Psy, IU to throw free concerts at Boryeong Mud Festival

Leading K-pop stars Psy and IU plan to throw free stand-alone concerts at this year's Boryeong Mud Festival, according to organizers Thursday.Psy will hold a concert July 25 at Daecheon Beach, 170 kilometers southwest of Seoul, the venue for the mud festival, celebrating its 20th year, according to Boryeong City. This year's festivities will be held from July 21-30.The singer, star of the 2012 smash hit "Gangnam Style," released his eighth full-length album in May, performed at last year's openi

June 29, 2017

Twice tops Japanese iTunes album chart

Twice‘s Japan debut set off on a successful path, as its first album “#TWICE” topped the iTunes top albums chart for Japan after its midnight release on Wednesday.It also took the No.1 spot on the same chart in nine countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru and Thailand, as one of Korea’s hottest girl groups. (JYP Entertainment)The recently-released album consists of the Korean and Japanese versions of Twice‘s biggest hits including “Cheer Up,” “Knock Knock,” “TT” and “Signal.Having made a s

June 28, 2017

Black Pink tops Billboard’s world digital songs chart yet again

Black Pink has topped the international chart at the Billboards with its single “As If It’s Your Last,” notching the No.1 spot at the chart for the third time since the group’s sensational debut last year.(YG Entertainment)As of Wednesday, the song edged out “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo‘Ole for the top spot. The K-pop act is on fire on local and international charts, which include topping the iTunes chart in 18 countries. It has also featured on the “Best of the Week” l

June 28, 2017

Nine Muses reveals practice for ‘Remember’

Nine Muses‘ agency on Wednesday revealed a video of the K-pop act practicing the dance moves for its recently-released song “Remember.”In the video, the four members are seen honing the moves in a practice facility, showing off both their skills and looks. It is customary for K-pop groups to release a video of themselves practicing songs, in a bid to offer fans a closer look at the stars.The four-member group released its new EP “Muses Diary Part2: Identity” earlier in the month, which marked it

June 28, 2017

Sojin of Girl's Day, Eddy Kim confirm relationship

Sojin, a member of K-pop group Girl's Day, and singer-songwriter Eddy Kim admitted to being in romantic relationship on Wednesday. The couple had denied the rumors earlier in the day.Her agency Dream Entertainment said that Sojin has denied the reports, and said that she and Kim are just good friends. Sojin (Dream Entertainment)Kim‘s agency Mystic Entertainment also denied the reports.Earlier in the day, a local outlet reported that Sojin is dating the singer-songwriter, who is four years her ju

June 28, 2017

Idol singer Chanmi wins acting contest

K-pop star Chanmi proved that she can do more than dance and sing by winning an acting contest that pitted the nation’s idol singers against one another. In the final episode of “I’m An Actor,” aired Tuesday on cable channel K Star, Chanmi clinched the top spot based on the results of past matches that had the participants re-enacting famous scenes from TV shows. She finished first twice in a total of six matches on the show. Chanmi (FNC Entertainment)For her final performance, she played a part

June 28, 2017

K-pop star Bora dating Feeldog of Big Star

Another K-pop star couple had been born, as Bora -- formerly of the now-disbanded Sistar -- confirmed her romantic relationship with Feeldog, of boy band Big Star.Bora’s agency Hook Entertainment told local media she has “a serious relationship with Feeldog,” confirming earlier reports. It did not elaborate on how long the relationship has been going on.  Bora (right) and Feeldog (Yonhap)Brave Entertainment, Feeldog’s agency, also confirmed the two have been dating for months. The relationship s

June 28, 2017

Apink makes dramatic return with ‘Pink Up’ amid bomb threat

K-pop group Apink made a dramatic return to the music scene, undeterred by a bomb threat that had heightened tension at a media showcase for its new EP in Seoul on Monday. A few hours before Monday’s showcase, Apink was threatened by an unidentified man who claimed to have set up explosives at the event venue. After a sweeping search at the venue, police said that no evidence or trace of explosives were found. Despite the bomb scare, Apink decided to proceed with the event and talked about its n

June 27, 2017

G-Dragon adds 5 European cities to on-going world tour

G-Dragon of Big Bang is set to hold solo concerts in five European cities in September, as part of his ongoing solo world tour.The artist’s label YG Entertainment said Monday that London, Birmingham, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin have been added to the list of destinations for his solo tour, ACT III, M.O.T.T.E, that kicked off in Seoul on June 10. This is the first time for the artist to perform solo concerts in Europe. The European portion of the tour begins in Birmingham, England from Sept. 23. 

