Entertainment

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  Reality competition series 'Physical: 100' captivates global fans on Netflix SEOUL -- "Physical: 100," a South Korean competition show featuring physically fit contestants engaging in various games and competitions to win prize money of 300 million won ($233,681), became the most watched content on Netflix's non-English chart. The reality survival content showcases various celebrities such as UFC fighter Akiyama Yoshihiro (Choo Sung-hoon) and the 2012 London Olympic vault champion Yang Hak-seon. The global streaming service giant said that t 2023-02-15
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  BTS's main rapper Suga to go on solo world tour in six countries SEOUL -- BTS member Suga will go on a solo world tour, starting with the first concert in Belmont Park, New York on April 26. The 29-year-old became the first BTS member to launch a solo world tour. Big Hit, the seven-member band's agency, said in a statement on February 15 that Suga will cover six countries -- United States, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan. BTS' main rapper will interact with global fans from April to June in various cities including 2023-02-15
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  NewJeans garners explosive popularity among American Spotify users through OMG and Ditto SEOUL -- Girl band NewJeans is gaining explosive popularity among American fans. Currently, the United States is the region where the five-member band's dance songs -- OMG and Ditto -- are consumed the most on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service. As of February 10, OMG was played 22.71 million times in the United States, which accounted for more than 20 percent of total streams with 111.28 million, Spotify said in a statement on February 13. Of the 164 2023-02-13
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  Red Velvet to represent K-pop bands at Primavera Sound 2023 SEOUL -- Girl band Red Velvet will interact with global fans at Primavera Sound, an annual music festival held in Spain, as the only K-pop group. The five-member band will perform along with global stars such as rapper Kendrick Lamar and Halsey. According to SM Entertainment, the group's agency, Red velvet will participate in the festival on June 1 in Barcelona and Madrid on June 8. This year, the event will take place between June 1 and 3 in Barcelona and in Madrid from June 2023-02-10
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  Girl band TWICE's unit MiSaMo to release first Japanese album SEOUL -- TWICE, a nine-member K-pop girl band especially popular in Japan, will consolidate its position in the island country through its first unit consisting of three Japanese members -- Mina, Sana, and Momo. The new group called "MiSaMo" will roll out its first Japanese language-based mini album on July 26 to start its new journey. JYP Entertainment, the group's agency, disclosed an official trailer and photos of Misamo through its official website. "So happy 2023-02-09
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  BTS' brother band TXT tops Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with 'The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION' SEOUL -- TXT (Tomorrow X Together), a five-member boy band organized by the agency of top K-pop band BTS, has topped Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with its fifth album titled "The Name Chapter: TEMPTATION." The group became the fifth K-pop band to grab the top place on the weekly chart that ranks the 200 most popular albums in the United States. The album, released on January 27, arrived atop the list on Billboard 200 chart with 161,500 equivalent album uni 2023-02-06
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  ​Exports of 'K-content' products rise 4.4% to $12.45 billion in 2021 SEOUL -- South Korea's exports of cultural and entertainment products increased 4.4 percent year-on-year to $12.24 billion in 2021, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The amount was higher than the exports of major products such as home appliances, secondary batteries, electric vehicles and display panels. This means that Korean-made entertainment and cultural products, better known as K-content, have emerged as one of the country's k 2023-02-03
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  Stray Kids becomes first K-pop band to headline music festival in France through Lollapalooza SEOUL -- Boy band Stray Kids became the first K-pop group to interact with global fans in France through Lollapalooza, a popular global music event, as its headliner. The eight-member band will take part in the global music festival along with American rapper Kendrick Lamar and Rosalia, a famous singer and songwriter from Spain. According to JYP Entertainment, the band's agency, Stray Kids will perform at Lollapalooza Paris on July 21. The headliner role is usually given to the 2023-02-02
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  Science fiction film 'Jung-E' garners explosive popularity on Netflix SEOUL -- South Korean science fiction film "Jung_E," by Yeon Sang-ho, became the most watched content on Netflix's non-English chart. The film depicts a story of researchers striving to develop an artificial intelligence-based combat robot by cloning a brain of a female warrior named "Yun Jung-yi" to fight against enemies in the 22nd century. The global streaming service giant said that the South Korean film recorded some 19.3 million hours of viewing only t 2023-01-26
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  Virtual model Lucy to promote fashion items through live commerce show SEOUL -- Lucy, a 29-year-old virtual model created by the home shopping channel of South Korea's conglomerate Lotte, will appear in online shopping shows for bags and accessories designed by Vivienne Westwood, a global fashion brand based in London. The virtual influencer with more than 105,000 followers will interact with viewers through a monthly live commerce show on YouTube. Live commerce is a home shopping-like online service that enables two-way communication between shopp 2023-01-26
