'Parasite' to be screened with English subtitles

"Parasite," the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, will be screened with English subtitles at South Korean cinemas for foreign audiences starting this week, operators said Monday.CGV, the country's largest multiplex operator, owned by retail giant CJ Group, will screen the black comedy with English subtitles from Monday at its theaters in Yongsan, Yeouido, Shinchon and four other locations in Seoul, as well as two in Gyeonggi Province. "We decided to off

June 3, 2019

Outdoor music festivals to rule summer

As the mercury rises, outdoor festivals offer a way to cool down with music. This year’s festival list is long and broad, encompassing diverse genres of music. The second edition of DMZ Peace Train Music Festival 2019 takes place Friday to Sunday. The festival, promoting peace, features local and foreign musicians performing near the Demilitarized Zone.  Pivoting around the border city of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, stages will be set up at iconic locations such as the Goseokjeong Pav

June 3, 2019

'Parasite' smashes S. Korean box office

The Cannes-crowned "Parasite" smashed the weekend box office in South Korea, surpassing a cumulative 3 million admissions on the fourth day of its run, data showed Monday.Released Thursday, the flick sold 2.78 million tickets from Friday to Sunday for a total of 3.36 million, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Song Kang-ho, the family satire won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first South Korean tit

June 3, 2019

Q&As from BTS’ press conference at Wembley

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (UK time) delivered a historic performance at Wembley Stadium, becoming the first South Korean band to headline London’s iconic venue.Ahead of the show, the seven bandmates -- RM, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, Jimin, Jungkook and V -- met with reporters to answer questions about their Wembley debut, their ongoing stadium world tour, the band’s collaborative projects and their thoughts on being called “the Beatles of the 21st century.”Following is a transcri

June 2, 2019

BTS performs at historic sold-out Wembley concert

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (local time) made history as the first Korean band to perform at the iconic Wembley Stadium, the largest concert stage in the UK, where legendary acts like Queen, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Adele have headlined. The first of two sold-out concerts was attended by 60,000 fans, who sang-along, chanted, screamed and danced throughout the performance that lasted for 150 minutes. The group performed 24 tunes, including those from its “Love You

June 2, 2019

Pianists, young and old, mesmerize Seoul fans

Two piano virtuosos, one young and the other more mature, struck a chord with Seoul audiences over the weekend. Yuhki Kuramoto and Sunwoo Yekwon wrapped up their nationwide tour of Korea, presenting the last edition of their tours in Seoul on Friday and Saturday, respectively. On Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, Sunwoo, 30, stirred the audience with five encores: Robert Schumann’s “Traumerei” (Dreaming), Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzo in A Major, Schumann’s “Wi

June 2, 2019

BTS ready to make history with landmark Wembley concerts

Excited and nervous ahead of their landmark first concert at London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday, the members of K-pop boy band BTS said they will make history at the heart of world pop music."We are finally here at Wembley Stadium after everybody's anticipation and waiting. First of all, (we are) very honored. I want to thank our fans for this honor," BTS member J-Hope said in a press conference at the prominent football stadium, hours before their concert here. "Our mindset, th

June 2, 2019

Rock band U2 to stage first-ever concert in Korea

Legendary Irish rock band U2 will perform at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Dec. 8, marking its first-ever visit to South Korea. The upcoming concert is an extension of the band’s worldwide Joshua Tree Tour of 2017, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of its seminal album “The Joshua Tree.” The six-month tour in 2017 attracted some 2.7 million people to 51 concerts in North America, Europe and Latin America. The Joshua Tree tour in 2019, which covers Asia, will r

May 31, 2019

BTS member Jin joins UNICEF Korea's club of top donators

Jin, a member of global stars BTS, joined the UNICEF Korea's club of top donators, having contributed to the United Nations organization since last year, its Korea office said Friday.Jin's financial donation to the Korean office of the United Nations Children's Fund has surpassed 100 million won ($84,000) since he started contributing in May last year, according to UNICEF Korea.  This entitled him to join the UNICEF Korea's Honors Club, a group of people who donated more than 100 million wo

May 31, 2019

Did you know? Five facts about Korean cinema

1. The first on-screen kiss in South Korea was in 1954.Nearly six decades after the first on-screen kiss occurred in the West in the 1896 film “The Kiss,” there was an uproar in South Korea in 1954 when the two protagonists of “The Hand of Destiny” had their lip-to-lip moment.Although this lasted for only a few seconds, it was a symbolic moment in Korean cinema that highlighted the clash of Confucian values and the ever-growing Western influence. The director and the actr

