GFriend to return with summer EP on July 19

GFriend is ready to join the highly-competitive summer record market. According to the group’s agency Source Music Thursday, the six-piece girl group will release a new summer EP on July 19. The upcoming album marks the act’s first release since its sixth EP “Time for the Moon Night,” which swept local music charts upon release. Teaser images released by the agency featured six pastel-toned ice creams and a red retro style cassette player and a skateboard.  GFriend (Source Music)The K-pop act de

July 5, 2018

K-Pop Academy opens in Belgium

BRUSSELS -- A K-pop Academy providing a chance to learn Korean pop music and dance techniques opened for a four-week run in Belgium earlier this week at the request of Belgian K-pop fans, the Korean culture center here said Wednesday. The academy, which operates from July 2-27, offers vocal and dance classes to 120 selected Belgian K-pop fans, the center said during a news conference.   (Yonhap) (Yonhap)Vocal trainers and choreographers from South Korea joined the academy for quality education,

July 5, 2018

[Album review] Apink’s new album is ‘sick,’ in a bad way

Apink“One & Six”(Loen Entertainment)It may sound like harsh criticism of this group of K-pop sweethearts, but Apink’s new album is sick -- in a bad way. Although Apink has finally reached a point where it can play with musical concepts, the group has taken a step in the wrong direction with “One & Six.” The album is a hodgepodge of “something different,” a nice attempt to change the group’s 7-year-old girlish image, but it lacks impact and falls short of expectations. The album starts off on the

July 4, 2018

Transgender singer Ha Ri-su readies new album

Ha Ri-su, considered Korea’s first openly transgender celebrity, is set to mark a comeback to the scene with her first solo effort in six years. According to her agency Mystery Friends on Wednesday, Ha is set to release the single “RE:SU-Again” on July 12. “The upcoming album will depict the life of Ha, who has led a rigorous and tough life more than anyone else. Please listen to it without any prejudice,” an agency official said. Ha Ri-su (Mystery Friends)The lyrics, co-written by Ha, also send

July 4, 2018

BTS retains presence on key Billboard charts for 6th week

BTS has stayed on two key Billboard charts for the sixth consecutive week, the longest record for a Korean music act, its agency said Wednesday.The latest BTS album "Love Yourself: Tear" ranked 30th on the Billboard chart of the top 200 albums this week, the sixth week in a row that the record has entered the chart since it first landed atop the list in the week starting May 27. (YouTube)The album's lead song, "Fake Love," also ranked 76th in the highly competitive Hot 100 chart, also marking th

July 4, 2018

[Trending] Speculation of BTS collaborations continues

BTS fans are in for a treat as speculation continues to grow over the next collaboration between the K-pop sensation and other pop stars.Canadian pop singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes became the latest artist to hint at working with BTS when he told listeners of Kiss 92.5’s “Roz & Mocha Show” last month that a BTS collaboration “will happen.”“I have no lyrics on their collaboration yet. It’ll happen,” Mendes told Damnit Maurie from the show, while declining to give a specific date. (Big Hit Enterta

July 3, 2018

‘Here and Now’: Kumho foundation looks back on 20 years of promoting young classical music talents

Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation will hold “Here and Now” concerts to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul from July 20-21. Founded in 1998, the Kumho Prodigy Concert Series is the foundation’s platform for young talents. Since its launch, the series has helped more than 1,000 local musicians. Many of them went on to be part of the foundation’s other programs, such as the Kumho Rising Star Series and Kumho Artist.Those from the Kumho prodi

July 3, 2018

Rapper Swings opens fitness center in Seoul

Swings, a Korean rapper who runs his own hip-hop label Just Music Entertainment, is set to open a fitness center named Gym Tipi near Hongik University in Seoul on Wednesday.  (Swings`s Instagam)“Good news! I found exercising interesting and I opened a fitness center myself,” Swings posted on his Instagram account. In the post, Swings also expressed love toward his girlfriend Lim Bora, who is working as a model: “Thank you to my girlfriend Bora for being the best supporter during the exercise.” T

July 3, 2018

Two Canadian contemporary circuses offer flashy escapism

The two renowned Canadian circus companies are presenting shows that offer audiences a dose of escapism from the daily grind. Just around the corner is Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis,” to be staged July 5-8, at the LG Arts Center in Seoul. Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” (LG Arts Center) Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” (LG Arts Center)Premiered in 2013, Cirque Eloize’s “Cirkopolis” is an art circus production inspired by futuristic and increasingly technological yet dystopian universes of legendary Germa

July 2, 2018

iKon to kick off world tour with Seoul concert

Boy band iKon is back on the world stage, as the seven-member group will begin its world tour with a concert in Seoul in August.YG Entertainment on Monday announced through its official blog the upcoming tour, with a poster of iKon members’ performance. The first part of the tour, the Seoul concert, will be held at 5 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Gymnastics Arena in Olympic Park in southern Seoul.  The poster for iKon’s Seoul concert (YG Entertainment)Following the concert, the act will perform in eigh

