South Korean boyband BTS are worth more than $3.6 billion to the country's economy every year -- equivalent to the contribution of 26 mid-sized companies -- a research institute said Tuesday.The floppy-haired songsters were also the reason that one in every 13 foreign tourists visited South Korea in 2017, the Hyundai Research Institute said. (Yonhap)Known for their boyish good looks and meticulously choreographed dance moves, BTS -- short for Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates as Bulletproof B

Global K-pop sensation BTS has topped a national survey on the best music acts of the year.Gallup Korea announced Tuesday that the seven-member boy band earned 24.4 percent of support in a survey on South Korea's top recording artists for 2018. BTS (Yonhap - CJ ENM)Gallup polled 4,200 South Koreans between the ages of 13 and 59 from July 4-22, Sept. 7-27 and Nov. 7-30. It has a margin of error of 1.5 percentage points, with a confidence level of 95 percent.Participants were asked to pick their t

Jonghyun’s posthumous album also recognized

Queen tribute band The Bohemians will perform in Korea in January.They will perform at Daeyang Hall at Sejong University in Seoul, Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center and Exco in Daegu on Jan. 4, 5 and 6, respectively. (Shangri-La Entertainment)The Bohemians were established in 1996 and are dedicated to re-enacting the legendary music of Queen. The band consists of four members -- Rob Comber, Christopher Gregory, Wayne Bourne and Kevin Goodwin -- who each represent a Queen member. They will perform 22

The Eighth United States Army and Seoul Cyber University on Sunday held their 11th year-end joint concert at Seoul Arts Center.The annual joint concert was first organized in 2008 to share the holiday spirit with deployed soldiers and their families here, as well as to strengthen ties between the two countries. Since its inception, the year-end concert has celebrated classic Christmas repertoires and Korea’s traditional dance and music. Eighth Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Michael A. Bills (l

Kangta, or Ahn Chil-hyun, a former first-generation K-pop star from the now-defunct group H.O.T., owns 5,500 shares in S.M. Entertainment. The information was publicly posted on Monday.Ahn is an unlisted board member of S.M. Entertainment. The shares he owns account for 0.02 percent of S.M. As of 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, at the time of this article’s writing, an S.M. share was priced at 49,900 won ($44), making Ahn’s stake worth 274.45 million. Kangta (S.M. Entertainment)S.M. is the biggest talent

No sounds of sobbing or wailing were heard at a memorial event for SHINee’s Jonghyun on Monday, but the singer’s death is still keenly felt by his fans. On Monday evening, the event to commemorate the late lead vocalist of SHINee, who died a year ago, was held at a theater in S.M. Town Coex Artium in Gangnam. It took the form of an art fair that showcased clips and writing dedicated to Jonghyun. The event also included a memorial service. (Hong Dam-young/The Korea Herald)Organized by Shiny, a no

Dec. 18 marks the first anniversary of Jonghyun’s passing.On this day last year, boy group SHINee’s lead vocalist was found unresponsive at a studio apartment in Cheongdam-dong, a neighborhood in Seoul’s Gangnam district. He was rushed to the nearby Konkuk University Medical Center, but did not survive. Jonghyun (SHINee`s official Twitter @shinee)The 27-year-old star’s untimely passing was reported in major media outlets across the world, including the BBC, CNN, Forbes, the New York Times and th

Nearly two decades after winning the Grammy Award for “Fly, Robin, Fly,” composer Sylvester Levay was at a crossroads, about to venture into writing songs for musicals.“Writing music for (musical) ‘Elisabeth’ was around the time when I was peaking in Hollywood writing film music. I was torn between potential career choices when my wife pushed me forward. It was a turning point for me as a creator,” said Levay during an interview in Seoul on Thursday. The interview was in German, translated into

Epic Games Korea, the host of Fortnite Korea Open 2018, confirmed in a statement Monday that gun powder had not been used during AOA’s performance at the event, after the group’s member Seolhyun left the stage in the middle of the performance because she felt faint. The company also wished Seolhyun a quick recovery.Seolhyun’s management agency FNC Entertainment had initially blamed the singer’s dizziness and retching on the heavy use of gunpowder. However, fans had criticized the agency for not

BTS took home what is regarded as the highest honors of the evening on the third and final night of the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong: artist and album of the year. BTS delivers a thank-you speech at the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong (CJ ENM) BTS after winning `Album of the Year` at 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong (CJ ENM) BTS delivers a thank-you speech at the 2018 MAMA in Hong Kong (CJ ENM) Leader RM speaks on behalf of the group at MAMA in Hong Kong on Friday (CJ ENM)“Love Your

As part of the Hyundai Card Culture Project, The Weeknd held his first concert in Korea at Gocheok Skydome in Seoul on Saturday.Even before the show’s 7 p.m. start, the huge dome was already jam-packed with some 24,000 people waiting for the world’s leading R&B artist. Canadian R&B artist The Weeknd performs at Gocheok Skydome in Seoul on Saturday. (Hyundai Card)The Weeknd kicked off the concert with “Pray for Me” from blockbuster film “Black Panther.” Though it was the first among his performan

The music video of K-pop boy band BTS' global hit song "Fake Love" has achieved the milestone of getting 400 million YouTube views, their management agency said Sunday.The artistically charged "Fake Love" music video, released in May, achieved the feat Saturday afternoon, Big Hit Entertainment said.  (Yonhap)The song was the main track of the BTS album "Love Yourself: Tear," with which BTS rewrote K-pop history. The album landed atop the Billboard 200 chart about a week after its release, making

Gracias Choir is holding a nationwide Christmas tour through Dec. 23. Under the title of “Christmas Cantata,” the choir will hold a total of 43 concerts in 19 cities, including concerts at KBS Hall in Seoul from Dec. 21-23. Leading the choir is its principal conductor Boris Abalyan, who is also a professor of Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory.  Gracias Choir performs at a concert in the US (Gracias Choir)The “Christmas Cantata” program comprises three different parts: an opera featuring the bi