V, a member of K-pop juggernaut BTS, has fully recovered from COVID-19 and been released from isolation, his agency said Tuesday. The 26-year-old singer, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, tested positive a week ago after experiencing a mild sore throat. "V was released from isolation today as he was confirmed to have fully recovered from COVID-19," Big Hit Music said on the group's online fan community platform Weverse. He completed vaccination and showed no extraordinary symptoms whil

After a four-year hiatus, boy band BTOB is ready to greet fans as the spring season nears and the flowers bloom. Now that all six bandmates have finished their mandatory military service, they‘ve returned with their 3rd full-length album, “Be Together,” released Monday evening. In an online press conference on Monday, Eun-kwang described the album as an album that spells out what it means to be “together” and defines “togetherness.” “BTOB is a

Red Velvet will hold two concerts in Seoul next month, label SM Entertainment announced Monday. 　 The quintet will perform live at “2022 The ReVe Festival: Prologue” on March 19-20. The second day’s performance will be broadcast live for fans from around the world. 　 It has been two years and three months since its previous standalone concert.  Last week the band confirmed that it will put out an album in March, as it hinted at the label’s all-star concert last mo

Chinese movie star Fan Bingbing will make her first Korean drama appearance in JTBC’s new series “Insider.” According to local cable channel JTBC, the shooting of Fan’s segments in the series was recently completed. The broadcaster did not say whether the actor is making a cameo or appearing in a minor supporting role. “Though the actor has joined ‘Insider,’ detailed information about Fan Bingbing’s role is yet to be revealed, as it is closely r

For Korean actor Yeon Woo-jin, director Jang Cheol-soo’s new project, “Serve the People,” caught his eye because it was full of new challenges and innovative elements. “I thought that I would be jealous to see another actor play the role. I felt this way for the first time,” Yeon said during an interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters. “If I were to choose a safer, more commercially appealing film, I would have chosen a different project, but at the

Five Korean athletes, who won the silver medal in men’s 5,000-meter short track speed skating relay at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, will appear on tvN’s talk show “You Quiz on the Block,” a CJ ENM official told The Korea Herald on Monday. Speed skaters Kwak Yoon-gy, Hwang Dae-heon, Lee June-seo, Park Jang-hyuk and Kim Dong-wook are slated to record their episode Wednesday, while the program is working on an episode featuring athletes who competed in Beijing 2022, th

Local platforms join race in original content

In line with the K-pop boom in and out of South Korea, sales of original soundtrack albums of Korean dramas and movies have surged. K-pop merchandise sales, on the other hand, have been sluggish in the wake of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Sunday. Last year, 28,939 copies of soundtrack albums of hit dramas and movies were sold at Ktown4u, an online shopping mall that sells albums of K-pop groups and related goods. This marked huge jump from 8,784 copies in 2020 and 2,624 in 2019,

Two members of South Korean girl group Momoland have tested positive for the coronavirus during their trip in Mexico, their management agency said Sunday. "Hyebin and Nancy tested positive for coronavirus in Mexico," MLD Entertainment said in a statement. The six-member group was visiting Mexico to promote its new digital single, seeking to advance into the Central and South American market. Another member, Jooe, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month and has fully recovered.

Always wanted to know how figure skating outfits are made? Check out our exclusive interview with the designer behind Cha Jun-hwan’s outfits! By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun (jungje@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com) Kim Jeong-ryul (ryul@heraldcorp.com) By Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Park Chan-wook, the director of ‘Oldboy,’ and ‘The Handmaiden,’ unveiled a short martial arts fantasy filmed with Apple iPhone 13 Pro on Friday. “Life is But a Dream ‘’ revolves around an undertaker, played by Yoo Hae-jin, who needs wood to build a coffin for the savior of his village, played by Kim Ok-vin, and digs up an abandoned grave. But while doing so, he accidentally awakens the ghost of an ancient swordsman, played by Park Jeong-min, who want

   　 Red Velvet will make a comeback in March with a new album, according to local media reports on Friday. 　 Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news saying the band is preparing for a new album due out next month. 　 The quintet’s last album was its sixth EP “Queendom” released in August last year, which marked the group’s return after being away for more than 1 1/2 years. The EP topped iTunes top albums chart in 54 regions as well as all major charts at

Rookie band successfully launches first overseas tour in US

Rapper talks about why he sits at the intersection of hip-hop and rock; hints at upcoming album

Dune (US) Reopened Feb. 9 Science fiction Directed by Denis Villeneuve In the year 10191, Paul Atreides (Timothy Chalamet) is born into a great destiny beyond his understanding. In his dream, he meets a strange woman from the dangerous desert planet Arrakis. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over Arrakis’ exclusive supply of precious resources that could unlock humanity’s great potential, Paul and his family receive an order to head to the planet.  Death on the Nile (