Music critics call for separating public and private lives of artists

Seventeen’s Junghan and Wonwoo earned gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan with their first subunit single, according to the organization, Wednesday. The duo’s single album “This Man” logged 100,000 shipments as of last month, and the band now has 16 albums that went gold in the country. The single came out on June 17 and topped Oricon’s daily single ranking and ranked No. 2 on its weekly and weekly combined album rankings. The album s

A coming-of-age drama set in 1999, "Victory" will rekindle nostalgia and provide solace for those fatigued from the hardships of life, its director said Wednesday. The film centers on Pil-sun (portrayed by Lee Hye-ri), who creates a cheerleading group to gain access to the school's dance room. The film is set to premiere as the opening film of the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival, which runs from Friday until June 28 with Lee Hye-ri receiving the Screen International Rising Star

An all-male six-member choir walks up to the stage and takes a deep breath, as guests are all ears for a tune that will animate a ceremony marked by many handshakes and applauses. “That’s the thrill, an adrenaline rush -- the feeling of undivided attention on the stage,” said Son Ye-bin, a baritone at Uangel Voice, a choir that has been performing since April 2009. Most of their performances since then have involved charity work, either raising funds for the marginalized or rai

Audience can’t help but root for late Lee’s character in posthumous blockbuster

The Grammy Museum is opening an interactive exhibition with K-pop powerhouse Hybe that explores K-pop music, culture, technology and fandom. The “Hybe: We Believe in Music” exhibition will be held from Aug. 2 to Sept. 15 at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The venue showcases items worn and used by Hybe’s roster of artists and creators over a space of 372 square meters. It includes original outfits worn in the music videos of “Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)&rdqu

Lisa of Blackpink is headlining the 2024 Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park on Sept. 23. This is the K-pop superstar’s first live performance at a music festival as a solo artist since her solo debut with the digital single “Rockstar” on June 28. “We are thrilled to join forces with Lisa for what will be her first-ever solo performance at a music festival. Lisa is not only an incredible performer, but also a powerful advocate, leveraging her voic

K-pop boy group Stray Kids is going on a grand-scale standalone world tour “dominATE,” according to JYP Entertainment. The world tour which kicks off in August includes six stadium concerts. This is the group’s third world tour coming two years and four months after their second world tour “Maniac” held from April 29, 2022, to April 2, 2023. Stray Kids’ upcoming tour begins at the Kspo Dome in Seoul on Aug. 24-25 followed by 21 shows in 12 different cities. Un

Jimin of BTS made Billboard’s Hot 100 for the fifth time on his own with the single “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band (feat. Loco),” according to the publication on Monday. The single claimed the No. 88 spot on the main singles chart dated July 13. It was dropped in advance of the release of his second EP “Muse” which will be out on July 19. His previous entries include “Like Crazy,” which fronted his first solo EP “Face.” The lead track debut

8 films in competition at Bucheon film fest display creativity, experimentation

Crime action film "Revolver" will unveil a new aspect of veteran actor Jeon Do-yeon that audiences have yet to see, according to the film's director, Tuesday. "Revolver" tracks the journey of Soo-young (portrayed by Jeon), a former detective who is released from prison after being convicted for crimes she did not commit. The film marks a reunion of Oh and Jeon, who worked together on critically acclaimed "The Shameless" (2015). The film earned Jeon the best act

Jay Park, also known as Park Jae-beom, is to hold his first solo fan meetings in 11 years. According to his agency More Vision, Jay Park will host "Jay Park Season 3: Dedicated 2 U" at the Myunghwa Live Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 10 and 11. The event marks the first solo fan meetings for the singer since "Jay Effect" in 2013. It is the third of the season projects that the singer kicked off in April with a video trailer promising fans that he would focus on music

South Korean ballet dancer Jeon Min-chul, 20, is set to join the world-renowned Mariinsky Ballet in Russia. Jeon is the second Korean dancer to become part of the prestigious company, following its principal dancer Kim Ki-min, 32. According to media reports, Jeon recently passed an audition in Russia and is scheduled to join the Mariinsky Ballet as a soloist in February next year. Jeon who graduated from Sunhwa Arts Middle School and Sunhwa Arts High School, is currently a third-year student at

Actor Song Joong-ki is expecting his second child, following the birth of his first child a year ago, according to his agency. According to Song's agency, HighZium Studio, on Monday afternoon, Song's wife, British model and actor Katy Louise Saunders, is expecting their second child. The agency did not disclose specific details about the second child, including the gender or the due date. The news of Saunders expecting their second child arrives a year after the couple announced the bi

Lia of Itzy is returning to the K-pop scene after taking a break since September 2023 due to health issues. According to JYP Entertainment, Lia will be joining her group for the upcoming album scheduled for release sometime this year. “Lia has been getting treatment for her anxiety issues and has recovered remarkably. After a thorough discussion with Lia, we’ve decided Lia will be resuming her group activities for their upcoming solo album scheduled for release in the second half of