HALLYU Magazine No. 76 by Hallyu Magazine

HALLYU BTS new chapter

Celebrity Weddings

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

season two:

all of us are dead

squid game

CONCERT CRAZE Kpop.Flex | eric nam ‘there and back again’ Begin Again: kpop Edition | woosung ‘moth’

Korean Entertainment

& Culture Magazine Established in 2011

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ISSUE NO. 76

ON THE COVER

IVE Wonyoung @KPOP.Flex | by Soizic Cistac NCT Jaemin @Begin Again | by Lilian Calulot

contents

Begin Again: KPOP Edition KPOP.Flex Eric Nam ‘There and Back Again’ Woosung MOTH EP Showcase

BTS New Chapter

75th Cannes Film Festival Season 2: Squid Game All of Us Are Dead

Celebrity Weddings

KPOP EDITION

in Manila Written & Photographed by Lilian Calulot

mart Araneta Coliseum was brimming with energy last May 29 as it witnessed the first KPOP concert in the country in over 2 years. Fittingly entitled as ‘Begin Again: KPOP Edition’, thunderous cheers welcomed the star-studded line-up of the event namely, SHINee Key, NCT Dream, WEi, and ALICE. Presented by CDM Entertainment, the two-hour long festival showcased thrilling performances and a sort of nostalgia as fans rekindle the excitement in attending live events.

ALICE

The seven-member girl group ALICE, composed of EJ, Do-A, Chaejeong, Yeonje, Yukyung, Sohee and Karin, kicked off the show. The group sang a fivesong setlist, which included “We, First,” “Summer Dream,” “No Big Deal.”

In between songs, the girls played a ‘Pirate Game.’ Members who lost received penalty such as random play dance and “I Love You” cute and sexy version. They also expressed hope to visit again because of the fans’ warm welcome.

WEi performed next and opened with their hit song “Twilight.” The group is composed of Daehyeon, Donghan, Yongha, Yohan, Seokhwa, and Junseo. Charisma oozed through their powerful choreography. They played ‘Alligator Game’ wherein consequence of getting caught included dancing to Monsta X’s ‘Love Killa’ and BTS’ ‘Dynamite’ as well as “I Miss You” aegyo version.

WEi

NCT DREAM

Perhaps the most anticipated performer of the night, with the whole crowd in uproar and the coliseum illuminated in green, NCT Dream took the stage with “Hot Sauce.” They also performed their song “Dive Into You” for the first time on an overseas stage;

following it up with “Hello Future” and finished off their set with “Glitch Mode.” Eventhough only five members - Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, Chenle, and Jisung, were present, they made sure to fill-up the stage and deliver an intense and dynamic performance.

The final performer was Shinee’s Key who opened with “Saturday Night.” He definitely owned the stage not only by his spectacular performance but also with the extravagant and eye catching ensemble he wore. He talked about how he wanted to return to the country together with SHINee which definitely delighted PH Shawol. Before his set came to an end, he asked the fans what songs they wanted to hear which he granted as he performed a little bit of “Ring Ding Dong” and “Replay.” ‘Begin Again: KPOP Edition’ sparked hope for the future of live events in the Philippines as we navigate through the new normal. Indeed, nothing beats the adrenaline of seeing your favorite artists in the flesh while dancing and singing your heart out to their songs.

EUROPE’S LARGEST

KPOP FESTIVAL Written by Élodie Barbet | Photographed by Soizic Cistac

he first edition of KPOP.FLEX took place on May 14 and 15 at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurtam-Main, including a festival and a show that brought together 65,000 people. Faced with the enthusiasm of fans from several countries, the festival has already announced two new editions: one still at the same place in June 2023 and another in London the following September. The festival part took place during the day, before the start of each concert. During these moments, dance troupes SHAPGANG, SaChoom and Jinjo Crew performed and showed off their incredible abilities in their field. On Saturday afternoon, a dance competition was held in front of the choreographers

and dancers: Lee Ba Da (Peaches by Kai), Park Bengal (Drunk It by The Boyz), Kim Nino (MAVERICK by The Boyz) and Jrick Baek. The rookie group IVE, with schoolgirl outfits, is a pleasant discovery. The song “LOVE DIVE” is dynamic and already makes you want to dance. A very good opening for these evenings. The members take the time to share that they are happy to have been able to come to Germany. For “ROYAL”, they bring out a more mature presence, which is more noticeable by the black outfits of the second day. The group ends with “ELEVEN”, their debut single released in December 2021. They are richly applauded by the assistance.

