Articles by Hong Yoo
Hong Yoo
yoohong@heraldcorp.com-
BTS gets 6th top honor at 2023 MAMA Awards
K-pop sensation BTS notched the title of Worldwide Icon of the Year on Tuesday, the first day of the two-day 2023 MAMA Awards. The MAMA Awards, the world’s biggest K-pop festival organized by CJ ENM, is taking place at the Tokyo Dome, Japan’s top concert venue, this year. Worldwide Icon of the Year is one of the four top honors to be presented this year. Winners of the three other main awards-- artist of the year, song of the year and album of the year -- are to be announced Wednesda
K-pop Nov. 29, 2023
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Music industry seeks solution to ticket scalping through public discussion
The Record Label Industry Association of Korea’s petition to revise the ticket scalping law submitted to the government on Nov. 19 has turned into a public petition, according to the association on Tuesday. The move requires the government to gather public opinion for 30 days to deal with the petition and announce the result within 90 days. In the petition, Record Label Industry Association of Korea Chairman Yoon Dong-hwan, argues that “ticket scalping is cancerous to society,”
K-pop Nov. 28, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Nam Woo-hyun returns with solo studio album after rare cancer battle
It's been quite a year for Nam Woo-hyun of the K-pop boy group Infinite. He was diagnosed with a rare cancer for which he underwent hourslong surgery, and then joined the band for comeback concerts and the release of a mini-album. On Tuesday, he dropped his first solo LP and is due to hold concerts next month. “I was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor for which I underwent surgery at a university hospital in April. I was expecting a small surgery at first. But when the su
K-pop Nov. 28, 2023
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YG’s new girl group Babymonster debuts with single 'Batter Up'
YG Entertainment’s new girl group Babymonster debuted on Monday with the release of its digital single “Batter Up.” “We are happy to welcome this day that we’ve dreamed of for a long time. We will do our best to show our unique musical colors. We are also preparing diverse content and events for our fans who have waited for our debut, so please look forward to them,” Babymonster said in a press release. The group's debut digital single topped iTunes&rsquo
K-pop Nov. 27, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Former Treasure member Bang Ye-dam debuts solo
Bang Ye-dam embarked on a new journey as a K-pop solo artist Thursday with his first solo mini album, “Only One.” “I’ve always wanted to take part in bringing up my album by composing and writing lyrics to the songs. I wanted to express what I hope to share with the public through my own songs. For that, I am at my happiest moment debuting as a solo artist,” said Bang Ye-dam in an interview with The Korea Herald. Bang Ye-dam made his first appearance on television i
K-pop Nov. 23, 2023
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Dreamcatcher returns as 'villains' with special power
K-pop girl group Dreamcatcher returned as villains for their ninth EP, “VillainS,” which dropped on Wednesday. “We opened a new universe with this album, in which we’ve become villains that move our way forward to accomplish a goal and face many temptations along the way,” explained Jiu, the leader of Dreamcatcher during a press conference in Seoul. The new album carries six tracks led by title track “OOTD” which is of the punk rock genre. “The acr
K-pop Nov. 23, 2023
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G-Dragon to take legal action against malicious commenters
K-pop artist G-Dragon, who had been booked without detention for breaching the Narcotics Control Act after his name came up during a recent drug bust in Gangnam, Seoul, is taking legal action against internet users who have left malicious comments. “We are taking legal action against the creators of malicious posts about Kwon Ji-yong (G-Dragon’s real name), including defamation, sexual harassment and dissemination of false information,” announced the artist’s legal repres
K-pop Nov. 22, 2023
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Will Blackpink renew contract as group?
Blackpink, one of K-pop's top groups, attended Tuesday a banquet at Buckingham Palace in honor of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the UK. The appearance of all Blackpink members -- Jisoo, Rose, Jennie and Lisa -- raised the possibility that the members might renew their contract with their label, YG Entertainment. The quartet’s exclusive contract with YG expired in August but it still remains unclear whether or not the group will renew their contract with the agency. Ea
K-pop Nov. 22, 2023
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Mnet’s ‘Street Dance Girls Fighter 2’ targets global audience with multinational teen dancers
Mnet returns Tuesday night with the second season of its dance competition show “Street Dance Girls Fighter,” which features teenage female dancers. Different from the first season of the show, the program included young dancers from abroad and dancers even younger, between the ages of 13 and 18. “We decided to include dancers from other countries because we thought that dancing is another way of communication in a situation where there are language barriers. Because K-pop is p
K-pop Nov. 21, 2023
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Jungkook holds live stage event for fans
Jungkook of BTS held his first-ever fan-exclusive live stage event with around 2,800 fans in Seoul on Monday. The global pop star performed all of the tracks in his recently released solo album, “Golden,” at the event, “Jungkook ‘Golden’ Live On Stage.” The singer kicked off the show with “Standing Next to You,” the lead track of his album, and sidetrack “Yes or No.” “I’ve prepared this concert solely for Armys. I happily pr
K-pop Nov. 21, 2023
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[Herald Interview] VIXX highlights group’s continuity in 5th EP ‘Continuum’
K-pop boy group VIXX returned to the music scene on Tuesday with its fifth EP, “Continuum,” the group's first album release in four years. “We've longed for this comeback. In this album, we talk about one of our core values which is continuity. Our group hopes to continue presenting new albums for our fans,” Leo said during a group interview in Seoul. Over the past four years, all members of the group have been individually active in expanding their careers b
K-pop Nov. 21, 2023
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K-pop artists take home 4 awards at BBMAs
Jungkook of BTS nabbed the award for top global K-pop song at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards with his single “Seven.” “It’s very hard to express my gratitude in words. Thank you ARMY and everyone who loves this song. Without you, I couldn’t have (received) this amazing award. While we were working on ‘Seven,’ I hoped everyone could enjoy this track, so the fact that I won this category means a lot to me. I’m so glad to share great music with eve
K-pop Nov. 20, 2023
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[Herald Review] NCT 127 takes inspiration from ‘Matrix’ for 3rd tour
Thousands of NCT 127 fans gathered at the KSPO Dome in Seoul on Sunday for the third show of the group’s third tour, “Neo City - The Unity.” Most in attendance were Korean fans carrying banners with the name of their favorite member on them. As the house lights went down to signal the start of the show, the fans' lights illuminated the venue in neon hues. NCT 127 ascended to the stage decked out in all white. The band stood silently, taking in acclamations from the thousan
K-pop Nov. 20, 2023
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Dancers say Street Woman Fighter 2 made dance more approachable
Just a month since Mnet’s dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter 2” ended, the leaders of the show's seven dance crews say the show helped encourage more people to try dancing. At a group interview in Seoul on Friday, they also talked about their time on the show as a springboard to bigger things. “I've been having mixed emotions because I can’t believe the show is over. I think the show will continue to spread around the world as time goes. We are p
K-pop Nov. 17, 2023
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Seventeen’s Dino to release first solo mixtape ‘Wait’ this month
Dino of the K-pop boy band Seventeen is releasing his first solo mixtape on Nov. 27, according to Pledis Entertainment. The agency dropped a teaser image of the upcoming mixtape in which Dino is seen crossing a road. “Dino plans to show something new through his first solo mixtape, ‘Wait.’ We hope the audience looks forward to Dino’s first step as a solo artist,” said the agency in a press release on Friday. He recently released “Icarus,” the original so
K-pop Nov. 17, 2023
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