[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

I Can Speak(Korea)Opened Sept. 21Comedy, drama. Directed by Kim Hyun-seokNa Ok-boon (Na Moon-hee) is the elderly neighborhood busybody whose greatest hobby is to file complaints on nearby residents and businesses to the borough office. Park Min-jae (Lee Je-hoon) is a new civil servant at the office, a strict by-the-books worker. The two bicker over Na’s copious complaints when one day, Na discovers that Park is fluent in English. Due to a painful past and a desire to right terrible wrongs, Na is

FilmSept. 22, 2017

[Korean Bapsang] Seafood cheese tteokbokki (Spicy Rice Cake)

What happens when spicy tteokbokki -- Korea’s most popular street food -- meets seafood and cheese? It’s elevated to the next level! All the contrasting flavors work so well together to create something incredibly flavorful and comforting. Use any cheese(s) you would use for pizza or pasta. Mozzarella is great, and I also like the pizza blend (provolone, asiago, mozzarella, etc.) in this dish. You can melt the cheese over the stove top, in the microwave, or under the broiler. 　Any combination of

FoodSept. 22, 2017

Twice's ‘black suit teaser’ has fans on edge

Twice is teasing the fans to the point of agony with its serial teaser releases for its fan meeting next month, which it capped off with the group photo released Friday.The photo, revealed via its agency JYP Entertainment’s homepage and the group’s official SNS pages, showed the nine members posing in front of the “Twice Mansion” black suit, tie, and shoes.Twice's teaser image (JYP Entertainment)It heralded the upcoming “Twice Fan Meeting: Once Begins” which was to take place on Oct.14-15 at the

PerformanceSept. 22, 2017

No longer Wonder girl, Ha:tfelt to take World Club Dome stage

Ha:tfelt will perform at the opening and closing stages of the World Club Dome Korea 2017, its agency said Friday, spurring her development as a solo artist in the post-Wonder Girl years.According to Amoeba Culture, the K-pop star will perform at one of the biggest electronic dance music festivals in Asia for the first time, which will be hosted at Incheon Munhak Stadium from Friday to Sunday.  Ha:tfelt (Amoeba Culture)She will sing her new song “Fly High,” on which she has worked Le Shuuk. The

PerformanceSept. 22, 2017

Actor Jang Keun-suk’s fan club to donate exhibit proceeds to charity

Actor Jang Keun-suk’s fan club will donate the proceeds of its photo exhibition to charity to mark the star’s birthday, the actor’s PR agency said Friday.Y Tree Co. said the club Cri J earned some 75 million won ($66,000) from the photo event held in Seoul earlier this month and will donate all of the proceeds to cover medical costs for sick children and buy food for abandoned dogs. Jang Keun-suk (Yonhap)The fan club annually holds an exhibition with photos of the actor and has been using the pr

TelevisionSept. 22, 2017

Laboum’s Yulhee dating F.T. Island’s Choi Min-hwan

Girl group Laboum member Yulhee is dating F.T. Island drummer Choi Min-hwan, agencies of the two artists confirmed Friday.Global H Media and FNC Entertainment said that the two are in a relationship, confirming earlier reports that were fueled by a photo posted by Yulhee on her Facebook page. The photo showed her with a man fans suspect is Choi, accompanied by the message, “10 minutes before we say good-bye. I was almost in tears up because I didn’t want to let him go. But it helps to see a phot

PerformanceSept. 22, 2017

Jang Dong-gun cast for Korean remake of US series 'Suits'

Actor Jang Dong-gun will return to the small screen after six years with the Korean remake on KBS 2TV of the popular American TV series "Suits," the network said Friday.(Yonhap)Jang will play charismatic lawyer Choi Kyung-seo, who works at the country's best law firm in the Korean version of the legal drama.The actor last appeared on TV in 2012 in the 20-episode "A Gentleman's Dignity" on SBS.The American series premiered in June 2011 on the cable network USA and is in its seventh season at the

TelevisionSept. 22, 2017

Expat musicians to show passion, love, volume at Zandari

With Zandari Festa around the corner, several expat groups are gearing up to show their stuff at Korea’s biggest indie music showcase. Zandari, a three-day showcase festival across 10 venues in the Hongdae area of Seoul, will host 120 acts from across Korea and overseas this year.　Among them is Koncept, a US rapper relatively new to the local scene. With three albums under his belt, he was invited to play two shows here in November, but as word got around, he was asked to play more shows and sta

Expat LivingSept. 21, 2017

[Album review] ‘Love Yourself Seung Her’ mirrors past, future of BTS

BTS“Love Yourself Seung Her”Loen Entertainment When most media outlets put this K-pop group on a pedestal earlier this year for its impressive feats -- a Billboard award and several releases on the Billboard albums chart -- many wondered what would come next. And the result was “Love Yourself Seung Her,” which has become the group’s most successful release to date, as well as a mirror of BTS’ past, present and future. The nine-track album opens with “Intro: Serendipity,” a rather smooth preview

PerformanceSept. 21, 2017

Sechs Kies sparkle on return, but lack distinct color

Sechs Kies’ first studio album since 1999 may have been enough to satisfy longtime fans’ thirst for music, but it falls short of showing the maturity the group could have been expected to develop during its 20-year hiatus.The five-member group released “Another Light” on Thursday, marking its first full-length album since reuniting last year. “It really feels like we are debuting again,” said leader Eun Ji-won, in a press conference held in Seoul on Thursday. “It feels like we’re starting again

