Feb 20, 2020   Television

‘Crash Landing on You’ star Lee Sin-young sues over school bullying rumors

Rising star Lee Sin-young, who played a supporting role in the hit drama “Crash Landing on You,” is taking legal action after being accused of school bullying, Lee’s agency, Forest Entertainment, said Thursday. A lawyer from law firm Gangnam, on behalf of the agency, released an official statement saying libel and blackmail complaints have been filed against a man claiming to have suffered school bullying by Lee. Earlier this month, a man claiming to have been Lee’s m

Feb 20, 2020   Film

[Herald Interview] Salaryman-turned-director Kim Yong-hoon debuts big

Newcomer aspires to add color to Korean cinema scene

Feb 20, 2020   Film

Moon meets Bong Joon-ho, vows govt. efforts against cinema screen monopolies

President Moon Jae-in said Thursday his government would do its best to introduce a legal measure to curb screen monopolies in South Korean cinemas, speaking at a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with Bong Joon-ho, director of the Oscars-winning movie "Parasite." The president pledged "tangible support" for the further development of the local film industry and cited the proposed ceiling on the total number of screens for a certain movie and the expansion of academies. The Ministry o

Feb 19, 2020   Film

Bong Joon-ho continues commenting on social issues

Auteur clarifies rumors, shares upcoming plans

Feb 19, 2020   Film

[Newsmaker] Actor Ha Jung-woo denies illegal drug use

Actor Ha Jung-woo on Tuesday denied all accusations that he had illegally taken the anesthetic propofol at a plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. Propofol is a short-acting anesthetic that is highly addictive. Plastic surgery clinics normally administer it to patients undergoing surgery. The news first broke last Thursday when a local news outlet reported that prosecutors were looking into about 10 people suspected of abusing drugs, including a famous actor. Although Ha’s name was

Feb 19, 2020   K-pop

BTS to unveil teaser for its new song 'ON' ahead of official release

A sample of "ON," the lead track of K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album "Map of the Soul: 7," will hit the popular video-sharing service TikTok half a day ahead of the song's official release this week, TikTok said Wednesday. A 30-second video will be released on the social networking service at 6 a.m. Friday, 12 hours ahead of the official release set for 6 p.m. the same day, according to the service. It is the first time in its seven-year career that BTS will unveil a

Feb 19, 2020   Film

'Parasite' wins prestigious Italian award

South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's film "Parasite," which won four Academy Awards this month and the Cannes Film Festival's top honor, the Palme d'Or, last year, captured a prestigious Italian award dubbed Italy's Oscars, an Italian news agency said Wednesday. "Parasite" has been selected as this year's winner of best foreign language film at the David di Donatello awards, ANSA said. The South Korean social comedy-thriller beat Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time

Feb 18, 2020   Television

Kim Tae-hee returns to small screen as ghost mom in ‘Hi Bye, Mama!’

Actress Kim Tae-hee is returning to the small screen in five years as a ghost mom in tvN’s new comedy drama series “Hi Bye, Mama!” Kim, a mother of two daughters, said her character in the upcoming drama, Cha Yu-ri, is one that is the most similar to herself of all the characters she has played so far. “(Yu-ri) Is an ordinary mom of a daughter, a member of a family, and I felt she was the closest to myself,” the actress said during a video press conference held

Feb 18, 2020   Film

Indie film ‘Lucky Chan-sil’ wishes dreamers well

While indie film “Lucky Chan-sil” may seem like a story about cineastes, director Kim Cho-hee is dedicating the movie to anyone pursuing a dream. “There is an underlying pressure in our society that makes people with dreams feel as if they have to achieve something,” the director said during a press conference held Monday to promote the movie. “Small and big twists in life sometimes turn out to be an opportunity leading to a new life. I hope the audience can laugh

Feb 18, 2020   Music

[Herald Interview] Baritone comes full circle in ‘Barber of Seville’

Baritone Kim Ju-taek, also known as Julian Kim, is a singer recognized beyond the Italian opera scene, even by non-classical music audiences in Korea. Kim is to perform in opera concert “Barber of Seville” in March, as part of art management agency Arts&Artists’ opera concert series.　 He is exceptionally attached to the opera piece as he made his official debut as Figaro in “Barber of Seville” at Teatro G.B. Pergolesi in Jesi, Italy in 2009, Kim, 33, said. &

Feb 18, 2020   K-pop

BTS’ top 50 singles and album tracks, ranked

In celebration of this week’s comeback, we put together 50 tracks representing best of BTS

Feb 18, 2020   K-pop

Pre-orders for BTS album top record 4 million

Pre-orders for K-pop super band BTS' upcoming album have topped the 4 million mark, the biggest pre-order volume ever for a South Korean album. Pre-orders for "Map of the Soul: 7," set for official release on Friday, reached 4.02 million copies as of Monday, BTS' management agency, Big Hit Entertainment said, citing data from record distributor Dreamus Company. It is the biggest pre-order volume for any South Korean album as well as for any BTS record. The album achieved 3.42 mil

Feb 18, 2020   K-pop

IZ*ONE breaks first-week sales record for girl group albums

IZ*ONE has shattered a first-week sales record for albums by girl groups of all time with its new album, the band's management agency said Tuesday. The group's first full-length album "Bloom*Iz" sold some 184,000 copies within the first day of its release Monday at 6 p.m., Off the Record said, citing data from domestic album sales tracker Hanteo Chart. It took less than a day for the group to break the previous record set by TWICE when its eighth EP album "Feel Special" so

Feb 17, 2020   Film

Oscar-winning 'Parasite' tops Japanese box office

The Oscar-winning film "Parasite" topped the Japanese box office over the weekend, becoming the most-watched Korean movie in the neighboring country in 15 years. According to Japanese box-office tracker Kogyo Tsushinsha, director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" stood atop the box office for the Saturday-Sunday period in Japan. The war film "1917" placed second. "We are calculating its exact box office revenue for the weekend," the film's Japanese