Gang says he saw his dry, sharp, furious image for first time in action thriller ‘The Plot’

Even as K-pop giant Hybe’s multilabel system is being tested by the ongoing feud with the CEO of one of its subsidiaries, Ador’s Min Hee-jin, the longest-standing K-pop agency, SM Entertainment is forging ahead with establishing its own multilabel system, dubbed “SM 3.0.” SM 3.0 focuses on broadening the spectrum of K-pop, according to Choi Jin-suk, global A&R executive of Kreation Music Rights (KMR), a music publishing subsidiary of SM Entertainment. “Within KM

Traditional Korean and African dances by both the Little Angels and TAGG marked the Africa Day 2024 Korea Business Forum on Thursday, with a side event introducing African food and craft. Twenty-three members of the Little Angles opened the celebrations with “buchaechum,” or fan dance, followed by the singing of “A Beautiful Country,” a Korean song, at the forum cohosted by Herald Media Group and the African Group of Ambassadors at the Swiss Grand Hotel Convention Center

Ahead of Ador’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting Friday to decide on the dismissal of CEO Min Hee-jin, NewJeans fans and Hybe staffers are showing their respective support by submitting petitions to the Seoul court. In a petition submitted to the Seoul Central District Court on May 24, NewJeans fans wrote, “Until it is legally concluded that Min acted unlawfully, the contract terms signed between Min and Hybe should be respected and we hope she remains the CEO of Ador. We kn

The two-lead single album "How Sweet" by popular girl group NewJeans sold over 800,000 on its release day, Hanteo Chart, a local market tracker, said Saturday. The album, dropped Friday, marks the girl group's first release in 10 months. The album carries the title track "How Sweet" and the prereleased song "Bubble Gum," along with instrumental versions of both songs. "How Sweet" was described as a bouncy hip-hop style song based on Miami bass, allowi

"Lost!," a new song by RM, the leader of K-pop superband BTS, has debuted atop iTunes Top Songs charts in 73 countries around the world, his agency said Saturday. The title song of his second solo album, titled "Right Place, Wrong Person," topped the iTunes charts in Italy, France, Japan and Mexico. On Friday, RM dropped his first solo album since "Indigo," his first official solo album, in December 2022. Including the main track, "Lost!," the album has a

Le Sserafim received 100 million views on YouTube for the music video of “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife,” agency Source Music said Friday. It is the group’s fourth video to reach the milestone, following those of “Fearless,” “Antifragile” and “Unforgiven (feat. Nile Rodgers),” and is its first music video for a B-side track to do so. “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s Wife” is from the quintet’s first fu

SBS's new thriller drama series "Connection" will aim to raise awareness about drug use in Korean society by dealing with destructive effects of drugs -- a sensitive subject for terrestrial television. "Connection" is a 16-part series that narrates the story of Jang Jae-kyung (played by Ji Sung), a detective specialized in catching drug criminals, who becomes forcibly addicted to drugs by an unidentified person. The series' director, Kim Mun-kyo, said he aimed to sh

Girl group NewJeans is releasing a new single amid their label's dispute with its parent company. “How Sweet” was released at 1 p.m. on Friday. It was their first release in 10 months and the single includes the title track “How Sweet,” the pre-released track “Bubble Gum,” and instrumental versions of both songs. The title track is a lively song based on Miami Bass, according to their agency Ador. Miami Bass is a hip-hop subgenre characterized by its fast

The action thriller “Escape” featuring Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan confirmed its local theatrical release for July 3. The movie will hit theaters in North America on July 5. The movie, helmed by Lee Jong-pil behind “Samjin Company” (2020), “The Man from Nowhere” (2010) and “Hindsight” (2011), revolves around two North Korean soldiers – Gyu-nam (played by Lee) who wants to defect for a better future and Hyun-sang (played by Koo) who chases af

Samulnori Ttamtti, a Korean traditional music quartet composed of four individuals with disabilities, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a concert titled "Ttamtti's 20-Year Journey to Fly High." The group was formed in 2003 as part of a music therapy program for disabled individuals, bringing together Ko Tae-woog, who has a developmental disorder; Park Jun-ho, who has autism; Lee Seok-hyun, who has a brain disorder; and Cho Hyeong-gon, who has Down syndrome. All four members

“Following” (South Korea) Opened May 15 Mystery Thriller Directed by Kim Se-hwi Real estate agent Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han) has a strange, if not perverse, habit of peeping into other people’s lives. Whether it is a neighbor or a client at his office, he thinks nothing is wrong with his secretive life as a voyeur. “IF” (US) Opened May 15 Family/Comedy Directed by John Krasinski A girl discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends. With her new sup

NCT127 released single “Colors” in Japan on Thursday to celebrate the sixth anniversary of debut in the country, according to label SM Entertainment. The seven-member subunit put the R&B tune on stage during its first dome tour in Japan “Neo City: Japan – The Link” in 2022 and fans have been asking for it to be published. The septet officially debuted in Japan with EP “Chain” in May 2018 and wrapped up its second dome tour in the nation, “Neo C

SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment are benefiting from Hybe’s momentary breakdown, as the rival companies’ K-pop groups are successfully wresting the spotlight from Hybe artists. In a private mobile message between Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, which was disclosed by Min following their fallout last month, Bang demanded that Min “crush” SM Entertainment’s popular girl band aespa. Exactly the opposite has unfolded since the message was made

A South Korean DJ-comedian in a Buddhist monk’s robe is riding growing popularity to step onto the global stage, but he is increasingly forced to deal with resurfacing complaints questioning his way of spreading the religion. Youn Sung-ho -- the comedian known as NewJeansNim, “snim” meaning monk in Korean -- stepped into the global spotlight in late April during his first overseas tour in Taiwan, where he delivered his electronic dance music performance of echoing Buddhist vers