Chanel meets ballet 'Modance' to come Korea in April

In a collaboration between the French fashion house Chanel and the world of dance, a ballet performance will get a Korean premiere in April. "Modanse" is scheduled to be staged at the Seoul Arts Center on April 17 and 19-21, starring the renowned ballerina Svetlana Zakharova, according to InArt Production on Wednesday. The title "Modanse" is a combination of the French words "mode," meaning fashion, and "danse," meaning dance. The 120-minute performance is

Feb. 15, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NCT Wish to meet Korean fans for 1st time

NCT Wish will take the stage as part of a concert in Seoul for the first time on March 4, announced label SM Entertainment on Thursday. The band of six members are set to debut on Feb. 21, at the label’s all-star concert that will be held at Tokyo Dome. They will drop debut single “Wish” on Feb. 28 and the titular track will be included in the set list for the Seoul gig, dubbed “NCT Wish’s Wishlist.” The bandmates will also talk about their preparations for

Feb. 15, 2024

YG, Japanese agency to hold auditions together for the first time in 8 years

YG Entertainment will hold an open audition in cooperation with Japanese entertainment company Avex, the first joint audition held by the two companies in about eight years since the "Younguns Audition" in 2016. The YG x Avex Audition 2024 will be held in seven major Japanese cities, kicking off in Sapporo on April 7. The other cities include Nagoya, Fukuoka, Osaka, Tokyo, Sendai and Okinawa. Those born between April 2, 2003, and April 1, 2013, are eligible to apply, regardless of thei

Feb. 15, 2024

Five Korean films to be shown at 74th Berlin Film Festival

Five Korean films will be screened at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, which kicked off Thursday for a 10-day run in Berlin. One of the top three film festivals around the world, along with the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, this year’s Berlin Film Festival opened with Belgian director Tim Mielants’ “Small Things Like These.” South Korean director Heo Myeong-haeng, who debuted recently with Netflix's original film “Badland Hunter

Feb. 15, 2024

[Exclusive] Epik High to hold concert at Inspire next month

Epik High is set to hold its first concert of the year next month. The group is holding a standalone concert on March 16 at the Inspire Arena, according to an industry insider. The concert comes three months after the hip-hop trio’s 20th-anniversary concert at the SK Olympic Handball Arena in Seoul on Dec. 15-17. The trio was also on a world tour titled “All Time High Tour” last year, performing in 36 cities in seven countries in Asia, Europe and North America. Epik High debute

Feb. 15, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] (G)I-dle logs 300m views with ‘Tomboy,’ ‘Queencard’ videos

(G)I-dle garnered 300 million views each with the music videos for “Tomboy” and “Queencard,” according to agency Cube Entertainment on Wednesday. The music video for “Tomboy” reached the milestone on Feb. 7, becoming the group’s first to achieve the feat. Queencard” followed four days later. “Tomboy” is the main track from the group's first studio album “I Never Die” from 2022 and “Queencard” fronted its s

Feb. 14, 2024

[History through films] ‘Taegukgi,’ a tearful story of two brothers in battle that divided Korea

Director Kang Je-gyu’s 2004 war action film “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” follows a simple storyline that revolves around two brothers – Jin-tae (Jang Dong-gun) and Jin-seok (Won Bin) -- who are drafted to the South Korean Army to fight in the Korean War that broke out on June 25, 1950. The brutal and inhumane conditions on the battlefield leave little room for thinking about the implications of the war. Jin-tae, the eldest son in the family, is the breadwinner and r

Feb. 14, 2024

[Herald Review] Kyugrockjeol mesmerizes audience with music, drinks and rock spirit

Audiences of various ages flocked to Musinsa Garage, the largest concert hall in Hongdae area, Seoul, on Tuesday night, to take part in the fourth day of Kyungrockjeol. Kyungrockjeol is one of South Korea’s largest annual indie rock music festivals, which started in 2005 as a birthday party for Han Kyung-rok, the bassist of the punk band Crying Nut. The festival soon became an opportunity for unknown musicians to present themselves to larger audiences. Tuesday's show featured five art

Feb. 14, 2024

Jennie, Jungkook climb back up Billboard charts

Jennie of Blackpink and Jungkook of BTS are climbing back up Billboard’s main album and single charts. According to Billboard, the song “One Of The Girls” by Jennie, Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd rose to a new peak of No. 57, up from No. 58 the previous week, on Billboard’s Hot 100 dated Feb. 17. “One Of The Girls” is one of the original soundtracks of the HBO series “The Idol,” in which Jennie starred. This makes Jennie the first female K-pop solo

Feb. 14, 2024

Ten of NCT debuts solo with first EP 'Ten’

From Latin pop to hip-hop, Ten of NCT challenged himself with diverse music genres for his first official solo album, “Ten,” released on Tuesday. “I’ve waited for this moment for so long. I put my own ideas, including the album concept, into this album after thorough and continuous discussion with the staff of my agency. So, I was able to enjoy every process of coming up with this solo album,” said Ten when introducing his first EP during a press conference in Seoul

