Lee Soon-jae's presence fills stage; So Yoo-jin, Jin Ji-hee performances shine

Director Lee Won-tae returns with another crime noir flick, “The Devil’s Deal,” four years after he was invited to the Cannes Film Festival for 2019’s "The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil.” Reunited with “The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil” actor Kim Moo-yeol, director Lee said he cast Cho Jin-woong early on and the acting roster was “nicely completed” when “Reborn Rich” actor Lee Sung-min joined at last. “From when I was re

“Babylon” (U.S.) Opened Feb. 1 Drama Directed by Damien Chazelle Set in Hollywood’s late 1920s, “Babylon” chronicles the rise and fall of ambitious dreamers -- singers, actors and filmmakers -- in the movie industry, depicting Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound films. The film, starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, is director Damien Chazelle's follow-up to the well-regarded La La Land in 2016 and First Man in 2018. “BTS: Y

Tomorrow X Together sold two million copies of its fifth EP as of Wednesday about one month short of its four-year debut anniversary, according to a local tally published Thursday. It recorded 2 million first-week album sales in the shortest time among K-pop artists. It is also the second K-pop group to sell over 1.8 million units on the day of release after BTS, label Big Hit Music highlighted. The EP, titled “The Name Chapter: Temptation,” headed straight to the top of Oricon&rsqu

Yet another K-pop audition program is on the way with Mnet's new competition show "Boys Planet," set to premiere Thursday. Mnet, the nation's biggest K-pop channel, operated by the entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM, has introduced many aspiring artists through its countless survival shows in the past few years, and with "Boys Planet," the company and its producers aspire to uncover more of the industry's undiscovered talents. A spinoff of the girl group debut p

Disney Plus released another trailer for the documentary of BTS’ J-Hope “J-Hope IN THE BOX” on Thursday. The trailer titled “J-Hope meets Jung Ho-seok” shows J-Hope, the K-pop superstar, interviewing his normal self as Jung Ho-seok, which is his real name. “J-Hope IN THE BOX” is a documentary produced by BTS’ agency Hybe. The documentary follows J-Hope for around 200 days, documenting his journey in releasing his solo debut album “Jack in the

Upcoming action thriller “Kill Boksoon” confirmed its release on Netflix for March 31. The release follows the film's world premiere at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival later this month. The film features Cannes-winning actor Jeon Do-yeon as Gil Bok-soon, a single mom who juggles being a professional killer and raising her teenage daughter Jae-young (Kim Si-a). Although Gil has an unblemished track record as an assassin and never has never missed a target, she decides

Blackpink added another city and more dates to its ongoing tour, according to label YG Entertainment on Wednesday. The quartet’s ever-expanding international tour will now include a concert in Mexico City slated for April 26 and two concerts each in Melbourne and Sydney, due on June 10-11 and 16-17. Separately, Lisa logged 900 million streams on Spotify with her solo album “Lalisa.” This is the first time a K-pop solo musician achieved the feat on the platform. “Lalisa&r

K-pop girl group Viviz is back to boast a new spectrum of colors with its third EP "VarioUS." The members -- Eunha, SinB and Umji -- held a media showcase in Seoul on Tuesday ahead of the album's release scheduled at 6 p.m. Stressing "v" and "us" in the name, the new album is packed with various new aspects of Viviz that had not been unveiled before. "The album embodies the fierce side of Viviz, which we've only been able to get a glimpse at through s

Director July Jung captures capitalism’s hold on Korean education system

K-pop act Purple Kiss is set to return with its fifth mini album, “Cabin Fever,” on Feb. 15, according to agency RBW on Wednesday. "Cabin Fever" comes seven months after the release of Purple Kiss’ fourth mini album “Geekyland” in July last year. It is also the act’s first appearance as a six-member group following Jieun’s departure in November. She left the group for health reasons and anxiety problems upon a doctor's recommendation. Purp

K-pop girl group StayC is releasing its fourth single album “Teddy Bear” on Feb. 14, according to an announcement Wednesday by High Up Entertainment. This comeback comes seven months after the release of StayC’s third single album “We Need Love” in July. Along with the comeback announcement, the agency dropped a cover image for the new album, featuring a collage in the shape of a teddy bear filled with messages of hope, trust and dreams. All eyes are on what kind of