Most Popular
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Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
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Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
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Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
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Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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Naver will consider company benefits in deciding on selling Line shares: CEO
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Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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Sales of physical albums by K-pop artists surge 67% on-year in January
The K-pop music industry has extended its growth momentum this year with a surge in physical album sales in January, according to data compiled by South Korean music chart tracker Gaon Chart. The top 400 albums sold more than 4.05 million copies in and out of the country last month, up 66.9 percent from the same period previous year. The figure, however, dropped by 5.4 percentage points from December, the data showed. Of the top 400 albums, boy band Enhypen topped the list by selling 723,478
Feb. 17, 2022
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BTS to hold first live concerts in Seoul in over 2 years next month
K-pop supergroup BTS will hold its first live concerts in Seoul in about 2 1/2 years next month, the group‘s management agency said Wednesday. Three concerts, titled “BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul,” will be held on March 10 and March 12-13 at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, Big Hit Music said in a statement on Weverse. These will be the seven-member band’s first in-person concerts in Seoul since the band’s world tour performance in Octobe
Feb. 16, 2022
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Tongyeong hit with concert cancellations
At least two classical concerts that were slated for later this month at Tongyeong Concert Hall have been canceled due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, but the organizers who are also preparing the Tongyeong International Music Festival in March said that its flagship music gala will take place as planned. The New York Philharmonic String Quartet, which was scheduled to play at Tongyeong Concert Hall on Sunday will skip the city, which was to have been the first of their performanc
Feb. 15, 2022
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‘Sing Again’ contestant Han Seung-yun marks solo start with ‘Lovender’
Singer-songwriter Han Seung-yun, contestant No. 17 on the first season of JTBC’s competition “Sing Again,” dropped his first mini album, “Lovender” at 6 p.m. Tuesday through online music streaming platforms, marking his new start as a solo artist. “It feels great to be on stage after a good while. ... I prepared the mini album like I were making a debut. My goal (for the album) is to let listeners know that I’m an artist who tries various genres of mus
Feb. 15, 2022
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The power of two: “Double event” secret behind stage longevity of ‘Lion King’
In the dark reality of the pandemic, a long-running classic has brought a sense of hopeful nostalgia to the stage. “The Lion King” is back in Seoul after nearly 3 years, and has once again shown why it captures so many hearts. As the curtains go up, the audience is immediately enraptured by the march of animals as Futhi Mhlong, who has been playing mandrill Rafiki for the past 14 years, sings “Circle of Life.” Even though the iconic entry of the animals through the a
Feb. 14, 2022
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Hours-long plays stand out amid short form tidal wave
While “short form” or “mid form” content which immerse audiences in a story with rapid plot developments appear to be an irreversible trend in movies and TV dramas, a number of stage plays have gone against the tide with productions that run as long as eight hours. “Angels in America,” “The Brothers Karamazov,” and “The Geumjo Story,” are among the many recent works that are far longer than the typical play length of 80 to 100 minute
Feb. 14, 2022
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Artist under fire for ‘mocking’ Yoon’s wife, Michael Jackson in song
A recently-released contemporary folk song became the subject of bitter dispute on Monday for supposedly mocking presidential candidate Yoon Suk-yeol’s wife and “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. In his latest single “A Woman That Looks Like Michael Jackson,” released Friday, Ahn Chi-hwan sings of an unspecified woman who has changed her name and looks several times, berating the person for her greed. It is widely believed that the woman Ahn is referring to is Kim Ke
Feb. 14, 2022
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Virtual influencer Rozy to debut as singer this month
Rozy, the first virtual social media influencer in South Korea, is set to make a debut as a singer this month, according to Sidus Studio X Friday. Rozy’s debut song will be produced by Vanilla acoustic’s Jung Jae-won, who has worked with artists such as Bolbbalgan4, while Music Vine is participating in the project as a production company. Sidus Studio X, which produced the virtual human based on AI, hinted that Rozy’s debut song will feature a warm melody and the virtual in
Feb. 11, 2022
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JYP to strengthen partnership with Republic Records
K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment is looking to extend the global reach of label’s artists Stray Kids and Itzy through a stronger partnership with Republic Records. Republic Records, a major American music label owned by Universal Music Group, on Thursday (US time) announced its expanded partnership with JYP that kicked off in 2020 with K-pop girl group Twice. Under the expanded partnership, the US music agency will support activities of JYP’s artists, including Stray Kids and Itz
Feb. 11, 2022
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Pianist Krystian Zimerman to perform in four cities despite omicron surge
