Popular YouTuber Wassup Man offered a rare glimpse of the headquarters of major entertainment agencies JYP Entertainment and S.M. Entertainment in a recent video.The video featuring the Korean-American YouTuber’s visit to JYP and S.M.’s headquarters had been watched over 3 million times as of Monday afternoon. (Wassup Man's YouTube)The rapper and YouTuber, whose name is Park Joon-hyung, first headed to JYP’s new headquarters in Seoul. The agency is behind successful K-pop groups like Twice and G

Television Sept. 10, 2018

Roy Kim has unveiled that the title of his new single will be “Let’s Stop,” or “Uri Geuman Haja” in Korean.The singer broke the news through a video dubbed “Message from Roy” late Sunday on his Instagram, which shows a photo album on a phone screen before a video of him talking plays and the title “Let’s Stop” appears in a text message.The date on the phone screen indicates 6 p.m. on Sept. 18, which is the day his new single is slated for release. (Stone Music Entertainment)The singer-songwriter

Performance Sept. 10, 2018

K-pop boy band Big Bang now has over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, qualifying for the Diamond Play Button.The group had 10.006 million subscribers as of early Monday, joining the likes of BTS and Black Pink, who preceded the quintet in reaching the milestone.The group will be given the Diamond Play Button trophy as the video platform congratulates those reaching 10 million subscribers with a Diamond Creator Award.(YouTube)The Silver Play Button is given to YouTubers with over 100,000 subscr

Performance Sept. 10, 2018

British singer Ellie Goulding wowed fans at her very first concert in Seoul on Thursday night, promising new music is on the way.The singer-songwriter powered through a hit-packed set of 17 songs, including “On My Mind,” “Lights” and “Burn,” filling Olympic Hall with her strong stage presence.During the 90-minute show, the singer also had some good news for her fans.Ellie Goulding during her first Seoul concert at Olympic Hall on Thursday night. (Live Nation)“I promise I’ll give you guys some ne

Performance Sept. 7, 2018

Policymakers announced in late August that the government would hire 36,000 new civil servants in 2019, drumming up excitement among South Koreans studying to land a job in the sector.According to the Finance Ministry’s budget blueprint for next year, there will be 21,000 national government job vacancies and 15,000 in regional public service. The news is expected to further buoy the civil service job boom, as the stable nature of such jobs attracts young people and the country is suffering its

Social Affairs Sept. 6, 2018

BTS will appear on next week’s episode of “America’s Got Talent.”The group, which is currently in the US for concerts in Los Angeles this week, will perform on NBC’s popular talent show on Wednesday.The official Twitter account of “America’s Got Talent” confirmed the news on Wednesday morning.(AGT's Twitter account)“Screaming! BTS is blessing the AGT stage next Wednesday. Retweet if you are freaking out about #BTSonAGT!” read the tweet, which had been liked over 193,000 times as of Wednesday.Mod

Television Sept. 6, 2018

Key from boy band SHINee wants to keep it real with guests on his new “cooking talk show,” titled “Cheongdam Key-chin” and set to air on Kakao TV every Thursday night starting this week.(Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)Viewers will get to see the singer welcome guests from various backgrounds to his kitchen in the nice Cheongdam neighborhood in southern Seoul -- celebrities, models and even some of Key’s ex-colleagues.“Cheongdam Key-chin,” as the singer’s very first show, wil

Television Sept. 5, 2018

BTS appears to have decided to put TV promotions on the back burner and focus on its concerts while in Los Angeles.Before BTS landed Monday in the City of Angels, where it is scheduled to perform four shows this week, the group received an invite from comedian and host James Corden to come on his popular “The Late Late Show with James Corden.”“I want BTS to come on my show and perform serendipity so bad! Maybe we could even sing it in a #CarpoolKaraoke?” Corden wrote in a tweet on Aug. 29, which

Performance Sept. 5, 2018

Sunmi has managed to fit another hit single into her discography after dominating online streaming charts with her brand new single, “Siren.”The former member of Wonder Girls topped the singles charts for several online streaming services including Melon, Bugs, Mnet and Soribada, just hours after releasing her song Tuesday night.(MAKEUS Entertainment)“Siren” is the lead track for Sunmi’s new EP, “Warning,” her third record since she parted ways with JYP Entertainment and inked a contract with Ma

Performance Sept. 5, 2018

Rep. Ahn Min-suk said South Korea’s military conscription law needs to be reformed to recognize the work of artists like BTS and better reflect its value to the country on the world stage.Speaking to the radio station CBS on Tuesday, the member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea said, “(Military conscription rules) need to be improved through public discourse so that they are more sensible and better reflect the times.”Rep. Ahn Min-seok. (Yonhap)During the radio interview, Ahn singled out B

Social Affairs Sept. 4, 2018

An upbeat version of “Baby Shark,” under the South Korean education brand Pinkfong, has attracted some 1.6 billion views on YouTube as of Tuesday, but the seemingly innocent children’s song faced its share of controversy.Though the variations of the song have enjoyed success on the video platform, its dance version is by far the most watched.The children’s song with a K-pop makeover became so popular it charted in the top 40 singles chart in the UK last week, joining the likes of Psy and BTS. (P

Performance Sept. 4, 2018

From bright hair dye, heavy eye makeup to flashy stage costumes, some of the key elements of a K-pop boy band defy conventional beauty standards for men.K-pop groups have long drawn a stark contrast with Western boy bands, but are increasingly challenging what many brand as “traditional masculinity” by fully embracing makeup and fashion forward styles to best deliver their music.Perhaps ironically, BTS, the group that has enjoyed most success in the West, is also among the groups that least conf

Performance Sept. 3, 2018

K-pop sensation BTS now holds yet another record after its “Idol” video hit 100 million views in less than five days.The video for the lead track off the new album “Love Yourself: Answer” had been watched more than 100 million times as of 5:20 p.m. Wednesday, the septet’s agency Big Hit Entertainment said.The record comes on the heels of the video’s “most watched in first 24 hours” title, which saw the group unseat American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift last week.(BTS' YouTube channel)“Idol” su

Performance Aug. 30, 2018

Further details have been unveiled about new BTS album “Love Yourself: Answer,” which is to be released Friday.The group’s latest album wraps up their 2 1/2-year long “Love Yourself” series with the main message that the key to finding one’s self lies within.The repackaged album features 25 songs alongside remixes of “DNA” and “Fake Love.” (Big Hit Entertainment)Lead track “Idol” is a South African-style dance tune with elements of traditional Korean music.In a bold move, the group mixes African

Performance Aug. 24, 2018

BTS embraced its Korean roots in a new teaser clip for its song “Idol.”In the video for the upcoming repackaged album “Love Yourself: Answer,” which will be released Friday, members of the K-pop act wear traditional Korean clothing. A digitally constructed gold traditional building took center stage in the clip, with each bandmate striking a pose and walking around it. Members of BTS showcase a traditional Korean dance move. (YouTube)“Idol” is the second new track from “Love Yourself: Answer” to

Performance Aug. 23, 2018