June 27, 2017

Seo Tai-ji to collaborate with BTS for 25th-anniversary concert

K-pop icon Seo Tai-ji will collaborate with K-pop boy band BTS for a concert in September to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Seo’s debut. Seo’s label Seotajji Co. said Tuesday that the legendary singer and BTS will perform several hits from all four albums of Seo’s previous group Seo Taiji and the Boys, without any changes to the original versions of the songs. “With BTS, Seo will perform his earliest songs exactly as they were performed in the 1990s,” an official from the label said.  Singer

June 27, 2017

PyeongChang Music Festival continues putting Olympics host city on map

Initially conceived as a way to promote PyeongChang’s bid to host the Winter Olympics, the PyeongChang Music Festival and School has come a long way. When violinist Kang Hyo, a professor at the Juilliard School in New York, launched the summer classical music festival and school in 2004 in the mountains of Gangwon Province, it was called the Daegwallyeong Music Festival and School, or the Great Mountains Music Festival and School in English. Modeled after the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, US

June 27, 2017

Lovelyz to hold first solo concert in Japan in August

K-pop group Lovelyz will hold its first solo concert outside of Korea in August, holding a performance for the fans in Tokyo. According to its agency Woolim Entertainment, Lovelyz will hold “2017 Lovelyz Concert Alwayz in Japan” on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6 in the Japanese capital. The group’s concerts in Seoul on July 29-30 are sold out.  (Woolim Entertainment)“We hope that (the Tokyo concert) will mark the beginning of more opportunities for the group to meet fans from around the world,” said Woolim E

June 27, 2017

BTS ‘one of most influential people’ on internet: Time

K-pop sensation Bangtan Boys -- or BTS -- added another impressive feat to its resume as Time magazine included it in the annual list of most influential people on the internet. According to the magazine, it looked into the candidate‘s global impact on social media and their overall ability to drive news in drawing up the 25-member list. BTS (Bighit Entertainment)“Overtaking Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez to spend 27 consecutive weeks atop Billboard’s “Social 50” chart, which tracks popularity a

June 27, 2017

Black Pink shatters record with 30 million YouTube views

Black Pink appears to be on the path from rookie sensation to K-pop giants, as the music video for the recently-released single “As If It‘s Your Last” reached 30 million views faster than any other K-pop group in history.The video topped 30 million views in less than fic days since its release. The previous record-holder was held by Twice‘s “Knock Knock,“ which reached the milestone in just over six days of its release. Black Pink (YG Entertainment)Psy holds the record among all Korean artists,

June 27, 2017

Ex-WINNER Nam Tae-hyun to release 1st EP with his new band

Singer Nam Tae-hyun will release his first EP as a member of the band South Club at 6 p.m. Tuesday. The band, led by the former singer of K-pop act WINNER, will unveil the EP ”90“ containing seven songs including ”I Got the Blues,“ ”Liar“ and previously-released ”Hug Me.“ Nam has participated in the creation of all the songs, except for the instrumental songs.Following the release, Nam will hold a fan meeting in Tokyo on July 8.Nam, 23, debuted in 2014 as a member of the boyband WINNER, but left

June 27, 2017

Korean violinist takes 1st prize in junior Tchaikovsky

A South Korean violinist has taken first place in an international competition for young musicians held in Astana, Kazakhstan, an institute for talented artists in Seoul said Monday.The National Institute for the Gifted in Arts said 14-year-old Kang Na-kyung topped the violin section, along with Japan's Eugene Kawai, at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians and won a prize of US$5,000. This provided photo shows violinist Kang Na-kyung, who took first prize at the Internat

June 26, 2017

Lena Park to wed in Hawaii

Korean-American singer Lena Park will tie the knot with her partner of three years next month, her agency said Monday.Confirming earlier reports, Catch Pop Entertainment told the media the wedding will take place in Hawaii on July 15, with only their respective families present at the ceremony. The groom-to-be’s family lives on the US island. A poster advertises Lena Park’s April concert. (Catch Pop Entertainment)Park will continue her career as a singer in Korea, officials said. She will live i

June 26, 2017

BoA to ‘transform’ in ‘CAMO’ project

K-pop icon BoA will go in a new direction with her new song, which her agency said will show off a completely different side to the 31-year-old artist. (S.M. Entertainment)S.M. Entertainment said the song for her “CAMO” project will be released online at 6 p.m. Monday, in line with its music video on online outlets, including Naver’s V channel and its own SM Town channel.The song will be a dance number with a heavy emphasis on bass and synthesizer sounds, according to the agency. US production t

June 26, 2017

Lee Hyo-ri to pre-release 'Seoul' this week

K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri will pre-release a new song from her upcoming comeback album this week, her agency said Monday.A teaser image for Lee Hyo-ri`s new song "Seoul" (Yonhap)Kiwi Media Group, which represents the former girl group FIN.K.L member, announced on its social media that Lee will pre-release "Seoul" on Wednesday. The rest of the album is scheduled to come out July 4.A teaser image shows Lee's face covered by a turtle neck sweater with the song's title.The former sexy dance icon collabo

June 26, 2017

Apink drops teaser video, concept image before new release

Just a day before the release of “Pink Up,” Apink on Sunday offered a peek at what its concept and the music video would be for its upcoming EP.Its agency Plan A Entertainment uploaded the concept image with Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jung Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Kim Nam-joo and Oh Ha-young on the band’s official fan page and social media pages at midnight Saturday. It followed up by revealing a teaser video of the song at noon, Sunday. The clip, an excerpt from Apink’s new music video, revealed par

June 25, 2017