Ateez hopes to continue shining bright with music and performances

K-pop boy group Ateez released “Golden Hour: Part 1,” its 10th EP, on Friday. This is the first installment of the “Golden Hour” series that comes after three previous series: “Treasure,” “Fever” and “The World.” “The new series will portray the golden moments we’ve experienced and plan on making in the future through music,” said Seonghwa of Ateez during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. The eight-member group&

May 31, 2024

ADOR shareholders' meeting retains CEO Min, appoints 3 new board members from Hybe

K-pop powerhouse Hybe put three of its executives on the board of its sublabel ADOR housing popular girl group NewJeans on Friday, taking over control of the board amid a protracted conflict between the two companies over ADOR's management rights. ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin retained her position during an extraordinary shareholders' meeting held at an undisclosed place in Seoul in line with Thursday's court decision to grant an injunction to prevent Hybe from exercising its voting right

May 31, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (US) Opened May 22 Action/Sci-fi Directed by George Miller A young Furiosa (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), left only with fury after her mother is ruthlessly killed by warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), embarks on an 18-year-long vengeful journey home. “Following” (South Korea) Opened May 15 Mystery Thriller Directed by Kim Se-hwi Real estate agent Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han) has a strange, if not perverse, habit of peeping into other people&rsq

May 31, 2024

Constitutional Court dismisses petition against separating collection of public broadcaster fees

The Constitutional Court on Thursday dismissed a petition against a government revision separating the collection of public broadcasters' license fees, citing it does not violate their broadcasting rights. Last July, the Korean Broadcasting System filed the petition against a revised enforcement ordinance to the Broadcasting Act requiring it to collect license fees separately from electricity bills. KBS argued it would threaten the financial stability of public broadcasters. Since 1994,

May 30, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez ready to shine with 10th EP

Ateez held a media conference in Seoul Thursday to introduce its tenth EP “Golden Hour: Part 1,” which is due out Friday. The band has poured a lot into the new album, especially since it is the first installment of the “Golden Hour” series and the first release for the group this year, said leader Hongjoong. The six-track EP “captures the shining moment of Ateez” and how the band realizes its dream, explained Sunghwa. All songs including the main track &ldquo

May 30, 2024

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin not leaving Hybe

The Seoul Central District Court, Thursday, upheld a preliminary injunction filed by Ador CEO Min Hee-jin against Hybe on May 7. Hybe, the parent company of Ador, is now not permitted to exercise its voting rights to dismiss Min during the company’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for Friday. “The material evidence submitted to date does not sufficiently establish Hybe’s alleged grounds for (Min’s) dismissal,” the court ruled. “It is clear

May 30, 2024

Paju Fair_Book & Culture to bring books to stage in September

Paju Book City will be transformed into a vibrant performing arts festival site in September, showcasing a variety of performances rooted in books. The inaugural edition of the Paju Fair_Book & Culture will take place Sept. 6 to 9, aiming to bring fresh energy to the cultural complex of publishers and printing houses located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The fair endeavors to explore and expand cultural and artistic narratives rooted in literature while serving as a global platform for their i

May 30, 2024

Singer Kim Ho-joong temporarily banned on KBS

Popera singer Kim Ho-joong, who was recently issued an arrest warrant under charges of committing a hit-and-run while driving under the influence, will temporarily be banned from appearing on the Korean Broadcasting System. "Although the court has not yet made its ruling, Kim Ho-joong caused serious public controversy by making up repeated lies about a hit-and-run accident that occured while drunk driving. As a result, we received numerous petitions from viewers requesting a ban on his appe

May 30, 2024

Byeon Woo-seok’s debut film ‘Soulmate’ back in cinemas

Thanks to the skyrocketing popularity of TV series “Lovely Runner” and its lead actor Byeon Woo-seok, local multiplex chain CGV is bringing back Byeon’s debut film “Soulmate.” Starting Friday, 21 CGV cinemas across the countries will screen “Soulmate” which premiered in March 2023. A special edition of the movie poster will be given to moviegoers on a first-come first-served basis. Fourteen more CGV theaters including those in Gangneung, Mokpo and Jeju w

May 30, 2024

NewJeans shares stories of band life and fans with British magazine

Popular K-pop girl band NewJeans talked about their band life and fans in an exclusive interview with a British monthly magazine, The Face in the June edition published Wednesday. “It’s helped us learn a lot about each other and grow very close. To me, it feels like being on a school trip, but a very extended one, with a bunch of friends,” NewJeans member Hanni said of living together as a band. On the unwavering devotion of their fan base, another member Minji said, “We&

