South Korean television series "Squid Game" has won a special honor from the American Film Institute (AFI). The AFI announced the top 10 movies and TV shows of the year on Wednesday (US time), and "Squid Game" was one of the three special award winners, along with "Belfast" and "Summer of Soul…(Or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised)," although they fell outside the institute's criteria for American film and TV. This year's top awards for

Top television director Kim Tae-ho said that the upcoming Netflix reality program “The Hungry and the Hairy” was never meant to be a Netflix show. “When I finished producing the project group Ssak 3 on MBC’s variety program ‘Hang Out With Yoo,’ I received many calls from Hong-chul saying how hilarious Rain is and how they are spending time together riding motorcycles. I became curious about this odd couple and wanted to follow this duo with my camera,”

NCT127 extended its stay on the Billboard 200 for another week as its third studio album “Sticker” ranked No. 103 on the newest tally that was announced on Wednesday. 　 The LP hit the chart at No. 3 when it was released in September and topped four more charts from the publication including the top album sales chart. The album sold over 3.58 million copies and swept the charts in Korea, Japan and China. 　 The band will hold its second standalone concert “Neo City: Seoul - The

K-pop superband BTS has won three prizes at the 2021 People's Choice Awards, the latest in a series of honors it took home from the United States this year. The South Korean group won the group of 2021 and both the song and the music video of 2021 for its megahit "Butter" at the annual ceremony held in person in Santa Monica, California, Tuesday (US time). The septet, in particular, beat out big name stars, such as Coldplay, Dan + Shay, Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5, to win in the gro

BTS, on extended break, will not join the annual event

I remember the moment when I became a full-fledged Army: I saw screenshots of the “On” kinetic manifesto film on Twitter and was drawn in by the intensity of the visuals and choreography. So, I watched the music video and listened to the song, which was much different from the few BTS songs I’d heard of. As soon as Jungkook hit that high note during the bridge and they went into the dance break, I was a goner. Over the next year and a half, I went from listening (and crying) t

When Mino of boy band Winner teased a snippet of his return to the music scene in a visual film with “Mino 3rd Full Album,” little did fans know that the singer would be expanding solo. After a year away from music, Mino hopped back into the pop scene during one of its most vibrant months with the solo release “To Infinity” on Wednesday evening. The solo act said in an online press conference the same day that the album consists of 10 tracks spanning across genres and

Drama fans and moviegoers often recall well-known scenes with the accompanying songs, like Aladdin and Jasmine singing “A Whole New World” while riding a magic carpet. Now comics fans are being offered webtoons accompanied by songs from major artists. Top Korean singers, including Baek Z-young, Gummy, K.Will and Kim Jong-kook who have made hit songs for drama soundtracks, are now creating songs for webtoons. Gummy, a veteran artist who has participated in multiple drama soundtrack

Boy band Onewe put out its second demo album “Studio We: Recording #2” on Tuesday.   　 “It feels more special because we can show the whole process of making music,” said Kanghyun through agency RBW Entertainment. Although all fans know the songs, it would let them feel the sensation of listening to them for the first time all over again, he added.   　 The bandmates wrote all the songs themselves, putting all of their hearts and more into their efforts, underli

A contemporary reimagining of Greek mythology, “Lore Olympus” has notched the No. 1 slot on the New York Times’ bestseller list. Naver Webtoon announced the listing in the graphic books and manga category on Tuesday. “Lore Olympus,” originally a romance webtoon created by New Zealand artist Rachel Smythe, was published in book form last month. The online comic was first released in 2018, when Naver Webtoon began its English service and provided a platform for am

The star-studded presenter lineup of musicians, actors, dancers and comedians for the upcoming “2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards was unveiled Tuesday. Singer-actors Rain, Uhm Jung-hwa, Choi Soo-young, Super Junior’s Choi Si-won and singer Tiffany Young were confirmed as presenters. Lachica’s Gabee and Prowdmon’s Monika, who appeared on the hit TV program “Street Woman Fighter,” will also appear as presenters. Comedian and rapper Haha, actors Song Joong-ki, Ahn B

A music studio tailored for online immersive performances opened in Seoul on Tuesday, aimed at reviving the pandemic-hit music industry and supporting digital content productions by local small and medium-sized agencies and musicians. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Creative Content Agency launched KOCCA Music Studio after remodeling the Olympic Park K-Art hall, located in Songpa-gu, Seoul. The new venue is tailored for online K-pop concerts, video productions and even vi

South Korea's sensational survival drama "Squid Game" has been nominated in three categories, including best drama series, at the 27th Critics Choice Awards. According to the nominations announced by the Critics Choice Association Monday (US time), "Squid Game," a Netflix original, was listed in the categories best drama series, best actor in drama series and best foreign language series. In the best drama series section, "Squid Game" will compete with seven other

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has unveiled its schedule for the first half of 2022, with 15 concerts planned. SPO music director Osmo Vanska kicks off the season by taking the baton for Mozart‘s Requiem on Jan. 29 and 30. The music director, who has been leading the SPO since January 2020, will team up with violist Richard Yongjae O‘Neill on May 19 and 20. 　 In March and April, Vanska will collaborate with Augustin Hadelich, an Italian German American Grammy-winning classic

In an industry where fluffy tunes often top the charts, making it big as a band is no easy task. But rookie boy band Xdinary Heroes believes they can make it to your next playlist. Produced by K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment, home to globetrotting acts like boy band 2PM and girl group Twice, the sextet threw their glitzy hats into the ring Monday evening hoping to follow in the footsteps of label mates Day6, the current pop-rock kings of K-pop. The band is made up of Gunil, who plays the