X1 defies vote-rigging scandal to debut as one of highest-profile

Vote-rigging allegations and an ongoing police probe surrounding new boy band X1 mattered little as the 11-member group made a high-profile debut Tuesday through an idol audition TV show known for producing breakout K-pop stars.It took only four months for the 11 members to rise from obscurity to stardom in the Mnet audition show, "Produce X 101,"through which three sensational bands -- I.O.I, Wanna One and IZ*ONE -- were formed and thrived.On Tuesday, the 11 final winners of the show'

Aug. 27, 2019

'Let Them Eat Money. Welche Zukunft?!' to get Korean premiere

Political drama constitutes one of the backbones of German theater, particularly that of the 20th century, and “Let Them Eat Money. Welche Zukunft?!” is a contemporary production in that tradition.The German play -- which premiered in Germany last September, the latter part of whose title means “Which Future?” -- will have its South Korean premiere Sept. 20-21 at the LG Arts Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.Directed by award-winning film and theater director Andres Veiel, the

Aug. 27, 2019

‘Super Show’ in October to herald return of ‘complete’ Super Junior

Super Junior on Tuesday announced that it will hold a standalone concert in October in Seoul, its first since 2008 to feature all nine members. All the band’s musicians have now been discharged from the military after fulfilling their mandatory military service.The promotional image released for “Super Junior World Tour -- Super Show 8” showed that the Seoul concert will be held Oct. 12-13 at the KSPO Dome at Olympic Park in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul. Tickets will be available

Aug. 27, 2019

BTS honored at annual MTV music awards

Proving its massive success on the American pop scene once again, K-pop boy band BTS has picked up two trophies at the annual MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) held in New Jersey, the United States.The septet won in two categories -- best group and K-pop -- out of the five it was nominated for in the awards ceremony held at New Jersey's Prudential Center on Monday (US time). The other categories BTS was nominated for were art direction, collaboration and choreography. Currently on its first-ever off

Aug. 27, 2019

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma hopes to bring peace to Korea

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is to perform near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas during his stay in Seoul for The Bach Project.The cellist, 64, will perform J.S. Bach’s six cello suites for solo cello at the Olympic Park in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, as part of Credia Park Concert. The unaccompanied cello suites are iconic pieces that fully explore the instrument. The Olympic Park performance is a part of Ma’s The Bach Project, which began in August, aiming to raise awareness of

Aug. 26, 2019

BTS' Japanese fan meeting plans called into question amid Seoul-Tokyo rows

Having enthralled some 210,000 fans with the Japanese edition in July of its "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour, K-pop super band BTS returned home to a hero's welcome for its feat of bringing the peoples of South Korea and Japan together despite the countries' deteriorating diplomatic ties. When the septet announced last week plans for another set of fan meetings in Japan, however, the response among their Korean fans were sharply divided, with many angry fans demanding Big Hi

Aug. 26, 2019

Record numbers: BTS hits milestone with 2nd Gold record in US

BTS has added more accolades to its already impressive resume, becoming the first South Korean act to win two Gold certifications in the US market with its “Map of the Soul: Persona” album.Recent data from the Recording Industry Association of America confirmed that the boy band’s sixth EP had received Gold certification as of Aug. 22, a little over four months after its April 12 release. The RIAA grants recognition to albums based on the number of sales: 500,000 or more for Go

Aug. 25, 2019

BTS propels Big Hit to near top of entertainment industry in H1

Big Hit Entertainment, home to K-pop superstars BTS, has revealed its larger-than-expected revenue for the first half of 2019, proving itself to be a great potential game changer in the industry. The unlisted company said Wednesday it posted a record 200.1 billion won ($166.5 billion) in sales for the first six months of the year, which is just 14 billion won shy of the sales it generated for all of 2018.Its first-half operating profit reached 39.1 billion won, which compares with a full-year pr

Aug. 23, 2019

New drama series featuring BTS' growth story being produced

A new drama series featuring the growth story of global K-pop band BTS is under production to be aired next year, the head of the band's music label said Wednesday."With a view to launch it in the second half of 2020, (we) are preparing a drama series based on BTS' (musical) universe," Bang Si-hyuk, CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, said in a briefing on the firm's corporate vision. The CEO said the drama series will go back in time to the moment when the seven BTS members first met as a t

Aug. 21, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Cyrano’ returns to stage with better visuals, but loses some poetic flair

In the story of “Cyrano,” love has always been in the air. A love letter, serenade, love triangle, misunderstanding and betrayal ... they are all there in the musical. And yet, the 2019 season has returned with even more love than before. Based on a play of the same name written by Edmond Rostand in 1897, the love story of Cyrano has grown in popularity across the world, being adapted into films, a drama, a novel, and finally to a musical in 2009 by legendary duo, Leslie Bricusse and

Aug. 21, 2019

Rapper Kisum challenges herself with first dance hip-hop record, 'Yeah!sul'