ENHYPEN, who specifies that this is the first stage abroad, excites the audience with “DrunkDazed” which sounds pretty rock. The track “FEVER”, calmer, has despite everything a worked and very well executed choreography. Before with “TamedDashed”, the young men confide that they are impressed by the size of the hall. Their part closes with “Blessed-Cursed” which delights the public. The ENHYPENs are congratulated by the fans. Solar [MAMAMOO] and Dae Hwi [AB6IX] perform the song “Let It Go” taken from Disney’s 53rd animated film: “Frozen”. Fans turn on the flash on their phones to give the illusion of snowflakes across the room. Then, another cover is made by the members of (G)I-DLE who sing “Love Yourself ” by Justin Bieber. On the second night, it was DREAMCATCHER’s turn to sing BLACKPINK’s “Kill This Love”.

ENHYPEN

The women begin their performance with the epic song “MAISON” released in the April 2022. DREAMCATCHER continues with the appreciable “BEcause”. The track “Scream” clashes enormously with the previous one, it is more in line with the combative style offered with “MAISON”. AB6IX takes to the main stage for the optimistic “CLOSE.” On Saturday, the group performs the moving song reminiscent of the summer season, “BREATHE”. On Sunday, the joyful “1, 2, 3” replaces “BREATHE”. The young men end with two tracks from their latest album: the dancing “CHERRY” and soft “DO YOU REMEMBER”.

The girls begin on their recent “TOMBOY” with an impeccable style of dress. They take bad girl attitudes to possess the public. Without pause, their classic “LATATA” is heard, causing a new craze in the stadium. During the intermission,

(G)I-DLE

the members share their joy at being back in Germany. The sensual “Oh my god” is launched, and their presence on stage is always astounding. The group concludes on “MY BAG” which has the same atmosphere as “TOMBOY”.

The quartet takes place for “AYA” and the musical atmosphere changes diametrically. MAMAMOO is captivating, and the public remains receptive. They specify that this is the first time they will perform on “HIP” in Germany. “gogobebe”

and “HIP” take the audience on board for a dancing moment. These two songs are among the band’s most popular. On Saturday, they conclude with “mumumumuch” and the cries of the audience. On Sunday, the young women will end on “Um Oh Ah Yeah”.

MAMAMOO

NCT DREAM

Despite the absence of Mark and Hae Chan, the five members of NCT DREAM perform for their first appearance in Europe on “Ridin’” and “Hot Sauce”. The song “Hello Future” is lighter than the previous ones. The audience is flooded with green from the penglights! The moment ends with “Glitch Mode”.

Opening with a VCR that traces the career of Monsta X, the members arrive on the original “GAMBLER”. They continue with “LOVE” published in their last mini-album. The talk is borrowed from a certain dose of emotion, which is shared by most of the people present in the stadium. Indeed, the young men are in negotiations in the renewal of their contracts. Finally, the dancing “Love Killa” does her job in the pit, then the atmosphere remains omnipresent for “Autobahn”.

MONSTA X

Kai is the only solo artist. He begins his performance with “Peaches”. Accompanied by 8 dancers, the choreography proves that even soft music can have a worked dance. He continues with “Vanilla” which he explains is a song he likes a lot. During this performance, he shares a dance duo with choreographer Lee Ba Da. “To Be Honest” is light and hopeful. Kai is mainly a dancer, it is inevitable during his part of the show. The soloist ends the concert on the sultry “Mmmh”. The project was ambitious from the start: to create a big festival with K-Pop stars from several agencies. Fans were expecting 5 hours of show with only line up, so the dance crew were shunned on social networks while they were amazing. The KPOP.FLEX was in its first edition, with multiple speakers from different entities and countries, so we are hopeful that the festival will surely learn from its mistakes to offer much better experiences in the future.

