Occult thriller 'Dark Nuns' tops local box office on debut

SEOUL, January 25 (AJP) - "Dark Nuns," a Korean occult movie, took the top spot at the box office on its opening day, Friday, attracting over 163,000 viewers and accounting for 51.3 percent of daily ticket sales, according to the Korean Film Council. As of Saturday morning, the film had a reservation rate of 37.3 percent, with over 201,000 advance tickets sold, signaling its potential to dominate weekend box office rankings. The movie depicts nuns performing a f

January 25, 2025

Hong Sang-soo's latest film invited to Berlinale

SEOUL, January 24 (AJP) - Director Hong Sang-soo's latest film has been invited to compete at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, which opens next month. It marks the sixth consecutive year Hong has been invited to the festival since 2020, having taken home awards five times for his films including "A Traveler's Needs" (2024) and "The Woman Who Ran" (2020). Hong's 33th feature, "What Does That Nature Say to You," which wil

January 24, 2025

BLACKPINK's Jennie to drop first full-length album in March

SEOUL, January 23 (AJP) - Jennie, a member of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, will release her first full-length album in March, according to her agency. Set for release on March 7, "Ruby," which contains 15 tracks, includes her previous single "Mantra," which was released in October last year. The album also features several collaborative songs with global artists including English and Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa. Fans are already excited for Jenn

January 23, 2025

Korean contemporary dance group joins Coldplay's experimental video project

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Ambiguous Dance Company, a South Korean contemporary dance troupe, has joined British rock band Coldplay's experimental video project, "A Film for the Future," unveiled Wednesday. The project brings together over 150 global artists and draws inspiration from Coldplay's album Moon Music, released last year. Ambiguous Dance Company performed choreography in sync with the song as part of the collaboration. The video for A Film for th

January 22, 2025

Agency behind BLACKPINK to search for new K-pop talent next month

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - YG Entertainment, a talent mill behind K-pop icons like 2NE1, Big Bang and BLACKPINK, will search for the next K-pop stars through a nationwide audition tour that kicks off early next month. The auditions will begin in Gwangju on Feb. 7 and will make stops in several other cities including Daejeon on Feb. 8, Jeonju on Feb. 9, Daegu on Feb. 15, Busan on Feb. 16, and Seoul on Feb. 22 and 23. Open to young K-pop wannabes born between 2007 and 2014, the audi

January 22, 2025

Song Hye-kyo ready to impress viewers with unconventional role in horror film

SEOUL, January 22 (AJP) - Actress Song Hye-kyo is expected to show a new side of herself in her upcoming film "The Dark Nuns" slated for release this week. Directed by Kwon Hyeok-jae, the exorcism-themed film marks Song's return to the silver screen about a decade after her appearance in "The Crossing," the 2014 Chinese epic drama directed by acclaimed Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo. It is also her first venture into the horror genre in her acting career spanni

January 22, 2025

Actress Kim Min-hee expecting baby this spring

SEOUL, January 17 (AJP) - Actress Kim Min-hee is pregnant and expected to give birth this spring, multiple online entertainment outlets reported on Friday. The actress, in her early 40s, was caught by paparazzi cameras earlier this week on her way to an ob-gyn clinic with her lover and filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. Kim has been involved in a May-to-September romance with Hong who is in his mid-60s, since 2016. The couple went public with their romance the following year and have been

January 17, 2025

Rosé's latest hit song stays at No. 5 on Billboard Hot 100

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - "APT." sung by Rosé, a member of South Korean girl band BLACKPINK, has remained at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks, making it the highest-ranked song on the American chart by any K-pop female artist. The collaborative song with American pop star Bruno Mars made its entry into the top 10 of the U.S. Hot 100 at No. 8 at the time of its release in October last year and has since stayed on the chart, slightly moving up

January 15, 2025

BTS' J-Hope to embark on North American tour this spring

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - J-Hope, a member of the K-pop juggernaut BTS, will embark on his North American tour this spring. The tour includes a stop in Los Angeles, where he is set to perform at the La La Land's iconic BMO Stadium in April, becoming the first K-pop artist to do so. BMO Stadium near Exposition Park in downtown Los Angeles is an open-air soccer-specific arena with a seating capacity of around 22,000. It is the home stadium for Major League Soccer's Los Ange

January 15, 2025

JYP Entertainment's new boy band set for debut next week

SEOUL, January 15 (AJP) - Seven-member boy band KickFlip will make their debut next week. "KickFlip will kick off their activities on Jan. 20 with the release of their first mini album, 'Flip It, Kick It!'," said their agency JYP Entertainment on Wednesday. Comprising five South Koreans and two Japanese, a couple of them including rapper Kyehoon have gained some recognition through their appearance on terrestrial broadcaster SBS' audition program "LOUD,"

January 15, 2025