[Today’s K-pop] Ive hits 100m views with ‘Kitsch’ music video

Ive amassed 100 million views with the music video for “Kitsch,” according to agency Starship Entertainment on Friday. It is the group’s fifth music video to reach the milestone, following those of “Eleven,” “Love Dive,” “After Like” and “I Am.” “Kitsch” -- along with “I Am” – fronted the six-member act’s first studio album, “I’ve Ive,” which came out in April. The LP sold mor

Nov. 3, 2023

NTOK Live+ to screen latest plays from UK, Netherlands

The National Theater of Korea will screen three plays in November as part of “NTOK Live+,” a program introducing prominent overseas theatrical performances. Three classic plays -- Shakespeare’s “Othello,” Euripides’ “Medea” and Chekhov’s “The Seagull” -- have been reinterpreted by the National Theatre in London, the International Theater Amsterdam and the Jamie Lloyd Company in London, respectively. All three works are being scree

Nov. 3, 2023

Korean National Ballet returns with comic 'La Fille Mal Gardee'

The Korean National Ballet is set to mesmerize audiences with "The Wayward Daughter" ("La Fille Mal Gardee" in French), a delightful comic ballet that portrays the love story of an ordinary couple. The performance is scheduled to take place at the Seoul Arts Center's Opera Theater from Nov. 8 to 12. Choreographed by Jean Dauberval in 1789, this ballet piece stands as one of the oldest surviving full-length ballets. Last year, the Korean National Ballet introduced its ren

Nov. 3, 2023

Tving’s ‘High School Mystery Club’ to return with season 3

Korean streaming service Tving recently confirmed the return of its franchise entertainment show “High School Mystery Club” with a third season. “High School Mystery Club” (2021-22), the service's first-ever original show, revolves around five high school girls -- who are not in fact actual students, transferring to a suspicious school where a mysterious murder case and strange phenomenon occur. The same cast -- TV personality Park Ji-yoon, Jaejae, comedian Jang Do-y

Nov. 3, 2023

Shin Min-a turns from professor to countryside eatery owner in ‘Our Season’

Actor Shin Min-a turns into eatery owner Jin-joo, who sells homecooked food based on her mother’s recipes in “Our Season,” which confirmed its release in local theaters on Dec. 6. Veteran actor Kim Hae-sook appears as Shin’s mother, Bok-ja, who has come to visit her as part of her “vacation from heaven,” following the lead of a guide who has arranged the visit down from heaven, played by Kang Ki-young. While Bok-ja can see her daughter from a close distance, J

Nov. 3, 2023

Jungkook welcomes 'golden moment' of his life with 1st solo album

Jungkook of BTS presents his journey since debuting on the K-pop scene, showing that he is now living the “golden moment” of his life, in his first official solo album, “Golden” which dropped Friday. "Golden” carries 11 tracks and is led by the title track, “Standing Next to You.” Jungkook’s previously released singles “Seven” and “3D” are also included in this album. “The title track is of the retro funk genre an

Nov. 3, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Brave Citizen” (South Korea) Opens Oct. 25 Drama/Action Directed by Park Jin-pyo Substitute teacher So Si-min (Shin Hae-sun), a former boxer, dons a cat mask and takes justice into her own hands when she notices the bullying antics of Han Soo-gang (Lee Jun-young), dubbed "crazy dog," who constantly gets into fights with other students. “Killers of the Flower Moon” (US) Opened Oct. 19 Drama/Crime Directed by Martin Scorsese A series of murders target the Osa

Nov. 3, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen sweeps charts in Japan with 11th EP

Seventeen placed its 11th EP atop four charts listed by Billboard Japan, according to the latest tally published Wednesday. “Seventeenth Heaven” also landed atop Oricon’s weekly albums ranking, becoming the group's seventh consecutive and 11th in total to do so. The band has the most albums achieve the feat on the weekly chart, according to agency Pledis Entertainment. The mini album sold more than 5.09 million copies in the first week, setting the new high mark for first-week

Nov. 2, 2023

SPO and Lim Yun-chan to perform together in Seoul in January

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and piano sensation Lim Yun-chan will take the stage together in January, according to MOC Productionon on Thursday. The SPO, under the new music director Jaap van Zweden, will kick off its new season in January next year. The collaboration with Lim will take place Jan. 25 at the Seoul Arts Center and Jan. 26 at the Lotte Concert Hall as part of the SPO's regular concert. Before the January concerts, Lim, who won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Pia

Nov. 2, 2023

Jungkook, Red Velvet, Stray Kids, new YG girl group among year-end lineup

The year-end is set to be filled by some of the biggest and most-anticipated names from K-pop, including those from the nation's top powerhouses SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment and Hybe. Topping the list, which is full of over a dozen names, is BTS's Jungkook, who will drop his first solo album, "Golden," on Friday. The album will be fronted by "Standing Next You," another gem produced by Andrew Watt and Cirkut, the producers behind Jungkook&

