GFriend marks successful 4th anniversary with new full-length album

Six-piece K-pop girl band GFriend released their second full-length album, “Time for us,” Monday as the group marked their successful fourth year on the K-pop scene.“Time for us” is the band’s first full-length album since the release of their first, “LOL,” in July, 2016, and their first music release after their EP, “Sunny Summer,” in July last year.The 13-track album comes as the band celebrates this week the fourth anniversary of its debut with the EP “Season of Glass” in 2015.  (Yonhap)The m

Jan. 14, 2019

College brings BTS to entrance exam, sparking debates

K-pop group BTS has appeared as a drawing topic for a college entrance exam in Seoul, touching off a debate about its fairness.  (Yonhap)The 2019 Art and Design drawing test for Seoul Women’s University’s Ceramics & Fiber Arts major was to “draw a craft object based on your image of BTS.” The university provided a side note clarifying that BTS are singers. The test details prompted some internet users to take issue with its fairness, especially for those who are not familiar with BTS. In the hyp

Jan. 13, 2019

[K-talk] ‘Baby Shark’ ranks No. 32 on Billboard Hot 100

The viral children’s song “Baby Shark” landed at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Wednesday. Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark,” originally uploaded on YouTube in 2016, is the third Korean single to make the top 50 of the Billboard’s Hot 100, following BTS and Psy.  (Smart Study)The song also went viral in UK, staying in the Top 40 of UK’s Official Singles chart for eight consecutive weeks since it first appeared in August last year and ranking No. 6 on Jan. 4. Pinkfong became the first Korean artist

Jan. 10, 2019

With 'DNA,' BTS becomes first Korean band to surpass 600m YouTube views

K-pop superstar BTS garnered more than 600 million YouTube views with their 2017 song "DNA," becoming the first Korean band to achieve the feat, its management agency said Thursday.The song off BTS' previous album "Love Yourself: Her," released in September 2017, hit the YouTube landmark in the evening Wednesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment.(YouTube)BTS is the only Korean band in possession of a music video whose YouTube views has hit the 600 million YouTube milestone."DNA" was ranked on

Jan. 10, 2019

[K-talk] Black Pink’s ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ most covered K-pop song of 2018

Black Pink created the track that was covered more than any other in 2018 among K-pop.According to global K-pop video community site Amazer, Black Pink’s “Ddu-du Ddu-du” ranked No. 1 in the category of K-pop songs most covered last year.The song features an addictive melody with a powerful choreography that includes a gun-shooting hand gesture, which has gotten global K-pop fans especially interested in filming cover videos. Jennie’s solo single, “Solo,” also ranked seventh on the same chart. (Y

Jan. 9, 2019

[K-talk] BTS to resume world tour in Japan

BTS will resume its “Love Yourself” world tour this month, following its performances in Taiwan last month.Since the Taiwanese leg of its tour, the group has been busy participating in year-end awards programs during which BTS took home a bagful of trophies.  (Billboard)The tour has 11 remaining concerts: Saturday to Sunday at Nagoya Dome in Japan; Jan. 19 in Singapore; Feb. 16-17 at Yafuoku Dome in Japan; March 20-21 and 23-24 at AsiaWorld-Expo Arena in Hong Kong; and April 6-7 in Bangkok, Thai

Jan. 9, 2019

[K-talk] SHINee’s Minho to hold Asia fan meeting tour

Minho of SHINee will be holding a solo fan meeting tour across Asia.“Choi Minho Fan meeting Tour - Best Choi’s Minho” will kick off in Seoul on Feb. 17 before traveling to cities in Asia, including Tokyo from Feb. 23-24, Bangkok on March 2 and Taipei on March 3. (S.M. Entertainment)Minho debuted with SHINee in 2008. The boy band has released megahits, including “Replay” (2008), “Lucifer” (2011), “Sherlock” (2012) and “View” (2015). Minho has also demonstrated his talent in other fields, appearin

Jan. 9, 2019

Korea's first K-pop arena to open in 2024

The Seoul city government said Wednesday it will open the country's first K-pop arena in northern Seoul in 2024 to attract more foreign tourists. "We plan to start the work to construct the concerts-only complex, Seoul Arena, in September next year on a 50,149-square-meter lot near Changdong Station for completion at the end of 2023," a city official said.  (Seoul Metropolitan Government)The 18,000-capacity Seoul Arena will include a 2,000-seat concert hall, a K-pop Hall of Fame, a K-pop special

Jan. 9, 2019

WJSN sings about complications of love in ‘La La Love’

WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, has a lot to say about love with its new track “La La Love.” “This is our first release of the year, and as the new year comes with a lot of expectations and love, our new song is full of love and fluttering feelings,” said Eunseo during the group’s media showcase for its new album in Seoul on Tuesday.(Video shot and edited by Ra Kyoo-yung/The Korea Herald)“We’ve been very busy lately, as we had to prepare for the new album and attend award shows at the same tim

Jan. 9, 2019

[K-Talk] SHINee’s Key to hold his first solo concert in Korea

SHINee member Key will be staging his first solo concert in South Korea, “The Agit Key Land – Key,” in February in Seoul.According to S.M. Entertainment on Tuesday, the concert will run for six days, February 2-3 and 7-10, at the SMTown Theatre in SMTown’s Coex Artium.  (S.M. Entertainment)Since he made his solo debut in November with the album “Face,” the singer has successfully reached out to Japan with his first J-pop solo album, “Hologram.” Released in December, the five-track album was well

