City Seoul Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Disney+ has announced a slate of Asia originals for the second half of 2023, including Korean dramas Moving and The Worst Of Evil and the latest project in its collaboration with Hybe, BTS Monuments: Beyond The Star.

Popular Korean singer Lee Sang Eun was found dead on July 6 shortly before a performance, according to police reports.

NewJeans have released the music video for ‘New Jeans’, the opening track of their upcoming sophomore mini-album ‘Get Up’.The clip opens with the girl group arguing with each other in a house that draws inspiration from the home of The Powerpuff Girls. NewJeans then suddenly find themselves transformed into animated characters, drawn in the style of the animated superheroes.In addition to the classic hand-drawn style of the original The Powerpuff Girls series, the girl group are also rendered in 3D, polygons, pixel art and more for the video.“New hair, new tee / NewJeans, do you see? / Make it feel like a game / Look at us, we go on and on again / We’ll go on to the end,” they sing on the chorus of ‘New Jeans’.

NewJeans have shared a snippet of their upcoming pre-release track ‘Super Shy’.On July 5, K-pop girl group NewJeans uploaded a short instrumental preview of their upcoming song ‘Super Shy’ to their YouTube channel. It arrives on July 7 alongside the song ‘New Jeans’, ahead of the girl group’s sophomore mini-album ‘Get Up’ later this month.‘Get Up’ will be released in its entirety on July 21.

K-pop boyband SHINee are set to release their own documentary film later this year.Today (July 5), SM Entertainment announced that a documentary film for boyband SHINee is currently in the works, and will be released this September to commemorate the group’s 15th anniversary.Titled My SHINee World, the upcoming film will include never-before-seen content from the group as it outlines their 15-year career and journey with their fans thus far.The agency also shared in a press release that footage from SHINee’s recent three-night concert leading up to their comeback at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, along with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews will be included in the documentary film.Last week, SHINee made a comeback with their eighth studio album ‘Hard’ and its lead single of the same name. The album’s release was preceded by a music video for the song ‘The Feeling’ a week prior, coinciding with the 15th anniversary of SHINee’s fandom SHINee World.The 10-track record is also their first group release in over two years, after their repackaged album ‘Atlantis’ in April 2021.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean production and distribution company SLL is riding high on the current box office success of “The Roundup: No Way Out,” the only local film this year to sell more than 10 million tickets. In the larger TV production division, it is breathing a sigh of relief with the successes of “Doctor Cha” and “The Good Bad Mother,” shows which have achieved huge local ratings and placed in Netflix’s Global non-English Top 10 charts. For the company, which rebranded last year from JTBC Studio, and which acquired U.S. producer wiip, the renewed popularity of its shows represents something of a rebound after “the underperformance of JTBC dramas in 2022.”

NewJeans have performed their upcoming single ‘ETA’ live for the first time. Watch it below.NewJeans performed the unreleased song for the first time during their ‘Bunnies Camp’ fanmeeting in Seoul on July 1.

Margot Robbie was celebrating big at the premiere of her new movie, Barbie, in South Korea!

MAMAMOO’s Hwasa‘s agency is speaking out amid rumors.

Tom Cruise is proving he really can do anything.

FIFTY FIFTY is suing their agency, ATTRAKT.

Ryan Gosling has touched down in Toronto for the Canadian promotional run for “Barbie”.

K-pop girl group FIFTY FIFTY have filed a lawsuit against their agency Attrakt to suspend their exclusive contracts.On June 28, South Korean law firm BARUN released a statement on behalf of the girl group, announcing that they had filed to suspend their exclusive contracts with entertainment agency Attrakt due to its violation of contract terms.“The four members filed an application for provisional disposition suspending the validity of their exclusive contracts to the Seoul Central District Court on June 19, and the trial is currently underway,” said BARUN, per eDaily and translated by Soompi. “This is due to the fact that Attrakt violated contract terms and took actions that resulted in the destruction of a relationship based on trust.”The firm also alleged that Attrakt had been “discrediting” the members of FIFTY FIFTY through its continuous media statements in recent days.

EXCLUSIVE: Seoul Searching director Benson Lee has signed with Verve.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Choi Sung-bong, a male singer who was the runner up in the 2011 edition of “Korea’s Got Talent” talent show, died on Tuesday. He was 33. Choi was found dead by police at his home in the Yeoksam district in southern Seoul at 9:41 a.m. Tuesday, according to police and fire authorities on Wednesday. According to the Yonhap news agency, authorities in Seoul report that Choi appeared to have died by suicide. Their conclusion was drawn from a combination of the circumstances at his home and a note that he posted to YouTube implying death by suicide. “I sincerely apologize to all who suffered from my foolish mistake,” the note said.

During a three-day visit to Seoul, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the streamer is fairly compensating producers and nurturing new talent, after calls from some local lawmakers and industry figures for more profit-sharing with creators. 

