‘Sky Castle’ discusses realities of parenthood behind education craze

JTBC’s Friday-Saturday drama “Sky Castle,” which centers on Korea’s overheated educational system, has been creating a buzz since its launch on Nov. 23. But beyond its depiction of the educational system, the story is about the importance of parenting and trials and tribulations of parenthood.The drama revolves around the lives of housewives living in a luxurious residential area called Sky Castle in suburban Seoul. The name is also a reference to the country’s top three universities: Seoul Nati

Jan. 10, 2019

TV chef comes to a head with ‘weak-willed’ restaurant owner

Chef Baek Jong Won’s hit reality show “Alley Restaurant” gave viewers some TV gold moments on Wednesday night after a pizza restaurant owner continued to disappoint the chef with his poor cooking skills and customer service.Restaurant owner Hwang Ho-jun surprised a group of tasters again when he went over to their table and asked them whether they wanted the rest of their order because they seemed “full.”“Are you still going to eat?” Hwang asked the tasters, who then answered in disbelief, “Are

Jan. 10, 2019

[K-talk] ‘Baby Shark’ ranks No. 32 on Billboard Hot 100

The viral children’s song “Baby Shark” landed at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Wednesday. Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark,” originally uploaded on YouTube in 2016, is the third Korean single to make the top 50 of the Billboard’s Hot 100, following BTS and Psy.  (Smart Study)The song also went viral in UK, staying in the Top 40 of UK’s Official Singles chart for eight consecutive weeks since it first appeared in August last year and ranking No. 6 on Jan. 4. Pinkfong became the first Korean artist

Jan. 10, 2019

With 'DNA,' BTS becomes first Korean band to surpass 600m YouTube views

K-pop superstar BTS garnered more than 600 million YouTube views with their 2017 song "DNA," becoming the first Korean band to achieve the feat, its management agency said Thursday.The song off BTS' previous album "Love Yourself: Her," released in September 2017, hit the YouTube landmark in the evening Wednesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment.(YouTube)BTS is the only Korean band in possession of a music video whose YouTube views has hit the 600 million YouTube milestone."DNA" was ranked on

Jan. 10, 2019

[K-talk] Black Pink’s ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ most covered K-pop song of 2018

Black Pink created the track that was covered more than any other in 2018 among K-pop.According to global K-pop video community site Amazer, Black Pink’s “Ddu-du Ddu-du” ranked No. 1 in the category of K-pop songs most covered last year.The song features an addictive melody with a powerful choreography that includes a gun-shooting hand gesture, which has gotten global K-pop fans especially interested in filming cover videos. Jennie’s solo single, “Solo,” also ranked seventh on the same chart. (Y

Jan. 9, 2019

[K-talk] BTS to resume world tour in Japan

BTS will resume its “Love Yourself” world tour this month, following its performances in Taiwan last month.Since the Taiwanese leg of its tour, the group has been busy participating in year-end awards programs during which BTS took home a bagful of trophies.  (Billboard)The tour has 11 remaining concerts: Saturday to Sunday at Nagoya Dome in Japan; Jan. 19 in Singapore; Feb. 16-17 at Yafuoku Dome in Japan; March 20-21 and 23-24 at AsiaWorld-Expo Arena in Hong Kong; and April 6-7 in Bangkok, Thai

Jan. 9, 2019

[K-talk] SHINee’s Minho to hold Asia fan meeting tour

Minho of SHINee will be holding a solo fan meeting tour across Asia.“Choi Minho Fan meeting Tour - Best Choi’s Minho” will kick off in Seoul on Feb. 17 before traveling to cities in Asia, including Tokyo from Feb. 23-24, Bangkok on March 2 and Taipei on March 3. (S.M. Entertainment)Minho debuted with SHINee in 2008. The boy band has released megahits, including “Replay” (2008), “Lucifer” (2011), “Sherlock” (2012) and “View” (2015). Minho has also demonstrated his talent in other fields, appearin

Jan. 9, 2019

‘Trade Your Love’ to be romantic comedy about issues ailing youngsters

Marriage, plans for the future and expectations of family are issues that put many youngsters in a pickle, and were the inspiration behind upcoming romantic comedy “Trade Your Love,” starring Ko Sung-hee and Kim Dong-wook.“I decided to star in the film not long after I got the script for it because I was happy to work with such a fun scenario,” Kim said in a press conference for the film held in Seoul on Wednesday.Kim, who has been blazing trails with back-to-back appearances in the blockbuster

Jan. 9, 2019

[Herald Review] Capernaum, beautiful tale of harrowing reality

“Beautiful” may seem an odd choice of words to describe a story very much devoid of laughter, depicting child abuse and the loss of humanity in the slums of Lebanon via a child transaction that takes place with cold nonchalance.Indeed, “Capernaum” is not an easy movie to watch: The hard-hitting film forces a stream of thoughts. Yet, the poignant drama by director Nadine Labaki manages to summon faith and hope through the heartbreaking tale of a boy in Beirut.The film follows Zain, supposedly 12

Jan. 9, 2019

Pork cutlet restaurant confronts downside of overnight fame

Donka 2014, a restaurant praised by celebrity chef Baek Jong-won for its delicious pork cutlets on the TV program “Alley Restaurant,” is experiencing the downside of fame.As a result of Baek’s comments, the restaurant has seen extremely long lines outside its door. One Instagram user claimed to have lined up outside the restaurant since 10:50 p.m. the night before. Many other customers were seen with blankets and hot packs to fight the winter cold while waiting there at night.  (SBS)The racket f