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman is set to perform in Korea in the coming weeks after a couple of delays in ticketing. The celebrated pianist will visit Korea later this month with some changes in the schedule, according to Mast Media, the organizer of Zimerman‘s recitals. Previously, it was unclear whether Zimmerman, who travels with his own instrument, would be able to make it to the country as the recent surge in COVID-19 cases got in the way of transporting his piano. Amid the uncer
Feb. 8, 2022
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Korean Chamber Orchestra to resume Mozart Project
The Korean Chamber Orchestra on Friday said it is set to resume hosting eight all-Mozart concerts next month after the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Mozart Project, the KCO aims to perform all 46 symphonies by the Austrian composer. Led by Finnish-German pianist and conductor Ralf Gothoni and music director Kim Min, the KCO will take the composer’s masterpieces on stage in eight concerts from March 13 to Feb. 8, 2023. The orchestra kicked off the 10-conce
Feb. 4, 2022
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[Eye interview] Captain Rock celebrates birthday in grand way with 3-day music festival
How many people can claim to have an entire festival dedicated to their birthday, and while they are still living to boot? Since 2005, rocker Han Kyung-rock, the bassist of iconic punk band Crying Nut, who is also known as Captain Rock, has been celebrating his birthday by hosting a large party in the Hongdae area of Seoul, a notorious center for indie music. Held every year on Feb. 11, Han’s birthday, what started out as a gathering of fellow musicians for drunken revelry and
Feb. 3, 2022
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[Herald Interview] Love hurts, love heals, and ‘So Life Goes On’
Just as weather in its essence is whimsical, our lives are defined by its ups and downs, singer-songwriter Heo Hoy-kyung touches the hearts of listeners with her new song “So Life Goes On” that delivers this simple message. “The song talks about our ordinary lives. We all know that we’re just living and that’s the essence of our lives. But we forget this because we strive for higher goals, work harder and feel burdened by it, hoping for bigger joy and happiness. Bu
Jan. 31, 2022
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Culture minister vows to support pandemic-hit movie theaters
Hwang Hee, the minister of culture, sports and tourism, met with six executives of the top three local multiplex operators -- CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox -- at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul on Saturday, on the first day of the five-day Lunar New Year holiday. After a thorough quarantine inspection at the theater, he listened to the difficulties the movie operators are experiencing while doing business under the government’s stringent measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “S
Jan. 29, 2022
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Bringing KBS Symphony Orchestra to world stage: Pietari Inkinen shares his vision
Pietari Inkinen, the 9th music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, said Wednesday that he hopes to take the helm of the orchestra’s development into a leading Asian orchestra. The 42-year-old conductor who officially kicked off his three-year term in January 2022 and has many plans in mind, ranging from more frequent concerts to a music academy for children. “During the upcoming seasons, I‘d like to increase the number of concerts held across the country, to go and meet
Jan. 26, 2022
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KOCCA to present immersive music show featuring rappers from ‘Show Me the Money 10’
The Korea Creative Content Agency said Monday that it will stage an immersive music performance featuring 18 rappers from Mnet’s rap competition program “Show Me the Money 10.” As part of its performance series “On the K,” KOCCA will present “On the K x Show Me the Money 10 Festival” on its YouTube channel and Twitter at 10 p.m. on Thursday. The lineup will include the hit competition show’s winner Jo Gwang-il, and other contestants Since, Be&rs
Jan. 24, 2022
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Grief of warfare sublimated with music and dance in ‘After War’
The Asia Culture Center’s international joint creation and production “After War” is to run at the ACC Theater from Jan. 27-30. With an attempt to study and promote the Asian characteristics of performing arts, the ACC international joint creation and production seeks to provide opportunities for performing artists and producers across the world to come together for exchange and research. “After War,” inspired by Bao Ninh’s “The Sorrow of War,”
Jan. 23, 2022
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‘2022 Camping Music Festival’ to go ahead next month despite pandemic
A two-day music festival will bring together K-pop musicians like modern rock band Monni, Broccoli, You Too and indie singer-songwriter Yun DDan DDan next month to provide comfort to music fans who are exhausted from COVID-19, according to the festival’s organizer Thursday. “2022 Camping Music Festival” will take place at Nodeul Live House on Nodeul Island, central Seoul, on Feb. 26-27, according to ModernBoy Entertainment. Under the theme of “Musical Journey in Do
Jan. 20, 2022
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Seoul Record Fair returns after 2 year hiatus amid pandemic
Seoul Record Fair (SRF), which was launched as the first vinyl record selling event in Korea a decade ago, is set to return this week despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic after a nearly two-year haitus, the SRF committee and fair’s operator Roundx2 announced on Wednesday. Although the fair will go offline, showcasing performances and selling records and music-related products, it is scheduled for one day only on Saturday this year due to the government’s strengthened COVID-19 mea
Jan. 19, 2022
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New form of music concert to go on stage at Seoul Arts Center
A classical music concert that experiments to break out from conventional forms, “Beyond the Classic 2,” is to set the stage on Feb. 18, at the Seoul Arts Center by the Sam Philharmonic Orchestra, the organizer said on Monday. The concert aims to reach music fans weary from the long-lasting pandemic, to bring hopes and laughter throughout its 100-minute session, the organizer added. Various artists’ collaborative performances will be put together under the theme of “a c
Jan. 17, 2022