Money is often considered a counterpart of love for those weighing the two in the course of setting their life priorities or goals. Mnet’s new variety show “Love Catcher” brings the two together to create a complicated situation in which the program’s contestants struggle to find true romance.“I came up with the program after having the thought: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could tell whether he/she dates me for money?’ said producer Jung Min-seok during a press conference for the program in Seoul

Television July 9, 2018

SHINee’s Key has lent his voice for English synth pop band Years & Years’ remix version of “If You’re Over Me,” contributing to K-pop’s worldwide expansion. In the remix version of the song, released on Friday, the K-pop star sings both in Korean and English alongside the British trio. Key’s Korean verses reflect the English song’s original meaning, as Key asks his lover to stop pushing-and-pulling. He wrote the lyrics himself, according to his agency S.M. Entertainment. The single’s release coi

Performance July 8, 2018

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

Performance July 5, 2018

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

Performance July 4, 2018

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

Performance July 4, 2018

Actor Lee Dong-wook and singer-turned actress Suzy ended their relationship about four months after they went public.  The stars‘ agencies confirmed the breakup on Monday, stating that the two split due to busy schedules.  The couple -- Lee, 37, and Suzy, 24 -- went public with their romantic relationship earlier in March. The two were reported to have started dating after meeting each other at an unofficial event.   Suzy (left) and Lee Dong-wook (JYP Entertainment, Starship Entertainment)Lee, w

Television July 2, 2018

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

Performance July 1, 2018

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

Performance July 1, 2018

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

Performance June 28, 2018

Momoland“Fun to The World”(Loen Entertainment) Maybe its previous banger “Bboom Bboom” was too powerful, or our expectations were too high. While Momoland’s attempt to build on its newfound popularity with a song that echoes its past hit seems pretty reasonable, considering the rookie’s need to solidify its musical concept, the act’s new single “Baam” is an outright replication of “Bboom Bboom.” Specifically, the lead track off its “Fun to The World” EP feels like an immature version of “Bboom B

Performance June 27, 2018

The past five months have been a roller coaster ride for Momoland and its fans, between the massive success of its hit “Bboom Bboom” and the wrongful accusation that the act rigged album sales. (Yonhap)What did the nine-piece group feel after the government probe cleared its name?“Thankfully we’ve been able to break free from such accusations,” said Yeonwoo, during the showcase for its new EP “Fun to the World” in Seoul on Tuesday. “Rather than it (the scandal) hurting us, we felt that what we c

Performance June 26, 2018

YG Entertainment has been sued for cancelling the debut of Woo Jin-young, who was a trainee of audition program “Mix Nine.” On Tuesday, Woo’s agency Happyface Entertainment stated that it filed a damage suit against YG on June 18 for turning a blind eye over canceling the trainee’s promised debut for months -- Woo was supposed to debut as one of the winners of the show -- and abusing its power against the trainee’s agencies.  Woo Jin-young (JTBC)The released statement by Happyface reads, “Two mo

Television June 26, 2018

Screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, the mastermind behind hit dramas such as “Descendants of the Sun” and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” has nixed rumors that she divorced her husband.Earlier on Tuesday, a local media outlet reported that Kim recently separated from her husband after 12 years of marriage. It claimed that the writer has been focusing on writing the script for “Mr. Sunshine,” a highly anticipated tvN drama, after overcoming the pain.  (Yonhap)Shortly after the news broke, Kim took t

Television June 26, 2018

Black Pink rewrote history as the highest charting K-pop girl group ever on Billboard 100 chart, as its latest single “DDU-DU DDU-DU” peaked at No. 55 on the competitive ranking dated June 30. According to Billboard, the act’s successive single from its “Square Up“ EP arrives with 12.4 million US streams and 7,000 downloads sold in the tracking week ending June 21, according to Nielsen Music, also prompting its No. 39 entrance on the Streaming Songs tally, where Black Pink becomes the first K-po

Performance June 26, 2018

G-Dragon has been accused of receiving preferential treatment while in the military.  On Monday, a local media outlet reported that the Big Bang front man, who is currently serving in the army, has been hospitalized in an Army Hospital in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, since June 19 suffering from ankle pain. The problem is, according to the report, that the room he is using is a private first-class one specifically for colonels, inaccessible even to majors and lieutenants. His room is also equipped

Performance June 25, 2018