Entertainment

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  McDonald's partners with BTS to release signature meal set inspired by S. Korean recipes SEOUL -- Global fast-food franchise McDonald's has partnered with K-pop wonder BTS to release a special meal set including spicy dipping sauces inspired by the franchise's recipes in South Korea. The super band's signature meal set is McDonald's first celebrity-themed menu that will be released in nearly 50 countries worldwide. The BTS meal set is part of McDonald's "Famous Orders," a promotion event series that releases fa 2021-04-20
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  Girl band (G)I-DLE to release new song without member Soojin SEOUL -- K-pop girl band (G)I-DLE will release a new song in April without Soojin, who suspended group activities after the 23-year-old singer was caught up in a school bullying scandal. (G)I-DLE will come back with "Last Dance (Prod. GroovyRoom)" scheduled for release in April 2021. All preparations including the recording of the song and the filming of the music video were finished in February, just before the school bullying scandal erupted in 2021-04-19
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  KT jumps into Vietnam's music streaming market with digital platform SEOUL -- KT, a top telecom company in South Korea, jumped into Vietnam's music streaming market through cooperation with Vietnam Television, a national television broadcaster, utilizing a digital platform based on artificial intelligence, big data and cloud. KT signed a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam Cable Television (VTVCab), a subsidiary of Vietnam Television (VTV), to optimize the platform business model of KT's music streaming service, Genie Mus 2021-04-09
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  K-pop girl band MAMAMOO's label acquires rival entertainment company SEOUL -- The label of K-pop girl band MAMAMOO has built up its size for global expansion by acquiring a rival entertainment company that manages artists such as B1A4, Oh My Girl and ONF. Rainbow Bridge World (RBW) said it has secured more than 70 percent of WM Entertainment shares through a stock purchase agreement. Financial terms were not disclosed. WM Entertainment became a subsidiary of RBW, but the label would maintain its current management and i 2021-04-07
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  BTS agency expands U.S. business scope thru acquisition of Ithaca Holdings SEOUL -- Through its American subsidiary, the agency of K-pop wonder BTS acquired Ithaca Holdings, a Los Angeles-based investment holding company that controls the label of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, underlining efforts to expand its business scope in the U.S. music market. The deal came two weeks after Big Hit Entertainment founded by Bang Si-hyuk changed its name to HYBE to herald a new start as a comprehensive entertainment lifestyle platform company t 2021-04-02
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  CJ's drama-making wing forges partnership with webcomics studio YLAB SEOUL -- Studio Dragon, the drama-making wing of South Korea's entertainment group CJ ENM, has forged a partnership with YLAB, an online entertainment studio, to dramatize popular webcomics, also known as webtoons, for the global over-the-top content market. Studio Dragon said in a statement on March 29 that it would dramatize "Super String," a fictional universe. "Based on YBLAB's successful IPs and Studio Dragon's project planning and 2021-03-29
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  Historical inaccuracies lead to rare withdrawal of TV series in S. Korea SEOUL -- Historical inaccuracies, coupled with anti-Beijing sentiment caused by a controversial research project aimed at redefining China's ancient history, led to the rare withdrawal of a South Korean fantasy-supernatural television series after just two episodes aired. SBS, a national TV network, said in a statement on March 26 that it decided to cancel its new drama, "Joseon Exorcist," after feeling "heavy responsibility," although the prod 2021-03-26
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  JYP Entertainment ties up with China's music streaming arm of Tencent SEOUL -- The music streaming arm of Tencent has forged a strategic partnership with JYP Entertainment, a South Korean entertainment and record label backed by K-pop groups such as TWICE, ITZY and Stray Kids. They would maximize synergy by creating various music entertainment services along with joint marketing, promotions and live events. Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) is a joint venture between Tencent and Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming 2021-03-24
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  BTS label changes corporate name to HYBE to herald new start before moving into new building SEOUL -- The agency of K-pop wonder BTS changed its name to HYBE to herald a new start as a comprehensive entertainment lifestyle platform company that creates and delivers extended content and services based on music to fans. Big Hit Entertainment announced its new corporate name through its official YouTube channel on March 19. The new name will be officially used after a meeting of shareholders on March 30. "I felt the need for a new corporate name as a 2021-03-19
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  Girl band ITZY to release dedicatory song for fans thru first online event SEOUL -- K-pop girl band ITZY will release a dedicatory song named after the five-member band's fan club "MIDZY" through an online fan meeting event. The song will be released in Korean and English, targeting fans at home and abroad. JYP Entertainment said in a statement that "MIDZY" includes a message of "ITZY exists thanks to fans' strong trust." The song will be showcased through the online fan meeting usi 2021-03-19
