The National Changgeuk Company of Korea’s comical and provocative changgeuk, “Madam Ong,” a long-standing favorite, is set to return to the stage this September, celebrating its 10th anniversary. Changgeuk is a Korean form of opera that combines elements of pansori, a traditional narrative singing style. "Madam Ong," the first changgeuk to be rated for adults only, has garnered attention for its bold themes and vibrant portrayal of human vitality. This year's pro

Trend to depict strong-willed female characters follows limited representation in past

The 12th Busan International Comedy Festival, one of the largest comedy events in Asia, kicked off on Friday evening in the port city of Haeundae. The festival's opening ceremony, held at the Busan Cinema Center, attracted some 3,000 attendees. Among the attendees were popular comedians such as Danny Choi, Hong Yoon-hwa, and Kim Won-hyo, members of the BICF Organizing Committee, as well as Busan Mayor Park Heung-joon. Hosted by popular comedians Yoo Se-yoon and Jang Dong-min, the opening ce

Suga of BTS showed up for his first round of questioning at Yongsan Police Station in Seoul around 7:45 p.m. Friday in connection with allegations he was drunk while riding an electric scooter. “I am deeply sorry. I sincerely regret disappointing my fans and the public. I will cooperate with the investigation. Once again, I apologize,” said Suga once getting out of his car with a serious expression and bowing in front of reporters at the scene. When questioned by reporters about why

The late actor Lee Sun-kyun will get special attention during the 29th Busan International Film Festival when it presents a special program entitled “In Memory of Lee Sun-kyun.” Six of Lee’s films will be screened and a special talk event will be held as part of the program that sheds light on Lee’s work. “Through the program, the festival aims to reflect on and commemorate the achievements of the late actor, whose diverse and profound performances have represented

Onew of SHINee is planning to take the stage as a solo singer in Korea and Japan, according to agency Griffin Entertainment on Friday. Onew's solo fan concert “Hola!” will be held in Seoul on Oct. 5-6 and in Yokohama, Japan on Nov. 21-22. The set list will include songs from his third solo EP “Flow” which will be released on Sept. 3. The album comes about 1 1/2 years after his first solo studio album “Circle.” The LP was atop “The 25 Best K-Pop Al

The YouTube account of Go Young-wook, a former member of the popular '90s band Roo'Ra who served 30 months in prison for raping and sexually harassing minors, was shut down Friday, 17 days after its creation. "It seems my YouTube channel was shut down overnight. I didn't upload any harmful content, yet it seems YouTube applied a rule (to shut down accounts) solely to me just because of my criminal record. I've already served my legal punishment, so why is it that some pe

Police to question Suga on drunk driving incident

Apple TV+’s Korean original series “Pachinko” has returned with the new second season narrating the internal growth of the characters and their portrayal of a range of emotions, the show’s main actors said Friday. Based on Korean American author Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, the period drama chronicles the life of a Korean family spanning four generations, who moved to Japan in the early 1900s. The second season continues to depict the life of Su

K-pop boy group NCT Dream released its first English single “Rain in Heaven” on Friday. “Rain in Heaven” is an '80s-style pop song blended with drum n' bass sounds. Mark of NCT Dream took part in writing the lyrics to the single to convey a warm message of comfort and promise to stand by those who are tired and struggling, offering a sense of solace to global listeners. For Mark, English is his mother tongue as he was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. The musi

“Twisters” (US) Opened Aug. 14 Action/Adventure Directed by Lee Isaac Chung Retired tornado chaser and meteorologist Kate (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is persuaded to return to Oklahoma to work with a new team and test a groundbreaking tornado tracking system. “Land of Happiness” (South Korea) Opened Aug. 14 Drama Directed by Choo Chang-min Passionate lawyer In-hoo (Jo Jung-suk) strives to defend his client Tae-joo (Lee Sun-kyun), a soldier implicated in the assassination of P

Blackpink’s music video for its debut song “Whistle” has garnered 900 million views on YouTube as of Thursday, said label YG Entertainment. It is the group’s 10th video to achieve the feat. “Whistle” is the lead track from its debut single “Square One” which also included its mega-hit “Boombayah.” The music video for the latter surpassed 1.7 billion views on the platform. The quartet swept all music charts at home when it brought out

The Black Label announced Thursday that Ella Gross, a child model-turned-K-pop trainee, will debut as a member of its first girl group MEOVV to be launched in September. The agency dropped an introduction clip of the member, who goes by Ella, on its official YouTube channel Wednesday. The two-minute clip highlights Ella’s authentic looks and the chic mood radiating from her. The clip includes a quote from Ella, “I remember nothing but the destination I was heading to. Which is why I

Rising K-pop girl group Young Posse, less than a year old, showcased their ambition to conquer the K-pop industry with their latest release, "Ate That," at a Seoul event on Wednesday. After successfully debuting with their first EP "Macaroni Cheese" in October last year and raising the bar with their second EP "XXL," released in March, the group's third album represents their ambition to take over the K-pop scene with “Ate That," according to group l

Korean YouTuber Oh Byeong-min, better known as Oking, the winner of Netflix TV competition "The Influencer," will not be eligible to claim the 300 million won ($225,000) prize after leaking information about being the final winner, according to Netflix on Thursday. "Maintaining confidentiality before a title's release is essential in order to ensure that the efforts of everyone involved in the production are rewarded and that the intended enjoyment is fully delivered to the a