Jo Jung-suk, Gummy to tie the knot this fall

Celebrity couple Jo Jung-suk and Gummy will be tying the knot this fall.  Jo announced the happy news on his fan site, writing, “Maybe I’m standing at a new starting line of my life or at a crossroads where I can grow up as an actor, and I feel excited and somehow nervous, as I’ll be walking that road with someone else.” (Culture Depot, C-Jes Entertainment)“While the exact date hasn’t been set yet, the reason I couldn’t tell you earlier, I’m going to get married this year. I decided to marry her

June 22, 2018

Twice to drop first Japanese full-length album in September

Twice is set to drop its first Japanese full-length album in September, its agency said.According to JYP Entertainment on Friday, the nine-piece K-pop girl group will release “BDZ” on Sept. 12. With “BDZ” standing for bulldozer, the album produced by the agency’s head producer Park Jin-young embodies the band’s determination to move forward. Twice (JYP Entertainment)　It will include five new songs and five of Twice’s previous Japanese singles such as “One More Time,” “Candy Pop,” “Wake Me Up,”

June 22, 2018

Boy band sues entertainment agency for ‘poor’ treatment

A five-piece Korean boy band debuted during the summer of 2016 after signing a contract with an agency in December 2015. However, the group’s hopes of becoming part of the next generation of Hallyu were shattered in less than a year.The agency, downsizing its workforce, did not provide the band with a manger, a vehicle or vocal and dance lessons.The bandmates were asked to pay for their own hairstyling and makeup, as well as aesthetic procedures such as dermal fillers and botulinum toxin injecti

June 22, 2018

[Herald Interview] Jaurim’s music revolves around humans, world they live in

Just as its name refers to a “purple rainforest,” Jaurim’s music is the epitome of profoundness and mysteriousness. Or, life itself. Seesawing between extreme highs and lows, the band dives deep into dark human emotions of angst and touches on societal illnesses. But it also coos about hope and lasting love in the most sophisticated language, as if trying to say life’s not always miserable.  Celebrating 20 years in the music scene, the band -- vocalist Kim Yoon-ah, bassist Kim Jin-man and guitar

June 22, 2018

GFriend confirms Sept. 8-9 concert to cap off Asia tour

Girl group GFriend on Thursday confirmed that it will hold concerts from Sept. 8-9 in Seoul as the grand finale for its ongoing Asia tour.Its agency Source Music, through its official social media pages, announced that it will hold the concerts at SK Olympic Handhall Gymnasium. It will mark the first Seoul concert in eight months, since the K-pop act‘s first solo concert in January.  The teaser image for GFriend’s upcoming Seoul concert (Source Music)The concert in January kicked off an Asia tou

June 21, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Sunset in My Hometown,’ a well-acted feel-good flick

Lee Joon-ik caps off “youth trilogy” with drama packing plenty of heart and laughterThis is why people love Director Lee Joon-ik. Even when telling stories of a doomed tyrant and a pack of clowns, a poet who met his death through human experiment, a has-been pop star down on his luck and fortune, he always brings that warm, fuzzy feeling and hopes about humanity in his pieces.The director‘s latest movie “Sunset in My Hometown” tells the story of a wanna-be rapper with no talent and daddy issues

June 21, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘The Witch’ an interesting attempt, but clunky delivery

Park Hoon-jung is a great creator of stories. As a script writer, he has come up with compelling stories: of corruption in the justice system in “The Unjust”; of a man who became a monster to kill the monster in “I Saw the Devil”; and of a man’s struggle between his morality and friendship in a gangster world in “New World.”But he is just not very gifted when it comes to storytelling. His latest work, “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion,” falls flat on its attempt to depict the dilemma between in

June 20, 2018

Law revision to mean more profit for artists from streamed music

Musicians in Korea will make more money from their products starting next year, as a law revision approved Wednesday will increase their share from streaming music. According to the revised law, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, copyright holders of music will now get 65 percent of the profit earned by streaming their product. Currently, they are entitled to 60 percent. The discount rate on package deals on sales of more than 30 songs, which can be purchased at a discount of 35 t

June 20, 2018

[Album review] There’s nothing amiss on BTOB’s new album

BTOB“This Is Us” (Loen Entertainment)While it’s a widely known fact that BTOB rarely disappoints fans with its ballads, the group proved that it does indeed have a range in its new album “This Is Us.” With the members’ fingerprints all over it, the seven-track collection features an array of light and vocally-driven tracks that are perfectly baked with all kinds of ingredients that even non-K-pop listeners can relish. Opener “Call Me,” in which Ilhoon lent his hand in writing lyrics and composin

June 20, 2018

DJ Soda set to go global with Warner Music Group

DJ Soda has partnered with Warner Music Group. The 28-year-old DJ signed a distribution deal for her upcoming record with Warner Music Group, according to her agency House of Music on Wednesday. Warner Music Group is home to big-name pop artists such as Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Coldplay.  DJ Soda (House of Music)“I am happy to work with Warner Music Group, which many global artists are a part of. I will work on making better music,” DJ Soda said through her agency. Recently, DJ Soda, whose rea