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  Viral YouTube video spotlights obscure K-pop girl band Brave Girls to become top star SEOUL -- Brave Girls, an obscure K-pop girl band that has been almost forgotten in the major music scene, was unexpectedly put on a road to fame and became a star overnight after a YouTube video showing online comments for their dance performances went viral. The video was uploaded when band members lost their momentum to maintain team activities any longer and started discussing their dismantlement. Since Brave Girls debuted as a five-member band in 201 2021-03-12
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  [TRAVEL] North Chungcheong Province launches 'Wellness Trip' for body and mind SEOUL -- In an effort to heal the body and mind of those who suffer from COVID Blue, a feeling of depression and isolation caused by changes in lifestyle due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Tourism Organization have selected "Wellness Trip 44," a collection of tourist hot spots that are ideal for healing. According to government data, COVID Blue inflicts feelings of depression, isolati 2021-03-09
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  BLACKPINK member Rosé reveals name of upcoming solo album title track thru teaser video SEOUL -- Through a short teaser video, Rosé, a member of K-pop girl band BLACKPINK, has revealed the name of the title song included in the 24-year-old's first solo album to be released on March 12. YG Entertainment uploaded a teaser video titled "ROSÉ - 'On The Ground' M/V TEASER" onto YouTube on March 8, showing snippets of the music video for "On The Ground," the title track of Rosé's sol 2021-03-08
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  Girl band (G)I-DLE shrinks size to five members after school bullying controversy G)I-DLE member Soojin SEOUL -- (G)I-DLE, a six-member K-pop girl band, will shrink its size to five members after Soojin decided to stay away for a while over claims that the 22-year-old had inflicted mental and physical damage to classmates through bullying in her middle school years. Her agency has yet to verify allegations targeting Soojin. Soojin's absence dealt a blow to the girl band which has gradually expanded its influence abroad. (G)I-DL 2021-03-05
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  Singer-actress IU reveals release schedule for album 'LILAC' SEOUL -- Singer-actress IU will release her new album "LILAC" in March. In an Instagram post, the 27-year-old uploaded a poster for her upcoming album. "Celebrity," a self-written song included in her fifth full-album, scored an all-kill in South Korean song charts in January. The singer-actress is one of the most popular solo female artists in South Korea's entertainment scene. Not only IU is famous for her talent as a musicia 2021-03-04
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  S. Korea to build state-run K-pop concert hall for unaffordable online performances A blueprint released by the culture ministry shows the state-run K-pop concert hall. SEOUL -- A state-run K-pop concert hall optimized for online concerts will be built in South Korea to foster non-face-to-face performances as a new industry and support small and medium-sized labels, rookies and indie musicians who cannot produce online performances due to the high cost of production. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art 2021-03-03
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  BLACKPINK member Rosé to release solo album in March SEOUL -- K-pop girl band BLACKPINK member Rosé will release her first solo album on March 12, the 24-year-old's agency said. YG Entertainment unveiled a teaser poster for Rosé's solo album through its official blog on March 2. Details such as the number of songs included in the album were not disclosed. Rosé's long-waited solo debut was first mentioned by YG in 2019 after fans demanded that the musical spectrum of the fo 2021-03-02
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  BTS agency posts record earnings in 2020 on brisk online activities and album sales SEOUL -- The agency of K-pop wonder BTS achieved its best-ever corporate earnings in 2020, despite a COVID-19 pandemic that prompted artists to cancel offline concerts and focus on online activities with fans. Big Hit Entertainment attributed its stellar performance to a solid business structure based on a multi-label system and brisk album sales. Big Hit said in a regulatory filing on February 23 that its consolidated net profit in 2020 rose 19 pe 2021-02-23
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  [FOCUS] BTS agency leagues with Universal Music to launch new K-pop band in US music scene SEOUL -- Big Hit Entertainment, the creator of K-pop wonder BTS, forged a strategic alliance with Universal Music Group to launch a joint venture label that will create a new band targeting American fans. The romance underlines the growing power of K-pop artists in the global music scene. Through the joint venture set up by Big Hit and Geffen Records, a major music label of Universal Music Group (UMG), a survival music audition show will be held in 2021-02-18
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  CJ ENM aims to become major visual content producer thru partnership with Epic Games SEOUL -- CJ ENM, the creator of the Oscar-winning 2020 film "Parasite," has kicked into full gear to become a major visual content company targeting the global market by building South Korea's largest studio that can virtually produce films and dramas using the technology of Epic Games, an American 3D game engine company. The virtual production method utilizes various visual effects (VFX) technologies to create and film computer-generated scenes in 2021-02-16