Yoon Jong-shin to start national tour

Singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin will start a nationwide tour around Korea from late March to early April, dubbed the “special lesson,” according to his agency Mystic Entertainment. Singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin (Mystic Entertainment)The tour will begin in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, on March 25 and travel on to Daejeon on April 1, Jeju Island on April 8 and Gwangju on April 30. Yoon will unveil songs composed by himself and share his know-how in songwriting, the agency said. The concerts

Feb. 10, 2017

Boy band NCT wins endorsement deal from Thai firm Singha

Korean idol group NCT has been hired by Thailand's Singha Corp. to promote the company's popular dried seaweed snack, the group's agency said Thursday. Five of the total 15 NCT members -- Ten, Taeyong, Doyoung, Mark and Jaehyun -- held a two-day promotional event in Bangkok from Tuesday for Singha's seaweed snack Masita, S.M. Entertainment said. The singers were greeted by hundreds of fans upon their arrival at the Bangkok International Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday, S.M. Entertainment said. O

Feb. 9, 2017

[Herald Interview] Kumho and Kuhmo join hands to highlight young talents

Jet lag is part of the life of internationally renowned musicians these days. Vladimir Mendelssohn, a Romanian-born violist and composer now based in the Netherlands, is no exception. In Seoul for the three-day Kumho & Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Mendelssohn said he fell asleep at 9 a.m. for about an hour before leaving his hotel for the interview held Thursday morning at the Kumho Art Hall in downtown Seoul. Artistic director of the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival since 2005, Mendelssohn is used

Feb. 9, 2017

BTS’ ‘Outro: Wings’ deemed unfit for broadcasting by KBS

State broadcaster KBS has banned a song from BTS’ (Bangtan Boys) soon-to-be-released album citing obscene language. KBS announced that one of the songs contained in BTS’ upcoming album “Wings: You Never Walk Alone” does not meet broadcasting standards. BTS (Bangtan Boys) (Big Hit Entertainment)“After a thorough review, we decided to pull the song from our broadcast,” KBS said. “The lyrics contain profanity and vulgar words including one particular line saying, ‘B------, don’t be scared’.” Bangta

Feb. 9, 2017

Big Bang's T.O.P, JYJ's Kim Jun-su enlist in military

Two South Korean idol stars started their military service Thursday, temporarily leaving behind the glamorous world of show business as well as teary fans.   (Herald DB)Although Big Bang's T.O.P and JYJ's Kim Jun-su had previously warned there would not be any events for fans in front of the basic training camp in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province, some 200 fans nonetheless showed up to wish them well.Fans, some from as far as China and Japan, held up signs for their super stars that read "Stay

Feb. 9, 2017

Cover image for final single features Wonder Girls in watercolors

The soon-to-be-disbanded Wonder Girls released the cover image for final single “Draw Me” on Thursday.The image depicts watercolor versions of the group’s four current members.Yubin, Yeeun, Sunmi and Hyerim all contributed to the songwriting and lyrics-writing process, according to the album label JYP Entertainment. 　Cover image for Wonder Girls’ final single “Draw Me” (JYP Entertainment)On Saturday, JYP announced the disbandment of Wonder Girls, which rose to icon status after a decade of catch

Feb. 9, 2017

Zion.T to perform solo in London

Korean hip-hop and R&B artist Zion.T will perform at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on Feb. 17, joined by producer Choice 37.One of the country’s hottest artists at the moment, Zion.T has released scores of popular tracks, including “No Makeup,” “Yanghwa Bridge” and “Eat.” Zion.T is part of the VV:D crew, along with Crush, Loco, Gray and ELO. The singer is famous for his collaborations with K-pop stars such as G-Dragon, Song Min-ho, Psy, Gray, Simon D and Crush.Industry insiders have said t

Feb. 9, 2017

‘Star of the Universe’ soundtrack to be released

Jung ji-chan, a Korean singer, composer and music director, and EXO’s Suho are to release the original soundtrack for the nine-part MBC drama series “Star of the Universe” on Friday. The drama is the first of the color drama trilogy made by MBC and Naver, which will be followed by “Romance Full of Life” and “Queen of Ring.”Suho of EXO (Yonhap)Jung Ji-chan (Yonhap)The plot is a love story between a gifted singer-songwriter Woo-joo (Kim Jun-myeon) and Byul (Ji Woo), a 19-year-old student who becom

