IU and BTS, arguably the two biggest music stars of 2017, won the top prizes at the Golden Disc Awards, Wednesday and Thursday. The event, held in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, commended last year’s standout achievements in the music industry by referring to statistics from the Gaon Chart.  (Yonhap)IU won the Grand Prize for digital sales with “Through the Night.” The song, released in March, was the most streamed song of 2017. “(It is) so lucky that the song came to me,” she said, after receiving

Performance Jan. 12, 2018

Local broadcaster SBS is being heavily criticized for giving out gift certificates as a payment to staff. It was recently reported that a director, who worked for SBS’ “Same Bed, Different Dreams,” received gift certificates for his six-month payment worth 9 million won ($8,500).  (SBS)As the news surfaced, many condemned SBS, one of the three major TV networks in Korea. In response, SBS apologized through its official website Thursday. “No matter why, it is wrong that a part of payment for a di

Television Jan. 12, 2018

Actor Lee Jung-jin and singer Euaerin are in a romantic relationship.It was reported Thursday morning that the two stars are dating, along with some photos of them playing golf together. According to the report, despite the 10-year age gap, the two share a love for sports, particularly golf.  Lee Jung-jin on the left (Yonhap) and Euaerin (Star Empire)An hour after the report surfaced, Lee’s management agency said, “(The actor) confirmed that he has been dating her for the past seven months.” Aft

People Jan. 11, 2018

BoA will launch her first reality show “Keyword #BoA” later this month, ahead of the release of her new album, said her agency S.M. Entertainment on Thursday.  The poster of “Keyword #BoA” (S.M. Entertainment)BoA’s thoughts on life and music will be revealed on the show, along with preparations for her new album. SHINee’s Key, a fan of the solo singer, will also make an appearance on the show. “Keyword #BoA” will be streamed online first via Naver’s V Live and Naver TV on Jan. 22. It will also a

Television Jan. 11, 2018

Starring in JTBC’s “Rain or Shine,” Junho hopes that the drama will be of help to victims of disasters and accidents who suffer from survivor’s guilt. In the show, which airs Mondays and Tuesdays, a newly built shopping mall collapses, leaving hundreds of casualties. The fictional incident is reminiscent of the collapse of Sampoong Department Store in 1995, which killed more than 500 people.  Junho attends a press conference Tuesday at Digital Media City in northwestern Seoul. (JTBC)Junho, a mem

Television Jan. 10, 2018

After being a charming Grim Reaper, Lee Dong-wook is ready to take on the role of a doctor. Lee, who is currently in the tvN megahit drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” will star in JTBC’s new drama series “Life (Working title).”Lee Dong-wook (King Kong Entertainment)“Lee will star in JTBC’s new medical drama series,” his management agency King Kong by Starship Entertainment said Monday. Lee will play the role of an emergency room doctor.“Life” is not a typical medical drama show, as its

Television Jan. 9, 2018

Period drama “Joseon Beauty Pageant” broke barriers between old and new last weekend by highlighting gugak, or traditional Korean music. The two-episode TV drama, which aired Saturday and Sunday on KBS, centered on participants of a Joseon-era beauty contest, who find love and achieve their dreams.The series was well-received by viewers, contrary to initial concerns that young viewers might find gugak too unfamiliar. Many left positive comments on social media and the broadcasting station’s webs

Television Jan. 9, 2018

Entertainment TV show “Kang’s Kitchen” has closed up the show’s titular restaurant, leaving only the director’s cut to air Tuesday. The six-episode show aired on tvN was a spinoff of the reality TV show “New Journey to the West,” produced by megahit producer Na Young-seok. Original cast members of “New Journey to the West” -- Kang Ho-dong, Lee Su-geun, Eun Ji-won, Mino and Ahn Jae-hyun -- starred in the show, excluding only Kyuhyun, who had recently enlisted in the Army.  Poster for “Kang’s Kitc

Television Jan. 8, 2018

Rising actress Ko Sung-hee is considering the lead role in the new courtroom drama series “Suits.” “The production staff offered Ko a role in ‘Suits’ and she is favorably considering it,” said Ko’s management agency Saram Entertainment Monday. (Yonhap)If Ko agrees to star in the series, she will take the role of Kim Ji-na, an extremely perceptive and intelligent legal assistant. Kim is admired by people at work, but secretly suffers from an inferiority complex.“Suits” is a remake of the popular

Television Jan. 8, 2018

Minhwan of FTIsland and Yulhee, a former member of Laboum, are to get married in 2018. Minhwan made the announcement through his social media account Thursday, by posting a lengthy letter to his fans. “(My girlfriend and I) plan on bearing the fruit of our relationship,” the post read. “After coming to the life decision of marriage, I am thankful for the congratulations that I have received from so many.”  Minhwan of FTIsland on the right and Yulhee, a former member of Laboum (Instagram)After th

Performance Jan. 5, 2018

Trouble-ridden drama series “A Korean Odyssey” is to resume airing Saturday. After dealing with major accidents in December, the drama stopped airing for about a week. The third episode, originally slated to be aired Dec. 30, was put off. Poster for “A Korean Odyssey” (tvN)During the episode which aired Dec. 24, some unedited scenes were shown. It was reported later that a member of the production staff was seriously injured after falling on the set on Dec. 23. The production company JS Pictures

Television Jan. 5, 2018

Many welcome a new year with a new diary. Sadly, buying a diary is the easy part. Filling it can be much more difficult and many fall into disuse over the course of the year. While people buy planners, journals and schedulers fully determined to use them until the year-end, they are often forgotten about when the temperature starts to climb, and are pushed into the corner of a dusty bookshelf. Some people even give up before the spring comes. (Im Eun-byel, The Korea Herald)Some “quitters” succes

Culture Jan. 5, 2018

Big Bang’s Choi Seung-hyun, better known by his stage name T.O.P, is likely to resume his mandatory military service as a public service worker in January. The Military Manpower Administration will soon send an official document to Yongsan-gu Office in Seoul, informing it that Choi will be stationed at the office as a public service worker in January.  Big Bang’s T.O.P (Yonhap)An official from the office said Thursday, “Since we haven’t received the document yet, the arrangement is not yet fixed

Social Affairs Jan. 4, 2018

Restaurant franchise mogul Baek Jong-won will star in the new reality TV show “Backstreet,” aiming to breathe life into small eateries in back alleys suffering slow business. Baek, who rose to stardom through various food-related TV shows, recently starred in “Baek Jong-won’s Food Truck,” offering his assistance to young food truck owners. He will continue in his mission in yet another show, “Backstreet,” set to air Friday night on SBS. The goal of the weekly program is to help revive five resta

Television Jan. 4, 2018

Suzy will return with her second solo EP in late January. The singer-actress’s agency JYP Entertainment announced Thursday that “Suzy’s new EP will be dropped on Jan. 29 through local music applications and websites. Some of the tracks will be prereleased a week earlier.”  Suzy (JYP Entertainment)Suzy is currently in Los Angeles shooting four music videos for the EP. Formerly a member of the now defunct group Miss A, Suzy has contributed to the soundtracks of drama series in which she also had a

Performance Jan. 4, 2018