SBS Premium collects K-pop data through interactive content

SBS Premium, a website that explores major current events through expert and data-based news insights, released the second installation of its interactive “K-POP Spelling Quiz” in late July. The interactive quiz asks users to choose the correct Korean spelling of the lyrics of a song that participants listen to for 15 seconds. Participants then get a score ranging from zero to 100 and a “wrong answer note” to improve Korean spelling skills. The “K-POP Spelling Quiz&

Aug. 24, 2023

[New on scene] Bong Joon-ho protege Jason Yu puts focus on storytelling in ‘Sleep’

The following article is the eighth in a series that introduces Korea’s new and emerging actors and directors. -- Ed. Jason Yu, who makes his feature film debut with mystery thriller “Sleep” on Sept. 6, already had garnered worldwide attention even before the movie’s opening here, with his film invited to the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May. “Sleep,” starring Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Yu-mi as newlyweds, is set in motion by Hyun-soo's (Lee) strange behavior

Aug. 24, 2023

Wavve to stream 93 independent short films

South Korea's largest streaming platform Wavve announced Wednesday that it will offer a total of 93 short independent movies. In collaboration with the biggest local independent film distributor Indiestory, the streamer released 45 projects, including the early works of renowned filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho, Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook and more. “Judgement” (1999), a 26-minute black comedy film helmed by Park, revolves around two different families who claim the unidentifie

Aug. 23, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS’ V debuts at No. 96 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with solo song

   V of BTS hit Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 96 with the solo single “Love Me Again,” according to the latest chart published on Tuesday in the US. It is the pre-release from its upcoming solo album “Layover” due out on Sept. 8. The song was dropped in advance on Aug. 10 and landed atop Billboard’s Hot Trending Chart as well as the iTunes top songs chart in 35 regions. All seven members of the band now has made the Hot 100 chart with officially publish

Aug. 23, 2023

[Herald Interview] Rapper Kisum wants to continue telling her story through rap

It took more than a year and a half for rapper Kisum to return to the music scene with a new single, but she says the time away was necessary for her to grow as a singer-songwriter. “The time I had to solely focus on making music was a relief. It had been a long time since I had (taken time to myself), and I enjoyed writing lyrics and composing songs. I used to get so stressed out making new music when there was time pressure,” said Kisum during an interview with The Korea Herald. Ki

Aug. 23, 2023

Seventeen tops Japanese charts with best-of album 'Always Yours'

K-pop band Seventeen is sweeping Japanese music charts with its new album "Always Yours." The band's agency Pledis Entertainment on Wednesday said Seventeen released its first Japanese best-of album at Tuesday midnight. Titled "Always Yours," the 27-track package includes 25 of Seventeen's hit songs and two new original Japanese songs, "Ima -Even if the world ends tomorrow-" and "Sara Sara." Upon release, "Always Yours" soared to the to

Aug. 23, 2023

[Herald Interview] Shin Hae-sun’s first thriller leading role is ‘ordinary’

According to Shin Hae-sun, the heroine of the 2020 hit drama “Mr. Queen” and the 2023 drama series “See You in My 19th Life,” her first-ever mystery thriller leading role in “Don’t Buy the Seller” was the most “ordinary” role she has ever played. “Soo-hyun is a character without any superpowers, a character that is colorless and odorless compared to the characters I played previously,” Shin told the Korea Herald in an interview in

Aug. 23, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Don’t Buy the Seller,’ a nail-biting thriller based on real-life secondhand marketplace scam

“Don’t Buy the Seller,” a mystery thriller directed by Park Hee-gon, tells the story of Soo-hyun (Shin Hae-sun) who works at an interior design company and lives the ordinary life of an office-worker. Soo-hyun struggles to deal with her workload and nagging boss and looks to online secondhand marketplaces for some income on the side. One day, she buys a secondhand washing machine for 300,000 won ($224), but soon she figures out that she has been scammed. She immediately reports

Aug. 23, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kim So-hyang has no room for regrets

For Kim So-hyang, the title role in the musical "Frida," was easy to resonate with. Compared to other roles that shaped her career like Marie Antoinette or Marie Curie, it was easy to find aspects of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo she could identify with. “I would say the roles of Marie Antoinette and Marie Qurie were more challenging for me, as I tried to seek common aspects with the characters,” Kim told reporters during an interview on Tuesday. “To embody Marie Antoin

Aug. 23, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] BTS tops 1.7b views with ‘Boy With Luv’ video

The music video for BTS’ “Boy With Luv” reached 1.7 billion views on YouTube on Monday, said label Big Hit Music on Tuesday. It is the band’s second video to hit the milestone on the platform after that of “Dynamite.” “Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)” fronted sixth EP “Map of the Soul: Persona” from April 2019, which claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200. The single debuted on Billboard’s Hot 100 at No. 8 and stayed on the main s

