EXO poised to release album next month

K-pop heavyweight EXO will return to the music scene with a new album in early November.The nine-piece group, which performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, will release its fifth studio album, “Don’t Mess Up My Tempo,” on Nov. 2, its agency S.M. Entertainment announced Thursday.Fans are in for a treat as all the nine members including Chinese member Lay will get together and take part in the making of Chinese work for the album.  (S.M. Entertainment)The group’s

Oct. 4, 2018

Carla Bruni to throw her first concerts in S. Korea next month

Carla Bruni, an Italian-French singer-songwriter and the wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, will throw her first concerts in South Korea next month.    The first of the two performances will take place on Nov. 2 at a concert hall at Seoul's Kyunghee University before moving to Busan's Bexco Auditorium the next day, the events' organizer, Dream Maker Entertainment, said. French model Carla Bruni poses for photographs upon her arrival prior to the Yves Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 201

Oct. 2, 2018

BTS to appear on BBC's 'The Graham Norton Show'

The massively popular boy band BTS will appear on "The Graham Norton Show," a popular BBC talk show, next week, the group's agency said Monday.The band will appear on an episode of the show at 10:35 p.m. on Oct. 12 alongside actors Whoopi Goldberg, Rosamund Pike, and Jamie Dornan as well as singer Harry Connick Jr., according to Big Hit Entertainment.The seven-piece group will be in Europe from Oct. 9-20 as part of its world tour. Tickets for the upcoming concerts were sold out as soon as their

Oct. 1, 2018

[K-Talk] IU to release 10th anniversary single ‘BBI BBI’

Singer-songwriter IU is set to commemorate 10 years since her debut on Oct. 10 with the new single “BBI BBI.”On Monday, IU posted a teaser image for the new single on Instagram with the comment, “October 10 (at) 6 p.m. BBI BBI.” (Instagram)The new EP comes after a yearlong hiatus for the singer, who released cover album “A Flower Bookmark #2” in September 2017.“Originally, there was no official plan for the release of the new EP,” said IU’s agency, Kakao M, Monday. “But 2018 is a special year as

Oct. 1, 2018

BTS merchandise sale starts at Big Hit Shop

Big Hit Shop dominated local search engines Monday, when it started selling merchandise for BTS’ latest world tour.The merchandise shop run by BTS’ agency, Big Hit Entertainment, posted an announcement on its homepage Sunday, indicating that official merchandise for the “Love Yourself” tour would be available at the shop starting Oct. 1. (Big Hit Entertainment)For premium photos, key rings, magnets, picture scrolls and image pickets, the announcement said, sales would be limited to one product p

Oct. 1, 2018

Wanna One’s agency apologizes for manager’s violent act toward fan

Swing Entertainment has issued a formal apology for Wanna One’s manager, whose violent act toward a fan has sparked off a storm of criticism.  (Twitter)The incident took place Friday when Wanna One members were on their way to “KCON 2018 Thailand.” A video of the group’s departure from an airport in Thailand captured a manager of Wanna One swearing and pushing a fan with excessive force.  (Twitter)The video went viral and drew criticism. “The man pushing fans in the video is a manager of Wanna O

Sept. 30, 2018

NCT 127 to perform at Disney special on ABC

K-pop group NCT 127 will put up a musical performance at an upcoming American TV event celebrating Disney’s most iconic figure -- Mickey Mouse.The two-hour “Mickey’s 90th Spectacular” will air on Nov. 4 (EST) with appearances by stars from Disney movies and TV such as Kristen Bell, Sofia Carson and Tony Hale. NCT 127 (S.M. Entertainment)NCT 127 will be featured in the musical performance, along with Josh Groban, Leslie Odom Jr., Zac Brown and Meghan Trainor.According to the boy band’s label S.M.

Sept. 30, 2018

Returning Sunye explains reason for leaving Wonder Girls

Sunye of the now-disbanded K-pop girl group Wonder Girls insisted via Instagram that she’d “never thought about leaving the entertainment industry,” amid criticism from some fans that she is “being selfish” by making a comeback. After tying the knot with Korean-Canadian missionary James Park in 2013, Sunye went to live in Canada despite the fact that her contract with JYP Entertainment had not expired. It wasn’t until 2015 that the singer officially left the agency.  (Polaris Entertainment)At th

Sept. 28, 2018

Korean cello maker wins gold medal at prominent int'l competition

ROME -- A young South Korean cello maker has topped a prominent international competition in Italy for making string instruments in the category.The 28-year-old Jung Ga-wang became the first South Korean to take the gold medal at the 15th International Triennale Violin Making Competition Antonio Stradivari in Cremona, Italy. He is also the youngest award winner ever at the Olympics for violin making held in the hometown of the legendary violin maker Antonio Stradivari. The event closed Wednesday

Sept. 28, 2018

iKON’s Ju-ne faces backlash for his Instagram post ahead of group’s comeback

Now that iKON’s Ju-ne has apologized for the controversy surrounding his Instagram post about a Japanese director, attention is now on whether he will be able to ride out the storm before the group’s imminent return. On Saturday, the iKON member posted a now-deleted image of an autograph he received from Japanese movie director and comedian Takeshi Kitano.But the image attracted criticism, as Kitano is known here for his disparaging comments about Korea.  (Dazed)In an effort to protect Ju-ne fro

