Shinsegae's liquor distributor wing picks virtual show host YT to promote Japanese-style cocktail

SEOUL -- Virtual social media influencer Young Twenty was selected by the liquor distribution wing of South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae to promote highball. Through the virtual human with some 454,000 Instagram followers, the South Korean company aims to also sell side dishes for the alcoholic drink created using a popular whisky "Evan Williams Black." Young Twenty, also known by her nickname YT, created by Shinsegae and Pulse9, a domestic AI graphics company, is

June 28, 2023

Girl band Le Sserafim to go on first world tour

SEOUL -- Le Sserafim, a girl band formed by BTS agency Hybe's music label Source Music, will go on a world tour. The five-member band will start its tour with a two-day concert in Seoul on August 12. Le Sserafim will also release a Japanese language-based album while interacting with global fans during the two-month period. Source Music, the band's agency, said Le Sserafim will cover seven cities -- Seoul, Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Jakarta, and Bangkok. The group'

June 28, 2023

Pinkfong to release Baby Shark IP-based multi-platform console game in 26 languages

SEOUL -- South Korea's educational entertainment company Pinkfong will roll out a multi-platform console game based on its Baby Shark content for the first time. The game titled "Baby Shark: Sing & Swim Party" would be available in single-player and multi-player modes for up to four players. Pinkfong's first game content will be provided in 26 different languages including Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, and German. Pinkfong has garnered worldwide populari

June 27, 2023

BTS' lead rapper Suga completes solo world tour

SEOUL -- BTS' lead rapper Suga has completed his solo world tour that began in April 2023. The 30-year-old artist has attracted some 290,000 fans through 25 concerts in ten cities including Los Angeles, Auckland, Jakarta, Bangkok, Kanagawa, and Seoul. "Thank you so much for letting me know that world tour is so fun," Suga said during his last concert which took place in Seoul on July 20. Some 15,000 people attended his two-day concert at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in

June 26, 2023

Ateez ranks second on Billboard's top 200 popular album chart with 'The World EP.2: Outlaw'

SEOUL -- K-pop boy band Ateez is garnering explosive popularity through its ninth mini album titled "The World EP.2: Outlaw." The album, released on June 12, was ranked second on Billboard's top 200 popular album chart. "ATEEZ scores its highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 as The World EP.2: Outlaw bows at No. 2 with 105,500 equivalent album units earned — the Korean pop act’s best week by units," Billboard said in a statement on June 25.

June 26, 2023

​Action-thriller series Bloodhounds gains explosive popularity on Netflix

SEOUL -- South Korean action-thriller series Bloodhounds, by Jason Kim, became the most watched content on Netflix's non-English chart. The Korean language-based series featuring exceptional boxing techniques depicts the story of two boxers in their 20s caught up in the cruel world of private loans fighting against money lenders to survive. The global streaming service giant said the South Korean content recorded 8.1 million views on its weekly non-English TV show category with

June 21, 2023

NewJeans' dance song OMG selected as seventh best song by Rolling Stone

SEOUL -- OMG, a dance song by K-pop girl band NewJeans, was ranked seventh among 74 songs of the first half of 2023 by American magazine Rolling Stone. The song featuring electronic dance music and exciting dance rhythms was selected in the monthly magazine's list called "The Best Songs of 2023 So Far." "A throwback to the most blissful moments of Nineties R&B that has a 21st-century appeal, 'OMG' is a pristine pop song with a glowing — and glow

June 16, 2023

Big Hit to publish commemorative book for BTS' 10th debut anniversary

SEOUL -- BTS' agency will publish a book titled "Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS" to commemorate the K-pop legend's 10th debut anniversary. The book which contains various behind-the-scenes anecdotes of the K-pop phenomenon will be available in 23 languages including English, Korean, and Japanese. The boy band, debuted on June 13, 2013, has topped Billboard's top 100 popular song chart with six songs over the past 10 years. Big Hit is currently hosting

June 15, 2023

Baby Shark's creator to work with Nickelodeon for third series of 'Baby Shark's Big Show!'

SEOUL -- South Korea's educational entertainment company Pinkfong will collaborate with Nickelodeon Animation, an American animation studio owned by Paramount Global, to produce the third series of Baby Shark's Big Show!, an animated children's television series based on Pinkfong's "Baby Shark" brand. Luke Youngblood, a British actor who played a Gryffindor student in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," will participate in Pinkfong's

June 15, 2023

Kakao starts beta-test for interactive webtoon story-building content platform

SEOUL -- Kakao, a major webcomics service operator in South Korea, has kick-started the beta service for an interactive chatting app in which users can play the roles of their favorite webtoon characters to become the "story-changer" of unique webcomic stories. Webcomics, well-known by the name of webtoons, originated in South Korea in the early 2000s. Web service giants Kakao and Naver are the top players in the global market which is growing at an annual average growth

June 15, 2023