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  Girl band Le Sserafim's dance song 'Antifragile' played more than 200 million times on Spotify SEOUL -- "Antifragile," the tile song of K-pop girl group Le Sserafim, has been streamed more than 200 million times for 96 days after its release on Spotify, the world's most popular music streaming service. The five-member band formed by Hybe's music label showcased young girls' firm stance to overcome various difficulties in life with a strong mentality through the dance song. According to Source Music, the title track was played more than 200 million times 2023-01-24
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  S. Koreans are mixed about debut of virtual K-pop girl band MAVE: SEOUL -- South Koreans are showing mixed views about the debut of MAVE:, a four-member girl band created by Metaverse Entertainment, a virtual reality content developer affiliated with South Korea's leading game publisher Netmarble. While some fans are excited to watch the rookie girl group's music video, others are skeptical as they are repulsed by the virtual humans' debut. MAVE:, whose brand concept contains the meaning of "making new waves" in the K-pop in 2023-01-20
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  Pinkfong to recreate Hong Kong's main theme park using Baby Shark IP SEOUL -- Targeting the Chinese market, Pinkfong, the creator of a catchy cartoon song called "Baby Shark," has teamed up with the operator of Hong Kong's main theme park called "Ocean Park Hong Kong" to set up the theme park using Baby Shark characters. Visitors can wear sailor costumes and enjoy the Baby Shark-themed sea view. Ocean Park Hong Kong is one of the largest theme parks in Hong Kong along with Hong Kong Disneyland. The theme park was visited by m 2023-01-19
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  BTS member Jimin appointed as global ambassador for luxury fashion brand Dior SEOUL -- Jimin, the lead vocalist of BTS, was selected as the global ambassador of Christian Dior, a France-based high-end luxury fashion brand known as Dior, to promote various fashion items and campaigns. The 27-year-old has aroused fans' curiosity regarding his enlistment as his agency earlier announced that all BTS members would fulfill their mandatory military service. After Dior's announcement on January 17, the artist expressed his excitement through his Instagram po 2023-01-18
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  Super rookie girl band NewJeans debuts on Billboard's Hot100 chart with 'Ditto' SEOUL -- Just after about six months of the band's debut, K-pop super rookie NewJeans entered Billboard's top 100 popular song chart with "Ditto," a dance song released on December 19, 2022. The five-member band stepped into the spotlight as soon as it debuted on July 2022 and won various awards including the "Rookie Artist Award" and "Best Digital Song" at the "2023 Golden Disk Awards," an annual Asian music awards event hosted by So 2023-01-18
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  K-pop album exports hit record high in 2022 SEOUL -- Exports of South Korean K-pop albums in 2022 reached $233 million, up 5.6 percent on-year, state data showed. For the first time, more than 80 million copies were sold. Data released by the state-run tax organization Korea Customs Service showed that Japan was the largest importer of K-pop albums with $85.74 million, followed by China with 51.33 million and the United States with $38.88 million. Other top 10 importers include Taiwan, Thailand, Germany and France. In 2 2023-01-17
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  Pinkfong selects former Disney short-form content creator David Levy to lead studio in US branch SEOUL -- David Levy, a veteran short-form content creator who directed various Disney animated videos, has been picked to lead a studio in the American branch of Pinkfong, a South Korean educational entertainment company known for a catchy cartoon song called "Baby Shark." The former Disney animation director will lead the intellectual property business and work with global studios. Short-form videos that are normally 15 to 60 seconds long are gaining popularity in the co 2023-01-12
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  Minari actress Youn Yuh-jung signs with American agency Creative Artists Agency SEOUL -- Youn Yuh-jung, a veteran actress who won the 2021 Academy Award for her role in the 2021 American film Minari, signed with Creative Artists Agency, a major entertainment agency based in Los Angeles. The American agency works with many famous actors including Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Gosling. According to an exclusive report released by US entertainment news media Deadline, the 75-year-old signed a contract with Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The agency has signed wit 2023-01-11
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  ​BLACKPINK becomes first K-pop band to headline US music festival Coachella SEOUL -- K-pop girl band BLACKPINK will interact with global fans at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, a popular American music event, as its headliner. The four-member band is the first K-pop group to take part in the annual event known for showcasing popular artists in indie rock, hip-hop and electronic dance music. Coachella said in an Instagram post that the group will perform at the music festival on April 14 and on April 21. The headliner role is usually given to 2023-01-11
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  Ateez ranks seventh on Billboard's top 200 popular albums chart with 'SPIN OFF : FROM THE WITNESS' SEOUL -- K-pop boy band Ateez is garnering explosive popularity through its first single album titled "SPIN OFF : FROM THE WITNESS" The album was ranked seventh on Billboard's top 200 popular album chart. The album released on December 30 ranked seventh on January 9, according to KQ Entertainment, the eight-member band's agency. More than 40,000 copies of the album were sold. The music video of the album's title song "Halazia" gained more than 2023-01-10