Actor Yoo Teo is joining A24’s “Past Lives,” written by screenwriter Song Celine, US online entertainment publication Deadline reported Monday. Shooting of the film starring Yoo and Greta Lee will begin later this year with John Magaro co-starring in a key supporting role. “Past Lives” will be the first movie directed by Song, and will portray the story of a couple from childhood reuniting in South Korea, but the exact plot has not been revealed. Yoo played the

Female celebrities are leading a new content trend in the Korean broadcasting industry, reflecting a growing interest in women’s sports. South Korean cable network Echannel’s original series “Sporty Sisters” sparked the public‘s interest in women’s sports, starring legendary Korean athletes such as golfer Pak Se-ri, fencer Nam Hyun-hee and volleyball player Han Yoo-mi. The series shows sports stars leading a lifestyle that is not restricted to rigorous daily

South Korean boy band SHINee topped a key music chart in Japan with its latest Japanese-language EP "Superstar," the group's agency said Tuesday. The five-track album, released on July 28, ranked No. 1 on Oricon's weekly album chart after reaching number one on the daily album chart, according to SM Entertainment. It marks the group's fourth No. 1 on the weekly chart after "I'm Your Boy," "D×D×D" and "SHINee: The Best from Now On" released be

South Korean superband BTS sat atop Billboard's main singles chart for the 10th consecutive week, with "Butter" leading the latest Hot 100. "'Butter' is officially No. 1 on this week's #Hot100 chart for a ninth week," Billboard said on its Twitter account on Monday (US time). The song had sat atop the main singles chart for seven consecutive weeks before giving way to a new BTS song, "Permission to Dance," and returning to the throne last week. After spending nin

Boy band Astro welcomed the bright and sunny season of August by hopping on the summer music craze. The six-piece act returned after nearly four months with an aim to expand their musical taste and popularity with the eighth EP, “Switch On,” released Monday evening. The six-song package is a “gift by the band to themselves,” as the album talks about the group’s footprints over the past six years and the path the six bandmates aim to walk in the future, the group

Astro dropped its eighth EP “Switch On” Monday and hosted an online media conference to introduce its latest release to fans and local media. 　 It has been only four months since the release of the group’s second studio album “All Yours” and the bandmates said that they came back with new music quickly in response to the popularity of the album. 　 The new EP contains the past, present and future of the band who has been together for six years. 　 “We’

Seoul Cinema, which earlier announced its closure by the end of August, will hold a series of special farwell screenings. Free tickets will be provided for all films that are being screened from Aug. 11 to Aug. 31, the last day of its operation, on a first-come, first-served basis, the theater said Monday. On weekdays, 100 free tickets will be given out daily, while 200 free tickets will be given out on weekend days. In addition to the recently released action film “Escape From Mogadis

Soloist Jeon Somi is returning with her new single “Dumb Dumb” on Monday. The comeback follows a yearlong break since her latest release “What You Waiting For” dropped July 2020. “I’m really excited to finally go on the stage. I’ve been preparing hard, and I feel both thrilled and nervous right now,” the 20-year-old singer said in a video released to the media by her agency The Black Label on Monday. With a sparkly black dress and hair dyed bri

Public broadcaster KBS has been the most-watched network in Korea so far for the Tokyo Olympics, beating the two other terrestrial network broadcasters, SBS and MBC, in the ratings. KBS1’s coverage of the Tokyo Games on Sunday recorded 17.2 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea. It was the highest rated Tokyo Olympics broadcast, while SBS and MBC followed with 5.4 percent and 5 percent, respectively, Sunday. With its two channels, KBS offers the most events for viewing. &ldqu

Music from the beloved PC strategy game StarCraft will be brought to life through an orchestral performance later this year. According to the game music platform Flasic, “StarCraft Live Concert: Encore” will be held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Sept. 29-30. The concert will feature original soundtracks from the popular PC game launched by Blizzard Entertainment, including the iconic 12th Area (Terran Theme) and more. To provide a mo

Five-piece girl group Red Velvet will release a new EP in mid-August, the first new album in nearly two years, its management agency said Monday. The group's upcoming album "Queendom," which carries six tracks, will drop globally at 6 p.m. on Aug. 16, according to SM Entertainment. In line with the release, Red Velvet will host a virtual fan meet the following day. The physical album will hit shelves the same day, with preorders set to start this week. The upcoming album is the grou

Homegrown actioner "Escape from Mogadishu" topped South Korea's weekend box office in the first week of its release, revitalizing pandemic-hit theaters, data showed Monday. The film, directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, sold more than 561,000 tickets over the Friday-Sunday period, bringing its combined total to over 788,000 since its release last Wednesday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The big-budget tentpole starring popular actors like Kim Yun-seok and Zo In-sung is based

Star stage actors Michael Lee and Ramin Karimloo are to go onstage together in South Korea as part of a musical theater concert. The “Michael & Ramin Concert” is slated to take place at the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center, west of Seoul, Aug. 27-29. Produced by Lee, it marks the veteran stage actor’s debut as a producer. “I think there is a natural progression for actors and performers to evolve into directors and producers. For many years, I have been in this indus

Less than a week after MBC President Park Sung-jae publicly apologized for inappropriate coverage of the Tokyo Games, the broadcaster came under fire again Sunday for misleading captions on an interview with South Korean volleyball captain Kim Yeon-koung. After South Korea beat Japan in Tokyo Olympic women‘s volleyball Saturday, the broadcaster’s YouTube channel posted an interview with Kim. In the video, the reporter says, “You may not know this, but the South Korean socce

Living up to her nickname as the “Korean Agatha Christie,” screenwriter Kim Eun-hee came back with the darkest episode yet of the global hit Netflix series “Kingdom” (2019). “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” which was released on July 23, centers around a new character Ashin (played by Jun Ji-hyun, or Gianna Jun, and Kim Sia) who is a lower-class tribe member living in what is now known as Hamgyong Province, North Korea. After Ashin finds out about her father&r