Nov. 2, 2023

Viviz goes all out for 4th EP ‘Versus’

The members of K-pop girl group Viviz poured all their energy and efforts into creating the group's fourth EP “Versus” over the course of their 10-month break. “We used a lot of our time to come up with an album that can show various facets of our group, Viviz. We wanted to show that we are a group with a wide spectrum,” said Viviz in a press release Thursday. The trio’s fourth EP is led by the title track “Maniac” and four sidetracks “Unti

Nov. 2, 2023

TVXQ to hold 20th-anniversary concert next month

Legendary K-pop boy group TVXQ is celebrating its 20th debut anniversary by holding a standalone concert on Dec. 30-31 in Seoul. According to SM Entertainment, the concert is titled “20&2” and the venue will be announced soon. TVXQ’s offline standalone concert in South Korea comes for the first time in four years and nine months. The duo is expected to perform the singles comprising its ninth LP, which is set to be released before the concert on Dec. 26, as well as its prev

Nov. 2, 2023

J.Y. Park and Kim Wan-sun to collaborate on new song

K-pop legends J.Y. Park and Kim Wan-sun are collaborating on a new song, "Changed Man," set for release on Nov. 20, according to JYP Entertainment on Thursday. The song, which brings back the synth pop sounds of the 1980s -- a perfect fit for Kim, who was one of the era's most celebrated stars. Kim debuted in 1986 and reigned in the 1980s and 1990s with her sensational concept and charismatic performances. Her biggest hit was "Pierrot Smiles at Us," which was released in

Nov. 2, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans stays strong on Billboard 200

The second EP from NewJeans charted on the Billboard 200 dated Nov. 4, extending the group's streak to its 14th week in a row. The rookie girl group’s EP, “Get Up,” ranked No. 98, down from the No. 84 spot it held last week, but it recorded the second-longest streak for a K-pop girl group, only after Blackpink’s first studio album, “The Album,” that hung on for 26 weeks. The album hit the main albums chart in August at No. 1. Meanwhile, main tracks from the m

Nov. 1, 2023

Weeekly invites listeners to enter universe where dreams come true

K-pop girl group Weeekly hopes to reach new heights with its fifth EP, “ColoRise,” which was released Wednesday. The release marks the group's comeback after a year and seven months. “For fans who have waited for us, we wanted to show you that we made use of this time to enhance our talents. This album is proof that we are ready to show that we are capable of taking on new music genres,” said Park So-eun of Weeekly during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday. W

Nov. 1, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Zzz’ lulls audience to sleep through onstage performance

A new contemporary performance taking place in Seoul gently lulls its audience to sleep. The three-hour performance of "Zzz," which kicked off Tuesday at the Quad in Daehagno, allows the audience to lie down and take a nap at any time during the show. Choreographer Hwang Soo-hyun, known for "Sense of Black" and "Cavae," has long strived to break the barriers between the stage and the audience, delving into unique sensory experiences during her performances. In April

Nov. 1, 2023

Dreamcatcher to present new album 'VillanS' on Nov. 22

Girl group Dreamcatcher is returning. The band's label Dreamcatcher Company on Wednesday announced the septet will drop a new album on Nov. 22. The ninth EP from the group, "VillainS" will be Dreamcatcher's first release since "From Us" in May. The promotions scheduler for the album released by the company showed it would release content ranging from individual teaser videos and images to lyrics spoiler clips and a dance preview in the lead-up to the release. Consis

Nov. 1, 2023

Director touts Netflix’s ‘Daily Dose of Sunshine’ as warm tale for adults

Director Lee Jae-gyu, most recently known for “All of Us Are Dead,” has returned with comedy series “Daily Dose of Sunshine,” a Netflix original series set in a psychiatric ward. Park Bo-young stars as a kind-hearted nurse working at a psychiatric ward, dealing with a variety of patients and colleagues. Lee Jung-eun (“Parasite,” “Our Blues”) appears as a head nurse who supports Da-eun. Yeon Woo-jin stars as Go-yoon, a doctor in charge of proctologi

Nov. 1, 2023

Women’s stories continue to resonate with Korean viewers

More drama series with diverse women in the lead are expected to dominate South Korean TV screens over the remainder of the year. Several new shows last year, including “Juvenile Justice,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Under the Queen’s Umbrella” and “Twenty-Five Twenty-One,” garnered greater-than-expected attention from viewers with their strong, independent women. This year, TV dramas with bold, no-nonsense women have proved a strong trend

Nov. 1, 2023

Davichi to return with new single next month

K-pop pop-ballad duo Davichi is returning with a new single on Nov. 15, according to WakeOne Entertainment. The duo’s last release was their sixth EP “Season Note” in May last year. Davichi, consisting of Lee Hae-ri and Kang Min-kyung, made its debut in February 2008 with its first studio album “Amaranth.” Since its debut, the duo has made a name for themselves with outstanding vocals that go in harmony with one another. Prior to the upcoming release, Davichi is hol

Nov. 1, 2023