K-pop group BLACKPINK said Friday it wanted to show its growth as an artist and send out a message of hope and positive energy with its first-ever full-length album. Earlier in the day, the quartet unveiled the album "The Album," which includes main track "Lovesick Girls" as well as hits that have topped music charts such as "How You Like That" and "Ice Cream" featuring Selena Gomez. "We wanted to not only express various emotions on love but also s

Preorders for K-pop girl band BLACKPINK's upcoming studio album have topped 1 million, its management agency said Friday. "The Album," set for official release later in the day, posted 670,000 preorders from South Korea and 340,000 from overseas, YG Entertainment said. It said if the album records 1 million copies in actual sales in its first week, it will be the most by a K-pop girl group in history. Eight tracks of the quartet's first full-length album will be available to the pub

On chilly fall nights, monsters, ghosts and zombies are poised to thrill or even scare South Korean TV viewers and binge-watchers. The horror show "Sweet Home," based on a famous web cartoon with the same title, will be released on Netflix later this year. The series is about a student who faces scary experiences after moving into a new apartment, where its residents turn into monsters. It has drawn wide attention from viewers as the Netflix debut by renowned South Korean director L

K-pop superstar BTS teased its upcoming new album "BE" on Thursday (Korean time), appearing on the "BTS Week" special on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." The show's weeklong series running for five days through Friday is designed to showcase different music performances of the seven-member band each night, including live performances, comedy bits and virtual interviews. "The album mainly carries the grief, happiness and other feelings we have n

Marking the fifth anniversary of its debut this month, K-pop girl band TWICE will drop its second full-length album in October, its management agency said Thursday. According to JYP Entertainment, the band will officially release the new album on Oct. 26 and return to the K-pop scene for promotional activities. The release will be the band's second full-length album following its first, "Twicetagram," that came out in October 2017. TWICE will celebrate its fifth anniversary this mon

Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency of K-pop superstar BTS, will make its debut on the main bourse this month, arguably emerging as the top entertainment pick by investors this year. The company will open subscription for retail investors Monday and Tuesday at an initial public offering (IPO) price of 135,000 won ($115). The firm set its listing date for Oct. 15. Based on the offering price, Big Hit Entertainment is forecast to raise 962.6 billion won through the planned IPO, with its

South Korean boy group BTS topped two of Billboard's main charts with its new single "Dynamite" this week, Billboard said Tuesday. "Dynamite" returned to the top spot on Billboard's main singles chart, the Hot 100, after spending two seeks at No. 2. The song had spent two weeks at the top of the singles chart after debuting at No. 1, becoming the 20th song in Billboard's history to spend the first two consecutive weeks of its debut at the top spot. With the rebound of its

Dressed in the traditional Korean attire of "hanbok," K-pop superstars BTS on Tuesday (Korean time) opened the "BTS Week" special on NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" with its hit song "IDOL." The show's weeklong series running for five days through Friday is designed to showcase different music performances of the seven-member band each night, including live performances, comedy bits and virtual interviews. In a prerecorded live stage perfo

Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, is all about families returning to their hometowns and paying tribute to their ancestors by visiting graves and sharing a big meal. Also, the Chuseok holidays are the busiest time of the year for movie theaters with lots of new family movies being released. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has the Health Ministry strongly encouraging the public to stay home and keep a safe distance during the nation’s major traditional holiday. Although foll

Though state-run culture facilities reopened Monday, uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic remain. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Friday that 23 museums and libraries and 11 government-run performing arts venues would reopen Monday after a monthlong shutdown. Despite them reopening, however, the performing arts sector continues to struggle. The Art Council Korea,, also known as Arko, under the Culture Ministry, canceled its Arko Partner project Thursday, cancel

K-pop sensation BTS will catch the eyes of its long-waiting fans with fresh up-to-date viewing experiences at its upcoming live online concert next month, its management agency said Tuesday. The online concert titled "BTS Map of the Soul ON:E" will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. on Oct. 10 and at 4 p.m. on Oct. 11, according to Big Hit Entertainment. During the two-hour event, the septet will perform on a scale equivalent to an offline concert, featuring augmented reality and extended re

South Korean girl group BLACKPINK became the second most-subscribed musician on YouTube on Tuesday, its management agency said. The official YouTube channel of BLACKPINK saw the number of its subscribers surpass 48.8 million, pushing down the American DJ Marshmello to No. 3, according to YG Entertainment. Justin Bieber topped the list with 57.2 million subscribers. The group's popularity on the global video-sharing platform hiked after it dropped its hit song "How You Like That" in

WASHINGTON  -- South Korean boy group BTS' recent hit "Dynamite" has returned to the top spot on Billboard's main singles chart, helped by the recent release of remixes, Billboard reported Monday. On Billboard's latest Hot 100 chart dated this Saturday, "Dynamite" finished first and was trailed by the former No. 1 song "WAP" by Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion. "Holy" by Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper and "Laugh Now Cry Later&quo

A second fan-made forest named after RM, the leader of the popular K-pop boy band BTS, in celebration of his birthday opened in Seoul on Monday, an environmental group said. At "RM Forest No. 2," located on the Ichon side of Han River Park, three hackberry trees and 200 stocks of spirea were planted to celebrate RM's 26th birthday, which fell on Sept. 12, according to the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement. It said RM's fans donated a total of 20 million won ($17,000) for t

Music from the hit online video game League of Legends will be brought to life by an orchestra here. “League of Legends Live: The Orchestra” will be held at the Sejong Center of Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Nov. 27-28. It will mark the first time that the Sejong Center is presenting a show with music from a video game. It will also be the first League of Legends concert hosted by Riot Games in Korea. League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena video ga