The Korea Cartoon and Video Promotion Agency (Director Shin Jong-cheol) has selected five winners of the masterpiece of the cartoon “2022 Today’s Cartoon,” which shone in 2022.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Cartoon and Video Promotion Agency and the Korea Cartoonists Association, “Today’s Cartoon” is a project to select and announce five cartoons that encompass the year to boost cartoonists’ creative motivation and promote excellent cartoon production.

A total of five works were selected for “2022 Today’s Our Cartoon”: “Dam in the Forest” (Dahong), “Cheon Gye-young,” “No House” (Wanan), “God’s Taegung” (Hae So-geum) and “We Are the Zombie” (Lee Myung-jae). The works selected for today’s Korean comics will be awarded 5 million won each along with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism award.

Dahong’s “Wall in the Forest” is a story about a wall that has been hiding from the forest and living in the present day. It is said that it is a work that conveys the message that people who believe in the faint light of hope and move forward in a world of destruction.

Writer Chun Gye-young’s “Love Ring” is a story that goes on in the background that there is an app that tells you when a person you like approaches, and it has been praised as a work that raises alarm in a society where super-instant romance is prevalent. The work will also be awarded the Korea Cartoonists Association Award.

Wanan’s “No Home” tells the story of teenagers who leave their homes that have not become a space for hospitality and security growing through reconciliation and solidarity amid conflicts from various relationships. Just as individuals have different identities, it is said to be a work that shows that home has various meanings and gives comfort and sympathy, saying, “But it’s okay.”

Writer Hae-geum’s “God’s Palace” is the story of a woman who gives birth to and raises God’s children and a rice bowl goblin who loved him. It is said that it is a work that makes us think about the “power of love” that can recover and heal us through the main characters who place the most important value of life in “love.”

Writer Lee Myung-jae’s We Are the Zombie is a story of races and characters living in a shopping mall blocked by the outbreak of a zombie crisis. It was praised as a work that made us look back on what we are missing in our lives through the main characters who take care of peace and freedom to look back on themselves in a confined environment. <We Are the Zombie> is also the winner of the 2022 Boo Manhwa Grand Prize for Newcomics.

Professor Hong Nan-ji, CEO of today’s Korean Cartoon Selection Committee, said in a general review, “This year’s award-winning works are something that gives me the courage to sympathize with and take a hard but hard step forward,” adding, “I hope it will be an opportunity to comfort our tired lives and understand others and our world.”

For their first ever world tour, K-pop idol group PENTAGON is touring across the globe throughout Asia, North America, South America and Europe. Their ‘PRISM’ tour in North America started in Toronto on Tuesday, September 3^rd and from then on touring through New York City, Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles and makes their last stop in San Jose. Debuted in 2016 under Cube Entertainment, PENTAGON is a male group consisting of nine members: Jinho, Hui, Kino, Yuto, Yeo one, Hongseok, Wooseok, Shinwon and Yan An. The group’s name, PENTAGON, was created with the dream of becoming the greatest group with five definitive qualities – singing/rapping, dancing, teamwork, talent and mind. On Thursday, September 12^th, K-Herald was able to talk with the boys before the evening of their Los Angeles concert at the Wiltern Theatre.

K-Herald: It’s your first ever world tour! It must be so exciting for you. What kind of preparations have you gotten ready for?
Kino: We actually prepared special stages according to the different continents we are touring and we hope that our fans enjoy it and have it be memorable for them as much as it is for us.

KH: There are many K-pop idol groups in Korea. How do you think you differ from other K-pop idol groups?
Hui: We produce our own music and even do our own staging. We’re not afraid to take on challenges and we always welcome them, especially on things that others haven’t done yet.

KH: How do you think K-pop has changed from when you first debuted (2016) and how do you see it going in the future?
Shinwon: It hasn’t been as huge as it is now. Nowadays, you see many K-pop idol groups and singers go on tours worldwide and not just domestically. It feels like the K-pop wave will continue on and I hope we are able to ride that wave of success as well.

