Star producer of ‘Reply’ series returns with ‘Hospital Playlist’

Maverick producer Shin Won-ho is returning with tvN drama “Hospital Playlist,” set to air Thursdays starting this week. While most popular South Korean television dramas are aired twice weekly, Shin, the creator of the smash-hit “Reply” series, says it is time for Korean dramas to attempt new formats. “The drama industry is becoming increasingly competitive, and I’m not sure if all shows would be able to continue like this. We wanted to set a new model,&rdq

March 10, 2020

[Obituary] Korean American entertainer Johnny Yune dies at 84

Comedian Johnny Yune, born as Yoon Jong-seung, died in Los Angeles at the age of 84 on Sunday. Born in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province, in 1936, Yune graduated from Sungdong High School in central Seoul, before attending Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. He became a US citizen in 1978. Yune made his film debut in 1979’s “Meteor” under the stage name of Jon Yune, and built up his career as a standup comedian in the 1980s. The Korean American star rose to st

March 10, 2020

[Feature] Are Korea’s drama-focused studios ready for film industry’s growth?

In February, the Korean Film Council announced that the biggest and oldest film set in the country, Namyangju Studio Complex, would resume operations following its closure last October by the new owner Booyoung Group. The Namyangju set’s reopening is welcomed by Korean cineastes as the studio complex -- located in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, just northeast of Seoul -- is the one of the few large-scale studios in close proximity to Seoul. Since its opening in 1997, 786 films, or more t

March 10, 2020

K-pop singer Chungha signs with US talent agency

Successful K-pop singer Chungha has signed a contract with ICM Partners, a major American talent agency, as she gears up for a US debut, her local agency said Tuesday. "Chungha recently signed an agreement with ICM Partners, one of the top three global agencies in the US, and is moving to make inroads into the US market," MNH Entertainment said. Headquartered in Los Angeles, ICM Partners is a talent and literary agency and represents or has represented Nicki Minaj, Beyonce, Khalid

March 10, 2020

Chart-smashing rookie band ITZY returns with new album 'IT'z ME'

Roaring rookie girl band ITZY on Monday returned with its new album "IT'z ME," a seven-track record led by the main song "Wannabe." The lead track has a fusion groove, mixing EDM with other trendy music genres. The song is another collaboration between the five-piece girl band and Galactika, the music production team that produced the band's breakout 2019 debut single "Dalla Dalla."    "The title song, 'Wannabe,' is a track that best represent

March 9, 2020

Women of ‘Parasite,’ Lee Mie-kyung make Variety’s International Women’s Impact Report 2020

Women of ‘Parasite,’ Lee Mie-kyung make Variety’s International Women’s Impact Report 2020 The actresses who starred in the Academy Award-winning “Parasite” made Variety’s annual International Women’s Impact Report on Friday, along with CJ Group Vice Chairwoman Lee Mie-kyung. The list, which includes accomplished women in showbiz from around the globe, was released prior to International Women’s Day on March 8. The five “Parasite&rd

March 9, 2020

Coronavirus spread delays film fests

The COVID-19 spread continues to cast a pall over the Korean film scene, forcing upcoming film festivals to reschedule. The organizers of the Chunsa Film Art Awards on Monday announced that the festival, originally scheduled to take place in April, will now be held in June. The Ulju Mountain Film Fest, which had moved up the event’s date from September to April starting this year, was forced to reschedule the dates back to the fall season. The unique film event taking place in the southe

March 9, 2020

Park Yoo-chun makes surprise appearance on brother’s livestream

Singer and actor Park Yoo-chun made a surprise appearance on his brother’s livestreamed broadcast, Sunday night. The former member of K-pop boy band JYJ talked about his music with Yoo-hwan, also an actor, and sang along to some of his songs during the livestream on Twitch. In July last year, a local court ordered Park to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, for the illegal purchase and use of methamphetamine. Park has continued to communicate with supporters and held a fan m

March 9, 2020

#BillboardRecalculate controversy explained

BTS’ latest single “On” shattered expectations, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its first week. Fans were obviously happy to see the latest single become the highest-charting song for not just BTS, but any Korean group ever. But what should have been a celebratory occasion soon spawned controversy, as curious fans took notice of an alleged gap between Billboard’s streaming figure for the song -- 18.3 million streams -- and what could be found publicly: ar

March 9, 2020

Why TikTok is becoming go-to platform for K-pop

  Just 12 hours before global sensation BTS released its newest album “Map of the Soul: 7” last month, the group dropped a 30-second preview of lead track “On” -- not on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, but on TikTok. TikTok, a short-form video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is becoming the go-to platform for K-pop. Since its release in 2016, the app has witnessed a meteoric rise. According to app analytics site Sensor Tower, its downloads worldwide