PerformanceSept. 21, 2017

‘Kingsman’ stars: Bespoke suits are tight, but always a treat

Even the second time round, donning tailor-made double-breasted suits offered satisfaction for the actors of “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.” 　“With regard to fighting in those suits, it has its moments,” said Taron Egerton, who plays headstrong protagonist Eggsy Unwin in the “Kingsman” series, at a press conference at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, Thursday.“But you feel so good in (the suits), and it’s such a flattering style that you don’t begrudge them whilst you’re fighting.”English actor Colin Firth,

FilmSept. 21, 2017

JYP new boyband project named ‘Stray Kids’

JYP Entertainment’s “Stray Kids” project, which will debut its newest boyband, will be first aired next month, the agency said Thursday.“The survival program project that JPY will conduct with Mnet will first air at 11 p.m. on Oct.17, and has been named ‘Stray Kids’,” JYP said in a press release.JYP said the name represents the identity of the show, which picks singers with unique talents that distinguish them from idol groups.The logo for “Stray Kids” (JYP Entertainment)JYP has attempted to une

PerformanceSept. 21, 2017

7 out of 10 Korean stars putting off military duties

Serving in the military is a duty that falls upon every able-bodied Korean male, but 73.9 percent of entertainers here have delayed enlistment, according to a local lawmaker.Of the 794 male entertainers due for enlistment, 587 have yet to enlist, according to a statement released by Rep. Kim Hack-yong of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party Thursday.The percentage of those putting off enlistment among entertainers was far higher than those in other fields of work. The figure was 43.3 percent

CultureSept. 21, 2017

Unorthodox ensemble to bring ‘L’Appartement’ to life on stage

Theater director Ko Sun-woong is a man predicted to be unpredictable; it is not often you see a re-creation of a classic morality tale featuring aliens, like in Ko’s version of “Heungbuga.”For the theatrical remake of 1996 film “L’Appartement (The Apartment),” Ko chose film and TV actor Oh Ji-ho and ballerina Kim Joo-won to play lead characters Max and Lisa. Kim Joo-won (left), Ko Sun-woong (center) and Oh Ji-ho pose for a photo after a press conference at LG Arts Center in Seoul last Tuesday. (

CultureSept. 20, 2017

Park Chan-wook, Yoo Ji-tae model for Ermenegildo Zegna

A local magazine showed actor Yoo Ji-tae and director Park Chan-wook in an ad campaign for Italian luxury fashion brand Ermenegildo Zegna on Wednesday. Yoo Ji-tae (left) and Park Chan-wook pose in Ermenegildo Zegna. (Namoo Actors)Yoo and Park spoke about their 10-year friendship during the interview that followed the photo shoot. The two also discussed how working together on Park’s renowned 2003 neo-noir film “Oldboy” shaped their careers. The two men are part of the brand’s global campaign tit

FilmSept. 20, 2017

Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong meet with Korean fans via live stream

Colin Firth, Taron Egerton and Mark Strong spoke to Korean fans via a live stream on Kakao TV, Wednesday afternoon.The three actors are in Korea on a promotional tour for their upcoming film “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” the sequel to 2014’s “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” which was a huge box office hit here.It is the first time for English actor Firth, long popular in Korea for roles in the “Bridget Jones” series and “The King’s Speech,” to visit Korea on a media-covered tour. From left: Mark

FilmSept. 20, 2017

Islamic group offers community, piece of home for foreign Muslims

Hussaina Abdullahi, 19, arrived in Korea two years ago from Nigeria after being introduced to the culture through the Korean Culture Center while she was in school. The information she received there coupled with an interest in K-dramas was enough to make her decide to come to Korea for university.“It still doesn’t feel real,” she said. “Coming here was crazy, one of the biggest things I wished for actually happened.” After completing a yearlong language course and now almost halfway through her

Expat LivingSept. 20, 2017

Seoul City Improv to mark 10th anniversary with show

Seoul City Improv, the city’s first and only English-speaking improvised comedy troupe, will be marking 10 years in the funny business with an anniversary show-slash-party Saturday.The troupe started out performing the kind of short-form improv made famous by “Whose Line Is It, Anyway?” but later branched out into other forms, such as long-form improv and musical improv comedy, and SCI will try to highlight all its facets at the show.Seoul City Improv (SCI)SCI has been busy in recent years, acco

Expat LivingSept. 20, 2017

Choi Min-sik, Park Shin-hye to star in upcoming thriller ‘Silence’

Choi Min-sik and Park Shin-hye are set to star in the upcoming thriller “Silence,” which is slated to hit local theaters in November. Acclaimed actor Choi will star as Im Tae-san, the chairman of a conglomerate who possesses wealth, honor, power and love but is at risk of losing it all. “What kind of choice can a person make when faced with the possibility of losing your loved ones?” Choi said in a press release Wednesday.  Choi Min-sik (left) and Park Shin-hye (CJ Entertainment)Park will play a

FilmSept. 20, 2017

Busan Film Fest announces 10 nominees for new award category

Busan International Film Festival on Tuesday announced 10 nominees for its new Kim Ji-seok award, honoring the longtime program director of the festival who passed away in May.　Kim began as a programmer of Asian films at BIFF in 1996, and in 2007 went on to serve as the head programmer of Asia’s largest film festival. 　Kim passed away during a trip to France’s Cannes Film Festival. 　The award celebrates the late Kim’s passion for Asian cinema and the discovery of emerging directors. 　The nominat

FilmSept. 20, 2017