Classical music festival to broaden its sphere, featuring YouTube star Leenalchi, ‘Minari’ Han Ye-ri, ballerina Kim Joo-won and more

South Korea's telecommunications regulator said Tuesday it will appeal a recent court decision to temporarily lift a suspension order against local cable TV channel MBN over accounting fraud. Last month, the Seoul Administrative Court granted an injunction sought by MBN against the six-month suspension order from the Korea Communications Commission (KCC), citing possible "irreversible" damage against the company. The KCC issued the suspension last October after it found that MBN mani

The homegrown action comedy "Mission: Possible" thrived at the South Korean box office last month amid a monthlong drought of new releases, data showed Tuesday. Released on Feb. 17, the comedy film starring Lee Sun-bin and Kim Young-kwang garnered a total of 331,000 attendees in February alone, according to the data by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It ranked third at the monthly box office, following the Disney-Pixar drama "Soul" with more than 1.8 million attendees and

BLACKPINK member Rose, known as the main vocalist of the four-piece K-pop girl group, will be releasing her debut solo album next week, her agency said Tuesday. YG Entertainment shared two teaser images for her upcoming album, showing the date "March 12, 2021." It did not elaborate on the title and tracks of the album. The album release comes more than one month after the BLACKPINK member first performed one of the songs for the album, "Gone," in the act's first online conc

Following the epic win of “Parasite” last year, “Minari,” a film by a Korean American director, won for best foreign-language film at the Golden Globe Awards on Monday. A semi-autobiographical story by auteur Lee Isaac Chung, the film tells the story of a Korean American family seeking the American dream in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, featuring actors Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Youn Yuh-Jung and more. In a virtual ceremony held in Los Angeles and New York on Sunday even

Global streaming giant Spotify Technology SA on Monday suspended the streaming service of K-pop tracks licensed by Kakao M on its global platform as their license deal has expired, officials said. The move has prevented global K-pop fans from listening to songs of major South Korean artists, including IU and Apink, through Spotify. The Swedish company said it has failed to reach an agreement on a new license deal with Kakao M, South Korea's top music distributor, despite efforts to clinch a co

Global superstar BTS' EP album "BE" has reentered the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart, boosted by the release of the album's new edition last month, the magazine has said. On Sunday (US local time), it said in an article on the preview of the upcoming chart that "BE" jumped to seventh on the Billboard main albums chart for this week from last week's 74th. The surge follows the recent release of the album's new edition called the "Essential Edition." The "B

Global sensation BTS, alternative pop band Leenalchi and folk singer-songwriter Jeongmilla scooped up multiple awards, including top prizes, at the Korean Music Awards held late Sunday. The Korean Music Awards, now in its 18th year, is an annual music award ceremony that awards musicians on the basis of artistic achievement rather than popularity or commercial success. The ceremony was held without an audience for the second straight year due to the pandemic. BTS received two trophies -- Best

Kang Eun-kyung stepped down from her role as president of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday, after a three-year tenure. After the Seoul mayoral by-election, which will take place on April 7, a seven-member committee tasked with appointing a new head will be formed. The committee consists of two recommended by the Seoul city government, two by SPO’s board of directors and three by the Seoul Metropolitan Council. The new CEO of the orchestra is expected to be appointed before the

V of BTS gave out hints for his mixtape in a video clip uploaded on the band’s YouTube channel on Thursday.  In the teaser clip for the makings of the band’s “BE” album, the artist said that about 13 tracks will be included in his solo mixtape to the delight of his fans who have been awaiting the release.  At the global media conference held for the “BE” album in November last year, he said that he is interested in classic and Jazz music and altho

Set to move to Magok, western Seoul, in 2022, the LG Arts Center released the program for its last season in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Friday. The center’s annual program CoMPAS21 will feature more domestic acts, as visits by international artists and art troupes are limited by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Performances by foreign productions are to be available through screenings. Theater director Yang Jung-ung, who staged the opening ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic

Ahead of the March 3 theatrical release of Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” the cast and director shared the joy and surprise at the reception of the film. The movie won 74 awards in film festivals around the world, and Youn has won 26 awards for best supporting actress so far. “Minari” depicts the story of an immigrant family of four from Korea who move to the middle of the US in Arkansas. Jacob, played by Yeun, and Monica, played by Han Ye-ri, pursue their American d

Director Lee Joon-ik, a master of period films who directed “Dong-ju: The Portrait of a Poet,” “Anarchist from Colony” and more, is back with his latest work “The Book of Fish.” The film centers around the real-life character of Jeong Yak-jeon, the brother of scholar Jeong Yak-yong. Both brothers were leading scholars from the Joseon era. While living in exile on the remote southern Heuksan Island in South Jeolla Province, Jeong Yak-jeon meets a young fishe

Kihyun, a member of K-pop boy band Monsta X, on Friday voiced regret and apologized over his "immature behavior" after he was accused of school bullying. "If there are people who were hurt by my immature attitude and behavior during school, I would now like to sincerely apologize," the singer said in a statement posted on a fan community. "I'm very sorry for disappointing (you) and I will live on deeply reflecting on it." Kihyun mentioned some episodes from back w

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK has been appointed as advocates to raise awareness for a global campaign against climate change issues, the band's agency said Friday. The four-piece act recently received a personal letter from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in which he invited them to serve as advocates for COP 26, or the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, according to YG Entertainment. "Your recent video 'Climate Action in Your Area #COP26' was a huge success, being viewed