Changgeuk 'Lear' reimagines Shakespeare with traditional Korean splendor

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea's "Lear" is set to make a comeback after two years. Affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, the company will perform the changgeuk adaptation of William Shakespeare's tragedy "King Lear" at the Daloreum Theater from March 29 to April 7. Changgeuk is a genre of Korean opera. It derives from pansori, a traditional narrative singing form involving a solo singer and a percussionist that is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cu

March 6, 2024

[Indie spirit] Singer-songwriter I’ll ventures to broaden his reach

Like the positive and brave image conveyed by his name, the singer-songwriter I’ll is bright and cheerful. The name, which evokes the feeling that anything can be accomplished, came from the singer’s birthday. “After contemplating various names before my debut, I created the name out of my birthday. Using the number 3 like an apostrophe, the date Nov. 13 became a stage name 'I’ll.' I liked the idea that it signifies 'I'll do something' when follow

March 6, 2024

Change of 'National Singing Contest' host garners mixed reactions

The news that KBS has changed the emcee of "National Singing Contest," one of the longest-running variety shows in Korea, has been met with mixed reactions from the public. First aired in 1980, "National Singing Contest" is a weekly singing competition show that takes place in cities, towns and villages around the country, featuring contestants from those areas. The contestants compete in various rounds and Korea's popular songwriters participate as judges to select the

March 6, 2024

[Herald Interview] Director Celine Song, actor Yoo Teo say ‘Past Lives’ was ‘inyeon’ for them

Korean Canadian director and playwright Celine Song’s directorial debut, “Past Lives,” is finally opening in Seoul, after winning 75 awards and over 200 nominations at film festivals around the world. “I honestly cannot predict how the Korean audience will react to my movie. While ‘inyeon’ is an unusual concept abroad, the term is used in daily life here in Korea. I just hope the Korean audience will enjoy the movie with an open mind,” director Song told

March 6, 2024

Karina of aespa apologizes for surprising fans with dating news

Karina of aespa has apologized to her fans for surprising them with the news of her dating actor Lee Jae-wook. The artist posted a handwritten letter to her Instagram account Tuesday in which she explained that it took her some time to talk about dating the actor with the MY fandom as she wanted to be cautious about it. “I know how MYs who have supported me must be disappointed thinking back on the things we’ve said to one another. Because I understand your feelings, I feel even more

March 6, 2024

Le Sserafim makes career debut on Billboard’s Hot 100

K-pop girl group Le Sserafim made its career debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 with the title track of their new EP “Easy” landing at No. 99. The song, released on Feb. 19, debuted at No. 99 with 5.2 million official streams and 1,000 downloads sold in the US in its first full tracking week (Feb. 23-29), according to Luminate. This makes Le Sserafim the sixth K-pop girl group to reach the Hot 100 following Wonder Girls, Blackpink, Twice, NewJeans and Fifty Fifty. The hit single &ldq

March 6, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Riize to launch fan concert tour in May

Rookie band Riize will visit fans in nine regions around the world for the group's first fan concert tour, according to SM Entertainment on Tuesday. The Rising Day tour will kick off in Seoul in the first week of May with a two-day concert, and will bring the six bandmates to Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Taiwan capital Taipei, the Philippines capital Manila, Singapore, Bangkok and Indonesia capital Jakarta up until the end of August. More cities may be added later, according to the mana

March 5, 2024

Controversy surrounds ‘pro-Putin’ ballerina ahead of Seoul performances

Renowned Russian ballerina Svetlana Zakharova’s upcoming shows in Seoul have become embroiled in a pro-Putin controversy, with the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea expressing strong opposition to her performances here. The embassy issued a press release Monday, in which it deemed Zakharova’s performances in Seoul as “unacceptable.” The press release said: "Against the background of escalating hostilities, mass murders and destruction in Ukraine, showcasing the perfor

March 5, 2024

Cube Entertainment to launch first boy group in eight years

Cube Entertainment is launching a new boy group called Nowadays in the first half of this year. The launch was made official with the agency establishing social media channels for the upcoming boy group on Monday. Nowadays is the first boy group debuting from Cube Entertainment in eight years. Pentagon was its last boy group. Nowadays consists of five members whose details will be unveiled in the days leading up to their debut. Cube Entertainment dropped a clip of the group members roaming aroun

March 5, 2024

Female idols to return as soloists

Several female singers who have found success both as members of girl groups and as soloists are set to release new solo albums this month. Chungha will return with her new album, "Eenie Meenie," on March 11. It will be her first new album since the release of her second studio album, "Bare&Rare Pt. 1," in July 2022. The new album will include two tracks: The title track, "Eenie Meenie," and "I'm Ready." Hong Joong, the leader of the boy group At

