After weathering countless hardships and heartaches together over the last 12 years, Super Junior came out stronger and more united than ever despite the absence of Choi Si-won. Six men of Super Junior, one of a handful of K-pop acts to have surpassed the 10-year mark, returned with the group’s eighth full-length album “Play” on Monday, celebrating the group’s 12th anniversary as well. The album came two years after Super Junior‘s last release as a group, the 10th anniversary album “Devil” and i

Performance Nov. 6, 2017

Joining forces with a musical trainer may be an unusual collaboration for some, but for Heyne, it was about more than just having a musical partner. Expanding beyond music, it was an opportunity to finally overcome her longtime insecurity. The collaboration between Heyne and her vocal director Minsoo budded when soloist Heyne moved from Crescendo Music agency to Wellmade Yedang last year and started working on her vocals with him. Under her previous agency, the songstress released a handful of s

Performance Nov. 6, 2017

After fulfilling his mandatory military service, singer-turned-actor Lee Seung-gi will be back on the small screen with tvN’s upcoming adventure drama “Hwayugi.”The creators of the drama confirmed Friday that Lee will play the lead role of Son Oh-gong in the show based on 16th-century Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” The series will center on how Son, a self-indulgent yet charismatic demon, and Woo Ma-wang, an elegant and gentle demon played by actor Cha Seung-won, together venture into a tu

Television Nov. 5, 2017

Seohyun of Girls’ Generation took to social media to share her candid thoughts about having left her longtime agency S.M. Entertainment last month. The singer-turned-actress wrote a lengthy letter Friday night on Instagram, where she revealed the reason for parting with the group and her future plans.  (Yonhap)“I’ve finally made the difficult decision to leave the group after countless contemplations and worrying. My heart is filled with gratitude to (S.M. Entertainment CEO) Lee Soo-man, who all

Performance Nov. 5, 2017

Marking 100 days until the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, biggest stars of K-pop took to stage in Seoul on Wednesday in a bid to celebrate the beginning of the Olympic torch relay in Korea. The Olympic torch, which last burned in Korea 30 years ago when Seoul hosted the 1988 Summer Games, arrived at Incheon on Wednesday after a handover ceremony in Athens on Tuesday. K-pop at EXO performs at a K-pop concert celebrating the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics at Gwanghwamun Square in cen

Performance Nov. 2, 2017

Stars of “Descendants of the Sun” Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s private wedding on Tuesday grabbed the attention of many, but especially their fans in China, where the TV drama was a big hit, with the event dominating headlines of various Chinese media outlets. On Tuesday evening, the event headlined Chinese online media outlets including Baidu, ifeng and Tencent, while the couple’s wedding trended as the No.1 real-time topic on Weibo. On Weibo, the wedding had been searched for about 160 mil

People Nov. 1, 2017

Several weeks have passed since the worldwide craze over “Love Yourself Seung Her,” the latest project from K-pop global stars BTS, reached its fever pitch. But the act is set to resonate the slogan “Love Yourself” all over the world once again, this time by embarking on a global anti-violence project in collaboration with the United Nations Children‘s Fund. On Wednesday, the Korean Committee for UNICEF said that it will partner with the K-pop act to launch a global campaign dubbed “Love Myself,

Performance Nov. 1, 2017

An autopsy on actor Kim Joo-hyuk who passed away after a car crash Monday in Seoul, revealed that the actor died from a fatal head injury. Police and the National Forensic Service said Tuesday that the immediate cause of Kim‘s death was a head injury, serious enough to have instantly killed the actor. They added that there was no evidence of myocardial infarction, which was previously reported as a possible cause that led to the car accident. A more detailed autopsy result will become available

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2017

An autopsy will be performed on actor Kim Joo-hyuk who passed away after a car crash Monday afternoon in Seoul.Gangnam Police station said Tuesday morning that it has asked the National Forensic Service to conduct an autopsy on Kim in order to verify the exact cause of his death. Police also said a court order for the autopsy was issued on Monday night. Kim‘s body was sent to NFS Tuesday morning at around 9 a.m. and the autopsy will take place on Tuesday as well, according to media reports.   (H

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2017

Actor Kim Joo-hyuk, 45, died as the result of a car crash Monday afternoon at around 6:30 p.m. in Samseong-dong, Seoul, police said. Kim’s Mercedes-Benz SUV was driving down Yeongdong Daero when it crashed into Hyundai Grandeur near an I-Park apartment complex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. Kim’s car then crashed into the wall of an apartment block and flipped down the stairs. (Yonhap)The Grandeur driver said Kim seemed to be in pain, grabbing his chest, after the SUV crashed into his car fro

Social Affairs Oct. 30, 2017

Fresh from its impressive success in Japan with its first Japanese album, the nine-piece K-pop darlings Twice returned with their first full-length album “Twicetagram” Monday. Having celebrated its second anniversary recently, Twice members expressed excitement over the first full-length album, for which many of them wrote lyrics. “My biggest goal for this year was to release our first full-length album, and I’m really grateful that we finally made it,” said band leader Jihyo during a press show

Performance Oct. 30, 2017

It may be the wedding of the year, but little is known about Tuesday’s much-anticipated wedding of Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, as the pair remain tight-lipped on the details.The couple’s wedding is set to take place at 4 p.m. at The Shilla Seoul’s Yeong Bin Gwan, a Korean-style banquet annex that can accommodate about 300 guests. Only family and close friends will be in attendance, with the media being kept out. There will be no press conference or photo op for the media. While a few details

People Oct. 30, 2017

ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- The late Shin Hae-chul was a spiritual father to many Koreans, healing hearts with songs like “Here I Stand for You,” which was dedicated to the people he loved. Friday marked the third anniversary of the legendary rocker‘s untimely death from medical complications, and people still mourning for him gathered to pay their respects.  The memorial service for Shin was held at Utopia Memorial Hall in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, where Shin’s ashes are kept, attended by f

Performance Oct. 27, 2017

Fueled by the explosive popularity of Mnet’s competition show “Produce 101,” -- which has produced sensational project K-pop acts I.O.I and Wanna -- major TV stations have been rushing to roll out similar programs. KBS2, an entertainment channel of one of the country’s largest state-owned terrestrial networks KBS, is preparing to launch a new competition show “The Unit,” which is scheduled to premiere on Saturday.  Following in the footsteps of Mnet’s “Stray Kids” and JTBC’s “Mix Nine,” “The Uni

Television Oct. 25, 2017

TV personality Kangnam apologized for his recent remarks about Ghana made during a TV variety show.  Sunday‘s episode of SBS’ “My Ugly Duckling” featured Kangnam and singer Tony An visiting the home of Sam Okyere, a celebrity in Korea who hails from Ghana. During the visit Kangnam asked Okyere questions about Ghana, such as “Do they have TVs in Ghana?” and “Do you guys have subways?” Kangnam’s remarks immediately sparked criticism among netizens who claimed that the Korean-Japanese celeb was ext

Television Oct. 25, 2017