ERIC NAM ‘THERE AND BACK AGAIN’ in PARIS

Written by Élodie Barbet | Photographed by Soizic Cistac

he American artist Eric Nam was in Europe for his tour “There and Back Again World Tour 2022”, organized by Live Nation. He made a stop in Paris on June 20th at La Machine du Moulin Rouge, three years after his last concert in Paris. These shows promote his second studio album in English “There And Back Again” released last April. Rhys Lewis was greatly applauded by the public for his first part, then Eric Nam took over the stage. His presence was remarkable! It all started with “Any Other Way” from his latest album. The singer has been supported by dancers Pauler Lam and Tristan Edpao during tracks like the joyful “Runaway” or on the optimistic “Paradise. The synergy of the trio made the audience dance and sing throughout the concert. Some songs were calmer and softer like “Echo”, a title by Armaan Malik for which Eric Nam and KSHMR lent their voices. During this song, the fans accompanied the artist on the chorus by repeating “echo echo”, while the latter threw water on the audience. The acoustic performance of “One Way Lover” was the only one where the singer was

seated. He ended this moment by hearts with his fingers. Eric Nam is a funny guy, he had fun singing “Lady Marmalade” (connu pour son passage de paroles “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ?”) because this song is popular be linked au Moulin Rouge. He also chatted with his fans to find out if that day was someone’s birthday. The artist explains that he has a small tradition in concert, it is to sing “Happy birthday” to the people whose day it is. To close his show, the young man has fun on the music “You’re Sexy I’m Sexy”, from his first album Before We Begin, with his dancers and on the sweet “Wildfire”. Obviously, Eric Nam took his souvenir photo with the French public before returning for an encore with the title track “I Don’t Know You Anymore”. The banner-raising event invaded the room. The voices of the fans and that of the singer mixed. To sum up what this whole show was like, let’s paraphrase the French fanbases: this evening was a paradise to people. This show was a success! Three years after his last visit, the fans did not miss this new appointment with Eric Nam. The singer has an incredible presence on stage, his passion is contagious!

WOOSUNG MOTH EP SHOWCASE in PARIS Written by Élodie Barbet Photographed by Soizic Cistac

merican singer Kim Woo Sung is currently performing a series of scenes in Europe. His date in Paris at the Alhambra on May 18 was the second one of his tour. Before his solo career, the artist is the leader of rock band The Rose, having debuted with the song “Sorry” in 2017. The formation performed several dates in the French capital: in 2018 as a duo with the group MARMELLO, then alone in 2018 and 2019. The quartet is therefore used to this cheerful audience, so it is no surprise that the Blackroses (fandom of The Rose) attended Woo Sung’s showcase. These concerts are an opportunity for the leader to showcase his solo abilities and promote his new mini-album, “Moth”, released on May 15. At 9 p.m., we have the pleasure of seeing the singer open with the very popular and captivating “FACE” released in 2019, taken from his first solo album. Dressed in baggy pants and a white suit jacket, he sets the tone for the entire concert as he walks around the stage and already interacts with the fans. During this song and the following “Lazy (feat. Reddy)”, the artist kneels on the stage to allow a few lucky ones in the front row to have a unique video. His hips excite the assistance while allowing to agree with the rhythm of the music. At the launch of the energetic title “Dimples”, Woo Sung launches a “What’s up Paris?” as the audience begins to stamp their feet. He walks

around and plays with the mosh pit, showing his happiness to be back in our city. For “RED”, a music by the group The Rose, the young man takes off his jacket and stands behind his microphone stand. The fan project makes it possible to invade the room in red (with red stickers on the flashes of the telephones). The audience jumps up and accompanies Woo Sung on the chorus, and we see a girl from the audience being chosen to sing some lyrics into the microphone. The intermission begins with the “polopopo” of the Blackroses, which amuses the soloist who follows the French fanchant with his lips. He grabs his guitar by settling on a stool to tune it. He takes the opportunity to find out if the beginning pleased his audience and talks about his last visit to Paris. Once his instrument is ready, the lights turn purple to move to a more intimate atmosphere. He begins the romantic and sweet “I.L.Y” also coming from his group, the fans sing in chorus. The singer concludes the moment with a “you are beautiful”. Still seated, he continues with “ILYSB”, the audience participates on the strong passages, which draws a sweet joy on his face. Great applause takes place in the Alhambra’s room before the soothing “Lonely” begins with a small sound of piano. The audience only joins him at the end of the track. In a short interlude, he shares that it’s hot in the room. After “island” in acoustics, Woo Sung says that fans in Amsterdam asked him for “Sorry”, the debut song

