City Seoul Showbiz Latest News and Updates

KISS OF LIFE member Belle recently covered Ariana Grande‘s 2013 ballad with Nathan Sykes, ‘Almost Is Never Enough’.KISS OF LIFE’s Belle made an appearance on the South Korean radio station KBS Cool FM on Friday (November 24), where she performed a faithful live rendition of the Ariana Grande ballad.“Almost, almost is never enough / So close to being in love / If I would have known that you wanted me / The way I wanted you,” she sings on the cover.Belle, who is best known as a co-writer of LE SSERAFIM’s hit single ‘Unforgiven’, made her debut as a K-pop idol with KISS OF LIFE earlier this year. The girl group released their first mini-album, which was self-titled, in July 2023.Earlier this month, KISS OF LIFE made their return with their second mini-album, ‘Born to be XX’, featuring the title track ‘Bad News’.

K-pop girl group aespa have released their own version of Bobby Helms’ classic holiday song, ‘Jingle Bell Rock’.Today (November 24), the quartet unveiled a lyric video for their remake of the iconic 1957 Christmas song. aespa’s version of ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ features a hip-hop-inspired beat, as well as a brand-new rap verse.“Ring ring ring, jingle bell rock / Play like a spell I won’t tell, jingle bell talk / So giddy up, giddy up / Turn it up fast till we burn up / We ain’t ever gonna stop, jingle bell rock,” Giselle and Winter rap on the second verse.SM Entertainment first announced the song via a press release earlier this week, describing it as a “catchy and hip” reinterpretation of the classic track, with the girl group’s “unique vocals and rap” setting it aside from the original ‘Jingle Bell Rock’.aespa’s ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ comes just two weeks after they released their fourth mini-album ‘Drama’.

Jungkook of K-pop boyband BTS has enlisted Justin Timberlake for a new remix of his hit single, ‘3D’.‘3D’, originally featuring Jack Harlow, was first released in September as the second single off BTS’ Jungkook’s debut studio album, ‘Golden’. The singer also previously linked up with A.

Single in Seoul made his reflect on his own love life.Single in Seoul is a romantic-comedy that stars Lee Dong-wook as Young-ho, a writer and influencer who has learned to be comfortable with doing everything alone after a series of bad relationship and heartbreaks.Starring opposite Lee Dong-wook is Cobweb actress Im Soo-jung, who plays Hyeon-jin, the editor-in-chief of a publishing company. Unlike Young-ho, Hyeon-jin is a hopeless romantic who is working on a series of essays about singles in the city.Lee Dong-wook revealed in an interview with The Korea Times that he relates strongly to his Single in Seoul character of Young-ho.

Gyeongseong Creature, starring Han So-hee and Park Seo-jun.Set in the spring of 1945, Gyeongseong Creature will follow several individuals in the city of Gyeongseong – which was the colonial name for Seoul city during the Japanese rule over Korea – as they go up against monstrous creatures born out of human greed.Park Seo-jun will play Jang Tae-sang, the wealthiest and most attractive man in the Bukchon district, who has a penchant for insider information. Meanwhile, Han So-hee will portray Yoon Chae-ok, a skilled todugun (bounty hunter and sleuth who tracks down the missing).The new trailer for Gyeongseong Creature opens with the tense first meeting between Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok, as we are introduced to the two character’s contrasting worlds.

The ladies of Blackpink were among the special guests at a state dinner at Buckingham Palace!

Welcome to Samdal-ri, starring Shin Hye-sun and Ji Chang-wook.Welcome to Samdal-ri will star Shin Hye-sun as a small-town girl named Cho Sam-dal, whose sole goal in life was to make it big and move to Seoul. Meanwhile, her childhood best friend Jo Young-pil (played by Ji Chang-wook) has always been content with staying in their hometown of Samdal.The new trailer for Welcome to Samdal-ri opens with Cho Sam-dal reflecting on her life: “Back in my hometown, Jeju Island, there’s one thing they stress the most with new Haenyeos: ‘Don’t try to outdo yourself.

EXO’s Baekhyun, and NewJeans recently performed at this year’s League of Legends World Championship.Heartsteel – formed by EXO’s Baekhyun, Taiwanese-American rapper ØZI, Nigerian singer Tobi Lou and American musician Cal Scruby – and K-pop girl group NewJeans opened the annual League of Legends World Championship at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul yesterday (November 19)Heartsteel, in their first-ever live performance, took the stage first to perform their debut single ‘Paranoia’. “Every time you pop off / They hopin’ that you fall hard / They prayin’ for the death of a rockstar / Everybody hatin’ ever since you got more / They prayin’ for the death of a rockstar,” they sang, joined by their virtual counterparts on stage.NewJeans followed with a fiery performance of their song ‘Gods’, which is the official anthem for this year’s championships.

