[Herald Review] ‘Noryang,’ a grand finale to trilogy on Adm. Yi Sun-sin

Director Kim Han-min returned to the silver screen after 1 1/2 years to bring to a close his decadelong project on Admiral Yi Sun-sin, this time with the epic finale “Noryang: Deadly Sea.” A lot larger in scale, “Noryang" features epic characters and more sophisticated computer graphics than its first installment “The Admiral: Roaring Currents,” South Korea’s biggest hit of all time with 17 million admissions, and its prequel “Hansan: Rising Dragon.

Dec. 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Lee Junho to host solo concert in Seoul in Jan 2024

Lee Junho of 2PM will hold a standalone solo concert in Seoul on Jan. 13-14 next year, announced label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. The solo gig, titled “The Day We Meet Again,” is in line with his arena tour in Japan for which the singer and actor played to sold-out audiences in July and August. He will be hosting a solo live show in Korea for the first time in about five years. He has greeted fans in eight cities across Asia for solo fan meet tour after the successful run of th

Dec. 13, 2023

Twice to hold encore concert in North America

Girl group Twice will hold its fifth world tour encore concert at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in March. The group’s agency JYP Entertainment has released the poster of an encore concert of Twice's fifth world tour “Ready to Be” on its official social media feeds. The concert will take place at the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on March 16, 2024. As part of its fifth world tour, Twice has held concerts at large venues in Asia, Oceania and North Amer

Dec. 13, 2023

Hybe ranks fifth on Billboard's 'Top Promoter' chart

Hybe, driven by the strong performance of various artists under its wings including K-pop sensation BTS, has recorded global tour sales of about 250 billion won ($189 million) this year. The agency ranked fifth in Billboard's "Top Promoter" chart, making it the only Korean company to be ranked among the top 10. Billboard's "The Year In Tour 2023" report on world tours of pop stars from Nov. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30 shows that Hybe’s artists attracted about 1.6 mill

Dec. 13, 2023

'The Glory' third-most watched title on Netflix globally

The first season of South Korean Netflix original drama series "The Glory" was the third-most watched title on Netflix globally in the first half of this year, according to Netflix. On Wednesday, Netflix released its first biannual report titled "What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report," covering some 18,000 titles ranked based on the hours viewed during the January to June period. The report shows "The Glory: Season 1," which includes parts 1 and 2, ranked as

Dec. 13, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ Jungkook garners 300m views with solo music video

Jungkook of BTS amassed 300 million views on YouTube with the music video for his solo single “Seven (Feat. Latto),” Big Hit Music announced Tuesday. The video took about five months to reach the milestone, after having hit 100 million views on the platform in 10 days. The single swept music charts across the world, debuting atop Billboard’s Hot 100 and ranking No. 3 on the UK’s Official top 100 singles chart. It topped iTunes top songs chart in 106 regions and charted N

Dec. 12, 2023

[News Analysis] What CJ ENM gains from uniting US, Japanese content firms

Japanese film and TV studio Toho International's $225 million investment in the US studio of South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM is seen by industry experts as CJ ENM's move to strategically assemble a content powerhouse as it readies to battle streaming giants Netflix and Disney+. Toho International is the American branch of the Japanese production firm behind the current box office hit, “Godzilla Minus One.” The Korean release of the film has not yet been confirmed. S

Dec. 12, 2023

Itzy unveils new album concept, announces world tour

Girl group Itzy, who will open the new year with a new album and world tour, has raised anticipation with its first teaser image for the upcoming release. The album "Born To Be," which will be released on Jan. 8, features 10 songs, including the title track "Untouchable." The teaser image released on the group's official website showed the members posing like warriors against a red and blue background. One of the highlights is that the album features each member's f

Dec. 12, 2023

Jimin and Jungkook begin mandatory military service

Jimin and Jungkook of the internationally loved boy band BTS began their mandatory military service, Tuesday, as the last members to be enlisted. All seven members of BTS are now in the military. Jimin and Jungkook entered the boot camp at the 5th Infantry Division in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province. Prior to the members’ enlistment, BTS’ agency asked fans to refrain from visiting the training center to prevent possible safety accidents by congestion. Fans posted placards and sent buses

Dec. 12, 2023

Lucid Fall returns as musical explorer

Back with a new ambient record, singer-songwriter Lucid Fall returns as a diligent explorer who collects, combines, and twists sounds around us. “After some transition period, I feel like my identity has split into two parts: Lucid Fall who makes songs, and Lucid Fall who explores through sounds,” the artist said in a group interview Thursday. The album "Being-with," his second ambient music album after “Dancing With Water” in 2020, is a collection of five piece

Dec. 12, 2023

Will BTS' V join special forces, defending Seoul and fighting terrorism?