of The Rose, which he performs a cappella, making the audience shout his joy. During the intermission, he confides in the creation of his new mini-album “MOTH”. The idea came to him when he saw a moth resting on a lamp. He was afraid of them, but he said to himself that they too were beautiful, like butterflies. Woo Sung wanted to express in his album that everyone can shine. After being absent for 2 minutes, he comes back dressed in a black t-shirt. Woo Sung begins to perform his new music starting with the captivating “ComE dOWn”, which charms the audience who listens attentively.

For the track “Side Effects”, the audience sings the chorus, the Blackroses were ready for the show. He takes the opportunity to do a little remix with his guitar before concluding with a “beautiful”. For the track “Modern Life”, the artist explains that he needs the voices of the audience. He takes a moment to say that he wanted to talk about life in connection with our approach to social networks. During the song, Woo Sung gives a signal to the audience to join him on the chorus, then he ends up jumping all over the stage, his guitar in his hands. The soloist takes advantage of the moment to exchange with the public, touching the hands of the fans, and thanking them for having waited for his return. He says “I love you” in French, and admits not remembering the words of the language he had learned. Before concluding his showcase with the sexy and catchy “Phase Me”, he congratulates the audience with a “you are awesome”. The music started, the Blackroses raise the banners of another fan project which reads “We rose you”. Woo Sung smiled at the sight, dancing to keep up with his audience cheering him on. He ends his performance on his knees in front of fans chanting his name! This beautiful evening ends with the traditional souvenir photo with the assistance and the French flag. Leaving the stage after several greetings, he shares a last “Paris, I love you”.

Some fans were able to stay after the showcase to participate in Q&A. Apart from a friendly exchange with the singer installed crosslegged on the stage, important information has passed: The Rose plans to return to Paris this year or in early 2023. Let’s hope that happens! The music of The Rose and Woo Sung is so pleasant, that the showcase format makes the one-hour duration frustrating. We would have liked more, so this is an opportunity to dive back into the records of these artists. The young man is adorable with his fans. The reunion after 2 and a half years was touching, the pleasure for the artist and the Blackroses to meet again was palpable!

BTS new chapter

he members of BTS recently celebrated their ninth anniversary with a ‘dinner party’ video released on June 14 as part of the annual Festa celebrations and has candidly discussed their future plans for the group. They announced that they will embark on a new chapter focusing on solo activities. Going forward, the BTS members will take this time to achieve personal growth through various new activities, and is expected to further strengthen the foundation for the group’s long run as a team.

With solo projects already in the pipeline, it is expected to see more of their individual colors. Jungkook is first to drop a collaboration with Charlie Puth for the new single ‘Left and Right.’ Followed by J-Hope, whose solo album titled, ‘Jack in the Box’ is underway and is slated to perform at Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival by the end of July. As the group reiterated, this is not them closing a book but turning the page and writing their next chapter. And we can’t wait to see what they have in store for the fans!

South Korean Films

Amass Two Key Awards

at the 75th Cannes Film Festival

outh Korean films garnered two key awards during the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Best Director Award went to Park Chan-wook for his twisty noir “Decision to Leave,” and Song Kang-ho won the Best Actor Award for his performance in “Broker,” a film that tells the story of baby boxes, which are set up for people

who are no longer able to provide for their babies to anonymously give them up. Keeping up the momentum created by director Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” which won the Palme d’Or award in 2019, there is a bright outlook for South Korean films to gain more international prestige in the future.

y t i r b e l e C s g n i d d We

Shinhwa’s Andy and Jeju MBC news anchor Lee Eun Joo got married in a private ceremony last June 12.

Earlier this year in January, Son Dam Bi announced her marriage to Lee Kyou Hyuk through a heartfelt letter, and the two officially tied the knot on May 13.

U-KISS’s Hoon and former Girl’s Day member Hwang Ji Seon held a private wedding in Seoul in the afternoon of May 29.

Jang Nara announced her marriage to her non-celebrity boyfriend with a letter to fans in early June. And a private wedding was held at the Bonelli Garden in Seoul with her family and acquaintances on the 26th of the same month.

HALLYU