Sales of K-dramas up 15% on-year at Hong Kong fair

Sales of Korean dramas and films rose around 15 percent at a major international content fair in Hong Kong last week compared with a year earlier, a South Korean government agency said Monday. A total of 25 Korean content sellers recorded a total of $16.6 million in sales during the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market held from March 18-21 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency. It was around a 15 percent increase from the $14.5

March 25, 2019

BLACKPINK to drop new album, "Kill This Love," next month

K-pop girl band BLACKPINK will put out a new album, "Kill This Love," next month, its management agency said Monday. YG Entertainment released a teaser image on its official website for the upcoming EP, announcing its release set for April 5.The image shows the band's Thai member, Lisa, against a red backdrop imprinted with the album title and the release date in black text. (Yonhap)YG said the title of the album's lead track is also "Kill This Love," "a very intense song that surpasses 'Ddu-du

March 25, 2019

BLACKPINK surpasses 20 mln YouTube subscribers

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK has topped 20 million in the number of subscribers to its official YouTube channel, the first for a K-pop act. The group hit the milestone Thursday (US time) to become the first K-pop act to do so, US Billboard magazine said. The number was 20,307,402 as of Sunday morning."This week, YouTube announced that the girl group is the first K-pop act to hit 20 million subscribers on their official channel," the magazine reported. "The recent Billboard cover stars are j

March 24, 2019

[Herald Interview] Meet mastermind behind the original ‘Masked Singer’

Before Fox launched “The Masked Singer” in the US this year, many South Korean viewers enjoyed watching “King of Mask Singer,” a singing competition show where masked celebrities belted out songs in front of a judge panel until their identity was discovered.The show, which first aired here in 2015, went on to become one of the biggest exports from South Korean TV, spawning shows with similar formats in many countries, including the US where the show has already been renewed for a second season.D

March 22, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Captain Marvel (US)Opened March 6Action, Adventure, Sci-fiDirected by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck Vers (Bree Larson), a warrior from a powerful alien race called the Kree, struggles to control her emotions and powers, trained by her commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). A botched rescue mission lands her on Earth, and after a narrow escape from the hostile Skrull, with which her race is at war, she embarks on a journey to find the life she’s missed on Earth, along with her true identity as Carol Danvers.

March 21, 2019

Zachary Levi ‘grateful’ to be off MCU and onto ‘Shazam!’

Having your character killed off without uttering a single line may be an actor’s worst nightmare, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Zachari Levi, the lead man for the upcoming superhero film “Shazam!” “We didn’t really have that much to do (in ‘Thor: Ragnarok’) I felt like the warriors three in that franchise weren’t exactly used to the fullest of their capabilities,” Levi said in a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday, about playing the role of Fandral in Marvel Cinematic

March 20, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Romang’ a beautiful story, but clumsy in telling

First impressions can be deceiving, but so can second and third impressions. Sometimes a film that looks promising from its opening scene will falter, only to rally with heartfelt moments of joy and grace.Lee Chang-geun -- who took the helm of “Romang,” a romance featuring an elderly couple suffering from dementia -- did not show top-notch directing skills with his first feature film. But he delivered when it counted in the crucial moments depicting the couple’s love, care and companionship -- a

March 19, 2019

British rock band Queen to come to South Korea

British rock band Queen will soon hold concerts in South Korea, after "Bohemian Rhapsody," a biographical film about the iconic group, reignited the group's popularity worldwide and especially here, organizers said Tuesday."Queen is going to perform in South Korea sooner or later. We'll soon release the exact date and place of the event," a PR official with AIM told Yonhap News Agency by phone. (Yonhap)On Monday, the concert agency uploaded a promotional video for the upcoming concert with the m

March 19, 2019

EXO's Chen to make solo debut

Chen will begin a career as a solo artist seven years after he made his debut as a member of popular boy group EXO, his management agency said Tuesday.The singer, whose real name is Kim Jong-dae, will drop his debut solo EP, "April, and a flower," on April 1, SM Entertainment said. (SM Entertainment)Chen's work as part of EXO, which hit the K-pop scene in 2012, includes "Growl," "Overdose," "Wolf," "Ko Ko Bop," "Tempo" and "Love Shot."The 27-year-old singer also is a member of the band's subunit

March 19, 2019

S. Korean cinema records highest attendance ever for February

Boosted by the huge success of the local cop comedy "Extreme Job," South Korean movie theaters attracted the highest number of admissions of all time for February, a report from a market tracker showed Tuesday.The number of admissions in local theaters was up 43.2 percent to 22.28 million last month, with sales jumping 50.3 percent to 190 billion won ($167.87 million), according to the monthly report by the Korean Film Council. (Yonhap)KOFIC attributed the bullish sales to the presence of the bo

