BTS’ J-hope releases extended version of ‘Blue Side’

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean American drama film “Minari” can’t stop winning awards. Similarly, it continues to reign on top of the Korean box office.The Lee Isaac Chung-directed film earned $1.09 million between Friday and Monday to top the box office in South Korea, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).The figure is little changed from the previous weekend.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean Oscar-winner “Parasite” gleefully poked fun at South Korea’s bourgeoisie. Hur Jin-ho’s “The Dinner” is set to give the middle classes another skewering.The project is an adaptation of Dutch novel ‘Het Diner’ (“The Dinner”) written by Herman Koch.

Gallery: The career of Betty White in pictures (Espresso)Youn shared the historic first with "Minari" co-star Steven Yeun, the first Asian-American to be nominated for a best actor Oscar. Born in Seoul, Yuen and his family moved to Canada and then the United States when he was a child.

Antonio Ferme editorSouth Korean band BTS made history on Sunday night as it became the first K-pop group to perform one of its own songs at the Grammy Awards.Jumping across (what appeared to be) the Grammy stage at the Los Angeles Staples Center the groups lead the audience on a chase backstage, up the utility stairs and ending their electric performance on a rooftop surrounded by spotlights.

When Youn Yuh-jung was asked how she felt about being called the "Meryl Streep of South Korea" in a recent interview, she said she’s flattered by the comparison. But she had her own introduction.

Big Hit Entertainment, the backer of K-pop uber-group BTS, is in the process of changing its company name to HYBE Corporation, it told Variety Thursday.The company has already registered the new name with Korean company regulatory authorities, although the change has not been approved by shareholders. Nor has it been announced to Korea’s stock market regulator.

Red Velvet, is set to make her solo debut soon.News of the singer’s upcoming project was first reported earlier today (March 10) by South Korean entertainment outlet StarNews. The publication claimed that the Korean idol was working on a solo album which is planned for release in April.Shortly after StarNews’ report, Wendy’s agency SM Entertainment confirmed that the singer will release a solo project sometime next month, although a specific date was not announced.

Rebecca Davis editorZhang Yimou has been hard at work alongside his daughter Zhang Mo shooting his upcoming blockbuster “Sniper,” which is now set for an October release, its production firm said.The project was explicitly conceived as a nationalistic commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, known in China as the “War to Resist U.S.

Viacom International Studios has inked a first-look deal with South Korean production studio Something Special.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA notable launch for “Minari” lifted the South Korea box office to its second highest weekend of 2021. The Korean-language American-made drama performed 80% higher than the weekend’s other significant new release Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.”Opening in first place, “Minari” clocked up $1.68 million over the weekend, according to data from the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS box office tracking service.

#Minari star Alan S. Kim's wins the #CriticsChoice for Best Young Actor/Actress pic.twitter.com/L4riEFxQze— Film Updates (@TheFilmUpdates) March 8, 2021Kim has dazzled critics and audiences as David, the young son of a Korean immigrant who risks all his savings and his marriage to start a farm in Arkansas.

Steven Yeun poses for photos ahead of the 2021 Critics Choice Awards, held on Sunday (March 7) from Pasadena, Calif.

Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari is an American film that tells the story of a Korean American family as they uproot from their more metropolitan life in California to a rural one in a small Arkansas town in search of the American dream. In case you didn’t catch on, this is a very American film.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLeading Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ ENM is to break the theatrical window in the world’s fourth largest movie market with a simultaneous cinema and streaming release for “Seobok,” one of the year’s hottest Korean movies.The group said that it will distribute the sci-fi actioner in theaters on April 15 and also make it available on its own streaming service, Tving.While Hollywood studio Disney has chosen to release titles such as “Mulan” with simultaneous

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has ordered a live-action series adaptation of the Korean webtoon “Dr. Brain.” The series will be the first completely Korean-language project at the streamer.Kim Jee-Woon will write and direct, with “Parasite” star Lee Sun-Kyun set to star.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe end came quietly with the humdrum announcement of a deal between two state-owned TV groups, China Central Television (CCTV) and South Korean public broadcaster KBS.

Halsey has defended BTS after a German radio DJ was accused of making racist comments about the K-Pop giants.Matthias Matuschik faced criticism when he discussed the Korean band’s cover of Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ while on air at Bavarian radio station Bayern3 last week.While talking about the track, he appeared to compare the group to coronavirus, saying he hoped “a vaccine will be available soon” for the band.He continued to insist that he had “nothing against South Korea” and was not xenophobic

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefConsumption of South Korean content now outstrips time watching U.S.-made content on streaming platforms in three key market in South East Asia.

Spotify worldwide over an apparent disagreement with distributor Kakao M.Spotify launched in South Korea on February 1, 2020, but did so without music from artists with licensing deals under Kakao M, including IU, Zico and more.Now, releases distributed by the Korean label have been removed from Spotify around the world.