‘Monk DJ’ takes global stage, with caveat

A South Korean DJ-comedian in a Buddhist monk’s robe is riding growing popularity to step onto the global stage, but he is increasingly forced to deal with resurfacing complaints questioning his way of spreading the religion. Youn Sung-ho -- the comedian known as NewJeansNim, “snim” meaning monk in Korean -- stepped into the global spotlight in late April during his first overseas tour in Taiwan, where he delivered his electronic dance music performance of echoing Buddhist vers

May 23, 2024

‘Hijacking’ depicts in-flight emergency based on 1971 incident

Helmed by director Kim Sung-han, crime action film “Hijacking” centers on a real-life airplane hijacking incident from 1971, when two South Korean pilots were forced to redirect their plane carrying 51 passengers toward North Korea. A star-studded cast including Ha Jung-woo (“Saint Narcotics"), Yeo Jin-goo (“The Crowned Clown”), Sung Dong-il (“Reply” series) and Chae Soo-bin (“Sweet and Sour”) depicts the in-flight emergency in the movie

May 22, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink cinches gold certification in UK

Blackpink earned a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry with its first studio album, the organization announced Tuesday. LP “The Album” logged 100,000 in sales in the country, and the quartet became the first K-pop female artist to do so. The album from May 2020 ranked No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the main albums chart for 26 weeks straight, a record for a K-pop female act at the time. It also was No. 2 on the UK’s Official Top Albums chart. The

May 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] Universal Ballet's 'The Ballerina' peeks behind curtain

The Universal Ballet is set to present its original production, 'The Ballerina," a work that offers a glimpse into the daily lives of ballet dancers striving for a shining moment on stage. The performances will take place at the Seoul Arts Center's CJ Towol Theater from May 31 to June 1. This is the first time the production will be performed in Seoul, following its premiere in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and subsequent regional tours in 2022 and 2023. Choreographed by artistic dire

May 22, 2024

Ballet Festival Korea brings diverse lineup to Seoul Arts Center

The 14th Korea Ballet Festival is set to kick off next week at the Seoul Arts Center, boasting a lineup of 12 works, including one special production, three invited pieces and eight selected through open submissions. A diverse array of ballet performances ranges from classics like "Don Quixote" and "The Barber of Seville" to reimagined literary works such as "Scent of Chrysanthemums" and "The Desolate House," alongside contemporary productions forecasting

May 22, 2024

Illit’s agency sues Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for defamation

Belift Lab, a K-pop agency home to a rookie girl band Illit and a sister subsidiary to Ador under Hybe, sued Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for obstruction of business and defamation, the company said Wednesday in a statement. Min has been arguing that Illit had plagiarized NewJean’s style shortly after Illit's debut in March. It is the first time Belift Lab spoke out regarding the ongoing feud. Hybe had been speaking in place of Belift Lab when addressing Min’s allegations until now. Bel

May 22, 2024

[Herald Interview] MCND aims to show teamwork with ‘X10’

MCND returned with its 6th mini album, “X10,” with the ambition to continue music as long as possible. MCND, debuted in 2020, proved their international popularity earlier this year by successfully holding their “Odd-Venture” concert tour in seven European countries and six cities in the US. The quintet is also gaining popularity in regions where K-pop stars have not frequently ventured, such as the Middle East and South America. They appeared at the K-Expo in the United

May 22, 2024

SM Entertainment contributes to urban biodiversity

SM Entertainment signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Tuesday to enhance its contribution to conserving urban biodiversity by expanding Kwangya Forest. Kwangya Forest was established on 400 square meters of land in Seoul Forest located at Seongdong-gu, Seoul in May 2023. This partnership involves SM’s financial support in expanding Kwangya Forest and its maintenance for the next five years, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s provision of

May 22, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids hit Billboard’s Hot 100 with Charlie Puth collab

Stray Kids entered Billboard’s Hot 100 for the second time with “Lose My Breath,” a Charlie Puth collaboration, according to the publication on Monday. The band of eight teamed up with the American singer and songwriter who co-authored the song with the songwriting trio of Bang Chan, Changbin and Han. The digital single was dropped on May 10 and tied the record the group set on the main singles chart with “Lalalala” last year. “Lalalala” was the focus tr

May 21, 2024

'High School Mystery Club 3' producer aimed to address societal issues

The director of "High School Mystery Club 3," a popular Korean mystery reality show series, aimed to address current societal issues by incorporating such themes into a mystery reality show. "Considering the genre of 'High School Mystery Club,' the show must deal with subject matter related to crimes and I did not want to create a program which lightly and humorously dealt with the matter," said Im Soo-jung, the producer of "High School Mystery Club 3," du