Kyuhyun, a member of K-pop boyband Super Junior, was injured during a knife attack in Seoul.Kyuhyun, who is currently starring in the stage musical Ben Hur at the LG Arts Center in Seoul’s Gangseo District, was reportedly injured during a knife attack backstage at the show’s theatre.A woman in her 30s has been arrested for breaking into the dressing room at the LG Arts Center and brandishing a knife at actors, according to SBS Star. The incident occurred at round 6pm on Sunday (November 19).Kyuhyun was reportedly mildly injured while trying to “restrain the intruder”, per Korea JoongAng Daily.

EXCLUSIVE: Korean American comedian, writer and producer Cathy Shim is the latest to join the cast of the film K-Pops! from first-time director and eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak (who also stars). She will play Diamond, the energetic iconic host of a K-pop competition show in Seoul, and .Paak’s hard-to-please boss.

BLACKPINK will be hosting their first-ever virtual concert called ‘BLACKPINK: A VR Encore’ in partnership with Meta and production company The Diamond Bros.The concert was announced by Billboard today (November 15), and is confirmed to be a recreation of the group’s special finale show for their ‘Born Pink’ world tour in Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome. Fans can expect performances of the band’s roster of hits including ‘Pink Venom’, ‘How You Like That’ and ‘Kill This Love’, as well as solo music performed by each individual member.Emmy Award-winning production company The Diamond Bros.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Concrete Utopia,” South Korea’s Oscar contender, was Wednesday named best film at the country’s annual Grand Bell Awards. It also won prizes for best actor, best supporting actress, art direction, sound mixing and visual effects.

France’s César Academy has unveiled its annual Revelations list showcasing 32 emerging acting talents making their mark in the French-speaking cinema world.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic Ninety-seven times out of 100, a movie makes its moral judgments for us. Yes, there’s a haunting ambiguity to films like “The Conformist” or “Taxi Driver” or “Tár.” But when was the last time you saw moral ambiguity in a genre movie? Even the “Mad Max” films, in their visionary savagery, draw a clean line between nobility and treachery, speed-demon heroism and outlaw selfishness. But “Concrete Utopia” is a dystopian disaster movie with a difference.

EXCLUSIVE: Jee Young Han (Perry Mason) has been tapped for a major role in K-Pops!, the dramatic comedy marking the directorial debut of eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak, in which he also stars opposite son Soul Rasheed.

Badland Hunters.Netflix has announced that it has greenlit production on its the upcoming film. Badland Hunters. The movie will be led by Eternals star Ma Dong-seok along with Lee Hee-jun, Lee Jun-young and Roh Jeong-eui.The film, which has been in talks since at least 2022, is reportedly set in the universe of disaster-thriller Concrete Utopia starring Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young, which was released earlier this year.According to Netflix, Ma stars in the post-apocalyptic film as Nam-san, a wasteland hunter in a decimated Seoul after a devastating earthquake.

K-pop girl group aespa have unveiled snippets of the tracks from their upcoming mini-album ‘Drama’.Today (November 3), aespa released a “Track Poster” clip for their upcoming mini-album ‘Drama’, previewing all six songs on the project. The clip opens with a snippet of title track ‘Drama’, followed by brand-new B-side ‘Trick or Trick’.Also appearing on the record are ‘Don’t Blink’, ‘Hot Air Balloon’ and ‘YOLO’, which aespa performed for the first time at their ‘SYNK: Hyper Line’ concerts in Seoul back in February, and closing track ‘You’.In addition, their recent English-language single ‘Better Things’ will also be on the digital version of the record, even though it is not featured in the clip.aespa will make their return with ‘Drama’ on November 10 at 2pm KST/Midnight EST.

FIFTY FIFTY will continue on as a group with “three new members”, their agency Attrakt has shared.Yesterday (November 2), K-pop agency Attrakt announced that it would be adding three new members to K-pop girl group. The news follows a months-long legal battle with original former members Saena, Sio and Aran, whose contracts with the agency have since been terminated.“We plan to reorganize FIFTY FIFTY centring around Keena, who recently returned [to the agency].

Castaway Diva. The song was released yesterday (October 31) on music streaming platforms, alongside its accompanying music video.

