[Herald Review] Ryoo Seung-wan asks what justice is in “I, the Executioner”

Ryoo Seung-wan, an established filmmaker in Korea known for bringing witty, high-adrenaline action to the big screen, has returned with “I, the Executioner,” a sequel to the 2015 mega-hit cop movie “Veteran.” The first film in the series follows veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) as he takes down corrupt chaebol heir Jo Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in). “I, the Executioner” – known as “Veteran 2” here -- follows Do-Cheol, as he teams up with r

Sept. 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids Hyunjin becomes face of Cartier

Hyunjin of Stray Kids has been chosen as brand ambassador for jeweler Cartier. He graced the cover of men’s magazine Esquire Korea’s October issue, draped in the accessories from the French jewelry house, which had previously appointed Jisoo of Blackpink and V of BTS to represent its campaigns. The dancer and rapper has shown affinity for Cartier, wearing its jewelry on a number of occasions and attending an event hosted by the jeweler. The news set the idol’s fans abuzz, cel

Sept. 13, 2024

Japanese-Korean romances surge to leverage audiences and funds

Dramas depicting intercultural romances between Japanese and Korean characters are all the rage right now, amid efforts to draw in a broader audience and leverage larger production budgets, according to industry officials, Friday. In Japan, hit romance fantasy series "Eye Love You" lit up the schedules in the early part of the year. The drama depicted the love story of Yoon Tae-oh (Chae Jong-hyeop), a Korean graduate student in Japan, and Yuri (Fumi Nikaido), a CEO with the ability to

Sept. 13, 2024

Former Ador CEO files injunction to remain as director after her current term

Former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, filed for an injunction Friday to be reinstated as a director at the company after her term ends Nov. 2. Anticipating that the Ador board will not renew her term, Min’s legal representative law firm Sejong and her PR firm, Macoll Consulting Group, announced that they had submitted a petition to the Seoul Central District Court, requesting an extraordinary general shareholders’ meeting and Min's reappointment as an internal director. Previously, Ador

Sept. 13, 2024

Pledis Entertainment partners with Jeju Island to produce ‘K-Pop Jeju Content’

Pledis Entertainment and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province on Friday announced a partnership to produce K-pop content featuring the island’s unique features. Pledis, a subsidiary of entertainment giant Hybe, and Jeju Island held a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding at Hybe’s Yongsan headquarters to promote K-pop content related to Jeju. Pledis CEO Lee Da-hye, Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hun, and other representatives from both sides attended the ceremony. Pledis Entertain

Sept. 13, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“My Dearest Fu Bao” (South Korea) Opened Documentary Directed by Shim Hyung-joon Follow Fu Bao on the big screen in her last three months in Korea and see her interactions with the “Fu Bao grandpa” zookeepers, as well as the heart-touching moment when Kang Cheol-won reunites with Fu Bao three months after she is sent to China. “Alien: Romulus” (US) Opened Aug. 14 Horror/Sci-fi Directed by Fede Alvarez In 2142, a group of young space colonizers go on an

Sept. 13, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Seventeen’s Jeonghan to enlist late this month

Jeonghan of Seventeen will begin serving his mandatory military duty on Sept. 26, his agency Pledis Entertainment announced Thursday. He will be the first member of the 13-piece act to enlist. He will serve as an alternative social agent, as he had ankle surgery about nine months ago. He, at 29, is one of the three oldest members along with S.Coups and Joshua, but S.Coups was exempted from the duty after knee surgery and Joshua is a US citizen. As previously notified, he will be absent from prom

Sept. 12, 2024

Blackpink's Lisa wins second Best K-pop award at MTV VMAs

Lisa of Blackpink, who is also a solo artist, won the Best K-Pop award at the MTV Video Music Awards for the second time. The ceremony took place Wednesday at the UBS Arena in New York City. Lisa clinched the Best K-Pop award with her song "Rockstar," surpassing strong contenders like BTS Jungkook's "Seven," NCT Dream's "Smoothie," NewJeans' "Super Shy," Stray Kids' "Lock” and Tomorrow X Together's "Deja Vu." &

Sept. 12, 2024

Is NewJeans leaving Hybe?

K-pop group NewJeans has issued an ultimatum against Hybe, demanding the reinstatement of Min Hee-jin as CEO of Ador, by the deadline of Sept. 25. The request was announced during a livestream they held on YouTube Wednesday evening, the post about which was subsequently deleted from X, formerly Twitter. “What we want is for Ador to be restored to its original state with Min Hee-jin as the CEO, where management and producing are integrated. Restore Ador to its original state by Sept. 25,&rd

Sept. 12, 2024

What comes after love? Ex-lovers cross paths in new Coupang Play series

Featuring Japanese heartthrob Kentaro Sakaguchi and Korean actor Lee Se-young, the upcoming Coupang Play's romance series "What Comes After Love" explores a timeless question: What happens when former lovers unexpectedly cross paths once again. "What Comes After Love" narrates the story of Choi Hong (Lee Se-young) and Aoki Jungo (Kentaro Sakaguchi), who meet again by chance five years after splitting up. The series is adapted from the novel of the same name, co-authored

