Conductor Chung Myung-whun will return to the stage as a pianist with a chamber music ensemble as part of a nationwide tour this fall. He will be joined by four other musicians: Violinist Kim Su-yoen, a concertmaster at Konzerthausorchester Berlin; violist Kim Sara, who joined the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra as a principal viola from the 2019-20 season, cellist Song Young-hoon and double bassis...

Members of K-pop phenomenon BTS have officially embarked on their roles as honorary ambassadors for South Korea‘s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Busan. The bidding committee on Tuesday afternoon held an appointment ceremony at the band’s label Hybe‘s headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, officially naming the seven members as public relations ambassadors for the 2030 Busan World Expo bid. BTS ...

During a recent interview with local reporters, Kim was all smiles, giving a glimpse of her upbeat and relaxed personality. But she’s different on stage, where the weight of her role as she leads many accomplished musicians is reflected in her quiet yet determined demeanor. “When coordinating an orchestra, you need to speak concisely and efficiently to ensure a mutual hold on the music,” she not...

Jennie of popular K-pop girl group Blackpink will make her acting debut in the upcoming HBO drama series “The Idol,“ according to her label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. Co-produced by Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, Sam Levison and Reza Fahim, the series is set against the backdrop of the music industry in Los Angeles. The story revolves around a self-he...

The artist came up with the keyword “ice” for the new release after brainstorming what people want and need the most during the summer season, she explained. She wanted to come up with new music that people can enjoy, just like how one relaxes while sipping on iced drinks, she said. Hyolyn added that ice was an apt representation of her own personality, too. Just like how ice melts easily, unlik...

A total of 137 pieces from 27 countries are being screened during the eight-day film festival dedicated to experimental films. Held on-site for the first time in two years, the festival opened last Thursday in Seoul with a trailer made by Simon Liu, who was the winner of the Best EXiS Award in 2021. Liu is a Hong Kong-born video artist who creates short films in alternative documentary formats a...

Tooniverse, a leading South Korean animation channel and an affiliate of South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM, will air Nickelodeon series starting in August. Titled “Nickelodeon Time,” Tooniverse will present hit American animated series daily from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The animated comedy series “SpongeBob SquarePants” is set to air at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 p.m....

Boy band CIX will celebrate the third anniversary of its debut with online activities throughout the week. The quintet uploaded a teaser for the week-long event that starts on Monday, leading up to the anniversary that falls on Friday. It includes a five-part series of cover videos as well as an interview clip. On Friday, the bandmates will livestream and chat with fans. From April to ...

Veteran musician returns with water-drenched ‘Summer Swag’ concert

And I’ve concluded that the time has come to respect K-pop. It’s time to appreciate idols and their songs, as their sound connects with the global community and delivers hopeful messages. I’ve often listened to the genre with a cynical eye, but K-pop has taught me not to take things at face value. I never had the will to delve into K-pop, and I was judging a book by its glitzy, flashy cover. But...

K-pop boy group Seventeen will return Monday with a repackaged version of its fourth studio album, "Face the Sun." The new album titled "Sector 17" is to hit online music services at about 6 p.m., according to the band's agency, Pledis Entertainment. "Sector 17" will have four new songs, including "_World," "Fallin' Flower" and "Cheers," in addition to nine tracks off "Face the Sun," the agency...

k"Girls," the second EP from South Korean girl group aespa, landed at No. 3 on US Billboard's main albums chart. Billboard has said in an article Sunday (US time) that the quartet reached the milestone on the upcoming Billboard 200 chart for this week by earning 56,000 equivalent album units in the United States. "Girls" became the second highest-charted album by a K-pop girl group after BLACKP...

Sales of K-pop albums have once again renewed their all-time-high level in the first half of this year, with the music continuing to be in its heyday, a local market tracker said. According to Kim Jin-woo, head researcher of Circle Chart, which reports accumulated sales and streams, on Sunday, combined sales of the nation's top 400 physical albums have risen to 34.9 million copies in the first h...

The 2021 TV competition “Street Woman Fighter” has changed the scene for dancers. The show put dancers, who usually played a support role on the stage, in the spotlight and gave them their own fan bases. Hyojin Choi said she could feel the change after her time on the popular show. “I’ve been dancing since I was a student, and at that time, everyone from my school teachers to my family had this...

“It should not be too familiar, but also not too strange either. I am a commercial film director, so I have to constantly consider whether there is too big of a gap between what I have in my head and what audiences can imagine. In order to do that, I ask lots of questions to people and listen, then I choose what to keep and what to cut out. Through this process I find a balance,” Choi said. Duri...