The space will also locally advertise and promote YG Entertainment and its artists through LED screens, electronic display boards and print billboards. With the addition of a permanent production facility in the United States, YG said in a press release that it is seeking to develop a more sustainable way of promoting its artists overseas, breaking away from the one-time, performance-based appro...

YG Entertainment, home to several k-pop musicians including Psy and Big Bang, announced Friday that it would establish a base in the United States for its artists as part of efforts to strengthen its presence in North America. The entertainment powerhouse plans to partner up with the U.S. real estate developer M+D Properties to open “YG Land” in the multi-entertainment space “The Source.” The bu...

With the hit Korean drama “My Love from the Star” sweeping China, its government is keeping a wary eye on the frenzy the drama has created in the nation. The U.S. daily Washington Post reported Friday that the Chinese government officials discussed the popular Korean drama’s success with envy at the ongoing China‘s National People’s Congress, where the country‘s highest governing bodies meet ...

Rock band returning with first studio album in three years

From K-pop to Korean dramas and TV shows, South Korean popular culture has been enjoying high popularity globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific, which has more hallyu fans than anywhere else in the world, according to a recent report by the Korea Foundation. In turn, scholars are zeroing in on Southeast Asia, one of the largest markets for South Korean popular cultural content today. Academic...

Korean modern rock band Monni has announced that it will release its fourth studio album “Follow My Voice” on March 18. Monni’s upcoming release is expected to showcase various emotions such as strength, tenderness, coldness, sweetness and yearning, according to the band’s management agency Modern Rock Record. The agency said the album was titled “Follow My Voice” in hopes that people will natu...

Veteran singer-actor Lim Chang-jung is scheduled to unveil his 12th studio album later this month, according to his management agency NH Media on Monday. The upcoming release will be Lim’s first studio album in five years. Though Lim released the EP “A Guy Like Me” last September, his most recent studio album, “Return To My World,” was released in 2009. Lim’s 12th album features songs he wrote ...

Longtime veteran singer So Chan-whee, best known for her hit single “Tears,” has returned to the music scene, only this time around she has shed her dance-ballad image and is paying tribute to the legendary Elvis Presley and the tremendous influence he had on the rockabilly movement. “Although I did make my debut performing dance music, the truth is I have always had the desire to pursue rock mu...

Four-member girl group 1PS, made up of leader Ye-na, Ji-eun, Sae-ha and Yoon-seo, has joined this year’s lineup of K-pop rookies with the ladies’ debut single album “The First Score” on Monday. The album includes the pop-ballad main track “Because I am a Woman” as well the single “Anticipating.” 1PS took to the stage last week on “M! Countdown” and performed the group’s lead track live for the f...

Girls’ Generation made a much-anticipated return to the music scene last month with the new EP “Mr. Mr.,” topping major music charts in South Korea. The nine girls are reaffirming their global popularity with the release of the new music video for “Mr. Mr.,” which has received more than 4.3 million views and comments on YouTube as of Monday, just days after the video was released on Feb. 28. In...

Top K-pop girl group 2NE1 released music videos for their popular title tracks “Come Back Home” and “Happy” on its official YouTube channel and YG’s blog on Monday, receiving thousands of hits, likes and comments within minutes. The music video for “Come Back Home” is set in an undefined future, where people escape to a world of virtual reality. Once “plugged in,” they experience psychedelic eff...

South Korean pop duo TVXQ has scooped up five awards at the Japan Gold Disk Award 2014, including best Asian artist, the duo's management agency said Friday. Four other awards they won are Pop Album of The Year, Best 3 Albums, Song of the Year by Download and Best Music Videos, S.M. Entertainment said in a release. Girls' Generation, a K-pop group also management by the company, had two of its ...

Actress Ham So-won has recently ended her four-year relationship with her Chinese boyfriend, real estate mogul Zhang Wei, Korean media reported Friday. “We decided to go separate ways to focus on our careers. We naturally grew apart as both of us have been extremely busy,” Ham told the Sports Chosun. “Zhang offered top-notch apartments in Beijing and land in Shanxi worth tens of billions won as...

Top actress Choi Ji-woo has signed a contract with YG Entertainment, the agency announced on Wednesday. “Choi Ji-woo will continue her acting career under YG’s systematic and globalized management,” an official from YG Entertainment said. The veteran actress, who recently made a comeback with the drama “Suspicious Housekeeper,” is set to re-solidify her status as a queen of the Korean cul...