Blackpink's Jisoo, Rose sit high on Billboard charts
The lead single from her first solo EP 'Amortage' was unveiled on Feb. 14 and ranked No. 47 and No. 22 on Billboard Global 200 and Global 200 excl. US, respectively.
The album topped the iTunes Top Albums Chart in 45 regions and sold over half a million copies in the first week. This makes her the K-pop female solo singer with the most records sold so far. Her solo single album 'Flower' from 2023 was the first-ever album from a K-pop female soloist to sell more than a million copies in the first week.
Meanwhile, Rose sat at the No. 7 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 with her Bruno Mars collaboration 'APT.,' maintaining the spot for two weeks in a row. The earworm is enjoying 18 consecutive weeks on the chart after peaking at No. 3.
Oh My Girl to mark 10th debut anniversary with concert
Oh My Girl announced Wednesday that it will host a standalone concert in Seoul on April 19-20 to celebrate its 10th debut anniversary, via agency RBW Entertainment.
The two-day live show is titled 'Milky Way,' symbolizing a bridge between the group and its fandom, Miracle.
The six members will put on a series of songs chronicling their decade-long career, during which they put out two studio albums and 10 extended plays. They debuted with a namesake EP and their latest effort was their 10th EP 'Dreamy Resonance,' which came out in August last year.
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Korea Herald
9 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Journalist adopts cat behind 'frozen Han River' meme
"Over the Han River, frozen solid, a cat is walking," goes a popular internet meme that swept across Korean social media last year. Lee Dong-hak, the MBN video journalist who filmed the original clip of a cat crossing the river, revealed through his YouTube channel last week that he located and adopted the very female cat that inadvertently sparked the meme. Originally aired on Dec. 27, 2021, the news clip covered a cold snap that gripped the country, freezing a part of the wide river running through the nation's capital. However, it went viral for the anchor's description of the lonely cat's walk once it was spotted, particularly his use of the word "kong kong" — a Korean onomatopoeia for the state of being frozen solid. The somewhat rhythmic phrasing led internet users to add a melody and rhythm to the clip, which spurred a TikTok dance trend. It took off, with K-pop stars including IU, members of Twice, Seventeen, aepa's Karina and BTS' Jin taking part in the "Kong-nyangi Challenge," named by combining the slang word for cat, "nyangi," with kong from kong kong. The popular meme led to the stray cat being found by someone on the internet, who posted her photo and the information that she was seen at Ttukseom Hangang Park in Seoul. "I've always felt bad for not caring for the cat who gave so much joy to the people," Lee wrote in the YouTube video. "I thought there was little chance I would find her, but I went anyway. ... Then I saw a cat, and I knew instantly it was the one that I filmed that day." Lee said he recognized the cat by the patterns on her fur and got close by feeding her every night. He eventually adopted her and named her Kong Kong, after the popular meme. The journalist said he logged onto the animal protection information system to find that a female cat resembling her had been neutered in March of 2021. He also found online photos and videos that appear to be of Kong Kong dating back to April of 2020. In them, she appeared younger with both her ears intact. Clipping the ear is a standard procedure here after neutering a stray cat. Based on this information, he presumed that Kong Kong was born sometime in 2019. The two videos about the popular cat getting a home have garnered over 400,000 views as of Wednesday.
Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Titan Content's first K-pop group AtHeart makes bold step with 'Plot Twist'
K-pop label founded by former SM CEO Han Se-min launches six-member group, hoping to make big waves in global music scene AtHeart debuted Wednesday as the first K-pop group under Titan Content, a K-pop label founded by former SM Entertainment CEO Han Se-min. The girl group comprises four Korean members — Na-hyun, Seo-hyeon, Bome and Arin — as well as Michi from the US and Katelyn from the Philippines, all in their teens. "A debut is something that I have always yearned for, so we feel nervous and honored at the same time. We will keep working hard, so please show support and look forward to how we will grow," Na-hyun told reporters during a press conference held at Blue Square in Seoul's Yongsan-gu. AtHeart stepped into the spotlight with its debut album "Plot Twist." Leading the debut EP is the title track "Plot Twist," which is produced by Jonah Shy, creator of hit songs like "Havana" for Camila Cabello and "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" for Shawn Mendes. Other side tracks include "Good Girl (AtHeart)" and "Push Back," written by Rykeyz, who has worked with Demi Lovato and H.E.R., "Knew Me" and "Dot Dot Dot..." Lia Kim, the leader of the dance crew One Million, who also doubles as the K-pop agency's chief performance officer, took part in the group's choreography. "Lia always tells us to step outside the box when we perform. She says that we should know how to take in the music, feel it and express it the way we want to rather than simply copying the moves to the song," Bome said. "Not only did Lia come up with the choreography, but she also honed the best work to make the choreography that best fits our song," Arin added. Bome said the main keyword of the group's debut album is "butterfly effect." "Butterfly effect is the idea that small events may ultimately result in something with much larger consequences. Just like how in the butterfly effect, a tiny wing flap can trigger massive changes later, I hope that our music will have the potential to create a big impact in the music scene," she explained.