Feb. 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids to meet fans in Seoul next month

Stray Kids will host a fan meetup in Seoul on March 29-31, announced label JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. The eight-member act’s fourth official fan meet is named “Magic School,” and the last day’s show will be broadcast online as well. It take place about nine months since the group's previous fan meeting. Meanwhile, the band is shortlisted for “Group/Duo of the Year” by the People’s Choice Awards that will be announced on Feb. 18 in the US. It al

Feb. 13, 2024

[Herald Interview] Ji Pyeong-kwon’s gugak crossover resonates in ballet ‘Korea Emotion’

In a poignant duet of daegeum and pansori, vocalist Kwon Song-hee, a member of the alternative pop band Leenalchi, sings achingly. An orchestral blend of Western classical string instruments, daegeum and pansori plays out in a strangely harmonious manner with waltz-like rhythms that brighten the mood. Against this backdrop of crossover music, two ballet dancers gracefully move under the silvery moonlight. Acclaimed ballerina Kang Mi-sun, a principal dancer at Universal Ballet, earned the title o

Feb. 13, 2024

Universal Ballet opens season with ‘Korea Emotion’

Universal Ballet, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, kicks off its 2024 season with the original ballet production, "Korea Emotion," an artistic blend of traditional Korean music and ballet. The neo-classical ballet with gugak crossover scores is to be staged Feb. 16-18, at the Universal Arts Center. Choreographed by Universal Ballet Artistic Director Liu Bingxian, “Korea Emotion” is a collection of nine short episodes drawing inspiration from the complex and multi

Feb. 13, 2024

Coin fraud scandal rocks Korean entertainment industry

Allegations of cryptocurrency fraud are growing against multiple South Korean celebrities and popular YouTubers, with some denying their involvement and some admitting to having invested in the cryptocurrency. Winnerz -- a Korean blockchain sports platform that operates several businesses including issuing cryptocurrency -- has been accused of running a coin scam after anonymous investors alleged that the company was issuing fake cryptocurrency, gathering investments and forbidding investors t

Feb. 13, 2024

Maroon 5 to be first foreign act at Inspire arena

American pop-rock band Maroon 5 is visiting Korea in March and holding a concert at the country's first multipurpose arena. According to Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort, Maroon 5 will hold a two-day concert at Inspire Arena in Yeongjong-do, Incheon, on March 8 and 9. It will be the first performance by an overseas act at the venue. Inspire Arena, the first multipurpose arena in South Korea operated by Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort, opened in December last year. It is part of Ins

Feb. 13, 2024

Tang Wei stars in music video for IU’s upcoming single

Chinese actress Tang Wei will star in a music video for the singer-songwriter and actress IU’s upcoming album. Tang will appear in the music video of the side B track, “Shh…” in IU’s sixth mini album, “The Winning,” according to Edam Entertainment. In the teaser for the music video, released on YouTube Tuesday, Tang Wei appears inside a car leaning her face against the steering wheel and gazing out the window. The screen then turns black and white, and

Feb. 13, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'A Shop for Killers' an action drama with stories to tell

“A Shop for Killers” might appear to be an action drama, but the 8-part series is about the story of a lonely girl growing up, the choices various characters make and their consequences, which should give strength to the audience in enduring hardships, according to director Lee Kwon and the actor who portrayed the girl, Kim Hye-jun. Disney+ original "A Shop for Killers" narrates the story of Jung Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun), who is targeted by a slew of killers after her

Feb. 12, 2024

What does J-pop revival mean for S. Korea?

Choi Mi-yeon, a 25-year-old college student, recently purchased a ticket for Japanese band King Gnu's upcoming concert in Korea. Among her friends who attempted to buy tickets, she was the only one lucky enough to get a ticket for the concert, which is set to take place twice in April. All 6,000 tickets quickly sold out. "It feels like more and more Japanese musicians are visiting Korea since last year, and it's getting really hard to get tickets. J-pop is certainly gaining streng

Feb. 12, 2024

Ambitious rookies to unveil new albums in February

Several rookie boy groups who have debuted less than a year ago are making a comeback in February. The 10-member group n.SSign, which debuted in August last year, will return with a second mini album, "Happy &," on Feb. 15. The group has successfully kicked off their overseas career, holding three solo concerts at Ariake Arena in Tokyo even before their official debut. In the pre-released concept photos, the members wear boyish outfits with vivid colors, expressing playful energy.

Feb. 10, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Wonka” (US) Opened Jan. 31 Fantasy Directed by Paul King Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet), who dreams of becoming the world’s best chocolatier, encounters a “chocolate cartel” and a plot to kick him out of town as its business is threatened. But next to him are four trustworthy supporters whom he meets at Mrs. Scrubitt’s launderette. “Citizen of a Kind” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 24 Drama Directed by Park Young-ju Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who lives an

Feb. 9, 2024