Rookie girl group Rocket Punch had a very busy year. Since debuting August last year, the band already released three mini-albums.  The latest one titled “Blue Punch” was released Tuesday, three days before their first anniversary. Following “Pink Punch” and “Red Punch,” this album centers on the theme of summer and consists of six tracks with “Juicy” as the lead track.  “Our debut song ‘Bim Bam Bum’ was also an energe

The original French production of musical “Notre Dame de Paris” will go on stage in Korea Nov. 10 - Jan. 17 at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul, Mast Entertainment confirmed Thursday. The Seoul shows will be of the new version of the beloved musical created in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show the following year with detailed upgrades in costumes, choreography and lights. It will be the first time the new version is staged in Korea. The most rece

The annual EBS International Documentary Film Festival will be showcasing films to a wider audience through television and an online platform as the coronavirus stands in the way of cinema screenings. The 17th edition of the documentary festival will take place on EBS 1TV channel and video service D-BOX over a one-week period starting Aug. 17, the educational broadcasting network said Tuesday. “Most major films festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Jeonju International F

Documentary examines mid-1970s bombings of Japanese companies accused of war crimes

The 2020 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will take place Oct. 16-17 at Songdo Pentaport Park, the city of Incheon announced on Wednesday. The festival will take place both on and offline, with performances streamed live for the first time in the festival‘s history. While the festival was held for three days in August in previous years, it has been pushed back to October this year with a shortend two-day schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15th edition of the annual festival aims

Film boasts star-studded cast of veteran supporting actors

Head of international tour production ‘Phantom’ looks forward to Daegu shows

Words from the song "Run" by K-pop group BTS have been featured on an iconic signboard in downtown Seoul. The new billboard on the exterior of the Kyobo Building in the Gwanghwamun square, central Seoul, reads, "Run, run, run again. It's OK if you fall. Run, run, run again. It's OK to get hurt" -- lifted from the lead song of the 2015 BTS album "The Most Beautiful Moment in Life pt. 2." The banner, 20 meters by 8 meters in dimension, has been up on the Gwanghwamu

The combined revenue of the South Korean zombie blockbuster "Peninsula" has topped $40 million in eight Asian countries, the film's local distributor said Tuesday. Released on July 15 in South Korea and Taiwan, the movie posted a cumulative $10 million in revenue in its third week in Taiwan, becoming the biggest box office hit in the country, according to NEW. In Vietnam, its sales reached more than $3.33 million, higher than that of Oscar-winning "Parasite" (2019), becomi

In an about-face from its usually contemplative and edgy sound and imagery, K-pop girl group (G)I-dle said Monday its new single "Dumdi Dumdi" was intended to be a bright dance song inspired by the spirit of youthfulness and the sizzling summer heat. "While writing the new song, I asked myself what summer reminds me of. I thought it was similar to the spirit of youthfulness," (G)I-dle singer Soyeon said during a press conference held online ahead of the single's 6 p.m. relea

Blockbuster action flick “Steel Rain 2” has racked up 1 million admissions in less than a week, following the lead of zombie thriller “Peninsula,” which kicked off the summer movie season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Steel Rain 2” surpassed the mark of 1 million on Sunday, according to the state-run Korean Film Council, five days after its opening on July 29. The film is expected to be in a close race with action thriller “Deliver Us From Evil,

S.M. Entertainment said Monday that it has secured 100 billion won (US$83.8 million) in funding from Naver. The new funding will be injected into two S.M. affiliates – SMEJ Plus and Mystic Story – and a separate fund solely dedicated to creating new video contents. As part of the renewed partnership, S.M. plans to unify its global fanclub service into “Fanship” on Naver’s K-pop platform V Live. Launched last year, Fanship is a membership-based paid service for b

Once considered fit only to be watched on mobile devices, short-form content has recently been making inroads into television On July 4, JTBC kicked off its first short-form omnibus “Just Comedy.” Comprising five 10-minute episodes that blend comedy with other genres, the show features some of Korea’s most popular comedians, including Jang Do-yeon and Yoo Se-yoon. The show seemed quite successful, creating sensation on social media, but the viewership ratings of the regular

The “Mr. Trot” Seoul concert, featuring top contestants from TV Chosun’s record-breaking program, has been rescheduled to Aug. 7 to 23, after the local government relaxed regulations on large-scale concerts Friday. The concert has been delayed four times due to the spread of COVID-19 and restrictions made by the Songpa-gu Office, which oversees Olympic Gymnastics Arena where the concert is scheduled to take place. Show Play, the concert organizer, announced that the audience

K-pop singer-turned-stage actor shares affection for musical ‘Mozart!’