Korean pianist Lee Hyuk failed to win a trophy at the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition. Lee, 21, who was one of 12 finalists, did not make the list of awardees announced by the Polish Chopin Institute on Thursday. The competition, held every five years, was postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, more than 500 pianists signed up for the competition and some 87 contenders made it to the main competition. Lee was the only Korean contender among the 12 finalists

Kim Seon-ho’s ex-girlfriend has engaged a lawyer, who vowed legal action against malicious media coverage and online comments. “All possible legal actions will be taken against articles, posts and comments with ill-intended content,” said Best Way, the law firm representing Kim‘s ex-girlfriend, in a statement released Wednesday. The statement said their client was suffering from the hateful comments made by local media and online posts as her personal information had b

Actor Kim Seon-ho's alleged former girlfriend has said she received an apology from him and there was an unspecified "misunderstanding" between them, after her claim that he had coerced her into having an abortion suddenly derailed the actor's career. "I received an apology from him, and it seems like there were some misunderstanding between us," an anonymous person who claimed to be Kim's ex-girlfriend said Wednesday in an addition to her previous posting to an online commu

Actor Kim Seon-ho is to step down from the KBS variety show “2 Days & 1 Night” and a film titled “2 O’Clock Date” (unofficial translation). Though Kim and his agency, Salt Entertainment, issued official apologies Wednesday morning regarding a controversy surrounding his personal life -- allegations emerged that he pressured an ex-girlfriend to have an abortion -- producers are announcing Kim’s withdrawal from ongoing and scheduled productions. Public br

The LG Arts Center is gearing up to begin a new chapter in the district of Magok, western Seoul. The art center, managed by LG’s nonprofit organization the LG Yonam Cultural Foundation, is to move to the Magok area in October 2022, joining the LG Group’s R&D complex LG Science Park. In July, the center wrapped up its era in Yeoksam, Gangnam -- where it had been situated for some 20 years since its opening -- with its last production at the theater. “We focused on the p

CNBlue came out with its ninth EP, “Wanted,” on Wednesday and hosted a talk show to mark the release.   　 For the first time since the band debuted in 2010, the bandmates opted for a theme and fashioned themselves into hunters.   　 “We’ve looked back at the albums so far and realized that we didn’t have a visual theme yet. ... We thought it would be nice to be fuller in terms of appearance,” said Jung Yonghwa.   　 They went for looks tinged wit

A history foundation released a new song about South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo on Wednesday in an effort to enhance the world's understanding of the islets as part of Korean territory. The Northeast Asian History Foundation unveiled the song titled "Island" via its social media accounts and major domestic music services at noon along with the song's music video. The R&B pop number was written and composed by three artists -- DINT, T-lack and Hertz -- and sung by Lee So-

Four days after an online post put actor Kim Seon-ho’s reputation in jeopardy, the actor and his agency issued an official apology Wednesday morning. On Sunday afternoon, an online post by someone claiming to be the ex-girlfriend of “actor K” alleged that she had been pregnant with his child and had had an abortion at his urging. Reporter-turned-YouTuber Lee Jin-ho identified “actor K” as Kim the next day, but did not provide proof. “The company sincerely ap

As an early cold snap gripped South Korea, with record-low temperatures for mid-October, Nam Woo-hyun of boy band Infinite welcomed the cool weather. The singer dropped his fourth EP, “With,” Tuesday evening nearly two years after his previous work. The six-song package talks about thanking the fans who waited so long for the artist’s music. As the title suggests, it is about being together with someone or doing something together, the singer said Tuesday during an online pre

Nam Woohyun of Infinite held an online showcase to present his fourth solo EP, “With,” Tuesday.   　 It has been almost 2 1/2 years since he left to serve his military duty as a social service agent.   　 “I might be slightly nervous since it’s been a while, but I’ve put a lot of effort into this album,” said the singer. For the last three weeks, he had trouble sleeping, he confided, thinking and worrying too much. Even though he did not completely s

Beethoven specialist Buchbinder holds Beethoven sonata, Diabelli recitals in Korea

The director of Netflix’s “My Name,” Kim Jin-min, was surprised to hear about the growing popularity of the mystery crime series. “While I expected some questions and comments, I was surprised that the viewers interpreted my work in very creative ways, speculating on the reasons for a character’s behavior. One way or the other, all of these are a way of showing interest in the series. For that, I would like to thank all the ‘My Name’ fans,” the di

More than masters of the charts, globetrotting act also masters in dressing

Advertisements starring actor Kim Seon-ho have begun to be taken down following allegation that the star had demanded his girlfriend terminate her pregnancy. The controversy erupted Sunday afternoon when an online post surfaced in which the author, claiming to be an actor‘s girlfriend, alleged that “actor K” had urged her to have an abortion. The writer further claimed that the actor’s behavior toward her changed after the abortion. On Monday, reporter-turned-YouTuber L

Globally popular K-pop group BTS will perform on the Los Angeles stop of this year's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour, the largest year-end radio show in the United States, organizers said Tuesday. The septet was included in a star-studded lineup for the LA show scheduled for Dec. 3, the iHeartRadio, the country's largest online radio platform, announced on its website and social media. The South Korean band will open the show performing its mega-hit songs "Dynamite" and "Butter,&qu