on a myth that originated in Hamgyong Province in North Korea.  The myth has been adapted into a modern tale. The story centers on Ji-hong, who is a biology teacher. While he is on a mountain field trip with his students, a wildfire breaks out. He loses consciousness trying to save wild ani

Nov. 19, 2019

Beloved musical duo to return with ‘Beethoven’ premiere

Lyricist Michael Kunze and composer Sylvester Levay revealed their next production will be about the maestro Beethoven, set for its world premiere here in 2021. The duo behind hit musical productions, including “Mozart!” “Elisabeth,” “Marie Antoinette” and “Rebecca,” recently visited Korea.They made the announcement about their new musical at a press event held Monday at The Shilla Seoul. The musical will have its world premiere here, as it is bein

Nov. 18, 2019

Doorbell song from 'Parasite' hits internet

As Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" continues to make waves as an international film in North America, a short catchy song from the movie has gone viral on the internet across the world.The so-called Jessica jingle is a brief chant that the character Ki-jung, played Park So-dam, sings with her brother Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik) in order to remember her false identity and alias, Jessica, before ringing the doorbell of a rich family's house.The wily siblings sweet-talk the affluent fami

Nov. 18, 2019

Mamamoo sings about self-confidence in new single ‘Hip’

Mamamoo has returned with the single “Hip” centering on self-confidence.It is the lead track off the group’s second full-length album, “Reality in Black,” released last week. “Hip” is a rhythmical dance track overflowing with charismatic brass and string sounds. The fierce anthem, co-written by Hwasa, talks about how being true to oneself and confident embody real “hipness,” or coolness. Firing back at naysayers of the group, the four singers

Nov. 17, 2019

SPO shares plans for 2020

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s new music director Osmo Vanska will work up a wide repertoire next year, with his signature Mahler and Sibelius being prominently featured among the SPO’s 38 presentations in the 2020 season.The expert of Mahler and Sibelius, appointed as the SPO’s music director in May, will lead six presentations next year upon kicking off his three-year tenure in January. At the inaugural concert on Feb. 14-15, the conductor will present Mahler’s Symp

Nov. 17, 2019

BTS records $116.6m in sales from 'Love Yourself: Speak Yourself' tour

K-pop superstars BTS clinched $116.6 million in sales through its sensational "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour, Billboard said Friday.Under the globe-trotting concert tour, BTS staged 20 performances in 10 cities in North and South America, Europe, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally in South Korea through May to October.  Through the tour, BTS sold a total of 976,283 tickets, averaging 48,814 ticket sales worth $5.8 million per concert, according to figures from Billboard B

Nov. 15, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful(Korea)Opened Nov. 7Crime, ActionDirected by Lee KhanA boy who is all alone in the world stumbles across a man named Heo Il-do (Kim Sung-kyun), who trains him as a Go player to facilitate his high-stakes gambling scams. The boy, later known as “Gwi-soo” (Kwon Sang-woo), grows up to be a masterful Go player with a vengeful heart and he hunts down those who have wronged him, including the nation’s best professional Go player, whose actions led to th

Nov. 15, 2019

[INTERVIEW] Eric Nam talks about first English album, hopes of winning over global fans

Although he doesn’t make as many TV appearances as he used to, Eric Nam’s musical career is in full swing -- more than ever, in fact. Over the past few years, the 30-year-old Korean American singer has made himself known both in the K-pop scene and elsewhere with world tours, genre-bending music and high-profile collaborations with world-renowned acts. But he decided to get more intimate with his global fans with his first English album, “Before We Begin.” “I’

Nov. 14, 2019

Mamamoo drops 2nd full-length album, 'reality in BLACK'

Roaring four-piece K-pop girl band Mamamoo dropped its second full-length album, "reality in BLACK," Thursday, returning to smash the music scene.     The 11-track album, the group's first full-length since "Melting" nearly four years ago, is fronted by brassy, girl-crush number, "HIP," but also carries the band's signature soulful vocal works.      With "HIP," the vocals-oriented band threw away their hand-held microphon