KH: Can you share one of your memorable fan moments with us?
Kino: When their songs were playing in the background an hour before their show started, we saw and heard these fans that weren’t Korean know our song and sing along to the song when they weren’t even on stage yet. Moments like that gets us really pumped up and motivated, and it really helps us put on an even better and energized performance.

KH: If you could do a collaboration with a Hollywood celebrity, who would you choose?
Yuto: Post Malone
Hui: I would want to make music with Charli XCX because she makes cool futuristic songs and also different styles.
Yuna Hwang
K-Herald

American actor and rapper Jaden Smith, son of Will Smith, is looking to a fresh career as a K-pop singer.

“I will be dropping a K pop single in the next 4 months,” Jaden tweeted to his 6.28 million followers on April 21.

The Hollywood star’s son showed his eagerness to be a K-pop star, posting a series of tweets in December which said, “I’m serious I actually wanna be a K pop star” and “I just wanna be a K pop star.”

Will Smith (left) and Jaden Smith at press conference for “After Earth” in Korea. (Herald DB)

In 2013, the Smiths visited Korea to promote sci-fi film “After Earth,” which starred the father-son duo together. During the promotional tour, Will said, “If this movie is successful in Korea, I’m gonna do a song with Psy. … So we’re gonna get huge music and so, if we have success, we’re gonna come back and we’re gonna go to YG Entertainment.”

The Smiths visited the agency’s headquarters in Seoul, meeting YG Entertainment artists such as G-Dragon, CL, T.O.P, Taeyang and Teddy.

Will Smith and Jaden Smith posing with G-Dragon (Online Community)

Jaden, 18, met Big Bang leader G-Dragon again in Paris during a Chanel fashion show in 2016. The teenage artist said G-Dragon was his inspiration via social media. G-Dragon replied, “It is always good seeing Jaden, we should ‘do something,’” hinting the two artists could collaborate.

Jaden made his film debut in the 2006 biographical drama film “The Pursuit of Happyness,” which landed him the award for best breakthrough performance at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards.

Jaden Smith, who rapped alongside Canadian singer Justin Bieber in “Never Say Never,” released his first mixtape, “The Cool Cafe,” in October 2012.

Tucked away from the main thoroughfare of Cheongdam-dong, a posh residential-business area, is the headquarters of JYP Entertainment, one of the three biggest entertainment agencies in Korea.

A blown-up poster of the company founder Park Jin-young is plastered on the building’s facade, making it impossible to miss. The excited faces of a group of young people standing outside it suggest something is going on.

“Why did Jackson (of GOT7) come here? I thought he didn’t have anything on his schedule today,” said one person in a group of 20-something Koreans who were discussing the matter among themselves.

“I heard reporters were angry because the photos were on the internet before they distributed it.

“Well, s—- them,” said another group.

The flock of excited fans gathered in a doughnut shop across the building — waiting all day for their stars to show up and exchanging information in the meantime. They offer a peek at the lengths to which dedicated fans will go in order to see their stars.

K-pop fans gather outside the JYP headquarter in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, Wednesday. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)

The five-member boyband H.O.T. debuted in 1996, ushering in the age of K-pop idols, a blanket term that refers to a musical group of young and attractive males and females produced by mainstream talent agencies for the mass public.

Groups of fans soon formed and they became known for their devotion to their heroes, true to the original definition of the word “idol.”

“I know GOT7 doesn’t have anything on their schedule today so they’re not likely to come here today. But I came here anyway in case I might get a glimpse,” said a Chinese tourist who identified herself as a fan of the boy band.

She and a group of young Japanese women had been waiting there for hours, occasionally glancing out of the window for any sign of stars pulling up.

On the other side of the doughnut shop was a seemingly disinterested group, who nevertheless kept a keen eye on everything that went on outside the window.

This was clearly not their first day there.

Then, the fans inside the shop rushed outside to look at a group of men stepping out of the JYP building. Their excitement bore no fruit as the men quickly stepped into a van and drove away, but the fans were unfazed and seemed determined to keep waiting.

