[Herald Review] U2’s 1st outing in Seoul a gift after long wait

As incredible as it sounds, U2 -- one of biggest names in rock history -- has never had a huge following in Korea. The disparity between the band’s international fame and popularity in Korea, among other things, has prevented U2 fans in the country from enjoying the group’s music live. That was until the Seoul leg of the Joshua Tree Tour 2019 in Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday, held in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of one of their best-received albums, “The Joshua T

Dec. 10, 2019

Agency warns of legal action after TWICE member injured by crowd of fans

The management agency of girl band TWICE has warned of legal action against aggressive fans after a band member was injured by a crowd of fans."Today, there was an accident involving our artist, who fell over and got injured due to disorderly and excessive photo taking (by fans) at Gimpo International Airport," TWICE's management agency, JYP Entertainment, said in a post on the band's official SNS accounts on Sunday.  A crowd of fans gathered at Gimpo International Airport earlier

Dec. 9, 2019

BTS' 'Boy with Luv' most-viewed YouTube music video in S. Korea in 2019

The music video of K-pop boy band BTS' latest single "Boy With Luv" was the most viewed music video on YouTube in South Korea this year, the company said Friday.The music video has topped the milestone of 600 million YouTube views, according to YouTube. "Boy With Luv" is a track off the latest BTS album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," released April 12 and featuring American diva Halsey. Its music video set a Guinness World Record for the most views on YouTube in 24 ho

Dec. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Experimental musicians bring Korean instruments to global audience

K-pop has become synonymous with the idea of Korean music on a global scale recently, but genres extend much wider here. One of the most fascinating and experimental musical genres that is gaining traction in Korea has its roots in gugak, Korea’s traditional music. With a unique blend of old and new, East and West, young gugak musicians are making global strides, performing at international music festivals, signing with global labels and racking up rave reviews from foreign media.Here

Dec. 6, 2019

[Weekender] Hot to trot

In Korea’s music history, 2019 may be remembered as the year of a global K-pop explosion. But on the home turf of BTS, Blackpink and other popular idol groups, the year’s biggest breakout star came from an unlikely music genre: trot.  Once ridiculed as music for grannies, the oldest form of Korean popular music is seeing a resurgence, evident from the stellar rise of trot diva Song Ga-in. Song was crowned “Ms. Trot” in a smash-hit TV audition show of the same title t

Dec. 6, 2019

BLACKPINK cheered by 55,000 fans at Tokyo Dome concert

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK successfully held its first Tokyo Dome concert this week, with the attendance reaching about 55,000 fans, its management agency said Thursday.According to YG Entertainment, the concert as part of the BLACKPINK 2019-2020 World Tour in Your Area in Japan took place at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, featuring dynamic energy and performances by the four-member girl group amid a festive mood.As the "DDU-DU DDU-DU" intro announced the beginning of the concert, the

Dec. 5, 2019

BTS sweeps top prizes at 2019 MAMA in Nagoya

K-pop sensation BTS picked up nine prizes at this year's Mnet Asian Music Awards in the Japanese city of Nagoya on Wednesday, monopolizing the biggest Asian music awards event.The septet took home the top three prizes at the 2019 MAMA -- Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year -- winning big at the awards ceremony held at Nagoya Dome.Six other awards including Best Male Group, Best Dance Performance-Male Group and Best Music Video also went to BTS. "Year 2019 has been a y

Dec. 5, 2019

Park Ji-hoon returns with seductive second EP '360'

K-pop singer and actor Park Ji-hoon returned Wednesday as a musician following his recent acting project, with his second solo EP "360."The album's title track is an alluring pop number that sheds light on the heartthrob star's seductive side. Park described the song as reflective of his three major qualities -- purity at the zero-degree point, youthfulness at the 180-degree point and professionalism as an artist at the 360-degree point."I hoped to put into the new album the music

Dec. 4, 2019

BTS to perform on popular Japanese year-end TV show

K-pop sensation BTS will perform at "FNS Music Festival," one of the biggest and most prestigious year-end musical events in Japan, later this week, the TV network broadcasting the show said Tuesday.BTS will make its appearance on the first day of the annual music show on Wednesday, Fuji Television said. The second show will be aired on Dec. 11.  The Japanese TV broadcaster said it will be the first time BTS has participated in the annual music gathering, which has been held since

Dec. 4, 2019

Zion.T will unveil new song on his YouTube channel

South Korean singer-songwriter Zion.T will unveil his new song “Nothing Today” on Tuesday by uploading the piece on his YouTube channel, without distributing it on major music streaming services. The reason for his unprecedented decision is not known. However, in a response to an online comment asking whether the song would be distributed on music sites, he replied, “in the manner that has no winners or losers” -- implying that he wanted to avoid the ranking system of the

