[CES2024] Singer G-Dragon explores high-tech products at CES 2024

LAS VEGAS -- Singer G-Dragon has visited the Consumer Electronics Show, the world's largest annual consumer electronics exhibition held in Las Vegas, on January 9. The 35-year-old former BIGBANG member explored various South Korean high-tech products including LG Electronic's next-generation mobility concept "Alpha-able" and "Ballie," an artificial intelligence-based home companion robot created by Samsung Electronics.

January 10, 2024

NewJeans wins grand prize at S. Korea's Golden Disc Awards

SEOUL -- Girl band NewJeans won the grand prize for the digital songs at South Korea's annual music awards. The five-member band lifted the top award trophy at the Golden Disc Awards with Ditto, the group's global hit song released in December 2022. The dance-pop song with a nostalgic vibe garnered more than 520 million streams on Spotify, the world's top music streaming service. NewJeans, which debuted in July 2022, was formed under the command of Min Hee-jin, a geni

January 8, 2024

BTS Jungkook's 'Golden' named on Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart for eight consecutive weeks

SEOUL -- "Golden," BTS member Jungkook's very first album, was named on Billboard's top 200 popular song chart for eight consecutive weeks. The album was released 39 days before the 26-year-old artist started his mandatory military service on December 12. Billboard's chart released on January 3 showed that Golden ranked 46th on the Billboard 200 chart. The album, containing 11 English songs, depicts the story of Jungkook's journey to becoming a global pop

January 4, 2024

Boy band NCT Dream takes grand prize at Seoul Music Awards

SEOUL -- Multinational K-pop boy band NCT Dream was awarded the grand prize at South Korea's annual music awards for this year. The seven-member band took the first place at the Seoul Music Awards two years in a row. NCT Dream is a subgroup of NCT, an 18-member project group formed by SM Entertainment in 2016. Billboard chose NCT Dream as one of the 21 most talented artists or groups under the age of 21 for the third time in 2021. The Billboard list is determined based on vari

January 3, 2024

Pinkfong's animation show 'Bebefinn Playtime' tops Netflix chart in eight countries

SEOUL -- "Bebefinn Playtime," an animation show created by South Korea’s educational entertainment company Pinkfong has garnered popularity mainly in English-speaking countries on Netflix. The animation content topped the over-the-top (OTT) service's daily chart featuring popular children's content in eight countries. Bebefinn Playtime was created in December 2023 as a follow-up to "Bebefinn," a three-dimensional animated series featuring the five

January 2, 2024

Historical film depicting 1979 military coup garners more than 12 mln viewers in less than 2 months

SEOUL -- "12:12 The Day," a historical film directed by Kim Sung-su, has garnered more than 12 million moviegoers in less than two months of release. Normally, any film that attracts more than 10 million people in South Korea with a population of about 5.2 million is considered a successful work. The military coup took place on December 12, 1979, after the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. Major General Chun Doo-hwan, who led the coup, took control of the govern

January 2, 2024

NewJeans performs on US broadcaster ABC's special New Year's Eve show

SEOUL -- NewJeans has become the first K-pop girl band to interact with American fans through an annual special New Year's Eve show hosted by American broadcaster ABC. The program titled "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" broadcasts the countdown event at Times Square in New York and showcases promising artists of the year. The group's agency ADOR said on January 1 that NewJeans appeared on New Year's Rockin' Eve. The five-

January 2, 2024

Historical film about 1979 military coup d'état in Seoul exceeds $1 million in ticket sales in N. America

SEOUL -- "12.12: The Day," a historical film directed by Kim Sung-su, has surpassed $1 million in ticket sales in North America. The movie portrays the 1979 military coup d'état in Seoul which pushed South Korea into a new eight-year era of military dictatorship. The military coup took place on December 12, 1979, after the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. Major General Chun Doo-hwan, who led the coup, took control of the government and declared martial

December 28, 2023

Fans and fellow actors mourn death of 'Parasite' actor Lee Sun-kyun

SEOUL -- Fans and artists of Lee Sun-kyun mourned the death of the "Parasite" actor. Lee, who gained global fame through his appearance in the Oscar-winning film Parasite, directed by Bong Jun-ho, was found dead in his car parked at a public park in central Seoul on December 27. A block of burnt coal briquet was found near the 49-year-old's body. Burning coal briquet blocks to induce carbon monoxide poisoning is a method often used by people who take their own lives. T

December 28, 2023

'Parasite' actor Lee Sun-kyun found dead in car, sparking suicide speculation

SEOUL -- Actor Lee Sun-kyun, globally well-known for his role in the Academy Award-winning film "Parasite," directed by Bong Joon-ho, was found dead in his car after facing a series of allegations of illegal drug use. Despite three summons by law authorities for investigation, he tested negative for drugs. According to police, the 48-year-old actor was found dead in his car at a park in Seoul's central district of Seongbuk at about 10:30 a.m. (0130 GMT) on December 27.

December 27, 2023