Articles by Hong Yoo
Hong Yoo
yoohong@heraldcorp.com-
Babymonster showcases YG-style hip hop with 1st LP ‘Drip’
Babymonster on Friday released its first album, “Drip,” featuring a title track composed by G-Dragon. The group's first full-length studio album contains nine tracks, including the two main songs "Drip" and "Clik Clak." “We hope that this album shows how much we’ve grown over a year during which we had diverse experiences, such as going on a fan-meet tour,” said Rami of Babymonster, during a press conference at YG Entertainment's headqu
K-pop Nov. 1, 2024
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Iconic cultural figures receive cultural merit medals
Veteran senior actors Shin Gu and Kang Boo-ja received the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second-highest medal, at the 2024 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Thursday. The annual awards, now in its 15th edition, are the highest government honor in the field of popular culture and arts. Shin, who debuted onstage in 1962, remains a popular actor decades on with his heartfelt performances. “After every play run comes to an end, I am
K-pop Nov. 1, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Now as group of seven, Kep1er continues their journey with new album
Kep1er, a project girl group formed through Mnet’s idol survival program “Girls Planet 999” in 2021, returns as seven with the new mini album “Tipi-Tap” on Friday. This is their first album release after Kang Ye-seo and Sakamoto Mashiro departed from the group in July. The remaining seven members of the group extended their exclusive contract with Klap Entertainment and WakeOne Entertainment becoming the first K-pop project group to prolong their activities beyond t
K-pop Nov. 1, 2024
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Le Sserafim to perform at 2024 MTV EMAs
Le Sserafim is set to take the stage at Europe's biggest music awards ceremony, MTV European Music Awards (EMAs), this year. The 2024 MTV EMAs take place in Manchester, UK, on Nov. 10. "There's no better feeling in the whole wide world than announcing Le Sserafim as a 2024 MTV EMA performer. See them take the stage on 10 November,” the EMAs announced on their official website on Wednesday. The ceremony, hosted by MTV Networks Europe, awards trophies to songs, music videos, a
K-pop Oct. 31, 2024
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Rose’s ‘APT.’ sets record for women in K-pop
Rose’s single “APT.,” a collaboration with Bruno Mars, debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Nov. 2, marking a new record for female K-pop artists. According to Billboard, “APT.” is the first song by a female K-pop artist to enter the Hot 100’s top 10 chart. Previously, the highest-charting track by a K-pop female act was Blackpink's "Ice Cream," a collaboration with Selena Gomez that peaked at No. 13. Only BTS, its members Jimin
K-pop Oct. 29, 2024
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Seventeen’s Seungkwan releases lengthy message amid Hybe controversy over internal documents
Seventeen’s Seungkwan posted a lengthy message on social media Tuesday complaining about the treatment of pop stars here. The post was considered by some readers to be a criticism of Hybe, following a controversy surrounding an internal document disclosed during a National Assembly audit. The document included derogatory remarks about the physical appearance of K-pop artists. Seventeen is under Pledis Entertainment, a subsidiary of Hybe, and Seungkwan's remarks can be seen as the firs
K-pop Oct. 29, 2024
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Taeyeon to release new album ‘Letter To Myself’ in November
Taeyeon of the legendary K-pop girl group Girls' Generation will release her sixth EP, “Letter To Myself,” on Nov. 18. She posted a short clip teasing her upcoming release on her official YouTube channel on Monday. The clip shows Tayeon writing a letter in front of a window in a room. The album features six tracks, including title track "Letter To Myself." This album comes approximately a year after her previous release, “To. X,” which continues to enjoy re
K-pop Oct. 28, 2024
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Veteran actors Shin Gu, Kang Boo-ja to receive cultural merit medals
Veteran senior actors Shin Gu and Kang Boo-ja will receive the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second-highest medal, at the 2024 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards to be held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Thursday. According to the Culture Ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency, a total of 31 celebrities including singers, actors, comedians, voice actors, screenwriters and musicians will receive awards this year. The annual awards, now in its 15th edition, are the
Culture Oct. 28, 2024
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SM founder Lee Soo-man is back with A2O Entertainment
K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man, founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, is throwing his hat back in the ring. A2O Entertainment, Lee's newest agency, recently unveiled a one-minute promotional clip on its official YouTube channel, showcasing 15 trainees organized into three distinct groups by age and gender. A2O Entertainment positions itself as a collaborative global artist development platform where trainees are taught in these groups. “Throughout their training, the rooki
K-pop Oct. 27, 2024
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[Herald Interview] K-pop’s 'best years are ahead of us': Spotify’s general manager for Asia Pacific
Countering concerns of many local music critics who believe K-pop has already reached the peak of its growth, Gautam Talwar, Spotify’s general manager for Asia-Pacific, suggests that K-pop’s best years are yet to come. “We’re a data-driven platform and our data suggests that the best years are ahead of us. More Korean artists are being discovered than ever before, more streams are being generated than ever, and more royalties are being generated for the Korean music indus
K-pop Oct. 26, 2024
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G-Dragon to perform at 2024 MAMA
K-pop icon G-Dragon will perform at the 2024 MAMA, the world’s largest K-pop awards ceremony, held this year in Los Angeles and Osaka, Japan. According to the event’s organizer CJ ENM, G-Dragon will take the stage on the event's last day in Osaka. As this is his first MAMA appearance in nine years, he is expected to unveil new releases during his performance. Other artists performing at this year's MAMA revealed on Tuesday include BoyNextDoor, (G)I-dle, Plave and Bibi. The
K-pop Oct. 22, 2024
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Twice to drop new EP ‘Strategy’ in December
K-pop sensation Twice will release its new EP “Strategy” on Dec. 6. JYP Entertainment announced the news via the group’s official social media channels, sharing an image of a "coming soon" poster. The upcoming release is Twice’s 14th EP and comes approximately 10 months after the previous mini album, "With YOU-th," launched in February. The EP "With YOU-th" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Billboard’s main album chart, on March 9,
K-pop Oct. 21, 2024
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NCT’s Jaehyun to drop new single ‘Unconditional’ on Oct. 24
NCT’s Jaehyun is releasing a new single “Unconditional” on Oct. 24 before beginning his mandatory military service. According to SM Entertainment, the single “Unconditional” will be available on various music platforms, including Melon, Flo, Genie, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, QQ Music, Kugou Music and Kowo Music. Jaehyun's first solo album, "J," released in August, showcased a diverse range of R&B tracks that highlighted his artistic sensibility
K-pop Oct. 18, 2024
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Rose collaborates with Bruno Mars on ‘APT.’
Blackpink’s Rose has collaborated with American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars on a single for her upcoming solo album. According to The Black Label, Rose released the single, “APT. (Rose & Bruno Mars),” on Friday ahead of the release of her first solo LP, “Rosie,” scheduled for Dec. 6. The single is a duet that Rose took part in composing and writing the lyrics to. Rose’s upcoming solo LP will have 12 songs through which she will deliver a more honest and i
K-pop Oct. 18, 2024
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[Well-curated] Pokemon, 'Wes Anderson' photos and farm flowers
Pokemon Card Shop at HDC IPark Mall For those particularly passionate for Pokemon -- perhaps the digital Pokedex is already full several times over and you've already consumed 25 years of the anime -- the next format to collect them all in is cardboard. And nowhere is better than the eighth floor of HDC IPark Mall in Yongsan, central Seoul. Pokemon Card Shop, which opened in August 2023, is where Pokemon Korea -- the Korean branch of Nintendo-owned The Pokemon Co. -- beckons Pokemon fans wi
Culture Oct. 18, 2024
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