On Aug. 5, 2007, K-pop group Girls Generation debuted with its first single album “Into the New World.” Just like the title of the band’s first single, “Into the New World,” Girls’ Generation opened up a new era in the K-pop scene with their debut on Aug. 5, 2007. The nine-piece instantly took the nation by storm, reigning on the top of the charts and popularity for years. Fifteen years have passed since, but their presence is still irreplaceable. Now, as th

Hollywood star Brad Pitt will visit Korea for the first time in eight years to promote his new film “Bullet Train” on Aug. 19. Along with Pitt, actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson will also be in Korea before the release of the film here on Aug. 24. Taylor-Johnson is widely known to Korean fans for his appearance in hit films including “Tenet” and “The King‘s Man.” The two actors will participate in a number of promotional events including a red carpet which

Emergency Declaration (Korea) Opened Aug. 3 Disaster-action Directed by Han Jae-rim Veteran detective In-ho (Song Kang-ho) is investigating a suspected terrorist and finds out that the suspect has already boarded a flight bound for Hawaii. To make matters worse, In-ho‘s wife is also on the plane with her friends. While the passengers are trapped inside, those on the ground including In-ho and the transportation minister (Jeon Do-yeon) struggle to find a way to land the plane safely.

Girl group Kep1er has decided to perform one more time in Japan, agency WakeOne Entertainment said Thursday. 　 The nine-member act is making an official debut in the country with a showcase that was originally planned for Sept. 10-11. When the tickets for the two events sold out as soon as they became available, the agency added another concert to the second day. 　 The rookie band dropped “Wing Wing,” the main track from its Japan debut single “Fly-Up,” in advance on W

In 2015, Lydia Lee, then a teenager studying music in high school, took the internet by storm with her cover video of Adele’s “Hello.” The viral video led to Lee appearing on popular US TV talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and speaking of her dreams to be a singer. Fast forward seven years, Lee has now earned the title of musician and is free to roam her musical universe at her own pace, sharing her thoughts with the world through her words. Popping in and out of the local

Newcomer Coupang Play immediately became a notable player in the local streaming market after releasing the K-drama series “Anna” starring Korean heartthrob Bae Suzy on June 24. The platform had the fourth biggest monthly active users in Korea in June, with 3.73 million. However, just as it was time for Coupang Play to celebrate its success, trouble arose after “Anna” director raised a complaint against the company. On Tuesday, “Anna” writer and director

Top star Jung Woo-sung said he felt more pressure working with Lee Jung-jae since he really wanted his best friend’s directorial debut feature “Hunt” to be a success. The top actors became close friends while working together in the movie “City of the Rising Sun,” directed by Kim Sung-soo in 1999. Their fans have taken to calling the two the “Cheongdam couple,” as they are often spotted hanging out together at bars and restaurants in the Cheongdam-don

Korean moviegoers seeking out Lee Jung-jae’s “Hunt” will see a different version of the film to the one shown at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The actor said he reworked his directorial debut feature after it premiered at the festival, as some foreign viewers told him that the movie was difficult to follow without knowledge of 1980s Korean politics. “When writing the script, I aimed to target audiences in their teens and 20s. Since my goal was to target

NewJeans, the first girl group from an independent label under K-pop powerhouse Hybe, has made an impact on music charts at home and abroad upon its debut. "Attention," a lead track of the group's debut EP, "New Jeans," topped Spotify's daily top songs chart in South Korea on Monday, when it dropped, the global music streaming service said Wednesday. The album's three other tracks, "Hype Boy," "Cookie" and "Hurt," also placed secon

The solo track by Lisa of Blackpink went to the top of Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Aug. 6. 　 She became the first female artist to claim the No. 1 spot. 　 The tally, powered by Twitter, is a weekly recap of the most popular songs across genres and across the world, ranked by online streaming activity data. 　 Her first solo single, “Lalisa,” climbed five places to the top spot from the previous week. It also is the only song to stay on the chart since it was la

The 19th EBS International Documentary Festival (EIDF 2022) kicks off Aug. 22 with a return to in-person ceremonies and screenings for the long-awaiting documentary fans. Under the slogan “Pitch Your Dream,” the seven-day festival will begin with an opening ceremony at EBS Space Hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, which will also be broadcast live on EBS 1TV, the EIDF organizing committee said during a press conference Tuesday. Chinese director Jin Haquing‘s documentary, &ldqu

Out with the old, in with the new, Choi Yena welcomed the hottest season of the year with her improvement-themed second EP, “Smartphone,” released Wednesday evening. This marks the soloist‘s return, nearly seven months since she released her first EP, “Smiley,” in January. During Wednesday’s press conference, Choi said the theme of her new album is “upgrading.” The singer said she is back with new songs that have improved in sound, reflecting

Director Hong Sang-soo’s new film “Walk Up” has been invited to two film festivals – the San Sebastian International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. “Walk Up,” which was filmed in the fall of 2021 in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, follows the interactions of a middle-aged moviemaker. Actors from Hong‘s previous film “The Novelist’s Film,” Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Hae-young, Jo Yoon-hee and Park Mi-so also star in t

Korean director Bong Joon-ho has started filming his new sci-fi film under the working title of “Mickey7” at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK. Many popular movies, including films from the “Harry Potter,” “Kingsman, “ and “Mission Impossible” franchises, were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. Bong is scheduled to finish shooting by the end of this year, with the film‘s release expected at the end of 2023 or the beginning of

As a slew of big-name K-pop artists are set to return with bops for the sweltering summer, with major girl groups among those vying to make their way into summer playlists. On the star-studded roster is Girls’ Generation, one of the longest-running K-pop girl groups, making its long-awaited full-group comeback to celebrate its 15th anniversary. After rumors that the K-pop icons were returning with new songs, the band’s agency SM Entertainment confirmed that the band would drop i