It ended where it started. BTS on Tuesday staged the grand finale of its “Love Yourself” series in Seoul, wrapping up a yearlong world tour that kicked off in the capital of band’s home country. Tuesday’s show at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium was the last of three sold-out shows of BTS’ “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” stadium tour, an extension of “Love Yourself,” which kicked off in August on the same stage last year. When BTS

BTS’ “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” world tour has come to an end with the grand finale in Seoul on Tuesday. Starting from sunny California, the colossal stadium tour took the septet to ten cities across the US, Brazil, the UK, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia and finally to the band’s home ground of Korea from May to October. With the latest concert series, BTS broke records at each of the venues, selling out tickets at breakneck pace. It only took 2 1/2 hours

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

Rookie band Oneus, which debuted earlier this year, was already back to the music scene Monday with new EP “Fly With Us.”The six-track EP is the final chapter of the band’s “US” trilogy that started with debut EP “Light Us” in January and was followed by “Raise Us” in May. The new album consists of “Intro: Fly Me to the Moon,” “Plastic Flower” “Lit,” “Blue Sky,” “Level Up” and &ldquo

After enjoying a monthlong vacation, BTS resumed its activities Monday, boarding a plane for an overseas engagement. While its agency, Big Hit Entertainment, declined to disclose details of the trip, fans are happy to see their favorite boy band back in the game. The Korea Herald has compiled a special playlist for fans who have been waiting for the band. While it was not easy to pick just a few tunes from the group’s hefty discography, here is a curated list of our favorites, in chronolog

K-pop singers Kang Daniel and Jihyo of girl group Twice are in a romantic relationship, their respective agencies confirmed Monday. “It has been confirmed that the two are dating with good feelings toward each other,” Kang’s Konnect Entertainment and Twice’s JYP Entertainment said.  Earlier in the day local media outlet Dispatch broke the news, saying the two K-pop stars had started dating earlier this year. The publication also revealed photos of Jihyo arriving at K

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (UK time) delivered a historic performance at Wembley Stadium, becoming the first South Korean band to headline London’s iconic venue.Ahead of the show, the seven bandmates -- RM, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, Jimin, Jungkook and V -- met with reporters to answer questions about their Wembley debut, their ongoing stadium world tour, the band’s collaborative projects and their thoughts on being called “the Beatles of the 21st century.”Following is a transcri

LONDON -- BTS on Saturday (local time) made history as the first Korean band to perform at the iconic Wembley Stadium, the largest concert stage in the UK, where legendary acts like Queen, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Adele have headlined. The first of two sold-out concerts was attended by 60,000 fans, who sang-along, chanted, screamed and danced throughout the performance that lasted for 150 minutes. The group performed 24 tunes, including those from its “Love You

Having made an incredible splash on the music scene with the new chart-topping album “Map of the Soul: Persona,” BTS wants to delve into the power of love, which is what catapulted the band to global stardom, the band said Wednesday. At a global press conference livestreamed on YouTube, the septet talked about their new music, their collaboration with pop heavyweights Halsey and Ed Sheeran, their upcoming sold-out stadium concerts, their recent “Saturday Night Live” appearance and the weight of

BTS appeared at the Grammy Awards for the first time as award presenters and a nominee band on Sunday (Los Angeles time), a distinction no other K-pop band had achieved. The seven bandmates of BTS -- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- marched to the stage of music’s biggest night as their song “Fake Love” played. They delivered the best R&B Album of the Year to H.E.R., whom BTS named as one of the artists they were excited to meet at the Grammys. (AFP-Yonhap)“Growing up in South Kor

Have you recently developed a liking for the K-pop sensation BTS? Catching up with the breakneck speed of the band’s career can feel overwhelming, but you have to start somewhere. Here is a complete guide to the seven bandmates. From its advent to its meteoric rise, this guide will tell you everything you need to know about BTS. Or if you are simply wondering about the hype around the band, allow us to enlighten you about BTS’ catchy songs, heart-pumping dance moves and colorful personalities th

Twitter Korea said on Tuesday it is launching in-stream video ads in Korea, extending the global campaign to cover red-hot K-pop content. Kpop Herald, an in-house venture of The Korea Herald, the nation’s largest English daily, is one of the first Korean partners to join the social media giant’s K-pop push, along with a slew of media and entertainment companies here.The ad service, launched in October last year, aims to help advertisers effectively expose their products with preroll ads on premi

Earlier this month, Sojin of the K-pop girl group Girl’s Day decided she is leaving the Dream T Entertainment label when her contract expires in February. The announcement left fans in shock, with many questioning whether this was a prelude to the disbandment of the 9-year-old four-piece act. Though the agency denied it, other members Yura, Minah and Hyeri are reportedly in contact with other agencies about pursuing individual activities as their contracts are set to expire later this year. But

K-pop boy band B1A4 met with fans at Twitter’s Blueroom live session at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, with the hourlong Q&A show exceeding 500,000 viewers.The trio is the first to hit the social media giant’s flagship live broadcast this year, held at Twitter Korea’s iconic headquarters situated on the 41st floor of a skyscraper in Gangnam, southern Seoul, capturing the city’s skyline. It was also a memorable moment for the band, as CNU will leave to begin his mandatory military service next week. With exc

[THE INVESTOR] Mirae Asset Global Investments, Korea’s largest asset management firm, is leading global investments in innovative technologies that power the fourth industrial revolution.Mirae Asset G2 Innovation Fund, which invests in promising companies in the US and China, posted 23.51 percent of yearly rate of return as of last week, according to market researcher KG Zeroin, becoming the most profitable global equity fund in the industry.The fund invests in companies that develop cutti

