Though Jo Kwon’s career is currently on hold, LGBT fans cannot thank him enough for his support for the LGBT community on Twitter.The singer is currently serving in the military after enlisting earlier this month to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service requirement, but his online presence is stronger than ever. This is due in large part to his willingness to voice support for sexual minorities -- a rare bold move in the K-pop world.Jo Kwon. (Jo Kwon‘s Instagram)In one of the recent t

YouTube creator Banzz on Saturday dropped a surprise announcement via Instagram that is set to be married next year. “I will be married next year!” Banzz said, uploading a selfie with his now fiancee to his official Instagram account. “We haven’t fixed the date yet, but will tell you guys later. I feel a lot better now!” He added. (Banzz`s Instagram)Banzz, one of the most popular broadcasters in Korea, is popular for his regular meokbang, or eating shows, held regularly via his YouTube channel.

From canceled TV performance in Japan over T-shirt to possible Pyongyang performance, boy band embroiled in politics

As K-pop artists gather for this year’s MGA awards, two global sensation girl groups have certainly caught the eyes of viewers.K-pop leading girl group Twice brightened up the red carpet of the 2018 MGA. (The Korea Herald)After dropping its latest album, “Yes or Yes,” Monday via local digital music-streaming sites, the band now dominates the charts with the catchy title track of the same name. (The Korea Herald)  (The Korea Herald)Fans are excitedly looking forward to seeing “Yes or Yes” perform

(Video shot and edited by Park Ju-young/The Korea Herald)K-pop stars descended on the red carpet at the 2018 MGA on Tuesday night, a music awards show jointly held by MBC Plus and Genie Music at Incheon’s Namdong Gymnasium.Members of the girl group (G)I-DLE cut chic figures in black outfits and matching boots.(G)I-DLE. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)The six-piece group, consisting of Miyeon, Minnie, Soojin, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua, was the first to arrive on the scene. The artists were greeted

Veteran South Korean TV presenter Song Hae, who has been presenting famous music show “National Singing Contest” since 1980, praised LGBT events during a recent TV appearance.Song, who is 91 years old, said there is “a lot to learn” from events celebrating sexual minorities when he discussed Jongno-gu, a district in Seoul often visited by older people, as well as members of the LGBT community, when he appeared on KBS’s talk show “Joy of Conversation” on Saturday.TV presenter Song Hae discusses a

Lee Jong-suk has returned home to South Korea after being detained in Jakarta, Indonesia, for about two days.Lee visited Jakarta on Nov. 3 as a part of his fan meetup tour, which included visits to Japan in August, and Taiwan and Thailand in September. He was scheduled to board a plane for South Korea the next day, but Lee and his team weren’t granted departure.(A-man Project)The actor’s detainment in Jakarta was made public through his Instagram post Monday, which read, “All of (the) staff memb

Market observers weigh in on the issue of dating in the industry

Upcoming cable series “Dear My Room,” which bills itself as a “do-it-yourself life drama” hopes to bring attention to interior design and the meaning of home on the small screen.The show, which first airs Tuesday on cable channel O’live, features four young main characters with design and arts backgrounds and their tangled relationships, including Shim Eun-joo, a former editorial designer now unemployed, played by Ryu Hye-yeong. Cast members and producers (from left) Yoon Ji-on, Park Ji-hyun, Ry

Top Korean actress Shin Se-kyung launched her YouTube channel and social media is abuzz concerning the celebrity’s self-made vlogs.The actress opened the channel in late September and uploaded her first video on Oct. 7 with the lengthy title “Daily life with JinSa, baking a spinach flatbread, mom makes me a red velvet cake, going for a walk and hanging out with friends.”“Hello, I’m a sister of Jinkook and Sarang,” Shin wrote in the caption of the video, referring to the featured dogs.  (Shin`s Y

After five years’ hiatus from the small screen here, Yoon Eun-hye is returning in new rom-com “Love Alert.”The new MBN series, set to first air Wednesday night, sees Yoon star opposite Chun Jung-myung as the two form a fake relationship as a popular celebrity and doctor, before it blossoms into genuine romance.The new Wednesday-Thursday nighttime series is Yoon’s first work for South Korean audiences since KBS series “Marry Him If You Dare” in 2013, though the actress appeared on “Goddess Fashio

Korean actresses struggle to repeat Hollywood success at home

"Dear Husband of 100 Days," a historical drama that mixes romance and politics, continued its rein on the weekly TV chart, data showed Wednesday.The tvN series, also known as "100 Days My Prince," topped the chart for the third week in a row, by recording a Content Power Index score of 283.3 for the week of Oct. 22-28.(tvN)On top of its strong performance on the chart, it also garnered high viewership ratings. The final episode broadcast Tuesday recorded a 14.4 percent rating, the fourth-highest

Actress Moon Chae-won will star in the upcoming fantasy rom-com “Gyeryong Fairy Tale” as an age-defying fairy, which is scheduled to air Nov. 5.The new tvN series is based on the famous Korean webtoon series of the same title and features a main character played by Moon, a fairy who has spent 699 years waiting for her husband and becomes a barista in the modern world.The show walks a fine line between fantasy and reality, with the main characters having extraordinary ability and an interesting b

Singer and actor Cha Eun-woo is breaking new ground for Korean dramas with the YouTube Original show “Top Management.”Cha, who appeared in the hit TV series “Gangnam Beauty,” will play the role of Yeon Woo, a young man who wants to be an idol star alongside his friends, in the upcoming 16-episode series.“Top Management” is the fourth original series from YouTube Premium in South Korea. It follows variety show “Run, Bigbang Scout!” and documentaries “BTS: Burn the Stage” and “Kwon Ji Yong Act III