South Korean government cancels plans to hold public poll on BTS’ military exemption

Thania Garcia South Korean R&B singer Crush, who is in the midst of a comeback after a two-year military service hiatus, has recruited BTS’ J-Hope for his new single, “Rush Hour.” The celebratory song arrived on Thursday with an accompanying music video which also stars J-Hope and sees both artists skating through elaborate dance numbers in an alleyway. After Crush begins the track, he’s joined by the BTS member, who playfully raps, “Wherever I go now it’s a red carpet feel / Cameras snapping wherever I go like flash, flash,” as a crowd of camera flashes appears behind him. Crush told the Korean entertainment publication Soompi that his decision to collaborate with J-Hope was natural, as they are both going in a similar musical direction, and added that he “was so grateful for [J-Hope] when he helped monitor and provided coaching.”

BTS’ Order of Cultural Merit awarded by former president Moon Jae-In in 2018 — should be allowed to serve an alternative form of military service.Korea JoongAng Daily reported on September 21 that Defence Minister Lee has since responded to the proposal, saying that it would be “difficult” to extend this alternative [military service] programme to BTS due to “aspects of fairness on fulfilling mandatory military service” during an interpellation at the National Assembly held on September 19.Kim Young-bae’s original proposal suggests that existing provisions in place for athletes, actors, directors and classical musicians who have made a significant international impact should be expanded to include decorated pop celebrities. “Korean pop celebrities active in the international field make unimaginable economic and social contributions,” said Kim, per The Korea Times.He also added that BTS’ recent appointment as ambassadors of Busan City is one way the boyband are actively serving South Korea’s national interests.

SM Entertainment on brand-new artist-themed attractions.According to a report from Korea JoongAng Daily earlier today (September 21), SM Entertainment announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Everland to introduce a space dedicated to content related to the SMCU (SM Culture Universe). The SMCU is a shared universe established by the music label featuring its artists engaged in fictional adventures.The collaboration will see the introduction of new SMCU-themed attractions and rides including “the Hurricane, Bumper Car, Amazon Express and Music Garden”.

With time rapidly running out to make a decision on the question of whether or not the members of BTS should do their military service, a member of the main opposition party in South Korea has proposed a bill that would allow them to serve the country in alternative ways.If passed, the proposed bill, put forward by politician Kim Young-bae, would allow the pop stars to carry out activities in the national interest other than actually serving in the military. This would seemingly include the work they are already undertaking as ambassadors for South Korea’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men must begin serving around two years in the military at some point between the ages of eighteen and 28.

BTS’ Order of Cultural Merit awarded by former president Moon Jae-In in 2018 — should be allowed to serve an alternative form of military service.Kim’s proposal suggests that existing provisions in place for athletes, actors, directors and classical musicians who have made a significant international impact should be expanded to include decorated pop celebrities.“Korean pop celebrities active in the international field make unimaginable economic and social contributions,” said Kim, per The Korea Times.He added that BTS’ recent appointment as ambassadors of Busan City is one way the boyband are actively serving South Korea’s national interests.

EXCLUSIVE: The prevalence of Korean projects heading to the U.S. continues.

Netflix’s series, Narco-Saints, which is set in Suriname.In a statement issued on Tuesday (September 13), the Korean embassy in Venezuela – which also oversees relations with Suriname – advised Koreans residing in the South American country to pay attention to their safety.“We are assuming that many Korean residents in Suriname are very troubled due to the aftermath of Suriname [the title Narco-Saints is marketed as in Korean promotional materials],” the embassy’s statement reads, per Korea JoongAng Daily.“Please pay attention to your safety, and if there are any concerns or need for help, please notify us through the local president of the Korean community immediately,” the statement adds. “The embassy has the safety of Koreans as our first concern and will do our best for your security.”This statement comes a day after reports that the Suriname government is considering plans to pursue legal action against the producers of Narco-Saints and to lodge a diplomatic protest with the South Korean government over Suriname’s portrayal in the Netflix series.Narco-Saints follows an ordinary entrepreneur who joins a group of undercover secret agents working to capture a Korean drug lord operating in Suriname.

