Entertainment

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  S. Korean zombie thriller film '#ALIVE' becomes global Netflix fans' favorite SEOUL -- "#ALIVE," a South Korean zombie thriller film directed by Cho Il-hyung, has garnered the love of global zombie film lovers using Netflix, the world's most popular over-the-top video-on-demand service. The zombie film starring actor Yoo Ah-in and actress Park Shin-hye was released in cinemas in June this year but its creators have decided to release #ALIVE through Netflix about three months after its domestic release because of a coronavirus pandemic that pro 2020-09-11
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  SM Entertainment partners with institute to nurture global K-pop specialists SEOUL -- SM Entertainment, one of South Korea's iconic K-pop powerhouses, will work with a private educational body to establish a K-pop institute aimed at nurturing entertainment specialists. The institute would provide foreign language classes and admit students from South Korea and other countries in March next year. SM said in a statement on September 9 that the company and Haneul Education would build "SM Institute" for K-pop and pop-culture specialists in Seo 2020-09-09
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  Melon promotes uncharted popular song thru new service SEOUL -- To diversify the range of music for customers, Melon, a major online music service operated by South Korean web service giant Kakao, has introduced a new music service to promote uncharted songs. South Korean online music services have provided daily and weekly song charts that are refreshed in real-time. However, such charts have been criticized for limiting listeners to enjoy charted songs while taking away opportunities to listen to new songs published by relatively 2020-09-08
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  Girl-crush icon MAMAMOO to return to music scene with new single track SEOUL -- Girl band MAMAMOO will return to the music scene with a single track, according to the four-member band's agency said. RBW said in a statement on September 8 that the quartet will release "WANNA BE MYSELF" on September 10. The agency said the new single contains MAMAMOO's unique colors and charming points. Unlike many other K-pop girl bands that express the cuteness or the visuals of members as the key attraction points, MAMAMOO has captured 2020-09-08
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  ​Popular artists prepare free online concert to help overcome COVID-19 depression SEOUL -- Popular hip-hop and R&B artists will hold a free online concert via YouTube in an effort to help South Koreans overcome depression and anxiety caused by a COVID-19 pandemic. In an April survey of 600 people, conducted by Lee Dong-hun, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University's College of Education, 29.7 percent experienced COVID-19 depression while 48.8 percent suffered from anxiety. Fears and anxiety about catching a novel coronavirus linger in the community and 2020-09-07
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  Economic ripple effect caused by 'Dynamite' estimated at $1.4 bln SEOUL -- The global success of "Dynamite," a new single published by BTS, is expected to generate at least 1.7 trillion won ($1.4 billion) in economic ripple effects, including 246 billion won in direct sales, government data showed. Revenue from offline concerts was not counted due to a prolonged coronavirus pandemic. Dynamite, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's main singles chart, would induce some 372 billion won in exports of related consumer goods, includin 2020-09-07
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  Seven-member K-pop boy band DRIPPIN ready to debut in October SEOUL -- DRIPPIN, a new seven-member boy band formed by Woollim Entertainment, will debut in October. The group included Cha Jun-ho, a former member of X1, an ill-fated project boy band which was formed through a TV survival reality show mired in a vote-rigging scandal. Woollim said that DRIPPIN also included five trainees who had competed in Mnet's reality competition show Produce X 101. The name of DRIPPIN's seventh member was not disclosed by Woolim, which is home to arti 2020-09-04
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  ​Seoul's tourism promotional video clip featuring BTS to be released next week SEOUL -- A promotional video clip featuring K-pop band BTS will be released next week in an effort to support Seoul's coronavirus-stricken tourism industry and to globally promote the beauty of South Korea's capital city. Seoul Tourism Organization said in a statement on September 3 that the Seoul's tourism governing body will release "See You in Seoul," the promotional video clip featuring BTS, on September 11. "The promotional video featuring BTS will 2020-09-03
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  Actor Jung Hae-in to star in Netflix drama remake of S. Korean web cartoon series SEOUL -- South Korean actor Jung Hae-in will play the main role in a Netflix drama remake of a popular South Korean web cartoon series "D.P Dog's Day" scheduled for release next year. Web cartoons, widely known as webtoons in South Korea, are cartoons or comic books created in a format that is optimized for smartphones' displays. South Korea, the birthplace of webtoons has a web cartoon market that is valued at one trillion won ($842 million). "Kingdom", 2020-09-03
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  ​Kakao ventures into global OTT market with new video content platform SEOUL -- Kakao M, the entertainment wing of South Korea's web service company Kakao, has ventured into the global over-the-top service market with video content that is about 20 minutes long to differentiate its service from American video-sharing social media YouTube and Netflix, the world's largest video subscription service. "YouTube and Netflix are strong players that have reached the top of the market with unique strengths. Kakao TV has no plan to confront them  2020-09-01
