Mix drama, fantasy and horror, the film sends timely message

The prolonged COVID-19 crisis has been pushing the performing arts scene to search for new ways to share their art, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has found a way to perform together onstage while complying with the social distancing measures. The SPO, a Seoul City-funded orchestra, had originally planned to perform onstage with an in-person audience at the Seoul Arts Center on Friday. The plan, however was canceled due to renewed concerns about COVID-19 community spread. The orchestr

Chinese director Gao Ming’s “Damp Season” won the grand prize for international competition at the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival on Monday. Sixteen trophies in five categories were handed out at the awards ceremony held at CGV Jeonju Gosa in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. “Damp Season” uses the damp summer of Shenzhen, China, to portray the relationship of a young couple who grow apart in the humid season. In selecting the winning film, the jury noted

Big Hit Entertainment, the record label and management agency of K-pop giants BTS, has opened an online global audition program for 2020, the company said Tuesday. Big Hit announced on its official website and social media accounts that it started receiving online applications on Monday for the 2020 Big Hit Global Audition aimed at creating a new boy band that will hopefully achieve the global fame of BTS. The company will receive applications until July 10, with the deadline for the United S

Set to continue a winning streak, Twice returned with the new single “More & More” on Monday. Released as the lead track of the group’s new album of the same title, “More & More” talks about the longing a person in love goes through. Like most of Twice’s romantic songs, the nine bandmates in the popular K-pop girl group show a bold attitude in winning the heart of their love interests. “You are gonna be mine again/Cause you know me know me/You&

  With a series of films confirming summer release dates amid the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic, some big-name actors are set to return to big screen in the coming month. Film distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday confirmed that highly-anticipated zombie flick “Peninsula” would hit local theaters in July, featuring veteran actors Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun. A sequel to the 2016 smash-hit thriller “Train to Busan” by director Yeon Sang-ho, the

Here is how K-pop stars and fandoms are reacting amid police brutality protests around the world

Girl groups Mamamoo and ITZY and solo male artist Kang Daniel were included in the lineup for the online edition of KCON, an annual K-pop and Korean culture festival scheduled to be held later this month, its organizer announced Monday. A total of 32 artists were confirmed to appear on KCON:TACT 2020 Summer, which will be streamed on YouTube from June 20-26 through the channel "M-net K-POP," according to South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM. Some of the top-billed K-pop acts incl

A recent audio sampling controversy surrounding BTS member Suga's new album shows that even global K-pop superstars are not bulletproof from potential public relations debacles. It highlights the inevitable risks associated with celebrities trying to step up their game on the international stage amid heightened calls for political correctness. On Sunday evening, Big Hit Entertainment issued an apology over the use of an audio clip of American cult leader Jim Jones, associated with the infamo

The music video of BTS' 2017 hit song "DNA" topped 1 billion YouTube views on Monday, becoming the band's first music video to surpass that milestone. "DNA," the lead track of BTS' 2017 album "Love Yourself: Her," achieved the feat early Monday morning, according to the band's label-management agency Big Hit Entertainment. Released in September 2017, the song stayed on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for four consecutive weeks, and in February the following year, it

Though fears concerning the novel coronavirus persist among the public, the film industry is ushering people to cinemas with discount coupons for movie tickets. The Korean Film Council, a state-funded institution, will be giving out discount coupons for movie tickets over a three-week period starting Monday, as part of its measure to revive the industry now staggering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Cinemagoers will be able to receive a 6,000 won ($4.90) discount per movie ticket

Just as they thought it was safe to reopen, theaters in Korea will continue to remain in hiatus as the South Korean government has brought back stricter social distancing norms. After several new infection clusters of the novel coronavirus cropped up in the Seoul metropolitan area, the government ordered all state-funded cultural facilities in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province to shut down. Following the order, four performing arts centers -- National Gugak Center, National Theater of Kore

Even in sensational South Korean dramas, it is not often the case that a mistress, taking the place of the wife and having the cheating husband’s baby, gets the support and love of viewers. But that is what happened with Yeo Da-kyung in JTBC’s “The World of the Married,” and rookie actress Han So-hee, who played Yeo, is also experiencing unprecedented popularity. “It’s actually astounding. My life has changed. I’m not saying I’m happy that my li

A Seoul court on Friday handed down prison terms to two disgraced producers of the popular music channel Mnet for rigging the vote results for a popular audition program. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Ahn Joon-young, the producer of the audition program "Produce," to two years in prison and forfeiture of 37 million ($30,000), and chief producer Kim Yong-beom to 20 months in prison. The two were convicted of manipulating the vote outcome to put certain contenders in favo

CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex chain, said Friday it has adopted camera systems that automatically check moviegoers' temperatures and whether or not they have their masks on properly amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19. The company, an affiliate of Korean entertainment giant CJ Group, said it has introduced the Smart Pass system in 115 of its domestic multiplex theaters. Smart Pass recognizes whether a person is properly wearing a mask, with the system requesting the wearer to pro