While other agencies also have fans staking out in front of their headquarters, not many have gained a reputation like the doughnut shop outside the JYP headquarters.

“I think it’s because our fans enjoy K-pop content at places like SMTown Coex Artium, which offer concerts and fan events,” said an official from S.M. Entertainment.

But the other agencies by no means have a shortage of diehard fans.

Fans of S.M. Entertainment superstars have a reputation bordering on notoriety for their devotion.

“EXO concerts are always sold out, so I would buy the tickets from a scalper for 200,000 won ($174) to 250,000 won,” said Kim Hyun-soo, 14, from Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, who is an avid fan of EXO’s Chen. The ticket price is normally around 100,000 won ($87).

“We also buy expensive custom-made glow-in-the-dark sticks (used for cheering the singers on), which have Bluetooth connection so they all simultaneously change color (during the concert),” he said.

Kim said he spent about 1 million won buying tickets for all six concerts of the group’s last tour, which is substantial considering he is still living on an allowance.

Besides going to concerts and buying albums, fans find other ways to show their devotion.

Earlier this month, fans of the boy band BtoB collected money to post an advertisement on two buses in Seoul, in celebration of the birthdays of members Hyunsik and Peniel.

Some fans go beyond pampering their idols.

Last September, Jackson of GOT7 was injured in a traffic accident in China. This occurred while he was trying to escape fanatic fans, known as “sasaeng” fans, referring to those who invade the privacy of their stars.

Such fans of K-pop stars have been reported to break into stars’ homes, steal their personal belongings or even install a CCTV camera to keep an eye on their every move. Boy band JYJ, which previously came under fire for cursing at such fans, claimed that some of the fans tried to kiss them while they were sleeping or intentionally bumped into their cars with a taxi just to see them.

However, many fans appear content just to catch a glimpse, shout a few friendly words and get an autograph.

“They come almost every day to see the stars,” said a passer-by near the JYP headquarters where fans were staking out. “It’s almost cute, how determined they are.”

Yoon Min-sik
The Korea Herald

First came TV censorships of Korean stars. Then a ban on concerts, followed by an implicit prohibition of retail goods from South Korea.

Now, K-pop is also bracing for a possible export ban to China, the biggest single-nation market in the world, as Beijing continues its political hissy fit towards Seoul’s decision to deploy a high-tech U.S. anti-missile battery on its soil.

Since October, Beijing has denied Korean entertainers permission to perform or appear on Chinese television. More recently, it has ordered major travel agencies to stop selling tours to Korea in an apparent protest towards the decision to adopt the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

While Korean artists were restricted from publicly promoting their work in China, access of Korean songs and music videos via streaming appeared as though it would continue as usual — that is, until news broke last week that NetEase, one of China’s top online content company also known as WangYi, got rid of its music chart dedicated to K-pop.

As of Monday afternoon, NetEase’s Korean music chart remained gone, while ones for Japan, the U.S. and the U.K. and even Taiwan were searched easily.

To be clear, that doesn’t mean Korean music is unavailable from the service. You can still listen to songs from Psy and other K-pop artists through NetEase. But still, the K-pop scene here naturally had its moment of hysteria, as China is one of the top consumers of Korean cultural products around the world.

But this could turn out as an isolated incident, as other Chinese services were found to be still running Korean music charts as of Monday.

A K-pop chart was visible on QQ Music, which is owned by Tencent and reportedly has some 100 million daily users, with “Let Me Love You” by Junggigo and EXO’s Chanyeol at top. Kuwo, another site, had a chart run by South Korean music company Mnet, available on its service, showing TWICE’s “Knock Knock” at No. 1.

(Yonhap)

iQiyi, a Chinese video streaming site, also prominently featured Korean music videos, including the freshly released “Fingertip” video from Korean girl group GFriend.

“So far we haven’t experienced restrictions regarding online music or video distribution. Our Chinese partners haven’t commented on the matter as well,” a PR representative at a South Korean management agency said.

Officials at Korean music distributors, including Loen Entertainment and KT Music, have also commented that they haven’t run into signs of business restrictions in China.