June 20, 2018

BTS producer Bang Si-hyuk joins Variety’s list of international music leaders

Bang Si-hyuk, CEO of Big Hit Entertainment and producer of BTS, has joined Variety’s list of international music leaders for 2018. The list by the US magazine recognized 23 figures in the global music industry who are currently “driving music consumption with creativity, acumen, and passion” and companies “best poised to forge into a promising future.”  Bang Si-hyuk (Big Hit Entertainment)Introducing Bang as one of the “game changers,” the magazine chronicled his feats as a producer of BTS, stat

June 20, 2018

BTS MV site enjoys popularity

An aerodrome shot in a BTS music video has become a popular tourist site with fans from around the globe.The city of Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, posted a YouTube link for “EPILOGUE : Young Forever” on its official website to promote the city with growing interest in Mosan Aerodrome.It also put up a banner saying, “Come to Jecheon, BTS’ Music Video Site.”(YouTube)A part of the video displays the Korean boy band walking on Mosan Aerodrome, which is located in the city’s Goam-dong.The aero

June 20, 2018

BTS' latest record stays on 2 key Billboard charts for 4th week

K-pop boy band BTS' latest record and its title track made it to the competitive Billboard charts of the 200 most popular albums and the 100 hottest songs for the fourth week in a row respectively, the group's agency said Wednesday."Love Yourself: Tear," the third full-length BTS album, released May 18, charted 20th in the Billboard 200 album chart as of Wednesday after landing atop the list in the week starting May 27. The following week, it slipped to sixth place.  BTS (Yonhap)The album's main

June 20, 2018

Taeyeon’s ‘Something New’ album tops iTunes charts in 12 countries

Taeyeon’s latest album EP has topped iTunes charts in 12 countries, according to her agency Tuesday. “Something New,” the artist’s third solo EP and her first record since “This Christmas? Winter Is Coming” EP released in December, climbed to the top of iTunes charts in Chile, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam and Cambodia, S.M. Entertainment said. Taeyeon (S.M. Entertainment)Along with the neo soul title track, the six-track album also includes “All Night L

June 19, 2018

Bob Dylan to hold concert in Seoul next month

Singer, songwriter, poet and Nobel laureate Bob Dylan will showcase his famed talent in Seoul with his first concert here since 2010. According to local promoter AIM, Dylan will hold a concert at 8 p.m. on July 27 at the Olympic Park Gymnastic Stadium in southern Seoul.Dylan, one of the most influential figures in popular music, has released 38 studio albums and over 600 songs in his storied career spanning six decades. Classics like “Blowin’ in the Wind” have propelled him -- albeit reluctantly

June 19, 2018

After ‘Omniscient’ fiasco, comedian Lee Young-ja returns with hearty foods

Comedian Lee Young-ja made her first public appearance since she was hit by the “Omniscient” crisis last month. Lee attended a press event held Monday in western Seoul for Olive TV’s upcoming show “Bob Bless You,” a new food reality show about healing oneself through eating tasty foods. Lee Young-ja poses for photos before a press event held Monday at Times Square mall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. (Olive TV)The comedian was involved in an unexpected controversy last month, when the production team

June 18, 2018

Real-life judge behind ‘Miss Hammurabi’

Judge Moon Yoo-seok’s first attempt at script writing has so far been well-received by local viewers for its fresh perspective. Moon, a senior judge of the Seoul Central District Court, wrote the script of the drama series “Miss Hammurabi,” which airs Mondays and Tuesdays on JTBC. Rather than dealing with large corporate cases or gruesome murders, the series features stories of desperate ordinary people, from the perspectives of three different judges. Despite being a late-night series on a cabl

June 18, 2018

Hotshots in film industry team up in sci-fi-themed ‘The Wolf Brigade’

Famed anime on special operations force remade into film dealing with Korean unificationIt is not every day that you see Gang Dong-won, Jung Woo-sung, Han Hyo-joo and SHINee’s Choi Min-ho on the big screen together, but the rare gathering takes place in the upcoming film “The Wolf Brigade.” “Someone told me (the film’s) genre was ‘looks.’ I didn’t realize that until I saw them all together on the same screen, which was an honor as a director,” director Kim Jee-woon joked, during a press conferen

June 18, 2018

Rising virtuosi to perform Shostakovich, Ravel at Kumho

Violinist Yang In-mo will hold his first chamber music concert on Thursday at Kumho Art Hall, together with cellist Mun Tae-guk and pianist Ben Kim. For the upcoming concert titled “Tri Angle,” the three young virtuosi will present duo and trio performances of chamber music compositions by innovative classical music composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich and Maurice Ravel.  Violinist Yang In-mo (Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation) Cellist Mun Tae-guk (Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation) Pianist Ben K

June 18, 2018

Twice to return with ‘Dance the Night Away’ on July 9

Just three months since its “What Is Love” EP, Twice is ready to return with a summer single in “Dance the Night Away,” on July 9.According to its JYP Entertainment agency Monday, the K-pop girl group’s upcoming song will offer a fresh tune that suits the summer weather. The song’s teaser image, released by the agency, showed a wooden tent against a backdrop of a starry night sky and dark green forest.  Teaser for Twice’s upcoming single, “Dance the Night Away” (JYP Entertainment)Since debuting

June 18, 2018