Season two of "Produce 101," Mnet's idol survival show, topped a benchmark TV popularity index for the fifth straight week, data showed Tuesday.It scored 267.6 points on the Content Power Index, becoming the most popular TV program from May 1-7.(Yonhap)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, online search tallies and buzz on social media.In the survival audition show launched in 20

The Hollywood film "Alien: Covenant" took the top place from "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" in its first weekend at the South Korean box office, data showed Monday.The latest from Ridley Scott sold 524,613 tickets during the May 12-14 weekend, taking the throne on the weekend box office chart according to the computerized tally from the Korean Film Council. (20th Century Fox Korea)Released on Tuesday, the sixth in the Alien series has amassed 959,462 viewers until Sunday, staying on top of the

South Korean boy band BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, soared to No. 1 on Billboard's music chart that tracks shares and mentions of songs on Twitter, according to the publication Monday.According to Billboard's website, the band's 2017 song "Not Today" stood at the top of this week's Billboard Twitter Top Tracks, climbing 23 steps from the previous week. "Sweet Creature" by Harry Styles and Niall Horan's "Slow Hands" ranked third. (Yonhap)Another BTS song, "Fire," came in fourth.The chart is ra

South Korean boy band BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, rose to No. 1 on a major music chart in Japan with its latest Japanese mini album Thursday, its agency said. (Yonhap)"Blood Sweat & Tears," BTS' seventh Japanese single released Wednesday, topped the Oricon Daily Single Chart, selling over 141,000 copies as of Thursday morning, according to Big Hit Entertainment, the team's management agency.The mini album holds three songs previously released in South Korea -- "Blood Sweat & Tears" from 201

The director of "The Villainess," one of two South Korean midnight screening films at this year's Cannes Film Festival, said Thursday he tried experimenting with new filming techniques to capture footage that was unprecedented in previous action movies."As opposed to searching out movies to reference, I thought a lot about how I could film at an angle that no one has thought of before," director Jung Byung-gil said at a media event held at the CGV theater in Apgujeong-dong, southern Seoul. (Yonh

Rookie group SF9 is set to tour five Asian countries in June, its agency said Wednesday. “The tour will be titled, ‘2017 SF9 Be My Fantasy Asia Fan Meeting Tour,’” FNC Entertainment said. “Starting with June 16 in Bangkok, SF9 will visit Manila on June 18, Singapore on June 30, Taipei on July 9 and Hong Kong on July 16.” K-pop group SF9 (FNC Entertainment)Since debuting in October 2016 with its first single “Feeling Sensation,” SF9 has enjoyed popularity here and abroad. Within five months of it

South Korean idol rock band CNBLUE will unveil its 11th Japanese single album "Shake" on Wednesday, the group's management agency said.(Yonhap)Written and composed by member Jung Yong-hwa, the title piece "Shake" features a light band sound that makes its listeners want to shake their body, FNC Entertainment said. Besides the song, the album includes "Someone Else," also written and composed by Jung, and "Was So Perfect" by Lee Jong-hyun.CNBLUE is scheduled to hold a concert tour of Japanese cit

The 2017 Dream Concert -- one of the largest K-pop concerts in Asia -- announced its lineup of artists Tuesday.The annual music concert will be held June 3 at 6 p.m. at Seoul World Cup Stadium in Seoul. Now in its 23rd year, Dream Concert will feature 26 acts, ranging from K-pop icons EXO, Twice, Red Velvet and SHINee’s Taemin to rookie groups Gugudan and Pristin.  (S.M. Entertainment/Tomaru)Other idol groups include popular boy bands NCT 127, NCT Dream, VIXX and Seventeen, as well as girl group

South Korean actor Lee Dong-gun and actress Cho Youn-hee, who played a fictional couple in a recent TV series, became an actual married couple, according to their agencies Tuesday."Legally speaking, they have become a married couple," FNC Entertainment and KINGKONG Entertainment said. The companies also announced that Cho is pregnant.(Yonhap)"We're waiting for our baby with gratitude and excitement," Lee said. He promised to "become a better actor and also present an image of a model father."The

The domestic crime-action flick "The Merciless" has been sold to 85 countries around the world before its domestic release, the film's local distributor said Tuesday.  (CJ Entertainment)The film starring Seol Kyung-gu and Im Si-wan is to be shown in the Midnight Screening, an out-of-competition slot in the 70th Cannes Film Festival set to open on May 17.According to the CJ Entertainment, the movie's distribution right was sold to companies in 85 countries, including France, the Netherlands, Belg

