Pledis to launch first boy group in nine years after Seventeen

Pledis Entertainment, the agency that produced K-pop idol group Seventeen, is launching a new boy group for the first time in nine years. Called TWS, it is also the first rookie group that Pledis has produced after the company was acquired by Hybe in 2020. TWS, short for "Twenty-four seven with us," implies its music will be around fans all the time, Pledis said, adding that it aims to debut the group within January next year. "Like Seventeen, Pledis has followed a unique naming

Dec. 21, 2023

G-Dragon to return with new album next year, set up anti-drug foundation

K-pop artist G-Dragon is making a comeback next year and will establish a foundation aiming to, in his words, "eradicate drugs." In a press conference held in Seoul on Thursday, G-Dragon’s new agency Galaxy Corporation explained the result of the recent police investigation on the artist’s alleged illegal drug use and his plans for next year. G-Dragon did not attend the press conference. “The Police wrapped up the drug investigation on G-Dragon without suspension. We

Dec. 21, 2023

[Herald Interview] As a monster fan, Lee Jin-uk takes prides in ‘Sweet Home 2’ role

Netflix Korean monster series “Sweet Home” launched its second season on Dec. 1, but the story remains unfinished, with a third season set for release in summer next year. In season two, Lee Jin-uk plays liquidlike monster Jung Ui-myeong, inhabiting the body of Pyeon Sang-wook, the contract killer portrayed by Lee in the first season. “I’m personally a big fan of animation and ‘creature’ genre flicks. As an avid watcher, I really liked how I came to act as bot

Dec. 21, 2023

Director Min Hong-nam’s debut Netflix thriller ‘The Bequeathed’ to release Jan. 19

Director Min Hong-nam, who worked as an assistant director under Yeon Sang-ho on his hit zombie thriller “Train to Busan,” is set to debut with his thriller series “The Bequeathed” on Netflix on Jan. 19, 2024. Co-written by Yeon, Min and Hwang Eun-young, the six-part “The Bequeathed” revolves around Seo-ha (Kim Hyun-joo), who suddenly receives notification of the death of her father’s younger brother. She inherits the family gravesite as his only remaini

Dec. 21, 2023

Lucid Fall to hold exhibition for essay book

Singer-songwriter Lucid Fall will hold a special exhibition to share experiences beyond the limits of the senses, commemorating the publication of his book of essays. "Everybody Hears," a collection of prose written during the time Lucid Fall was creating his second ambient album "Being-with," released on Dec. 12. In commemoration of the publication of this essay collection, the exhibition, designed to share Lucid Fall's sensibilities with the audience, offers opportunit

Dec. 20, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] TXT makes Oricon’s year-end chart

Tomorrow X Together entered Oricon’s annual ranking 2023 for fourth consecutive year, according to the chart published on Wednesday. Its second studio album in Japan, “Sweet” made No. 11 on the album ranking followed by its third studio album in Korea, “The Name Chapter: Freefall,” and fifth EP, “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” at Nos. 13 and 21, respectively. All three albums the quintet released this year made the chart. They also were on Billboard Jap

Dec. 20, 2023

Two popular Korean webtoons to be released as e-books in English

Two popular Korean webtoons available on Tappytoon, a digital webtoon platform developed and operated by Contents First, will be released as e-books in English. “The Broken Ring: This Marriage Will Fail Anyway” written by author Kim Chacha and “I Tamed My Ex-husband’s Mad Dog” by Jaekyum, will be released as English-language e-books, according to Contents First on Tuesday. The English e-book version of these webtoons was released on Amazon Kindle on Wednesday and wi

Dec. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Director Kim Han-min calls trilogy on Adm. Yi ‘blessing from heaven'

Director Kim Han-min who helmed “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” (2014), South Korea’s biggest hit of all time with 17 million admissions, spent the last decade producing a trilogy on Adm. Yi Sun-sin, one of the most revered figures in Korean history. On Wednesday, the epic finale “Noryang: Deadly Sea” opened in theaters. “I’m just not ready to leave Adm. Yi Sun-sin. To borrow his word, it was definitely a blessing from heaven – 'cheonhaeng

Dec. 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Seo In-guk hopes to convey life lesson that all moments are precious through 'Death's Game'

South Korean actor Seo In-guk said that through his latest drama series "Death's Game," he sought to deliver the message that all moments in life are worth living, even those that we consider a "waste of time." "Death's Game," Korean streaming service Tving's original series, is an 8-part fantasy drama series based on the popular webtoon of the same title, in which an unemployed man attempts suicide after a series of misfortunes. As he attempts suicid

Dec. 20, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Key to host solo concert next month

Key of SHINee is set to hold a solo concert in Seoul on Jan. 27-28, according to label SM Entertainment on Tuesday. The live show, named “2024 Keyland On: And On,” is his first solo gig in Korea in 15 months since the previous concert “G.O.A.T. In the Keyland.” The poster for the upcoming event featured a vending machine with several of the veteran idol’s signature furry mascot Boksiri wearing different costumes. Meanwhile, Key and his bandmates honored the late Jo

