South Korea’s credit default risk has dropped to its lowest point in over 12 years, to a level last seen before the 2008 global financial crisis, government data showed Wednesday. The credit default swap premium on the country’s foreign exchange stabilization bonds with a five-year maturity came to 27 basis points as of Tuesday on the New York market, according to the Ministry of Economy and Fin...

The number of private funds in South Korea has fallen sharply over the past three months amid controversies over derivative-linked funds and a liquidity crisis at a major company, data compiled by a market operator showed Tuesday. According to the Korea Financial Investment Association, the number of private funds -- including private equity funds and hedge funds -- in the country tallied 11,177...

Actors Ji Chang-wook and Kim So-hyun will dub the 2016 animated film “Your Name.” Ji will immerse himself in the role of Taki, a high school boy living in Tokyo who aspires to become an architect. Meanwhile, Kim will play Mitsuha, a high school girl who lives in a rural town and wishes to move to Tokyo. The dubbed version of the fantasy animated flick will hit local theaters on July 13. By Jie...

G-Dragon’s solo album “Kwon Ji Yong” has set the charts on fire in China. As of 10:55 p.m. on Wednesday, the singer has set the record of selling over one million copies of his latest album on QQ Music, the biggest music site in China. G-Dragon also sold over 4,000 copies of the album within 24 hours of its release in US, once more proving his popularity. Meanwhile, the singer kicked off his w...

Global pop star Psy will hold summer concerts for the first time in five years, according to his agency Wednesday. The artist had previously promised to host a summer concert this year at a press conference for his new full-length album, “4x2=8,” in May. In 2011 and 2012, the singer held music event series where concertgoers could beat summer heat. According to YG Entertainment, this summer’s ...

JYJ’s Park Yu-chun will reportedly get married on Sept. 10, according to a local media report Tuesday. The report quoted Park and his fiance Hwang Ha-na’s families as saying, “Park is set to tie the knot with Hwang in Seoul. The couple is currently preparing for the wedding.” The bride-to-be is the 28-year-old granddaughter of Namyang Dairy Products’ founder. Hwang uploaded a video on Instagra...

K-pop act BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, will celebrate the fourth anniversary of its debut in “2017 BTS Home Party” on Tuesday. The upcoming event is a part of the group’s annual event titled, “BTS Festa,” which the group celebrates its big day every day, starting from June 1. In February, the K-pop act kicked off its global tour in Seoul and went on to perform in 32 cities. BTS is currently...

A group of fans of K-pop act Super Junior has demanded Sungmin be removed from the popular band. An online fan community that calls itself “Super Junior Gallery” released a statement on Sungmin with the title “Sungmin Out” on Sunday. Amid the controversy, Label SJ has decided to hold a meeting to discuss the group’s future plans and activities with fans this month. By Jie Ye-eun (yeeunjie@hera...

T.O.P, a member of Big Bang, remains “unconscious” and is likely to recover in a week, medical staff said at a press conference on Wednesday. The clarification by physicians in charge of the Korean rapper came after a flurry of conflicting reports about the singer‘s condition flooded the local media. T.O.P had been taken to hospital for alleged drug overuse on Tuesday. The singer’s mother contra...

Singer-actor Kim Hyun-joong’s album “re:wind,” released in Japan on Tuesday, has topped the daily Oricon chart, Japan’s largest music chart. The album secured the No. 1 spot on the chart and sold 21,377 copies on the first day of its release. It was his first album since he completed his compulsory military service in February. Starting from Wednesday in Shizuoka, Kim kicked off his solo tour “...

Global K-pop act Super Junior is preparing to return with a new album this year, according to its agency, Label SJ, Tuesday. This will mark the boy band’s return to the spotlight about two years after it released the second part of its 10th anniversary special album “Magic” in September 2015. In January, Super Junior said the group aimed to release its eighth album in the second half of this ye...

K-pop boy band 2PM’s Junho will drop his fifth solo album “2017 S/S” in Japan on July 26, according to his agency on Tuesday. The artist has been releasing special albums every summer since 2013 and topped the Oricon’s Daily chart in July 2016. By Jie Ye-eun (yeeunjie@heraldcorp.com)

T.O.P, a member of Big Bang, has been indicted without detention on charges of smoking marijuana, prosecutors said Monday. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said that T.O.P, 29, is suspected of smoking the banned substance four times with a female singer trainee at his home in Seoul in October last year. The types of illegal drugs he is alleged to have used are marijuana and liquid...

K-pop girl group Black Pink will release a new album in June, according to its agency on Monday. “The exact date of release has not yet been confirmed but Black Pink is slated to drop the album sometime in mid-June,” YG Entertainment said. “The group will be filming the music video for an upcoming song this week.” Black Pink will be the next YG Entertainment artist to release an album, following...

Since his debut in 2006 with the KBS drama “Famous Chil Princesses,” Park Hae-jin has played a doctor, chaebol scion, stoic college senior and special intelligence agent. But it could be a role he is taking up for the second time that excites his fans most. Park, however, said that he is not confident about playing romantic roles. He is embarrassed to say cheesy lines, he said. Rather, he spok...