Lee U-fan claims alleged counterfeits are authentic

Artist Lee U-fan reiterated Thursday that all 13 paintings that the National Forensic Service identified as counterfeits were authentic and revealed that a police officer tried to get him to say that some of the paintings were fakes.“All 13 paintings are undoubtedly mine,” said Lee at the press conference Thursday in Seoul. “They are created with my own flow, rhythm and colors,” he added.  Much to the surprise of many, he claimed that one of the police officers present with him during the examin

June 30, 2016

Leeteuk, Suho, Kassy cheer on Olympians

“My Hero,” the 21st song to be introduced on S.M. Entertainment’s digital music channel Station, is set to be released at midnight on Thursday, the agency announced. The intention of the song is to cheer on the Korean national team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. To support the competitors, K-pop singers, producers, a pianist and former members of the national team participated in the effort.“My Hero” was written and composed by Korea’s top songwriter and producer Cho Yeong-su, wi

June 30, 2016

GFriend releases teaser photos for new album

Gearing up for the release of its first full studio album, six-member K-pop group GFriend released teaser photos to excite fans Wednesday night.This will be the group’s first full album since its debut in January 2015. The images released via GFriend’s official Twitter and Instagram pages show the members smiling in colorful outfits, portraying a different concept from their signature schoolgirl look in an effort to embody the two underlying themes of the new “LOL” album: “Laughing out Loud” and

June 30, 2016

BigBang to highlight 10th anniversary with grand concert

Korean boy band BigBang will hold a special concert to celebrate its 10th anniversary in August, the group's agency said on Wednesday. The five-member hit K-pop group will stage "BigBang10 the Concert - 0.TO.10" at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Aug. 20, according to YG Entertainment. (YG Entertainment)The concert will revolve around the musical chronicle of BigBang, from its debut in 2006 to present. "The concert will be a special opportunity to enjoy BigBang's greatest hits, early to recent, o

June 29, 2016

Chun sketches pulled from auction over forgery suspicion

Seoul Auction has withdrawn a book of sketches by Korean artist Chun Kyung-ja that was due to be auctioned Wednesday. The book of 16 drawings by Chun, bidding for which was set to start at 400 million won ($343,000), was removed from the list of artworks Tuesday, just one day before the auction, amid suspicion the sketches may be counterfeit. “An art expert raised suspicion that the sketches might have been forged at a private gathering and it has been spread in the Korean art world. We already

June 29, 2016

Zion. T, KUSH dominate charts with ‘Knock’ and ‘Machine Gun’

Zion. T and KUSH dominated domestic music charts with their latest works “Knock” and “Machine Gun,” released at midnight on Tuesday.Within eight hours of release, “Knock” topped eight domestic music charts, including MelOn, Mnet, Bugs, Olleh Music, Naver Music, Soribada, Genie and Monkey3, while “Machine Gun” followed on the charts at either No. 2 or No. 3.  “Knock” is a single from Zion. T that boasts honest lyrics and an emotional melody, while “Machine Gun” is the newest collaboration from Zi

June 29, 2016

Sistar album tops K-pop charts

All-female K-pop quartet Sistar is garnering international popularity with their fourth EP, “Mol-a-ae,” released last Tuesday. As of Wednesday morning, Sistar was the only K-pop group to appear on the Billboard World Albums Chart, currently sitting at No. 7. The chart provides a weekly compilation of top-selling folk music albums in and out of the U.S. The group is also gaining attention from Chinese fans. The music video for lead track “I Like That” is topping K-pop charts this week on QQ Music

June 29, 2016

Kim Whan-ki's painting sells for record 5.4 bln won in auction

A painting by Korea's abstract painting master Kim Whan-ki sold for 5.4 billion won ($4.62 million), the highest price ever paid for a Korean artwork in an auction, a local art sales company said Tuesday.At the K Auction held in southern Seoul, the late artist's "Untitled 27-VII-72 #228" broke the previous record set by the very artist in April, when another of his blue-dotted abstract paintings was auctioned off for 4.86 billion won in the Seoul Auction held in Hong Kong. (Yonhap)Prior to the a