March 9, 2020

String of K-pop concerts called off in Japan as entry restrictions go into force

 A string of major K-pop concerts have been called off or postponed in Japan as mutual entry restrictions by South Korea and Japan went into force early Monday. South Korea and Japan's visa waiver programs for nationals from each other were suspended at the start of Monday amid outbreaks of the COVID-19 virus. On Monday, Japan's new quarantine measures also took effect, introducing a two-week quarantine period for travelers coming from South Korea and restricting the landing of flights f

March 9, 2020

BTS ranks No. 3 on Billboard 200 in its second week on the chart

"Map of the Soul: 7," the new album by K-pop superstars BTS, ranked No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for this week following its No. 1 debut a week earlier, the US music magazine said on Monday. "BTS' 'Map of the Soul: 7' falls from No. 1 to No. 3 in its second week, earning 84,000 equivalent album units, down 80 percent from its opening week of 422,000," Billboard said on its website, announcing the result of the albums chart dated March 14. It is the BTS album's

March 9, 2020

Two heads to lead Korea National Opera

With the court suspending the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism‘s dismissal of the former artistic director Yoon Ho-geun, the Korea National Opera will be led by two heads for now. According to the Seoul Administrative Court’s ruling on Friday, the ministry will have to revoke its dismissal of Yoon, the former artistic director of the national troupe. Yoon was dismissed in May for hiring a staff member who does not meet the qualifications in August 2018.   The ministry

March 8, 2020

Shim Eun-kyung nabs best actress prize at Japanese film award

Actress Shim Eun-kyung, 26, was honored with the Japan Academy Film Prize for best actress at this year’s awards ceremony for her role in “The Journalist.” Ahead of her victory on Friday at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize, Shim had been nominated in January along with Nikaido Fumi, Matsuoka Mayu, Miyazawa Rie and Yoshinaga Sayuri. Upon hearing her name called out, Shim broke into tears of joy and surprise. “I did not expect to win the award, so I could not pr

March 8, 2020

Celebrities use livestreaming to communicate with fans

Many celebrities are turning to online fan meetings and concerts as ways to communicate with fans without physical contact to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Comedians Song Eun-yi and Kim Sook went live online on Feb. 29 in celebration of the fourth anniversary of Vivo TV, a podcast by the two comedians. The 1,200 seats for both Feb. 28 and Feb. 29 concerts sold out in less than three minutes but the events were canceled due to the spread of the new coronavirus. The comedians decided to h

March 6, 2020

Watcha Play to provide free service for coronavirus patients

OTT service provider Watcha Play on Friday announced that it is discussing with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety about providing a free service for a month to COVID-19 patients and those under self-quarantine. The company explained that it is providing the service to support those who are having a hard time due to the outbreak of the virus. “We reached out to the government first with the idea. The ministry agreed to provide the service with us,” a Watcha Play spokesperson

March 6, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Invisible Man (US) Opened Feb. 27 Horror, Mystery, Sci-fi Directed by Leigh Whannell When Cecilia’s (Elisabeth Moss) abusive ex-boyfriend takes his own life and leaves her a large part of his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, threatening the lives of those she loves, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel. She desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see. Lucky Chan-sil (Korea) Opened March 5 Dra

March 6, 2020

[Graphic News] Poll finds improved foreign sentiment toward Korean cultural content

　Foreign sentiment toward South Korean cultural content marked an overall improvement last year on the strength of the continued popularity of the Korean Wave, according to a poll released by a government agency. 　The survey of 8,000 people in 17 countries who had experienced Korean cultural content, conducted by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, showed that foreigners’ favorability toward Korean TV dramas rose to 76 percent in 2019, compared to 73.4 percent f

March 5, 2020

National Ballet under fire for members’ inappropriate behavior

The Korean National Ballet is mired in controversy over inappropriate behavior by some of its members while they were under home quarantine for COVID-19. The national ballet company told all members to go into self-quarantine Feb. 24-28, after the performance of “Swan Lake” at the Daegu Opera House from Feb. 14-15.  Though none of them showed signs of COVID-19 infection, the decision was made over concerns about the rapid increase in cases in Daegu and neighboring North Gye

March 5, 2020

Netflix ready to release ‘Kingdom’ second season

Global streaming giant Netflix’s zombie-thriller “Kingdom” is returning with a second season next week, with the same cast members and even bloodier action than before. Taking place in the Joseon era, “Kingdom” tells the story of how Prince Chang struggles to save his kingdom from a fast-spreading mystery disease. Featuring the same main cast members from the first season, “Kingdom” season two will star Ju Ji-hoon as Prince Chang, Bae Doona as medic

March 5, 2020