Veteran actor Namkoong Won dies at 90

South Korea’s veteran actor Namkoong Won passed away at age 90 in Seoul on Monday, years after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Born on Aug. 1, 1934, he debuted as an actor with director No Pil’s “Bring Back the Night Once More.” Since then, he came to represent the Korean film industry from the 1960s to the 1980s, starring in more than 300 films including director Lee Man-hee’s “Six Shadows,” director Shin Sang-ok’s “War and Humanity,&rd

Feb. 5, 2024

[Indie spirit] Band Lucy aims to expand spectrum, with music full of childhood reminiscence

A bosom friend from childhood. This is the phrase that best represents the color and tone of Lucy, a four-member band that has quickly become one of the leading acts in the Korean band scene. "Our motto is ‘childhood.’ Childhood friends are the only ones who allow us to act immature even after we've grown up," said bassist and producer Cho Won-sang, 27. "I hope listeners feel that way whenever they play our music, just being themselves and free from anxieties,&rdq

Feb. 5, 2024

IU to present 2 lead tracks for 6th EP, collaborates with NewJeans’ Hyein

Singer-songwriter and actress IU took part in the production of her sixth EP, “The Winning,” to be released on Feb. 20, according to Edam Entertainment. IU is recognized as a talented music producer, having participated in album production since her fourth EP “Chat-shire” in 2015. The upcoming extended play will be led by two title tracks — “Shopper” and “Spore.” Composer John Lee who has previously worked with IU on her hit tracks “Leo

Feb. 5, 2024

Entertainment industry split over plan to mandate holdback period for state-funded films

The Culture Ministry’s plan to mandate a grace period of possibly up to six months before films that received government funding are released on streaming platforms like Netflix is being met with mixed reactions by the local entertainment industry, including film distributors and streaming platform operators. In November, the ministry temporarily instituted a “holdback” period for films with a production cost of over 3 billion won which received state funding, requiring the dis

Feb. 5, 2024

Health concerns grow for (G)I-dle with members falling ill back to back

A string of health issues plaguing (G)I-dle members is impeding the group’s promotion of the new album, “2.” (G)I-dle’s Shuhua is taking a break from group activities due to health concerns, according to Cube Entertainment. “Shuhua has not been feeling well since Friday, and plans to suspend all of the schedule planned,” announced Cube Entertainment via fan community platform Weverse on Saturday. The group had been scheduled to hold a fan signing event that da

Feb. 4, 2024

Traditional performances for Lunar New Year festivities

The Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays are a time when there is more than the usual offering of traditional performances. The National Dance Company of Korea, National Gugak Center and Seoul Namsan Gukakdang are set to create special ambiances which capture the essence of the traditional holiday. 'Festival' with National Dance Company The National Dance Company of Korea, affiliated with the National Theater of Korea, is ushering in the Year of Blue Dragon with a special holiday produc

Feb. 4, 2024

[Herald Review] Even scene-stealing kitty cannot rescue 'Argylle'

After a trio of “Kingsman” movies, director Matthew Vaughn decided on a change of pace, playfully approaching a spy caper with less violence in “Argylle.” It even stars a cute kitten who appears more often than the protagonist. Yet, the movie is just another pastiche of spy action with whimsical action and little else. “Argylle” follows Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), a reclusive author and a cat lady who writes bestselling espionage novels in which the nam

Feb. 4, 2024

Stray Kids to headline festivals in Milan, London

Stray Kids is headlining major music festivals in Europe in July -- I-Days in Milan and BST Hyde Park in London -- for the first time as a K-pop boy group. Stray Kids is taking the stage at the Ippodromo Snai San Siro in Milan, Italy, on July 12 for I-Days. They will then perform at Hyde Park in London on July 14 at BST Hyde Park. I-Days is a music festival that began in 1999 and has since then boasted a star-studded lineup of performers including Green Day, Liam Gallagher, blink-182 and Justin

Feb. 3, 2024

Timothee Chalamet to visit Korea ahead of release of 'Dune: Part Two'

American actor Timothee Chalamet will visit South Korea ahead of the release of "Dune: Part Two" later this month, according to a local news outlet on Friday. Chalamet will be visiting Korea during the week leading up to the release of the film, according to the media outlet. In Korea, "Dune: Part Two" is to be released on Feb. 28. The detailed schedule of the visit, including dates and the lineup of actors participating in the visit, are currently being coordinated, the news

Feb. 2, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Astro’s Cha Eunwoo to show depth as solo act

Cha Eunwoo of Astro floated teaser video for his upcoming first solo album on Friday. The singer and actor demonstrates his acting chops in the 50-second clip, driving a car in the rain before lighting up a cigarette with tears in his eyes. The clip also unveiled the title of the solo album: “Entity.” Cha recently finished shooting the music video for the album in Los Angeles, according to his agency Fantagio. He was recently spotted with American actor India Eisley, sparking rumors

