Babymonster, Zerobaseone and Riize all win Rookie of the Year awards

Dressed in traditional Korean hanbok, Spanish vocalists serenade audiences with the melodic tunes of Korean folk songs and "Arirang "-- not in Korea, but in Spain. Well before the global phenomenon of K-pop took hold, Lim Jae-sik, the artistic director of Spain's Grupo Vocal Millennium, dedicated himself to getting professional singers in Spain to sing Korean songs. In 1999, Lim, a lifelong member and head of tenors at RTVE Choir, the oldest professional choir in Spain, recruited

The second EP of NewJeans sold over 2 million units as of last month, said agency Ador on Friday. It is the group’s first album to hit the milestone and the quintet achieved the feat in 17 months since its debut, setting a record for a K-pop female artist. The EP was rolled out in July last year and sold more than 1.65 million copies in the first week, becoming the second-most sold album from a K-pop female act.  The album debuted atop Billboard 200 and is staying on the main albums

BTS’ Jungkook has been nominated in four categories at this year's People’s Choice Awards, a record-breaking feat for a K-pop soloist. The list of nominees for the 2024 People’s Choice Awards unveiled on Thursday showed Jungkook was nominated for the Male Artist of the Year, the Pop Artist of the Year, the New Artist of the Year and the Collaboration Song of the Year awards. The People’s Choice Awards is a US awards show that began in 1975 to recognize people in the

“The Bequeathed” director Min Hong-nam said Friday he was focused on creating the most “Korean” thriller, while making the drama, which will be Netflix Korea’s first original this year. Having worked as the assistant director to Yeon Sang-ho in “Train to Busan” (2016), “Psychokinesis” (2018) and “Peninsula” (2020), Min is making his directorial debut with the six-part series, which was produced and co-written by Yeon. “The p

I.M of boy band Monsta X is releasing a new digital single, his first in seven months. The artist is set to drop a digital single on Jan. 23 at 6 p.m., according to Sony Music Entertainment Korea. I.M announced his comeback on his official Instagram account Friday by dropping two teaser images of his upcoming digital single. The teaser images show I.M dressed in a white knit sweater standing in front of a window. The details of his comeback are yet to be unveiled. I.M made his solo debut with &l

K-pop girl group aespa is celebrating its third debut anniversary with its fans by opening a pop-up store and through the release of a special movie on the group's story in February. The pop-up store which opened Friday at the Lotte World Mall in Seoul, is decorated around the group’s key color, “aurora,” which is light pink and sky blue. The store offers diverse and interactive content, including photo booths and a message zone where the visitors can leave messages for th

Korean artists turn out in force calling for ‘Lee Sun-kyun law’ to protect artists’ human rights

“Wish” (US) Opened Jan. 3 Animation Directed by Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn Seventeen-year-old Asha interviews for an apprentice job to King Magnifico of Rosas on the day of her grandfather Sabino's 100th birthday. The interview goes well until Magnifico declines Asha's requests for Sabino's wish to be granted, seeing the wish as a potential threat to his power. “Noryang: Deadly Sea” (South Korea) Opened Dec. 20 History/Action Directed by Kim Han-min I

Haechan of NCT was issued a fine for smoking an e-cigarette inside a building, acknowledged label SM Entertainment on Thursday. He was seen smoking an e-cigarette device at the studio in the video clip showing the members of NCT127 practicing dance, which was uploaded on the day before, and will pay the penalties, explained the firm, adding an apology for his “negligent behavior.” The scene of him smoking has been edited out. Fines for smoking indoors here are customarily 100,000 wo

Actors Ryu Jun-yeol and Kim Tae-ri said “Alienoid” wraps up the story on humans’ fate and relationships, which also well-translated the two actors’ close friendship to the screen. “After watching the completed version of part 2, I thought that yes, this is what director Choi wanted to say, a story on relationships and fate,” Ryu said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Jan. 3. He said that the close friendship between him and Kim was also transla

South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM is holding its largest Korean culture and music celebration, KCON, in Hong Kong for the first time this year. KCON will kick off in Hong Kong, the sixth-biggest K-pop album importer, on March 30-31, organizer announced Thursday. KCON Hong Kong 2024 is to be held at the AsiaWorld-Expo, one of the two major convention and exhibition facilities in Hong Kong capable of accommodating up to 10,000 visitors. Previously, the MAMA Awards were held at this venue fro

K-pop boy group Stray Kids landed at No. 52 on the French music industry association SNEP’s 2023 Top 200 Albums chart, a record-breaking feat for a K-pop artist. According to SNEP’s 2023 Top 200 Albums chart, Stray Kids landed at No. 52 with its third studio album, “Five-Star,” and at No. 135 with its eighth EP, “Rock-Star.” The group made their career debut on the French annual album chart with these two albums, which were the top two most successful K-pop al

A seven-member team named All Ours debuted and held a media conference in Seoul on Wednesday. It brought out a namesake EP that consists of five tracks, including focus track “Gotcha.” The lead single is filled with thumping bass sounds that underline the band’s daring performance. The band's Kunho described the group's “turn” as a signature move from the choreography, and Minje added that they all practiced day and night for three months straight without taking a

Several K-pop idols are gearing up for their first solo concerts and fan meetings in February. Ten of NCT will hold his first fan concert as he tours four Asian cities, including Seoul. The first "2024 Ten First Fan-Con 1001" concert will be held at the Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on Feb. 17. Other concert venues for Ten's tour include the Bangkok Impact Arena on March 3, the Asiaworld-Expo Hall in Hong Kong on March 9 and the Kasablanka Hall in Jakarta, Indonesia, on A