Entertainment

• 
  (INTERVIEW) 'Hellbound' director points to Netflix' positive role in film-making SEOUL -- Netflix has been the subject of constant attention and sometimes unwanted criticism for abundant capital, powerful influence and a different move in handling and financing drama and movie producers in South Korea, especially after its original television series, "Squid Game," swept the streaming service's top popular charts. Netflix has been under fire in South Korea with internet service providers accusing the world's top over-the-top video-on-demand se 2021-11-30
• 
  (INTERVIEW) Doing best as private diplomats to promote K-pop in Myanmar SEOUL -- When the 2021 Global Entertainment Expo (2021 GEE) was held on November 13~14 at KINTEX, a convention and exhibition center in Goyang, a northwestern satellite city of Seoul, the booth of JBJ Entertainment attracted quiet attention. It is the first Korean entertainment agency that has been set up in Myanmar to foster K-pop-style idols in the Southeast Asian country with members of local nationality and language. Since JBJ started its K-pop entertainment business in Myanmar 2021-11-29
• 
  (INTERVIEW) A dream that was realized at the end of numerous auditions. 'I will overcome the walls of language and culture.' SEOUL -- "Hello, I'm Ahn, a Vietnamese member of Beauty Box," Tran Nguyen Tram Anh with round and cute eyes said, greeting brightly with an inarticulate Korean pronunciation. The 22-year-old known as her stage name Ahn is the only Vietnamese member of Beauty Box under BY-U Entertainment that consists of six girls, including two Koreans, two Japanese, one Thai, and one Vietnamese. They released a teaser video on June 21 and made their debut three months later with the sing 2021-11-26
• 
  (INTERVIEW) There are numerous aspirants to become K-pop idols in Vietnam SEOUL -- ​Two major K-pop-related communities in Vietnam have about 39,800 members. An 18-year-old member who used the anonymous name "Kyu" from Binh Dinh located on the southern coast of Vietnam has enjoyed listening to K-pop from childhood, but her parents showed a cold attitude and said, "You don't understand anything, but do you still want to listen to them?" The language barrier was not a big deal. The rhythm and charm of K-pop continued to grab Kyu' 2021-11-26
• 
  Grammy nominates BTS for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for two consecutive years SEOUL -- K-pop phenomenon BTS has been selected by Grammy Awards as a nominee for "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" section for the seven-member band's global hit song "Butter," a full English song released in May 2021. Grammy, organized by the U.S. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), is one of the world's most prestigious music awards events. It features various performances by prominent artists. On November 24, NARAS unveiled f 2021-11-24
• 
  CJ ENM unveils $775 mln deal to acquire Endeavor's content studio SEOUL -- South Korea's leading entertainment group CJ ENM which created the Oscar-winning film "Parasite," secured a global content distribution network through a $775 million deal to acquire the content studio of Endeavor Group Holdings, which have talent and literary agencies representing prominent artists and sports stars. Along with 80 percent of the scripted business of Endeavor Content Parent, CJ ENM would have management rights through its American subsidiar 2021-11-19
• 
  S. Korean music experts to collaborate with AI composers to create soundtrack of silent films SEOUL -- Artificial intelligence composers will collaborate with humans to create soundtracks of silent films for the first time in South Korea. When an artificial intelligence composer creates melodies based on the situation of a scene in the movie, music experts will select and work on the most suitable soundtrack that matches the scene of the movie. According to the Korea Film Archive, the collaboration process between human and artificial intelligence (AI) composers will be demo 2021-11-18
• 
  BTS agency empowers former SM Entertainment creative director to lead new label SEOUL -- Hybe, the agency of K-pop phenomenon BTS, has launched a new label titled "ADOR" to launch a rookie girl band based on members who were selected through a 2019 global audition held in 16 cities including Los Angeles, Perth, Hanoi and Osaka. The new label will be commanded by Min Hee-jin, a former SM Entertainment creative director picked by BTS creator Bang Si-hyuk as chief brand officer. Hybe said in a statement on November 12 that Min would focus on branding the 2021-11-12
• 
  YG Entertainment opens fan-centered cultural space in virtual world to invite global fans SEOUL -- South Korea's entertainment powerhouse YG Entertainment has opened a digital clone of "the SamE," a fan-centered cultural space designed to offer special treats for global fans who visit a shopping and culture district near the company's headquarters in western Seoul. The SamE, located right next to YG's building, has a cafe, a merchandise store, and a small exhibition hall. It offered visitors a one-stop experience of K-pop culture. Lucky visitors may 2021-11-09
• 
  S. Korea attracts fans in Hong Kong and Russia with BTS' concert-based realistic content SEOUL -- South Korea's culture ministry has set out to attract Hallyu (the Korean cultural wave) fans in Hong Kong and Russia by holding exhibitions that feature realistic digital content recreations of K-pop, K-film and K-drama including an online concert of K-pop phenomenon BTS and "Parasite," an Oscar-winning film directed by Bong Joon-ho. Through the Hallyu exhibition called "Korea: Cubically Imagined," 17 kinds of realistic content recreated with scenes 2021-11-05