Feb. 2, 2024

Film director Park Kwang-su appointed as new chairman of BIFF

Veteran film director Park Kwang-su has been appointed as the new chair of the Busan International Film Festival. Via a general meeting held at the Busan Cinema Center on Thursday, Park was designated to lead the annual film festival for the next four years. Park’s four-year term began Friday, and can be extended for one additional term. The appointment comes as the BIFF Executive Recommendation Committee unanimously nominated Park as the sole candidate for the position on Dec. 22, 2023, f

Feb. 2, 2024

[Herald Interview] Ahn Jae-hong, Esom capture realism in modern romance via 'LTNS'

South Korean actors Ahn Jae-hong and Lee So-young, better known as Esom, said they attempted to capture realism, portraying romance of the modern couples living through the contemporary age, in their latest work "LTNS." Korean streaming platform Tving's six-part comedy drama series "LTNS," which is short for "Long Time No Sex," centers around the story of Woo-jin (played by Esom) and Samuel (played by Ahn) -- a sexless, married couple -- as they chase unfaithfu

Feb. 2, 2024

SG Wannabe to celebrate 20th anniversary with concert

One of the representative South Korean R&B groups, SG Wannabe, will return with a concert to celebrate their 20th debut anniversary. The trio’s upcoming concert will be held under the title “Our Song,” keeping the name of the group’s concert last year. The title "Our Song" became the concert brand of the trio, starting with a concert in March last year at SK Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park and Seoul. The first "Our Song," was SG Wannabe's f

Feb. 2, 2024

[Photo News] 'Squid Game' to return with second season in 2024

"Squid Game," the South Korean Netflix original drama series which took the world by storm upon its release in 2021, will return with a second season in 2024, according to Netflix. The new season of the thriller will follow the story of Sung Ki-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who gives up his flight to the United States after discovering that the organizers of the death game are continuing to recruiting participants. The drama series will also follow the stories of various contestants wh

Feb. 2, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Citizen of a Kind” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 24 Drama Directed by Park Young-ju Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who usually lives an ordinary life, travels to Qingdao, China, to capture the boss of a criminal organization after she falls victim to a voice phishing scam. She decides to travel to the country after the person who scammed her, Son Jae-min (Gong Myung), calls her from Qingdao asking for help. “Wish” (US) Opened Jan. 3 Animation Directed by Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasuntho

Feb. 2, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Babymonster tops iTunes chart in 8 regions with pre-release

    Rookie girl group Babymonster topped iTunes top songs chart in eight regions, according to label YG Entertainment on Thursday. The group topped the chart with “Stuck In The Middle,” a pop ballad tune and English-language single released Wednesday in advance to the release of its first EP, which is due out on April 1. The six-member act debuted in November with “Batter Up” which renewed the record for a K-pop group’s debut song, generating 22.59 mi

Feb. 1, 2024

Son Suk-ku, Choi Woo-shik explore ethics of eye for an eye in ‘A Killer Paradox'

South Korean actors Son Suk-ku and Choi Woo-shik will raise a philosophical question -- whether it is just to condemn evil through murder -- in "A Killer Paradox," a new Netflix original drama series. The eight-part drama series revolves around Yi Tang, (played by Choi Woo-shik) a college student who, under extreme stress, murders those who antagonize him. After discovering that all his victims were serious evildoers "worth killing," Yi comes to believe that he has a supernat

Feb. 1, 2024

[New on the scene] Martial arts director-turned-filmmaker confident of Don Lee’s international appeal

The post-apocalyptic action film "Badland Hunters," which topped the Netflix global chart immediately after its release on Jan. 26, is a work by director Heo Myeong-haeng and his longtime partner, actor Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok. “We were looking for something to do together and because he (Lee) works often on new scenarios, he discovered this story and suggested we do it together,” Heo told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Tuesday. Having spent more

Feb. 1, 2024

YB returns with nationwide tour

Leading rock band YB returns with a national concert tour, "2024 YB Tour Lights: Infinity." The legendary band kicks off its tour on March 9 at the Chunma Art Center of Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, for a two-day run. The band will visit 10 cities in total, also including Suwon, Ansan and Yongin in Gyeonggi Province, Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, Busan, Jeonju in North Jeolla Province, Incheon, Wonju in Gangwon Province and Gwangju. "Lights&

Feb. 1, 2024

Too hot to handle? K-pop stars' ‘no pants’ look sparks debate

It is safe to say that the pantsless trend has firmly planted its roots in Korea, especially within the K-pop scene. This look has triggered mixed reactions, with some arguing that it is a way of expressing freedom while others say that it is too provocative and simply inappropriate. The now-trending no-pants look speaks for itself, featuring a style that discards pants, skirts or any bottom-covering attire, except for briefs, often paired with tights. The origins of this look can be traced

Feb. 1, 2024