Actor Gong Seung-yeon says her new movie “Aloners,” directed by Hong Seung-eun, reflects the feelings of loneliness that we have all been experiencing since the COVID-19 spread started last year. “We filmed this movie before COVID-19. Now we have all become used to keeping distance from each other and this movie is about how we can live well through this situation,” Gong said during a press conference held after a screening of the film at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Se

K-pop boy band Enhypen has topped Japan's key monthly music chart with its latest album after ranking No. 1 on the weekly and daily album charts, its management agency said Thursday. The group's second EP, "Border: Carnival," sat atop Oricon's monthly album chart for April, which was released Wednesday, according to Belift Lab. Previously, the EP ranked No. 1 on the Japanese music tracker's daily album chart on April 30, four days after its release. It also stayed atop Oricon's week

ITZY hopes to add momentum to the global popularity of its latest EP by releasing an English version of title track on May 14, the group‘s label JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. 　 The group will share a lyric video for “Mafia In The Morning,” the title track from its fourth EP “Guess Who,” along with the song and put out a performance clip the next day on its YouTube channel. 　 The five-piece act entered the Billboard 200 for the first time since its debut, rankin

The KBS Symphony Orchestra has appointed Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen as its chief conductor and music director. The orchestra announced Tuesday that the Finnish conductor, 41, would fill the post. It had remained empty for two years, since conductor Yoel Levi left in 2019. The new conductor will begin in January and is set to stay until the end of 2024. Inkinen, who is also a violinist, studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is currently the chief conductor of the

Local multiplex operators on Wednesday urged the government to come up with more effective financial support plans for theaters that have been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Representatives of the Korean Theater Association, as well as four local multiplex operators -- CGV, Lotte Cinema, Megabox and Cine Q -- gathered at Megabox Dongdaemun in Seoul to express their concerns about the plight they have been facing. “The movie industry is a competitive cultural business that can b

K-pop superstars BTS will put on its first performance of the upcoming release "Butter" at the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) scheduled for later this month. The seven-piece act will be performing at the annual music awards for the fourth consecutive year, unveiling "Butter" at the ceremony scheduled for May 23 (US time), according to the BBMAs. The performance comes just two days after the scheduled release of the act's second English single "Butter," which will

The South Korean dance group Ambiguous Dance Company has made a surprise appearance during British rock band Coldplay's latest performance at the Brit Awards. The dance company, known for its unique choreography and playful vibe, performed alongside Coldplay in its performance of its new single "Higher Power" during the music awards ceremony held in London on Tuesday (local time). Six members of the dance group appeared as neon-colored holograms as the British rock band sang the gala

Taemin of Shinee has joined forces with Taeyeon, of Girls’ Generation, for a track from his upcoming EP, said label SM Entertainment on Tuesday. “If I Could Tell You,” one of the five tracks from its third solo EP “Advice,” will feature the songstress and the two will sing the delicate feelings between close friends who are on the verge of love. Dreamy electric piano tunes and soft synth sounds will add to the harmony of the musicians in the R&B number. 

The “Les Miserables” concert by K&P Entertainment, slated to take place this month in Seoul and Busan, has become mired in a copyright dispute. On Monday, Les Miserables Korea, which holds performance rights to the Korean-language version of the English musical in Korea, claimed that the upcoming concert is an unauthorized production that violates the musical’s copyrights. K&P Entertainment on Tuesday refuted the claim, saying that the upcoming concert is based on

Boy band Enhypen has rocked Japan with its latest EP, topping a key music chart in the Asian country for two straight weeks ahead of its official debut there. The seven-piece act's second EP "Border: Carnival" sat atop Japanese music tracker Oricon's weekly album charts in the latest data compiled between May 3-9, extending its winning streak. The two-week record, the first for both Japanese and overseas acts on the weekly chart compiled this year, is the latest in the K-pop rookie's

K-pop girl group ITZY has landed on Billboard's main albums chart for the first time in the third year of its debut. The five-piece act's latest EP "Guess Who," reached No. 148 on the Billboard 200, which compiles the week's most popular albums in the United States, according to its agency JYP Entertainment. Billboard separately shared a list of new debuts on one of its Twitter accounts. The full chart will be updated Tuesday (US time). "Guess Who" also made its first appe

With Mark back on the team, the former teen group is spicier and more mature

K-pop girl group Loona will be promoting Korean culture abroad in 2021 as honorary ambassadors for the Korean Culture and Information Service. The 12 band members’ main role as honorary ambassadors is to take part in KOCIS events to promote South Korea’s global image as well as its pop culture content, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The girl group has already participated in promotional videos for the Talk Talk Korea contest organized by KOCIS. The video

  Korean director Erick Oh’s “Opera” has been nominated to compete for the title of best short film in the Annecy International Animated Film Festival this year. The nine-minute-long unconventional animated film, which won Oh the Minister’s Award at the 2020 Korea Contents Awards, is an 8K-resolution, massive animation installation piece that reflects on life, society and history. Oh’s film was the only Asian short animation and the only nonnarrative form a

NCT Dream shared their thoughts about the group’s first studio album “Hot Sauce” at an online media conference on Monday. 　 Before the event started, the group’s label SM Entertainment announced that the LP’s pre-order sales came in at more than 1.7 million units. 　 “We’re flattered by the fact alone that we were able to fill the album as a septet,” said the members. 　 They had initially wanted to focus on creating as many memories as possible w