Hybe chairman meets UAE president to discuss possible K-pop business in Middle East

  Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk on Tuesday met with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in South Korea on a two-day state visit, to discuss possible cooperation in K-pop ventures. While the details of the discussion have not been disclosed, Bang has reportedly shared his ideas of expanding K-pop's presence in the UAE, particularly by holding the entertainment company’s “The City” project in the country. "The City" project is a citywide festiv

May 29, 2024

G-Dragon to deliver speech at 2024 Innovate Korea forum

K-pop singer G-Dragon of Big Bang will give a speech at the 2024 Innovate Korea forum, a science and technology festival jointly hosted by Herald Corporation, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the National Research Council of Science and Technology, at KAIST’s campus in Daejeon, June 3. G-Dragon will share his ideas and thoughts on the combination of K-pop and artificial intelligence during the panel discussion with KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung and Galaxy Co

May 28, 2024

Government adopts new strategy to boost national image

The South Korean government is adopting a new four-year plan aimed at enhancing Korea's perception abroad. The comprehensive plan considers the rapid advances in digital technology as well as the country's world standing, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday. The ministry will implement three major strategies with 11 key initiatives from 2024 to 2027. Central to these strategies is the integration of messages directed overseas, making Korea-related informatio

May 28, 2024

National music groups to bring Korean opera 'Tcheo Yong' to Europe in June

The Korea National Opera, together with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and the National Chorus of Korea, will embark on their first joint international tour to showcase the Korean opera “Tcheo Yong.” The three national music organizations will bring the opera to Paris, Germany and Austria in June in the form of a concert opera, featuring selected major scenes such as "A Warning : The Song of Lamentation for the Kingdom" from Act 1 and "The Song of the Buddhis

May 27, 2024

Free Pansori workshop seeks foreign participants

A free pansori workshop invites foreign residents in Seoul to immerse themselves in the traditional Korean art of the narrative singing art. Titled the 2024 Ojakgyo Bridge Project: Today’s Small Pansori Class, it is part of Seoul Municipal City’s initiative to support the discovery and succession of traditional culture and organized by the World Pansori Association. In addition to providing educational value, the project aims to foster cultural exchange and deeper understanding of Ko

May 27, 2024

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

The Plaza celebrates ‘Family Month’ with kids program Hanwha Resorts' The Plaza, located in Jung-gu, central Seoul, will offer a new program for children, “Happy Kid’s Moment,” through June 9. The upcoming promotion includes a one-night stay in either a deluxe room or premier suite, a coloring book and colored pencil set, paper toys and desserts from Boulangerie, the hotel's bakery and cafe. Priced from 360,000 won, the package can be reserved until June 7

May 24, 2024

[Well-curated] Explore aquatic life, Nordic art, world food

Explore Play Aquarium Bucheon Feast your eyes on colorful fish and remarkable marine life at Play Aquarium Bucheon in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Though Play Aquarium Bucheon is not as big as the country’s better-known aquariums -- Lotte Aquarium and Coex Aquarium -- it still has everything there is to satisfy young visitors by showing them exciting sea creatures up close. The aquarium greets its visitors with a wide range of fish tanks that house various fish species from around the world

May 24, 2024

Culture Ministry unveils streamlined policies to support Hallyu

South Korea boasts talented content creators, but despite the increasing demand for Korean cultural products, policy measures have proven ineffective. This was the assessment made by the Culture Ministry, which established the International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office in February to enhance Korea's cultural presence and influence on the global stage, ensuring that the country's cultural policies and initiatives are on par with its growing global cultural footprint. On

May 23, 2024

NewJeans headlines Korea On Stage festival, no mention of ongoing feud

The popular K-pop girl band NewJeans of Ador, a sublabel under Hybe, kept their silence on the ongoing dispute between their CEO Min Hee-jin and the parent company, at the 2024 Visit Korea Heritage Campaign & Korea On Stage in Seoul on Tuesday. It was the group’s first appearance on the public stage since the feud erupted last month. Group member Danielle, who hosted the event, also did not mention anything about the controversy throughout the 90-minute event. The youngest member, Hy

May 22, 2024

Illit’s agency sues Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for defamation

Belift Lab, a K-pop agency home to a rookie girl band Illit and a sister subsidiary to Ador under Hybe, sued Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for obstruction of business and defamation, the company said Wednesday in a statement. Min has been arguing that Illit had plagiarized NewJean’s style shortly after Illit's debut in March. It is the first time Belift Lab spoke out regarding the ongoing feud. Hybe had been speaking in place of Belift Lab when addressing Min’s allegations until now. Bel