After Jimin and Jungkook's enlistment on Tuesday, all seven member of K-pop superstar band BTS will be enlisted in the mandatary military service, which is required by all able-bodied South Korean men. V in particular has his eyes on becoming a member of the special forces unit of the command defending the nation's capital. It has been reported that the soon-to-be 28-year-old has applied to serve in the 35th Special Mission Battalion, a counterterrorism unit of the Capital Defense Comm

Dec. 12, 2023

Original foreign animations, budget films outshine blockbusters in 2023

This year saw Korean cinemas slowly coming back to life from the damage of the pandemic, bringing more moviegoers to theaters than last year. However, ticket sales show that it's not blockbusters or sequels that satisfy audiences, but original storytelling and unique foreign animated and budget films. According to Korea Film Council data, a total of 111.6 million moviegoers visited theaters from Jan. 1 to Dec. 7 this year. Considering that a total of 112.8 million people visited theaters fr

Dec. 11, 2023

‘The Nature Man’ wins grand prize at 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival

Director Noh Young-seok’s “The Nature Man” won the grand prize at the 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival, the organizer announced Monday. “The Nature Man,” starring Shin Un-seop, Byun Jae-sin and Jeong Yong-hoon, tells the story of two ghost-seeking YouTubers who happen to meet a bizarre man who lives in a forest by himself. The director wrote, shot and edited the film. He also did the art and music direction for the film. Judges for the film fest said “The

Dec. 11, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Ateez lands atop Billboard 200

Ateez bagged the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200 with second studio album, according to the preview article published on Sunday in the US. LP “The World Ep. Fin: Will” is the band’s first chart-topper, surpassing the record it set with previous album, “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” which claimed the No. 2 spot on the main albums chart in July. The new album ranked No. 2 on UK’s Official top 100 albums chart as well, another career-high for the eight-member act. The 1

Dec. 11, 2023

Hanwha Classic continues with decade-long promotion of Baroque music

When the Hanwha Classic, a 10-year-old concert series that highlights Baroque music, returns this year with a top Italian ensemble and star mandolinist, it will be offering a rare chance not only for period music fans but also for the musicians who continue to evolve to enjoy Baroque music. Titled “Unity: Il Giardino Armonico and Avi Avital,” the concerts will take place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center. For the 10th anniversary of the Hanwha Classic

Dec. 11, 2023

Short film streaming platform Samansa launches in Korea

Samansa, a streaming platform that specializes in short films, has soft-launched operations in South Korea, becoming its second country of operations. The service, founded in Japan in 2021, provides some 800 short films from around the world, with subtitle options including Japanese and Korean. The platform claims 45,000 subscribers and 200,000 monthly active users in Japan, with numbers growing by 10 to 15 percent, monthly. "There's rapid technological development in the way people wa

Dec. 11, 2023

RM and V begin mandatory military service

RM and V of K-pop sensation BTS began their mandatory military service Monday. The two bandmates entered an Army training center in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province together, according to industry sources. V is reported to have volunteered to serve in the 35th Special Mission Battalion, a special duty team in charge of defending Seoul. RM and V bid farewell to their fans through various posts on their personal social media accounts and the fan community platform, Weverse. “The hardest pa

Dec. 11, 2023

BTS' RM, Jimin, V, Jungkook to enlist in military this week

BTS' RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook are set to begin their mandatory military service this week, following in the footsteps of their three bandmates who are already serving their duties. RM and V are scheduled to join the Army on Monday, while Jimin and Jungkook will follow them the next day. Currently, three other members -- Jin, J-Hope and Suga -- are serving in the military. "The day has finally come," RM said on Weverse, a K-pop fan community platform, on Sunday. "I was really

Dec. 10, 2023

Ateez lands on UK chart with 2nd LP, to go on world tour

K-pop boy group Ateez’s second studio album, “The World Ep. Fin: Will,” landed at No. 2 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart Top 100 Saturday. The chart is compiled by the Official Charts Co. based on sales of CDs and vinyls, downloads, audio streams and video streams. Ateez debuted on the same chart with its ninth mini album, “The World Ep. 2: Outlaw,” in June this year. Ateez is the second K-pop boy group to land on the Official Album Chart Top 100 following K-

Dec. 10, 2023

'Dune: Part Two' to be more action-packed, fast-moving: director

The American epic sci-fi film "Dune," which grossed $402 million worldwide, will hit local theaters in February with its long-awaited sequel. "Dune" is the film adaptation of Frank Herbert's renowned novel of the same title released on 2021. The film follows the narrative of Paul Atreides -- a young nobleman who rises to command a desert army in a conflict for dominance over the planet's precious resource, Spice. Denis Villeneuve, the French Canadian film director a

Dec. 8, 2023