Dec. 2, 2019

TWICE to close world tour in Seoul next year

K-pop girl group TWICE will close its almost one-year-long concert journey in Seoul next year, the band's agency said Monday.The two-day concert, titled "TWICE World Tour 2019 Twicelights," will be held at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in southeastern Seoul from March 7, according to JYP Entertainment.That will put an end to the nine-member team's world tour that kicked off in May at the same venue. By March next year, TWICE will have traveled to 16 cities, including Tokyo, Los Angeles

Dec. 2, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Fukuoka’ tells multilayered story in dreamlike narrative

Watching a Zhang Lu film is like being led through a labyrinth, with each of the director’s choices sparking thoughts, and ending up with more questions than answers.“Fukuoka,” the story of a pair of estranged friends, two middle-aged men journeying both physically and metaphysically, looks at various aspects of life and the world itself in a new context.The story begins when used-book seller Je-moon (Yoon Je-moon) from Seoul is talked into traveling to Fukuoka by So-dam (Park

Dec. 1, 2019

K-pop stars to walk fans through major Korean tourist spots

Three K-pop idols, including members from boy band NU‘EST, have joined a tourism promotion campaign to walk fans and YouTube users through major Korean tourist spots.Two NU’EST members, Hwang Min-hyun and Ren, as well as the soloist Ha Sung-woon joined the video campaign operated by Seo Kyung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women‘s University in Seoul, and sponsored by the state-run Korea Tourism Organization.The three stars are the first Korean TV entertainers who have joined the

Nov. 30, 2019

Lee Ja-ram transforms ‘Old Man and the Sea’ into pansori

Pansori artist Lee Ja-ram is known for her success in taking the audience to places that are utterly new. Her latest work, “The Old Man and the Sea” at Doosan Art Center, does a perfect job of bringing Ernest Hemingway’s story of a Cuban fisherman to the stage. Lee’s “The Old Man and the Sea” takes the form of pansori, or traditional Korean narrative singing. Except for a few changes, Lee’s pansori production follows the original storyline of Santiago, H

Nov. 28, 2019

TWICE tops Japan's Oricon weekly chart for 5th time

A new Japanese album by South Korean girl group TWICE has risen to the top of Japan's leading music chart soon after its release, its management agency said Thursday.According to JYP Entertainment, "&TWICE," the second full Japanese album by TWICE, topped the Oricon weekly albums chart for the third week of this month.With the feat, TWICE has climbed to the top of the Oricon weekly chart for the fifth time. Earlier, the girl group's first Japanese album "BDZ," sixth Korea

Nov. 28, 2019

Gracias Choir tours 18 cities with heart-warming ‘Christmas Cantata’

In celebration of Christmas, Gracias Choir has embarked on its “Christmas Cantata” tour across Korea from Nov. 15 to Dec. 22. The choir will perform in 18 cities, including Ansan, Gyeonggi Province; Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province; Gwangju; Gangneung, Gangwon Province; and Mokpo, South Jeolla Province. The tour ends in Seoul. The 120-minute performance is separated into three acts. The first act takes the format of an opera, depicting the birth of Jesus. The second follows a mu

Nov. 28, 2019

JYJ's Kim Jae-joong to drop first new album in 4 years

Singer Kim Jae-joong will drop a new album early next year, returning to the Korean music business after a near four-year hiatus, his agency said Thursday.Kim, a member of the Korean pop group JYJ, will also start a concert tour across Asia starting in Seoul in January, according to C-Jes Entertainment.The detailed schedule of the Asian concerts will be determined later, it added. It is Kim's first Korean album in four years since he released his last studio album "No.X" in 2016.His la

Nov. 28, 2019

New EXO album tops iTunes charts across globe

K-pop boy band EXO took iTunes music charts by storm Thursday with its latest album, "Obsession."The sixth full-length album by EXO, released on Wednesday, had topped iTunes' Top Album charts in 60 countries by Thursday morning, according to SM Entertainment, the band's management agency. The 60 countries include Canada, France, Denmark, Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, Peru and Taiwan. At home, "Obsession" also came atop daily album sales charts by online book stores and music di

Nov. 28, 2019

BTS set to heat up year-end festivities with performances at home, abroad

K-pop sensation BTS will heat up year-end festivities with a series of high-profile performances in its home country of South Korea and outside. With the 2019 Melon Music Awards scheduled for Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, BTS will begin its run of performances throughout December, providing an unusually entertainment-packed month.Appearing at the Melon Music Awards last year as well, BTS dazzled fans by staging specially remixed versions of its songs, featuring elements of traditional K

Nov. 26, 2019

[Newsmaker] Late Goo Hara left ‘despairing note’: police

Singer Goo Hara, who was found dead at her home Sunday, left a note, according to police.A note written by Goo was found on a table in her living room at around 6 p.m. Sunday by her housekeeper, who then filed a report with police, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said during a press briefing Monday.Police said in the note she “despaired over personal affairs.”Police added that based on on-site inspections and family testimonies, foul play was unlikely. A closed-circuit TV review

Nov. 25, 2019