Korea Herald
12 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Why do Koreans hold decadeslong grudge against former-star Steve Yoo?
Fans plead for leniency for Korean-American singer, blocked from Korea since 2002 draft dodging A local fan base supporting Steve Yoo, better known by his Korean name Yoo Seung-joon, released a statement Tuesday urging President Lee Jae Myung to grant a Liberation Day special pardon for the Korean-American singer. Yoo, 48, has been banned from entering South Korea since 2002 after he dodged military conscription by renouncing his Korean nationality for US citizenship. "We're not saying (Yoo) is not at fault, but that he has sufficiently shouldered social responsibility as a result. He should be given a new opportunity to live in Korean society," Yoo's fans said in the online statement. The president's office has not responded to the request, and Yoo is not eligible for a special pardon under the Amnesty Act. Article 5 states that a special pardon applies only to legal punishments. Yoo's entry ban is a visa matter under sovereign discretion involving a foreign national, not the result of a criminal sentence. The entry ban is an administrative decision made by the Ministry of Justice. Yoo was a superstar in the local music scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s, one of the biggest names of the pop genre that was the prototype for the internationally beloved K-pop of today. But the nationwide scandal in January of 2002 forever tarnished his legacy, making him a symbol of draft-dodging controversy in South Korea. From beloved star to infamous draft dodger Many Korean pop stars hold foreign citizenship, but none have faced the level of public anger that Yoo has. The backlash stems from his actions and words leading up to his evasion of the draft in 2002, before which he had repeatedly said he would gladly serve his mandatory military duties. South Korea requires all able-bodied men to serve at least 18 months in the military, with alternate forms of service available for those unable to carry out combat duties. Graded for non-combat service, Yoo was expected to serve as social service personnel for 2 years and six months. As a conscript candidate, he won the government permission to leave the country just before he was to commence his service in late 2001. However, in early 2002, he renounced his Korean citizenship and began the process to gain US citizenship. He cited that the service would mean a lengthy departure from his family in the US, and that his career as a dancer and singer would be cut short. The public, feeling betrayed by a beloved star who was ranked by Gallup Korea as the country's third most-liked male singer in 1998, responded with outrage. Later in 2002, the Justice Ministry imposed an indefinite entry ban on him. Public opposition to lifting the ban remains strong: a 2023 poll by local outlet News Tomato showed that 75.15 percent of respondents were still against his return to South Korea. Yoo tries to return, but legal complications remain Yoo is currently undergoing a yearslong legal battle to reverse the decision by the Justice Ministry, with the Seoul Administrative Court slated to reach a ruling on the third court proceedings on the case on Aug. 28. Yoo has claimed that the South Korean government's refusal to issue a visa for him is against the law, saying that one violating the Military Service Act should not lead to a permanent entry ban. He pointed at the case of soccer player Suk Hyun-jun, whose draft dodging led to his suspended prison term but not an entry ban. In 2015 and 2020, Yoo filed for a trial against the South Korean Consulate General in Los Angeles that had refused to issue him a visa. A 2019 Supreme Court ruling on the 2015 case sent the case back to the Seoul High Court, which ruled in favor of Yoo and said the LA consulate did not have the authority to refuse a visa. The 2020 case was once again won by Yoo, with the court ruling that there were no legal grounds to deny a visa. Those who revoked South Korean citizenship to dodge military duties can be refused entry into the country for up to five years. Based on this ruling, Yoo claims that he is now eligible to be issued a visa. But the ruling concerned the LA consulate's refusal to review Yoo's case, not the Justice Ministry's decision to issue the initial ban based on the Immigration Act in 2002. Draft dodging itself is not a crime that warrants a permanent entry ban, but the ministry's basis for slapping the ban was Article 11, subsection 1-3 of the Immigration Act, which says: "A person deemed highly likely to engage in any conduct harming the interests or public security of South Korea can be prohibited from entering the country.' Application of this article to a draft dodger is not common. But due to Yoo's considerable influence and popularity with the public, government officials have cited that a beloved celebrity flagrantly trying to avoid military duties can have significant detrimental effects on young Koreans. The ongoing trial is against both the Justice Ministry and the LA consulate, and Yoo has requested the court confirm that the entry ban should be nullified. The aforementioned ruling in favor of Yoo covered the administrative process of the visa rejection, not the validity of the ministry's initial decision. Ministry has maintained that imposing an entry ban is the right of a Justice Minister, and letting Yoo back into the country could stir controversy and cause confusion. President Lee, some 10 years ago, when he was serving as the mayor of Seongnam city in Gyeonggi Province, made some comments about the case. He said online that Yoo should "forget about Korea that you betrayed and abandoned, and be loyal to your country."
