Entertainment

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  Rookie K-pop girl band IVE sells nearly 1 million copies of third single 'After LIKE' in 8 days SEOUL -- IVE, a girl group under K-pop band MONSTA X's agency Starship Entertainment, has sold nearly 1 million copies of its third single "After LIKE" just eight days after its release. The six-member band only sold 152,000 copies of its debut album "ELEVEN" in the first week of its release in December 2021 and 338,000 copies of its second single "LOVE DIVE" in April 2022. The new single is gaining popularity among fans of different age groups as it i 2022-08-31
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  Taekwondo performance team K-Tigers to hold special event in Seoul to attract tourists SEOUL -- K-Tigers, a Taekwondo performance team that recreated BTS' global hit song "DNA" with a martial arts performance, will showcase glamorous taekwondo-based dance moves at an event that will be held in central Seoul to celebrate Taekwondo Day and attract tourists. After the event, Seoul will regularly host various taekwondo performances as a tourist attraction. K-Tigers has steadily gained popularity overseas for covering many different dance performances of fam 2022-08-30
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  Artists use avatars to perform and compete in anonymous virtual survival program SEOUL -- South Korean artists will compete in a virtual survival music program called "Avatar Singer" using their virtual characters. In the survival program that incorporates augmented reality and metaverse, a total of 10 teams will showcase performances and reveal their identity if they lose. The survival show hosted by MBN, a domestic TV channel, will air its first episode at 10:26 p.m. (1326 GMT) on August 26. Avatars, which have not been chosen by judges, will be e 2022-08-25
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  Kakao Entertainment invites K-pop idols to anonymous virtual survival music program SEOUL -- Former and incumbent K-pop girl group idols will compete in a virtual survival music program to be hosted by the content and entertainment wing of South Korea's web service giant Kakao sometime in the second half of 2022. They will use personalized characters while hiding their names and faces. The survival music program tentatively named "Virtual Idol Project 30 (VIP 30)" depicts a process in which 30 participants compete with dance and song by transforming t 2022-08-19
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  Naver VIBE provides natural and high-quality translation of foreign song lyrics SEOUL -- Naver VIBE, an artificial intelligence-based music streaming service developed by South Korea's internet service giant, has introduced a new service to provide the natural and high-quality translation of foreign song lyrics that fit the rhyme with the help of professional translators. Users can check original lyrics and Korean translations at a glance. Since translated lyrics are supported in real-time according to the flow of songs, users can immediately check origin 2022-08-19
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  K-pop singer AleXa to hold solo concerts in eight U.S. cities in October SEOUL -- Alexaundra Christine, an American singer and dancer better known by her stage name AleXa, will kick off her first U.S. tour in eight cities. The 25-year-old K-pop singer gained popularity for winning an American TV channel NBC's music competition called "American Song Contest," where she competed with 55 American artists including veteran singers Michael Bolton and Macy Gray. Starting in Jersey City on October 18, AleXa will meet her U.S. fans in San Juan, At 2022-08-18
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  Exhibition-goers increase by 59 percent in 2022 due to loosened quarantine regulations SEOUL -- The number of South Korean exhibition-goers who visit venues such as art galleries and art museums significantly increased in 2022 thanks to eased government COVID-19 regulations that allowed people to visit art halls and exhibition centers. In 2020 and early 2021, the government regulated offline event venues to have less than 100 visitors at a time. Data released by Interpark, a popular online ticket seller, on August 9 showed that the number of people who made reservat 2022-08-09
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  Taylor Swift's label teams up with JYP to create new international girl band 'A2K' SEOUL -- Republic Records, an American record label that includes Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, will collaborate with JYP Entertainment, a major K-pop powerhouse in South Korea, to create "America2Korea," an English-speaking girl band with K-pop features. Members selected through audition will debut in North America after intensive training in South Korea. "It's an international supergroup that we're joining forces. We're playing out strengths. We'r 2022-07-26
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  BTS label terminates contract with Le Sserafim's Kim Ga-ram over school bullying scandal SEOUL -- Le Sserafim, a six-member girl group formed by Hybe's music label, saw the permanent departure of a 16-year-old member embroiled in her alleged school bullying, just two and a half months after its debut as a sister band of BTS. Source Music said it terminated an exclusive contract with Kim Ga-ram who has been plagued with allegations that she was involved in school bullying against her middle school friend in 2018. Le Sserafim has worked as a five-member group since 2022-07-20
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  GS Retail joins Modhaus project to create open architecture entertainment ecosystem SEOUL -- Modhaus, which is regarded as a maverick record label and entertainment startup, got an important patron who will support the creation of an open architecture entertainment ecosystem that allows fans to participate in all the processes related to artists from album concept to training and planning. GS Retail, the operator of GS25, a leading convenience store chain in South Korea, sealed a business agreement with Modhaus on July 12 to push for a fan-participating idol pro 2022-07-12