The NetEase incident may turn out to be an isolated case. But what the music industry is more concerned about, disposing of a chart or not, is a blackout of all K-pop content — music and video — via Ali Music, QQ Music and other streaming giants that serves the greater Chinese-speaking market.

“With the Chinese government’s regulation having become more explicit, a movement towards greater restriction will become stronger,” Nam Sang-hyun, head of research at the Korea Foundation For International Culture Exchange, said.

Nam noted that the process in which South Korean music companies and Chinese partners renew content provision contracts in the future could possibly indicate the level of treatment by Chinese economic entities — government and the market alike — on Korean pop music.

“There is no excuse for what we did and there are not enough words to explain how regretful we are. We are heartbroken to have hurt our international K-Pop fans so deeply…We were extremely ignorant of blackface and did not understand the implications of our actions,” the group said in a public statement released on its official Facebook page.

Mamamoo (RBW)

The four-member group on Friday had released a parody music video of Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk,” featuring Bruno Mars, during its concert held at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. In it, the members painted their faces black in an attempt to resemble the aforementioned artists.

This sparked outrage over the group being insensitive to what is regarded as an offensive act. “Blackface,” a form of theatrical makeup to represent a black person, was widely used in performances such as minstrel shows in the early and mid-19th century to depict black people.

Mamamoo has vowed to edit out the controversial clip in the following performances.

YG Entertainment said the South Korean rapper has also finished filming the accompanying music video.

Singer Psy (Youtube)

The rapper-producer became a global sensation with his track “Gangnam Style” in 2012. Psy also gathered popularity with other songs including “Gentleman,” “Hangover” and “Daddy.”

The music video for “Gangnam Style” boasts more than 2.7 billion views on the popular video-sharing website YouTube.

Around Us Entertainment said the team will release its first EP album under the name Highlight on March 20. The agency uploaded a teaser — a frowning emoticon face with the release date — on its Instagram account.

(Around Us Entertainment)

Since its debut in 2009 under Cube Entertainment, the six-member Beast became popular at home and in Japan with hit songs “Bad Girl,” “Shock,” “Midnight Sun” and “On Rainy Days.”

But member Jang Hyun-seung quit the group in April 2016, yet remains signed to Cube. The five others signed up with Around US after their contracts expired in October.

The five — Yoon Doo-joon, Yong Jun-hyung, Yang Yo-seob, Lee Ki-kwang and Son Dong-woon — regrouped under Highlight, the title of Beast’s most recent album, after a brouhaha over the group’s original name with Cube, which holds the trademark rights to the name.

Following the name change to Highlight, members took to social media to thank fans and asked for their continued love.

“Beast is a name bearing many good memories. We worked hard to keep it, but this is goodbye. Now we will begin from square one again with the new name Highlight,” group leader Yoon wrote on his Instagram in late February.

Soft-spoken Ahn So-hee seemed to put a great amount of thought into her answers before vocalizing them.

One of her hobbies is simply to “observe people” as she herself isn’t “very outgoing or talkative,” Ahn said at an interview Wednesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.

“People say that observing others, (and) seeing and feeling lots of things will help me even more in my future acting,” said the budding actress, who stars in the recent film “A Single Rider” alongside Lee Byung-hun and Gong Hyo-jin, who described Ahn as “surprisingly adult” in interviews.

The singer-turned-actress is most familiar to K-pop fans as the rosy-cheeked youngest member of the disbanded group Wonder Girls. She skyrocketed to idol status in 2007 with the group’s first addictive smash-hit song “Tell Me,” but even during her K-pop activities, Ahn showed an interest in acting.

In 2008, she made her film debut with a role as a high school student intent on getting her boyfriend to kiss her in the sexy comedy “Hellcats.” Four years ago, Ahn announced her departure from Wonder Girls to pursue a full-time acting career.

Actress Ahn So-hee poses for a photo before an interview Wednesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. (The Korea Herald/Park Hyun-koo)

Her ability to listen has translated into a capacity for empathy, she said. “When I read a script, I think, ‘Yes, that’s how some people might feel.’ I think it’s helped me understand and accept others.”