Dec. 19, 2023

Top musical stars compete for best actor honors at Korea Musical Awards

In a highly competitive selection process this year, musical stars Kim Jun-su, Cho Seung-woo, Choi Jae-rim, Hong Kwang-ho and Park Kang-hyun were nominated for the best actor award at the 8th Korea Musical Awards. The Korea Musical Theatre Association unveiled the final nominees for the awards during a press conference held at Seoul’s Hongik Art Center, on Monday. In the grand prize, "22 Years and 2 Months," "The Devil: Eden,” “The Secret Garden,” “Su

Dec. 19, 2023

How Hybe trains and develops its artists

K-pop powerhouse Hybe unveiled the training and development program that gave rise to its superstars such as BTS, TXT, Le Sserafim and NewJeans. On Tuesday, the label released five episodes of training and development stories on its official YouTube channel. The video clips show many artists who have been trained by Hybe, including members of BTS, TXT, Enhypen, Le Sserafim and &Team, as well as the people in charge of the training and development program talking about their experiences. Hybe

Dec. 19, 2023

'Silent as the grave' gets new meaning in Korean theaters

Most people can agree that it is ideal for audience members to make as little noise as possible during plays or musicals. But South Korean theater fans have been divided over the widespread policy that takes it to another level: the so-called "siche-gwangeuk," which refer to the practice of watching while being "still as a corpse." Last week, a controversy broke out when a reporter wrote a critical article on a production of the musical "Lee Jin: The Woman of Light.&qu

Dec. 19, 2023

JYP forms new Japanese boy group NexZ

JYP Entertainment has finalized the members of its new Japanese boy group, NexZ, through the global audition "Nizi Project Season 2." In the final episode of "Nizi Project Season 2," which ran on JYP's official YouTube channel and streaming service Hulu Japan, the seven members -- Tomoya, Haru, Yuki, Ken, Yu, Yuhi and Seita – were announced with their new group name NexZ. All but Ken, the only Korean member, are Japanese nationals. The global audition held prelimin

Dec. 19, 2023

Park Seo-joon, Han So-hee drawn to period monster genre of ‘Gyeongseong Creature’

South Korean acting all-stars Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee were drawn in by the unique background and genre of “Gyeongseong Creature" in joining Netflix's upcoming creature feature series, the duo said Tuesday. Directed by Jung Dong-yoon of the hit baseball drama “Stove League” (2019) and written by Kang Eun-kyung of the “Dr. Romantic” series, “Gyeongseong Creature” revolves around a young man and woman in Gyeongseong, today's Seoul, in th

Dec. 19, 2023

K-pop hits 100m copies in annual album sales milestone in 2023

The K-pop industry has achieved an unprecedented milestone this year as annual domestic sales of physical albums reached the 100 million mark. Circle Chart, a leading tracker of local albums sales, reported Tuesday that the top 400 physical albums collectively sold 116 million copies in the first 11 months of 2023. This represents a remarkable 144 percent increase from 80 million copies in the same period last year, setting a record of 100 million copies in annual sales even before factoring in

Dec. 19, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Solo work from BTS’ Jungkook remains strong on charts

The solo single from Jungkook of BTS continues to dominate music charts across the world, even though he began serving his mandatory military service last week. “Standing Next to You,” the focus track from his solo album “Golden,” reclaimed the top spot on Billboard’s digital song sales chart. It is the fourth week the song is spending atop the chart, a record for a K-pop solo act. The lead single is staying on Billboard’s Hot 100 for five weeks in a row, cli

Dec. 18, 2023

Hip-hop trio Epik High rides high on 20th anniversary concerts

Legendary hip-hop trio Epik High held three packed, back-to-back concerts marking the group's 20th anniversary, proving that the group is as strong as ever. “Epik High 20th Anniversary Concert,” held at SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium, drew a total of 15,000 concertgoers over the three days. Two concerts were originally planned for Friday and Saturday but a third was added for Sunday as all seats sold out immediately upon ticket opening. During the three-hour concert, Epik High pe

Dec. 18, 2023

Localization, copyright issues biggest obstacles to streaming platforms’ global expansion: CEOs

Localization and copyright issues are the biggest hurdles standing in the way of local streaming platforms’ global expansion, said heads of local streamers Watcha, Wavve, Tving and Coupang Play, pointing to the need for government-run funds to support the industry. “The streaming business is all about global expansion. (In that context), we don’t have any issues in terms of technical difficulties against Netflix. Rather, it is the localization cost that is the issue when compet

Dec. 18, 2023

Yoasobi's sold-out concerts prove J-pop still strong in Korea

Despite freezing weather, about 4,000 fans gathered at Korea University’s Hwajung Gymnasium on Sunday to see Japanese duo Yoasobi perform. “I am so excited to enjoy Yoasobi’s songs performed live. As a J-pop fan, I hope more singers from abroad would consider visiting Korea,” said Yoon Jin-young, who was waiting in line to get a ticket. Yoasobi, who debuted in 2019, is a duo with a unique concept of reinterpreting novels into music. Producer Ayase is in charge of lyrics a

Dec. 18, 2023