BTS' Japanese fan meeting plans called into question amid Seoul-Tokyo rows

Having enthralled some 210,000 fans with the Japanese edition in July of its "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour, K-pop super band BTS returned home to a hero's welcome for its feat of bringing the peoples of South Korea and Japan together despite the countries' deteriorating diplomatic ties. When the septet announced last week plans for another set of fan meetings in Japan, however, the response among their Korean fans were sharply divided, with many angry fans demanding Big Hi

Aug. 26, 2019

Record numbers: BTS hits milestone with 2nd Gold record in US

BTS has added more accolades to its already impressive resume, becoming the first South Korean act to win two Gold certifications in the US market with its “Map of the Soul: Persona” album.Recent data from the Recording Industry Association of America confirmed that the boy band’s sixth EP had received Gold certification as of Aug. 22, a little over four months after its April 12 release. The RIAA grants recognition to albums based on the number of sales: 500,000 or more for Go

Aug. 25, 2019

BTS propels Big Hit to near top of entertainment industry in H1

Big Hit Entertainment, home to K-pop superstars BTS, has revealed its larger-than-expected revenue for the first half of 2019, proving itself to be a great potential game changer in the industry. The unlisted company said Wednesday it posted a record 200.1 billion won ($166.5 billion) in sales for the first six months of the year, which is just 14 billion won shy of the sales it generated for all of 2018.Its first-half operating profit reached 39.1 billion won, which compares with a full-year pr

Aug. 23, 2019

'Parasite' selected as S. Korea's Oscar contender

The Cannes-winning film "Parasite" by renowned auteur Bong Joon-ho has been selected as South Korea's entry to the best international feature film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) said Thursday that it picked Bong's black comedy film to compete for an Oscar nomination for best foreign film next year.The state-run council said it chose "Parasite" for its Palme d'Or achievement at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the worldwide reputation

Aug. 22, 2019

[Herald Review] 'Tune In for Love' a mediocre film with familiar tune, but has heart

We’ve seen this before, literally. Ever since “Architecture 101” stole the hearts of many who spent their youth in the 1990s, romance dramas riding on wistful ’90s nostalgia have popped up every few years.“Tune In for Love,” directed by Jung Ji-woo, is nothing special and has glaring flaws in its somewhat clunky storytelling. Despite its familiarity -- if you are a child of the ’90s -- it does send you back to the good ol’ days, which is always a w

Aug. 22, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw(US)Opened Aug.14Action, Adventure Directed by David Leitch Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and lawless outcast Shaw (Jason Statham) first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever, these two sworn enemies

Aug. 22, 2019

Megan Fox says she felt gravity of the story in ‘Battle of Jangsari’

On Sept. 14, 1950, a day before the Battle of Incheon, 772 student soldiers landed on Jangsa-ri, North Gyeongsang Province, risking their lives and contributing to what eventually became the turning point of the Korean War.The story of middle and high school students who fought in the historic battle will be told in the upcoming film “Battle of Jangsari,” directed by Kwak Kyung-taek and Kim Tae-hoon and starring Kim Myung-min, Choi Min-ho and Hollywood actor Megan Fox.“I could

Aug. 21, 2019

New drama series featuring BTS' growth story being produced

A new drama series featuring the growth story of global K-pop band BTS is under production to be aired next year, the head of the band's music label said Wednesday."With a view to launch it in the second half of 2020, (we) are preparing a drama series based on BTS' (musical) universe," Bang Si-hyuk, CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, said in a briefing on the firm's corporate vision. The CEO said the drama series will go back in time to the moment when the seven BTS members first met as a t

Aug. 21, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Cyrano’ returns to stage with better visuals, but loses some poetic flair

In the story of “Cyrano,” love has always been in the air. A love letter, serenade, love triangle, misunderstanding and betrayal ... they are all there in the musical. And yet, the 2019 season has returned with even more love than before. Based on a play of the same name written by Edmond Rostand in 1897, the love story of Cyrano has grown in popularity across the world, being adapted into films, a drama, a novel, and finally to a musical in 2009 by legendary duo, Leslie Bricusse and

Aug. 21, 2019

Marvel's involvement in 'Spider-Man' movies may be in doubt

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- With great success comes great re-negotiation. In the wake of the announcement that "Spider-Man: Far From Home'' is now the highest-grossing film ever in Sony Pictures' history, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios may be stepping away from the cross-studio partnership.  The Hollywood trade Deadline reported Tuesday that there was a disagreement over the profit-sharing structure. According to a person close to the deal who was unauthorized to speak publicly, negotia

Aug. 21, 2019

Rapper Kisum challenges herself with first dance hip-hop record, 'Yeah!sul'