Ahn remarked that “A Single Rider” zooms in on what may seem like the characters’ unconventional emotional reactions to life’s events. The lead, played by actor Lee, is a forlorn stockbroker who has lost his wealth and become disconnected from his family. But rather than rage and yell, the character watches from afar, silently tortured.

“I could relate to that. I think I would be hesitant in the same situation,” said Ahn. “Some people need time to process events and gather their thoughts.”

Ahn is steadily compiling a filmography starting with roles she feels she can handle. Last year, she portrayed a harangued college baseball team manager in the internationally acclaimed zombie thriller “Train to Busan.”

Actress Ahn So-hee poses for a photo before an interview Wednesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. (The Korea Herald/Park Hyun-koo)

In “A Single Rider,” Ahn plays the young backpacker Ji-na who wanders around Australia alone on a working holiday.

The role strongly reminded her of her stint in the US in 2009, when she toured the country with fellow Wonder Girls members to promote the retro pop track “Nobody,” which eventually became the first Korean song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“I could relate to that struggle of trying so hard to do well. More than anything, I could relate to the loneliness of being alone in a foreign continent,” she said.

In an effort to communicate directly with her audience, Ahn recently started a social media account.

“I want to talk about my projects and the types of music and films I like,” she said. Ever careful, however, the actress is not yet ready to share the intimate details of her everyday life.

“For now, I’d like to share my tastes rather than my daily activities.”

“A Single Rider” opened in theaters in Korea on Wednesday.

The musicians participating in the “K-Pop Night Out” stage, jointly hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency and the Culture Ministry, discussed their goals for the events during a press event Tuesday in Seoul.

The annual concert, launched in 2013, showcases artists from a wide range of genres — including garage rock, hip-hop and punk rock. The concerts typically feature mostly underground or lesser-known artists with one or two big names or idol singers thrown in.

Tiger JK (left) and Yoon Mi-rae pose for a photo during Tuesday‘s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Members of girl group Red Velvet speak during Tuesday’s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Members of girl group Red Velvet speak during Tuesday’s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Korean artists pose for a photo during Tuesday’s press conference in Seoul for the K-Pop Night Out at the SXSW and TGE. (Korea Creative Content Agency)

Last year’s line-up consisted of Epik High, Crayon Pop, Asian Chairshot, EE, Eastern sidekick, Hitchhiker and the Barberettes.

This year‘s lineup boasts more starpower than usual, with popular girl group Red Velvet along with star rapper couple Tiger JK and Yoon Mi-rae on the stage. Hyolyn of girl group Sistar will make an appearance, Big Phony will also make their SXSW debut, while No Brain and Galaxy Express return for the second time.

“I think it’s important to show off our own colors (as an artist). Some Asian artists tend to get timid in a foreign country, but the music is a language in itself,” said Lee Sung-woo, the leader and vocalist for No Brain, a punk rock band.

Tiger JK, considered one of the pioneers of Korean hip-hop, advised fellow musicians not to blindly mimic other musicians and to establish their own unique styles of music.

“There’s no exact answer (on how to be successful overseas), but I think trying your best to make your own kind of music would give you the best shot,” he said.

SXSW is an annual festival in Austin, Texas which showcases films, interactive media, music festivals and conferences. This year’s event will be held from March 10 to March 19.

In addition to the state-funded concert, other Korea-based artists including Kim Ban-jang and Windy City, Glen Check, Luna Lee, Neon Bunny, and XXX have been invited by the SXSW’s organizers to take part in the festival.

The K-pop showcase for TGE in Britain will feature bands Sultan of the Disco, the Barberettes, the Monotones and rapper MC Sniper.

The band Sultan of the Disco said that they became confident that they could succeed overseas during their two past performances in Britain when they noticed many of the same fans made repeat appearances at their show.

TGE, a three-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, UK, hosts around 300 bands from various genres throughout the city. This year’s event will be held from May 18 to May 20.