[Today’s K-pop] Pentagon’s Hui goes solo

Hui of Pentagon held a media showcase for his new solo album in Seoul on Tuesday and talked about debuting as a solo musician, after eight years as the leader and main vocalist of the band. Introducing himself as a “solo rookie artist,” he said that everything still feels surreal. “I’ve put quite a long time into this and thinking that I get to unveil (this) today has made me shake since yesterday,” said the singer and songwriter, who has fully devoted himself to p

Jan. 16, 2024

Cho Seung-woo, Jeong Sun-ah, 'SheStars!' win at Korea Musical Awards

The creators and actors of “Memphis,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “If, Then” were recognized as the most accredited musicals, while the “failed” “SheStars!” was named best musical of the year at the eighth Korea Musical Awards that took place Monday evening. Co-written by Kolleen Park and Jeon Su-yang and directed by Park, “SheStars!” traces back through various girl K-pop groups from the 1930s to 1970s. “We faile

Jan. 16, 2024

FT Island to go on Asia tour

FT Island is embarking on an Asia tour, “2024 FT Island Live ‘Hey Day’ in Asia,” this month to meet with its fans abroad. The band’s first stop is Macao on Jan. 27, followed by Bangkok on Feb. 3, Taipei on Feb. 18, Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 24, Hong Kong on March 2, Jakarta on March 16 and Singapore on March 22, according to FNC Entertainment. Tickets to the shows in Taipei and Kuala Lumpur are already sold out. FT Island is preparing a setlist that includes a solo drum

Jan. 16, 2024

Post-apocalypse Netflix original ‘Badland Hunters’ packed with Don Lee action

A household name in South Korea for crime-action franchise flicks, actor Don Lee – also known as Ma Dong-seok here – has joined hands with his long-time partner, martial arts director Heo Myung-haeng, for Netflix original film “Badland Hunters." The dystopian action film, which opens on Jan. 26, is Heo’s directorial debut film. Set in a post-earthquake Seoul where society has completely collapsed, fearless hunter Nam-san (Lee) goes out to rescue Soo-na (Roh Jeong-eui

Jan. 16, 2024

[Herald Interview] Sistar19 shows maturity in new single 'No More (Ma Boy)'

Sistar19, the unit from the now-defunct girl group Sistar, is back with a new single album “No More (Ma Boy).” This is the duo's first new single album in 11 years. Hyolyn and Bora of Sistar19 show what it is to sing and dance in a relaxed and composed manner, a change that comes from years in the K-pop scene. “We released our first digital single as Sistar19 just three years after our debut so we were really tense when performing. But with this new album, we wanted to sho

Jan. 16, 2024

Nmixx returns with new EP, 'Fe304: BREAK,' to break social prejudice

K-pop girl group Nmixx hopes to break prejudice and create a society in which everyone can be equally loved, which is a message the group hopes to portray through its new EP, “Fe304: BREAK.” Donning strange but cute hats, the group held a press conference Monday to introduce its new album, the first in six months. “Today we are dressed in red and black. We hoped to represent prisoners who want to break free from the hardships they face in the real world and head toward a utopia

Jan. 16, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS tops 500m views with ‘Black Swan’ music video

    BTS generated 500 million views on YouTube with the music video for “Black Swan,” according to label Big Hit Music on Monday. It is the band’s 17th music video to reach the milestone. “Black Swan” is a B-side track from its fourth studio album “Map of the Soul: 7” which came out in 2020. The song was dropped in advance and ranked No. 57 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 46 on UK’s Official Singles Top 100. It also topped iTune

Jan. 15, 2024

Are Korean dramas struggling on Netflix?

Despite the continued success of Netflix's global hit Korean drama originals such as “Squid Game,” "The Glory," and "Hellbound," which have all topped Netflix's non-English TV series weekly chart in succession, Netflix's recent K-drama original releases made at higher production costs are struggling to reap the same results. According to Netflix's "Global Top 10" list, which ranks its titles in four categories including "Film (En

Jan. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] Tei hopes to exceed expectations with dream role in 'Rebecca'

South Korean singer and actor Tei embarked on his journey as a ballad singer in 2003, leaving a strong impression on the public with chart-topping hits such as "Love Leaves Its Scent" and "Same Pillow." Transitioning to musicals, Tei made his debut on the stage in 2012's "Sherlock Holmes.” His career has steadily continued with productions like "Gone With the Wind" (2018) and "Gwangju" (2020). Recently, the 40-year-old actor took on the rol

Jan. 15, 2024

[Herald Review] Lee Junho returns as soloist with sold-out concert

While he is known for his multitude of talents, Lee Junho once again proved himself to be a highly skilled singer at his two-day solo concert in Seoul, his first in five years. After completing his mandatory military service in March 2021, Lee focused on his acting career, taking part in projects like the hit TV series “Red Sleeves” and “King The Land,” where he played the charismatic male leads. On Sunday, almost 11,000 fans filled Jamsil Indoor Stadium for Lee’s s

