Entertainment

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  Virtual human YuA to debut as singer through dance song 'I Like That' SEOUL -- YuA, a virtual artist created by South Korean game publisher "Smilegate" and a visual effects company, will make her debut with a dance song titled "I Like That." Hundreds of voice data were synthesized using artificial intelligence technology to create the 20-year-old's voice. Smilegate said in a statement that YuA's debut song will be released through music websites at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on April 12. The new single portrays an AI human expres 2022-04-12
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  Bithumb Meta becomes 2nd-largest shareholder of Kim Hyeong-seok's entertainment company SEOUL -- The metaverse subsidiary of Bithumb, a major cryptocurrency exchange in South Korea, made an unspecified amount of strategic investment in an entertainment company established by Kim Hyeong-seok, a prominent composer and producer, for content partnerships in the metaverse-based digital content market. Bithumb Meta would work with Nonuni Raiders Entertainment to create an ecosystem in which participants who create and utilize digital content on a metaverse platform can devel 2022-04-11
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  CJ ENM creates new studio to strengthen global content competitiveness SEOUL -- CJ ENM, a South Korean media company that created the Oscar-winning film "Parasite," has created a new studio to establish a multi-studio system, underscoring efforts to strengthen global content competitiveness. The new entity named CJ ENM Studios will focus on planning, developing and producing multi-genre content for over-the-top (OTT) platforms. CJ ENM Studios, set up with a capital of 70 billion won ($57.8 million), will recruit excellent creators and acqu 2022-04-05
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  BIGBANG sings about ups and downs of life in comeback song 'Still Life' SEOUL -- Unlike previous albums showing strong hip-hop rhythms, BIGBANG members sing about the ups and downs of life in their comeback song titled "Still Life" as if they ruminate on the glory and shame they have experienced since their debut in 2006. Fans understand and interact with feelings, pushing the song up to the top of South Korean music charts. "Still Life" topped Melon's top 100 charts, almost nine hours after the song was released at midnight on 2022-04-05
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  Kakao joins Seoul city project to build world's largest K-pop concert complex SEOUL -- South Korea's web service giant Kakao joined a project to build the world's largest K-pop concert complex to be built in a northern residential district of Seoul as the main investor who will be in charge of operation and maintenance for 30 years. Construction is to begin in June 2022 for completion in 2025. With an injection of 312 billion won ($256 million), the complex called "Seoul Arena" will be built on a 50,000-square-meter site provided by the Se 2022-04-04
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  Fictional couple Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin from 'Crash Landing on You' tie knot in real life SEOUL -- Popular actor Hyun Bin and actress Son Ye-jin who turned hopeless romance into a beautiful love story in a cable TV drama tied the knot in reality. Through a 2019 drama called "Crash Landing on You," the couple depicted a forbidden love story in North Korea to fascinate global fans including drama lovers in South Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam. The wedding ceremony of Hyun, 39, and Son, 40, was held at a hotel in eastern Seoul on March 30. The event gained atten 2022-04-01
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  BTS member Jungkook tests positive for COVID-19 in Las Vegas SEOUL -- BTS member Jungkook tested positive for COVID-19 while he was staying in Las Vegas to prepare for a Grammy Awards performance. The seven-member band is scheduled to participate in the world's most prestigious music awards event as a nominee but it is unsure whether the 24-year-old will participate in the group performance. Jungkook was confirmed with COVID-19 on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, Big Hit said through Weverse, an official fan community platform. He 2022-03-29
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  Game developer Com2uS acquires controlling stake in K-pop platform MyMusicTaste SEOUL -- Com2uS, a game development and publishing company in South Korea, strengthened business capabilities in the global entertainment market through the acquisition of a controlling 58.5 percent stake in MyMusicTaste, a one-stop K-Pop platform that provides concert organization services and allows fans to interact with artists Financial terms will be disclosed later. Com2uS said it would combine its global network with MyMusicTaste's platform power to showcase more sophistic 2022-03-28
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  American rapper Cardi B to guest star in Baby Shark's Big Show episode SEOUL -- Cardi B, an American rapper and songwriter, will guest star in an episode of Baby Shark’s Big Show!, an animated children's television series based on Pinkfong's "Baby Shark" brand, that will be released on April 15. The show has been broadcast in the United States, Britain, Italy and Australia. The internet celebrity will voice the role of a new character "Sharki B" in the show co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, an American anima 2022-03-25
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  AI painters collaborate with human counterparts to create new images based on artworks SEOUL -- Artificial intelligence artists collaborated with a human counterpart to create new artworks that reflect human emotions such as "love" and "hatred." Using machine learning technology that accumulates various data to imitate human artists, AI artists investigated links between texts and images to create new images that are displayed through a screen installed on an art sculpture created by a human artist. The Ulsan National Institute of Science and Tech 2022-03-24