Jan. 8, 2019

[K-talk] Chungha’s ‘Gotta Go’ tops iTunes charts

Chungha’s latest song “Gotta Go,” released Jan. 2, was sitting atop global iTunes K-pop charts as of Tuesday.According to the MNH Entertainment, which represents Chungha, the singer’s new digital single “Gotta Go” ranked No. 1 on the iTunes K-pop chart of Thailand and Qatar, ranked second on Singapore’s KKBOX K-pop chart and was No. 8 on Apple Music.  (MNH Entertainment)The track appears to have been well received by global fans, popping up on charts of global music streaming service Spotify in

Jan. 8, 2019

Pianist Park Jong-hai to have fun playing at Kumho Art Hall ‘playground’

Kumho Art Hall will be up-and-coming pianist Park Jong-hai’s “playground,” where he will meet the Korean audience throughout the year and showcase his musical color. The 30-year-old pianist was selected as the art hall’s artist in residence for this year. Each year, the art hall, run by the Kumho Art Cultural Foundation, selects an under-30 classical musician starting to build up a career. The annual program, titled “Playground” this year, provides opportunities for musicians to further develop

Jan. 8, 2019

BTS ends 2018 as second top album seller in US

K-pop boy band BTS finished the year 2018 as the second-highest album seller in the United States, behind Eminem, US data showed Tuesday.The 2018 report on US Music Industry Consumption by Buzz Angle Music showed BTS sold 603,307 albums last year, coming after the top seller Eminem's 755,027. (Yonhap)The BTS sales figure was far more than those by two English-speaking music idols, Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran, who sold 432,913 and 409,291 albums, respectively, to rank 10th and 11th.BTS relea

Jan. 8, 2019

[K-talk] BTOB’s Lee Min-hyuk releases teasers for first solo album

Lee Minhyuk of BTOB on Monday revealed the schedule leading up to his solo debut slated for Jan. 15.The leader and rapper of BTOB will release his first solo album, “Hutazone,” next week.  (Cube Entertainment)Lee will drop teasers, including the track list, on Tuesday, followed by a concept image, trailer clip, audio teaser and a music video teaser. The rapper previously dropped a single as part of BTOB members’ solo single project series “Piece of BTOB” in 2017. Through the project, Lee not onl

Jan. 7, 2019

[K-talk] BTS wins 6 awards at GDA including Daesang

Having grabbed bagful of gongs at the MMAs and Asia Artist Awards, BTS once again won big at the 33rd Golden Disc Awards in Seoul on Sunday As soon as BTS was called out to receive the Daesang, or the grand prize, members stood up bowing their heads repeatedly toward all the singers and their fans to show their gratitude. (Yonhap)“We turn the honor of the awards to our official fanclub Army for supporting us throughout 2018,” said leader RM. “We had a hard time at the start of the year, getting

Jan. 7, 2019

Upcoming musicals for 2019

Wednesday sees the kickoff in Seoul of the musical “The Lion King,” marking the beginning of another year with an array of musicals to entertain local audiences.The musical will performed in English, as it comes as part of an international tour. The show continues through March 28 at Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. It will be held at 8 p.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekends. There are no shows on Mondays or on Feb. 6.   Ntsepa Pitjeng, who plays the role of Rafiki in

Jan. 6, 2019

[K-talk] Lee Hyori comes onstage at IU’s concert in Jeju

Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon appeared at IU’s concert in Jeju on Saturday. The couple surprised fans by making an appearance during IU’s 10th anniversary concert “dlwlrma-Jeju ‘Curtain Call’” held at the International Convention Center Jeju on Jeju Island. “Thank you so much for coming to my concert. I’m so nervous right now,” said the 26-year-old as she greeted the two. (IU’s Twitter)Lee Hyori and IU sang a duet song, “She’s Different From Me,” with Lee Sang-soon’s guitar accompaniment. The song

Jan. 6, 2019

[K-talk] Apink drops video teaser for ‘%%’

Apink has dropped a music video teaser for its song “%%” slated for release at 6 p.m. Monday.Representing the girl group, Plan A Entertainment unveiled the first music video teaser for “%%,” the title track of the upcoming EP “Percent,” at midnight Friday via Apink’s official fan page and social media channels. (Plan A Entertainment)The 52-second clip features member Son Na-eun whispering some words while other members appear to be in the middle of a ritual: They are gathered around looking at a

Jan. 6, 2019

Black Pink tops girl group brand ranking for January

Black Pink was named the most popular K-pop girl group in January, followed by Twice and Red Velvet, according to the Korea Brand Reputation Center. The center analyzed over 135 million pieces of big data on K-pop girl groups from Dec. 4, 2018 to Jan. 5 and examined their brand reputation in the categories of participation, media, communication and community.  (YG Entertainment)The brand reputation measures positive and negative perception rates, interest from the media and attention and communi

Jan. 6, 2019

Seoulites to take stage at ‘Yu Gwan-sun Opera Cantata’

The people of Seoul will be invited to take part in a musical performance in honor of freedom fighter Yu Gwan-sun to be held on March 2, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the establishment of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus will jointly hold “Yu Gwan-sun Opera Cantata.” The performance tells the life story of the emblematic female activist of the March 1st

Jan. 4, 2019