Rebecca Souw There’s more to Korean TV than a greenlit second season of “Squid Game” and Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO, shed new light on what’s making the “Korean wave” worthy of large-scale commitment. After meeting with leading helmer Park Chan-wook (“Oldboy” and upcoming series “War and Revolt”) and 100 film students a day earlier, Sarandos on Wednesday held a public forum at Seoul’s Four Seasons Hotel on the future of Korean content. The abundant glad-handing follows a public commitment made in April to spend $2.5 billion on original Korean content over the next four years. “[Korean content] is very often unpredictable and catches the American audience by surprise,” said Sarandos at the event. “I think what’s brilliant is to see film, unscripted and series all grow according to the interests of our Korean audience.”

Choi Sung-bong, an operatic singer who placed second on the “Korea’s Got Talent” television program, has died in an apparent suicide, police said Wednesday. He was 33.Choi was found dead by police at his home in the Yeoksam-dong district in Southern Seoul at 9:41 a.m. Tuesday, according to police and fire authorities.

Choi Sung-bong, a South Korean pop star, has been found dead at the age of 33.

LOONA member Haseul has signed with Modhaus and joined bandmates Heejin, Kim Lip, Jinsoul and Choerry in the ARTMS project.On the night of June 20 KST, Modhaus uploaded a video of Haeul applying her seal to her new contract with Modhaus while discussing her future activities under its ARTMS project. The video is titled ‘Who’s Next Girl?’, a call back to LOONA’s pre-debut rollout where a new member of the group was introduced monthly with solo releases.The following morning (June 21), Modhaus released a statement officially announcing that it had signed an exclusive contract with the singer.

BBC Radio 4 has announced a new six part podcast series, titled ‘Burning Sun’, about a series of sex scandals that led to criminal convictions for a number of K-pop stars.The series is named after the Seoul nightclub upon which the scandal centred. Popular with celebrities, an allegation of assault sparked an investigation into the venue, which uncovered claims about women being drugged by staff.Later, it was discovered that a group of celebrities who had frequented the club had shared secretly filmed sex videos online.“This is an astounding story we have been working on for years”, says presenter Chloe Hadjimatheou.

Aisling Bea inspired Kodaline’s Mark Prendergast to go solo in new solo outing, Man Alive.Prendergast has now shared the debut single of his new solo project, ‘Be Someone’ that you can listen to below.According to a statement, his friend, actor Aisling Bea, proved to be “a pivotal influence for him to take Man Alive to the wider world.”A statement revealed that “he played her an early version of ‘Be Someone’ when they were in Los Angeles in 2021, and her belief in the project really pushed him to make it happen.” It also noted that she encouraged him to change the first provisional name he had for his solo project, ‘Blood Type’, telling him it was “shit and doesn’t match your music.” Eventually, he went with Man Alive.Speaking about his new single, Prendergast said: “‘Be Someone’ is about a long-distance relationship falling apart, and how when you’re with somebody, they make you feel like a certain type of person, but then when you end the relationship and you’re by yourself, you always become a completely different person.”A statement added that the break-up, followed by lockdown, inspired Prendergast to write, record and produce a catalogue of songs from his home studio.You can listen to the song here:Earlier this year, Kodaline announced a tour of Asia this autumn, where they will travel to Singapore, Philippines, Taipei, Bangkok and more.They will kick off the tour September 5 in Singapore and then play shows in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Seoul.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor The creators of “Accidentally Wes Anderson” had no idea what was coming when they launched their Instagram page. Wally and Amanda Koval started the account in 2017 to celebrate visually-appealing buildings and landscapes around the world that looked as if they could have inspired Wes Anderson films. From tiny libraries in New Zealand to, of course, lighthouses in Canada, the Instagram page, with 1.8 million followers, and its accompanying website curate colorful, symmetrical and historic tableaux that might have sprung directly from a scene in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” or “The French Dispatch” — except they’re submitted by photographers from around the world.

LOONA have reportedly won their lawsuit against Blockberry Creative.Today (June 16), South Korean news outlets Segye Ilbo and Seoul Economic Daily reported that the Seoul High Court’s civil affairs department ruled in favour of LOONA members – namely Haseul, Yeojin, Yves, Olivia Hye and Go Won – in their lawsuit against Blockberry Creative.According to the two reports, the court had ruled in favour of suspending the Blockberry Creative contracts of the K-pop idols as it believed that there was an issue over the company’s decision to transfer the girl group’s contracts to Universal Japan without the members’ consent.Some members of LOONA have since reacted to the news with posts on Instagram. Notably, Yves posted an image of actress Nicole Kidman after her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2001.

A New Wave of K-Cinema: Korean Women Directors,” The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is hoping to change that. Across the month of June, the Los Angeles museum is showing 10 contemporary Korean films made by women that “explore the complexities of diverse conditions, including the trauma of domestic violence, investigations into gender and class politics, humanity’s relation to nature and the environment, and love and friendship.” Hyesung ii, who organized “A New Wave of K-Cinema,” told TheWrap it is a series she has had in mind since she began working at the museum.

