Soloist Roy Kim’s new single “Only Then” dominated major local music charts shortly after its release on Monday. As of Tuesday afternoon, the singer’s poignant pop ballad remained atop six major real time charts including Melon, Bugs, Naver and Mnet. Roy Kim (CJ E&M)Penned and composed by Kim, “Only Then” centers on a couple‘s long-distance relationship and describes a man’s heartbreak he decides to break up. His agency CJ E&M explained that the song also includes the singer‘s own experiences of

Performance Feb. 13, 2018

Seohyun of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation joined a North Korean art troupe in singing about unification and peace in Seoul on Sunday.The 140-member Samjiyon Orchestra, led by Hyon Song-wol, head of the all-female Moranbong Band, held a special concert at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul to celebrate the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games.  (Yonhap)According to local media reports, Seohyun, dressed in a white dress and matching heels, made a surprise appearance at the grand finale of the con

Performance Feb. 12, 2018

K-pop boy group EXO and rapper CL of now-defunct K-pop girl group 2NE1 will grace the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.The two global K-pop acts confirmed Wednesday that they will perform at the closing ceremony that will take place at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium on Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. local time. (YG Entertainment, S.M. Entertainment)Dubbed “the biggest boyband in the world,” eight-piece boy band EXO has been on a winning streak since its debut in 2011. The group’s “Th

Olympic Games Feb. 11, 2018

Singer Baek Ji-young apologized for the recent drug scandal involving her husband, actor Jung Suk-won, during a concert in Seoul on Saturday.On Friday, local media reported that Jung was nabbed by police at Incheon Airport late Thursday for allegedly using methamphetamine while overseas.  Baek Ji-young (Yonhap)“I recognize my husband’s misdeed, and as his wife, spouse and lifelong companion, I’ve been deeply regretting it along with him,” said Baek tearfully, during the concert that took place a

Performance Feb. 11, 2018

Singer Hong Jin-young, one of the most recognized trot singers in Korea, returned with new single “Good Bye” on Wednesday. “Each time I release a new single, I‘ve always thought that its popularity should outdo my previous hit ‘Love Battery.’ I just couldn’t help but put a lot of thought into each single,” Hong said during a media showcase for “Good Bye” in Seoul on Wednesday. Hong Jin-young performs during a media showcase for “Good Bye” in Seoul on Wednesday. (Yonhap)　Hong, who made her breakt

Performance Feb. 8, 2018

Big Bang member Seungri will star in upcoming Chinese film “Love Only,” the singer’s agency YG Entertainment said Thursday. Seungri, who is making his Chinese acting debut in “Love Only,” will begin promotions for the movie by attending a press conference in Hong Kong on Thursday, according to the agency.  “Love Only” (YG Entertainment)In the romance flick, the singer will play the lead role of Yun Sheng, the marketing director of a conglomerate who grew up in Europe and puts love on top of ever

Performance Feb. 8, 2018

Seventeen“Director’s Cut”(Loen Entertainment) Whether they are crafted for special occasions or are part of the group’s regular album, Seventeen’s music has been improving with each new release. The group’s “Director’s Cut,” an extended, reissued version of the K-pop act’s “Teen, Age” album from last year, features four new songs. The new songs are off-cuts that were not released at the time, but each of them sparkles with Seventeen’s signature bubbly energy, flagging themselves as perfect singl

Performance Feb. 7, 2018

An ambitious professor who has been living an affluent but miserable married life murders his wife, thinking he has committed the perfect crime. Then the woman’s body goes missing from the National Institute of Scientific Investigation. A tenacious detective starts chasing the truth of the mystery. Upcoming thriller “The Body,” starring Kim Hee-ae, Kim Gang-woo and Kim Sang-kyung, unfolds with the creepy tagline “A corpse of my wife I killed has disappeared,” zooming into the three characters’ t

Film Feb. 6, 2018

K-pop act WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, will return with its fourth EP “Dream Your Dream” on Feb. 27, the group’s agency Starship Entertainment said Monday. The upcoming album marks the group’s first release since its first full-length album “Happy Moment” in June last year.  WJSN (Starship Entertainment)The release schedule for the new album shared via WJSN’s official website featured dates for the release of track-list and a music video, slated for Feb. 21 and 22, respectively. The wizardl

Performance Feb. 5, 2018

Raehwan of Big Star will begin his mandatory military service Monday, his agency Brave Entertainment said Friday.The agency said in an official statement that the singer will undergo basic military training at a recruitment training center at Goseong, Gangwon Province, after which he will serve as a full-time reserve solider for 21 months.  Raehwan of Big Star (Brave Entertainment)Raehwan, who had been competing in KBS2’s idol competition program “The Unit” since October last year, also shared a

Performance Feb. 2, 2018

After exploring different parts of the globe from jungles to scorching deserts, the adventurers of the SBS reality show “Law of the Jungle” returned from Patagonia and heralded their most exciting and beautiful survival project ever. “It has been the longest ‘Law of the Jungle’ shooting, as we spent 21 days in the faraway land of Chile. The new edition set in Patagonia aims to present the beauty of Patagonia, while focusing on the cast’s arduous journey and survival,” said production director Pa

Television Feb. 1, 2018

Big Bang’s Seungri and Korean music duo Junkilla have joined forces with Liquid State, an electronic dance music label newly launched by Sony Music Entertainment and Tencent Music Entertainment. According to an official statement released by Sony Music on Thursday, Seungri and Junkilla signed up with the new EDM label to be involved in music collaborations across the dance genre. Seungri has also been tapped as an ambassador to promote the label, along with Hong Kong’s Nicholas Tse and China’s C

Performance Feb. 1, 2018

MBC confirmed Thursday it will air a new pilot variety show with the working title “Creaking Heroes,” from Feb. 26. According to the channel, the new program will show ordinary people without special talents transform into “heroes” through various missions and training, under the slogan “everyone can be a hero.” It will feature celebrities including Zion. T, Woohyun, Sam Hammington, Hoshi of Seventeen, Din Din, Yoo Byung-jae and Ahn Jung-hwan.  “Creaking Heroes” (MBC)The show will focus on findi

Television Feb. 1, 2018

“Our time as Typhoon, it was like a raging storm that leaves as quickly as it comes. But now that we are back together, we want to last long calmly, rather than sweeping in and out like a storm,” said Solbi, a vocalist of dance hip-hop trio Typhoon during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul.Despite its successful start, Typhoon lasted less than three years. Consisting of Solbi, Woojae and Jihwan, the co-ed trio made a major impression with its debut single “So” in 2006, coming on t

Performance Feb. 1, 2018

Suzy“Faces of Love”(Genie Music)It’s an indisputable fact that the latest album from former Miss A member Suzy is well-made, or “manufactured” by her agency. But why does it sound so shallow? Why does Suzy sound like a trained puppet merely lending her voice without fully understanding the songs herself? When the singer released her second solo EP “Faces of Love,” fans were expecting to hear how the 24-year-old viewed and interpreted various facets of love in the songs that she had a hand in cre

Performance Jan. 31, 2018