Ultra Korea 2019 wraps up, troubled with hiccups

Ultra Korea 2019 wrapped up three days of festivities on Sunday, but the Korean leg of the annual electronic dance music festival was troubled with hiccups that included last-second cancellations by headliners and controversy over its operations.Misfortune crept up on the event last Wednesday when organizers notified fans that Martin Garrix, one of the main headliners whose act was supposed to be the main stage finale for Friday’s event, had to cancel due to an ankle injury he sustained in

June 11, 2019

Jean-Christophe Maillot says his ‘Cinderella’ is relatable to just about anyone

Born and raised in a small town in France, Jean-Christophe Maillot rose to the top: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, one of the world’s most famous ballet companies, founded by Monaco’s royal family. Maillot described himself as a “Cinderella” during a press conference held Monday at Ode Port in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.The longtime director of the renowned ballet company added that making the timeless story real had been his initial focus. According to the director, the reinvention

June 11, 2019

NCT 127 to set out on European tour

Boy band NCT 127 on Monday confirmed that it will commence a tour across Europe later this month, starting in Russia and ending in Paris. According to S.M. Entertainment, the 10-member band will kick off the tour with a concert at the Ice Palace arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 26. It will move on to perform at the Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow and the SSE Arena, Wembley, in the UK before wrapping up the tour in Paris at La Seine Musicale.Prior to heading to Europe, the band will hold co

June 10, 2019

NCT 127 announces European leg of ongoing world tour

Rising global stars NCT 127 announced Monday a new European leg of their ongoing world tour "Neo City - the Origin."The European part of the concert tour will kick off at Russia's Ice Palace on June 26 and move to Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow on June 29, according to SM Entertainment.Those will be followed by performance at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London on July 7 and La Seine Musicale in Paris on July 10. As part of their world-trotting concerts, NCT 127 has toured 20 North Amer

June 10, 2019

Kang Daniel gears up for return to show biz with new talent agency

Kang Daniel, a member of the disbanded boy band Wanna One, is expected to finally return to the K-pop scene as a solo artist with the establishment of a management agency for himself.His aides said Monday the singer has recently established Konnect Entertainment, a one-person company, in Seoul to launch his solo career. The move came a month after a local court accepted his request to suspend the efficacy of his exclusive management contract with LM Entertainment.Having finished as the front run

June 10, 2019

BTS concert north of Paris draws fans from all over Europe

Tens of thousands of fans traveled from all over Europe to Saint Denis, just north of Paris, where the K-pop boy band BTS performed for the second night on Saturday.Following the band's concerts at Wembley Stadium last weekend, the septet came to rock France on Friday and Saturday, their last stop in Europe under the ongoing "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour.  Hours ahead of the Saturday concert at Stade de France, which accommodates up to 80,000 spectators, excited fans

June 9, 2019

BTS offered Recording Academy membership, to vote for Grammys

Korean pop sensation BTS and its producer Bang Si-hyuk has been invited to join the Recording Academy, an elite US group of pop music figures most well-known for voting for the Grammy Awards.The Los Angeles-based group on Thursday announced the list of 1,340 people in the music industry that have been invited to be members, and therefore eligible to vote for next year’s awards. All seven members were invited as “voting members” while Bang -- the head of its agency Big Hit Enter

June 7, 2019

BTS songs to hit playlist of NASA's next lunar journey

Three BTS songs will hit the playlist of the American space agency's next journey to the moon as the agency is planning to make another lunar landing by 2024, the agency's SNS feeds have shown. In a Twitter feed Tuesday, the Johnson Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said three BTS songs -- "Moonchild," "Mikrokosmos" and "134340" -- will be added to the playlist for the planned lunar journey. "Wow, there are a lot of BTS &a

June 7, 2019

American singer-songwriter finds ‘accidental success’ in Korea

While Hallyu, or the Korean wave, has proven to be a major force, with South Korean music and entertainment content making a buzz around the world, music travels in the opposite direction too.American singer-songwriter Jim Wolf, 39, is one example. He has found musical success in a place he never would have expected.  “I didn’t actually have a distributor to get the song here. The more I look into it, the more I don’t know how it really began,” Wolf told The Korea He

June 4, 2019

Outdoor music festivals to rule summer

As the mercury rises, outdoor festivals offer a way to cool down with music. This year’s festival list is long and broad, encompassing diverse genres of music. The second edition of DMZ Peace Train Music Festival 2019 takes place Friday to Sunday. The festival, promoting peace, features local and foreign musicians performing near the Demilitarized Zone.  Pivoting around the border city of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, stages will be set up at iconic locations such as the Goseokjeong Pav