Jan. 9, 2019

Korea's first K-pop arena to open in 2024

The Seoul city government said Wednesday it will open the country's first K-pop arena in northern Seoul in 2024 to attract more foreign tourists. "We plan to start the work to construct the concerts-only complex, Seoul Arena, in September next year on a 50,149-square-meter lot near Changdong Station for completion at the end of 2023," a city official said.  (Seoul Metropolitan Government)The 18,000-capacity Seoul Arena will include a 2,000-seat concert hall, a K-pop Hall of Fame, a K-pop special

Jan. 9, 2019

WJSN sings about complications of love in ‘La La Love’

WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, has a lot to say about love with its new track “La La Love.” “This is our first release of the year, and as the new year comes with a lot of expectations and love, our new song is full of love and fluttering feelings,” said Eunseo during the group’s media showcase for its new album in Seoul on Tuesday.(Video shot and edited by Ra Kyoo-yung/The Korea Herald)“We’ve been very busy lately, as we had to prepare for the new album and attend award shows at the same tim

Jan. 9, 2019

The 10 most-talked-about TV series this week

These were the 10 hottest South Korean drama series during the first week of this month, according to big-data analyst Good Data Corporation’s weekly monitoring report. Sky Castle, drama“Sky Castle” held onto the top position as the most-talked-about TV series in South Korea for the fourth consecutive week, accounting for nearly a third of the online conversations. This figure is determined by the volume of articles and blog posts written about it, as well as reactions on social media and in onl

Jan. 9, 2019

Megan Fox in Korea to film ‘Jangsa-ri 9.15’

Hollywood actress Megan Fox is currently in Korea to film “Jangsa-ri 9.15.”According to the film production company Taewon Entertainment on Tuesday, Megan Fox arrived in Korea on Sunday and is currently filming the Korean movie “Jangsa-ri 9.15” at Namyangju Studio.  (Yonhap)“Jangsa-ri 9.15” deals with the Jangsa landing operation in 1950, led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, in the well-known battle at Incheon during the Korean War. Fox will play the role of Margaret Higgins, a war correspondent for t

Jan. 8, 2019

[K-Talk] SHINee’s Key to hold his first solo concert in Korea

SHINee member Key will be staging his first solo concert in South Korea, “The Agit Key Land – Key,” in February in Seoul.According to S.M. Entertainment on Tuesday, the concert will run for six days, February 2-3 and 7-10, at the SMTown Theatre in SMTown’s Coex Artium.  (S.M. Entertainment)Since he made his solo debut in November with the album “Face,” the singer has successfully reached out to Japan with his first J-pop solo album, “Hologram.” Released in December, the five-track album was well

Jan. 8, 2019

[K-talk] Chungha’s ‘Gotta Go’ tops iTunes charts

Chungha’s latest song “Gotta Go,” released Jan. 2, was sitting atop global iTunes K-pop charts as of Tuesday.According to the MNH Entertainment, which represents Chungha, the singer’s new digital single “Gotta Go” ranked No. 1 on the iTunes K-pop chart of Thailand and Qatar, ranked second on Singapore’s KKBOX K-pop chart and was No. 8 on Apple Music.  (MNH Entertainment)The track appears to have been well received by global fans, popping up on charts of global music streaming service Spotify in

Jan. 8, 2019

Pianist Park Jong-hai to have fun playing at Kumho Art Hall ‘playground’

Kumho Art Hall will be up-and-coming pianist Park Jong-hai’s “playground,” where he will meet the Korean audience throughout the year and showcase his musical color. The 30-year-old pianist was selected as the art hall’s artist in residence for this year. Each year, the art hall, run by the Kumho Art Cultural Foundation, selects an under-30 classical musician starting to build up a career. The annual program, titled “Playground” this year, provides opportunities for musicians to further develop

Jan. 8, 2019

BTS ends 2018 as second top album seller in US

K-pop boy band BTS finished the year 2018 as the second-highest album seller in the United States, behind Eminem, US data showed Tuesday.The 2018 report on US Music Industry Consumption by Buzz Angle Music showed BTS sold 603,307 albums last year, coming after the top seller Eminem's 755,027. (Yonhap)The BTS sales figure was far more than those by two English-speaking music idols, Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran, who sold 432,913 and 409,291 albums, respectively, to rank 10th and 11th.BTS relea

Jan. 8, 2019

Korean moviegoers captivated by singalong screenings of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

As the theater turned pitch black, nearly 200 moviegoers were waiting for the screening to start, with some holding glow-in-the-dark sticks and tambourines. They were also ready to do something unusual: sing along.As "Somebody to Love," a hit song by the legendary British rock band Queen, blared out, the audience for the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" began to clap their hands, yell with joy and belt out the number as if they were at a live concert. (Yonhap)"Let's sing together, loudly," shouted a yo

Jan. 8, 2019

GOT7’s ‘Real Thai’ offers adventure, authentic side of Thailand

GOT7 fans are in for a treat as members of the boy band will embark on an adventure in Thailand to complete a number of missions on the upcoming reality show “Real Thai.” Marking the fifth anniversary of the band’s debut, the first episode of the show is scheduled to air on Jan. 16, featuring four members of the group -- Youngjae, BamBam, Mark and Jinyoung. (XtvN) During the trailer, which was unveiled at

Jan. 7, 2019