Sept. 12, 2024

Hyeri’s teen flick ‘Victory’ embroiled in ‘ticket hoarding’ rumor

Singer-turned-actor Hyeri’s latest teen cheerleading flick “Victory” was embroiled in a rumor that people related to the movie have hoarded tickets to increase sales, causing production firm Mind Mark to release a statement. According to the Korea Film Council data, “Victory,” which opened in local theaters on Aug. 14, has topped the box office as of Thursday. On Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 26,000 moviegoers watched the film, placing the movie at the top of the

Sept. 12, 2024

Multiethnic Katseye begins Asia promo tour dreaming of inspiring girls everywhere

Katseye, a multinational and multiethnic K-pop girl group formed by Hybe in collaboration with Geffen Records, kicked off its ambitious Asia promotion to broaden its reach. The six-member group consists of: Daniela, whose father is Venezuelan, mother is Cuban and grew up in Los Angeles; Megan, whose father is white American, mother is Chinese Singaporean and grew up in Hawaii; Lara, who was born in India and grew up in LA; Manon, whose father is Ghanaian, mother is Swiss-Italian and grew up in Z

Sept. 11, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] BTS one of ‘greatest pop stars in 21st century’: Billboard

BTS was named as one of the “greatest pop stars of the 21st century” by Billboard magazine. In an article published on Tuesday in the US, the band ranked No. 19 on the list of 25. It described the superband as “the septet that took K-pop to new global heights, and set the standard for high-level hitmaking and fan devotion,” and looked back at how it “crashed through every door of what it takes to be a successful pop act and expanded that with a scope never quite see

Sept. 11, 2024

Rising tide of deepfake pornography targets K-pop stars

Major K-pop agencies such as JYP Entertainment, YG Entertainment and Cube Entertainment have declared war on deepfake visual content created using images of their K-pop artists. This comes at a time when deepfake crimes have attracted renewed attention in South Korea, after the revelation of online rooms in which users shared AI-generated pornographic videos of local women and acquaintances. It is becoming more and more common for K-pop singers to fall victim to deepfake pornography, according t

Sept. 11, 2024

Spectacle of street, aerial wonders awaits at Seoul Street Arts Festival

The 2024 Seoul Street Arts Festival will take place in downtown Seoul, across Seoul Plaza, Cheonggyecheon and Mugyo-ro areas during the three-day Chuseok holiday, from Monday to Wednesday. Over 300 artists from Korea and abroad from eight countries, including Spain, Italy and Japan will participate in this outdoor celebration, showcasing 24 programs -- including street theater, dance, circus acts, traditional performances, large-scale installations and interactive art pieces. The festival will o

Sept. 11, 2024

Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars' billed as largest K-cooking survival show yet

Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" will be the biggest cooking survival show in Korean entertainment show history, according to the show's producers, Wednesday. "Culinary Class Wars" features cook-offs featuring 100 contestants split into two teams: the white team, composed of Korea's top chefs, and the black team, made up of little-known chefs and cooks such as local restaurant owners. The contestants will face off in multiple elimination rounds with a panel of j

Sept. 11, 2024

[New on the scene] Director Lee Mi-rang focuses on visualizing bestseller in ‘Concerning My Daughter’

In writer Kim Hye-jin’s best-selling novel, “Concerning My Daughter,” the story is told from 50-something Sang-ok’s point of view. She is a caregiver at a nursing home, and an unexpected life event occurs in which she is forced to live with her adult daughter and her daughter’s girlfriend of seven years in her rundown house. Distancing the film from the original novel, director Lee Mi-rang, who has made her directorial debut with film “Concerning My Daughter

Sept. 11, 2024

True to its name, Boynextdoor presents cheeky, relatable teen stories

Boynextdoor is back, and they have brought their life stories with them. Speaking at a press conference held at Blue Square Mastercard Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Monday, to mark the release of “19.99,” the group's third mini-album, the group emphasized that they put a lot of effort into incorporating stories that everyone can relate to, as well as their personal stories. “In the past, we sang about things we imagined or stories of others, but this time, we’ve infused

Sept. 11, 2024

‘Officer Black Belt’ explores world of probation officers

Netflix original film “Officer Black Belt” explores the world of probation officers -- a little covered topic in Korea -- with witty comedy and thrilling action sequences. This coming-of-age comedy action “Officer Black Belt” revolves around Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin) who has exceptional martial arts skills and goes on to assist probation officer Kim Sun-min (Kim Sung-kyun). The two pair up to keep an eye on criminals wearing ankle monitors. Director Jason Kim (“Midn

Sept. 10, 2024

K-content industry should focus on diverse monetization opportunities: industry expert

The Korean content industry should seek out ways to diverse monetizing opportunities, experts told a global conference on streaming industries in Asia. Speaking at the conference titled "Korea in View" held Aug. 29, Marianne Lee, chief of content acquisition and development at streaming platform Viu, said the content industry in Korea is going through a "correction period," in which the industry is now struggling to keep up with soaring production costs, which have risen four

Sept. 10, 2024