“Hopeless” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 11 Drama/Thriller Directed by Kim Chang-hoon Eighteen-year-old Yeon-kyu (Hong Xa-bin), who lives with his abusive stepfather and exhausted mother, meets Chi-gun (Song Joong-ki), the right-hand man of a gang boss, who takes him in. “30 Days” (South Korea) Opened Oct. 3 Comedy Directed by Nam Dae-joong The idyllic newlywed life of Jung-yeol (Kang Ha-neul), an intelligent lawyer, and his wife Nara (Jung So-min), a passionate film produc

  Taemin of SHINee will hold a solo concert in Incheon, Gyeonggi-do on Dec. 16-17, JYP Entertainment announced Thursday. It has been over four and a half years since the veteran performer hosted a solo gig offline. The live event, dubbed “Metamorph,” will be the first standalone gig at the Inspire Arena, the country’s first multi-purpose arena that is part of a $5 billion resort built near Incheon Airport. The youngest member of SHINee is gearing up to make his comeback as

BTS, Twice and Fifty Fifty among those bidding for 2024 Grammy nods

K-pop sensation Le Sserafim has teamed up with Overwatch 2, a free-to-play team-based action game developed by Blizzard Entertainment, for an in-game collaboration. Le Sserafim-inspired game mode and exclusive in-game items will be revealed on Tuesday and go live in-game on Nov. 1, Blizzard Entertainment said in a statement Thursday. It also announced that they took part in creating the music video for Le Sserafim’s first English single, “Perfect Night,” which will debut on Oct

South Korean piano sensation to release new album in 2024

Melon Music Awards, one of the nation's biggest music award shows, will take place on Dec. 2, its organizer announced Thursday. Melon, Kakao Entertainment's music streaming company, said Thursday that the 15th Melon Music Awards, or MMA2023, will take place at the Inspire Arena, a new concert venue on Yeongjongdo, Incheon. Under the slogan "K-pop Changes the World," the MMA 2023 will officially kick off its promotions starting with a teaser video on Oct. 27. Next month, the v

D.O. of EXO is leaving SM Entertainment after his exclusive contract with the agency expires next month. “Our exclusive contract with Doh Kyung-soo (D.O.) expires early next month. After a thorough discussion, he decided that he will continue to work as a member of EXO even after leaving SM,” announced SM Entertainment on Wednesday in a press release. D.O. will establish his own agency with his manager from SM Entertainment and will continue his career as an actor and singer. D.O. de

With plans to release BTS’ Busan concert film -- “BTS: Yet to Come” -- and a survival show titled “University War” (unofficial translation) in November, local video streaming service Coupang Play seeks to cement its position in Korea's streaming market. While the streamer garnered viewers’ interest with the mystery thriller “Anna” (2022) -- starring K-pop star and actor Suzy -- and multiple seasons of comedy variety show “Saturday Night

Klaus Makela, a fast-rising Finnish conductor and cellist, will finally meet the Korean audiences after two pandemic-induced cancellations. "I was truly sad and felt sorry. However, because of the sadness I had felt through the pandemic, the expectation for the upcoming performance in Korea doubled," Makela said in an email interview this week. At 27, Makela is chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic, which last performed in Korea 27 years ago. The orchestra will perform on Oct. 28

Chuu sheds tears as she closes chapter on Loona and embarks on solo journey

K-pop boy group Kingdom on Wednesday made a comeback with its 7th EP, “History Of Kingdom: Part. VII. Jahan.” The album faced difficulties before its official release as all 70,000 pre-made copies of the album had to be discarded and redesigned due to its resemblance to the Quran. The album cover drew backlash from fans as soon as the group’s agency, GF Entertainment, shared the design of the album for pre-orders, which had been scheduled to start on Sep. 21. “We want t

Red Velvet returns with a third studio album on Nov. 13, label SM Entertainment announced Wednesday. The LP is titled “What A Chill Kill” and consists of 10 genre-spanning tracks. It is the group’s first full album in about six years and comes approximately a year since its last album, EP “The ReVe Festival 2022 – Birthday.” The EP was the quintet’s first album to sell over a million and topped the iTunes top albums chart in 47 regions as well as a seri

Well-known musicians are joining hands with renowned and rookie filmmakers who want to create a unique atmosphere and maximize the dramatic elements in their films through sound. Rapper-composer Gray recently took part in the production of "Ballerina" as the Netflix original film's music director. It was Gray's first time composing music for a film. Soon after the movie’s release on Oct. 6, the film garnered global attention for protagonist Ok-joo's (Jun Jong-seo)

The globally renowned K-pop girl group Blackpink’s exclusive contract with YG Entertainment ended in August, but it remains unclear whether or not the group will renew their contract with the agency and rumors over the group's future have continued to circulate. The rumors were further fueled after Blackpink's Rose was spotted in Paris with Ron Perry, the chairman and CEO of Columbia Records. A picture of Perry talking with Rose was shared among Blackpink’s French fan comm

BTS' Jungkook will be attending the 2023 MTV Europe Music Awards in Paris next month as a nominee and performer. The full list of performers for this year's MTV EMA ceremony was revealed on the event's official website Wednesday. Jungkook was among the list of 10 artists, including Anne-Marie, Coi Leray and David Guetta. This celebrates the BTS member's first in-person attendance at the annual European award. Jungkook has already marked a landmark feat at the MTV EMA this yea