Royal Danish Orchestra to visit in December, play with pianist Sunwoo Yekwon

As Denmark and South Korea celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Royal Danish Orchestra is getting ready to play to a Korean audience for the first time at a concert featuring Danish conductor Thomas Sondergard and Korean pianist Sunwoo Yekwon. At the event, slated for Dec. 8 at the Seoul Arts Center, the orchestra will perform the preludes to Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s opera “Maskarade”; Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Conc

Sept. 24, 2019

Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra to stage new gugak compositions

The Seoul Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra will take the stage at the Sejong Center’s M Theater on Wednesday to presenting newly commissioned gugak works. The orchestra, led by conductor Park Ho-seong, has been aiming for creative ways to uphold Korea’s traditional music since its establishment in 1965 as the nation’s first traditional music orchestra.“As Korea’s first traditional music orchestra, we have prepared Wednesday’s presentation to encourage

Sept. 24, 2019

Asia's biggest K-pop awards MAMA to hit Nagoya, defying diplomatic row

Mnet Asian Music Awards, the biggest K-pop award event in Asia, has chosen Japan's Nagoya as the destination for its 2019 ceremony despite a deepening diplomatic row between Seoul and Tokyo.The 2019 MAMA is scheduled for Dec. 4 at the 30,000-seat Nagoya Dome, the organizer, CJ ENM, said Tuesday. For the past two years, MAMA was hosted as a three-day event in three Asian cities, including Hong Kong, but CJ ENM cut it down to a single-day event for 2019 amid ongoing political protests in Hong Kong

Sept. 24, 2019

[Herald Design Forum 2019] Geomungo electrified

A Muto performance is not merely an unconventional combination of different art forms, but also an unusual spectacle. One of the band’s musicians plays the “geomungo” -- a Korean traditional string instrument -- with a violin bow, while another uses a modular synthesizer to create an exotic harmony with it. There are two large video panels that stand together and function like a folding screen, showing colorful visual works. Numerous laser lights create various geometrical patt

Sept. 23, 2019

[Herald Interview] Finding way home in ‘1945’

The Korea National Opera, led by 52-year-old director Koh Sun-woong, will take the stage Friday and Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center with the original opera “1945,” which depicts the lives of ordinary Koreans in 1945, after the peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.A celebrated figure in the theater scene here, Koh has led various productions, including plays, musicals and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympics. This will mark his second

Sept. 23, 2019

Busan's annual K-pop concert to kick off next month

The Busan OneAsia Festival, a major annual K-pop concert in the second-biggest South Korean city of Busan, will kick off next month with a star-studded lineup.The BOF 2019 will run from Oct. 19-25 at the outdoor stage of Busan's Hwamyung Park, Haeundae Beach and Busan Cinema Center at the city center, as well as other public areas in the port city, according to the organizer.     The festival's three main events -- K-pop Concert, Hip Hop Mash-up and Family Park Concert -- wil

Sept. 23, 2019

Emmys begin as 'Thrones' and 'Veep' seek final glory

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston opened the Emmy Awards on Sunday with a tribute to television's so-called golden era, as "Game of Thrones" and "Veep" take their final tilts at glory.Cranston appeared on stage after a comedy skit which saw a cartoon Homer Simpson introduced as "host" -- and quickly crushed by a falling piano."Television has never been bigger. Television has never mattered more. And television has never been this

Sept. 23, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Battle of Jangsari,’ average delivery, worthy tribute

Judging by the massive box office score, I’m in the minority when I say I hated “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” (2004). It had good acting, action and drama, but it was far too sappy and a bit too contrived -- not uncommon criticism for Korean films.“Battle of Jangsari” -- directed by Kwak Kyung-Taek and Kim Tae-Hoon -- is one that had the potential to be a great film, but fell short in delivery because of the problems it shares with “Taegukgi,” as we

Sept. 22, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Lifetime companions’ grace stage with complete Brahms sonatas

INCHEON -- Violinist Chung Kyung-wha and pianist Kevin Kenner, who call each other “lifetime companion,” presented the complete Brahms violin sonatas on Thursday at Art Center Incheon. The duo performed the German composer-pianist’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in G major, “Regen,” Op. 78; Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in A major, “Thun,” Op. 100; and Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108. The first sonata, often referred to

Sept. 22, 2019

Korea’s Oscar-tipped ‘Parasite’ sets French box office record

PARIS (AFP) - The South Korean satire “Parasite” has become the most successful Cannes-winning film at the French box office in 15 years, new figures show.Director Bong Joon-ho became the first Korean to lift the Palme d’Or in May for his brilliant class war black comedy, and is an early favorite to lift the best foreign language movie Oscar. More than 1.6 million people have paid to see the film in France so far, according to the site CBO box office, a feat not achieved by a C

