No K-pop idol group stands exceptional to the concerns of the “seven-year jinx,” when they decide whether they will continue as a group. The phrase was coined as groups often disband or lose a member after seven years, the maximum period in which artists and agencies can sign a contract. Whether the members will get past the notorious seven-year mark is almost impossible to predict, even for the members themselves, as the decision influences the interests and situations of many peop

Special Delivery (Korea) Opened Jan. 12 Action Directed by Park Dae-min Special delivery driver Eun-ha (Park So-dam) mainly works for a criminal group. She delivers anything that cannot be delivered legally. One day, Eun-ha receives a mission to deliver Seo-won (Jung Hyeon-jun), a young boy that a criminal group is chasing after. When she decides to save him, she becomes a target of not only the crime group, but also associated corrupt police officers. Sing 2 (US) Opened Jan. 5 Animation Direc

The plans to release a new song from Wanna One may be rescheduled, according to local media reports on Thursday. 　 CJ ENM said that talks with all related management companies to put out “Beautiful Part 3” on Jan. 27 have been completed. However, there still are administrative procedures that need to be finalized, it acknowledged. 　 CJ ENM has been pushing for the band’s reunion and put all members, except for Lai Kuanlin who is in China, on the stage for 2021 Mnet Asia Music

A two-day music festival will bring together K-pop musicians like modern rock band Monni, Broccoli, You Too and indie singer-songwriter Yun DDan DDan next month to provide comfort to music fans who are exhausted from COVID-19, according to the festival’s organizer Thursday. “2022 Camping Music Festival” will take place at Nodeul Live House on Nodeul Island, central Seoul, on Feb. 26-27, according to ModernBoy Entertainment. Under the theme of “Musical Journey in Do

Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon-ho will likely come back with an English-language movie based on an unpublished US science-fiction novel on clones, with Hollywood star Robert Pattinson likely in a starring role, US media outlets reported Thursday. According to Deadline and other news media, the South Korean director is preparing to adapt Edward Ashton's upcoming novel "Mickey7" into a film with Warner Bros. Robert Pattinson, one of the most-sought after actors in Hollywood, is in t

South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo will compete at the Berlin International Film Festival for the third year in a row. 　 　According to the lineup for the 72nd edition announced Wednesday, Hong‘s 27th feature, “The Novelist’s Film,” was listed as one of the 18 movies that will vie for the Gold and Silver Bears at the festival scheduled for Feb. 10-16. 　 　It is the third consecutive year that a Hong Sang-soo film has been invited to the competition section of the Berlin fes

   　 Boy band Luminous held an online showcase to put out its second EP “Self n Ego” on Wednesday. 　 There are many artists coming out with new music this month, but they would rather not follow the trend that tends to be fancy or catchy, and base their music on solid ambience, said Woobin. This EP goes deeper than their debut EP, making listeners think, he added. 　 “When you are down, someone’s consolation or sympathy can give you great strength. Such feel

Kang Dong-han, vice president of content at Netflix Korea, on Wednesday introduced 25 new Korean original content works that the streaming platform will introduce in 2022 with an expectation to see more successful cases like the global hit series “Squid Game.” “Last year was special, as Oh Young-soo who won the Golden Globes said, it was no longer ‘us in the world’, but ‘the world in us’,” Kang said during a press conference held via Zoom with loc

Kang Ha-neul is returning to the big screen as a trouble-making swordsman in “The Pirates: Goblin Flag” directed by Kim Jung-hoon. Director Kim’s new movie is set in the Joseon era and revolves around a journey by pirates looking for hidden treasures of a Goryeo Kingdom that no longer exists. “When I first read the script, I thought of Muchi (the character played by Kang) as a troublemaker, so it was important for him to stay somewhat hyper most of the time. I thought o

Seoul Record Fair (SRF), which was launched as the first vinyl record selling event in Korea a decade ago, is set to return this week despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic after a nearly two-year haitus, the SRF committee and fair’s operator Roundx2 announced on Wednesday. Although the fair will go offline, showcasing performances and selling records and music-related products, it is scheduled for one day only on Saturday this year due to the government’s strengthened COVID-19 mea

Global streaming service Netflix said Wednesday that more than 25 Korean-language works, including five original films, will be released in 2022, expected to fuel the stellar drive led by the global sensation "Squid Game" last year. "In a bid to continue the successful Korean storytelling, Netflix will release more than 25 Korean contents this year," Netflix said in a statement. "We will provide Netflix-exclusive creative stories and high quality that meets viewers' dem

The Mamamoo member puts behind worries, now feels ready to enjoy her work

Yuju of GFriend held an online media conference Tuesday to introduce herself as a solo musician. 　 She is the first to strike out on her own from the group, which disbanded in May last year. 　 “I’ve gone through a lot of new experiences preparing for this album, and I’m excited and nervous at the same time,” she said. The album contains the pang of tension she feels from watching the light go red whenever an audio recording or video shooting starts, explained the singer

For actor Cho Yi-hyun, 22, “School 2021” was like a gift. Speaking to the Korea Herald on Monday, she said she had a lot of new experiences through the drama as she took another step to becoming a better actor. “‘School 2021’ was my first television series, in which I took in charge of the drama’s storyline from the beginning to the end as a lead character. I felt a little bit of pressure in performing more than 30 scenes and huge amount of lines in an episo

Song Ji-ah, a contestant on Netflix’s latest hit reality dating show “Single’s Inferno,” who is also known as YouTuber FreeZia, has been embroiled in controversy over wearing counterfeit luxury fashion items. Criticism flew in from online community users earlier, claiming that Song’s outfits and pieces of jewelry worn for the dating show and her YouTube clips are partially fake, which resembled high-priced brands including Chanel and Dior. Before joining the rea