K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's latest album ranked No. 6 on Billboard's main album chart this week, coming in the top 10 on the chart for the second consecutive week, according to Billboard. "The Album," the first full-length album of the quartet, ranked No. 6 with 35,000 equivalent album units earned in the second week of its release, Billboard reported Sunday (US time). The album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart last week, setting a new record for a South Korean girl gro

As the popularity of YouTubers and social media influencers rise, so too do controversies surrounding them. With the online stars appearing on popular television shows and in advertisements, verification of their background has become a rising issue. Controversy arose last week when Rhee Keun, popularly known as “Lt. Lee,” faced allegations that he was convicted for a 2017 sexual assault. Lee had already gone through a debt scandal at the beginning of the month when he was accused

Original musical by Koh Sun-woong pays tribute to Gwangju Democratic Uprising

Chen, a member of K-pop boy band EXO, will join the military later this month to fulfill his mandatory military service, his agency said Friday. The 28-year-old, whose legal name is Kim Jong-dae, is set to enlist on Oct. 26, according to SM Entertainment. The agency did not elaborate further on the venue and schedule of the enlistment. "I will fulfill my duty with a fit mind and body so that I can come back and say hello as a more mature person," he said in a handwritten note posted

AKMU’s Lee Suhyun is stepping forward to show her own colors with her first solo single “Alien.” “Working as part of AKMU, I realized my musical preference was evolving, and feeling the change, I wanted to produce something of just my taste. That was how ‘Alien’ was born,” Suhyun said in an interview with The Korea Herald ahead of the single’s official release at 6 p.m. Friday. “It’s full of unique yet peppy sounds. And I hope that,

A local distributor of two South Korean movies is considering releasing the films on Netflix without theatrical runs as the novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted their opening schedules, a company official said Friday. The thriller "Call," starring Park Shin-hye, was first planned to hit local screens in March, but the release has been postponed for several months due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The distributor has also been struggling to fix the release date for the crime thriller

The upcoming special album by K-pop boy band Seventeen has scored more than 1 million preorders ahead of its release next week, the group's management agency said Friday. "Presales of 'Semicolon' topped 1.1 million as of Friday," Pledis Entertainment said. "It is expected to become its second million-seller album, following the previous 'Heng:garae.'" The 13-member band will release its new special album "Semicolon" on Monday, along with the music video of its tit

Where’d You Go, Bernadette? (US) Opened Oct. 8 Comedy Directed by Richard Linklater Architect-turned-recluse Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) lives in Seattle with her husband Elgin Branch (Billy Crudup), and their 15-year-old daughter Balakrishna (Emma Nelson). One day, Bernadette’s daughter requests a family trip to Antarctica, which she reluctantly agrees to. As Bernadette prepares for the trip with her Siri-like virtual assistant named Manjula in India, an FBI agent comes to Be

K-pop boy band BTS won the Top Social Artist award at this year's Billboard Music Awards (BBMA), their fourth consecutive victory in the category. At the award event held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles without spectators on Wednesday (US time), the septet beat Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, as well as fellow K-pop acts EXO and GOT7. BTS has won the fan-voted Top Social Artist category since 2017. The group thanked its global fanbase, called "Army," for helping it earn the awa

K-pop superstar BTS became the first-ever musical act in history to top Billboard's Social 50 chart for 200 weeks in a row this week. Billboard said Tuesday (US time) that BTS ranked No. 1 on this week's Social 50 chart, reigning the chart for the longest ever streak by any musician. The Social 50 chart, launched in December 2010, measures an artist's popularity and engagement on social media. The seven-member boy band first landed on the chart in October 2016, climbed to No. 1 on July 29, 2

Rhee Keun, also known as Ken Rhee, sued YouTube content creator Kim Yong-ho on Wednesday for claiming that Rhee lied about having worked at the United Nations. Kim raised suspicions about the document that Rhee, popularly known as “Lt. Lee,” posted on Instagram on Monday as proof of his stint at the UN. An earlier video by Kim had raised questioned about Rhee’s career record. Rhee sued Kim on charges of obstruction, defamation and dissemination of false information at around

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK called its latest project -- appearing in the first K-pop documentary produced by Netflix -- something that gave "much-needed time" for the quartet that has emerged as one of the most successful acts in the K-pop industry. Netflix is set to release "BLACKPINK: Light up the Sky," an original documentary that follows BLACKPINK's journey from being teenage trainees to a K-pop phenomenon. "It was a time for us to get to know each other mor

Actress Bae Suzy has joined hands with screenwriter Park Hye-ryun and director Oh Choong-hwan once again in the newest tvN drama, “Start-up,” set to start airing at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Suzy has appeared as the lead actor in several of Park‘s dramas, including KBS’ “Dream High” (2011) and SBS’ “While You Were Sleeping” (2017), which was also directed by Oh. “I had the opportunity to work with our director and screenwriter again, and p

Director Caroline Suh hopes to deliver the “human side” of the K-pop superstars

The eccentric yet addictive tourism promotional videos featuring Korean music act Leenalchi and the Ambiguous Dance Company are back -- with three more videos featuring other South Korean cities. The latest videos, released by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) late Tuesday, introduce the picturesque seaside city of Gangneung; Andong, known for its traditional ambience; and the southwestern port city of Mokpo, with its rugged charm. The three videos have together racked up more than 1 millio