Jan. 15, 2024

Hit foreign films reopen at local theaters

Hit foreign films with large fan bases are reopening at local theaters. Japanese animation “The First Slam Dunk” began its second round of screening on Jan. 4 to celebrate the first anniversary of its theatrical release at cinemas nationwide. The film adaptation of the popular Japanese basketball comic book series "Slam Dunk" topped 4.7 million tickets sold in just two months after it hit local theaters in January last year. Following the movie’s success, special scre

Jan. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Single's Inferno 3' may be most successful season yet

The producers of Netflix dating show "Single's Inferno 3" said the third season was the most successful compared to previous seasons. The last episode of "Single's Inferno 3" was aired Tuesday amid much excited squabbles about the cast's actions and their decisions on their final partners. "'Single's Inferno' and 'Single's Inferno 2' garnered total viewing hours of some 6 million viewing hours, respectively, but the third seas

Jan. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] KCM celebrates 20th anniversary with gratitude for fans

Marking the 20th year of his ballad singer career, KCM returned with a new album, “US,” sending gratitude to his fans on Sunday. The album is the finale of the first chapter of his life, as well as the starting point of his next chapter, according to KCM. From the album title, "US," to the first track "To My Fans," which he wrote and composed himself, KCM's new album is full of his love for his fans. "When I held my 20th anniversary concert in November,

Jan. 15, 2024

'Island' wins best original digital drama at Asian Television Awards

South Korean streaming service Tving said Sunday its original drama series "Island" notched an accolade at the 2023 Asian Television Awards, which honors production achievements in the Asian television industry annually. According to Tving, the first part of "Island" won the award for best original digital drama series at the 28th ATA held in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. "Island," helmed by star director Park Bae-jong, who is best known for the hit film "Welcom

Jan. 14, 2024

[What to watch] 'Kim Dae-jung on the Road,' experimental film at Emu Cinema

Away from big blockbusters and crowded multiplex chains, enjoy a cozier and calmer cinema experience at Emu Cinema. Emu Cinema, located in Jongno-gu, Seoul is part of the four-story building, Emu Art Space, which also houses a bar, a cafe and a gallery. The small cinema screens Korean and foreign-language independent films as well as other non-blockbuster films and classics. Tickets cost 9,000 won and students get a discount at 8,000 won. For early screenings, seniors, and moviegoers with disabi

Jan. 13, 2024

NewJeans wins 4 trophies at CCMA

Girl group NewJeans won the most trophies at the Circle Chart Music Awards 2023, a popular music award ceremony hosted by Circle Chart, while Babymonster, Zerobaseone and Riize all won the Rookie of the Year award. Circle Chart, a leading tracker of local album sales, held the annual music awards ceremony at Bexco in Busan on Wednesday. The winners for 2023 were determined by the commercial performances of albums and songs based on the tracker's chart from Dec. 1, 2022, to Nov. 30, 2023. Ar

Jan. 13, 2024

[Herald Interview] From Spain to Korea, Grupo Vocal Millennium hopes to rekindle Korean folk music

Dressed in traditional Korean hanbok, Spanish vocalists serenade audiences with the melodic tunes of Korean folk songs and "Arirang "-- not in Korea, but in Spain. Well before the global phenomenon of K-pop took hold, Lim Jae-sik, the artistic director of Spain's Grupo Vocal Millennium, dedicated himself to getting professional singers in Spain to sing Korean songs. In 1999, Lim, a lifelong member and head of tenors at RTVE Choir, the oldest professional choir in Spain, recruited

Jan. 12, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans hits 2m sales mark in record 17 months

The second EP of NewJeans sold over 2 million units as of last month, said agency Ador on Friday. It is the group’s first album to hit the milestone and the quintet achieved the feat in 17 months since its debut, setting a record for a K-pop female artist. The EP was rolled out in July last year and sold more than 1.65 million copies in the first week, becoming the second-most sold album from a K-pop female act.  The album debuted atop Billboard 200 and is staying on the main albums

Jan. 12, 2024

Jungkook nominated in 4 categories at People’s Choice Awards

BTS’ Jungkook has been nominated in four categories at this year's People’s Choice Awards, a record-breaking feat for a K-pop soloist. The list of nominees for the 2024 People’s Choice Awards unveiled on Thursday showed Jungkook was nominated for the Male Artist of the Year, the Pop Artist of the Year, the New Artist of the Year and the Collaboration Song of the Year awards. The People’s Choice Awards is a US awards show that began in 1975 to recognize people in the

Jan. 12, 2024

Netflix ‘The Bequeathed’ the most ‘Korean’ thriller: director

“The Bequeathed” director Min Hong-nam said Friday he was focused on creating the most “Korean” thriller, while making the drama, which will be Netflix Korea’s first original this year. Having worked as the assistant director to Yeon Sang-ho in “Train to Busan” (2016), “Psychokinesis” (2018) and “Peninsula” (2020), Min is making his directorial debut with the six-part series, which was produced and co-written by Yeon. “The p

Jan. 12, 2024