July 2, 2018

B1A4’s Baro, Jinyoung leave group’s agency

Now in their seventh year in the K-pop scene, Jinyoung and Baro of boy band B1A4 opted out of renewing their contracts with their agency. According to WM Entertainment on Saturday, the two members have decided to leave the agency after a long period of discussion, while the other three members Sandeul, CNU and Gongchan decided to stay.  B1A4 (WM Entertainment)“We respect Jinyoung and Baro’s decision to go their own paths in order to pursue their own dreams. We give our sincere support to their n

July 1, 2018

G-Dragon discharged from military hospital amid controversy

Big Bang frontman G-Dragon has returned to his military base amid controversy over preferential treatment he allegedly received at a military hospital. The artist’s agency YG Entertainment said Saturday that G-Dragon, who had been receiving treatment for an ankle injury at the Army Hospital in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, returned to his base in Cheorwon in Gangwon Province on Friday.     G-Dragon (Yonhap)The news came about a week after a local media outlet reported that the artist had been hospi

July 1, 2018

Tiffany shows support for LGBTQ community

Tiffany from Girls’ Generation on Wednesday expressed support for the LGBTQ community in an open letter. Writing for Billboard, the K-pop artist said she wanted to give “thanks” and express her “love” to the LGBTQ community for having given a great amount of “love, beauty, inspiration, and light in every corner of the world.”The singer, who recently released the single “Over My Skin” in the US under her new stage name, Tiffany Young, said she was inspired by some of the uplifting themes of the c

June 29, 2018

When K-pop meets diplomacy: 5 key moments

BBC Radio 1 called it “Korea’s secret weapon.” From greeting the US presidential couple to disarming North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, South Korea has an unlikely go-to champion for diplomatically tricky situations: K-pop.K-pop has become more than just a music genre in recent years. It has become part of the country’s statecraft, with its horizon expanding to the realm of diplomacy among world leaders. K-pop’s influence used to mean topping the Billboard charts or appearances on the “Ellen” show

June 29, 2018

2PM’s Wooyoung to begin military service

Wooyoung of 2PM will start his military service next month. The singer will enlist on July 9. He will be the third member of the six-piece K-pop act to join the Army, following bandmates Ock Taek-yeon and Jun.K. “As he wants to enlist in the Army quietly, the place of enlistment will not be revealed,” an official from JYP Entertainment said.  Wooyoung (JYP Entertainment)Wooyoung hinted at his plan at a fan event on June 16, saying the event could be his last official schedule.“I won’t get hurt.

June 29, 2018

Gangneung sets up bus stop featured on BTS album cover

The city of Gangneung in Gangwon Province has set up a replica of a bus stop featured on the cover of BTS’ full-length album “You Never Walk Alone.”Gangneung, a city on the east coast of the country, recently built the bus stop on one of its beaches, Jumunjin. The location is the spot where the shooting of BTS’ album jacket took place. (Yonhap)The new bus stop will not function as an actual stop for local buses, according to the Gangneung city government. It will instead serve as a photo spot fo

June 29, 2018

BTS makes it back to Time’s ‘most influential online’ list

K-pop sensation BTS just keeps on adding to its legacy. It was included on Time magazine’s list of 25 most influential people on the internet for the second straight year.The boy band was the sole Korean representative on the list released Thursday, taking its place alongside US President Donald Trump, Kanye West and Rihanna among others.According to the magazine, the list was based on “their global impact on social media and their overall ability to drive news.” BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)It at

June 29, 2018

BTS makes it on Time's '25 Most Influential People on the Internet'

South Korean boy band BTS has been named among the US Time magazine's "25 Most Influential People on the Internet" for 2018.Time released its annual list Thursday (US time) based on "their global impact on social media and their overall ability to drive news."BTS was chosen for their huge success with the latest EP "Love Yourself: Tear," the first K-pop album to top the Billboard 200 albums chart. Behind the success was the group's powerful fandom Army, which "eagerly consume anything related to

June 29, 2018

S.M. Entertainment to launch music-talk concert in July

S.M. Entertainment’s weekly digital music release program “The Station” will be reborn as music concerts. The agency said Thursday that it would launch a monthly music-talk concert series at SM Coex Artium in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in July. There will be live performances by artists from “The Station,” and musicians will share stories about songs and their production.  A promotional image for “The Station” (S.M. Entertainment)“The Station” was launched in 2016 with an aim to broaden musical cr

June 28, 2018

Remix version of Steve Aoki, BTS collaboration to come

A remix version of BTS’ “The Truth Untold” will be released soon. DJ and producer Steve Aoki, who is recognized around the world, announced through his social media account Wednesday, he will be releasing a remix version of “The Truth Untold.” The two acts partnered earlier this year, dropping the song through the band’s latest studio album “Love Yourself: Tear” in May.Steve Aoki (Yonhap)BTS (Yonhap)Saying that he is “so proud of the success,” Aoki added, he doesn’t want to make fans wait for lo

June 28, 2018