Most Popular
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Seoul chastises predatory pricing claims over Czech nuclear export deal
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3 suspects apprehended for selling celebrity deepfake porn: police
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Xiaomi takes 2nd spot after Samsung in August smartphone sales
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[Herald Interview] Kim Woo-bin grew to appreciate ‘unseen’ heroes with ‘Officer Black Belt’
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Hybe acquires US PR agency
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Heavy rain, strong winds to lash Korea this weekend
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Yoon, Fiala seek wider range of cooperation beyond nuclear energy
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'Music Bank' team demands apology from Real Madrid for cancellation of Madrid concert
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Car crashes into restaurant; 1 dead, 5 injured
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[Exclusive] [Herald Interview] MBK incapable of running Korea Zinc’s Australia business: Aussie renewable energy CEO
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NCSoft’s K-pop platform Universe kicks off globally
South Korean game maker NCSoft launched its K-pop entertainment platform Universe in 134 countries on Thursday. The all-in-one platform allows users to access exclusive content such as music videos, entertainment shows K-pop groups appear on and celebrity photos, while also allowing artists and fans to interact. Fans can also share their creations on the platform. One of the platform’s most noticeable features is a private messaging and call function powered by artificial intelligence
Jan. 29, 2021
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Violinist Kim Dong-hyun to perform at Kumho Instrument Bank series recital
Violinist Kim Dong-hyun will kick off the 2021 Kumho Instrument Bank series with a recital on Feb. 4 at the Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in western Seoul. The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has been running the Kumho Instrument Bank program since 1993, lending musical instruments to young artists through an open audition. The program currently owns 10 instruments, including a piano, cello and eight violins. It aims to allow up-and-coming artists to focus on their performances without worrying about
Jan. 29, 2021
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BTS agency Big Hit to invest W70b in K-pop giant YG
Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind global star BTS, announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest 70 billion won ($63 million) in YG Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop agencies in South Korea. Under the deal, Big Hit and its affiliate beNX will invest 30 billion won and 40 billion won, respectively, in YG affiliate YG Plus, the agency said in a press release following a board meeting. With the investment, Big Hit and beNX will 7.7 percent and 10.2 percent stakes, respectively, in
Jan. 27, 2021
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Original musicals to light up stage in February
Though the theater scene is still suffering as a result of the social distancing rules imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the month of February may be a turning point as a number of original South Korean musicals are lined up for premieres. “The Adventure of the Final Problem” is slated to run Feb. 15 to May 9 at the Dream Arts Center. The production tells the story of British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who attained huge success with his “Sherlock Holmes&rdquo
Jan. 27, 2021
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Studio for virtual music, drama performances to open in Seoul
With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the art industry to shift online, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to launch a studio for online streaming in central Seoul to make way for virtual performances. The former Namsan Creative Center, which shut down last year, will be turned into a new studio for production and streaming of virtual art performances. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the new studio will officially open in April 2022 after a test period. The studio will be eq
Jan. 26, 2021
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Cinema closures in S. Korea hit 12-year high in 2020 on coronavirus
The number of cinema closures soared to a 12-year high in 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, data showed Tuesday. A total of 81 movie theaters closed shop across the nation last year, nearly double from the 43 shutdowns a year earlier, according to the data from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. The number was the largest annual tally since 2008, when 88 cinemas in Asia's fourth-largest economy went out of business amid the US-originated global financial crisis. In the Seoul
Jan. 26, 2021
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Pianist Cho Seong-jin to play 94-second of never-before-heard Mozart
Pianist Cho Seong-jin is set to perform the world premiere of a previously unknown work by Mozart, 248 years after it was composed, in celebration of the great musician’s 265th birthday. Cho will perform Mozart’s Allegro in D major K626b/16 as part of the Digital Mozart Week organized by the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation on Wednesday, in Austria, according to German classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon. The performance will be streamed through the label’s streami
Jan. 24, 2021
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For fans who missed ‘Nutcracker,’ ballet scene set for rebound in 2021
Korea’s recent third wave of COVID-19 had local ballet troupes cancel the iconic “Nutcracker” performances in December, for the first time in many years. Though the virus pandemic dealt a serious blow last year, ballet companies are gearing up for a rebound this year for fans awaiting a new beginning in 2021. The highlight of this year’s seven offerings by The Korea National Ballet is “Jewels,” slated for Oct. 20-24 at the Seoul Arts Center. It will mark th
Jan. 20, 2021
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National theater troupe aims to establish online screening model like NT Live
The National Theater Company of Korea plans to interact with audiences at home through online screenings of high-quality productions in these COVID-19 pandemic times. Kim Kwang-bo, the new artistic director of the state-run company, said in an online conference Monday that the company‘s online screenings would be systematized, offering performances of a high caliber. Kim took office in November for a three-year term. An established stage director, Kim was previously head of the Seoul Met
