Being in love is like walking a thin line between the utmost happiness and constant anxiety, and rookie boy band EPEX talks about such roller-coaster of emotions in their new album “Bipolar Pt. 2: Prelude of Love.” Back with a vibrant and quirky title song “Do 4 U,” the eight members were more hyped up than four months ago when they first met with The Korea Herald for an interview following their debut with “Bipolar Pt. 1: Prelude of Anxiety.” Running the e

CJ ENM, the entertainment arm of conglomerate CJ Group, conducted a panel on the future of K-pop and laid out the company’s blueprint in the US during a countdown event to 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Los Angeles. The event, held on Tuesday in CGV theater in LA, was attended by CJ ENM America CEO, Angela Killoren, CJ ENM director of US music business, Jake Hong, Apple Music’s radio host, Brooke Reese, and Twitter’s managing director of K-content, Kim Yeon-jeong, and hosted

South Korean historical romance series starring young and up-and-coming actors are creating a fresh buzz at home and abroad for their dramatic settings and resonating love stories. KBS' "The King's Affection," based on the popular webtoon "Yeonmo," is a story of a fictional princess of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), who has been raised as her deceased twin brother and becomes a king. Starring Park Eun-bin, the 20-episode series airing every Monday and Tuesday saw its viewe

K-pop supergroup BTS will be unable to attend the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMAs) scheduled for next week as the members have to go through COVID-19 isolation upon arrival from the United States due to tightened quarantine rules. The government decided to place all overseas arrivals under a 10-day quarantine for two weeks starting Friday, regardless of their nationalities and vaccination status, to tackle the omicron variant. The septet is currently in Los Angeles for its first in-person

In the cutthroat K-pop industry, making one’s mark as a singer is no easy feat. But rookie girl group Ive believes they can make it. Produced by K-pop powerhouse Starship Entertainment, which houses globetrotting acts like boy band Monsta X, the sextet threw their glitzy hats into the ring Wednesday evening with an ambition to follow the footsteps of now-disbanded Sistar and girl group WJSN. The six members -- Yujin, Gaeul, Won-young, Liz, and Leeseo, who are Koreans, and Rei from Jap

Church leaders fear bashing Christianity is becoming trendy

The COVID-19 pandemic is once again shaking the Korean filmmaking industry, as two star actors -- Jung Woo-sung and Go Kyung-pyo -- tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on Tuesday. Other actors and crew who worked with Jung and Go now find themselves in a situation in which they have to halt their current projects and undergo COVID-19 PCR tests. According to Jung’s agency Artist Company, the actor went into self-quarantine after being confirmed as a COVID-19 patient on Monday night.

Korean director Kwak Jae-yong, a master of the romance genre, is releasing “Happy New Year,” a romantic film with an ensemble cast of 14 actors. Kwak, 62, has created many hit romance films, including “My Sassy Girl” and “The Classic.” The film’s format is similar to UK film “Love Actually,” which presents a large cast and tells intertwined love stories between characters. Kwak’s film includes young big-name actors like Han Ji-min

For actor Park Jeong-min, the global popularity of “Hellbound” was unexpected. “Because I was simply a huge fan of the original webtoon, I was excited to play the television producer Bae Young-jae. Though I never took the role lightly, I did not have the pressure of turning the project into a smash hit series. I enjoyed working with amazing colleagues and director Yeon Sang-ho,” Park said in an online interview with a group of reporters on Tuesday. “Hearing the n

An independent music label under Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind boy band BTS, announced a plan Wednesday to hold its first global audition aimed at launching next-generation boy bands and girl groups. According to All Doors One Room (ADOR), anyone born between 2002 and 2010 can apply for an audition from Wednesday to Jan. 10, regardless of their nationality and country of residence. Since the audition is set to take place online, applicants are required to submit applications along with t

R&B singer Bumkey made his Japan debut Wednesday with the release of the single “Attraction (Japanese Remix),” a collaboration with popular Japanese rapper Miyachi as a featured artist. The musician’s single was released on Japanese music streaming platforms at midnight, while it became available on local online music sites at noon. The new single is a remix version of “Attraction,” featuring Korean hip-hop act Dynamic Duo, which was released in August 2013. I

South Korean fantasy horror "Hellbound" has dropped to second place on Netflix's weekly official viewership chart for non-English TV programs in its second week of release, the global video streaming service said Wednesday. Yeon Sang-ho's dystopian horror ranked No. 2 on the chart for the week from Nov. 22-28, posting 67.5 million hours of viewing. It was closely followed by the Colombian telenovela "The Queen of Flow: Season 2" with 69 million hours. The Korean-language

After rumors about Kai of boy band EXO’s second solo album circulated last month, he answered questions to the anticipation by stretching his solo legs. The singer sent fans abuzz with excitement by releasing his new EP, “Peaches,” which dropped Tuesday evening. In a press conference earlier Tuesday, the singer said his second EP consists of six tracks spanning across genres, adding that the expansion in his musical taste will be worth the listen. The virtuoso’s new

Universal Music Korea’s first K-pop act aims to stand out in competitive landscape

Mnet’s upcoming dance competition show “Street Dance Girls Fighter” is aiming to continue growing interest in dance by reviving the premise of the cable channel’s hit program “Street Woman Fighter,” this time with talented teenage female dance crews. The program will feature dance crews comprised of high school girls competing to win a 10 million-won ($8,420) prize. Top-tier female crews -- YGX, Lachica, Want, WayB, Coca N Butter, Prowdmon, HolyBang and Hook