Steven Yoo announces new album after controversy, plans to donate proceeds

Steven Yoo, also known as Yoo Seung-jun, will release a digital album after an 11-year hiatus that followed a controversial decision to acquire US citizenship. By becoming a US citizen, Yoo was able to avoid South Korea’s mandatory military service.According to local media, the singer will send out a prerelease track Thursday, titled “Another Day.” The song is a medium-tempo ballad.  (Steven Yoo Weibo)Yoo’s album will be available Dec. 5 along with a music video for the title track. The singer c

Nov. 21, 2018

Kim Sun-a discusses ‘fun’ thriller ‘Children of Nobody’

Actress Kim Sun-a will play a counselor who works with children in MBC’s upcoming thriller “Children of Nobody.”Kim, who has a number of hit TV series under her belt, including “My Lovely Sam Soon,” will play Cha Woo-kyung on the Wednesday-Thursday show, which starts airing this week. Cha unravels a mystery surrounding a child, and she finds clues in poems.Speaking to the press during a showcase event on Tuesday, the actress said she had taken on the role because the original book was fun to rea

Nov. 20, 2018

[Trending] Announcer Jo Su-ae to marry Doosan Group’s Park Seo-won

The upcoming wedding of former JTBC announcer Jo Su-ae and Doosan Group’s Park Seo-won is causing a stir on social media platforms and a search engine’s trending bars.According to local media reports, the couple will tie the knot at a hotel in Seoul on Dec. 18. Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Jo had quit her job. JTBC confirmed that Jo left the company, but declined to confirm reports about the marriage, citing privacy. The couple have yet to confirm news of their wedding. Jo Su-ae and Pa

Nov. 20, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Default’ both shines and falls short in unexpected places

When choosing a film to see, the lead actor often plays a major part in cinemagoers’ decisions. Lead actors take up much of the screen time, and thus their performances greatly influence how much the audience enjoys the picture. In rare cases, however, the main narrative can have less impact than the overall atmosphere of the film and the subplots. Director Choi Kook-hee’s drama “Default” is one that exceeded expectations in unexpected aspects.The film takes us back to 1997, to the eve of the wo

Nov. 20, 2018

‘Burning’ nominated at Independent Spirit Awards 2019

Korean film “Burning” was nominated best international film at the Independent Spirit Awards 2019, Pine House Film announced Tuesday.The Independent Spirit Awards, founded in 1984, are dedicated to independent films or movies that are not produced by major film studios. The awards are often seen as indicators of which films could win prizes at other prominent awards ceremonies, including the Oscars. (Pine House Film)“Burning,” a mystery drama released in May, was directed by Lee Chang-dong and s

Nov. 20, 2018

Ed Sheeran on BTS: ‘I think they are great’

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran said on Tuesday that he is interested in working with BTS, saying the band is “great.”  (Twitter)“Actually, I wrote a song that I think they might be messing with. I heard this the other day,” said Sheeran in an interview with a UK media outlet. “I really like BTS though, I think they are great.” (Instagram)Tuesday was not the first time the renowned singer has shown interest in collaboration with BTS. When the boy band released its latest album, “Love Yourse

Nov. 20, 2018

J.Fla becomes first Korean YouTuber to reach 10m subscribers

YouTube sensation J.Fla, famous for her covers of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” has become the first independent Korean YouTuber to attract 10 million subscribers.“J.Fla is the first individual Korean YouTuber to surpass 10 million subscribers,” J.Fla’s agency Feel Music said Tuesday.(J.Fla Music=YouTube)The singer, also known as her Korean name Kim Jung-hwa, wrote “10,000,000 subscribers! It’s incredible! I didn’t expect this to happen so soon.” on her Twitter accoun

Nov. 20, 2018

Wanna One makes its ‘bittersweet’ return with first -- and last -- EP

　K-pop boy group Wanna One returned with its new -- and probably last -- album on Monday, eliciting a mix of excitement and sadness among its fans.　The project boy group, comprised of 11 winners of music channel Mnet‘s idol competition show “Produce 101,” started its group activities in August 2017 for a limited time, with its deadline set at the end of this year.　The new album, “1¹¹=1 (Power of Destiny),” is the group’s first full-length album. It has so far dropped two EPs, “1×1=1 (To Be One)”

Nov. 19, 2018

[Trending] Hong Jin-young’s sister exudes joyful energy on TV

Korean trot singer Hong Jin-young appeared on a TV show with her sister, Hong Sun-young, Sunday night, and the sibling soon captivated Korean viewers with her joyful energy. The singer had talked about her sister several times on TV, but it was the first time for the older sister to actually show up herself.  Hong Sun-young (SBS)The two revealed their daily life via SBS reality show “My Little Old Boy,” featuring a pork belly meokbang, or eating broadcast, as well as mini-concerts. The Hong sist

Nov. 19, 2018

‘Drug King’ to bring out gritty side of Song Kang-ho

Song Kang-ho, arguably the best actor in Korean cinema today, is definitely an artist of range. But many of his iconic roles are as the everyman caught up in extraordinary situations, which is why upcoming crime drama “Drug King” will be an intriguing change of pace.“The audience is used to seeing (me portray) characters that look like an everyday man, the guy next door, so I think ‘Drug King’ will feel different,” Song said, during a press conference for the film in Seoul on Monday. “It is an u