(Yonhap)Girl group Sistar, nicknamed "summer queen" for its strength in the season, will release a new album in early June, music sources said Tuesday.The group is now working on the new album with the producing team Black Eyed Pilseung, they said. This is the group's first album since its last EP "Insane Love" out about a year ago. Sistar last collaborated with Black Eyed Philseung for its hit numbers "Touch My Body" and "I Like That."Debuting in June 2010, Sistar has enjoyed popularity for its

Actor and rapper So Ji-sub finished his pan-Asia tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut, his management agency said Tuesday. (Yonhap)The actor met 20,000 fans in eight cities in six Asian countries through the "TWENTY:The Moment" tour that started in Kobe, Japan, on March 25. The tour ended in Seoul on April 29-30, the first such event in the city in three years. At the Seoul event, he shared a series of photos he took with his fans by using a selfie stick."I turned 20 years old in

Season two of "Produce 101," Mnet's idol survival show, topped a benchmark TV popularity index for the third straight week, while most big dramas performed sluggishly, data showed Tuesday.The second season of "Produce 101" scored 268 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program from April 17-23. (Mnet)CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, online s

Yoo Ah-in, star actor of tvN's "Chicago Typewriter," will undergo his fifth physical checkup to determine whether he's fit to serve in the military, after the most recent one drew inconclusive results, according to his agency Monday. (Yonhap)UAA, which represents the 30-year-old actor, said that Yoo will receive the additional physical screening on May 22, after being ordered by the Military Manpower Administration to undergo re-examination.Yoo ruptured his shoulder muscle during the filming of

Actress Park Shin-hye is set to embark on a tour of Asian countries in June, according to her agency on Monday.“Park Shin-hye is preparing for the upcoming tour. She has been going on annual overseas tours since 2013, but since she was so busy with filming an upcoming movie, Park could not make time to hold the event last year,” S.A.L.T. Entertainment said. Actress Park Shin-hye (S.A.L.T. Entertainment)Park will visit Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore in June with other Asian countries to follow,

Actor Park Bo-gum ranked No. 1 in spokesmodel brand reputation in April, according to research.The Korea Reputation Center collected and analyzed more than 41 million pieces of data on 47 advertisement models between March 27 and Friday. Actor Park Bo-gum (Blossom Entertainment)The result showed that Park, who recently appeared on the MBC variety show “Infinite Challenge” as a guest for an episode titled “2018 PyeongChang Olympics,” received the highest brand reputation rate, rising from No. 4 i

YG Entertainment, a leading K-pop agency, said on Thursday it has established a drama production company named "YG Studio Plex.""It recently opened its office in Seoul's Shinsa-dong, and director Park Hong-gyun of MBC TV dramas 'The Great Queen Seondeok' and 'The Greatest Love,' will join next month," an official with the YG Entertainment said. (YG Plus)It has not yet been decided whether the studio will scout other famous TV producers or writers, the official added.YG has shown much interest in

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that four individuals and one organization have been chosen to receive the 36th Sejong Culture Award. The awards ceremony will be held at the National Museum of Korea on Friday at 3 p.m. Park Jong-gook, honorary chairman of King Sejong the Great Memorial Society, will receive the award in the Korean culture category. Park put great effort into promoting Korean studies by translating 500 classic books written in Chinese characters to modern Ko

Song Hye-kyo was named best actress at the fifth DramaFever Awards on Wednesday.She starred in KBS 2TV’s hit drama “Descendants of the Sun” (2016) as doctor Kang Mo-yeon, along with Song Joong-ki, who played Capt.Yoo Shi-jin.  Actress Song Hye-kyo (left) and actor Gong Yoo (United Artists Agency/Management Soop)Actor Gong Yoo took home the best actor award for his role of Kim Shin, an immortal goblin, in the tvN megahit drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” which aired from December 2016 t

South Korean actor Yoo Ji-tae will appear in Danish auteur Lars von Trier's upcoming film "The House That Jack Built" as a cameo, the film's Korean distributor said Wednesday. At9 Film said that Yoo finished shooting in late March in Sweden, without specifying the actor's role.  (Yonhap)He is best known to the international audience for his lead role in Park Chan-wook's "Old Boy." Yoo's directorial debut "Mai Ratima" clinched the Jury Prize, the second top honor, at the 2013 Deauville Asian Film