Kitty Song Covey’s adventures in Seoul aren’t over yet. Netflix has renewed XO, Kitty for a second season.

Barbie” is one of the most awaited films of the year. In order to promote the film and ensure that it reaches the widest possible audience, Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie will be making stops by some of the biggest cities in the world, including Mexico. Karol G releases ‘Watiti’ part of the ‘Barbie’ movie soundtrackAmerica Ferrera wore ‘grandma’ pjs to ‘sexy’ Barbie sleepoverKarol G explains her decision to contribute to the ‘Barbie’ soundtrackA post shared by Warner Bros.

BTS have released a trailer for their upcoming book Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS.At midnight KST on June 14, BTS unveiled a trailer for their upcoming book, which they co-wrote with journalist Myeongseok Kang and are releasing in celebration of their 10th anniversary this year. The new clip seems to suggest that the book will be split into seven distinct chapters, chronicling the boyband’s story so far.Chapter 1 and 2 are called ‘Seoul’ and ‘Why We Exist’, respectively, and are accompanied by archival footage from BTS’ early days.

Police in Korea on Tuesday raided three major multiplex chains and the offices of three film distributors on suspicion of box office manipulation, according to multiple local media reports. News agency Yonhap, citing officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Police, said the six entities are alleged to have obstructed the business of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) by falsely counting audience numbers for some local films.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Seoul Metropolitan Police on Tuesday raided the offices of Korea’s three leading multiplex cinema operators and three film distributors. “The six entities are accused of obstructing the business of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) by falsely counting the audience numbers for Korean films,” a spokesman for the police is reported to have told Korean media, according to the semi-official Yonhap news agency. The raids were conducted by the force’s anti-corruption and public crime investigation team. Local media named the companies visited by the police on Tuesday as cinema chains CJ CGV, Megabox and Lotte Cinema, and distributors Showbox, Lotte Entertainment and Kidari.

BTS member J-hope has released a special rock version of his 2022 ‘Jack in The Box’ single, ‘Arson’.At midnight KST today (June 12), the K-pop idol unveiled a rock version of his song ‘Arson’. The original version of the song was one of two singles off his solo debut album ‘Jack in The Box’ last year.The new version of the track trades the original’s minimal instrumental for powerful guitar riffs and crashing drum beats.

Netflix this week announced six new Korean romance titles slated for the rest of 2023. They are: “See You in my 19th Life,” “King the Land,” “Behind Your Touch,” “Destined With You,” “A Time Called You,” and “Doona!” The titles were unveiled at an in-person event called “K-romance obsession” in Seoul. Guests were mostly K-drama influencers from around the Asia Pacific region and the event was decked out with reds, pinks and vast numbers of heart decorations. Guests were offered snack food that had been featured in earlier hit K-drama shows including “Crash Landing on You,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Business Proposal” and “Alchemy of Souls.”

SHINee are set to release a new single, ahead of their upcoming 8th studio album ‘Hard’.At 12am KST today (June 8), SHINee announced that they would be releasing a brand-new single titled ‘Hard’ this weekend. The boyband will first release a teaser for the song’s upcoming music video on June 9.A day later on Saturday (June 10), the boyband will unveil the music video for ‘The Feeling’.

Celine Song’s Past Lives from A24 is very much here and now, grossing $232k on four screens for over $58k per location, a nice number for Song’s debut film as the second-biggest limited opening of the year so far. A24 also had the highest in April with Beau Is Afraid at $80k per theater at four locations, testament to helmer Ari Aster’s devoted fan base.

NCT Dream have surprised fans with a teaser for their upcoming track ‘Broken Melodies’, out later this month.On June 3, the NCT sub-unit wrapped up the last of their ‘The Dream Show 2: In Your Dream’ encore concerts in Seoul, which was also live-streamed to fans globally. At the end of the show, the group announced that they had a special gift for fans, before unveiling the teaser for their upcoming song titled ‘Broken Melodies’.The teaser clip, which was later shared by fans in attendance on social media, features a short snippet of the song over a photo of NCT Dream.

Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen have filed antitrust complaints against longtime label and K-pop agency SM Entertainment.The trio’s attorney Lee Jae-hak, from the Seoul-based law firm Lin, announced in a statement today (June 5) that the three EXO members have lodged a complaint with South Korea’s antitrust regulator over SM Entertainment’s “unfair” contract terms, per Yonhap News Agency.“On behalf of my clients, I submitted a complaint to the Fair Trade Commission against SM Entertainment yesterday,” Lee said in a press release. He added that they are seeking the authorities’ intervention in “the company’s act of abusing its dominant position in business”.According to Yonhap, Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen’s complaint addresses issues such as the duration of SM Entertainment contracts, as compared to those from other K-pop agencies, and how the company establishes the starting point for exclusive contracts.The complaint by the three EXO members comes just days after Baekhyun, Xiumin and Chen notified SM Entertainment through their lawyer Lee that they would be terminating their contracts with the agency, citing “mistreatment and unfair contract terms”.SM Entertainment later refuted claims made by the trio on various issues.