Sept. 22, 2019

Zico to release 1st full-length solo album

K-pop artist and producer Zico will release his first full-length solo album in his eight-year music career later this month, his management agency said Friday.The new album, "Thinking," will be released in two batches, with the first, "Part. 1," to hit the music scene on Sept. 30. The following one, "Part. 2," will be unveiled next month, according to KOZ Entertainment. This marks his first full-length solo album since his debut in 2011 as a member of K-pop bo

Sept. 20, 2019

BTS leader donates 100 m won for students with hearing impairments

RM, the leader of the popular boy band BTS, has donated 100 million won ($83,745) to help students with hearing impairments, a Seoul school said Friday.The BTS leader made the donation earlier this week in celebration of his birthday, Sept. 12, in a bid to help students receive music education, according to officials at Seoul Samsung School."RM made the donation, expressing his will to help students with hearing difficulties enjoy music through various means," a school official said. S

Sept. 20, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in Theaters this week

The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos (Korea) Opened Sept. 11Crime, ActionDirected by Son Yong-hoAfter the events of OCN drama “Bad Guys,” legendary gangster Park Woong-cheol (Ma Dong-seok) is back behind bars, and maverick policeman Oh Gu-tak (Kim Sang-joong) -- who put together a team of incarcerated criminals to catch evildoers -- is bed-ridden, struck down by liver cancer. But The “mad dogs” are called upon once again when a police bus flips over and some of the country’

Sept. 20, 2019

[REVIEW] Seventeen’s ‘Ode to You’ rattles Seoul with unwavering love for fans

Over the last few years, fans have learned that Seventeen always goes above and beyond when it comes to them. In a familiar scene at K-pop concerts, when Seventeen said “jump,” the crowds jumped. When it requested screams, they offered frenzied roars. But that’s not all that made the 3 1/2 hour concert one of the best shows of this year so far. Kicking off Seventeen’s “Ode to You” world tour, the concert took place at the KSPO Dome in Seoul on Aug. 31, the sec

Sept. 19, 2019

Actress Kim Tae-hee gives birth to second daughter

Actress Kim Tae-hee and singer Rain, one of South Korea's most prominent star couples, had their second daughter on Thursday, the actress' management agency, Story J Company, said."We would like to share good news about Kim Tae-hee and Jung Ji-hoon couple's new family member. Kim gave birth to her second child, a daughter, today at a hospital in Seoul," the agency said in a statement. Jung Ji-hoon is Rain's real name."Both mother and daughter are in good health, and are resti

Sept. 19, 2019

Kassy drops new love-themed EP ‘Rewind’ for your autumn blues

Singer Kassy is back with her second EP, “Rewind,” nearly six months after the single “True Song.”The album, which consists of four songs and one instrumental track, keeps in line with the title as the main theme throughout the record is love.The lead single, “Story of Night Fall,” is a fitting track for the autumn season as the song captures the loneliness that many experience after a relationship comes to an end.“You know when it’s late at night

Sept. 19, 2019

#Sunmipop: 7 Songs to celebrate the best of Sunmi

 With over 5 million Instagram followers and 200 million views on YouTube, Sunmi has built a brand of her own since a time when a solo female artist was considered something of a novelty in the K-pop world.Having debuted in 2007 as part of the four-piece Wonder Girls, the 27-year-old has been in the game for over a decade now. And since departing from JYP Entertainment in 2017 and going solo with a new label, she has churned out a number of quality pop bangers.With a consistency in style an

Sept. 19, 2019

MU:CON to connect K-pop musicians with the world

The 2019 Seoul International Music Fair, also known as MU:CON, will take place from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Seventy-four acts will participate in the event, hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency, including rock bands Daybreak and South Club, girl group Laboum, rhythm-and-blues singers Sam Kim and Suran, known for her collaboration with BTS’ Suga, pop singer Sunwoojunga, and boy band JBJ. “I thought of myself as someone who has ears open to chec

Sept. 19, 2019

Dreamcatcher’s video game fantasy gets real with ‘Raid of Dream’

The seven-piece group, famous for its distinctive metal and dance fusion sound, has returned to the music scene with a little twist this time.The special EP “Raid of Dreams,” which comes nearly seven months after their fourth mini album “The End of Nightmare,” features a total of five tracks including an intro track all produced by Ollounder and LEEZ who the group has worked with since their debut.To the delight of both music fan gamers, the record itself is a collaborati

Sept. 18, 2019

Seventeen delves into ‘fear’ with new single

Seventeen has always been associated with playfulness and quirkiness, but not this time. The 13-piece multinational boy band has returned with its long-awaited single “Fear,” which features the act in a totally new light -- or rather darkness. “This is a song that will showcase the darkest side of Seventeen. It explores our inner feelings of ‘fear,’ which will be able to draw out new sides of us,” said Woozi, who took part in crafting the song, at the band&rsq

Sept. 18, 2019