[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

In Our Prime (Korea) Opened March 9 Drama Directed by Park Dong-hoon Lee Hak-sung (Choi Min-sik) works as a school’s security guard but is actually a mathematical genius that defected from North Korea. Hak-sung meets Ji-woo (Kim Dong-hwi), a student that is having a hard time fitting in at school due to his different social background. After finding out about Hak-sung’s talent, Ji-woo asks Hak-sung to teach him math. 　 The Batman (US) Opened March 1 Action Directed by Matt Reeves

March 11, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] EXO’s Suho to release solo album next month

Suho of EXO will come out with his second solo album in April, according to a local media report Thursday.   　 Label SM Entertainment confirmed the news, saying he is preparing the album and will return to the scene next month.   　 This is the first official activity for the veteran idol, who completed his mandatory military duty as an alternative social worker last month.   　 “I’m preparing a gift for EXO-L,” he said upon discharge referring to the band's off

March 10, 2022

“Juvenile Justice” tops Netflix‘s non-English TV series chart

Netflix‘s original series “Juvenile Justice” topped the OTT platform’s non-English TV series chart on Thursday. The chart lists non-English TV series in an order of the number of hours that they were watched by the viewers weekly. According to the chart, Netflix subscribers in 190 different territories watched the Korean drama series “Juvenile Justice” for 45.93 million hours during the Feb. 28 to March 6 period. “Café con aroma de mujer”

March 10, 2022

KBS comes out top in election coverage

Public broadcaster KBS had the most-watched presidential election coverage on TV in Korea Wednesday night. KBS1’s election coverage recorded a viewership rating of 11.1 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. It was the highest-rated election coverage, while SBS and MBC, which aired in the same time slot, followed with 6.1 percent and 5.6 percent viewership ratings, respectively. Claiming that the first metaverse ballot count and the broadcaster‘s own artificial intelligence predictio

March 10, 2022

BTS and Korean fans to finally reunite after two years

The ground surrounding Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul was still empty Wednesday afternoon, a day before a long-awaited concert for K-pop sensation BTS. Faintly ringing out around the venue was the group’s song “On” as the last day of rehearsals took place beyond the closed doors. Less than 24 hours later, the entire area will be bustling with tens of thousands of fans, as BTS kicks off its three-day entertainment series, “BTS Permission to Dance On Stage &ndash

March 9, 2022

Lee Hyo-ri to return with Tving reality show ‘Seoul Check-In’

In response to the huge popularity of the pilot episode of “Seoul Check-In,” which topped local streaming platform Tving’s most popular shows chart on the day of its premiere Jan. 29, K-pop star Lee Hyo-ri is scheduled to return in April with a regular season of the show. Helmed by television director Kim Tae-ho, who was behind two of South Korea’s longest-running and most successful variety shows -- “Infinite Challenge” from 2006 to 2018 and “Hangout W

March 9, 2022

Three Korean drama series to screen at Cannes International Series Festival in April

Three Korean drama series — “Work Later, Drink Now,” “Monstrous” and “Damn Good Company” -- will be screened at the Cannes International Series Festival Season 5’s non-competition section of South Korea fiction on April 6. Established in 2018, the Cannes International Series Festival is an event that aims to highlight drama series from all over the world and to give them an international voice. The festival will be held from April 1 to 6 in Cannes

March 9, 2022

When you want something different from standard multiplex experience

Why should viewers watch your film in movie theaters? This is a common question that is asked to actors during promotional press conferences, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly hindered moviegoers from heading to theaters. Oscar-winning “Parasite” star Choi Woo-shik answered the question by emphasizing special experiences that only theaters offer. “I think movie theaters have everything that can help maximize the films’ different e

March 9, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Twice adds concert to Tokyo tour

Twice will perform one more time at Tokyo Dome on April 25, announced label JYP Entertainment on Tuesday. 　 The band was planning to perform live at the dome on April 23-24, as part of its fourth international tour. The nine-member act kicked off its tour with two concerts in Seoul in December last year and performed live in front of a total of 100,000 audience members over seven shows in five US cities last month. 　 Twice hit the Tokyo Dome stage for the first time in March 2019, in the short

March 8, 2022

‘D.P.’ star Koo Kyo-hwan to return in Tving’s ‘Monstrous’

Actor Koo kyo-hwan, 39, who rose to fame with Netflix’s military suspense drama “D.P.,” is returning to the small screen in Tving’s supernatural thriller “Monstrous,” one of the service’s most anticipated works in the first half of the year. The series depicts a small village where a cursed Buddha statue appears. A number of supernatural incidents follow as the world turns increasingly dystopian. Koo takes on the role of Jung Ki-hoon, an archaeologist

