Global music platform Spotify’s K-pop playlist “K-pop Daebak” recorded approximately 1.7 billion streams in the last seven years, the company said in a press release Monday. Celebrating the 7th anniversary of its launch, the company released a host of data on K-pop Daebak. The playlist has reached more than 3.1 million followers, introducing fans and new listeners across the globe to the latest...

Legendary rock star Shin Hae-chul is making a comeback on the radio waves, thanks to AI technology that was able to re-create the voice of the late singer-songwriter. An artificial-intelligence based technology called “Personalized Text to Speech” took data from episodes of “Shin Hae-chul’s Ghost Station,” a radio program starring Shin from 2001 to 2012 in order to bring his voice back to life, ...

YouTube show “Nego King” won the grand prize Thursday at Broadcast Worldwide 2021, a Korea Creative Content Agency fair held to recognize outstanding new media content and bring South Korean content to the international market. The video show centers on TV personality and singer Hwang Kwang-hee and his efforts to negotiate the prices of franchise companies, including Lotte Department Store, BBQ ...

“Aiming to promote peace, coexistence and life as a key message, DMZ Docs has slowly become the largest festival of its kind in Asia, promoting promising projects and documentaries to a wider audience,” festival director Jung Sang-jin said during the opening ceremony. The festival returned to in-person screenings this year and is following the social distancing guidelines. The opening ceremony ...

Suwon Culture Night Suwon Culture Night will take place in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, from Oct. 15-17. Held at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and Hwaseong Temporary Palace, the areas are decorated with media art installations, titled “eight nights.” Every corner of the fortress offers a historical and cultural experience to visitors. Admission fees vary by program. Updated information can be found o...

Teams from South Korea, Japan and China are set to clash at Esports Championships East Asia 2021. The three-day event organized by the e-Sports Association and Korea Creative Content Agency will kick off Friday with live online matches for five games -- League of Legends, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Clash Royale, PES 2021 Season Update and Dungeon Fighter. ECEA 2021 will be accompanied by th...

“Signal” is a fourth drama series to be turned into a webtoon. “Fight For My Way,” “Healer” and “Bad Guys” are other popular drama series that have been reworked as webtoons. Starring veteran actors Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo and Cho Jin-woong, the sci-fi crime thriller achieved a double-digit viewership share. The webtoon will be serialized on Naver Webtoon and Kakao Webtoon. By Lee Si-jin ( s...

Television director Kim Tae-ho will leave terrestrial broadcasting station MBC later this year after 20 years with the company. The director joined MBC in 2001 and became widely recognized for producing one of South Korea’s longest-running and most successful variety shows, “Infinite Challenge.” After the show wrapped up in 2018, Kim continued his success with “Hang Out With Yoo,” a variety show...

The author hopes to repay the fans’ support. “Having a grandfather as a lead character and a story about ballet were difficult challenges, going against the popular trend of the webtoon industry. I am grateful for the fans who understood and shared similar emotions with me and Jimmy. We will try our utmost to present interesting and meaningful comics,” Hun said. By Lee Si-jin ( sj_lee@heraldco...

The actor is looking forward to his return to the stage with the next run of “The Dresser.” “The character Norman shares many similarities with me, including being a representative of a theater company and an old actor. With the second presentation starting in November, ‘The Dresser’ has become a more precious work for me,” he said. By Lee Si-jin ( sj_lee@heraldcorp.com )

“Even though I was acting a character, some of my own attitudes and behaviors naturally came out. This provided me a chance to look back and reflect on how my life was when I was in the Korean Army. Sometimes, the actors had unpleasant feelings because the shooting brought back bad memories from the past,” said Jung. “It was an interesting experience and I was definitely glad that I had already c...

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan believes he still has long way to go. While moviegoers are mesmerized by his performances in the films “Penninsula,” “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” “Escape from Morgadishu” and the recently released Netflix original series “D.P,” Koo has yet to start feeling comfortable with fame and recognition. “I am grateful that the fans liked how I played my characters in the series, but...

Traditional Korean houses, or hanok, are tightly clustered at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, providing a chance to travel back in time and enjoy the views of nearby Joseon palaces. Bukchon is near Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, and its inhabitants in the past included many influential families and aristocrats. While bordered by modern buildings, the neighborhood itself ...

The ASEAN Familiarization Tour 2021 videos are available on the official YouTube channels of the Center and ASEAN tourism agencies. By Lee Si-jin ( sj_lee@heraldcorp.com )

Ulsan Onggi Festival The Ulsan Onggi Festival will take place at Oegosan Onggi Village in Ulsan from Oct. 1 to 8. The festival seeks to promote “onggi,” a traditional Korean earthenware pot, and offers visitors a chance to learn more about the pottery through various programs and hands-on experiences, including making onggi and an onggi master exhibition. The event welcomes visitors of all age...