May 22, 2024

Korean National Opera to premier Korngold's 'Die tote Stadt'

The Korean National Opera is set to premier "Die tote Stadt" at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from Thursday to Sunday. Based on Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges-la-Morte," the opera was composed by Erich Korngold at the age of 23 and premiered in 1920. The KNO explained the Korean premiere of "Die tote Stadt" is known for its extreme difficulty, demanding high notes and stamina from singers. The role of Paul requires sustained singing with high B

May 22, 2024

SM, Hybe’s investment in game business still questioned

Hybe and SM Entertainment have revealed their plans to launch new game content using K-pop bands’ intellectual property (IP) this year, but questions are still being raised over the games' chances of success. SM Entertainment said last month it is developing a mobile phone game tentatively titled “SM Game Station” in collaboration with Kakao Games, which will be available to the public in the second half of this year. A local game developer Com2us is also set to release a

May 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] TikTok, K-pop are evolving together: TikTok exec

In the globalization of K-pop, TikTok has played a very large role. “People used to listen to music by playing CDs or tuning into the radio, and with the advent of MTV and YouTube, it became the era of watching music through video media such as music video," said You Kyung-cheol, head of TikTok’s artist and label partnership, artist services in Northeast Asia. "Then, TikTok ushered in an era where people don't just consume music passively but actively participate in it

May 21, 2024

Women in 50s take stage by storm in hit musical 'Spring, Again'

The musical “Spring, Again,” produced by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre, holds significant meaning for its actors, most of whom are women in midlife. It’s a rare production that features women in their 50s as its main characters. In developing the piece, the creative team observed their conversation during workshops and incorporated it into the work, making it a devised theater. As a result, the story is a familiar one to both the actors and the audience, the four actor

May 21, 2024

Sejong Center's Sync Next aims to attract new audiences

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, one of the country’s best-known performing arts centers, is bringing back Sync Next 2024, the name for its program this summer, to contemplate the future of art and to “synchronize” with the audience, which is always “ahead.” “Art has always strived and transformed desperately to connect with its audience in every era. Artists have endured immense suffering to gain audiences, and art has continuously evolved to meet

May 20, 2024

Pupils to gather in Seoul, Tokyo to celebrate Janos Starker's 100th birthday in July

In celebration of late cellist Janos Starker’s 100th birthday and his legacy, two of Starker’s students, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Yang Sung-won, who both went on to have successful careers, will bring together more than 20 of Starker’s pupils and their pupils for a festival in Seoul and Tokyo in July. Japanese cellist Tsutsumi, president of Suntory Hall in Toyko and a professor, and South Korea's Yang, the artistic director of Music in PyeongChang and also a professor, joined

May 19, 2024

NewJeans members submit petitions over court injunction in Hybe-Ador conflict

Members of popular K-pop girl group NewJeans have each submitted a petition over a court injunction filed to prevent the dismissal of their agency Ador's CEO Min Hee-jin, music industry sources said Saturday. The five members -- Danielle, Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein -- handed in the petitions Friday when the first hearing was held on the injunction sought by Min against a move from Hybe, Ador's parent company, to dismiss her from her position. Details of the petitions were not made

May 18, 2024

‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang

In a petition filed with the court Friday, Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk made public for the first time his stance on the ongoing feud over Ador CEO Min Hee-jin’s alleged breach of trust. The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convened a hearing on the preliminary injunction filed by Min against Hybe to prohibit the parent company from exercising voting rights in favor of a proposal to dismiss her at an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for May 31. “The only way

May 17, 2024

Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again

BTS' Jimin and actor Song Da-eun are embroiled in yet another romance scandal after Song on Thursday shared videos and photos on her social media that some have interpreted to mean the two are in a relationship. The actor posted a video of a man, covered by a big emoji, walking by the sea to her Instagram. Netizens argue that the seaside spot is the same location that Jimin visited in the “(Bangtan Bomb) A Boisterous Shooting of ‘3J -- BTS’" content released on BTS&rs

May 17, 2024

Rebranded heritage agency eyes being ‘relatable’

The Korea Heritage Service officially marked its new start Friday with the agency managing national heritage reaffirming its commitment to be more “relatable.” Renaming the agency previously called the Cultural Heritage Administration, approved by the National Assembly last year, represents the largest overhaul in the agency’s history -- a change that warranted hosting an international meeting to mark the moment, according to KHS officials. “The meeting today is to announ

May 17, 2024