29 billion won project aimed at helping small and midsized entertainment companies take advantage of online opportunities

An estimated 1.7 trillion won ($1.43 billion) worth of economic effect is expected to be created by K-pop sensation BTS' conquest of the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week, government data showed Monday. Last week, BTS debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart with its latest English-language single "Dynamite," becoming the first South Korean singer or group to achieve the feat. According to a report co-published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affilia

Senior characters take center stage, evolving into individual characters

Ever since Big Hit Entertainment launched the BTS-inspired animated characters called TinyTAN about a month ago, the characters seem like they haven’t had a day of rest. With their looks, behaviors and good-hearted influence modeled after the septet, the characters were recently featured in an advertisement for the fabric softener product Downy. They also released a music video called “Magic Door,” where they sang and danced to “Mic Drop,” as well as launched an

K-pop sensation BTS becoming the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its recently released single has reignited a debate over the seven members’ military service. Under the current law, all able-bodied South Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for 18 to 22 months. The band’s eldest member Jin, whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, has to start military service before the end of next year, according to Big Hit Entertainment. Jin was set to begin his m

BLACKPINK is poised to potentially make the biggest South Korean girl group album debut next month, with retail pre-orders for its inaugural studio record reaching 800,000 units worldwide, according to the band's agency Friday. The number of pre-orders for the record titled "The Album" reached over 530,000 copies in South Korea, according to YG Entertainment. Combined pre-orders from the United States and Europe amounted to around 270,000 units, YG added. YG began accepting global

As the pandemic continues to persist, K-pop artists are increasingly going online to meet and communicate with their fans. Most recently, boy band Seventeen hosted their fourth annual fan meeting “Seventeen in Carat Land” on Sunday via fan community platform Weverse. It was a tightly-packed four-hour show that offered a variety of entertainment, from stage performances of the band’s iconic songs to themed acts where members pretended they were newscasters or athletes compet

This year’s Seoul International Drama Awards will go ahead without any audience, including the nominees, award presenters and guests. In accordance with the government’s “Level 2.5” social distancing measure currently placed over the Seoul area, the 15th edition of the television drama awards will be taking a different format, the event’s organizing committee announced Thursday. The organizers will personally be delivering the trophies to both the local and over

Global sensation BTS broke another record Tuesday by becoming the first South Korean act to land at No. 1 on Billboard’s main singles chart with its newest track, “Dynamite.”  Only one other Asian musician, Japanese singer Kyu Sakamoto, has ever made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and that was back in 1963. Korean soloist Psy got close in 2012 with “Gangnam Style,” peaking at No. 2.  To celebrate the historic win, the septet hosted a surprise me

The 12th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival will take place this month on-site as planned, but in a significantly scaled down form amid the COVID-19 pandemic, its organizers said Wednesday. Asia’s largest documentary film festival will run Sept. 17-24 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, just north of Seoul. The festival, which was originally scheduled to take place at three screening venues, will now be held only at the Megabox Baekseok branch. Audience numbers will be limited to 50 p

A much-awaited recital from pianist Son Yeol-eum and violinist Clara-Jumi Kang will be held online Friday without a live audience. Credia, organizer of the duo recital, announced Wednesday that Friday’s recital will be held without an audience for safety reasons. The recital was to be held at the Lotte Concert Hall, with audience members sitting in every other seat. The venue had been moved from the Seoul Arts Center as state-run cultural facilities were shut down under social distanci

Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas are deemed to provide a profound insight into the music and life of the iconic German composer. Pianist Sohn Min-soo thinks he came to understand the great mind more than ever before by recording the complete cycle of 32 sonatas. The album will be released Sept. 11 under the Sony Classical label. “Though the recording took 2 1/2 years, Beethoven is a lifelong journey for me. This album does not mean the end of my exploration of Beethoven. I am waitin

The moment it was announed that BTS’ stellar smash “Dynamite” reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100, during the wee hours in Korea, the bandmates were wide awake, pinching themselves to make sure that they weren’t dreaming. Tuesday marked a big day for both BTS and their fans worldwide, as the seven-piece group became the first Korean act to top the chart with its recently released single. It was the culmination of seven years of hard work and continual growth in the

The release of a documentary film on K-pop group BTS has been postponed in South Korea amid a surge in new coronavirus cases across the country since mid-August, the band's agency announced Wednesday. Big Hit Entertainment said the opening date for "Break The Silence: The Movie," originally planned for Sept. 10, has been postponed indefinitely, citing the rise in virus transmissions nationwide. The company said that overseas openings will be held according to schedules previously a

Kakao M, the entertainment arm of internet company Kakao, on Tuesday officially launched its mobile contents streaming platform Kakao TV and unveiled seven of 25 original titles that will be available this year. “We will showcase 25 titles -- six drama series and 19 variety show programs -- totaling some 350 episodes as Kakao TV’s original content within this year,” Shin Jong-su, the director of Kakao M’s digital media content department, said in a prerecorded video mes