More than a month after fans announced a boycott of the star, the mother of Super Junior’s Sungmin is still waiting for the calm after the storm.(S.M. Entertainment)Kang Kyung-sook, Sungmin’s mother, opened up about fans boycotting Sungmin during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul, saying she hopes he will overcome the hardships and get back on his feet with a stronger mindset. Sungmin’s fans declared a boycott of the Super Junior member in June, criticizing him for his disrespect

“아직 마음고생을 하고 있지만, 성민이도 이 일을 계기로 인생 공부 좀 해야되요. 어떻게 보면 성민이가 더 성장할 기회인 것 같아요.”(SM엔터테인먼트)성민이 팬들로부터 보이콧을 당한 지 한 달 남짓. 최근 코리아헤럴드가 삼청동의 한 카페에서 만난 성민의 어머니 강경화씨는 팬들의 보이콧 이후 아들 성민의 근황을 전하며 그가 이번 난관을 잘 극복해 더욱 단단해지기를 바란다고 밝혔다. 강씨는 성민 팬들의 보이콧에 대해 “아직 많은 팬들이 성민에게 화가 나 있는 것 같아요. 저도 왜 화가 나셨는지 이해가 가고요”라며 안타까운 마음을 감추지 못했다. 하지만, 강씨는 “소나기가 내리는데 우산이 없으면 그냥 맞아야죠, 그렇지 않겠어요?” 라며 이 상황을 최대한 긍정적으로 받아들이고 있다고 전했다. 6월 10일 한 온라인 커뮤니티의 슈퍼주니어 갤러리에서는 성민의 활동중지 요구 성명서를 담은 글이 게재됐다. 팬들은 성민 퇴출 요구의 가장 큰 이유로 소통 부재를 꼽으며 ‘성민 아웃. 더 이상 이성민

The Corea Image Communication Institute -- a nongovernmental organization dedicated to promoting Korean culture worldwide -- announced Tuesday the winners of a visual contest, titled “Korea Through the Lens,” organized on the theme of Korea’s identity and beauty. Korean calligrapher Kang Byung-in, who combines his innovative calligraphy and Korea’s traditional sceneries in the clip titled “Beautiful Korea and Hangeul” won the video category’s top prize. Nestle Korea CEO Erwan Vilfeu, who produce

Hip-hop artist and producer Primary is set to hit the K-pop scene with a new EP in August. Primary (Amoeba Culture)The artist’s label Amoeba Culture said Tuesday that the upcoming EP is slated to be released on Aug. 4. It will be his first release since his second full-length album “2” in 2015. “Primary has put utmost effort into the upcoming EP. Every song from the EP will be great enough to be chosen as a lead track,” an agency official said. The hit-maker gained recognition in the Korean hip-

Amid high expectations, K.A.R.D, the first coed K-pop group in several years, officially introduced itself to Korea with its debut EP “Hola Hola” on Wednesday. The rookie band under DSP Media, which consists of two women and two men, had already gained overseas fans before its official debut here. (Yonhap)K.A.R.D has released three pre-debut singles, which were highly acclaimed internationally. It saw fans chanting its name at overseas concerts thanks to its sleek choreography and incorporation

A Seoul court has sentenced Big Bang‘s T.O.P, who had been charged without detention for marijuana use, to 10 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, Thursday. A judge from Seoul Central District Court revealed that the ruling was based on evidence of his wrongdoings and that T.O.P had admitted to the charges.He said, “As the rapper is found to have committed wrongdoings that can harm both the mental and physical state of an individual, as well as have an adverse influence on society, we decide

After seeing all three of its full-length albums sell over 1 million copies, EXO, one of K-pop’s most popular boy bands, dared not hesitate to reveal its ambition to set another record with new album “The War.”EXO became one of K-pop’s biggest acts when it released its first single “MAMA” in April 2012. Now attention is on whether the group will continue its exciting run with “The War,” EXO’s fourth full-length album released Tuesday evening via local streaming sites.  (Yonhap)“We are extremely

South Korea‘s three major television networks -- KBS, MBC and SBS -- began a joint streaming service to quickly provide their drama and entertainment programs to American viewers on Monday. (The Korea Content Wave)The Korea Content Wave (KOCOWA) is available both on the internet and mobile and the range of service will be expanded to other continents in the future, the broadcasters said. This marks the first time that the terrestrial TV stations have launched a streaming platform to directly cir

Five years have passed since Psy released the viral single that took the world by storm, but the K-pop singer said he still doesn’t know what was behind his breakout success. (Herald DB)The artist recently talked with Billboard about how his life and career has changed since “Gangnam Style” propelled him to become a world star, adding that he still didn’t understand why the song was so special.  “I was a Korean singer and whenever I released an album, the purpose of it was just to make good song

Black Pink dropped a Japanese version of music videos for “Whistle” and “Playing with Fire,” two of the group‘s hits, ahead of its official Japanese debut in August.  (YG Entertainment)The Japanese version of the tracks’ videos were revealed via the group’s label YG Entertainment website Saturday evening, a signal that the K-pop act was all geared up to push ahead with its promotion in Japan. The group is scheduled to launch a media event for its Japanese debut on July 20 in Tokyo and drop its J