Nov. 19, 2018

European tour marks SPO’s first step toward normalcy

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is taking tangible steps to return to normal after a yearslong struggle.The orchestra will embark Nov. 25 on a tour of five European cities -- Geneva, Udine, Lucerne, Grenoble and Paris -- and will perform at its final stop, Paris, Dec. 1. This is the first European tour for the orchestra in four years, which was left floundering after a bitter controversy over allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and irregularities. The Seoul-based orchestra has also started

Nov. 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] ‘Blame system, not men’: San E defends controversial ‘Feminist’

Rapper San E has defended his song “Feminist,” despite facing public criticism the song is “sexist” and “ignorant” of what feminism actually stands for.In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday, the rapper said “Feminist” was not meant to bash women, as he encouraged fans to give his song a thorough listen.(Yonhap)“I chose the topic to highlight the pressing (social) issue of gender-based hate,” the statement read.“My intention was to point out the hypocrisy upheld by people like the narrator

Nov. 19, 2018

“French Cinema Tour 2018” kicks off, to play eight French films

The third annual “French Cinema Tour 2018” kicked off Thursday, featuring eight French films that will be screened prior to their official opening here. Eight Movies: “Family is Family (La Ch‘tite famille),” “Taxi 5” “Diving(Plonger),” “Treat Me Like Fire(Joueurs),” “Non-fiction(Doubles Vies),” “A Paris Education,” “The Nation” and “Dilili in Paris” . (French Cinema Tour)The opening ceremony was held at Hotel Shilla in central Seoul, where the festival’s “Etoile du cinema” awards were given to F

Nov. 16, 2018

Idols spotted on the way to Suneung test sites

Students in Korea who were born in the year 2000 took the national collge entrance exam Thursday, and several pop stars were among them. On the morning of the test day, reporters spotted several teenage stars headed to their assigned test sites.  Kim Chae-won (Yonhap) Kang Hye-won, Kim Chae-won and Sakura Miyawaki (Yonhap)IZ*ONE’s Kim Chae-won went to a high school in Songpa-gu, Seoul, flanked by her bandmates Kang Hye-won and Sakura Miyawaki who walked her to the gates in support.  Choi Bo-min

Nov. 16, 2018

Drunken Tiger's new song featuring RM tops US iTunes' hip-hop chart

South Korean hip-hop icon Drunken Tiger's new song featuring BTS leader RM debuted at No. 1 on the US iTunes' hip-hop chart, its agency said Friday."Timeless" from Drunken Tiger's 10th full-length album topped the hip-hop/rap songs chart, the K-pop chart and the music video chart of the US iTunes upon its release, according to Feel Ghood Music. The piece also ranked high on the main pop chart while topping iTunes' song charts of 26 countries, including Sweden, Egypt, Romania, Israel, Finland, Sa

Nov. 16, 2018

[Herald Interview] How Blair Williams ended up hosting family on South Korean TV

After nearly three years since appearing on popular TV show “Non-Summit,” Blair Williams’ name is back in entertainment news.This time, the spotlight was shared with his family, who recently appeared on “Welcome, First Time in Korea?”Sitting down at a cafe in the upscale neighborhood of Sinsa-dong, the 26-year-old, originally from Brisbane, Australia, looked back on showing his family around Korea on TV, an experience that he called “a blessing.”(Video shot and produced by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Kore

Nov. 16, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Memsore,’ ‘healing’ that fails to heal

Director Choi Nak-hee’s first major film “Memsore” is a film that I would have loved to love. A film with beautiful scenery, mouth-watering visuals and ear-pleasing sound -- a flick to soothe a person fed up with hectic city life with its calming lull.Yes, it did calm me down. And it lulled me to deep sleep near the end. This is one flick that pains me to bash, as I can clearly see the potential it had as a kind of cute, innocent and feel-good movie.The film starts with young woman Se-hee -- pla

Nov. 15, 2018

Wanna One suffers leak again ahead of album release

The main track of boy band Wanna One’s first full album was leaked four days ahead of its official release, sources in the K-pop scene said Thursday.They said a music file and lyrics for “Spring Breeze” from the album titled “1¹¹=1 (Power of Destiny)” have spread quickly across social media since Wednesday. Wanna One (Yonhap)This is not the first time that the band has experienced an illegal leaking of its material. In March, files for “Boomerang” and “Gold,” both on the band’s second EP, “0+1=1

Nov. 15, 2018

[Weekender] ‘Subscription economy’ reshaping Korean pop culture

When the press show for YouTube Premium series “Top Management” was held in Seoul in October, it received a great deal of attention from local media outlets.Starring up-and-coming actor and singer Cha Eun-woo of boy band Astro, the show’s pilot episode was watched nearly 1.7 million times in a week.Nadine Zylstra, head of YouTube Originals for the Asia-Pacific region, said at the event that the company recognizes how influential South Korean pop culture has become on the global stage. “Through t

Nov. 15, 2018

On Twitter, Jo Kwon is rare voice of support in K-pop for LGBT fans

Though Jo Kwon’s career is currently on hold, LGBT fans cannot thank him enough for his support for the LGBT community on Twitter.The singer is currently serving in the military after enlisting earlier this month to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service requirement, but his online presence is stronger than ever. This is due in large part to his willingness to voice support for sexual minorities -- a rare bold move in the K-pop world.Jo Kwon. (Jo Kwon‘s Instagram)In one of the recent t

Nov. 15, 2018