Female rapper and songwriter Kisum on Tuesday dropped a new EP, "Yeah!sul," fronted by a funky dance number, transforming sharply from her previous dark hip-hop music.The EP's title, "Yeah!sul," translates in Korean as "Yeah! alcohol," or as "art" when read together, and the six-track album is led by "Let's Drink Up."Kisum sampled the widely loved refrain from male duo Vibe's hit song with the same Korean title in composing and writing the main t

Aug. 20, 2019

BTS nominated in 5 categories for 2019 MTV Video Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS has been nominated for American TV channel MTV's 2019 Video Music Awards in the Best Group category, raising the number of its nominations to five, the TV channel's website showed Tuesday.In its previous announcement last month, MTV said BTS was nominated in four categories for the globally coveted awards. "Boy With Luv," BTS' latest single featuring Halsey, is competing in the Best Collaboration category for the fan-voted music awards, whose final awards ceremony is

Aug. 20, 2019

‘Slow Life Slow Live’ festival adds Kodaline to lineup

The third annual “Slow Life Slow Live” festival has added Irish band Kodaline to its lineup, with a total of nine artists confirmed so far. Consisting of Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vincent May and Jason Boland, the band was nominated for the BBC Sound of 2013 upon its 2012 debut. It has released three studio albums, most recently “Politics of Living” in 2018. The quintet joins South Korean pop vocalists Lee Juck and John Park, along with Lukas Graham, Gallant,

Aug. 20, 2019

Even away from music scene for break, BTS makes buzz

Off to its first-ever official break in its sensational seven-year career, K-pop super band BTS is away from the public eye, but the presence of its members' surprise internet feeds and release of a special photo album continues to make the world music scene abuzz with the beloved band.Dropping a YouTube video of the seven BTS members, flawlessly dressed up against the backdrop of a Korean wood-and-clay traditional house, "hanok" in Korean, last Thursday, BTS announced the arrival of t

Aug. 20, 2019

K-pop celebs ignite discussion on going sans bra

K-pop idols have not always been in the forefront of social movements. Yet two popular stars in the industry -- Sulli and Hwasa -- have recently ignited the heated debate on going bra-free. Sulli, formerly of girl group f(x), has in recent years uploaded photographs and videos of herself without a bra on her social media accounts. Each time she uploads one, her Instagram account is bombarded with comments -- both supportive and expressing disgust.Appearing on JTBC’s “Night of Hate Co

Aug. 19, 2019

Rapper Flowsik to release new single on Sunday

Hip-hop artist Flowsik announced Monday at midnight that he will release a new digital single on Sunday, through a teaser image that he uploaded on his social media page. According to the teaser image, the single will be released at 6 p.m. with the title “1 week,” marking the rapper’s first release in eight months.Flowsik’s agency, Wonder Co. Ltd., told local media that an artist who will “surprise everyone” will take part in the upcoming song, and will also m

Aug. 19, 2019

Gugak Museum reopens with interactive, high-tech experience

Gugak Museum, South Korea’s only museum dedicated to traditional music gugak, reopens today after a yearlong renovation, offering interactive, high-tech and hands-on exhibits. First opened in 1995 under the auspices of the National Gugak Center, the museum, located in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul, has been a treasure trove of Korean music and instruments. The remodeling has enhanced visitors’ experience with cutting-edge audio and music-making installations, officials said. 

Aug. 19, 2019

BTS agency acquires music game developer

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency of BTS, has recently acquired a domestic game developer as the company continues to expand its business portfolio.  The company said Monday it has completed a contract to take over Superb, which has developed games based on music since 2016.  "We believe gaming is an industry that will generate a strong synergy with our core field of music," Bang Si-hyuk, Big Hit founder and co-chief executive, said in a press release.  Superb CEO Oh Min

Aug. 19, 2019

Universal Ballet celebrates 35th anniversary with signature reinventions of classical tales

The Universal Ballet Company will reintroduce its popular Korean classics, “Shim Chung” and “The Love of Chunhyang,” in October in celebration of the company’s 35th anniversary.“The Love of Chunhyang” runs Oct. 4-6, followed by “Shim Chung” Oct. 11-13, both at the Seoul Arts Center. “I am very happy to reintroduce ‘Shim Chung’ and ‘The Love of Chunhyang,’ which have played important roles in promoting Korea&rsquo

Aug. 18, 2019

Serial version of latest BTS doc, 'Bring the Soul,' to hit mobile app

"Bring the Soul: The Movie," the latest documentary film featuring global band BTS, will be released in a new mobile version this month on an application for BTS fans, the band's management agency said Friday.The first of the six episodes of the mobile version, "Bring the Soul: Docu-Series," will hit the Weverse mobile application's BTS category for paid service on Aug. 27, Big Hit Entertainment said. The remaining five episodes will be released every Tuesday one by one till

Aug. 16, 2019