Jan. 18, 2021
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K-pop stars to launch new K-pop acts in 2021
Big names in K-pop are launching new K-pop bands this year, promising a fresh crop of talented musicians. Singers Psy and Park Jin-young will serve as judges in an upcoming SBS audition show “Loud,” selecting members for new K-pop bands which will be managed by their respective entertainment agencies. “I hope (the contenders) are like me when I was young and crazy about something -- even though it may not be music. This may be the start of the 21st century version of
Jan. 15, 2021
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Pianists make their way to podium
After months of perseverance, pianist Sunwook Kim finally made his formal debut as a conductor Tuesday, following in the footsteps of the great maestros before him. Amid a heavy snowfall that hit the greater Seoul area, Kim took the baton at Lotte Concert Hall, leading the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Kim’s concert with the KBS Symphony Orchestra was initially set to be held in December, but was postponed to January due to the spike in the number of coronavirus cases across Korea. The postp
Jan. 13, 2021
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Korea Musical Awards recognizes ‘Marie Curie’ with four awards
Musical “Marie Curie” won four awards at the Korea Musical Awards held Monday, recognized as an outstanding original Korean musical production. Presented by the Korea Musical Theater Association, the annual awards ceremony, the largest of its kind in Korea, was held at the Blue Square culture complex in Seoul. Featuring star stage actor Ock Ju-hyun, “Marie Curie” won the grand prize, as well as awards for best director, best script, and best music composition. It had
Jan. 12, 2021
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Gamut of classical music in store for 2021
Though the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is yet to be resolved, the classical music scene is filled with high hopes for 2021, waiting to welcome audiences back to concert halls. Pianist Kim Sun-wook kicked the year off with a solo recital Monday. Initially slated for March 2020, the recital had been postponed three times due to surges of COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, Kim will go on the stage with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, making his conducting debut, followed by a recital with celebrated veteran
Jan. 11, 2021
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Performing arts expands beyond stage
With the COVID-19 pandemic requiring a paradigm shift for survival, the local performing arts scene is striving to produce shows fit for the screen beyond just the stage. In the earlier stages of the pandemic, the performing arts scene tried to stay connected with audiences at home by streaming performances online. Limitations existed, however, as the productions were originally created for the stage, not mobile devices or TVs. Nevertheless, as the pandemic has been with us for nearly a year
Jan. 9, 2021
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Top Korean artists reach over 10.6b streams on Spotify in 2020
Korea’s top 10 most streamed artists on Spotify chalked up a total of 10.6 billion streams on the platform in 2020, the popular streaming service announced on Thursday in its yearly wrap up. Boy band BTS was the most streamed Korean artist globally, followed by Blackpink, Twice, Stray Kids and Red Velvet, according to Spotify’s 2020 Wrapped data. BTS also took the top spot in the category of the most-streamed global group in 2020. 2020 Wrapped, which compiles data from Jan. 1 t
Jan. 9, 2021
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Number of daily moviegoers hits new record low amid movie drought from pandemic
The number of daily moviegoers plunged to a fresh record low this week, as new releases have been affected by the latest coronavirus resurgence in winter, data showed Friday. According to the data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), 14,000-16,000 people went to theaters daily this week, down from last week's 34,000-60,000. In particular, only 14,518 attendees were recorded Monday, hitting an all-time low since KOFIC began to compile official box office data in 2004. It renewed the previous r
Jan. 8, 2021
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Shows go on at Daehangno small theaters
Though 2021 has begun with a gloomy outlook for the theater scene amid prolonged social distancing rules, small musical productions in the theater district of Daehangno are continuing their run, even recording sold-out performances. With the government’s social distancing scheme requiring performing arts venues to leave two-thirds of audience seats empty, several big musical productions have halted their runs, citing financial issues. Some smaller musical productions in Daehangno, cent
Jan. 7, 2021
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Clarinetist Kim Han to go ‘On Air’ at Kumho Art Hall
Clarinetist Kim Han hopes to show off the charms of the clarinet through a series of four recitals slated to take place at the Kumho Art Hall as its artist-in-residence for this year. Each year, the art hall, run by the Kumho Art Cultural Foundation, selects a classical musician under the age of 30 in the early stages of their career to provide an opportunity for the musician to further develop by offering a performance venue. The 25-year-old clarinetist will present four recitals at the con
Jan. 4, 2021
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Performing art scene in hope of 2021
While the year of 2020 was a disastrous year for everyone, the performing arts scene hopes regain its footing this year. Last year, musical productions were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, canceling or postponing shows due to the middle seat vacancy rule according to the authorities’ social distancing scheme. On Dec. 30, the musical scene has launched an association of Korean musical production companies, consisting of major musical production agencies such as Seensee Company, Clip
Jan. 3, 2021
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COVID-19 decimates theaters, Netflix takes over
Coming in at 226 million, the number of theatergoers in Korea in 2019 was a record high. Five movies surpassed 10 million ticket sales and the main concern was the monopolization of screens by CJ and Disney (mainly Marvel) movies. A PwC report predicted in 2019 that the number of theatergoers would increase at an average of 4% per annum for the global movie market until 2023. That all changed with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, making 2020 a year that the movie industry would rather forg
Jan. 1, 2021