Aug. 22, 2023

SBS coverage on Fifty Fifty’s legal dispute draws backlash

Entertainment industry heavyweights have demanded an apology from the production crew of the SBS program “Unanswered Questions” for what they claim was biased coverage of Fifty Fifty’s ongoing legal dispute with its agency Attrakt. The Korea Management Federation, which represents at least 350 Korean entertainment agencies and labels, described the episode that aired Saturday, as "poor content" and "biased reporting." “We want to pinpoint two problems

Aug. 22, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lee Jung-ha on playing his favorite webtoon character in ‘Moving’

With an unexpectedly low voice and tranquil demeanor, any trace of Kim Bong-seok -- a schoolboy character from the webtoon "Moving" -- was long gone from 25-year-old actor Lee Jung-ha. At the mention of the webtoon, however, Lee's voice reached a higher pitch, revealing his excitement over the Disney+ action fantasy series. “I was a long-time fan of webtoon creator Kang Full. It might sound like a lie, but 'Moving' was my favorite webtoon among his projects and Bon

Aug. 22, 2023

Gang Dong-won returns as comical exorcist in ‘Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman’

Forget about Gang Dong-won as a serious seminary student Choi in “The Priests” (2015), who supports exorcism with Father Kim. In September, Gang returns with another occult flick titled “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman” -- this time as a comical, fraud-committing exorcist. Directed by Kim Seong-sik, the film tells the story of fake exorcist Dr. Cheon (Gang) and his encounter with a strong demon. Heo Jun-ho, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee Som and Kim Jong-su also star. “It was a

Aug. 22, 2023

Musical 'Frida' paints empowering story of Frida Kahlo

Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is well-recognized for expressing pain through her art. Based on her life, the musical "Frida" sings of her experiences, painting her story just as vividly as her painting "Viva La Vida" (1954), meaning "Long Live Life" in Spanish. Premiered in March 2022, the original production by the EMK Musical Company follows the life of Kahlo. The 110-minute show takes on the form of “The Last Night Show,” where Kahlo appears as a guest a

Aug. 21, 2023

[Today’s K-pop] SHINee’s Key to return as solo next month

Key of SHINee will make a comeback as a solo musician on Sept. 11, according to label SM Entertainment on Monday. He will release second solo EP “Good ＆ Great” that will consist of six tracks including the main track of the same title. The EP comes about seven months since “Killer,” a reissue of his second solo full album, “Gasoline.” The repack topped the iTunes top albums chart in 21 regions as did the LP in 24. Meanwhile, the veteran idol recently wrapped

Aug. 21, 2023

AKMU returns with new single 'Love Lee'

K-pop's famed sibling duo AKMU returned Monday with a new single "Love Lee," bringing back the pair's trademark positive, upbeat energy. The co-ed duet, consisting of Lee Chan-hyuk and his younger sister Lee Su-hyun, will drop its fourth single, "Love Lee," Monday evening, marking the first comeback in over two years since releasing its collaboration album, "Next Episode," in July 2021. During a press conference held in Seoul on Monday, the siblings introd

Aug. 21, 2023

Classical music concerts to take place at Cheong Wa Dae in Sept.

The 2023 Blue House Concert will take place on Sept. 9 and 10 at the heliport of the former presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday. Cheong Wa Dae, the former residence and office site of South Korean presidents, opened its doors to the public after President Yoon Suk Yeol decided to move his office to the buildings of the Defense Ministry in Yongsan, Seoul, in May 2022. With Cheong Wa Dae as the backdrop in the early autumn season

Aug. 21, 2023

Five former Loona members to embark on new journey as Loossemble next month

Five former members of Loona -- Hyunjin, Yeojin, Vivi, Gowon and Hyeju -- are relaunching their careers with a new agency, CTD E&M, as Loossemble next month. The agency announced the group’s debut by dropping a trailer on its official social media accounts on YouTube and X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday. The clip begins by showing satellite antennas on the rooftop of a building, and then continues into the building with unknown music playing in the background. The clip ends reve

Aug. 21, 2023

Mimiirose returns with new album next month

Mimiirose, known for being the first and only K-pop girl group produced by singer and actor Im Chang-jung, is making its comeback next month. Yes Im Entertainment, the label which houses the group, announced Monday that the group is releasing a new album on Sep. 14. This comeback comes after a year since the group made its debut with its first single album, “Awesome," last September. The teaser poster for the upcoming album, which displays an image of a mask, flower, phone case, lipst

Aug. 21, 2023

Prolific actors ready to compete at Chuseok box office

Another peak time for box office competition, besides the summer holidays and Lunar New Year is Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving. As this year’s Chuseok will be an extended holiday over the weekend from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1, even more moviegoers are expected to hit the cinema. Prolific actors like Song Kang-ho, Ha Jung-woo and Gang Dong-won will compete at the Chuseok box office with their respective much-awaited films completed before the pandemic, raising anticipations among mov

Aug. 21, 2023