Broadcast date: Feb. 6
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Ryan Coogler, NCT 2018, Wendy of Red Velvet, Luna of f(x)

Cast of “Black Panther”

(Naver V app)

Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o and Ryan Coogler, the cast and director of the upcoming Marvel superhero film “Black Panther,” communicated with fans in a live interview via Naver’s V app Tuesday.

During the interview, Coogler was asked why he chose Busan as a location to shoot some key scenes.

There are high expectations for “Black Panther” among Korean fans, as several key scenes were shot in Busan.

“I was looking for a place where it can show our theme well. As the action scenes happen at night, it was supposed to have great night sceneries and it was supposed to be futuristic. Also, I wanted to show in the film the modern and traditional aspects,” Coogler said.

“When I saw Busan, it was similar to my hometown. I guess I could sympathize (with the city) for such aspects,” he added.

During the interview, the cast of the film were also asked how they felt about their visit to Korea.

“It was really fun. I had (a) great time,” Nyong’o said. “Everyone was very cool. They welcomed us very passionately. I was shocked as so many people were out there.”

“Some people cried. Seeing them crying made me also feel like crying. (I thought) ‘I’m not even Michael Jackson.’ It was beautiful,” Boseman said.

NCT 2018

(Naver V app)

Project boy band NCT 2018 received more than 500 million “hearts” in a V app broadcast Tuesday.

The 18-member act, which consists of NCT U, NCT 127, NCT Dream and three new members Jungwoo, Lucas and Kun, held the live broadcast to greet fans as a whole group.

The broadcast reached 300 million hearts even before the show actually began. It reached 400 million in only 20 minutes after the show started. It then recorded 500 million hearts, which is the highest ever for the real-time broadcasting app.

“We will return the ‘hearts’ as our love. We want to give you more love. We will try hard,” Johnny said.

Dubbed as “the mega project in which fans can see NCT’s identity and charm at once” by its management agency S.M. Entertainment, NCT 2018 will release its first album in March. It will also roll out various other content ahead of the release.

Wendy of Red Velvet, Luna of f(x)

(Naver V app)

Wendy of Red Velvet and Luna of f(x) revealed the meanings of their stage names in a live broadcast via Naver’s V app Tuesday.

Wendy said. “People told me it fits me very well so I happened to keep using it. Wendy means a friend who helps you.”

“I got my (stage) name from my manager as I practiced hard also at night, and for the meaning of goddess of the moon,” Luna said.

During Tuesday’s live show, the two introduced two rookie singer-songwriters Yoo Yong-min and PERC%NT.

Naver’s real-time broadcasting app V allows fans to interact with their favorite K-pop stars through live broadcasts. The app is available for Android and iOS. For more information, visit http://www.vlive.tv.

By The Korea Herald (khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.naver.vapp
Apple App Store https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1019447011?mt=8