June 29, 2016

Taeyeon tops charts with ‘Why’

Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation topped domestic music charts with “Why,” released at midnight on Monday.By Tuesday morning, the title track off her second EP had topped six domestic music charts: Mnet, Genie, Bugs, Naver Music, Olleh Music, Soribada. “Why,” a trendy pop tune composed by world-class producing team LDN Noise, presents a unique sound infused with rhythm and blues and electronic dance music, said the singer’s agency S.M. Entertainment.By Monday, more than 100,000 albums had been preord

June 28, 2016

[Herald Interview] Korean-British artist duo creates physical expressions of light and space

 GWANGJU -- The name of the Seoul-based artist duo Kimchi and Chips pretty much tells where the artists are from.  Korean-British artist duo Mimi Son and Elliot Woods formed an art studio in 2009, adopting the quirky name. Since then, the two have been creating installations that challenge people’s perception of light and space and presenting them at museums and galleries throughout the world. One of the most well-known works is the first edition of the “Light Barrier” series in which the artist

June 28, 2016

Hyukoh concert tickets snapped up fast in China

Korean indie rock band Hyukoh sold all 3,000 tickets for its upcoming concert in China within just one minute of them going on sale, demonstrating the band’s growing popularity in China, the band’s agency Duruduru AMC announced Tuesday.“Hyukoh is set to hold the solo concert ‘20/22’ in Shanghai on July 9, at the enthusiastic request of Chinese fans,” said the agency. The band previously captivated Chinese audiences at the country’s biggest music festival, the Strawberry Music Festival held in Sh

June 28, 2016

Hotel Lotte ordered to pay damages for canceled Ne-Yo concert

Hotel Lotte Co. is to award a concert production agency damages for canceling a concert featuring the internationally renowned rhythm and blues singer Ne-Yo, a Seoul court ruled Tuesday.The Seoul Central District Court found that the hotel had canceled the concert after organizing it, ruling in favor of the complainant. It ordered Hotel Lotte to pay 200 million won ($170,000) in damages to the concert production agency, whose name was not revealed.  According to the findings, the agency, which h

June 28, 2016

Iconic ’90s boy band member charged with sexual assault

Lee Juno, a member of the hit 1990s boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, has been booked on a charge of sexual assault, reports said Monday. 　Lee, 49, is suspected of sexually abusing two women at an Itaewon club at around 3 a.m. on June 25, the reports said, citing the Yongsan Police Station. 　Police are currently analyzing video footage from surveillance cameras inside the club. “We will summon Lee for questioning once the basic investigations are complete,” police said. Lee Juno (The Korea Herald)　Po

June 27, 2016

Jang Keun-suk to kick off Asia tour

Actor and singer Jang Keun-suk, nicknamed “Asia Prince” by fans for his popularity throughout the region, will be touring the continent in the coming months. 　The tour, titled “2016 Jang Keun Suk Asia Tour, It’s Show Time” will kick off on July 2 in Seoul. It will then move on to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan and Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, before moving on to other cities in Asia.  Actor Jang Keun-suk (Official Website)　The tour marks Jang’s return to the stage following his regional tour last y

June 27, 2016

[Newsmaker] Lee U-fan to take time to examine counterfeits of his paintings

Artist Lee U-fan, whose abstract paintings have become the subjects of art forgeries, took a look at the paintings the National Forensic Service identified as counterfeits for the first time Monday, but said he has yet to conclude if they are fakes. 　“I will come back (to the police) the day after tomorrow. There are things I have to check again,” said Lee as he left the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency after having examined the paintings. 　Lee’s attorney Choi Soon-yong explained that Lee would

June 27, 2016

Taeyeon's solo album boasts strong preorders

Taeyeon of Korean girl group Girls' Generation enjoyed robust preorders of her second solo EP, the singer's management agency said Monday.As of Monday morning, the number of preordered copies of "Why" broke the 100,000 mark, S.M. Entertainment said in a press release. The EP will be released at midnight on online music streaming services. The music video of the album's title song, "Why," will be released at the same hour on the global video-sharing network YouTube. Taeyeon's new album also featu

June 27, 2016