Rookie singer-songwriter Lee Mu-jin has topped the country’s biggest streaming platform Melon with his digital single “Traffic Light,” which was released in early May. “Traffic Light,” written and composed by Lee, sits atop the 24 hits and daily chart beating out other hit songs such as MSG Wannabe’s “Foolish Love,” Aespa’s “Next Level” and BTS’ latest single “Permission to Dance.” Unlike most chart-topping so

Indie rock band Say Sue Me's “So Tender” from the soundtrack of Korean drama series “Nevertheless” was released Saturday, according to JTBC Studio. The eighth track on the soundtrack, written and composed by the band, is sung entirely in English like most of the music from the band. Say Sue Me is a surf rock-inspired band from Busan with four members -- vocalist Choi Sumi, guitarist Kim Byung-kyu, bassist Kim Jae-young and drummer Lim Sung-wan. The band debuted formall

For veteran actor Hwang Jung-min, playing a character who shares his name in the upcoming movie “Hostage: Missing Celebrity” was huge challenge. “When I was asked to play Hwang Jung-min, I was concerned with how I should act in the movie, because I had never experienced being kidnapped before and was not able to imagine how I would behave if I was really abducted,” Hwang said during an online interview after the press preview on Thursday. Director Pil Gam-seong’s

Yeondong Grape Festival The Yeongdong Grape Fesitval will take place online, due to the extended COVID-19 pandemic, and is scheduled to run for 30 days starting Aug. 17. Originally offering various programs, including picking, eating and stepping on the grapes and making different products, including wine and chocolate, the festival this year will only hold live commerce events selling grapes. Sponsored by Yeongdong in North Chungcheong Province, the festival seeks to promote both Yeongdong g

As the Tokyo Olympics come to an end this week, South Korea’s Olympic stars are setting off on their victory tours meeting the public not at sports arenas, but on TV and radio shows.　 Triple Olympic gold medalist archer An San, one of the athletes most in the news during her time in Tokyo, appeared on MBC’s radio show “Pyo Chang-won’s News High Kick,” on Wednesday. On the live radio show, An shared her experience at the Tokyo Games and her childhood stories.　 Tw

Artist Snzae is returning with a new EP, “Born To Be Cool,” after a two-year break, according to the artist’s agency Amoeba Culture on Wednesday. The company shared the album jacket images via Snzae’s official Twitter account on Tuesday, arousing fans’ curiosity about the concept of the upcoming album. Making his first appearance in hip-hop TV competition “School Rapper,” Snzae was recognized for his unique voice in his songs “Home Dance”

For veteran actor Kim Kang-woo, playing a role in a horror movie for the first time in his 19-year career gave him mixed feelings. “Having shot ‘Guimoon: The Lightless Door,’ I feel that an actor in the horror genre is required to have the skill to cover a wide range of emotions. It was difficult, but very exciting. I don’t know why I didn’t do any horror movie earlier,” Kim said in an online interview after the film’s press preview Tuesday. The film,

Actor Yoo Teo is joining A24’s “Past Lives,” written by screenwriter Song Celine, US online entertainment publication Deadline reported Monday. Shooting of the film starring Yoo and Greta Lee will begin later this year with John Magaro co-starring in a key supporting role. “Past Lives” will be the first movie directed by Song, and will portray the story of a couple from childhood reuniting in South Korea, but the exact plot has not been revealed. Yoo played the

Female celebrities are leading a new content trend in the Korean broadcasting industry, reflecting a growing interest in women’s sports. South Korean cable network Echannel’s original series “Sporty Sisters” sparked the public‘s interest in women’s sports, starring legendary Korean athletes such as golfer Pak Se-ri, fencer Nam Hyun-hee and volleyball player Han Yoo-mi. The series shows sports stars leading a lifestyle that is not restricted to rigorous daily