Teaser image of Genesis G70 (Hyundai Motor Group)[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor gave media a peek at its luxury marque Genesis’ all-new sports sedan G70, with plans to release the car in the US early next year. “We are planning to launch Genesis G70 in the North American market sometime early next year,” said Hwang Chung-yul, senior vice president at the Genesis Project Management Center, at a media preview held in Seoul on Sept. 1. “We will gradually roll out the car in other regions.” Prior to G

[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=안성미기자] 기아자동차가 신형 소형SUV 스토닉(Stonic)을 미국에 출시하지 않기로 했다.　서보원 국내 마케팅실장은 27일 경기도 화성 현대기아차 남양연구소에서 열린 스토닉 사전 설명회에서 더인베스터에 “스토닉을 미국에 출시할 계획이 없다”며 국내시장과 유럽시장에 집중할 예정이라고 밝혔다.  기아 '스토닉(Stonic)'최근 소형SUV가 인기를 끌고 있지만 여전히 대형SUV 중심의 미국에서 스토닉의 시장성에 대한 고민과 함께 12월 미국 출시 예정인 ‘형님’ 현대차의 신형 소형SUV 코나와의 직접적인 경쟁이 여러모로 부담이 되었던 것으로 풀이된다. 　기아차는 이날 스토닉을 최초로 공개하며 사전계약에 돌입했다. 공식 출시는 다음달 13일이다. 　기아차는 무엇보다 파격적인 가격을 앞세워 쌍용차 티볼리 등 경쟁모델들과 승부를 보겠다는 전략이다. 스토닉은 1.6리터 디젤엔진과 7단 더블클러치 트랜스미션을 기본으로 탑재하고 있다. 가격은 1,895만원에서 시작해

[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=안성미기자] 미국 전기차 업체 테슬라를 상대로 급발진 소송을 낸 배우 손지창씨가 최근 정식 재판 절차에 돌입했다. 　손씨의 변호를 맡은 미국의 리처드 매큔 (Richard McCune) 변호사는 26일 더인베스터에 “현재로서는 테슬라와의 합의 가능성은 희박하다”며 재판 강행 의지를 시사했다. 첫 재판일은 내년 11월 6일로 정해졌다.　 테슬라 모델X미국에 거주하고 있는 손씨는 지난해 본인 소유의 테슬라 SUV 기종인 모델X를 차고에 주차하던 중 급발진 사고가 났다며 회사를 상대로 소송을 제기했고 이후 비슷한 피해사례들을 모아 진단소송을 진행 중이다. 　이에 테슬라는 차량 결함을 부인하며 사고는 손씨의 과실로 발생했다며 소송 각하요청을 제기했지만 이달 초 미국 연방법원 캘리포니아 지부는 피해자들의 설명이 설득력이　있다며 테슬라의 요청을 기각했다. 　다만 재판부는 손씨 및 원고들이 제기한 과대광고 등의 주장은 근거가 없다며 테슬라의 손을 들어 주었다. 　현재로

[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=안성미기자] 미국 전기차 회사 테슬라의 최고경영자 일론 머스크(Elon Musk) 회장의 6월 방한이 취소된 것으로 확인됐다. 　지난 4월 일부 매체들은 머스크회장이 6월 테슬라의 공식 론칭 행사에 참석하기 위해 처음으로 한국을 방문할 것이라고 보도한 바 있다. 　테슬라코리아 관계자는 31일 더인베스터에 “머스크회장이 6월에 한국을 찾을 계획은 없다”며 그의 방한이 취소된 이유는 물론 애초에 방한 계획이 있었던 것인지 등에 대해 답변을 거절했다. 　 테슬라 일론 머스크 회장 (블룸버그)테슬라는 모델S 90D의 첫 고객 인도에 맞춰 6월 공식 론칭 행사를 준비하고 있다. 행사는 사전계약 고객들을 위주로 소규모로 진행 될 것으로 알려졌다. 　테슬라는 지난 3월 한국에 첫 매장을 오픈했고 모델S 90D를 시작으로 본격적으로 판매에 나선다. 기본 현금 가격은 1억 1,1570만원으로 국내 충전기준을 만족하지 못해 보조금 혜택은 받을 수 없다. 　현재 모델S 75와

　[더인베스터(코리아헤럴드)=안성미기자] 최근 폭스바겐 연비조작 수사를 종결한 검찰이 압수한 950여대의 아우디 및 폭스바겐 차량을 독일 본사로 회수조치할 예정이다. 　　한 업계 관계자는 13일 “검찰은 일반적으로 압수품은 폐기처리를 하지만 이번에는 규모가 커 처리비용이 적잖게 들어 국외반출 조치를 결정한 것으로 보인다”고 전했다. 　　검찰은 지난 6월 배출가스 기준 초과 또는 배기관 누설 문제가 발견된 유로6 (Euro6) 디젤엔진이 장착된 3개 차종 아우디 A1, A3, 폭스바겐 골프 차량 950여 대를 아우디폭스바겐코리아의 평택센터에서 압수했다. 　세계적으로 배출가스 조작 의혹이 제기된 유로5 차종 외에, 유럽의 강화된 유로6 가 적용된 차량을 압수한 건 한국이 처음인 것으로 알려졌다. 　　조사 결과 검찰은 이 중 2015년 7월부터 지난해 1월까지 수입통관한 아우디 A3와 폭스바겐 골프 차량 600여 대가 질소산화물 배출기준을 초과한 것으로 판정됐다고 밝혔다. 　　서울중앙지검