The first installment of the two-part film “Alienoid,” directed by Choi Dong-hoon, has received mixed reviews from local film critics since the press screening at Yongsan CGV on July 13. Some critics say that the movie bravely presents a genre unique in Korean film history, while those who criticize the film argue that it has too many characters and the story is hard to follow. Korean actor Kim Tae-ri defended the film by saying, “there is a reason why we say that the seco

Kim Woo-bin recalled the day he returned to the set for the upcoming film “Alienoid,” directed by Choi Dong-hoon, during an interview with local reporters Monday. It was the first movie he worked on after being diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2017. “I was working on the movie ‘Wiretap’ with Choi Dong-hoon when I was diagnosed with the disease and the project was halted. So, if I were to return, I thought I had to do Choi Dong-hoon’s movie,” K

The focus track from Seventeen’s repackaged album landed atop iTunes top songs chart in 28 regions, said agency Pledis Entertainment on Tuesday. 　 “_World” is a hybrid of funk and urban R&B genres and fronted “Sector 17,” the band’s repackaging of the fourth LP “Face The Sun,” which sold over 935,000 copies of the physical album on Monday, the day it was released. Preorders for the album reached more than 1.2 million units. 　 The 13-member a

Conductor Chung Myung-whun will return to the stage as a pianist with a chamber music ensemble as part of a nationwide tour this fall. He will be joined by four other musicians: Violinist Kim Su-yoen, a concertmaster at Konzerthausorchester Berlin; violist Kim Sara, who joined the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as a principal viola from the 2019-20 season, cellist Song Young-hoon and double bassist Sung Min-je. Kim Su-yoen, Song and Sung have previously performed with Chung on the stage. The pi

Members of K-pop phenomenon BTS have officially embarked on their roles as honorary ambassadors for South Korea‘s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The bidding committee on Tuesday afternoon held an appointment ceremony at the band’s label Hybe‘s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, officially naming the seven members as public relations ambassadors for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. BTS is the world’s most popular K-pop group consisting of seven members: RM, Jin,

Conductor Kim Eun Sun started her role as music director of the San Francisco Opera last August, becoming the first woman ever to lead the opera company, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. The descriptors first female and sometimes first Asian also follow as she makes history throughout her career. Those labels don’t register while she’s in rehearsals and concerts, she said. But it is when she’s outside those rehearsal rooms and concert halls that she real

Jennie of popular K-pop girl group Blackpink will make her acting debut in the upcoming HBO drama series “The Idol,“ according to her label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. Co-produced by Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, Sam Levison and Reza Fahim, the series is set against the backdrop of the music industry in Los Angeles. The story revolves around a self-help guru and cult leader who develops a complicated yet romantic relationship with an up-

K-pop singer Hyolyn, known as the “summer queen” in the local music scene for her powerful vocals and summery hit songs, has returned to the stage with her third EP, titled “iCE,” hoping to introduce a wide spectrum of her musical style and color. “iCE” marks the artist’s return after nearly a two-year hiatus since her second EP “Say My Name” was released that August. The musician also participated in producing the new album, as well as writ

A total of 34 films are in the running for awards at the Seoul International Experimental Film and Video Festival (EXiS), which kicked off last Thursday. This year, 12 films were selected for the Korean Competition Section and 22 films for the International Competition Section from more than 1,400 submissions from 72 countries. Among the films premiering at EXiS are “Night Scene Charminar” by Gautam Valluri, which features a sleepwalker roaming around a night market in Old Hyderab

Tooniverse, a leading South Korean animation channel and an affiliate of South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM, will air Nickelodeon series starting in August. Titled “Nickelodeon Time,” Tooniverse will present hit American animated series daily from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The animated comedy series “SpongeBob SquarePants” is set to air at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 p.m. on weekends. The show, featuring a square yellow sponge character, ha

Ateez announced plans for world tour dates scheduled for later this year. 　 “The Followship: Break the Wall” will be a follow-up to the band’s current tour, “The Fellowship.” A two-day concert in Seoul at the end of October will kick off the tour that will bring the band to six cities in the US in November. The following month, the band will head to Toronto before flying to Chiba, Japan. 　 The group has been hosting “The Fellowship,” hopping from Seoul

Veteran musician returns with water-drenched ‘Summer Swag’ concert

My life switching between continents as a third-culture kid gave me a crystal-clear music taste. I was an avid fan of Justin Bieber, Boys Like Girls and Cody Simpson a decade ago, when Girls’ Generation, Big Bang and Super Junior were major drivers of the Korean Wave. None of these singers would make it onto my iPod playlist. Please allow me to be candid. I never knew I would be interested in K-pop, nor would I have ever expected myself to listen to idols’ songs. While Shinee w

K-pop boy group Seventeen will return Monday with a repackaged version of its fourth studio album, "Face the Sun." The new album titled "Sector 17" is to hit online music services at about 6 p.m., according to the band's agency, Pledis Entertainment. "Sector 17" will have four new songs, including "_World," "Fallin' Flower" and "Cheers," in addition to nine tracks off "Face the Sun," the agency said. The main track,

k"Girls," the second EP from South Korean girl group aespa, landed at No. 3 on US Billboard's main albums chart. Billboard has said in an article Sunday (US time) that the quartet reached the milestone on the upcoming Billboard 200 chart for this week by earning 56,000 equivalent album units in the United States. "Girls" became the second highest-charted album by a K-pop girl group after BLACKPINK hit No. 2 with its first full-length album "The Album" in 2020.