The music video for the 2019 BTS hit "Boy With Luv (Feat. Halsey)" has earned more than 1.2 billion views on YouTube in another milestone for the K-pop dynamo. "Boy With Luv," the main track for the seven-piece act's sixth EP "Map of the Soul: Persona," hit 1.2 billion views at 9:48 a.m. on Thursday, according to Big Hit Music, the group's agency. The upbeat track, featuring American singer-songwriter Halsey, debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's main singles chart and

  BTS ranked the highest on Oricon’s weekly streaming chart with “Film Out,” according to the latest tally that came out on Wednesday.  The band’s newest Japanese single amassed over 11.67 million streams last week, becoming its second song with more than 10 million weekly streaming on the chart after last year’s “Dynamite.” This is the first time ever a male artist had two songs with over 10 million weekly streams, according to the Japanese t

A traditional Korean outfit that Jimin of BTS wore in a performance will be up for auction, with the bidding price beginning at 5 million won ($4,476), a local auction house said Wednesday. Jimin appeared in the "hanbok," traditional Korean attire, designed by Kim Rieul in the K-pop act's opening stage for "BTS Week" special on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" that aired in September. Clad in dark hues of hanbok, the seven-piece act wowed fans with a

LG Arts Center to show works from past festivals

Controversy surrounding actor Seo Yea-ji has continued to mount, as more allegations of bullying have surfaced, despite denials from her agency in an official statement. An alleged staffer that used to work with the actress posted on an online portal early Wednesday morning that Seo had regularly mistreated her staff members in her agency, Gold Medalist. “As a staff member going around in the same car with her for several years, verbal abuse was nothing. She smoked in the car, so I suff

South Korean singer-actor Jung Yong-hwa will release a Chinese EP, which includes songs he worked on with Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin and Moroccan-Dutch DJ R3hab, his agency said Wednesday. Titled "Stay in Touch," the four-track album is set for release on June 22, the 31-year-old singer's birthday, according to FNC Entertainment. Ahead of the release, Jung will first drop the single "Checkmake" (R3hab Remix) on Friday. FNC explained R3hab worked on an EDM version

When actor Gong Yoo first read the script for his upcoming film “Seobok,” he felt like it was asking him a question. “I felt like it was asking me ‘So, what is the purpose of your life?’,” Gong Yoo told local reporters during a joint media interview Tuesday via Zoom. “I could not give an answer to that question. This experience stunned and interested me.” He explained that he decided to perform for “Seobok” because it was not only wri

K-pop girl group ITZY is ready to come back with its fourth EP, "Guess Who," later this month, its agency said Wednesday. The album, due out on April 30, includes main track "In the Morning" produced by their label founder and K-pop guru Park Jin-young, according to JYP Entertainment. The six-track EP also includes songs by songwriters who have collaborated with top-notch K-pop acts BTS, TWICE and IU like KASS, danke and earattack, it added. ITZY, consisting of Yeji, Ryuji

Supertone foresees changes, new possibilities in music business with AI sound

K-pop dynamo BTS has done it again. After making it on the Billboard's main singles chart with its Korean and English songs, the group landed its new Japanese single on the Hot 100. "Film Out," the seven-piece act's Japanese single released on April 2, ranked No. 81 on the Hot 100 chart Billboard announced on Tuesday (US time). The song also topped the Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart and ranked No. 3 and No. 5 on the Billboard Global Excl. US and Billboard Global 200 charts, res

Kang Daniel talked about his third EP, “Yellow,” at a media conference held in southern Seoul on Tuesday. 　 It had only been two months since his single “Paranoia,” and he explained that the EP had been completed first but was so strong that he’d decided to put out the single first. 　 “(The EP) has been in the planning for a long time and is like a diary that holds things I’ve been wanting to say,” he said. 　 “Yellow” is the third a

Director Lee Yong-joo, who is known for “Architecture 101,” a hit romance film that came out in 2012, has returned with a science fiction film about the first human clone “Seobok.” “I changed the genre of movie that I make, and this was not done on purpose,” Lee said during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. “My first film was the horror film ‘Living Death,’ and it was about human fears. After that, I have always wante

Percussionist Bak Hye-ji to perform with SPO this week

After recent drama fiascos, Chinese investment seen as poisoned chalice

Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of South Korean black comedy "Parasite," will be part of a 15-member "ensemble cast" that will present at the Academy Awards later this month. Bong, who directed the 2019 film that fetched four Oscars, including best picture and best director, will join former winners and nominees to present at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony slated for April 25 (US time). The list of the first round of presenters, released on the Academy of Motion