[Herald Review] “The Lion King” brings grand spectacle to Korea

Truth be told, it feels almost irrelevant to discuss how great “The Lion King” musical is: What hasn’t been said about the multiple Tony Award-winning show that has been seen by over 95 million worldwide, across more than 100 cities in 20 countries? But seeing it onstage in its original language, for the first time in Korea, was a reminder that “The Lion King” is not just about the story, the music, the message, colorful -- in every definition of the word -- characters and creative set. It is al

Nov. 11, 2018

Winner’s blue waves in the Philippines

Winner successfully wrapped up its first solo concert “Winner 2018 [Everywhere] Tour in Manila” in the Philippines on Saturday. Local fans threw special events for the group as gifts.  (Winner performs at “Winner 2018 [Everywhere] Tour in Manila” on Nov.10. / YG Entertainment)Fans flocked to the airport to welcome Winner by passionately singing “Everyday.” Banners showing images of each member adorned street lamps around the concert hall. The unique fashion donned by fans also grabbed attention,

Nov. 11, 2018

More than 100,000 tickets reserved for BTS documentary

Tickets sold in advance for an upcoming documentary about K-pop boy band BTS' ascent to global fame have passed the 100,000 mark, data showed Sunday.According to data compiled by the Korean Film Council, "Burn the Stage," set to be released Thursday in the domestic market, ranked No. 1 on the chart based on the ticket reservation rate, which is at 26.8 percent. This was followed by "Bohemian Rhapsody" with 21 percent and "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" with 20.4 percent. (Big Hit E

Nov. 11, 2018

Mamamoo fans to boycott December concert

Mamamoo’s fan association declared a boycott of the group’s upcoming December concert, as well as merchandise purchases, Saturday, in a protest against recent moves made by the act’s RBW entertainment agency. The fan group vowed to take firm actions against the agency until it gives sincere feedback regarding the improvement of labor conditions for the girl group, requesting specific measures including delaying the “2018 4 seasons F/W” concert. Mamamoo’s “Moomoo” fandom Friday issued a statement

Nov. 11, 2018

Black Pink performs before 10,000 fans in Seoul

A large arena in Seoul was rocked with cheers from some 10,000 fans when the sharp intro of "DDU-DU DDU-DU," the popular title track off girl group BlackPink's first EP album "Square Up," was played.The song opened the "Black Pink 2018 Tour [In Your Area] Seoul x BC Card" on Saturday night, the first solo concert in Korea by the rising rookie girl group since its debut in August 2016. Black Pink (YG Enetertainment)The concert at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena was originally set to begin at 6 p.m.

Nov. 11, 2018

SHINee's Onew to join Army next month

Popular boy band SHINee's leader Onew will begin his mandatory military service next month, his management agency said Friday."Onew will enter the military as an active-duty soldier on Oct.10," SM Entertainment said in a release. "We're not going to reveal the date and time of his entry as he wants to make it low-profile."He will have no separate event to bid farewell to his fans, it added. Onew (Yonhap)Debuting in 2008, Onew has released such hit songs as "Ring Ding Dong," "Lucifer," "Dream Gir

Nov. 9, 2018

Japan’s ‘Music Station’ cancels BTS appearance over ‘controversial’ T-shirt

BTS’ planned appearance on “Music Station,” a flagship music program of Japanese broadcaster Asahi, has been canceled, stirring up a whirlwind of controversy. The announcement came a day before the K-pop act’s scheduled appearance on the Japanese music program slated for Friday. “Music Station” stated on its official website, “A specific T-shirt worn by a BTS member caused a controversy, which was reported by media. We asked about the intention of wearing the outfit to the act’s agency and tried

Nov. 9, 2018

Red Velvet to drop fifth EP 'RBB'

Girl group Red Velvet will release its fifth EP, titled "RBB," on Nov. 30.The new album will have a total of six tracks, including the main song "Really Bad Boy," according to its agency, S.M. Entertainment. (S.M. Entertainment)The band hit domestic music charts with "Bad Boy" in January and "Power Up" in August. It later had a tour of Thailand, Taiwan and Singapore. The girls will have a tour of Japanese arenas in Fukuoka, Kobe and Yokohama in January next year, the agency said. The tour will b

Nov. 9, 2018

‘A Black Box’ looks at Korea’s modern history through photo of King Gojong

The Seoul Arts Center on Wednesday began a run of director Lee Su-in’s “A Black Box,” a 2017 play written by Lee Kang-baek.The story was inspired by a real picture of King Gojong that was presented to a US president’s daughter, who is known to have made belittling remarks about it. A scene from “A Black Box” (SAC)Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of US President Theodore Roosevelt, mentioned the picture in her autobiography, titled “Crowded Hours.” In the book, she wrote that King Gojong and t

Nov. 8, 2018

Stray Kids fight discrimination against big, dark-furred dogs

An animal rights organization in Seoul has teamed up with a boy band to increase awareness of prejudice against dark-furred dogs.Last Wednesday, Stray Kids were named honorary ambassadors for the “Black Dog Campaign” organized by a city-run animal rights nonprofit organization, Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, also known as CARE. President Moon Jae-in adopted a black-coated dog named Tori from CARE in July 2017. (Cheong Wa Dae)The campaign kicked off last year to address the tendency to pa

