Articles by Choi Ji-won

Choi Ji-won
jwc@heraldcorp.com-
Hybe to launch girl group audition project in the US
South Korea's Hybe and Universal Music Group affiliate Geffen Records are embarking on a global girl group project together, Tuesday. Hybe, the company behind global K-pop phenomenon BTS, on Monday in Korea announced it is set to hold a press conference in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon there to unveil its global girl group audition project called "The Debut: Dream Academy." The event will give a first look into the long-awaited female pop group project that the two companies hav
K-pop Aug. 28, 2023
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Fantasy Boys to debut on Sept. 21 without winner Yu Jun-won
Fantasy Boys, the project group from MBC's namesake idol audition show, will debut without the No. 1 winner Yu Jun-won, as a feud continues between Yu and the group's agency over his contract. The team's management agency PocketDol Studio on Thursday announced that the band is set to debut on Sept. 21, pulled forward from the originally announced Sept. 25. The announcement comes a day after the agency released a statement saying Fantasy Boys will debut as an 11-piece without Yu du
K-pop Aug. 24, 2023
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[Herald Interview] 'Queendom Puzzle' winners to debut as El7z Up
The top seven finalists of "Queendom Puzzle" are aiming to show a never-before-seen girl group chemistry as El7z Up. A total of 26 participans competed in the Mnet girl group reboot program over the past four months for seven spots on the project group El7z Up, to be launched next month. One member each from seven different already existing or inactive groups compose the team: H1Key's Hwiseo, WJSN's Yeoreum, Rocket Punch's Yeonhee, woo!ah!'s Nana, Lovelyz's Kei
K-pop Aug. 24, 2023
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Seventeen tops Japanese charts with best-of album 'Always Yours'
K-pop band Seventeen is sweeping Japanese music charts with its new album "Always Yours." The band's agency Pledis Entertainment on Wednesday said Seventeen released its first Japanese best-of album at Tuesday midnight. Titled "Always Yours," the 27-track package includes 25 of Seventeen's hit songs and two new original Japanese songs, "Ima -Even if the world ends tomorrow-" and "Sara Sara." Upon release, "Always Yours" soared to the to
K-pop Aug. 23, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Ellegarden returns to Korea for first time in 15 years
When Takeshi Hosomi, the vocalist and guitarist of Japanese rock band Ellegarden, shouted, "This is one of the best days of my life," during the band's Pentaport Incheon performance earlier this month, it was evident he genuinely meant it. The band's reunion with the Korean audience on Aug. 4 at Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival 2023 was extraordinary. Tens of thousands of rock fans greeted the band with a fervor that lasted through its 80-minute performance. It's last vis
Culture Aug. 23, 2023
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AKMU returns with new single 'Love Lee'
K-pop's famed sibling duo AKMU returned Monday with a new single "Love Lee," bringing back the pair's trademark positive, upbeat energy. The co-ed duet, consisting of Lee Chan-hyuk and his younger sister Lee Su-hyun, will drop its fourth single, "Love Lee," Monday evening, marking the first comeback in over two years since releasing its collaboration album, "Next Episode," in July 2021. During a press conference held in Seoul on Monday, the siblings introd
K-pop Aug. 21, 2023
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Everglow ends 20-month hiatus with free-spirited return
Girl group Everglow made a long-awaited comeback on Friday with its fourth single "All My Girls." The six-piece returns after a 20-month break with renewed energy, putting themselves forward as a voice for all girls around the world and declaring the members' determination to walk their own paths. The members, E:U, Sihyeon, Mia, Onda, Aisha and Yiren, Friday held a press showcase in Seoul on Friday, where they performed the single package's main track, "Slay," live
K-pop Aug. 18, 2023
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Jihyo of Twice kicks off solo career
Jihyo of Twice made her solo debut on Friday with EP "Zone," venturing on a new journey nine years since her debut. The 26-year-old is the second member of the girl group to debut solo, following Nayeon who released the album "Im Nayeon" in June 2022. Jihyo held a press conference in Seoul on Friday, a few hours before "Zone" came out at 1 p.m. that day. According to Jihyo, she began working on the album last year. "When the company told me that I'd be mak
K-pop Aug. 18, 2023
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'Street Woman Fighter' goes global with second season
Two years after Mnet's "Street Woman Fighter" shook the nation, the dance survival show is back with a global lineup. The original series was a megahit, leading to a relay of similar dance survival programs -- including its own spinoff of "Street Man Fighter" and "Street Dance Girls Fighter." The TV channel is set to launch the second season of its dance survival show on Tuesday, with eight top-tier female dance crews from in and out of the country -- 1Million,
K-pop Aug. 17, 2023
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StayC blows out in summer festivity with iconic 'Teenfresh'
The pop queens of StayC is returning Wednesday to enthrall the nation yet again with their bubbly energy. This time, they have gone all-out on youthful effervescence with "Teenfresh." During a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, the members called the album a summer blowout, welcoming listeners to a playground of seasonal festivity. "The album embraces StayC's iconic genre of 'teen fresh.' We've jam-packed it with six songs flourishing in our unique colors
K-pop Aug. 16, 2023
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Secret Number to drop new album on Aug. 24
Multinational K-pop group Secret Number is making a comeback with a new album, the band's agency Vine Entertainment said Tuesday. According to the agency, the album will be released at 12 p.m. on Aug. 24. The forthcoming album marks the band's swift return in three months since releasing its sixth EP "Doxa" in May. Secret Number is six-member act that debuted in May 2020 with the single "Who Dis?" The multinational group is comprised of Lea from Japan; Dita from Ind
K-pop Aug. 15, 2023
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[Herald Review] Le Sserafim overcomes fear with first concert 'Flame Rises'
Le Sserafim's standalone concert was one of many firsts for the five members. A valiant first attempt, and the first time the charismatic and bold group got vulnerable on stage. The two-day event, held over the weekend at the Jamsil Arena located in the Olympic Sports Complex in Seoul, marked the start of the group's first global concert tour "Flame Rises." Some 10,500 tickets for the long-awaited concert were sold out in just eight minutes, according to the band's label
K-pop Aug. 14, 2023
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[70th Anniversary] Korea Herald must build on legacy to motivate Korean brand
The timing of the 2015 MERS outbreak in Korea couldn't have been worse for Dior. The French fashion house had chosen that year to open its first flagship store -- the biggest in Asia at the time -- and launching its first Esprit Dior exhibition series in Seoul. At the helm of the project was Lee Jong-kyu, then Dior Couture Korea's general manager and now Etro Korea's chief, who recalls it was in parts thanks to The Korea Herald that he was able to push through with the exhibition.
70th anniversary Aug. 13, 2023
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Jo Yuri shouts 'Love All' with new album
The loud shout of "love all" at the start of a tennis game gives the crowd a rush of adrenaline, and singer Jo Yuri sings of such excitement at a love's start, as well as other ensuing emotions, through her new album "Love All." "Love all" is a term used at the beginning of a new game when the players both start at zero points. Jo's latest album embraces the jolt of a budding love and all the colorful facets and shapes of a romantic relationship as two lov
K-pop Aug. 9, 2023
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The Boyz brings Christmas to summer with new album trilogy
Christmas in summer seems odd, but The Boyz hopes to make the miracle happen with its new album "Phantasy Part 1 - Christmas in August" which dropped on Monday. The EP, a six-song album, marks the start of their three-part LP "Phantasy," from which the band will drop three sub-albums over the rest of the year. It also celebrates the group's return with a new album for the first time in six months since the release of its eighth EP "Be Awake" in February. The 11
K-pop Aug. 8, 2023
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