Netflix has unveiled the first trailer for its upcoming Korean music reality show Take 1, starring MAMAMOO, AKMU, Rain and more.The new visual was shared on September 15, and features a number of South Korean musicians – Yim Jae-beom, Yoo Hee-yeol, Park Jung-hyun, Rain, AKMU, MAMAMOO and Sumi Jo – as they gather to discuss what it means for them to stage “the most meaningful performance of their careers”, according to a press release from Netflix.Each participating act is given a countdown clock, indicating the amount of time they would have to prepare for their performances, for which they’re only given one song to perform. Take 1 lands on Netflix on October 14.Take 1 marks the first music reality show Netflix has produced, and will see the participating musicians devise the ultimate performance. They will be allowed to choose who they would like to invite for their performances, what they wish to sing as well as the location of the performance, but will only have one take to nail it.Helming the upcoming series is director Kim Hak-min, who previously worked on the Korean music reality programme Two Yoo Project Sugar Man 3 in 2019.

Loco is engaged!

A surprise for BTS fans on Disney+ Day. At 12 AM Thursday, Disney+ began streaming the concert film BTS Permission To Dance On Stage – LA worldwide as part of Disney+ Day.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Make no mistake: CJ ENM is on the move. The South Korean conglomerate that has done as much as any company to build out the nation’s entertainment ecosystem is actively looking to expand its “production capability and competency.” That’s the word from Kang Ho-sung, CEO of the cluster of film, TV and music companies that now share the CJ ENM banner. Kang gave a rare, extensive interview to Variety on Aug. 21 in downtown Los Angeles on the sidelines of CJ ENM’s KCON LA pop culture convention, which brought in close to 100,000 fans from across the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Well Go USA Entertainment has picked up North American rights to Korean action-thriller Project Wolf Hunting, which will bow in TIFF’s Midnight Madness section next week.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief South Korea’s cinema box office slipped to its lowest level since mid-May as local film “6/45” took the top spot with just $3.06 million over the weekend in its second week of release. Comedy “6/45” was released a week earlier and scored $2.74 million in its opening weekend, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). The latest weekend, then, represents an 11% improvement for the title. It increased its share of the market to 45% during the latest weekend and advanced its cumulative total to $8.36 million. Depressed by a lack of significant new releases, the nationwide box office over the Friday to Sunday period, however, dropped to $6.75 million. This was the lowest scoring weekend since the first half of May.

As the debate in South Korea over whether or not BTS should serve military service continues to drag on, the latest idea is to put the matter to the South Korean public, as the country’s government has failed to reach a conclusion.Yeah, that’s right, a referendum on the future of a pop group. Why can’t we have votes like that, instead of bloody Brexit? Actually, this is more a survey to gauge public opinion than a full on referendum.

Jeff Benjamin With new headlines dropping daily about the global expansion of K-pop, overseas investors now have a chance to cash in. Today, Sept. 1, a K-pop and Korean-entertainment ETF — under the ticker name KPOP — launched on the NYSE Arca Exchange through South Korean IP investment company Contents Technologies. With top pop-culture players on board, KPOP marks the first time investors in the U.S. and Europe can access the companies most directly involved in the expanding K-pop music scene. Of the 30 corporations in the exchange-traded fund, the major holding companies of KPOP include several of the scene’s most internationally influential names, all publicly listed on the local Korea Composite Stock Price Index. 

ARMAGEDDON TIME (d. James Gray, U.S., 2022) BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (d. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico-U.S., 2022) BOBI WINE, GHETTO PRESIDENT (d.

BTS exemptions from mandatory military service.Debates over the necessity of BTS’ fulfilment of local military conscription requirements have long been a point of public contention, which have recently intensified as the boyband’s oldest member, Jin, is due to turn 30 this December. The law calls for all male Korean citizens – no older than age 30 – to enlist in the military for mandatory service.On August 31, The Korea Times reported that South Korea’s defence minister Lee Jong-sup told lawmakers that he has ordered officials to implement a survey to gauge the public’s opinions on BTS’ enlistment.

Officials in South Korea announced they are considering conducting a public survey to discern whether members of the K-pop band BTS should be exempt from the mandatory military service required of all men in the country. The oldest band member, Jin, will soon be forced to enlist, after he turns 30 in December, leading South Korean officials wondering how to move forward.

Korean actor Song Kang-ho, who starred in Parasite and won best actor at this year’s Cannes film festival for his role in Broker, is set to make his debut in a Korean series with Uncle Sam Shik for Seoul-based production company Slingshot Studio.