[Video] No live performance from K-pop stars during 3rd inter-Korean summit

Celebrities who accompanied South Korean President Moon Jae-in during his three-day visit to North Korea were back in Seoul on Thursday night.While a recent survey marked the visit as mostly successful, the question lingers over why Zico, Ailee, Ali, Kim Hyeong-seok and magician Choe Hyeon-u, among others, were not given the live TV treatment like their predecessors.Ali arrives in Seoul after her visit to Pyongyang on Thursday night. (Yonhap)In a tweet Thursday night, Kim thanked everyone involv

Sept. 21, 2018

[Video] Nature shares hopes of going global as a multifaceted band

[Herald Interview]It’s been less than two months since the band Nature made its debut on the K-pop scene, but already it’s making a splash. Having launched in August under N.CH Entertainment, this promising rookie band consists of leader Lu, Saebom, Chinese members Aurora and Gaga, Chaebin, Japanese member Haru, Uchae and Sunshine. While Nature has only two songs under its belt -- its debut single “Allegro Cantabile” and pre-debut track “Girls and Flowers” -- it’s already an award winner. In an

Sept. 20, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Great Battle(Korea) Opened Sept. 19Drama, History, ActionDirected by Kim Kwang-sikThe Chinese Tang Empire, led by Taizong (Park Sung-woong), is disgruntled by the military coup of Goguryeo’s Yeon Gaesomun (Yoo Oh-seong), and invades the kingdom. With the Goguryeo army suffering a devastating defeat, it is now up to Ansiseong fortress and its leader Yang Man-chun (Zo In-sung) to defend the country.Feng Shui(Korea)Opened Sept. 19Drama, History, Political thrillerDirected by Park Hee-gonIn the

Sept. 20, 2018

K-pop stars in Pyongyang react to 150,000-capacity event

K-pop singers Zico and Aliee watched a gymnastics show held at Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, the largest stadium in the world, on Wednesday night as a massive North Korean crowd of 150,000 cheered on.The huge propaganda “Glorious Country” festival took place on the second day of Moon’s three-day visit to the North, as South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his counterpart Kim Jong-un watched together.Ailee, Choi Hyun-woo, Zico and Ali at Okryu Children's Hospital. (Joint Press Corp.)The

Sept. 20, 2018

With 'DNA' music video, BTS becomes first K-pop band to garner 500m YouTube views

The music video of BTS' 2017 song "DNA" topped the 500 million YouTube view mark on Thursday, making the septet the first K-pop band to achieve the feat.The "DNA" music video surpassed the threshold of 500 million YouTube views at 1:22 a.m. on Thursday, according to their management agency, Big Hit Entertainment. The song, a track from BTS' "Love Yourself: Her" extended play, achieved the feat one year after its release on Sept. 18, 2017. (Big Hit Entertainment)The music video garnered 100 milli

Sept. 20, 2018

BTS to appear on ABC's 'Good Morning America' next week

Boy band BTS is set to make a live performance on ABC's popular morning show, "Good Morning America," on Wednesday (local time), the US network said.On its official Twitter account, it said, "IT'S. HAPPENING.NEXT WEDNESDAY ON @GMA! @BTS_twt performs LIVE in Times Square!" (AP)It came a day after the news broke out that BTS will perform live on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on NBC on Tuesday (local time). On Monday, they are scheduled to attend "Generation Unlimited" in New York, a new

Sept. 20, 2018

[Video] Zico raves about Pyongyang naengmyeon

Pyongyang-style naengmyeon is one of North Korea’s most popular delicacies, and President Moon Jae-in’s special entourage to Pyongyang -- including K-pop icon Zico – were given a chance to sample the real thing during their time in the city.(Footage from Pyeongyang Press Corps, edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)The rapper and producer -- along with other members of the entourage including singers Ailee, Ali, magician Choi Hyun-woo, and soccer legend Cha Bum-keun -- joined the first coup

Sept. 19, 2018

Fans show mixed reactions toward Seo In-young’s return to entertainment scene

Some K-pop fans are up in arms over Seo In-young’s attempt to return to the entertainment scene.Despite having apologized for a controversial video in which she was heard swearing and lashing out at staff members on a TV filming set, the singer continues to encounter criticism online.Reports that she was recording music at a studio last week were bombarded with critical comments. (Soribada)“Are you going to explode again if something doesn’t work out the way you want while recording?” one Naver

Sept. 19, 2018

BTS to appear on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’

K-pop sensation BTS will appear on “The Tonight Show,” one of the most popular and longest-running nighttime talk shows in the US.The group, who recently appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” will continue its US TV promotions on NBC’s late-night show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon, the show’s Twitter account confirmed Tuesday in US time.The tweet has since been liked over 120,000 times, and fans soon shared the hashtag #BTSonFallon soon on the social media. (Big Hit Entertainment)The confirmatio

Sept. 19, 2018

Cable channel on North Korea to be launched next year

A new cable channel specializing in North Korea will be launched early next year, its promoter said Wednesday. It will feature North Korean society, culture, tourism and food and will produce programs for the unification of the two Koreas, its preparatory committee, led by Korean-American journalist Jin Cheon-gyu, said in a news conference in Seoul.  (Yonhap)Jin has visited North Korea several times for news coverage.Former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun and former National Intelligence Serv

