[Newsmaker] ‘Feminist, no. You’re a mental illness’: San E causes outrage during concert

Rapper San E has yet again managed to put himself in the headlines after offending the audience with his comments about feminism during a concert over the weekend.While onstage at the concert Brand New Year 2018 on Sunday, San E used an expletive before rapping in English before an audience of 5,000: “Womad is poison. Feminist, no. You’re a mental illness.”In another politically charged comment, the rapper said he supports “normal women” before criticizing radical online feminist communities Wom

Dec. 3, 2018

Minzy releases first English single “All of You Say”

Former member of 2NE1 Minzy has released her first English single, “All of You Say.”Minzy’s new single was first released in the United States on Saturday, along with its music video. The single is set for release in Korea and other parts of the world on Monday. (Music Works)“All of You Say,” a mixture of reggaeton, K-pop and hip hop, was released ahead of her “Dance Break Tour.” Minzy announced in November that she had to postpone the North American leg of the tour to early 2019 because of labe

Dec. 3, 2018

Beyonce, Jay-Z dazzle South Africa at Mandela gig

Beyonce was leading an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela.The concert was the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela's birth in 1918, and part of a campaign to tackle poverty, child malnutrition and boost gender equality.This year's Global Citizen Festival is being held at Johannesburg's 94,736-capacity FNB stadium and began at 1200 GMT. Beyoncé Knowles and Jay Z, pictured w

Dec. 3, 2018

Value of Park Jin-young’s JYP shares rises W100b in 11 months

The value of JYP Entertainment shares held by its founder, owner and Executive Producer Park Jin-young has soared over 100 billion won ($89.2 million) in the past 11 months. Park is the largest shareholder of the company with an 18.72 percent stake, according to Chaebul.com. The value of his stake rose from 74.68 billion won in January this year to 203.79 billion won at the end of November, according to the corporate tracker’s Dec. 2 report. From left, Jin-young of GOT7, Na-yeon of Twice, Lee Kn

Dec. 3, 2018

Mamamoo, bringing R&B to the mainstream K-pop scene

Mamamoo is making R&B happen in K-pop town. (RBW)The quartet added a third EP to its 2018 project “Four Seasons, Four Colors,” a tetralogy of four seasonally themed albums, with each band member taking center stage over the course of a year. This time it’s Solar, the leader. Following spring’s “Yellow Flower” and summer’s “Red Moon,” “BLUE;S” is a late-autumn collection composed of six breakup songs. Mamamoo gives the exhausted theme of romance gone wrong a groovy makeover with “Wind Flower,” th

Dec. 2, 2018

BTS takes home bagful of trophies at 2018 MMA

After sweeping prizes at award shows like the MGA and Asia Artist Award, BTS once again won big at the 2018 Melon Music Awards that took place in Seoul. Held on Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome, the star-studded event in its 10th year saw the “Idol” singers take home seven trophies -- the most for anyone in attendance.The biggest awards of the night went to BTS, which received the best artist of the year award and the best album of the year award for its “Love Yourself: Tear” album.  (MMA)“It’s been

Dec. 2, 2018

5 Best new South Korean shows to watch this winter

As temperatures plunge and people like to snuggle up indoors, home entertainment becomes essential. And for that, we have put together a list of new South Korea drama series that will make for some great winter TV viewing.(MBC, tvN)“Encounter” 9:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, tvN  (tvN)The new tvN series is already a success as far as ratings are concerned. The pilot episode broke the previous record for the most watched first episode of all shows on the drama-focused cable channel.Featuring Song H

Nov. 30, 2018

NCT 127 accused of cultural appropriation after sampling Maori haka

K-pop group NCT 127’s song “Simon Says” sparked mixed sentiments in New Zealand after it was accused of appropriating parts of traditional Maori prayer karakia.“‘Simon Says’ by NCT 127 has been watched nearly 7 million times, but not everyone’s a fan,” wrote New Zealand’s television channel TVNZ, Thursday. Screen grab of “Simon Says”’s music video (YouTube)TVNZ quoted professor Aroha Mead of New Zealand’s Maori Centre of Research Excellence, that the te reo Maori words, “Ttuturu o whiti whakamau

Nov. 30, 2018

Korean superhero drama based on Stan Lee’s ideas to be made

Marvel comics creator Stan Lee’s ideas will soon get the K-drama treatment.“The B-TEAM” (working title) will be based on the late creator’s work. The original content centers on B-rated superheroes fighting against a mad scientist who created them. (POW! Entertainment)Korean screenwriter Kang Eun-kyung, best-known for the hit drama series “King of Baking, Kim Takgu,” and her creative group Plot Line will write the script for the upcoming superhero drama series.  POW! Entertainment, an American m

Nov. 29, 2018

‘Less Than Evil’: A Korean adaptation of ‘Luther’ with a twist

Viewers will soon find out if Shin Ha-kyun has what it takes to pull off a success like the popular British series “Luther” as he plays Idris Elba’s role in the upcoming Korean adaptation, “Less Than Evil.”In the upcoming nighttime MBC series, Shin plays the hardworking and stylish detective Woo Tae-seok, who is not afraid to overstep the bounds of the law if it means catching criminals.Woo’s motto is, “Do whatever it takes to catch the criminals.” This often gets him in trouble and earns him th