G-Dragon will attend a police questioning and take a drug test next week, as part of the ongoing investigations into his alleged drug use.G-Dragon’s lawyer, Kim Su-hyeon, said in a press release that the K-pop idol’s upcoming questioning by the police is voluntary and will take place on Monday (November 6) at the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency in Seoul, according to Yonhap News Agency.On top of the questioning, police also announced yesterday (October 31) that they will also be conducting a rapid drug test on the 35-year-old singer as part of procedure.The October 31 statement by G-Dragon’s legal counsel also included a warning from against the dissemination of falsified information about the singer’s current situation.“We urge the media and press to report with responsibility to prevent Kwon Ji-yong, a K-pop artist representing South Korea, from being inflicted any irrevocable damage from the spread of false information,” the statement read.G-Dragon – real name Kwon Ji-young – was first booked by the Incheon Metropolitan Police on October 26, and is currently under probe without detention for his alleged breach of South Korea’s Narcotics Control Act.A day after the allegations surfaced (October 27), the musician came forward to deny claims of his illegal drug use in a statement through his lawyer.According to The Korea Herald’s report on October 30, G-Dragon issued a second statement reiterating his stance, and displayed his notification to the police of his legal representation and will for voluntary questioning and investigation.“Kwon has submitted all the evidence necessary for the investigation and his vow to sincerely cooperate in the hair and urine test, in order to reveal the truth and prove his innocence,”

ARTMS and LOONA member HeeJin member has released her new music video for ‘Algorithm’.The music video for ‘Algorithm’ stars HeeJin as a Korean princess who lives a glamorous life online, but wishing for more freedom in life. She soon makes a break for it, running away from the place to reunite with her ARTMS bandmates.Later, the LOONA singer explores the streets of Seoul, takes pictures at photobooths and joins a dance class.

FIFTY FIFTY will be “reorganised” following legal troubles, says the act’s agency Attrakt.Earlier this year, the four members of the girl group – Keena, Saena, Sio and Aran – filed a lawsuit to suspend their exclusive contracts with K-pop agency Attrakt.The Seoul Central District Court rejectrf the girl group’s injunction request in August 2023, with all four members later appealing the decision. However, Keena withdrew her appeal earlier this month and returned to the Attrakt.Soon after, the K-pop agency announced that it terminated its exclusive contracts with the remaining three members, alleging that the trio had “show[n] o sign of remorse for violating their contract”.In the wake of that decision (October 29), Attrakt has announced that Keena would be attending the 2023 Billboard Music Awards this November to represent FIFTY FIFTY.

Persona: Sulli, a documentary film starring late K-pop star Sulli, will premiere on Netflix in November.Today (October 26), Netflix confirmed that Persona: Sulli will be released on the streaming platform next month. According to a report from Korea JoongAng Daily, the film will be split into two parts.The first is a short film called 4: Clean Island, which stars the late Sulli as the titular “4”, who travels to an island that is dubbed the cleanest place in the world.

The Finals has announced another beta for the upcoming free-to-play shooter and players will be able to earn in-game extras and keep them for launch.Held from October 26 to November 5, this will be available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players and it will an open beta allowing for cross-platform play.Two maps from the closed beta will return, Monaco and Seoul, and a new map titled Skyway Stadium will be introduced.Players can get to grips with The Finals mechanics and movements in the practice range before entering one of the four game modes.Cashout involves teams of three players who will compete to find cashboxes, secure them and then deposit them in vaults.

EXCLUSIVE: Concrete Utopia, South Korea’s International Film Oscar entry this year, will hit theaters in NY and LA on Dec. 8 with a wide release on Dec. 15.  In the U.S, 815 Pictures and Seismic Releasing are releasing the Lotte Entertainment feature.

FIFTY FIFTY‘s label Attrakt has terminated the contracts of group members Aran, Sio and Saena.K-pop agency Attrakt announced today (October 23) that it has decided to terminate its exclusive contracts with three of the K-pop act’s members: Aran, Sio and Saena. It comes amid a legal battle between the label and the K-pop idols over their contracts.In its statement, Attrakt said that it had informed the three K-pop idols on October 19 that their contracts with the label would be ending as the trio had “show[n] o sign of remorse for violating their contract”, per The Kpop Herald.According to South Korean news outlet Dispatch, Attrakt also accused the trio of having “slandered and defamed the agency, and to this day continue to distort facts and make false claims, repeating arguments that have been rejected by the court, without any remedy for the breach of contract”.FIFTY FIFTY shot to worldwide fame earlier this year due to the viral success of their single ‘Cupid’.

EXCLUSIVE: Korean webcomic platform Manta has named its first CEO.

