Experts say K-pop should no longer be defined as ‘Korean pop music’

A historical look at how Korean TV series went from local, occasionally regional, hits to reaching global critical mass

Hunt (Korea) Opened Aug. 10 Spy-action Directed by Lee Jung-jae In the 1980s, two elite agents at the Agency of National Security Planning, Park Pyung-ho (Lee Jung-jae) and Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung) chase after a North Korean spy who leaked top secret intel. The agents go head-to-head in an intense confrontation and competition to prove their loyalty for the country and their respective units. With their growing obsession to hunt down the spy, the agents start to suspect and investigate

In August 2002, the online portal site Daum created a category called “Webtoon” on its platform. Following Daum, South Korea’s largest online portal and search engine Naver launched a similar platform in 2005. Twenty years after their conception, webtoons have become a veritable industry of their own. South Korean webtoons have emerged as a strong multiuse source that create enormous economic value not only in Korea, but also globally. Domestically, it raked in 1.053 trillion

“Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae said he could not enjoy drinks with fellow actors and directors after the VIP screening event of his directorial debut film“Hunt” held on Aug. 2. He explained that it was because he had a Zoom meeting to promote the film to foreign fans the next morning. Lee’s film has been sold to 144 countries including France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Russia and Brazil, even before its local release on Aug. 11. “Tomorrow morning, I also

    Cha Eunwoo of Astro will greet fans on his own for the first time in Seoul on Sept. 3, according to agency Fantagio on Friday. 　 It will be the finale of his solo fan meet tour “Starry Caravan” that started in Indonesia last month. The meet and greet event also were held in Thailand and Philippines. 　 Cha debuted in 2016 as a member of Astro and branched into acting in 2017 with drama “Hit The Top.” His first acting gig was a role in 2014 drama “

“La La Land” composer Justin Hurwitz to hold special concert on Saturday

Park Chan-wook’s romance-thriller “Decision to Leave” will represent South Korea at the Academy Awards next year, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) announced Thursday. The council said it selected the Cannes-winning film as the country’s entry for best international feature film for the 95th Academy Awards, which is scheduled for March next year. The jury of five experts in the film industry explained that they considered many factors, including directorial recognition, c

A Korean music festival in Abu Dhabi, dubbed “Hyperound K-Fest 2022,” will be held on Sept. 10 at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, the largest indoor entertainment venue in the Middle East. Jointly hosted with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and Yas Island, the one-day festival aims to bring artists who continue to spread K-music around the globe. The star-studded list of artists slated to perform in the UAE are up-and-coming K-pop rookie boy band P1harmony, South

Blackpink floated two sets of teaser photographs for “Pink Venom,” a pre-release single from its second studio album, on Thursday. 　 The four members each struck a pose for the camera in the second batch of photographs, a darker version of the chic first set. 　 “Pink Venom” will drop on Aug. 19 in advance to the full release of LP “Born Pink” slated for Sept. 16. 　 From October, the quartet will tour the world starting from Seoul hopping over to North Americ

While local theaters are packed with big-budget Korean films like “Hansan: Rising Dragon,” “Emergency Declaration” and “Alienoid,” director Lim Sang-su hopes his independent film “Drown” will attract moviegoers with its own charm. “There are many good movies in theaters now. But I would like to emphasize the importance of the diversity of movies. We have a unique mysterious story and I think audiences will enjoy this,” actor Lee Jong

From Lee Hyo-ri to Park Jin-young and Uhm Jung-hwa, throwback album features a string of veteran musicians

Kim Ga-ram, a former member of rookie girl group Le Ssserafim, spoke out about the bullying rumors against her that eventually led to her departure from the band. Kim on Wednesday posted a letter on her friend’s Instagram account, explaining her side of the unsolved bullying controversy. The statement begins with an apology for coming forward so late. Kim continued, claiming that she has “never” used violence or bullying against others. She broke her silence 21 days after her

DKZ’s Jaechan dropped out of high school to become a K-pop idol, but not everything went as he imagined. Then “Semantic Error,” Korean streaming platform Watcha’s first original “BL” (Boys’ Love) series, changed his life. Playing the lead role, he won the popularity award at the very first Blue Dragon Series Award. Learn more about the sensational series that topped the platform for 8 weeks straight and how this K-pop idol made a big step forward for LG

NCT Dream will host a standalone concert in Seoul on Sept. 8-9, announced label SM Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The seven-piece act was slated to perform in Seoul for three days last month, but the concerts were canceled at the last minute as two members – Mark and Renjun – tested positive for COVID-19. 　 Some fans were not happy that the band’s second concert was canceled, not postponed, but the fact that the new venue is Olympic Stadium, the largest concert venue in Seoul