K-pop singer Gain questioned over marijuana claims

Seoul police on Monday said that they have investigated local singer Son Ga-in -- also known by her stage name Gain -- over her claim that an acquaintance of hers had offered her marijuana.Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency told the local press that officers have visited the 29-year-old singer and questioned her over the claims. The acquaintance in question, a friend of Gain’s boyfriend actor Ju Ji-hoon, has also been questioned as a witness. Last Sunday, Gain wrote on her Instagram account that s

June 12, 2017

Apink to release EP on June 26

Apink will unveil its sixth EP on June 26, its agency Plan A Entertainment said Monday, releasing its first record in more than nine months.On midnight, the agency posted a teaser image for the upcoming album on its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram account. The image shows the messages “Coming Soon. Pink up” with the release date of June 26, 6 p.m.“As Apink is returning after nine-month hiatus, the new EP will show them as more mature,” said Plan A Entertainment.  (Plan A Entertainment)The six-me

June 12, 2017

Ultra Korea captivates Seoul

A part of Seoul was set ablaze last weekend, as 120,000 music lovers flocked to Ultra Korea 2017, shaking it to the ear-blasting tunes from top-tier DJs gathered at the largest and hottest outdoor club in the country.Spread across the vastness of Jamsil Olympic Main Stadium in Seoul were four stages, from which electronic dance music shot out from big-shot artists KSHMR, Pendulum, Alesso, Nicky Romero, Steve Angello, Dubfire, Martin Solveig, Tiesto and Tchami. Standing alongside the top-tier mus

June 12, 2017

K-pop diva Lee Hyo-ri to drop new album early July

K-pop dancing diva Lee Hyo-ri is set to release a new album in the beginning of July, her agency Kiwi Media Group said Monday. “The album had originally been planned for June, but we have decided to release it in the beginning of July,” the agency said. “We are in the process of working on the last touches of the album and have not yet specified a date.” Lee Hyo-ri (Kiwi Media Group)Lee worked with composer Kim Do-hyun to produce the album. It will mark the songstress‘ return to the music scene

June 12, 2017

John Park to release single Wednesday

Singer John Park will release his first single in almost a year, returning with “Do Not Disturb” on Wednesday.According to his agency Music Farm Entertainment, the new single will “prominently feature Park’s unique vocal tone.” (Music Farm)It was written by Andy Platts of the London-based Mamas Gun, and Park wrote the lyrics for the song. It marks a repeat of the combination used for his debut single “Falling” in 2012, which also featured Platts’ music and Park’s lyrics. Park’s last single “Thou

June 11, 2017

Britney Spears Seoul concert feeds on ’90s nostalgia

American pop star Britney Spears held a concert in Korea for the first time Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul. 　Spears was previously in Korea in 2003 to promote her album “In the Zone.” She appeared on a local TV program and sang a duet with Korean singer BoA, but Saturday’s show, the second leg of her Asia tour following Japan, was her first concert here. 　Concert organizers opened up 17,000 seats for the event, with the highest-priced VVIP tickets at up to 220,000 won ($195). The

June 11, 2017

Group of fans calls for Super Junior to drop Sungmin

A group of fans of K-pop act Super Junior has demanded Sungmin be removed from the popular band. An online fan community that calls itself “Super Junior Gallery” released a statement on Sungmin with the title “Sungmin Out” on Sunday.Fans leave an image calling for Sungmin’s boycott from Super Junior at one of the group’s fan sites Saturday. (DC Inside)The statement read, “We can no longer support (Sungmin) and just watch him doing whatever he wishes to do, including his deceptive actions toward

June 11, 2017

[Herald Review] G-Dragon reveals ‘true self’ at Seoul concert

From the singer’s outfits to the concert lighting and his microphone, everything on stage was splashed a bloody red, a color that represented the theme of G-Dragon’s Saturday solo performance: going back to the roots of his birth.  G-Dragon performs during a concert at Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on Saturday. (YG Entertainment)“Hello, my name is Kwon Ji-yong. You are witnessing the first-ever concert by ‘the human Kwon Ji-yong’,” the frontman of Big Bang screamed at 40,000 fans after openi

June 11, 2017

T.O.P leaves hospital amid military service suspension

T.O.P of South Korean boy band Big Bang, who has been hospitalized for a drug overdose, left the hospital on Friday, as he was officially suspended from his mandatory military service due to a marijuana scandal. (Yonhap)"I'm sorry," the singer responded succinctly towards a barrage of questions from reporters as he came out of the intensive care unit of Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul.The singer, who came out sitting in a wheelchair, was in a patient gown and wearing a mas

June 9, 2017

Astro makes Billboard charts again

Boy band Astro has entered the Billboard music charts again with its fourth EP “Dream Part 1,” coming in at No. 6 on the World Album charts as of Friday, the group’s label Fantagio Music announced. 　Astro made the Billboard World Album charts last year with its first and second EPs “Spring Up” and “Summer Vibes.” 　 Astro’s fourth EP is listed on the Billboard World Albums chart. (Billboard)With the listing of its recent EP, released May 29, the six-member band which debuted in 2015 features alon