Female rapper and songwriter Kisum on Tuesday dropped a new EP, "Yeah!sul," fronted by a funky dance number, transforming sharply from her previous dark hip-hop music.The EP's title, "Yeah!sul," translates in Korean as "Yeah! alcohol," or as "art" when read together, and the six-track album is led by "Let's Drink Up."Kisum sampled the widely loved refrain from male duo Vibe's hit song with the same Korean title in composing and writing the main t

Aug. 20, 2019

BTS nominated in 5 categories for 2019 MTV Video Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS has been nominated for American TV channel MTV's 2019 Video Music Awards in the Best Group category, raising the number of its nominations to five, the TV channel's website showed Tuesday.In its previous announcement last month, MTV said BTS was nominated in four categories for the globally coveted awards. "Boy With Luv," BTS' latest single featuring Halsey, is competing in the Best Collaboration category for the fan-voted music awards, whose final awards ceremony is

Aug. 20, 2019

‘Slow Life Slow Live’ festival adds Kodaline to lineup

The third annual “Slow Life Slow Live” festival has added Irish band Kodaline to its lineup, with a total of nine artists confirmed so far. Consisting of Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vincent May and Jason Boland, the band was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2013 upon its 2012 debut. It has released three studio albums, most recently “Politics of Living” in 2018. The quintet joins South Korean pop vocalists Lee Juck and John Park, along with Lukas Graham, Gallant,

Aug. 20, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘47 Meters Down: Uncaged’ an absurd, silly shark movie, but kinda fun

Let’s face it: “47 Meters Down: Uncaged,” an unlikely sequel to the 2017 low-budget summer sleeper “47 Meters Down,” was never going to be a top-notch production with quality acting and thought-provoking moments. Bluntly put, it’s a silly shark movie. But not every film has to shoot for masterpiece status. Through the corny dialogue, extremely over-the-top moments, laughable plot holes and cheesy set-up, this is one dumb and absurd film that does not try to be

Aug. 20, 2019

Even away from music scene for break, BTS makes buzz

Off to its first-ever official break in its sensational seven-year career, K-pop super band BTS is away from the public eye, but the presence of its members' surprise internet feeds and release of a special photo album continues to make the world music scene abuzz with the beloved band.Dropping a YouTube video of the seven BTS members, flawlessly dressed up against the backdrop of a Korean wood-and-clay traditional house, "hanok" in Korean, last Thursday, BTS announced the arrival of t

Aug. 20, 2019

K-pop celebs ignite discussion on going sans bra

K-pop idols have not always been in the forefront of social movements. Yet two popular stars in the industry -- Sulli and Hwasa -- have recently ignited the heated debate on going bra-free. Sulli, formerly of girl group f(x), has in recent years uploaded photographs and videos of herself without a bra on her social media accounts. Each time she uploads one, her Instagram account is bombarded with comments -- both supportive and expressing disgust.Appearing on JTBC’s “Night of Hate Co

Aug. 19, 2019

Actors Bae Jong-ok, Jung Jae-young to present film award at Busan

The annual Busan International Film Festival is gearing up for its October opening, as it named actors Bae Jong-ok, Jung Jae-young as presenters for this year’s “Actor & Actress of the Year” award.Organizers for this year’s BIFF made the announcement Monday, ahead of the festival that will be held Oct. 3-12 this year. The award will be announced at the closing ceremony on Oct. 12, and will receive 5 million won ($4,130) in prize money. The award was created to shine l

Aug. 19, 2019

Rapper Flowsik to release new single on Sunday

Hip-hop artist Flowsik announced Monday at midnight that he will release a new digital single on Sunday, through a teaser image that he uploaded on his social media page. According to the teaser image, the single will be released at 6 p.m. with the title “1 week,” marking the rapper’s first release in eight months.Flowsik’s agency, Wonder Co. Ltd., told local media that an artist who will “surprise everyone” will take part in the upcoming song, and will also m

Aug. 19, 2019

Gugak Museum reopens with interactive, high-tech experience

Gugak Museum, South Korea’s only museum dedicated to traditional music gugak, reopens today after a yearlong renovation, offering interactive, high-tech and hands-on exhibits. First opened in 1995 under the auspices of the National Gugak Center, the museum, located in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul, has been a treasure trove of Korean music and instruments. The remodeling has enhanced visitors’ experience with cutting-edge audio and music-making installations, officials said. 

Aug. 19, 2019

BTS agency acquires music game developer

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency of BTS, has recently acquired a domestic game developer as the company continues to expand its business portfolio.  The company said Monday it has completed a contract to take over Superb, which has developed games based on music since 2016.  "We believe gaming is an industry that will generate a strong synergy with our core field of music," Bang Si-hyuk, Big Hit founder and co-chief executive, said in a press release.  Superb CEO Oh Min

Aug. 19, 2019