Underneath the system, K-pop idols continue to strive to find their own voice

Fearless young actor says she is ready for more challenges

As musical enthusiasts will know, these separate adaptations were being prepared simultaneously during the 1980s. When “The Phantom of the Opera” became a success on the West End, it effectively halted Broadway’s plans to release“Phantom,” which was instead made into a TV miniseries in 1990. Some of South Korea‘s up-and-coming musicians, including cellist Mun Tae-guk, clarinetist Kim Han, flutis...

This film had its world premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. The director said since the film was invited to a noncompetition section at last year’s Cannes, he attended the film festival without much pressure. “Once I got there, I could feel the audiences’ respect for the movie and was very happy to be there,” Han said. “I hope I can take part in the festival again if possible.” “Em...

Brief introduction to the music and the composers will be provided during the program. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m., Wednesday at the Deoksugung Palace website. Admission is free and 80 seats will be made available online. An additional 10 seats will be available on-site for visitors aged 65 and older and foreigners on a first-come first-served basis. By Kim Hae-yeon ( hykim@heraldcorp...

Two South Korean animated films, "Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On" and "Persona," have been awarded at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival. According to the winner's list Monday (Korean time), "Chun Tae-il," a biopic on the Korean workers' rights activist directed by Hong Jun-pyo, received the Contrechamp Jury Distinction prize at the 46th edition of the festival that kic...

Stray Kids and Twice will separately release albums in Japan. Stray Kids will roll out its second Japanese EP “Circus” on Wednesday, followed by its last Japanese EP “All In” in November 2020. Celebrating the fifth debut anniversary in Japan, Twice’s fourth Japanese album “Celebrate” is slated for release on July 27. Nayeon of Twice will release her first album as a solo artist as well. Her EP “...

BTS' new album, "Proof," has topped the US Billboard's main albums chart for this week, becoming the sixth chart-topper from the South Korean group, the chart's operator said. The anthology album landed atop the Billboard 200 by earning 314,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending June 16, Billboard said Sunday (US time). "The overwhelming majority of that unit figure ...

Lim said he participated in the competition to check himself and where he stood in terms of the maturity of his music. “I am more worried than anything else," Lim said after winning the competition. "I wanted my music to become deeper, and if that desire reached the audience, I’m satisfied," he added. A native of Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, Lim is among the few Korean winners of an internationa...

“While shooting the film, she brought fruits and food for me like a real grandmother,” Choi said. “I also had many talks with the director. I am inexperienced but he is a veteran so I tried to learn from him.” The drama film “My Perfect Roommate” will hit local theaters on Wednesday.

Long-running K-pop group Super Junior will release the first volume of its 11th full-length album next month, the group's agency said Saturday. Label SJ said the five-track "The Road: Keep on Going" will be out July 12, and will be followed by the second volume and the complete combined version later in the year. "This is a comeback album where you can feel both of Super Junior's own mature fee...

"Broker," the first Korean-language film project by Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, surpassed 1 million admissions Saturday, the movie's local distributor said. The film hit the milestone at 8:30 a.m., becoming Kore-eda's first film to reach 1 million in South Korea, CJ ENM said. Released June 8, the flick was at No. 3 after "The Witch: Part 2. The Other One" and "The Roundup" at the daily b...

Enhypen uploaded a mood board for its forthcoming EP on Friday. The band used an image collage for its third EP, “Manifesto: Day 1.” It includes graffiti, hinting that it will be full of the bandmates’ raw energy. It also showed “Don’t Judge Me,” a phrase that appeared in the teaser video and promotion calendar as well. The seven-member act’s first full-length album “Dimension: Dilemma” ...

Hit movie-maker is ‘excited and nervous’ to meet global viewers via a streaming platform

Global streaming giant Netflix has recently announced its plans to renew a slew of its hit Korean-language originals, like the smash-hit survival drama "Squid Game," for more seasons in an apparent bid to gain fresh momentum as the pandemic winds down. Earlier this week, Netflix confirmed that "Squid Game" (2021) will return for a second season. It was the official announcement by the streamer ...