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  SM Entertainment partners with VR content startup to produce immersive content for artists SEOUL -- AmazeVR, a virtual reality content startup headquartered in Los Angeles, tied up with a special purpose studio of SM, an entertainment powerhouse in South Korea, to set up a joint venture that would produce immersive VR concerts for K-pop and global artists. The joint venture tentatively named Studio A will be set up between SM's metaverse content production company, Studio Kwangya, and AmzeVR. Content will be distributed exclusively through their VR music metaverse s 2022-07-12
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  BLACKPINK to host virtual in-game concert through PUBG Mobile ahead of comeback SEOUL -- Ahead of its comeback in August, BLACKPINK will host a virtual "in-game concert" through the mobile version of "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" (PUBG), a popular third-person shooter game. Users can watch the performance of 3D avatars representing BLACKPINK members. BLACKPINK will be the first K-pop act to showcase an in-game concert. YG Entertainment said the concert in PUBG Mobile is designed to provide an opportunity for artists and fans to commu 2022-07-12
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  SM-LG home fitness service targets global market with K-pop and dance content SEOUL -- SM, an entertainment powerhouse in South Korea, partnered with LG Electronics to launch a home fitness service that would contain various content such as K-pop and dance-based exercises. LG's platform technology and SM's K-pop content capabilities will be combined for differentiated services. In a ceremony on June 30, SM Entertainment LG Electronics launched a joint venture named "Fitness Candy" and disclosed their goal to compete with Apple's subscri 2022-06-30
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  Actor Yoo Ah-in recreated into virtual human for online apparel retail company SEOUL -- Yoo Ah-in, an actor who gained popularity for playing various adolescent characters, was recreated into a virtual human to promote fashion brands and events through collaboration with Musinsa, a major online apparel retail giant in South Korea. The 35-year-old is known for his stylish fashion sense that has captivated fans. He has showcased his unique, casual style through collaboration with casual fashion brands. In October 2020, Yoo was selected as Musinsa's brand am 2022-06-10
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  Virtual rapper Hip-Kongz to debut through rap song 'BAM' SEOUL -- Hip-Kongz, a virtual artist created by a label that manages K-pop girl band Brave Girls, will make its debut with a rap song titled "BAM." The virtual rapper will express concerns and feelings about his reality and uncertain future. Brave Entertainment said that Hip-Kongz's debut song will be released through music websites at 6 p.m. (0900 GMT) on May 30. The new single portrays a virtual artist who was left alone in the night. Hip-Kongz will share his love s 2022-05-30
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  Highest court confirms 18-month jail sentence for former BIGBANG member Seungri SEOUL -- South Korea's highest court confirmed an 18-month jail sentence for Seungri, a disgraced former BIGBANG member who has been at the center of sex and other scandals that rocked South Korea's music community. He will be transferred from a military detention center to a civilian prison to serve the remainder of his term until February 2023. Seungri, a 31-year-old whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, has been on trial at the military court since he joined a frontline mi 2022-05-26
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  Shinsegae's online fashion platform showcases virtual reality exhibition room for new designer brand SEOUL -- Using virtual reality technology, W Concept, the online fashion platform wing of South Korea's retail giant Shinsegae, has showcased a digital showroom of a new designer fashion brand called NILBY P. Users can try on summer fashion items and purchase them on a website connected to the showroom based on an actual offline store located in central Seoul. NILBY P is a women's apparel brand known for its simple and sentimental designs. In May 2021, the brand showcased i 2022-05-24
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  CJ ENM's virtual production stage features Samsung's micro-LED screen and connected cameras SEOUL -- CJ ENM, the South Korean entertainment group that produced the Oscar-winning 2020 film "Parasite," opened a virtual production stage featuring connected cameras and a massive micro light-emitting diodes screen provided by Samsung Electronics to create virtual settings in real-time. CJ ENM's new studio in Paju north of Seoul features Samsung's micro-LED technology, "The Wall." Compared to conventional display technologies, micro-LED technology o 2022-05-24
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  Girl band Le Sserafim's Kim Ga-ram suspended over school bullying SEOUL -- Le Sserafim, a six-member girl group formed by Hybe's music label, hit a snag, just 18 days after its proudly debut as a sister band of BTS, with a 16-year-old member succumbing to a scandal over her alleged school bullying. The band will perform as a five-member group for a while until Kim Ga-ram recovers from trauma. "Through discussion, Kim Ga-ram decided to stop her activity for a while and focus on healing her injured mind," Source Music said on Twitter o 2022-05-20
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  Scanline pledges $100 million investment in S. Korea's special effects film production facility SEOUL -- Scanline VFX, a prominent visual effects and animation company acquired by Neflix, will invest some $100 million in South Korea's special effects film production facility using virtual reality production technology. The investment will be made over six years until 2027. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Scanline President Stephan Trojansky were to attend an investment signing ceremony in Seoul on May 20. Scanline has wo 2022-05-20