May 29, 2024

University festivals criticized for K-pop concert ticket scalping

Local universities are under fire for ticket scalping by students who sell tickets to K-pop concerts held as part of the school festivals to outsiders. Every May and June, universities around the country host a two-to-four-day campus festival for students and alumni, organizing events such as sports games, club performances and K-pop concerts. In recent years, schools have been competing to book bigger names to appear at their festivals to boost their reputation. It resulted in drawing not onl

May 29, 2024

Popular Korean webtoons to be remade into international TV series

Popular Korean webtoons are set to be adapted into international drama series, riding high on the webtoons' appeal to global audiences and the widespread perception that webtoon-based content is entertaining. The Naver romance webtoon series "Take Me, I'm Yours" will be remade as a Japanese drama series and broadcast on Nippon Television Network starting July 5, according to Naver Webtoon. Titled "With Me," (translated) the series, which was produced by Nippon Telev

May 29, 2024

Legendary rock stars to hold joint concert

Two South Korean rock icons, Jeon In-kwon and Boohwal, will hold a joint concert in June. The two giants of 1980s Korean rock will host "The Age of Rock" on June 15 at the KBS Arena in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The concert was originally scheduled for April, but was postponed to June. After playing with various bands in the 1970s, vocalist Jeon In-kwon formed Deulgukhwa in 1984, a band that became a cornerstone of Korean rock. Known for his unique, almost anguished vocal style, Jeon sang hits

May 29, 2024

'The Player' hopes to continue tvN's success streak

"The Player 2: Master of Swindlers" will be larger in scale than its first season, is set to hit screens with the goal of continuing tvN's successful track record. The cable channel appears to be on a winning streak with hit series such as "Queen of Tears" and "Marry My Husband" capturing audiences worldwide. "The Player" series, which aired in 2018 on cable movie channel OCN, is making its comeback on tvN. Actors Song Seung-heon, Lee Si-eon and Tae W

May 28, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to greet fans in Seoul in July

Seventeen will host its eighth official fan meetup in Seoul July 23-24, agency Pledis Entertainment announced Tuesday. The event dubbed “Seventeen in Carat Land” will be livestreamed as well. The 13 members wrapped up their stadium tour in Japan and Korea last week, and the final concert put them on stage at Nissan Stadium in Kanagawa, Japan, the largest concert venue in the country. They celebrated their debut ninth anniversary at the stadium with over 70,000 fans. The tour began in

May 28, 2024

Korean shows most-viewed of Netflix's non-English titles: report

Among non-English content streamed on Netflix during the second half of 2023, Korean shows were watched the most, according to a Netflix report. "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report" released Friday, showed that non-English content accounted for some 30 percent of all viewing on Netflix. Titles in Korean (9 percent), Spanish (7 percent) and Japanese (5 percent) captured the largest shares of viewership outside of English, respectively. Among Korean series, JTBC's romance

May 28, 2024

[Herald Review] Doyoung of NCT portrays youth in his first standalone concert

Inside one of the many semi-transparent cubicles representing city skyscrapers, Doyoung of NCT appeared in a glittering white jacket and pants singing “Beginning,” a B-side track from his first solo album “Youth.” His mellow voice quickly mesmerized around 3,500 people gathered at Kyung Hee University’s Grand Peace Palace on Monday for the final performance of Doyoung’s three-day concert, “Dear Youth.” Doyoung’s first-ever standalone concert

May 28, 2024

RM drops new MV full of natural, honest vibes

RM of BTS has released the music video for "Groin" off the album "Right Place, Wrong Person," which came out Friday. The album marks RM's first release since his solo debut album "Indigo" in December 2022. RM completed the work on this album before beginning his mandatory military service in December last year. In the alternative hip-hop song, RM candidly expresses his thoughts on people who dislike him. In the music video, RM, sporting a short haircut, appears

May 28, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink hits record 2.2b views with ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ music video

Blackpink reached the 2.2 billion views milestone on YouTube with the music video for “Ddu-du Ddu-du,” label YG Entertainment said Monday. This cements the record Blackpink holds as the most-viewed music video from a K-pop artist. “Ddu-du Ddu-du” is the lead single from the group’s first EP “Square Up” which was released in June 2018. It not only dominated every domestic music chart but also claimed No. 50 on Billboard’s Hot 100 while the mini al

May 27, 2024

Westlife to return to Korea after 13 years

The Irish pop band Westlife will perform in South Korea for the first time in 13 years. According to Mohegan Inspire Resort on Monday, Westlife will hold "Westlife: The Hits Tour" at Incheon Inspire Arena on July 6-7. Mohegan Inspire Resort’s Inspire Arena located in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, is the first multipurpose arena in South Korea. Westlife will be the second overseas artist to perform in the venue following Maroon 5. Westlife, known for their emotional melodies and rich harm

May 27, 2024