• 
  SM Entertainment ties up with YouTube to remaster old K-pop music videos SEOUL -- SM Entertainment, a major entertainment powerhouse in South Korea, teamed up with YouTube to restore old K-pop music videos from the 1990s and 2000s and recreate them into new versions. Starting with the remastered version of H.O.T.'s "Warrior's Descendants," released on November 4, 2021, SM Entertainment will release remastered music videos of famous artists such as S.E.S., SHINHWA, Fly to the Sky and BoA through the company's official YouTube channel 2021-11-04
• 
  BTS agency agrees to establish NFT joint venture with domestic blockchain company SEOUL -- Hybe, the agency of K-pop wonder BTS, diversified its business portfolio into non-fungible tokens through a joint venture with Dunamu, a blockchain company that operates South Korea's major cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, to turn the intellectual property of artists into digital assets that can be displayed and exchanged in fan communities. Hybe will issue new shares to secure some 700 billion won ($593 million) for its investment in Dunamu. A non-fungible token (NFT) 2021-11-04
• 
  BTS agency predicted to diversify business portfolio into metaverse and NFT SEOUL -- Major entertainment companies in South Korea are paying attention to new technologies such as metaverse and non-fungible tokens that could utilize the growing worldwide influence of K-pop artists and their intellectual property to create new and stable sources of income. Hybe, the agency of K-pop wonder BTS with a powerful base of fans in many countries, is no exception. A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unit of data stored on a blockchain network of interlinked virtual led 2021-11-02
• 
  MONSTA X's documentary film to hit theaters worldwide in December SEOUL -- A documentary film that contains the six-year history of K-pop band MONSTA X will be released in more than 70 countries. The video footage of the six-member band's experiences in the United States and exclusive interviews with the members will be included. MONSTA X's media agency Gramophone Media said in a statement on October 29 the film will be released as a gift to the band's fans known as "MONBEBE," starting with the first release in South Korea on 2021-10-29
• 
  BTS nominated for three prize categories of People's Choice Awards SEOUL -- K-pop phenomenon BTS has been nominated for three prize categories of the People's Choice Awards, an annual American entertainment awards ceremony. According to the website of the event's operator on October 28, the seven-member band was selected as nominees in three awards categories of "GROUP OF 2021," "SONG OF 2021" and "MUSIC VIDEO OF 2021." The awards ceremony will be held on December 7 in Santa Monica, California. BTS made hist 2021-10-28
• 
  Minari actress Youn honored with S. Korea's highest grade national medal SEOUL -- Youn Yuh-jung, a 74-year-old actress who won the Academy Award for her role in the 2020 American film Minari, was honored with Gumgwan (Gold Crown), the highest grade of national medals in the fields of popular culture and art. She is the first person to receive Gumgwhan in 12 years. Among 29 people selected as recipients of medals and citations, Youn is the only person to receive the Gumgwan Order of Cultural Merit in an online awards ceremony on October 28, according to 2021-10-28
• 
  SK Telecom works on real-time AI service to automatically provide subtitles SEOUL -- Through joint work with a domestic drama production and distribution company, SK Telecom, a top mobile carrier in South Korea, will develop a real-time artificial intelligence service that automatically provides subtitles to improve the viewing rights of deaf people who have complained about a lack of sign language broadcasting or subtitles. It would also contribute to the overseas distribution of K-content. JTBC Studios, a subsidiary of South Korea's pay-TV network JTB 2021-10-27
• 
  Indoor shooting site for sea battles and ship accidents to be built in state studio SEOUL -- A multi-purpose indoor site for special shooting such as sea battles, artificial rainfall, and ship accidents will be built in South Korea’s largest state-run filming studio, Studio Cube, which played a key role in filming Squid Game, a survival drama television series streaming on Netflix. A large water tank, which is 30.4m long and 20.9m wide, will be installed in the complex by December 2022. The special filing site is designed to meet growing production demand f 2021-10-26
• 
  Talks on potential business ties underway between CJ ENM and SM Entertainment SEOUL -- Talks are underway between CJ ENM, credited with promoting Hallyu (Korean cultural wave), and SM Entertainment, an entertainment powerhouse that spearheaded the expansion of K-pop, on potential business ties through a share purchase agreement or other means. There have been unconfirmed reports on a joint venture, but the two companies refused to give clear answers. CJ ENM said on October 25 that it has considered acquiring shares in SM to strengthen its music content busi 2021-10-25
• 
  BTS's online concert 'Permission To Dance On Stage' watched by fans from 197 countries SEOUL -- "Permission To Dance On Stage," K-pop band BTS's online concert was watched by fans from some 197 countries on October 24, the seven-member bands' label said in a statement on October 25. The agency did not disclose the total number of viewers. Through the band's first online concert of 2021, BTS greeted fans with stunning visual effects created using a gigantic LED screen measuring 50 meters long and 20 meters high. Fans were able to watch a screen that 2021-10-25