May 31, 2019

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' opens strong in S. Korean box office

Cannes-winning "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho, took off with unstoppable momentum and topped the local box office on the first day of its release.The family satire attracted some 568,000 viewers on Thursday, sharply outnumbering the runner-up, Disney's live-action film "Aladdin," with 74,000, according to data from the Korean Film Council. It showed on 1,783 local screens, with 8,263 viewings on the day.The film, starring Song Kang-ho, is expected to hit a cumulative to

May 31, 2019

[Weekender] Korean cinema: 100 years in the making

Last Saturday, renowned Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. As the auteur said, it was a “timely gift” to commemorate the centennial anniversary of Korean cinema, which has grown in leaps and bounds to become the fifth-largest player in the world film industry by the number of box office admissions, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Although the box offi

May 30, 2019

Ultra Korea finalizes this year’s lineup

Ultra Korea 2019 has finalized its lineup of artists for this year’s event, consisting of 107 teams, including recently united Swedish House Mafia.The organizers of the annual event confirmed the list encompassing world-famous DJs, dance teams and graffiti artists. Other headliners include Jamie Jones, Knife Party, Martin Garrix, Skrillex, Underworld and Virtual Self.Supporting artists are Art Department, Eats Everything, Hot Since 82, Infected Mushrooms, Kayzo, Nghtmre, YG, Zeds Dead, and

May 30, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Parasite(Korea)Opened May 30Drama, Black ComedyDirected by Bong Joon-hoThe Kims, a poor, jobless family of four, find their way into the wealthy glamorous Park family by landing jobs through deceitful means. They earn the affection of the Parks, who are worlds apart from them and yet are somewhat alike. Their new way of life is turned upside down when an unexpected visitor comes knocking on the door, kicking off a series of unexpected events.The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil(Korea)Opened May 15Cr

May 30, 2019

Ballet Festival Korea to take place in June

The ninth Ballet Festival Korea is slated to take place from June 18 to 30 at the Seoul Arts Center, introducing 14 ballet recitals from classic to modern.Since 2011, the annual festival has introduced the genre to a wider audience in an effort to promote the overall ballet scene. For this year’s event, the Korea National Ballet and Gwangju City Ballet will cooperate with private ballet companies and young dancers. The opening performance will feature Korean ballerinas who are members of f

May 30, 2019

EXO's D.O. to join military in July

D.O., a member of the popular boy band EXO, will join the military in July, putting his flourishing entertainment career on hold, his management agency said Thursday. The 26-year-old, whose real name is Do Kyung-soo, will enlist in the Army on July 1 to fulfill his mandatory military service, according SM Entertainment. "D.O. wanted to fulfill his duty of national defense as soon as possible after Xiumin started his military service on May 7 as the first EXO member to do so," SM said.

May 30, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Parasite’ feeds on class rage, delivers thrilling ride

Bong Joon-ho is just a brilliant storyteller. His films encompass the hard-hitting issues confronting today’s society and they reek of cynicism, yet they are just fun to watch. This is the difference between him and other directors, such as Kim Ki-duk, whose films are hard to watch: Bong’s films don’t rattle you and force you to think. They lure you in with interesting stories, get you hooked, then leave you lost in thought about what you’ve just seen as you leave the the

May 29, 2019

'Arthdal Chronicles' features Song Joong-ki as half-neanderthal hero in antiquity

Returning to the small screen for the first time since his sensationally popular role in the 2016 drama series, "Descendants of the Sun," actor Song Joong-ki plays a half-neanderthal hero who fights against a well-equipped chieftain in the upcoming TV fantasy series "Arthdal Chronicles." The 18-episode series, set against the background of the early civilization period around the Bronze Age, on a mythical continent called Arth, depicts a power struggle by competing chieftains

May 28, 2019

Ballerina Kim Joo-won unveils tango-ballet piece

Ballerina Kim Joo-won will introduce her new work “Tango Ballet 3 Minutes: Su Tiempo” at the Sejong Center July 11-14. Kim’s latest piece follows “Marguerite and Armand,” staged in 2013.  The tango-style ballet, choreographed by Rye Hoi-woong, tells a love story in just about three minutes. Starring alongside Kim are Korean National Ballet principal dancer Lee Young-cheol and former KNB ballerino Kang Jun-ha.La Ventana, led by accordion player Jeong Tae-ho, wil

May 28, 2019