Feb. 9, 2017

Painting stolen by Nazis returned to Jewish owner’s heirs

NEW YORK (AP) - Some 80 years ago, the Nazis forced prominent German Jewish art gallery owner Max Stern to sell his family’s roughly 400-piece collection before he was exiled from his country.FBI agents on Wednesday returned one of those works, a 17th century oil painting by a Dutch master, to representatives of the Dr. and Mrs. Max Stern Foundation during a ceremony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.The recovery of Jan Frans Verzijl’s “Young Man As Bacchus’’ marks the 16th piece of S

Feb. 9, 2017

Bily Acoustie to hold concert in March

South Korean singer-songwriter Bily Acoustie will hold three solo concerts next month in Seoul. The artist will meet fans at CJ Azit Daehakro from March 10 to 12. The concerts will be different from previous shows, showcasing colorful acoustic sounds and a string quartet to capture the warm feel of spring, according to sources. DH Play Entertainment said the event will “radiate a warm glow of spring” and “Bily Acoustie’s soul-touching tone will be harmonized with the strings’ tunes.”The 34-year-

Feb. 8, 2017

Melody Day to release second mini album

Korean girl group Melody Day will make a comeback with its second mini-album “Kiss on the Lips,” due to be released on Feb. 15 midnight. The Viewga Entertainment announced the group’s return on Wednesday with a photo shoot, featuring all four members -- Yeoeun, Chahee, Yein and Yoomin -- clad in pink dresses with flowers. Melody Day (Viewga Entertainment)The group was formed in 2012 and officially debuted with the single “Another Parting” in 2014, which was followed by the first mini album “Colo

Feb. 8, 2017

Concert halls call on Japanese engineer to shape sound

TOKYO (AP) -- Behind some of the world’s most reputed concert halls is a Japanese engineer whose finesse in shaping sound is so perfectly unobtrusive that all listeners hear is the music -- in all its subtlety, texture and fullness. Yasuhisa Toyota’s talents are coveted as classical music venues are increasingly designed in “vineyard style,” where audiences surround the stage to hear the performers up close and enjoy an almost-interactive experience, feeling more like a part of the music and bei

Feb. 8, 2017

Bangtan Boys to unveil new songs at concert

South Korean boy group Bangtan Boys, also known by its abbreviated name BTS, is set to reveal new songs at its upcoming concert, its agency said Wednesday. K-pop group Bangtan Boys (Yonhap Photo)According to Big Hit Entertainment, the seven-member act will be showcasing new tracks, including "Not Today" and "Spring Days," at the "2017 BTS Live Trilogy Episode Ⅲ The Wings Tour" at the Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on Feb. 18-19. The new album titled "You Never Walk Alone" is slated to come ou

Feb. 8, 2017

Looking back on the talents of disbanding girl group Spica: Video

K-pop quintet Spica has disbanded, its agency CJ E&M said Monday, after five years of on-and-off activities since their much-anticipated debut in 2012.“It is true that Spica’s members have agreed to go their own ways,” the entertainment company said in a statement. “Their contract period is not yet up, so we are in talks over how to wrap things up.”Promoted as “the younger sister group” to K-pop diva Lee Hyori, the group initially nabbed attention for its raw talents. All five members were power

Feb. 7, 2017

S.M. Entertainment to grow 'Station' into comprehensive content program

S.M. Entertainment, one of the country's three largest K-pop agencies, said Tuesday it will continue "Station," its weekly digital music release program, into season two while expanding it and making it much more comprehensive. (SM Entertainment)Home to big Korean pop acts including Girls' Generation and EXO, S.M. Entertainment launched "Station" in February 2016 as the agency then marked its 20th anniversary.Under "Station," the company released a song each week in which its artists, often toge

Feb. 7, 2017

Original Korean musical to open off-Broadway

“Interview: A New Musical” will open in New York City on Friday, becoming the first original Korean musical, written and composed by Korean artists, to be mounted off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Clement’s. A preview took place Tuesday.　The show features original music by Huh Soo-hyun and lyrics by Choo Jung-hwa, translated by Bryan Michaels. It premiered at Soo Hyun Jae Theater in Seoul in September last year, later running sold-out shows in Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan.The work’s New York staging

Feb. 7, 2017