One way to interpret BTS’ ‘Love Yourself’ saga

It is no secret that BTS has a talent in conveying deep messages through its music.Previously known for its millennial-oriented social commentary, the septet ventured into the realm of romance in its recent releases.  "Love Yourself: Her" concept images of Jin (top left), Jimin (bottom right) constrast with the black-and-white images of V (top right), Jungkook (bottom left) from "Love Yourself: Tear." (Big Hit Entertainment)BTS released “Love Yourself: Tear” on May 18, a sequel to 2017’s “Love Y

July 6, 2018

Citing bipolar disorder, Jang Keun-suk to carry out alternative military service

Diagnosed with bipolar disorder, actor Jang Keun-suk will alternatively serve his military duty as a public service worker. The actor will enlist on July 16, his agency Tree J announced Friday.  (Yonhap)According to the agency, Jang was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2011 at a university hospital. He was later deemed to be unfit for active duty through multiple health examinations carried out by the Military Manpower Administration.“Jang tried his best to overcome bipolar disorder, working o

July 6, 2018

Will ‘Along with the Gods’ create a second box office smash?

Korean blockbuster film series “Along with the Gods” is ready to start its second story, more confident than ever. The “Along With the Gods” series is based on a popular web comic of the same name, written and illustrated by cartoonist Joo Ho-min. The story deals with the afterlife from the perspective of traditional Korean mythology.The first installment “Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds,” released in December, was the second most commercially successful movie in Korean box office history, s

July 6, 2018

CNBLUE’s Lee Jung-shin to enlist for military service in end-July

Lee Jung-shin of CNBLUE will leave the K-pop scene to begin his military service on July 31, confirmed the band’s agency FNC Entertainment on Thursday morning. The exact location of his enlistment will remain confidential, as per the artist’s wish. Lee Jung-shin (FNC Entertainment)This makes Lee the second member of the band to serve his military duties, following leader and vocalist Jung Yong-hwa’s enlistment in March.Lee, the group’s bassist, is scheduled to have a busy month before his absenc

July 5, 2018

GFriend to return with summer EP on July 19

GFriend is ready to join the highly-competitive summer record market. According to the group’s agency Source Music Thursday, the six-piece girl group will release a new summer EP on July 19. The upcoming album marks the act’s first release since its sixth EP “Time for the Moon Night,” which swept local music charts upon release. Teaser images released by the agency featured six pastel-toned ice creams and a red retro style cassette player and a skateboard.  GFriend (Source Music)The K-pop act de

July 5, 2018

K-Pop Academy opens in Belgium

BRUSSELS -- A K-pop Academy providing a chance to learn Korean pop music and dance techniques opened for a four-week run in Belgium earlier this week at the request of Belgian K-pop fans, the Korean culture center here said Wednesday. The academy, which operates from July 2-27, offers vocal and dance classes to 120 selected Belgian K-pop fans, the center said during a news conference.   (Yonhap) (Yonhap)Vocal trainers and choreographers from South Korea joined the academy for quality education,

July 5, 2018

[Video] Kentaro Sakaguchi talks about ‘Color Me True’ and Korea

Japanese movie star Kentaro Sakaguchi visited South Korea and talked about his upcoming movie “Color Me True” at a press conference Tuesday.The 26-year-old actor, who has been garnering massive popularity among J-pop fans in Korea, arrived in Seoul on Monday to promote the film, which will be released on July 11. News on his visit soon plastered social media platforms, while movie tickets that include fan meetup events were sold out in a minute.(Related article: [Trending] Kentaro Sakaguchi to m

July 4, 2018

[Album review] Apink’s new album is ‘sick,’ in a bad way

Apink“One & Six”(Loen Entertainment)It may sound like harsh criticism of this group of K-pop sweethearts, but Apink’s new album is sick -- in a bad way. Although Apink has finally reached a point where it can play with musical concepts, the group has taken a step in the wrong direction with “One & Six.” The album is a hodgepodge of “something different,” a nice attempt to change the group’s 7-year-old girlish image, but it lacks impact and falls short of expectations. The album starts off on the

July 4, 2018

Transgender singer Ha Ri-su readies new album

Ha Ri-su, considered Korea’s first openly transgender celebrity, is set to mark a comeback to the scene with her first solo effort in six years. According to her agency Mystery Friends on Wednesday, Ha is set to release the single “RE:SU-Again” on July 12. “The upcoming album will depict the life of Ha, who has led a rigorous and tough life more than anyone else. Please listen to it without any prejudice,” an agency official said. Ha Ri-su (Mystery Friends)The lyrics, co-written by Ha, also send

July 4, 2018

BTS retains presence on key Billboard charts for 6th week

BTS has stayed on two key Billboard charts for the sixth consecutive week, the longest record for a Korean music act, its agency said Wednesday.The latest BTS album "Love Yourself: Tear" ranked 30th on the Billboard chart of the top 200 albums this week, the sixth week in a row that the record has entered the chart since it first landed atop the list in the week starting May 27. (YouTube)The album's lead song, "Fake Love," also ranked 76th in the highly competitive Hot 100 chart, also marking th