March 5, 2024

NCT Dream to return with new EP, ‘Dream()Scape,’ this month

NCT Dream is set to unveil its first release of the year, “Dream()Scape,” on March 25. Led by the title track “Smoothie,” the new album will carry five side-B tracks: “icantfeelanything,” “Box,” “Carat Cake,” “Unknown” and “Breathing.” Through the EP, NCT Dream hopes to relate with young people and overcome shared difficulties together, according to a statement by SM Entertainment. NCT Dream released a teaser ima

March 5, 2024

Legendary K-dramas to return to TV amid exodus of viewers to streaming services

A slew of legendary Korean dramas are set to return to the screen as broadcasters attempt to increase viewership ratings by attracting middle-aged and older audiences, while younger viewers increasingly turn to streaming services for content consumption. "Chief Detective 1958" will air its first episode on April 19, according to MBC. The new series is a prequel to MBC's 880-episode hit crime detective series "Chief Inspector," which aired from 1971 to 1989. Starring acto

March 5, 2024

NCT Wish to approach listeners with easy-listening, bright songs

NCT Wish, a Japan-based K-pop boy group of SM Entertainment, began promoting its debut single, "Wish," in Korea with a press conference in Seoul on Monday. BoA took part in the event, introducing the group as she took part in producing them, from selecting the final members through an audition, to directing the group's singing and dance. SM collaborated with the Japanese entertainment agency Avex Trax to introduce the six members through the “NCT Universe: Lastart” com

March 4, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] TXT to drop mini album next month

Tomorrow X Together will make a comeback with their sixth EP on April 1, announced label Big Hit Music on Monday. The news for EP “minisode 3: Tomorrow” came with a motion logo blending different colors representing each of albums the band has released so far, hinting that the upcoming album will carry on with the narrative it has weaved through them. The five members shared the news first with the audience at its concert held over the weekend in Seoul. The live show marked the fif

March 4, 2024

Classic ballet ‘Swan Lake’ signals arrival of spring

The classic ballet “Swan Lake” is set to grace stages across the country this month, as South Korea’s two major ballet companies -- the Korean National Ballet and Universal Ballet -- embark on nationwide tours, presenting two different versions of the popular ballet piece. The ballet, set to Tchaikovsky’s music, tells the story of Odette, a beautiful young princess cursed by the evil sorcerer Rothbart, who condemns her to transform into a swan during the day. She encounte

March 4, 2024

Son Suk-ku confronts internet trolls as an investigative journalist in ‘Troll Factory’

“A Killer Paradox” and “My Liberation Notes” star Son Suk-ku plays an investigative journalist who digs up the truth behind internet trolls and seeks justice in the upcoming crime flick “Troll Factory.” Son plays Im Sang-jin, a passionate investigative journalist who is suspended from work after revealing a conglomerate’s wrongdoings. He then decides to learn more about a team of three young men who manipulate public sentiments by leaving hate comments o

March 4, 2024

Are virtual idols for real?

From getting good songs and choreographies to holding in-person concerts, things are tough for virtual idols in the highly competitive K-pop scene. “When our virtual idol group Plave was looking for songs, our group members said they felt the composers were not giving them A-level quality songs. That led the group to make their own songs,” said Lee Sung-gu, CEO of Vlast, during a press conference in Seoul last Monday. Vlast is a virtual intellectual property startup that created and

March 4, 2024

Twice tops Billboard 200 with 13th EP ‘With YOU-th’

K-pop girl group Twice topped Billboard’s main album chart, the Billboard 200, with its 13th EP, “With YOU-th,” released Feb. 23. This is the group’s first time landing at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the best-performing albums in the US based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums and streaming equivalent albums. The K-pop act competed a

March 4, 2024

V of BTS to release English digital single, ‘Fri(end)s’

V of BTS will release a new English digital single, “Fri(end)s,” at 1 p.m. on March 15. Big Hit Music announced the upcoming release on the global fan community platform Weverse on Monday. The upcoming single is a pop-soul R&B love song with English lyrics, according to the agency. In the run-up to the single’s release, the label released a teaser clip Sunday showing parts of V’s daily life. V’s latest single will be the artist's first release in six months

March 4, 2024

Lucy to kick off first world tour in March

Lucy will meet global fans on the band's first world tour. Agency Mystic Story announced the upcoming world tour with a poster, dubbing it "Written by Flower," via Lucy's official social media channels. The poster features colorful flowers surrounding a globe, evoking memories of the band's debut song, "Flowering." A puppy and the smiley face symbolize the Lucy's fans and the bandmates, respectively. Lucy will kick off its world tour at the Olympic Handbal

March 4, 2024