Sept. 26, 2018

BTS’ hanbok from ‘Idol’ MV to be put on display

Hanbok worn by BTS in its music video for “Idol” will be put on display in Seoul from this week. The Gangnam Tourist Information Center said Tuesday that seven of the Korean traditional garments, one worn by each member, will be displayed at the center in Sinsa-dong in Seoul from Sept. 28 to Oct 7, as a part of “2018 Gangnam Festival.”The hanbok exhibition will take place at the center’s outdoor square on its first floor from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visitors are also able to try on hanbok of the same

Sept. 26, 2018

[Photo News] K-pop boy band BTS at UN

K-pop boy band BTS at UNKorean pop singers BTS attend the UN Youth Strategy Conference at United Nations headquarters during the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York. (Yonhap)(AP-Yonhap)(AFP-Yonhap)(UPI-Yonhap) (Reuters-Yonhap)

Sept. 25, 2018

[Video] Nature shares hopes of going global as a multifaceted band

[Herald Interview]It’s been less than two months since the band Nature made its debut on the K-pop scene, but already it’s making a splash. Having launched in August under N.CH Entertainment, this promising rookie band consists of leader Lu, Saebom, Chinese members Aurora and Gaga, Chaebin, Japanese member Haru, Uchae and Sunshine. While Nature has only two songs under its belt -- its debut single “Allegro Cantabile” and pre-debut track “Girls and Flowers” -- it’s already an award winner. In an

Sept. 20, 2018

With 'DNA' music video, BTS becomes first K-pop band to garner 500m YouTube views

The music video of BTS' 2017 song "DNA" topped the 500 million YouTube view mark on Thursday, making the septet the first K-pop band to achieve the feat.The "DNA" music video surpassed the threshold of 500 million YouTube views at 1:22 a.m. on Thursday, according to their management agency, Big Hit Entertainment. The song, a track from BTS' "Love Yourself: Her" extended play, achieved the feat one year after its release on Sept. 18, 2017. (Big Hit Entertainment)The music video garnered 100 milli

Sept. 20, 2018

BTS to appear on ABC's 'Good Morning America' next week

Boy band BTS is set to make a live performance on ABC's popular morning show, "Good Morning America," on Wednesday (local time), the US network said.On its official Twitter account, it said, "IT'S. HAPPENING.NEXT WEDNESDAY ON @GMA! @BTS_twt performs LIVE in Times Square!" (AP)It came a day after the news broke out that BTS will perform live on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on NBC on Tuesday (local time). On Monday, they are scheduled to attend "Generation Unlimited" in New York, a new

Sept. 20, 2018

[Video] Zico raves about Pyongyang naengmyeon

Pyongyang-style naengmyeon is one of North Korea’s most popular delicacies, and President Moon Jae-in’s special entourage to Pyongyang -- including K-pop icon Zico – were given a chance to sample the real thing during their time in the city.(Footage from Pyeongyang Press Corps, edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)The rapper and producer -- along with other members of the entourage including singers Ailee, Ali, magician Choi Hyun-woo, and soccer legend Cha Bum-keun -- joined the first coup

Sept. 19, 2018

[Album review] Let’s hear it for GOT7

GOT7“Present: You”Iriver One of the many reasons why GOT7 is such a beloved global act is that each of its seven members is special and unique -- the bandmates all have completely different personalities and musical styles. That’s also why GOT7’s new album deserves a round of applause.Just like a box of chocolates, the 16-track album is packed with different flavors. It features brand new songs and solo tracks by every member of the group. If each song were a color, lead track “Lullaby” -- a rhy

Sept. 19, 2018

BTS' latest album retains presence on Billboard for 3rd week

"Love Yourself: Answer," the latest album by K-pop boy band BTS, remained on the Billboard 200 album chart for the third week in a row Wednesday.The album ranked 15th on the Billboard 200 for the week of Sept. 22, the third weekly Billboard listing since it debuted atop the chart for the week of Sept. 8, according to Billboard's weekly updates.(YouTube)It was BTS' second No. 1 on the highly competitive album chart following the initial feat by its previous "Love Yourself: Tear"extended play, whi

Sept. 19, 2018

Spycam detected in Shin Se-kyung, Yoon Bo-mi’s room

A spycam was discovered in the room for actress Shin Se-kyung and Apink’s Yoon Bo-mi while they were shooting for new variety program “Borderless Food Cart.” According to the program’s channel Olive, a hidden camera disguised as a portable battery charger, was found in the two celebrities’ room on Sunday when they were shooting for the show overseas. It has been revealed that the camera was installed by a male employee from an outsourced company in charge of setting cameras at the shoot. The cam

Sept. 18, 2018

Lucente debuts with ‘Your Difference,’ dreams of global success

Overflowing with hip-hop spirit, the rookie K-pop act Lucente debuted Tuesday with its first EP, “The Big Deeper.” Lucente is a seven-member boy band under Noga Entertainment consisting of U.Seong, Z.Hoo, Kogun, Bao, Parkha, Hero and Taejun. The band’s name refers to its hopes of shining as bright as the stars in the competitive world of K-pop. “The Big Deeper” is fronted by the lead track “Your Difference,” a bombastic and hard-hitting hip-hop number that blends futuristic and pop genres.  (Nog

Sept. 18, 2018