World-class choreographer Lia Kim to incubate artists at LA-based K-pop agency   

SEOUL -- Lia Kim, a South Korean choreographer who trained girl band Girls' Generation and rapper Jay Park, has become chief performance officer at Taitan Content, the first K-pop agency based in the United States. The 39-year-old dancer will nurture global artists at the Los Angeles-based entertainment company. Kim has served as a choreographer and instructor for various artists at three entertainment powerhouses in South Korea -- SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Ent

December 1, 2023

Historical film about 1979 military coup d'état in Seoul garners 2 mln moviegoers in less than week

SEOUL -- More than two million moviegoers have flocked to cinemas to watch "12.12: The Day," a historical film directed by Kim Sung-su, in less than a week after the film was released on November 22, 2023. The film depicting the 1979 military coup d'état in Seoul aroused public anger towards the historic event that cornered South Korea into a new military dictatorship of eight years. The military coup in Seoul occurred on December 12, 1979, following the assassi

November 29, 2023

Justin Timberlake collaborates with BTS' Jungkook for remix version of '3D'

SEOUL -- American artist Justin Timberlake has collaborated with Jungkook, the youngest member of BTS for the remix version of "3D," a dance song by the South Korean singer released on September 29. The main vocalist of BTS worked with American rapper Jack Harlow for the original version with R&B features. The song portrays Jungkook's hope to meet his loved one in "three dimensions," and always stay together. The original song ranked fifth on Hot 100, Bil

November 25, 2023

BLACIPINK receives prestigious British order from King Charles III

SEOUL -- King Charles III has awarded K-pop girl band BLACKPINK for its significant contributions to raising awareness about global climate change. The four-member band served as the ambassador for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, a global summit chaired by Britain to address and tackle environmental challenges. BLACKPINK received the prestigious award on November 22 during South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol's state visit to the United Kingdom (UK). All four

November 23, 2023

Singer G-Dragon vows to take legal actions against malicious rumors about illegal drug use

SEOUL -- Singer G-Dragon has declared war against cyberbullies who maliciously defame the 35-year-old former BIGBANG member by spreading groundless rumors about a drug scandal. G-Dragon's warning was sent out about a week after police found no evidence of illegal use of drugs on the singer's hair and nail samples. The singer and actor Lee Sun-kyun, who became globally popular after his appearance in the academy-winning film "Parasite," directed by Bong Jun-ho, were

November 22, 2023

Police find no trace of drugs in G-Dragon's nail samples

SEOUL -- After about a month of a drug investigation on celebrities including singer G-Dragon and actor Lee Sun-kyun, police disclosed that no traces of drugs were found in the 35-year-old former idol band member. The law enforcers also found no evidence of illegal drug use from the 48-year-old actor. The singer was suspected of using illegal drugs and was summoned for interrogation on November 6. Prior to the nail sample test, G-Dragon also participated in drug tests on October 29

November 21, 2023

Stray Kids tops Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart for fourth time

SEOUL -- Boy band Stray Kids has topped Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with its album "Rock-STAR." Along with BTS, the eight-member band became the second K-pop group that ranked first more than three times on the weekly chart that ranks the 200 most popular albums in the United States. The album, released on November 10, arrived atop the list on the Billboard 200 chart with 224,000 equivalent album units sold in the U.S. in the week ending November 16. The

November 20, 2023

S. Korean police hands over BTS member V's alleged stalker to prosecution

SEOUL -- Police have handed over BTS member V's stalker to the prosecution. The woman was charged with violating the stalking punishment act and trespassing into the male artist's residence. According to Seoul Gangnam Police Station, the woman was accused of attempting to approach the 27-year-old singer by visiting his apartment on October 26. The police authority said the woman followed V into the building's elevator and this is not the first time she visited V's ap

November 17, 2023

Rapper Jay Park appointed as ambassador for global luxury brand Gucci

SEOUL -- Gucci, a high-end luxury fashion house in Italy, has selected rapper Jay Park as its global ambassador. The 36-year-old, known for his hip-hop label AOMG, has participated in the global brand's fashion show held at a traditional Korean royal palace in central Seoul in May 2023. AOMG has one of the strongest lineups of artists in South Korea's hip-hop scene. In August 2021, the label held a non-face-to-face extended reality (XR) concert for global hip-hop fans amid t

November 14, 2023

BTS agency selects veteran content producer Isaac Lee to lead subsidiary in Mexico

SEOUL -- Isaac Lee, a Colombian-American content creator who produced the Netflix crime thriller series "El Chapo," has been picked to lead a Mexico-based subsidiary of Hybe, the agency of BTS. The veteran producer will create content tailored to the Latin American market and collaborate with global agencies. Data released by Hybe showed that the Latin American music market reached about $1.3 billion in 2022, up 26.4 percent from a year ago. Spanish language-based songs

November 13, 2023