NK defector pianist Kim Cheol-woong hopes to bridge two Koreas through music

People all over the world have been stuck at home for several months now due to COVID-19. More and more concerts and performances have moved online, and some movies have been released on Netflix or other online content platforms exclusively or prior to opening in theaters. With myriad offerings available in these quarantine times, some people are looking to enhance the online experience by setting up sound systems for their homes. The visual experience of an online performance can also be enha

Big Hit Entertainment, the label-management agency of BTS, has won multiple defamation suits against an individual who has repeatedly posted malicious comments about the global K-pop group on the internet. According to Big Hit Entertainment, the person, whose identity was withheld, was recently fined 4 million won ($3,400) in total by the Seoul Eastern District Court for three separate criminal complaints for defamation. Big Hit added that the company was filing additional separate criminal co

　Despite COVID-19 having bogged down the global entertainment industry, the conversation and buzz surrounding K-pop on the social media platform Twitter have increased substantially in the past year. 　The number of K-pop-related tweets on the global social media platform from July 2019 to June 2020 reached 6.1 billion, up 15 percent from the 5.3 billion tally from a year prior, according to data compiled by Twitter Korea together with music startup Space Oddity’s fandom analytics dash

K-pop supergroup BTS' upcoming Seoul concert in October will be held virtually only, according to the band's management agency Friday, canceling the in-person element that was planned together. The Oct. 10-11 Seoul concert, "BTS Map Of The Soul ON:E," was announced in August as an in-person show with government-mandated seat distancing measures for COVID-19 prevention. Big Hit also planned to livestream the two-day event online as paid content. Big Hit Entertainment announced on its

K-pop supergroup SuperM returned with its long-awaited first full-length album “Super One – The 1st Album” with a hopeful message to endure stressful times as one. “We wanted to show the significance of our existence. While we’ve gathered from distinct teams, we’d like to show you the unity, synergy, our message and hope through the album,” said Kai in the group’s online media conference Friday morning, a few hours before the album release. The

K-pop project group SuperM said Friday it hopes to deliver positive energy through its inaugural studio album "Super One" to fans during the difficult times of the pandemic. "We've felt a lot of pressure from the great achievement we had from our debut album. We'd be satisfied if (fans) become encouraged through 'Super One' in these difficult times," SuperM leader Baekyuun said during an online press conference Friday in Seoul for the group's first studio album. "We hop

Adjusting to the turbulent times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an online-only musical will be launched in November. In the past few months, it has become the norm for musical production companies to stream their shows online, as in-person performances have been barred with tight restrictions to restrain the spread of COVID-19. Though the musical industry has been trying to establish a for-pay model, it has not been easy to bring audiences online, tying them down at home to watch the two- to

K-pop superstar BTS' new documentary film, "Break The Silence: The Movie," topped the South Korean box office on its opening day, data showed Friday. "Break The Silence: The Movie," the fourth film on the group, attracted 21,586 moviegoers on Thursday, the day of its release, outpacing other leading Korean movies, such as thriller "Diva" and action film "The Swordsman," according to the data from the Korean Film Council. The documentary film follows BTS

Global K-pop act BTS has said the team's great internal chemistry was driven by genuine friendship among members and the singers being fully aware they are committed to each other businesswise. "We're all very good friends. We always talk and communicate with each other. And we know that BTS understands each other as well," BTS singer Jin said during a virtual interview with the Grammy Museum's Collection: Live streaming service in the United States published Thursday (US time). Ji

The Korean National Ballet will perform “Le Corsaire,” also known as “The Pirate,” Nov. 4-8 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. The troupe was to perform “Romeo et Juliette,” choreographed by the iconic ballet dancer Jean-Christophe Maillot, in November, with the original production team visiting South Korea to direct the choreography. However, the ballet company canceled the show to avoid the risk of spreading COVID-19 through visiting foreign staf

K-pop boy band SuperM presented its television debut performance of its new single "One (Monster & Infinity)" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in the United States on Wednesday (US time). The seven-member project group under SM Entertainment presented a pre-recorded performance of the song, the lead track off the group's upcoming inaugural studio album "Super One," on the popular American talk show. "One" was pre-released Wednesday. The full album will