May 21, 2024

Ryoo Seung-wan’s ‘I, The Executioner’ premieres at Cannes Film Festival

South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s new action blockbuster “I, The Executioner” premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on Monday. The 77th edition of the film festival kicked off Wednesday last week and runs through Saturday. “I, The Executioner,” also known as “Veteran 2” here, is a sequel to the 2015 hit blockbuster “Veteran” which attracted 13.41 million viewers. The movie is the only Korean film that has been invited to the offici

May 21, 2024

JYP introduces first Japanese boy group Nexz

JYP Entertainment launched its first Japanese boy group, Nexz, Monday -- the agency's first boy group in six years. Nexz consists of six Japanese nationals and one South Korean national born and raised in Japan, selected through the K-pop agency’s “Nizi Project Season 2” audition program which aired on YouTube and Hulu Japan last year. The audition program is part of JYP Entertainment’s “Globalization by Localization” project aimed at localizing K-pop in

May 21, 2024

7 contemporary Korean dance groups to tour Hungary, US

Seven Korean dance groups are scheduled to tour Budapest and the US from Tuesday to June 16. The tour will cover four cities: Budapest in Hungary, Seattle, Hudson Valley and Manhattan in the United States, starting with the 11th International Monodance Festival held at the Bethlen Theater in Budapest on Tuesday. On June 2, the "Seoul-Mate Korea Dance Festival" will be showcased at the Stissing Center for Arts and Culture in Hudson Valley, New York, and at the Cosmopolitan Club in Manha

May 20, 2024

Bucheon Fantastic Film Fest to revisit Son Ye-jin’s career

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival is holding a special exhibition on celebrated South Korean actor Son Ye-jin. She is the sixth actor to have a retrospective exhibition at BIFAN. Other luminaries in the Korean film industry such as actors Choi Min-sik, Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Hye-soo and Sol Kyung-ku have been previously highlighted in BIFAN exhibitions. The 28th BIFAN kicks off July 4 and runs through July 14. Titled “Unrivaled Son Ye-jin” (direct trans

May 20, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen to launch new subunit duo

Junghan and Wonwoo of Seventeen will form a new subunit and roll out the single “This Man-The City” on June 17, agency Pledis Entertainment announced Monday. The news came through a video of nighttime in a city that goes black after lightning strikes. Expectations are high for the two, especially since they are an unlikely pair, Junghan from its “vocal team” and Wonwoo from “hip-hop team.” The latter sang with Mingyu for the digital single “Bittersweet (

May 20, 2024

'NewJeans is the biggest victim in Hybe-Ador feud,' music critic

NewJeans, the popular K-pop girl band of Hybe’s music subsidiary Ador, is turning out to be the biggest victim in the ongoing feud between Hybe and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, sparked by Min's alleged breach of trust, an industry source said Monday. It was all about NewJeans from the start, when Min sent an email to the executives of Hybe on April 3 arguing that new girl group Illit, which debuted under Belift Lab, another Hybe subsidiary, had plagiarized NewJeans’ style and concept.

May 20, 2024

Babymonster to drop 1st LP in October

New releases by girl group Babymonster and boy group Treasure were among YG Entertainment's projects for the second half of the year announced by Yang Hyun-suk, YG founder and executive producer, in a three-minute video on YouTube Monday. Earlier this year, YG revealed that it had increased the number of music producers to 50 from 10 in an effort to introduce new projects more quickly. Babymonster will release its first regular studio album in October. “Ahead of the full album release

May 20, 2024

'The Glory' screenwriter Kim Eun-sook returns with new Netflix series

Top Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-sook will return with a new romance series featuring Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy. Netflix will stream the 12-part fantasy romantic comedy series "All The Love You Wish For," (working title) starring Kim Woo-bin, Bae Suzy, Ahn Eun-jin and Noh Sang-Hyun, according to the global streaming service Monday. The series is helmed by Lee Byoung-heon, who directed the Netflix comedy series "Chicken Nugget" (2024), "Extreme Job" (2019) and JTBC rom

May 20, 2024

[Music in drama] Timeless songs central to success of 'Hospital Playlist'

Stories about family love, friendship and humanity never grow old and there is no better place to witness them than in hospitals. The tvN series “Hospital Playlist” takes place in a university teaching hospital where fierce battles of life and death take place, depicting the lives of five doctors who have been friends for 20 years and the stories of their patients. The series is renowned for its depiction of the heartwarming struggles of the doctors and its excellent reinterpretation

May 20, 2024

Actors involved in past controversies return first via streaming service originals

South Korean actors who have been involved in controversies or facing charges are returning to the screen via streaming services, where they face less scrutiny and regulations. These comebacks can serve as tests to gauge the timing of their official comebacks, according to critics, Sunday. Actor Bae Sung-woo, who has been suspended from appearing on broadcast channels such as KBS and MBC for driving under the influence in November 2020, appears on the Netflix original series "The 8 Show,&qu

May 19, 2024