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  ​Chinese village community space wins grand prize at Seoul's 'Human City Design Award' SEOUL -- House of Dreams," a Chinese village community space recreated using local caves and wastes, has grabbed the grand prize at Seoul's "Human City Design Award," an annual international award event held to honor global design projects that benefit people, society and environment. The third annual Human City Design Award ceremony was held at the Dongdaemun Digital Plaza (DDP), a design and arts center located in the heart of Seoul, on March 21 as an online 2022-03-22
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  K-pop singer AleXa to compete with Michael Bolton and Macy Gray on NBC's music program SEOUL -- Alexaundra Christine, an American singer and dancer better known by her stage name AleXa in South Korea, will make her appearance on an American TV channel NBC's music competition show. The 25-year-old singer will compete with 55 American artists including Michael Bolton and Macy Gray to win the viewers' vote for the best song. "I cannot begin to say how honored & excited I am to be representing my home state of Oklahoma for @NBC’s @americansongconte 2022-03-04
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  SM partners with metaverse game platform Sandbox to create theme space SEOUL -- SM, an entertainment powerhouse in South Korea, joined hands with The Sandbox, a metaverse game platform, to create an exclusive space called "SM Town Land" where various events such as concerts and fan meetings can be held. Users can enjoy games or create non-fungible tokens using SM's various intellectual properties. The partnership with The Sandbox, a sandbox game for mobile phones and Microsoft Windows, and SM Brand Marketing (SMBM) is part of SM's e 2022-02-24
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  BTS agency opens new chapter in S. Korea's music history with record earnings in 2021 SEOUL -- The agency of BTS opened a new chapter in South Korea's music history by posting more than $1.04 billion in annual sales in 2021, despite a COVID-19 pandemic that prompted artists to cancel or put off offline concerts. Hybe became the first K-pop agency to achieve such a record. In a regulatory filing on February 22, Hybe said its consolidated net profit in 2021 rose 62 percent on-year to 141 billion won ($118 million). Sales jumped 58 percent to a record high of ov 2022-02-22
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  ​Girl band Red Velvet to hold offline Seoul concert in 27 months despite COVID-19 SEOUL -- Girl band Red Velvet will host its first offline Seoul concert in 27 months despite an endless pandemic that left about 100,000 people infected with COVID-19 every day in February. The five-member band will perform for two days from March 9 and interact with fans through online live streaming. "2022 The ReVe Festival : Prologue" will be held offline and online on March 9 and 10, the band's agency said in a statement. The event will take place at the SK Olympi 2022-02-21
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  Fashion item creator Lenge works with convenience store franchise to release avatar items SEOUL -- Lenge, an influencer who produces costumes for avatars in South Korea's metaverse platform Zepeto, joined hands with the operator of a domestic convenience store franchise to release exclusive fashion items. Using virtual fashion items, users can show off unique styles in the avatar platform. Metaverse is a virtual world where users can engage in social and cultural activities using their personalized characters called "avatars." The virtual world can be acce 2022-02-17
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  BTS to hold first offline Seoul concert in 28 months despite COVID-19 SEOUL -- BTS will host its first offline Seoul concert in 28 months despite a never-ending pandemic that has left tens of thousands of people infected with COVID-19 every day in mid-February. The seven-member band will sing and interact with fans for three days from March 10. "BTS Permission To Dance On Stage - Seoul" will be held through offline performance and online live streaming on March 10, 12 and 13, the band's agency said through Weverse, an official fan commu 2022-02-16
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  K-pop singer Jamie to perform in metaverse-based music and talk show SEOUL -- Jamie, South Korea's singer who gained popularity by winning the first season of survival audition program "K-pop Star," will showcase her new English single "Pity Party" on a metaverse-based live music and talk show. The 24-year-old singer will sing and interact with global fans using her avatar in an online virtual fan meeting event. Metaverse is a virtual world that can be accessed using smartphones, PCs, or virtual reality headsets. Users can en 2022-02-04
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  Virtual influencer Reah Keem signs contract to debut as singer SEOUL -- Reah Keem, a virtual influencer created by LG Electronics, will make her debut as a musician. The 23-year-old virtual human has signed an agreement with Mystic Story, an entertainment company run by South Korea's veteran singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin who has released self-composed songs in collaboration with various artists. LG said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mystic Story for the virtual influencer's debut as a singer. Reah was quoted as sa 2022-01-11
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  Baby Shark creator expands business scope to become global family entertainment group SEOUL -- Buoyed by the phenomenal success of "Baby Shark," a catchy cartoon song for toddlers, South Korean educational entertainment company, SmartStudy, unveiled a blueprint to expand its business scope beyond child education to family entertainment with webtoon, web novel, and sports brands targeting global markets. "We are starting a new chapter as the global entertainment company under a new name, 'The Pinkfong Company,'" SmartStudy wrote in a mess 2022-01-06