July 4, 2018

[Trending] Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi to meet fans in Korea

As Japanese movie star Kentaro Sakaguchi showed up at Gimpo Airport on Monday afternoon, J-pop fans in South Korea got excited, resulting in a storm of related posts on social media. During his two-day trip, the 26-year-old actor is set to meet Korean fans through various promotion events for his upcoming movie “Color Me True.”  Kentaro Sakaguchi attends the press conference on July 3. (Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)Sakaguchi played the lead role “Kenji” of the romantic-fantasy film along wit

July 3, 2018

[Trending] Speculation of BTS collaborations continues

BTS fans are in for a treat as speculation continues to grow over the next collaboration between the K-pop sensation and other pop stars.Canadian pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes became the latest artist to hint at working with BTS when he told listeners of Kiss 92.5’s “Roz & Mocha Show” last month that a BTS collaboration “will happen.”“I have no lyrics on their collaboration yet. It’ll happen,” Mendes told Damnit Maurie from the show, while declining to give a specific date. (Big Hit Enterta

July 3, 2018

‘Here and Now’: Kumho foundation looks back on 20 years of promoting young classical music talents

Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation will hold “Here and Now” concerts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul from July 20-21. Founded in 1998, the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series is the foundation’s platform for young talents. Since its launch, the series has helped more than 1,000 local musicians. Many of them went on to be part of the foundation’s other programs, such as the Kumho Rising Star Series and Kumho Artist.Those from the Kumho prodi

July 3, 2018

Rapper Swings opens fitness center in Seoul

Swings, a Korean rapper who runs his own hip-hop label Just Music Entertainment, is set to open a fitness center named Gym Tipi near Hongik University in Seoul on Wednesday.  (Swings`s Instagam)“Good news! I found exercising interesting and I opened a fitness center myself,” Swings posted on his Instagram account. In the post, Swings also expressed love toward his girlfriend Lim Bora, who is working as a model: “Thank you to my girlfriend Bora for being the best supporter during the exercise.” T

July 3, 2018

Cinematographer may have leaked title of ‘Avengers 4’: report

Canadian cinematographer Trent Opaloch, a key figure behind the Captain America film franchise, may have unknowingly revealed the title of the next installment as his filmography on his website included “Avengers: End Game,” according to a US media outlet. After Omega Underground, which specializes in film, reported the revelation, Opaloch changed the title into a working title, “Avengers 4.”  Avengers: Infinity War (Yonhap)Opaloch had worked as a cinematographer for “Captain America: The Winter

July 2, 2018

‘Your House Helper’ to offer clean comfort to viewers

‘A clean house can offer an explicable sense of comfort. Upcoming KBS2 drama “Your House Helper” hopes to offer the clean comfort to viewers.The Wednesday-Thursday series will center on a male professional housekeeper. On top of the typical duties of a housekeeper, he listens to his clients’ worries, consoles and comforts them. “People might think that there is not much fun to cleaning. But cleaning, or watching someone clean can be fun. It is great to watch a messy house get cleaned up, with th

July 2, 2018

Two Canadian contemporary circuses offer flashy escapism

The two renowned Canadian circus companies are presenting shows that offer audiences a dose of escapism from the daily grind. Just around the corner is Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis,” to be staged July 5-8, at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” (LG Arts Center) Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” (LG Arts Center)Premiered in 2013, Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” is an art circus production inspired by futuristic and increasingly technological yet dystopian universes of legendary Germa

July 2, 2018

iKon to kick off world tour with Seoul concert

Boy band iKon is back on the world stage, as the seven-member group will begin its world tour with a concert in Seoul in August.YG Entertainment on Monday announced through its official blog the upcoming tour, with a poster of iKon members’ performance. The first part of the tour, the Seoul concert, will be held at 5 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Gymnastics Arena in Olympic Park in southern Seoul.  The poster for iKon’s Seoul concert (YG Entertainment)Following the concert, the act will perform in eigh

July 2, 2018

Suzy, Lee Dong-wook break up

Actor Lee Dong-wook and singer-turned actress Suzy ended their relationship about four months after they went public.  The stars‘ agencies confirmed the breakup on Monday, stating that the two split due to busy schedules.  The couple -- Lee, 37, and Suzy, 24 -- went public with their romantic relationship earlier in March. The two were reported to have started dating after meeting each other at an unofficial event.   Suzy (left) and Lee Dong-wook (JYP Entertainment, Starship Entertainment)Lee, w

July 2, 2018

B1A4’s Baro, Jinyoung leave group’s agency

Now in their seventh year in the K-pop scene, Jinyoung and Baro of boy band B1A4 opted out of renewing their contracts with their agency. According to WM Entertainment on Saturday, the two members have decided to leave the agency after a long period of discussion, while the other three members Sandeul, CNU and Gongchan decided to stay.  B1A4 (WM Entertainment)“We respect Jinyoung and Baro’s decision to go their own paths in order to pursue their own dreams. We give our sincere support to their n

July 1, 2018