March 19, 2019

SHINee's Minho to debut as solo singer before joining military

Popular boy group SHINee's Minho will release his solo debut song before going into the military, his talent agency said Tuesday.According to SM Entertainment, the song titled "I'm Home" will be unveiled at 6 p.m. on March 28 as the ninth entry in Season 3 of the company's digital music release program, "Station." Minho, SM EntertainmentDebuting as a SHINee member in 2008, Minho has since released hit songs, such as "Replay," "Ring Ding Dong," "Lucifer," "Sherlock" and "Everybody.He has also bee

March 19, 2019

Jang Hye-rim’s ‘Burnt Offering,’ rite of solace

Wearing dark blue-green clothes with rolled-up sleeves, seven Swedish dancers appear in a black box theater where dozens of safety helmets with headlamps are scattered around them on the gray floor. The dancers pick up seven helmets and arrange them in a line. Some call out the names of friends and family members while doing so, and others remain silent. The accompanying music recalls a Korean traditional ritual dance. The dancers laboriously perform to the music with distinctive rhythms, and th

March 18, 2019

Rapper Kush receives suspended jail term for cocaine use

Rapper and producer Kim Byung-hoon, better known by his stage name Kush, was sentenced to jail for habitual use of cocaine. On Monday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 35-year-old rapper to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, for cocaine use. Kim was also given probation, 80 hours of drug treatment and a fine of 875,000 won ($773). Kush (CJ E&M)In November and December of 2017, Kim purchased 2.5 grams of cocaine and used the drug at his home on seven occas

March 18, 2019

'Burning' director honored at Asian Film Awards

South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Sunday. The auteur also won the best director award at the film festival for his movie "Burning," which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in May last year and won the best foreign film award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in December and the Toronto Film Critics Association and the Best Foreign Language Film Award from the French Union of Film Critics

March 18, 2019

‘Music has the magic to conquer people’

Star conductor, praised as one of the finest maestros today, is all about returning what he has received, especially to the younger generation. Maestro Gustavo Dudamel is in Seoul with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, marking the acclaimed orchestra’s 100-year anniversary. The orchestra held two concerts over the weekend and Monday’s chamber orchestra performance, featuring Korean-American violinist Esther Yoo, will conclude the Seoul tour. Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel speaks

March 17, 2019

[Newsmaker] Police look into golf-betting allegations against Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Joon-ho

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Sunday that it was looking into allegations that TV stars Cha Tae-hyun and Kim Joon-ho had bet on a game of golf.The police agency’s special crime squad has already secured the related text messages and is currently establishing facts, it added. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s announcement came after Cha and Kim said earlier Sunday that they would step down from all shows.Cha Tae-hyun (left) and Kim Joon-ho (right) (Herald DB)In a letter released

March 17, 2019

BTS' 'Idol' video tops 400 mln YouTube views

The music video for K-pop sensation BTS' song "Idol" exceeded 400 million views on YouTube on Saturday, becoming the band's seventh video to reach the milestone, the group's management agency has said.The latest achievement came seven months after the septet released the song, according to Big Hit Entertainment. (Youtube)The boy band's six other music videos that have hit the 400 million-view mark include "DNA," "Fake Love" and "Mic Drop." "DNA," a 2018 song, has garnered more than 600 million v

March 17, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage' is enraging

Apparently it’s an epidemic in South Korean cinema. The parade of pretentious characters uttering “poignant” lines to feed a film’s bloated self-importance is nothing new here.But Lee Jeong-beom’s upcoming crime film “Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage” takes it to another level, replacing character development with cliches and corny dialogue while tying in one of the biggest tragedies in the country’s recent memory to no clear point.“Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage” (Warner Bros. Korea)The film kicks off

March 14, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Captain Marvel (US)Opened March 6Action, Adventure, Sci-fiDirected by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck 　Vers (Bree Larson), a warrior from a powerful alien race called the Kree, struggles to control her emotions and powers, trained by her commander Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). A botched rescue mission lands her on Earth, and after a narrow escape from the hostile Skrull, with which her race is at war, she embarks on a journey to find the life she’s missed out on Earth, along with her true identity as Carol Dan

March 14, 2019

BTS to world premiere new album on SNL next month

K-pop sensation BTS will premiere its upcoming album "Map of the Soul: Persona" on the famous American live television variety show "Saturday Night Live" next month, its management agency said Thursday.BTS will appear on the NBC comedy show on April 13 to present live the music and performances off the new album to the international audience, Big Hit Entertainment said. SNL earlier announced the lineup on its SNS accounts, listing BTS and Emma Stone for the April 13 episode. The K-pop septet wil

March 14, 2019