[Herald Interview] 'K-occult master' Jang Jae-hyun explores 'invisible' concepts in 'Exhuma'

Director of "Exhuma," a supernatural mystery thriller that became the quickest film to attract 1 million theater-goers so far this year, aimed to discuss "invisible" concepts through the movie, such as religion and belief, at a time when addressing such topics is increasingly shunned. "While engaging in society, there was nowhere else but the church to discuss intangible concepts like love, loyalty and righteousness," said Jang, during an interview held with reporte

March 4, 2024

[Exclusive] Singaporean businessman David Yong to establish K-pop label in S. Korea this year

David Yong, CEO of the Singapore-based Evergreen Group Holdings and a K-pop artist and producer, plans to establish a K-pop label in Seoul this year. “I’m applying for some licenses this year to establish a full-fledged label in Korea. We are working on getting a management team (and are) looking for the right candidates to join us," Yong said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 28. "From then, we are definitely (going to get) new talents in, signing established a

March 3, 2024

[Herald Review] ‘My Name is Loh Kiwan’ a weak drama with soppy ending

Even the presence of Korean megastar Song Joong-ki in its titular role couldn’t sustain interest in director Kim Hee-jin’s “My Name is Loh Kiwan." Song, who plays a North Korean defector for the first time in his 15-year career, referred to his acting in the film as "refreshing and satisfactory." Despite the actor's confidence, however, the 133-minute movie based on the 2011 novel “I Met Loh Kiwan” by Cho Hae-jin, fails to portray the North Korea

March 3, 2024

EDM festival 'Don't Let Daddy Know' returns to Korea in April

The celebrated international EDM festival "Don't Let Daddy Know," featuring famous overseas DJs and music producers, will mesmerize Korean audiences in April. DLDK Korea will take place April 20 at Seoul Land in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, the performance agency BEPC Tangent said Wednesday. The festival was first held in the Netherlands in 2012 and has traveled to 21 countries, including Austria, Germany, Poland, Spain, Turkey and Japan. The first DLDK in Korea took place last Ap

March 2, 2024

[Herald Review] ‘Past Lives’: First love and its many ‘what ifs’

It is not unheard of for people to imagine what would happen if a childhood sweetheart showed up after years apart. This is the story that unfolds on screen in Korean Canadian director Celine Song’s directorial debut romance film “Past Lives.” The film, which received 75 awards and over 200 nominations at film festivals around the world, including best director and screenplay nominations at the Academy Awards, revolves around the story first love, admittedly something of a clic

March 2, 2024

'Exhuma' tops 5 mln admissions in 10 days since release

Director Jang Jae-hyun's occult flick "Exhuma" continues its strong box-office performance, surpassing 3 million cumulative viewers in just one week since its release. According to the distributor Showbox on Saturday, the supernatural thriller topped 5 million cumulative viewers earlier in the day, becoming the most-viewed film released this year. Starring Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun, it follows two shamans, a feng shui expert and a mortician, who team up to get to the bottom of a

March 2, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Mary & George' will resonate with global audience: actors

Julianne Moore, Nicholas Galitzine and Tony Curran said their latest period drama "Mary & George" will connect with global audiences by exploring social constraints and the theme of human greed in 17th-century England. The 7-part historical drama series narrates the story of Mary Villiers, an ambitious, minor member of the gentry who is determined to rise to power by grooming her second son George Villiers to become the favorite of King James I. Set during the Jacobean era in Engla

March 1, 2024

NewJeans, Silica Gel win 3 prizes at KMAs; Beenzino nets album of the year

The winners of the 21st Korean Music Awards have been revealed, with K-pop girl group NewJeans and rock band Silica Gel tying for the most prizes with three categories each. Rapper Beenzino clinched album of the year with "Nowitzki." The 21st KMA Awards ceremony was held Thursday at Prism Studio in southern Seoul. NewJeans won song of the year and best K-pop song for "Ditto," and also won the best K-pop album prize for "Get Up." The group had also won three awards a

March 1, 2024

S.Coups of Seventeen gets military exemption due to knee injury

S.Coups, leader of boy group Seventeen, has been exempted from military service due to his knee injury, local media said Friday. S.Coups suffered a knee injury in August 2023 and underwent surgery. The artist’s agency, Pledis Entertainment, announced that S.Coups injured his left knee while filming with Seventeen members and was diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Following his surgery, S.Coups was unable to participate in activities related to Seventeen's 11th mini

March 1, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Exhuma” (South Korea) Opened Feb. 22 Mystery/Thriller Directed by Jang Jae-hyun A feng-shui expert, an undertaker and two shaman exorcists pull together to find a new resting place for a deceased person for a hefty sum of money and discover a supernatural phenomenon a dark omen related to a wealthy Los Angeles family. “Dune: Part Two” (US, Canada) Opened Feb. 28 Action/Sci-fi Directed by Denis Villeneuve In the year 10,191 on Arrakis, recently outcast heir to the thron