June 3, 2019

Q&As from BTS’ press conference at Wembley

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (UK time) delivered a historic performance at Wembley Stadium, becoming the first South Korean band to headline London’s iconic venue.Ahead of the show, the seven bandmates -- RM, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, Jimin, Jungkook and V -- met with reporters to answer questions about their Wembley debut, their ongoing stadium world tour, the band’s collaborative projects and their thoughts on being called “the Beatles of the 21st century.”Following is a transcri

June 2, 2019

BTS performs at historic sold-out Wembley concert

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (local time) made history as the first Korean band to perform at the iconic Wembley Stadium, the largest concert stage in the UK, where legendary acts like Queen, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Adele have headlined. The first of two sold-out concerts was attended by 60,000 fans, who sang-along, chanted, screamed and danced throughout the performance that lasted for 150 minutes. The group performed 24 tunes, including those from its “Love You

June 2, 2019

Pianists, young and old, mesmerize Seoul fans

Two piano virtuosos, one young and the other more mature, struck a chord with Seoul audiences over the weekend. Yuhki Kuramoto and Sunwoo Yekwon wrapped up their nationwide tour of Korea, presenting the last edition of their tours in Seoul on Friday and Saturday, respectively. On Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, Sunwoo, 30, stirred the audience with five encores: Robert Schumann’s “Traumerei” (Dreaming), Johannes Brahms’ Intermezzo in A Major, Schumann’s “Wi

June 2, 2019

BTS ready to make history with landmark Wembley concerts

Excited and nervous ahead of their landmark first concert at London's Wembley Stadium on Saturday, the members of K-pop boy band BTS said they will make history at the heart of world pop music."We are finally here at Wembley Stadium after everybody's anticipation and waiting. First of all, (we are) very honored. I want to thank our fans for this honor," BTS member J-Hope said in a press conference at the prominent football stadium, hours before their concert here. "Our mindset, th

June 2, 2019

Rock band U2 to stage first-ever concert in Korea

Legendary Irish rock band U2 will perform at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Dec. 8, marking its first-ever visit to South Korea. The upcoming concert is an extension of the band’s worldwide Joshua Tree Tour of 2017, which celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of its seminal album “The Joshua Tree.” The six-month tour in 2017 attracted some 2.7 million people to 51 concerts in North America, Europe and Latin America. The Joshua Tree tour in 2019, which covers Asia, will r

May 31, 2019

BTS member Jin joins UNICEF Korea's club of top donators

Jin, a member of global stars BTS, joined the UNICEF Korea's club of top donators, having contributed to the United Nations organization since last year, its Korea office said Friday.Jin's financial donation to the Korean office of the United Nations Children's Fund has surpassed 100 million won ($84,000) since he started contributing in May last year, according to UNICEF Korea.  This entitled him to join the UNICEF Korea's Honors Club, a group of people who donated more than 100 million wo

May 31, 2019

Ultra Korea finalizes this year’s lineup

Ultra Korea 2019 has finalized its lineup of artists for this year’s event, consisting of 107 teams, including recently united Swedish House Mafia.The organizers of the annual event confirmed the list encompassing world-famous DJs, dance teams and graffiti artists. Other headliners include Jamie Jones, Knife Party, Martin Garrix, Skrillex, Underworld and Virtual Self.Supporting artists are Art Department, Eats Everything, Hot Since 82, Infected Mushrooms, Kayzo, Nghtmre, YG, Zeds Dead, and

May 30, 2019

Ballet Festival Korea to take place in June

The ninth Ballet Festival Korea is slated to take place from June 18 to 30 at the Seoul Arts Center, introducing 14 ballet recitals from classic to modern.Since 2011, the annual festival has introduced the genre to a wider audience in an effort to promote the overall ballet scene. For this year’s event, the Korea National Ballet and Gwangju City Ballet will cooperate with private ballet companies and young dancers. The opening performance will feature Korean ballerinas who are members of f

May 30, 2019

EXO's D.O. to join military in July

D.O., a member of the popular boy band EXO, will join the military in July, putting his flourishing entertainment career on hold, his management agency said Thursday. The 26-year-old, whose real name is Do Kyung-soo, will enlist in the Army on July 1 to fulfill his mandatory military service, according SM Entertainment. "D.O. wanted to fulfill his duty of national defense as soon as possible after Xiumin started his military service on May 7 as the first EXO member to do so," SM said.

May 30, 2019