When Kim Chi struts down a runway, the audience can’t help but drop their collective jaws at his flawless face, feminine gestures and highly aesthetic avant-garde fashion that glitters under the stage lighting. His name, or even drag culture, may still be unfamiliar to some. But for drag fans, Kim Chi is one of the most influential drag queens around. He was one of the top three finalists on season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which aired in the US last year. Drag queen Kim Chi poses during a rece

Her husky yet warm voice used to dig deep into torn young hearts pining for past loves. Fully charged with overpowering emotions, Korean singer-song writer Ali crooned lines like “If only I can remove you with an eraser, I want to erase you a hundred times over” in her tear-shedding ballad hits. Ali poses during a recent interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)However, Ali’s persona has outgrown her downbeat past and the singer has developed into a young woman i

K-pop hit maker EXO will make a long-awaited comeback on July 18 with new album “The War,” its label S.M. Entertainment said Monday.  A teaser photo of EXO‘s Kai for the group’s upcoming album ‘The War’ (S.M Entertainment)“The War,” EXO‘s fourth full-length album, includes nine tracks of various genres, featuring upbeat dance track “Ko Ko Bop” as a lead song. The upcoming album will be released on July 18 at 6 p.m. via local music streaming sites. The label has also hinted at the album’s concept

‘발라드의 여신’ 알리가 오는 8월 신곡을 발표한다. (KBS2)알리의 소속사 관계자 등에 따르면 알리의 신곡작업은 이미 끝난 상태이다. 알리는 이후 신곡들을 추가 발표한 뒤 가을께 본격 활동에 들어갈 것이란 관측이 나온다.이 관계자는 “그간 알리는 이별을 소재로 한 발라드를 주로 불렀다. 하지만 이번 신곡은 슬픈 노래가 아닌 신나는 리듬”이라고 귀띔했다.초빙가수와 함께 피처링을 선보일 이번 곡은 지난 2월 발표한 ‘너만 없다’ 이후 처음이다. 알리는 당시 슈퍼주니어 예성과 듀엣곡을 내놨다. 　알리는 지난 2003년 리쌍의 히트곡 ‘내가 웃는게 웃는게 아냐’의 피처링을 통해 데뷔했다. 알리는 MBC ‘복면가왕’과 KBS2 ‘불후의 명곡-전설을 노래하다’에서 국내 선두 ‘디바’로서의 면모를 과시한 바 있다. 알리는 지난 11월과 12월 임창정이 선물한 디지털싱글 ‘또 생각이 나서’와 스페셜 리메이크 음반 ‘알리즈 원더랜드(ALi’s WONDERLAND)’를 잇따라 내기도 했다. 그는

With electronic dance music bringing many people around the world to their feet, an EDM act in Korea hopes to carve out its own niche in the K-pop industry with the band’s throbbing electro bass. The group’s relaxed, jovial nature belies the quartet’s name: Hang5va, pronounced like “hangover.” The hip-hop-based EDM group strutted into the K-pop scene with a swagger early this year, consisting of band leader Kazu, MC Crooner, Chocoboi and DJ Hotdog. Korean EDM quartet Hang5va poses during a recen

The onscreen couple of KBS hit drama series “Descendants of the Sun” will soon be married in real life. Early on Wednesday, Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo announced plans to wed on Oct. 31, through a joint statement issued by their management agencies. (KBS2)The two had repeatedly denied rumors they were in a relationship even up until Tuesday evening, when a local media outlet requested confirmation as to whether the two stars were a couple. The agencies flatly denied the rumors and called them

From stars of “Descendants of the Sun” to a soon-to-be married couple in real life, maybe it is time to review the previous photos of the Songs taken together. We don’t know at point of the TV drama Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki fell in love with each other, but photos that have been shared via the actress’s Instagram account show the couple were already intimate enough to cozy up together and look like a couple. Here are some traces of the “Song couple” before they went official. (Song Hye-kyo

Following Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s surprise wedding announcement Wednesday morning, attention is now turning toward a luxury house that Song Joong-ki bought in January, which may be the couple’s new home. A luxury house that Song Joong-ki bought in January in Itaewon-dong, Seoul (Jie Ye-eun/The Korea Herald)In May, The Korea Herald had reported that Song Joong-ki, who starred alongside the other Song in the hit “Descendants of the Sun,” bought a two-story house with a basement in January

Singer-songwriter Heize is topping Korean music charts with songs from her third EP “///,” released on June 26 Singer Heize (CJ E&M) 　“You, Clouds, Rain,” one of the tracks from the new EP has debuted at No. 1 on seven main music charts including Melon, Genie and Mnet, as of Monday morning. The album’s lead track “Don’t You Know” was also ranking high on the charts since its release, until “You, Clouds, Rain” took over the first spot. Featuring singer Shin Yong-jae, “You, Clouds, Rain” is an emo

Die-hard gospel singer Sohyang’s world used to revolve around two things: Jesus and church. Appearing on TV was a big leap for the singer, who started her musical career in a small family-run gospel band in her early 20s. Some 20 years later, she is making headlines for her impressive performances on MBC’s weekly music competition show “King of Masked Singer,” where she hid her identity with a mask and won six consecutive victories until she lost to another contestant Sunday. She set a record wi