“Incredibly weird — but delightful” was one audience member’s indelible comment after the UK premiere of Lee Won-suk’s insane comedy Killing Romance on Friday. Starring Lee Hanee, a former Miss Universe recently seen in the sci-fi romp Alienoid, it tells the story of Hwa Yeo-rae, a viral internet star who becomes trapped in a controlling marriage to the evil Jonathan Na (Lee Sun-kyun, who played the head of Parasite’s rich Park family). To escape from Na, Yeo-rae teams up with her new neighbor Beom-woo (Gong Myung), a young superfan who dreams up a series of increasingly bizarre murder plots.

EXCLUSIVE: Yvette Nicole Brown (Community) and Jonnie “Dumbfoundead” Park (Raya and the Last Dragon) have joined the cast of K-Pops!, the film marking the directorial debut of eight-time Grammy winner Anderson .Paak, which we were first to report on. Also now aboard the project from Stampede Ventures, which has secured an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, is new strategic partner Live Nation Productions, which has made an equity investment into the production alongside the former company. It’s been set to enter production in Los Angeles October 30, with additional filming to be done in Korea and AlUla, an ancient Saudi Arabia market city which was scouted through Film AlUla, the film agency of The Royal Commission.

Daily Dose of Sunshine, starring Park Bo-young.Daily Dose of Sunshine – slated for an exclusive global release on the streaming platform on November 3 – follows the story of nurse Jung Da-eun, portrayed by Doom at your Service’s Park Bo-young, whose adventure starts when she unwittingly ends up being transferred to the hospital’s Psychiatry Unit.The trailer features the unit’s miscellany of eccentric patients, from those who suffer from depression to those afflicted with schizophrenia. Despite her inexperience in the area, Da-eun tries her best to support her patients where she can – from letting herself get drenched in the pouring rain to bring a patient back into shelter to putting herself in harm’s way trying to restrain a violent patient.Due to her perceived inadequacy for the job, she apologises to the chief nurse, Song Hyo-shin (played by Parasite actress Lee Jung-eun), who comforts her and explains to her that mental illnesses are not as straightforward as the physical ailments Da-eun is used to treating.

Castaway Diva, starring Park Eun-bin of Extraordinary Attorney Woo fame.Castaway Diva follows Seo Mok-ha, a crass countryside girl who has pipe dreams of becoming a pop star. One fateful day, as she’s making her way to Seoul city in order to make her dreams come true, Mok-ha somehow finds herself stranded on an uninhabited island, where she remains for the next 15 years.The new trailer introduces the eccentricities of Mok-ha, who speaks in a heavy dialect synonymous with rural South Korean towns and is extremely vocal about her dreams, despite being well aware of the fact that she “sounds hopeless”.

Doona!.In Doona!, Yang Se-jong plays college student Lee Won-jun, who ends up living and falling in love with Doona (Bae Suzy), a former K-pop idol who has left behind her glamorous celebrity life and retired from the entertainment industry.During the premiere event for Doona! in Seoul yesterday (October 18), the actor opened up about the lengths he went to in order to look younger for the role. Yang Se-jog turns 31 this year, in comparison to his character, who is in his mid-20s.“I’ve put a lot of effort into my appearance.

When Netflix announced in April that it’s planning to spend $2.5 billion on Korean content across the next four years, on top of the more than $1 billion already spent since 2016, it made the world sit up and take notice.

Red Velvet have announced their upcoming third studio album, titled ‘What A Chill Kill’.Red Velvet revealed the title and release date for their third studio album today (October 18), through a post on their social media accounts. Titled ‘What A Chill Kill’, the girl group’s new record will be released on November 13 at 6PM KST.

BTS singer Jungkook has unveiled the tracklist for his upcoming debut album ‘Golden’, featuring Major Lazer, DJ Snake and more.Today (October 16), BTS’ Jungkook released the tracklist for his forthcoming debut album ‘Golden’, featuring a number of high-profile collaboration, notable songwriters and more. The record will be released on November 3, led by the single ‘Standing Next to You’.‘Golden’ will feature 11 songs, including with French producer and rapper DJ Snake on the track ‘Please Don’t Change’, while Major Lazer are set to feature on ‘Closer to You’.

IVE have shared the official music video for their latest single, ‘Baddie’, which was released earlier today (October 13).The track is taken from the Starship Entertainment girl group’s new EP, ‘I’VE MINE’, which also arrived today.In the colourful video, the group becomes “cat humans” that inspire a wave of news bulletins warning: “These so-called baddies are ruining our society.”Throughout the video, the members embody these apparent scourges, taking over supermarkets and performing choreography around a fire under the moon. “I’m a baddie / Pretty little risky baddie,” they chant on the chorus.