Oct 22, 2019   Music

BTS' global music career up in air as Seoul reviews military exemptions

The fate of K-pop superband BTS' roaring global music career with the full seven-member lineup is up in the air as the South Korean government is in the final stage of revising the country's controversial military duty exemption system.Jin, BTS' eldest member whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, is required by the military service law to enlist in the armed forces by 2020 when he turns the age of 28.All-able bodied South Korean young men are compelled to serve in the military for about two years fo

Oct 21, 2019   K-pop

Emails suggest SuperM’s Korean sales counted for Billboard charts

Korean sales of group’s album appear to have been counted for the charts amid contradicting reports

Oct 21, 2019   K-pop

House of BTS offers special experience for fans

BTS’ pop-up store in Seoul, called “House of BTS,” has opened its doors to fans, offering them a unique and exciting experience related to the K-pop juggernaut. Taking over a three-story building in the posh district of Gangnam, southern Seoul, the pop-up was crowded with fans from all over the world Monday morning, many of whom waited in a long queue for hours before the store opened at 10 a.m. Mainly decorated in pink, inspired by BTS’ hit “Boy With Luv,

Oct 21, 2019   Music

[Herald Review] 2019 Grand Mint Festival features more band music

The 13th Grand Mint Festival took place at Olympic Park, eastern Seoul, over the weekend, with a heavier emphasis on band music than ever before.The all-genre music festival featuring K-pop artists, rock bands, hip-hop artists and more had a total of 50 acts in this year’s lineup. According to the festival, this year the main focus was band music. As with previous editions, “space hero” Minty was the festival mascot, appearing on all the festival posters as well as its mer

Oct 21, 2019   Film

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' racks up $1.3m over weekend in US

Cannes-winning black comedy "Parasite" racked up nearly $1.3 million over the weekend in the United States, industry data showed Monday.Directed by eclectic South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, the film, released stateside on Oct. 11, ranked 11th at the US box office during the Friday-Sunday period, with a cumulative total of $1.8 million, according to data from Box Office Mojo. It is now being screened in 33 theaters in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco

Oct 21, 2019   K-pop

Rookie TXT returns with new album ‘The Dream Chapter: Magic’

TXT, the rookie band from BTS agency Big Hit Entertainment, on Monday returned to the music scene with the group’s first full-length album, “The Dream Chapter: Magic.”The new album arrives seven months since the five-piece act -- leader Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Huening Kai -- made a much-anticipated debut in March with EP “The Dream Chapter: Star.” The new eight-track album is led by “Run Away,” a synth-pop tune that highlights its brig

Oct 20, 2019   Theater

Musical ‘Aida’ to kick off final run in Korea next month

The final South Korean production of the beloved musical “Aida” will kick off next month, wrapping up a run that spans 732 performances, 14 years and 730,000 audience members.The local promoter for “Aida,” the Seensee Company, said the musical will be performed Nov. 13 to Feb. 23, 2020, at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul. Yoon Gong-ju and Jeon Na-young have been cast as the title character and will appear along with other musical stars such as Kim Woo-hyun

Oct 18, 2019   Film

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Joker(US)Opened Oct.2Drama, mystery & suspense Directed by Todd Phillips A clown-for-hire by day, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) aspires to be a stand-up comic at night. But finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study. Crazy Romance (Korea)Opened Oct.2RomanceDirected by Kim Han-gyeolJae-hoon (Kim Rae-won) is hurt by

Oct 18, 2019   Music

BTS to issue remake of 'Make It Right' featuring Lauv

A new version of K-pop boy band BTS' song "Make It Right" featuring Lauv will be released Friday afternoon, the band said.The remade version of the BTS song, which comes from its latest album, "Map of the Soul: Persona," will be released at 6 p.m. (Korean time) through major online music distributors in and outside of Korea, the band said on its official social media accounts. The new version has revised lyrics and vocals. American singer-songwriter and producer Lauv wrote so

Oct 17, 2019   Music

Fans, friends bid final farewell to K-pop star Sulli

Fans and fellow K-pop stars bade their final farewells to Sulli as her coffin finally left for her burial early Thursday.The 25-year-old K-pop star and actress, whose legal name was Choi Jin-ri, was found dead at her residence in Seongnam, south of Seoul Monday, sending a shockwave across the country. Before her death, she was suffering from severe depression, according to her close aides.Following a four-day funeral and mourning ceremony at a Seoul hospital, the coffin carrying Sulli left the h

Oct 16, 2019   K-pop

Did Korean sales send SuperM’s debut album to top of Billboard chart?

: Hybrid K-pop supergroup’s high-profile US debut drew mixed reactions over ‘unusual’ sales tactics

Oct 16, 2019   Film

[Herald Review] ‘Rambo’ series wheezes to an exhausted end in ‘Last Blood’

Old soldiers never die; they simply fade away. And old heroes die hard, leaving a bitter taste in our mouths.I always thought of the “Rambo” franchise as one of those series that went downhill after the iconic first film, and “Rambo: Last Blood” -- which seems to be the last one -- does nothing to change that. While the ’80s action by one of my childhood heroes was somewhat satisfying, it became routine a few scenes in.The film picks up where the events of the previ

Oct 16, 2019   Music

Second to top Billboard, SuperM proves K-pop’s growing potential in US

Propelled by the decadeslong expertise of K-pop powerhouse S.M. Entertainment, coupled with the distribution network of Capitol Music Group, SuperM scored a No. 1 on the main Billboard albums chart with its debut album.Billboard said on its official website Monday that the septet’s debut album, “SuperM: The 1st Mini Album,” topped the Billboard 200 for the week of Oct. 19.Until Monday, BTS had been the only K-pop music act that had topped the main Billboard albums chart, scorin

Oct 15, 2019   Music

Korea National Opera looks forward to greater stability, end to turbulence, under a new leader

New artistic director to focus on four main areas to guide opera troupe toward a better future