March 8, 2022

Faker reprises record LCK winning streak from 7 years ago

Pro gamer Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok of T1 made solid his position as an undisputed superstar and a living legend of the decade-old League of Legends Champions Korea, reprising his former LCK winning streak and setting a slew of other remarkable in-game records. With T1 reaching 14 consecutive victories after defeating KT Rolster in a match Sunday, Faker repeated the winning streak record that he set with then-teammates Jang “MaRin” Gyeong-hwan, Bae “Bengi” Seong

March 8, 2022

‘Incredible chance’: French director on working with Korean actors, staff

When French director Denis Dercourt was asked to make “Vanishing” in Korea by producer Alexis Dantec around three years ago, he accepted it without any hesitation, the filmmaker said. “It is an incredible chance to shoot in Korea now. You might not know how loved Korean contents are around the world. Korea is like a model to the world,” Dercourt said during an online press conference held on Tuesday. The director added that he was excited to find out how staff and actor

March 8, 2022

Balming Tiger to hold exclusive showcase at 2022 SXSW

Alternative K-pop group Balming Tiger is set to hold an exclusive showcase at the 2022 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in the United States this month, according to the artist Tuesday. The showcase, titled “Balming Tiger: Joyful Delivery,” will take place at Reina bar in Austin, Texas on March 19 (local time), making the group the first Korean act to perform on an exclusive stage at SXSW. The upcoming performance will also mark its first offline performance in more than two ye

March 8, 2022

[Today’s K-pop] Stray Kids announces int’l tour schedule

Stray Kids will kick off its international tour on April 30, announced label JYP Entertainment on Monday. 　 Starting with two concerts in Seoul, the band will fly off to Kobe, Japan in June and hop off to Tokyo the following week. On June 29, it will head to the US and visit fans in seven cities and wrap up with final two-day performances in Tokyo on July 27. More concerts may be added as the “And More” phrase from the poster hinted. It has been almost 2 1/2 years since it hosted an

March 7, 2022

(G)I-dle to return as five after one-year hiatus

After nearly a year away from music and following a bandmate’s departure, girl group (G)I-dle is returning with its first LP on March 14. The band first floated the news at the end of last month by uploading an artwork on social media of a shooting target with the words, “I Never Die,” the name of its first studio album. Leading the nine-song package is “Tomboy,” and as a self-made group in the K-pop scene, Soyeon was once again listed as a producer for the titu

March 7, 2022

‘Squid Game’ Lee Jung-jae wins best male performance in scripted series prize at Indie Spirit Awards

Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, 49, won the award for best male performance in a new scripted series at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards held in California, Monday. The top Korean star was named the winner for playing Seong Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man who takes part in the titular deadly game of the global megahit Netflix series “Squid Game.” Lee became the second Korean actor to win a prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards after veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung w

March 7, 2022

Variety shows, drama series to pause for election coverage

With the presidential election coming up Wednesday, major terrestrial broadcasters announced that all of their Wednesday night variety shows and drama series will be suspended for the day. Throughout the campaign, the three major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS have partly cancelled some of their regularly scheduled programs to air one-on-one, one-on-four presidential debates. The broadcasters have also replaced regular programs to air special documentaries featuring the major presidential candid

March 7, 2022

Fake K-pop merchandise faces tougher crackdown

The Korea Music Content Association has joined hands with the Korean Intellectual Property Office to crack down on online sellers of counterfeit K-pop merchandise, according to the association on Monday. Amid the global popularity of Hallyu content, an increasing number of items that violate trade marks and other rights of entertainment agencies are being sold online. Frequently pirated items include light sticks, photo cards and clothes. Major entertainment firms such as Hybe, S.M. Entertai

March 7, 2022

TBS show by popular left-wing host faces legal problems

The Election Broadcasting Deliberation Commission is likely to impose legal sanctions on Traffic Broadcasting System’s current affairs program “Kim Ou-joon’s News Factory.” The radio broadcaster faces possible sanctions for allowing popular left-wing journalist Kim Ou-joon, 55, who openly declared support for Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, to continue hosting the show in violation of the Election Broadcasting Code. Kim has been hosting th

March 7, 2022

Ailee to drop new English-language album ‘I’m Lovin’ Amy’

Singer Ailee will release an all-English language album Monday, the artist’s management agency The L1ve said. The album, titled “I’m Lovin’ Amy” will hit online music streaming sites at 6 p.m., wrapping up her previous releases “I’m,” “Lovin” and “Amy.” It is the singer’s second English album work after single “Sweater” released in December 2019. Leading the 12-track album is “Murder On The Danc

March 7, 2022