Nov. 14, 2019

Directors, producer of ‘Frozen 2’ to visit Korea

The creative minds behind the highly anticipated sequel to hit Disney animation “Frozen” (2013) will visit Korea later this month. Walt Disney Co. Korea on Monday announced that directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, producer Peter Del Vecho and animation supervisor Lee Hyun-min of “Frozen 2” will visit Korea from Nov. 25-26 to meet with fans of the film.  They are expected to take part in a press conference, a showcase and other events to promote the film, though de

Nov. 14, 2019

[Herald Review] Cellist-turned-conductor brings Norwegian trolls to Seoul

As Peer Gynt enters the hall of the mountain king, he is scared yet fascinated by the sight of trolls. Peer Gynt stands before the king and the trolls roar in harmony, creating echoes throughout the hall. On Wednesday night, cellist-turned-conductor Chang Han-na and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra turned the concert hall at the Seoul Arts Center into the mountain king’s hall. They presented the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, a collection of compositions conceived by Norwegian maestro Edvard Greig

Nov. 14, 2019

BLACKPINK makes Time magazine's newly launched '100 Next' list

K-pop girl band BLACKPINK has made it to "Time 100 Next," a list of 100 rising stars, launched this year by Time magazine, its website showed Thursday. "BLACKPINK's star may still be rising in the US, but on YouTube, it reigns supreme: the foursome -- a.k.a. Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa -- has 31 million subscribers, more than any other music group in the world," the website said.  "This year, BLACKPINK also became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Coachella,

Nov. 14, 2019

Return of 1st-generation K-pop bands bring old fans back together

The origin of today's globally acclaimed K-pop's allure unquestionably dates back to the late 1990s, when the music scene witnessed the birth of the first batch of K-pop stars and their enthusiastic fans. First-generation bands like H.O.T., Sechs Kies, S.E.S. or Fin.K.L who laid the foundation for today's K-pop symbols such as BTS or BLACKPINK have returned to show business to enjoy a renaissance on the back of a widespread retro trend.  To mark the 30th anniversary of its launch next year,

Nov. 13, 2019

YouTube spotlights Korean game content creators

YouTube held a mentoring program that focused on the development of Korean game-related content creators this week. Creator mentoring program YouTube NextUp was held for the first time in Korea in Seoul from Monday to Wednesday, inviting 12 game content creators, who shared videos of themselves playing mobile and PC games. According to YouTube, game content creators with 1,000 to 100,000 subscribers were invited to apply for the program. More than 120 creators signed up, and YouTube employe

Nov. 13, 2019

First-generation variety show emcees reach new career heights

Comedians Yoo Jae-suk and Kang Ho-dong were top hosts on local TV entertainment programs for more than a decade.In the 2010s, they led countless smash hit variety and reality shows including "Infinite Challenge," "Running Man," "Two Days, One Night" and "Golden Fishery" and swept year-end TV awards given to the brightest entertainers of the year.But their presence had diminished in the last few years as the media landscape expanded to cable TV channels and

Nov. 13, 2019

Yoon Jung-hee, beloved actress and icon of Korean cinema

The nationwide reaction to the recent news that Yoon Jung-hee has Alzheimer’s disease was a testament to her place in South Korean cinema today.　Yoon, perhaps not the best-known actress to the younger crowds as she appeared in only one film after 1994, commanded the spotlight in the 1960s and 1970s as one of a “troika” of actresses considered the best and most influential of their time. The other two were Moon Hee and Nam Jeong-im. Born in 1944 as Son Mi-ja, she debuted in 1967

Nov. 12, 2019

Park Jin-young returns as singer with vaudeville-style number

Park Jin-young, the founder and chief producer of JYP Entertainment, will return as a singer next month with a vaudeville-inspired fusion song, his agency said Tuesday.The singer-songwriter-cum-entrepreneur, also known as J.Y. Park, will officially release the song, "Fever," on Dec. 1, returning to the K-pop scene as an entertainer, according to the K-pop agency.  The self-produced song brings together the vaudeville music genre with hip-hop. Its choreography is also a reinterpret

Nov. 12, 2019