Nov. 29, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Bohemian Rhapsody (US)Opened Oct. 31Biography, Drama, Music Directed by Bryan Singer Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, its music and extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. The film traces the meteoric rise of Queen and its leader Mercury (Rami Malek) through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illnes

Nov. 29, 2018

‘Sunny,’ ‘Miss Granny’ to be remade by Universal Studios, MGM

CJ ENM announced Thursday that the entertainment company is working with Universal Studios and MGM to release US remakes of the Korean movies “Sunny” and “Miss Granny.” (CJ ENM)“Sunny” (2011) attracted over 7 million moviegoers in Korea. The remake will be produced by US comedian Kevin Hart’s production company Hart Beat as “Bye Bye Bye.” Universal Studios will be in charge of investment and distribution.Scriptwriter Amy Aniobi is in charge of the film scenario, according to an announcement Thur

Nov. 29, 2018

Debate heats up as more celebrities hit by parents’ debt scandal

Korea’s entertainment industry has been hit with more debt allegations against celebrities’ parents in recent days as actress Cha Ye-ryun and Wheein of girl band Mamamoo became the latest to find themselves swept up in the furor.As the controversy, fueled by Microdot’s parents accused of failing to pay off debt and fleeing to New Zealand, continues to rumble on, debate is heating up over whether it is fair to hold children accountable for the misconduct of their parents.Rapper Microdot has found

Nov. 29, 2018

Lee Si-young says ‘No Mercy’ is different kind of action flick

The plot of “No Mercy,” a new action film starring Lee Si-young, naturally draws comparison to another action film featuring a vengeful master hand-to-hand combatant who has a soft spot for a solitary person under protection. The “Taken” series may pop up more frequently for the audience, but the name buzzing among Korean cinephiles is “The Man from Nowhere” (2009). “No Mercy” / Joy N Cinema“Comments about (our film being) a female version of ‘The Man from Nowhere’ is understandable. But we focu

Nov. 28, 2018

‘Memories of the Alhambra’ promises sword-wielding Hyun Bin, AR game, Spanish scenery

The new tvN series “Memories of the Alhambra,” starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye, enters uncharted waters for a South Korean TV series, as the story centers on an augmented reality game.As the nighttime weekend show bills itself as “suspense romance,” it does not fall short of spectacle and action, featuring fight scenes between players of an AR game as they live out what gamers dream of in the exotic city of Granada in Spain.(tvN)Director Ahn Gil-ho says he made the show imagining what could

Nov. 28, 2018

TVXQ to celebrate 15th anniversary with new album next month

K-pop boy band TVXQ will release a special album next week to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut and will host a fan meeting event here, its management agency said Wednesday.The male duo is set to drop the special record, titled "New Chapter #2: The Truth of Love," on Dec. 26, fronted by "Truth," according to S.M. Entertainment. (S.M. Entertainment)Including the lead track, the album carries seven tracks.  In the evening of the same day, the band will throw a fan meeting event, "TVXQ

Nov. 28, 2018

Busker Busker leader Jang Beom-june returns as YouTuber

Jang Beom-june, leader of the indie band “Busker Busker,” has joined the club of celebrity-turned-YouTubers after a long hiatus from music-related activities.Jang greeted his loyal fans by uploading a cover of Black Pink Jennie’s “Solo” on his YouTube channel on Nov. 22. Previously, he had only uploaded tracks from his own albums and videos of his own live performances. (YouTube)Fans were pleased to hear Jang’s unique interpretation of the song.“It’s so cool that the cover sounds like an origina

Nov. 27, 2018

Celebrities embroiled in controversy over parents’ debt scandal

After rapper Microdot came under fire over a fraud scandal involving his parents, celebrities -- including rapper Dok2 and singer-actor Rain -- have found themselves embroiled in similar allegations.  From left: Rapper Dok2 (Illionaire Records)and singer-actor Rain (Yonhap)A media outlet reported on Monday that Dok2’s mother borrowed around 10 million won ($8,854) from a friend in the late 1990s and failed to pay it back. Though the debtor took the matter to the court and won, Dok2’s mother did

Nov. 27, 2018

BTS named brand model for Hyundai Motors SUV Palisade

Hyundai Motors announced Tuesday that its new flagship SUV model Palisade will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show with BTS members as brand ambassadors. The boy band is featured in the video that will introduce the vehicle at the annual auto show, which runs Friday to Dec. 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.(Hyundai Motors)The South Korean carmaker will broadcast its demonstration at the auto show live on its official Facebook account Thursday from 8:55 to 9:20 p.m.“We decided that BTS would

Nov. 27, 2018

[Video] Sohee says angles are most important in ‘Hurry Up’ dance

Every year around Christmas time, the lobby of the Herald Corp. building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, lights up with a brightly decorated towering tree.On Thursday, the brilliance was amplified with the presence of rising K-pop star Sohee, who debuted solo from her group Elris with single “Hurry Up,” in October. Sohee had just wrapped up official promotional activities for “Hurry Up” and had dropped by for an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald. (Video shot and produced by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea

Nov. 27, 2018