Nov. 8, 2018

BTS’ Japanese single tops Oricon chart

BTS has ranked No. 1 on the Oricon daily singles chart following its release of a new single.  (BigHit Entertainment)According to its agency, Big Hit Entertainment, the group’s ninth single “Fake Love/Airplane pt.2,” which was released Wednesday, climbed to the top of the Japanese chart with 327,342 points, beating the record of 269,861 for its previous album, “Mic Drop/DNA/Crystal Snow.”BTS also swept the top spots of iTunes top 200 charts in 10 countries, including Poland, Denmark and Portugal

Nov. 8, 2018

BTS content circulating among N. Korean teens: Unification Minister

South Korean pop culture is spreading in North Korea amid a surge in mobile phone use, according to Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon.“BTS-related content is understood to be circulating among young people in North Korea,” the minister said Monday during a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Special Committee on Budget and Accounts. (Big Hit Entertainment)Cho’s remark came as Rep. Yoon Hu-duk of the ruling Democratic Party asked him to corroborate the number of mobile phone subscriptio

Nov. 8, 2018

Sounds of Munich

Two acclaimed orchestras based in Munich will perform in Seoul later this month, in what are perhaps the most awaited concerts of the season. Their performances will feature pianists Sunwoo Ye-kwon and Evgeny Kissin, internationally acclaimed artists who enjoy huge popular following here. The Munich Philharmonic’s concert with pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon takes place on Nov. 22 at Sejong Center. The concert will highlight two symphonic works: Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 and Mah

Nov. 7, 2018

BTS wins Best Artist of the Year at 2018 MGA

The year 2018 has been an exhilarating ride for BTS, and what capped off a cascade of its impressive feats was a bagful of trophies at a K-pop award show in its home turf of South Korea.The group on Tuesday night received two grand awards, Best Artist of the Year and Digital Album of the Year, with its "Love Yourself" album at the 2018 MGA, a music award show jointly organized by Korean broadcaster MBC Plus and online music store Genie Music. The event was held at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon on

Nov. 7, 2018

[Video] BTS on red carpet at 2018 MGA

BTS hit the red carpet at the 2018 MBC Plus x Genie Music Awards, with multiple wins on the horizon.MBC Plus x Genie Music Awards or MGA is a newly launched K-pop music awards co-hosted by South Korea’s major television network MBC and music streaming platform Genie.(Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)(The Korea Herald)Fans and reporters were crowding the venue in Incheon hours before the red carpet officially began at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.BTS is the creme de la creme of the supers

Nov. 6, 2018

BTS RM’s UN speech used in textbooks, exams worldwide

BTS member RM’s United Nations speech has appeared in study material at schools worldwide, Herald Business reported Sunday. His speech was used in middle and high school classrooms for academic purposes in countries like South Korea, the US, Singapore and Vietnam. For example, at a Korean high school, in an English reading comprehension and composition exam that took place on Oct. 16, a problem went, “Read the following excerpt from BTS’ leader RM’s speech at UNICEF’s youth initiative ‘Generatio

Nov. 6, 2018

From BTS to Charlie Puth, what to expect from 2018 MGA

With the clock ticking to this year’s K-pop MGA awards, excitement has been running high, as the star-studded event will feature diversity in its nominations and exclusive collaborations.Here’s what we can expect from the highly anticipated awards show, which is set to be held at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon on Tuesday. 1. Head-turning performances and collaborations (BTS, Charlie Puth Twitter)The 2018 MGA will offer exclusive performances by beloved K-pop artists. Headlining the event is a join

Nov. 6, 2018

Twice’s ‘Yes or Yes’ dominates digital charts

K-pop group Twice is reigning over local digital music platforms with its latest EP “Yes or Yes.”The title track with the same name as the EP ranked No. 1 on multiple local music charts as soon as it was released on 6 p.m., Monday. It has topped six music streaming sites including Melon, Genie, Bugs, Soribada, Mnet and Naver Music, as of 8 a.m. Tuesday. (Twice official homepage)“Yes or Yes” is the sixth EP of the group, with songs including an electric-pop track with a bouncy hook declaring “Cho

Nov. 6, 2018

Violinist Yang In-mo releases first Deutsche Grammophon album

Violinist Yang In-mo on Monday released his first album under the Deutsche Grammophon label. The album is a live recording of a May 3 recital at Kumho Art Hall, where he performed all 24 caprices by Paganini.The latest album is imbued with his personal style, Yang, winner of the 2015 Paganini Competition, explained. “I think it was possible because it is Paganini. If I were to play Beethoven, it would have been totally different. (In other compositions) there is always a given formality (one is

Nov. 5, 2018

JYJ Junsu discharged from military

JYJ’s Xia Junsu, 31, was discharged from his alternative military duty in the conscripted police force on Monday. Junsu had enlisted in February 2017 on the same day as Big Bang’s T.O.P. The latter’s discharge date was pushed back to June 2019 after he failed a drug test while also serving with the conscripted police.Prior to his momentous day, Junsu spoke with a wire service about his experience with candor and detail. Yonhap News Agency on Sunday quoted Junsu as saying, “(The military is) a pl

Nov. 5, 2018