The race for the South Korean presidency is heating up in both the political and entertainment scene. As the upcoming presidential election is about half a year away, the presidential hopefuls are seeking to appeal with their personal sides to woo voters. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the current ruling party front-runner, appeared in the latest episode of SBS’ Sunday reality show “Master in the House.” “I realized there are many misunderstandings about me. I t

Key of Shinee came out with his first solo EP, “Bad Love,” on Friday.   　 It has been 2 1/2 years since his previous solo album.   　 “It will be impossible to make an album that is perfect in every aspect but I am satisfied in that I’ve been able to have quite a say,” said the veteran idol. He was inspired by the combination of retro and space and the overall concept was based on that idea.   　 The title track boasts a powerful choreography all the

With the local performing art scene preparing for the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pianist Andras Schiff is to go onstage in Korea with a series of performances, from solo concerts to a four hands piano recital. Classical pianist Schiff who has received numerous awards, including Grammy and Grammophon awards, the Bartok Prize and the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize, is to hold multiple performances in Korea in October.　 Schiff will hold a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center in s

The final rounds of the first KSO International Conducting Competition will take place in November with the 12 finalists confirmed on Monday. The competition, launched this year by the Korean Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Arts Center, to find and support young conductors across the world, has rounded up the 12 finalists. The final rounds are slated to be held from Nov. 10 to 14 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Some 166 contenders from 42 countries applied for the competition, a

Days after “Squid Game” became the first Korean drama series to rank first on Netflix’s US top 10 TV show list, the global streaming service has unveiled its line-up of Korean programming for the upcoming months, spotlighting 10 drama series and reality shows. Netflix Korea introduced the shows during Tudum, Netflix’s global fan event, on Saturday, which was streamed on Netflix Korea’s YouTube channel. The real-time fan event was moderated by K-pop band Super J

The music video for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's "Kill This Love" has exceeded 1.4 billion views on YouTube, its management agency said Sunday. The video hit the milestone at about 6 p.m. the previous day, becoming the second video from the group to do so after the 2018 hit song "Ddu-du Ddu-du," according to YG Entertainment. BLACKPINK is now the only K-pop group with more than one music video that has over 1.4 billion views. "Kill This Love" reached No. 41 of the B

K-pop sensation BTS kicked off an international music festival Sunday with a performance of its hit song "Permission to Dance" from an iconic gate in Seoul. The septet opened "Global Citizen Live," a 24-hour concert featuring dozens of top artists from around the world, with a prerecorded performance filmed at night outside Sungnye Gate, South Korea's No. 1 national treasure. "Welcome to Seoul, Korea!" the band said in unison before starting the show. The seven memb

Fair invites Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse, who researched on BTS’ success

A temporary replica set of Netflix original drama series “Squid Game,” installed at Itaewon Station in Yongsan, central Seoul, closed earlier than scheduled after doubts over violations of quarantine rules had been raised. In response to the growing concerns of the public, the Seoul Metro announced that it will close the operation of the set, Ogame World, on Saturday, a day earlier than the expected closing date. The set, situated on an underground common waiting at the station ope

South Korean boy band NCT 127 has made it onto Britain's Official Charts with its latest album "Sticker." Its third studio album debuted at No. 40 on the Official Albums Chart Top 10 on Friday (local time), just one week after its release on Sept. 17. The nine-piece K-pop act has been listed on the Billboard charts of the United States several times. But this is the first time for the band to enter the top British albums chart, which is compiled by the Official Charts Company based o

The five members of ITZY talked about their first studio album “Crazy in Love” that came out on Friday through a Q&A statement released through their label JYP Entertainment. 　 The LP consists of 16 tracks and Ryujin admitted that it was not easy since it was the first time she recorded so many songs in such short time. 　 “But I am glad that we get to show a diverse range of new songs,” she said. The name of the lead track, “Loco,” is a slang for crazy

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will kick off its third and final season of 2021 with Japanese-German conductor Erina Yashima and clarinetist Kim Han. The SPO will hold concerts on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul under the baton of Yashima. It is the first time for Yashima, assistant conductor at the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2019, to lead the Seoul-based orchestra. Under her lead, the orchestra will present Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin,&rdqu

Apart from the single, a documentary and acoustic version are on the way

As the Netflix drama series “Squid Game” has become a worldwide sensation, a number of people have come forward claiming that they are receiving endless calls and text messages after the show featured a phone number.　　 In the show, an unnamed character, played by actor Gong Yoo, gives Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae) a business card, asking him to join the Squid Game contest. In the competition, 456 contenders compete for the prize money, risking their lives. The business card has an eight-

K-pop superstars BTS returned home Friday after a weeklong trip to New York as special presidential envoys for future generations and culture, their label said. During the week, the septet gave a speech at the opening of the Sustainable Development Goals Moment event at the 76th UN General Assembly, and joined President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook during interviews and a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. BTS also dropped by the Korean Cultural Center in New York, according