June 9, 2017

G-Dragon’s new album reigns on iTunes charts worldwide

Big Bang member G-Dragon’s self-titled solo album “Kwon Ji Yong” is reigning over iTunes album charts around the world, setting a new record in the Korean music scene.  (YG Entertainment)The album, which was released Thursday with the lead track “Untitled,” has topped the iTunes album chart in 39 countries including the US, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Ukraine, Colombia, Finland and Thailand, as of Friday morning.G-Dragon now holds the record for simultaneously topping the most iTunes album charts

June 9, 2017

G-Dragon drops new solo album ‘Kwon Ji Yong’

G-Dragon of Big Bang returned with a new solo album Thursday evening, amid ongoing controversy surrounding bandmate T.O.P, who has been indicted on allegations of marijuana use. T.O.P regained consciousness late Thursday afternoon after being hospitalized Tuesday for an apparent drug overdose. (YG Entertainment)The lead track for G-Dragon’s latest album, titled “Kwon Ji Yong,” the artist’s real name, has been changed to “Untitled,” a slow-tempo piano ballad about love, from the previously announ

June 8, 2017

YG apologizes over T.O.P’s marijuana controversy

YG Entertainment issued an official apology Thursday amid ongoing controversy over Big Bang member T.O.P’s marijuana use. The statement came two days after the rapper was hospitalized at Ewha Womans University Medical Center for drug overdose Tuesday.  (Yonhap)It read: “We bow our heads and sincerely apologize to those who were hurt and disappointed by the recent shameful happenings surrounding T.O.P. As the hospital confirmed at the media conference recently, after the rapper was found unconsci

June 8, 2017

Chungha debuts solo with summer single ‘Why Don’t You Know’

Chungha, formerly of the since disbanded project girl group I.O.I, took to the stage alone to show she is all set to perform solo. The 21-year-old made her solo debut with her first album “Hands on Me,” featuring the lead track “Why Don’t You Know,” released Wednesday. While she feels emptiness without her former I.O.I bandmates, most of whom have gone on to form other girl groups, Chungha said she decided to buck the trend and pursue her own musical endeavors.  Chungha performs at a press showc

June 8, 2017

T.O.P still ‘unconscious’: medical staff

T.O.P, a member of Big Bang, remains “unconscious” and is likely to recover in a week, medical staff said at a press conference on Wednesday. The clarification by physicians in charge of the Korean rapper came after a flurry of conflicting reports about the singer‘s condition flooded the local media. T.O.P had been taken to hospital for alleged drug overuse on Tuesday.  (Yonhap)“When T.O.P was brought into the hospital he was in a state of stupor and deep drowsiness and only responded to very st

June 7, 2017

Kim Hyun-joong storms Japan’s daily Oricon chart with ‘re:wind’

Singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong’s album “re:wind,” released in Japan on Tuesday, has topped the daily Oricon chart, Japan’s largest music chart. The album secured the No. 1 spot on the chart and sold 21,377 copies on the first day of its release. It was his first album since he completed his compulsory military service in February. Singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong (Universal Music Japan)Prior to its release, the singer dropped a teaser clip for the album through Universal Music Japan’s YouTube channel. B

June 7, 2017

Big Bang's T.O.P hospitalized for suspected drug overdose

Popular South Korean singer and actor T.O.P of boy band BIGBANG has been hospitalized for an apparent drug overdose, his Seoul-based agency said Tuesday. YG Entertainment said the 29-year-old rapper, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, is currently receiving treatment at an intensive care unit of a Seoul hospital. The agency first reported that Choi was found unconscious, but police later denied that he was in critical condition.South Korea's singer and actor T.O.P of boy band Big Bang (Yonhap)"

June 6, 2017

How we cope with death

Two large works of art face off each other at the Barakat Seoul, sharing the common subject of the death of a father. However, the two pieces, part of “The Absence of Paterfamilias” exhibition, are dissimilar in almost every other way. “The Dinner,” an animation loop by Belgian artist Alex Verhaest, is calm on the surface, but the tension among the characters is clearly palpable. The figures seem void, yet full of angst, their empty gazes looking out in different directions. The characters keep

June 6, 2017

Korean hip-hop duo XXX to perform at Midem music fest

Korean hip-hop duo XXX has been invited to perform at the opening of Midem music festival, the world’s largest business-to-business music event, held in Cannes, France.XXX will be putting on a 40-minute performance at the event’s opening show, titled “Midem by Night,” Tuesday evening, according to its label Beasts and Natives Alike.Some 6,000 music industry insiders from 75 countries are expected to participate at this year‘s Midem.  Hip-hop duo XXX (BANA)Other Korean artists such as rock band G

June 6, 2017

Super Junior to return with new album this year

Global K-pop act Super Junior is preparing to return with a new album this year, according to its agency, Label SJ, Tuesday.This will mark the boy band’s return to the spotlight about two years after it released the second part of its 10th anniversary special album “Magic” in September 2015. K-pop group Super Junior (S.M. Entertainment)Earlier in the day, a local report said the group would return in either late October or early November. Eunhyuk and Donghae will likely be able to promote the al

June 6, 2017