The second edition of the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra Festival is set to kick off on Oct. 15 with more audience-friendly repertoire and collaborations with performers from other genres. The festival, launched last year in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, will run through Oct. 26 at the Sejong Center’s M Theater in Seoul. During a press conference Monday, Ahn Ho-sang, CEO of the Sejong Center, Park Bum-hoon, composer and

Yena is back with her third single album, “Nemo Nemo,” eight months after releasing “Good Morning” in January. The title Nemo Nemo, derived from the Korean word for "square," serves as a metaphor for love’s complex emotions. “Everyone defines or expresses love differently, and this album represents that feeling using a square as a metaphor,” Yena said during a press conference held in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Monday. The title track, also called &

Jennie, a member of the renowned K-pop girl group Blackpink who is also a successful solo artist, is making her highly anticipated return with a new single, “Mantra,” on Oct. 11. This comeback comes for the first time in a year since her last solo digital single, “You & Me,” which was released in October 2023, according to her agency, OA Entertainment. Jennie shared the news on Tuesday on her official website and provided links for fans to presave the upcoming track o

Big Hit Music, the music label home to K-pop phenomenon BTS, will launch the specialized hip-hop training program for teenage boys, “Hit It Base 2024,” the company said Monday. The training program, which will run from Nov. 9 to Dec. 15, offers aspiring male hip-hop artists in their teens an opportunity to receive free professional training from songwriting, stage preparation and styling experts. The program culminates in a live performance at the “Final Show” on Dec. 15,

The Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra, a renowned Ukrainian orchestra founded in 1937, will make its Korean debut at the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center Aram Concert Hall on Wednesday. Under the baton of conductor Hobart Earl, who has led the orchestra for 32 years and has been honored by the Ukrainian government as a People's Artist, the 75-member orchestra will perform music of hope beyond the pain of the ongoing war. Many of the orchestra members are women because of a ban on men leaving the cou

Hybe, the parent company of NewJeans’ agency Ador, is facing increasing pressure in its ongoing conflict with the subsidiary's former CEO Min Hee-jin. On Monday, the girl group’s dedicated fan base, known as Bunnies, announced plans to file a complaint against Hybe’s top executives for breach of trust. The complaint stems from concerns over the company’s handling of NewJeans’ promotions and achievements. One of the group's members, Hanni, may also attend n

After leaving a strong impression as Protestant minister Baek Isak in the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko,” Noh Sang-hyun makes his big screen debut with “Love in the Big City,” where he plays a young gay man living in Seoul. When asked if people around him ever commented on or worried about him playing an LGBTQ+ character for his first-ever movie role, Noh simply said he was determined to play Heung-soo. “I understand why people worried (about me playing Heung-soo), but

Lisa of Blackpink surprised fans by unveiling her upcoming solo single onstage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York on Sunday. She hit the stage at Central Park to headline the charity event with Post Malone and Doja Cat, performing her solo repertoire from "Lalisa" and "Money" to "Rockstar" and "New Woman." Also included in the list was “Moonlit Floor,” which will be rolled out Oct. 4, sampling Sixpence None the Richer’s 1997 hit

Many K-pop chart-toppers who joined Psy’s P Nation in recent years are struggling to replicate the success they once enjoyed. Music critics point to Psy’s involvement in his artists’ music production and the current trend in music which shows a decline in the popularity of solo dance singers. P Nation, a small entertainment agency founded by Psy after he left YG Entertainment in 2018, quickly gained attention largely due to the "Gangnam Style" singer's global f

Boy band Zerobaseone will sing the opening theme song for the popular Japanese TV anime "Pokemon." On Oct. 11, Zerobaseone will release its Japanese digital single “Only One Story." This song has been selected as the opening theme for the latest series of the popular Japanese TV anime "Pokemon." The series airs Fridays at 6:55 p.m. on TV Tokyo. "Pokemon," one of the most successful Japanese anime series, enjoys immense global popularity. Zerobaseone'

Boy band P1Harmony will delight global fans with additional pop-up stores at home and abroad, celebrating the release of its latest album. P1Harmony opened a pop-up store from Sept. 20 to 26 to celebrate the release of its seventh mini album, "Sad Song," at the Hyundai Department Store Sinchon U-Plex in Seoul. Following the successful completion of pop-up stores in five US cities -- including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas, as well as Berlin -- pop-up stores will also be held in Japan

The legendary Britpop band Oasis, which disbanded due to conflicts between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, will perform in Korea for the first time in 16 years after a dramatic reunion. According to the foreign media outlet NME, Oasis will embark on a world tour in 2025 after completing its UK tour. The band will hold reunion concerts in Toronto, Chicago, New Jersey, Boston, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney, Sao Paulo, Santiago and Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to

Suga of K-pop boy band BTS was fined 15 million won ($11,468) for driving an electric scooter under the influence of alcohol. Judge Lee Yoo-seop of the Seoul Western District Court has imposed the fine on Friday in a summary judgement –- a legal decision made by a judge without a full trial, usually applied to cases deemed relatively minor allowing for a quicker resolution. The amount is identical to the penalty previously requested by prosecutors. Suga has the right to request a formal tr

Park Zi-a, who played Moon Dong-eun's mother in the Netflix series "The Glory," died Monday. She was 52 years old. “Park Zi-a passed away at 2:50 a.m. from cerebral infarction. We will not forget the passion of the deceased who loved performing," Park's agency Billions said in a statement. Park began her acting career in the drama company Chaimu, starring as an extra in “Film-making” (1997) and “Maria and the Inn” (1997). Park took part in m

K-pop boy group Vanner returns to the music scene with its third EP, “Burn,” on Monday, in which it sings about the hardships that youth face on their journeys to realize their dreams. Such difficulties are familiar to the group that debuted in 2019, shortly before COVID-19 pandemic brought things to a standstill. "We did not get a chance to perform. But winning on JTBC’s idol survival program ‘Peak Time’ last year, we began to garner a lot of love from the pub