March 1, 2024

'The Birth of Korea' sequel to be released next year

The sequel to the box office hit political documentary film “The Birth of Korea” will be released next year, while director Kim Deok-young plans to produce up to five installments for the detailed portrayal of South Korea's first president Syngman Rhee. Director Kim said “The Birth of Korea 2” will open in local theaters on March 26 next year, marking the 150th anniversary of Rhee’s birth. “I have so many stories to tell. Because I have covered so many th

Feb. 29, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] The Boyz to return next month

The Boyz will make a comeback March 18 with the third installment of the group's second studio album, announced agency IST Entertainment on Thursday. The album “Love Letter” is the final part of the LP “Phantasy” and comes about four months after the release of the second installment, “Sixth Sense,” which sold over 600,000 copies in the first week, a career-high for the band. The upcoming album will feature all 11 members as Joo Haknyeon has rejoined afte

Feb. 29, 2024

Actor Lee Jae-wook vows legal action against malicious rumors

Actor Lee Jae-wook, who recently confirmed rumors that he is in a romantic relationship with Karina of aespa, warned Thursday that he would take strong legal action against groundless rumors circulating online. Lee's agency CJes Studios said via a public statement that it was notified of "ill-intended, insulting online posts, which contain false claims and defame Lee." "It is a severe infringement of human rights, and our company will file criminal and civic charges against (

Feb. 29, 2024

'Burnt Offering III' takes top prize at Seoul Arts Awards

The dance performance “Burnt Offering III” by the 99 Art Company has won the top prize at the Second Seoul Arts Awards. The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture presented the award, which was accompanied by a prize of 20 million won ($1,498), during the award ceremony at the National Theater of Korea’s Haneul Round Theater on Wednesday. Choreographed by Jang Hye-rim, the artistic director of the 99 Art Company, "Burnt Offering III" draws inspiration from the movement

Feb. 29, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Le Sserafim’s 3rd EP becomes million-seller

Le Sserafim sold more than 1 million copies of its third EP, according to a local tally on Wednesday. The EP “Easy” is the group’s third million-selling album, following its second EP “Antifragile” and first studio album “Unforgiven.” The new mini album logged close to 990,000 in first-week sales, failing to surpass that of the first LP, but topped Oricon’s daily and weekly album rankings as well as the iTunes Top Albums chart in 18 regions. The

Feb. 28, 2024

Actor Sung Hoon makes stage debut in comedy 'Art'

When Marc visits the home of his friend Serge, he is taken aback by a recent acquisition -- a large and very expensive "blank" painting with a few fine white lines etched onto a white canvas. This peculiar artwork becomes a source of concern for three longtime friends -- Serge, Marc and Yvan. Their friendship is strained by their differing opinions on art, leading to heated bickering, estrangement and then reconciliation. The comedy play, titled "Art," filled with delightful

Feb. 28, 2024

Rush of male singers' concerts, fan meetings marks spring

This spring will see a rush of male singers, both members of groups and solo artists, holding concerts and fan meetings. Singer-actor Hwang Min-hyun, who is also a member of the boy band NU'EST and Wanna One, will hold three days of fan meetings March 8-10 at the Shinhan Card Artium in COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Hwang will perform his new single, to be released in March, at the fan meeting, Pledis Entertainment, Hwang's agency, said. Daesung of Big Bang will hold his first-ever solo fa

Feb. 28, 2024

'Parasyte: The Grey' to hit Netflix in April

"Parasyte: The Grey," helmed by South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, who directed hit Korean Netflix original horror series "Hellbound" and "The Bequeathed," will stream on Netflix starting April 5, the streaming giant announced Wednesday. "Parasyte: The Grey" is set in the world of the hit Japanese manga series "Parasyte," which sold over 25 million copies globally. The manga series follows the story of a high school student named Shinichi Izum

Feb. 28, 2024

Seventeen’s ‘FML’ wins IFPI Global Album Award for 2023

K-pop boy group Seventeen’s 10th EP “FML” was named the winner of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Global Album Award for being the biggest-selling album worldwide last year. This is the first IFPI Global Charts Award for Seventeen. A nonprofit organization based in London that represents the global recording industry, IFPI presents the award to the artist whose album finishes at No. 1 on the IFPI Global Album Chart. The chart calculates an album’

Feb. 28, 2024

‘A Dance of Spring’ brings leading contemporary dance choreographers to National Jeongdong Theater

Leading contemporary dance choreographers are set to captivate audiences in a dance series at the National Jeongdong Theater in Korea in April. The series entitled "A Dance of Spring" will showcase the creative brilliance of Ahn Eun-me, Ahn Ae-soon and Ahn Sung-soo on April 3, 5 and 7, respectively. “A Dance of Spring” is a sequel to last year’s "A Midsummer Night's Dance," which featured works by choreographers in the traditional dance genre. The serie

Feb. 28, 2024