Sept. 19, 2018

Goo Ha-ra wants to end ‘mudslinging’ over assault case

Singer Goo Ha-ra has said she wants to end the “mudslinging” with her boyfriend over a recent assault case.Goo, who was questioned at the Gangnam police station in Seoul on Tuesday, told the local media outlet Edaily that she wanted to end the “commotion,” which has drawn attention throughout the nation. (Yonhap)“It’s impossible for just one of us to be at fault. My boyfriend and I are both in the wrong for the scuffle. But I want to forgive and be forgiven by the person that I once loved,” the

Sept. 19, 2018

[Album review] Let’s hear it for GOT7

GOT7“Present: You”Iriver One of the many reasons why GOT7 is such a beloved global act is that each of its seven members is special and unique -- the bandmates all have completely different personalities and musical styles. That’s also why GOT7’s new album deserves a round of applause.Just like a box of chocolates, the 16-track album is packed with different flavors. It features brand new songs and solo tracks by every member of the group. If each song were a color, lead track “Lullaby” -- a rhy

Sept. 19, 2018

Naver’s V Live gets a revamp

Naver has updated its V Live platform, introducing a Korean edition of the news section V Today and a new layout allowing users to better categorize their content.Beginning Wednesday afternoon, the video-streaming platform, which features numerous K-pop stars’ channels, will offer V Today in the Korean language so that it is more accessible to Korean users. Until now, V Today was available only in English and Vietnamese because its main target viewers were global fans of K-pop content such as ne

Sept. 19, 2018

BTS' latest album retains presence on Billboard for 3rd week

"Love Yourself: Answer," the latest album by K-pop boy band BTS, remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for the third week in a row Wednesday.The album ranked 15th on the Billboard 200 for the week of Sept. 22, the third weekly Billboard listing since it debuted atop the chart for the week of Sept. 8, according to Billboard's weekly updates.(YouTube)It was BTS' second No. 1 on the highly competitive album chart following the initial feat by its previous "Love Yourself: Tear"extended play, whi

Sept. 19, 2018

Spycam detected in Shin Se-kyung, Yoon Bo-mi’s room

A spycam was discovered in the room for actress Shin Se-kyung and Apink’s Yoon Bo-mi while they were shooting for new variety program “Borderless Food Cart.” According to the program’s channel Olive, a hidden camera disguised as a portable battery charger, was found in the two celebrities’ room on Sunday when they were shooting for the show overseas. It has been revealed that the camera was installed by a male employee from an outsourced company in charge of setting cameras at the shoot. The cam

Sept. 18, 2018

Lucente debuts with ‘Your Difference,’ dreams of global success

Overflowing with hip-hop spirit, the rookie K-pop act Lucente debuted Tuesday with its first EP, “The Big Deeper.” Lucente is a seven-member boy band under Noga Entertainment consisting of U.Seong, Z.Hoo, Kogun, Bao, Parkha, Hero and Taejun. The band’s name refers to its hopes of shining as bright as the stars in the competitive world of K-pop. “The Big Deeper” is fronted by the lead track “Your Difference,” a bombastic and hard-hitting hip-hop number that blends futuristic and pop genres.  (Nog

Sept. 18, 2018

GOT7’s new album lands atop iTunes charts in 25 countries

Living up to its image as a global act, GOT7 landed its new album atop iTunes charts all over the globe. Representing the band, JYP Entertainment said Tuesday that GOT7’s “Present: You” had topped the charts in 25 countries including Brazil, Finland, Hong Kong, Mexico and New Zealand. The album debuted at No. 5 in the US and No. 3 in Canada, Greece, Norway and Slovakia, the agency added. The album’s lead track, “Lullaby,” a rhythmical urban deep house track about the sweet feeling of love, has a

Sept. 18, 2018

Thai fans face probe after meeting with Lee Jong-suk at airport

BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN) -- Her dream of meeting and shaking hands with her South Korean idol may have come true but an indiscrete revelation of how she had accomplished the feat on her Facebook page has landed the fan in a soup and could end in her being jailed.The fan, along with another person, met Lee Jong-suk, 29, in a restricted area inside Suvarnabhumi Airport.Sirote Duangratana, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, on Sunday said that security camera footage showed that the incid

Sept. 18, 2018

[Video] ‘Sound of Grazing Grass’ kicks off new season

The new season of tvN’s variety show “Sound of Grazing Grass” is returning on Monday at 8:10 p.m.The autumn edition of the show is joined by popular comedian Park Na-rae and Hwang Chan-sung from the boy band 2PM, as well as a young farmer Han Tae-woong, who is a 16-year-old but carries himself more like a 61-year-old.(CJ E&M)Han’s mature mannerisms lightened the mood during the showcase Monday, which was held at CJ E&M Center in western Seoul. Han sang a trot song, a genre mostly for older peopl

Sept. 18, 2018

GOT7 presents biggest gift for fans with ‘You’

It’s been a dream-like year for GOT7. On top of the enormous success of its “Eyes on You” album, the group performed in 17 cities across the world and became the first K-pop act to perform at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But that’s not all the group has lined up for the year. Its third full-length album “Present: You,” released at 6 p.m. Monday, is not only an ode to the group’s millions of fans around the world, but also a culmination of nearly five years of work and a reflection of the act

Sept. 17, 2018