Public broadcaster KBS has been the most-watched network in Korea so far for the Tokyo Olympics, beating the two other terrestrial network broadcasters, SBS and MBC, in the ratings. KBS1’s coverage of the Tokyo Games on Sunday recorded 17.2 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea. It was the highest rated Tokyo Olympics broadcast, while SBS and MBC followed with 5.4 percent and 5 percent, respectively, Sunday. With its two channels, KBS offers the most events for viewing. &ldqu

A Korean artist is making a comeback with a horror song that will send a chill down fans’ spines this summer. Singer-songwriter Ahn Ye-eun released a highlight teaser of her third single, “Changgwi” on Friday, according to the artist’s agency JMG. The 21-second video, considered a short horror movie by some, shows Ahn sitting alone surrounded by mysterious shadows, creating an eerie atmosphere. “Changgwi” -- a soul from the dead bitten by a tiger -- stems

The most famous Korean cultural festival in Latin America, K-Expo 2021 kicked off in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday, according to Korean Cultural Center Brazil. The annual festival is being held online for the second consecutive year via two popular streaming services, Youtube and Twitch. A special studio in Bom Retiro, Sao Paulo, was set up for viewing the virtual event.　 The first day of the show started with a virtual tour around Seoul’s hip Ikseon-dong followed by an online fan meeti

Eumseong Pumba Festival The Eumseong Pumba Festival will take place in Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, running for four days starting Oct. 21 at Seolseong Park. The origin of the festival is connected to the songs of street singers when strolling around the marketplaces to look out for anything they could get. Performers here do not beg for food and money, but they will sing at the event. The event features various programs, including the Pumba street parade and National Pumba King

A single 92-minute episode of historical zombie thriller “Kingdom” was not meant to be a hit, according to director Kim Seong-hun, who has headed the series since 2019. “‘Kingdom: Ashin of the North’ is more like a prequel or a stepping stone for the next season,” Kim said during an online interview with a group of reporters on Wednesday. “I was very focused on expanding the “Kingdom” universe and explaining the story of Ashin, I was glad t

Korean contents are being virtually screened at “2021 K-Format Virtual Screenings in the US,” which kicked off July 26. The event is aimed at promoting Korean television programs and creative formats to international buyers, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency which organized the virtual event. Major US networks, including Warner Brothers, HBO Max and Lionsgate, as well as Hollywood producers and directors, Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca and other Latin American buyers h

While the nation hunkers down for its worst wave of the pandemic, a flare-up in COVID-19 infections among actors and film crew members have forced major drama and movie productions to cancel their schedules. “The Sound of Magic,” an original Netflix drama series based on the popular webtoon “Annarasumanara,” immediately halted operations after starring actor Ji Chang-wook and one of the staff members tested positive for the virus. An official from Netflix Korea told Th

Public broadcaster MBC apologized once again after it became mired in yet another controversy, this time concerning a caption that was used during its broadcast of the Tokyo Olympic men’s soccer game on Sunday. After admitting the broadcaster‘s callousness, MBC President Park Sung-jae made a public apology during a press conference held at MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, western Seoul, Monday afternoon. “Today, I am standing in front of you to publicly apologize for undermi

Terrestrial network MBC admitted its carelessness and apologized for offensive images and captions that aired during its coverage of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony. While broadcasting the parade of national teams in the virtually empty stadium, MBC showed images and captions introducing each delegation of athletes. Several of the images were inappropriate and insensitive. As the Ukraine delegation marched in, MBC showed an image of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. El Salvador was int

Boryeong Mud Festival The Boryeong Mud Festival takes place at Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. With its slogan “On and Off,” the festival will be held both online and offline from July 23 to Aug. 1. The event is one of South Korea’s best-known festivals, attracting the largest number of international visitors to the beach. Visitors can enjoy the hybrid festival through various activities and programs. This year’s festival will feature 62 events on

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, local broadcaster MBC is launching a Friday-Saturday drama season for the first time with “The Veil,” the company announced in a press release Thursday. The drama, made by MBC with streaming platform Wavve as a co-investor, is a spy action series set to start airing in September. The new Friday-Saturday drama scheduling will offer more contents to viewers, according to MBC. MBC's analysis of viewer consumption of content on television and streami