Entertainment

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  Brother-sister band AKMU to comeback in September with new songs SEOUL -- Brother-sister band AKMU, formerly known as Akdong Musician, will return to the music scene in September with three new songs, according to YG Entertainment. "AKMU has finished the production of all songs and they are currently creating music videos that reflect various colors of the band," YG said. AKMU's last album "Sailing" was released in September last year. The album containing 10 songs captured both music fans an 2020-08-11
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  Actors Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun to star in film adaptation of webcomic series SEOUL -- Popular South Korean actors Lee Byung-hun and Park Seo-jun and actress Park Bo-young will star in the film adaptation of "Happy Boy," a mystery science fiction webcomic series published by Lehzin Comics, a webcomics service operator. Web cartoons, widely known as webtoons or webcomics, are digital comic books created to fit into web or mobile platforms. South Korea is the birthplace of webtoons, with its w 2020-08-10
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  YG's new boy band TREASURE makes debut with single SEOUL -- Members of TREASURE, a 12-member new boy band formed by YG Entertainment through an audition survival show, hope to leave a mark on the history of K-pop with their own style as BLACKPINK, a four-member girl band from YG, has done. "We want to be TREASURE that can make a mark in the history of K-pop and give energy to everyone," Choi Hyun-seok, a co-leader of the group, said in a press conference to mark the group's official debu 2020-08-07
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  K-pop girl band ITZY to release new song next month SEOUL -- K-pop girl band ITZY will come back in August with a new song, the five-member band's agency said. JYP Entertainment said on July 31 that ITZY will release new song "Not Shy" on August 17. The agency said that ITZY members will show off "strong and powerful" charms in the music video for their new song. ITZY has earned the title of "Monster Rookie" when it successfully debuted in February last year. While 2020-07-31
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  Reality show starring BTS to be released next month SEOUL -- A reality show depicting BTS members' vacation inside a forested area will be released through JTBC, a broadcaster, and WeVerse, the seven-member band's official fan community app, in August, Big Hit Entertainment, BTS' agency, said in a statement on July 28 that "In the SOOP BTS Ver" will be aired at 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on August 19. Eight 60-minute episodes will be released every Wednesday. In the SOOP BTS Ver 2020-07-28
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  CGV seeks to revitalize coronavirus-stricken film industry with drive-in cinema at Seoul's amusement park SEOUL -- CGV, a leading cinema franchise operated by South Korea's entertainment giant CJ ENM, will open a drive-in cinema at a public amusement park in Seoul to help revitalize the domestic film industry that has been devastated by COVID-19. South Korea's film industry that once reached 1.91 trillion won ($1.6 billion) suffered a crippling setback this year when the world was swept over by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales in the first half of this year fell 7 2020-07-22
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  KT's original movie 'Double Patty' scheduled to hit theaters in late 2020 SEOUL -- "Double Patty," a film to be invested, produced and marketed by KT, a major telecom company in South Korea, will hit theaters at the end of this year, signaling the expansion of KT's original content from web dramas to offline theaters. KT said that Double Patty directed by Paek Seung-hwan would be released through its online video service and platforms. "Based on KT Group's media platform capabilities, we will introduce more diverse o 2020-07-22
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  Zombie action blockbuster 'Peninsula' attracts 350,000 moviegoers on release day SEOUL -- "Peninsula," the sequel of South Korean zombie action blockbuster film "Train to Busan" directed by Yeon Sang-ho, attracted more than 350,000 moviegoers on its release day despite the nationwide social distancing campaign that hindered people from visiting facilities such as cinemas with a high risk of COVID-19 infection. NEW, the zombie action film's distributor, said in a statement on Thursday that a total of 352,926 moviegoers wat 2020-07-16
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  KT's 5G-based live K-pop service to be released by Chinese content provider SEOUL -- Migu, a culture and technology service arm of China Mobile, will release a 5G-based live K-pop service in China, Hong Kong and other countries under a contract with KT, a South Korean telecom company which has prepared original video content using virtual reality technology to attract early adopter consumers. KT has provided live broadcasting and high-definition VOD services through its online video platform in South Korea and through Migu's platform i 2020-07-15
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  Sing-along 'Noraebang' feature added to S. Korea's favorite navigation app SEOUL -- People who cannot visit Noraebang, the Korean version of Karaoke rooms, due to concerns over a new coronavirus epidemic can now sing along their favorite songs using T Map, a popular navigation app operated by South Korea's mobile carrier SK Telecom. Keumyoung, a digital audio system company that makes karaoke machines, said on Tuesday that its Noraebang feature was added to T Map using text-to-speech (TTS) technology that converts digital content incl 2020-07-07