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  Actor Park Bo-gum makes quiet entry into boot camp SEOUL -- Actor Park Bo-gum made a quiet solo entry into a boot camp for his mandatory military service as a naval military bandsman. There were no on-site press or fan meetings due to concerns about a COVID-19 pandemic. Wearing a black cap and a black training suit, Park was seen heading to a naval training camp in Jinhae, some 310 kilometers (192 miles) southeast of Seoul, with his face covered with a mask. Some 1,300 trainees would undergo a COVID-19 test before staying in the c 2020-08-31
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  Hyundai collaborates with BTS to celebrate launching of electric vehicle brand IONIQ SEOUL -- To celebrate the launching of its new electric vehicle brand IONIQ, Hyundai Motor has collaborated with K-pop sensation BTS to release a new single. Hyundai launched the IONIQ brand in early August to differentiate its electric vehicle lineup from existing car lineups. Three vehicle models with a dedicated battery platform called E-GMP (Global Modular Platform) were introduced. The new EV lineup features ultra-fast charging, spacious interior and future innovations that 2020-08-31
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  BTS may change October concert schedule due to COVID-19 SEOUL -- Changes could be made to K-pop band BTS' Seoul concert to be held in October due to a coronavirus epidemic, according to the seven-member band's agency. BTS is to hold a two-day concert in Seoul on October 10 and 11 while broadcasting the concert footage live through WeVerse, the band's official fan activity platform. The concert will be this year's first concert since the band indefinitely postponed its 2020 world concert tour. However, it became unclear 2020-08-27
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  ​Seoul offers short indie films on subway trains to lighten mood of commuters SEOUL -- A subway network in Seoul kicked off an international subway film festival to help lighten the mood of commuters who have suffered from mental stress caused by a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. Seoul and its satellite cities have a vast network of subway railroads with 331 stations stretched over a total distance of 353.2 kilometers (219.4 miles). Some 7.4 million people use subway trains every day. A commuter living in Seoul or its surrounding cities no 2020-08-24
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  K-pop band BTS spreads disco fever with new full-English song 'Dynamite' SEOUL -- To recharge the vive into music fans tired of a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, BTS has dropped "Dynamite," a new disco-pop track which marked the band's first full-English song since its debut in 2013. "We wanted to deliver messages of hope and support through song and dance performance which we are good at," Jin, a 27-year-old BTS member, said at an online press conference just before the release of Dynamite at 1:00 p.m. (0600 GMT) on August 21. 2020-08-21
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  Amazon signs game publishing agreement with S. Korean game publisher SEOUL -- The subsidiary of Smilegate, a South Korean game publisher, has secured a bridgehead into U.S. and European game markets with a deal to exclusively release games using the channels of Amazon's game publishing wing. Smilegate RPG said on August 20 that its has signed an exclusive game publishing contract with Amazon Games, which plans to release a cloud gaming service backed by Amazon Web Services, the world's largest cloud computing platform, next year. Cloud 2020-08-20
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  S. Korean webcomics publisher Lezhin partners with U.S. online portal Anime-Planet SEOUL -- Lezhin Comics, a major webcomics publisher in South Korea, has forged a strategic partnership with Anime-Planet, an American online portal that provides animation content, to provide a huge library of Lezhin-exclusive webtoon titles for English-speaking online readers. Webtoons, also known as webcomics, are cartoons that were created to match the format of internet browsers. Sometimes webtoons contain special effects and background music to provide an immersive reading expe 2020-08-18
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  ​Kakao's content publishing wing acquires Kross Pictures to target global video content market SEOUL -- In a bid to beef up content creating capability and gain a competitiveness edge against foreign and domestic rivals, Kakao Page, a content publishing wing of South Korean web service giant Kakao, has acquired Kross Pictures, a multinational film and TV production company. Kakao Page said in a statement that the it has secured a 49 percent stake in Kross Pictures for 5.8 billion won ($4.8 million). The two companies would jointly cooperate to create original content targetin 2020-08-14
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  BTS to meet fans through offline & online concert in Seoul in October SEOUL -- For the first time since a coronavirus pandemic stopped BTS from going on a world concert tour earlier this year, the K-pop sensation is to hold an offline concert in Seoul that will be broadcast live through an online platform. Earlier this year, the seven-member band had indefinitely suspended its world tour schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the band successfully held an online concert in June, attracting more than 700,000 viewers worldwide. The concert ha 2020-08-13
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  S. Korean zombie blockbuster film 'Peninsula' tops Canadian box-office SEOUL -- "Peninsula," a zombie action blockbuster film directed by Yeon Snag-ho, has topped Canada's box-office chart for the first week of August, the film's distributor said. NEW, a South Korean film distributor, said in a statement on August 11 that Peninsula released in 49 cinemas in Canadian cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver has earned $12,000 to take the No. 1 spot in the box-office chart. The zombie film is scheduled to be released in the Un 2020-08-12