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  Hara's ex-boyfriend handcuffed in court with one-year prison sentence SEOUL -- The ex-boyfriend of Goo Hara, a former girl band KARA member who committed suicide after being dogged by hate comments and malicious rumors, was put under court custody after an appeals court handed down a jail sentence, overturning a lower court's decision. In August 2019, a district court in Seoul sentenced Hara's former boyfriend, Choi Jong-bum, to 18 months in prison with a stay of execution for three years. Choi was accused of assaulting and inj 2020-07-02
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  [INTERVIEW] Culture Minister promises to nurture new model of culture in COVID-19 non-contact era Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Yang-woo speaks during an interview with Aju Business Daily. SEOUL -- As offline performances remained suspended due to a prolonged coronavirus pandemic, South Korea recommends a new cultural model that can strategically cope with the era of non-contact by nurturing sectors including online concerts, OTT video-on-demand services and e-sports. "We must counteract against the spread of the non-contact and online 2020-07-02
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  OST of TV drama starring Park Bo-gum to be released thru Tencent Music SEOUL -- The original soundtrack of "The Moment," a tvN cable TV drama starring Park Bo-gum, will be released through Tencent Music, a company that develops music streaming services for the Chinese market. The drama to be released in the second half of this year follows the lives of young people in the world of modeling. Pan Entertainment, a major drama production company in South Korea, said it has signed a contract to supply and distribute 2020-07-02
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  SK C&C works on blueprint for smart marketplace using AI and blockchain SEOUL -- SK C&C, the information technology wing of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, has embarked on the creation of a blueprint for a smart marketplace that uses new technologies to precisely track, manage products and reduce distribution costs. Just like smart farms or smart factories that utilize artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain and cloud technologies to automate processes and reduce time and costs, s 2020-06-30
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  Popular S. Korean webtoon to be recreated as Netflix drama series SEOUL -- "D.P Dog's Day," a South Korean webtoon written and drawn by Kim Botong, will be recreated as a drama series to be distributed by Netflix, the world's most popular over-the-top video-on-demand service, which has released drama adaptations of South Korean webcomics series such as "Kingdom" that garnered explosive popularity worldwide. Web cartoons, widely known as webtoons or webcomics, are digital comic books cre 2020-06-30
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  [INTERVIEW] Media company head urges active promotion of K-content abroad SEOUL -- A coronavirus pandemic has brought up epochal changes in the pattern of consumption, moving up the era of consuming content on a variety of devices anytime and anywhere. The media market is no exception as more people use digital and virtual reality platforms to interact online with others. "The travel industry is changing to indirect experience rather than direct experience. The same goes for content. Korean content should go further to th 2020-06-25
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  ​S. Korean zombie film 'Peninsula' to hit cinemas in IMAX format SEOUL -- "Peninsula," a sequel to the 2016 zombie action horror film "Train to Busan," directed by Yeon Sang-ho, will hit black screens next month in IMAX, the special cinema projection standard that provides a wider image width. NEW, the film's distributor, said Thursday that the zombie horror film will be released in the format of both IMAX and normal cinema on July 15. IMAX films are screened at special theaters with wider screens. 2020-06-25
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  Singer-actress IU updates fans on war against cyberbulling SEOUL -- IU, a singer-actress who showed her strong personality in dealing with cyberbullying, has updated fans with her legal action against those who stood trial for launching persistent online attacks involving malicious online posts or comments. Unlike other docile celebrities, IU has spearheaded a legal campaign against cyberbullies by taking intransigent legal action against cyberbullying. Coordinated attacks have brutally harassed top stars including Cho 2020-06-25
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  BTS founder emphasizes voluntary and responsible attitude in K-pop idol audition show SEOUL --Bang Si-hyuk, the founder of BTS, promised to put his priority on a voluntary and responsible attitude when 23 candidates compete in I-LAND, a survival K-pop idol music show to pick next-generation K-pop artists. "I will serve to help participants choose and grow on their own, not to be immersed in competition and carry out a set mission," Bang said in an online production press conference on I-LAND. As the general producer of I-L 2020-06-24
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  Studio Dragon embarks on production of American remake of K-drama 'Hotel Del Luna' SEOUL -- Studio Dragon, a major drama production company in South Korea, and Skydance Media, an American production company, have jointly embarked on the production of the English remake of "Hotel Del Luna," a 2019 hit K-drama featuring singer-actress IU. Studio Dragon said in a statement on Wednesday that Alison Schapker, an American television writer and producer well-known for her works such as Altered Carbon and espionage series "Alias," wi 2020-06-24