Broadcasting watchdog re-approves licenses of 2 TV channels

South Korea's telecommunications watchdog on Monday conditionally approved licenses for two comprehensive programming channels, advising them to maintain impartiality and adhere to public responsibility guidelines.    The Korea Communications Commission announced it approved a motion to re-approve the license of TV Chosun till April 21, 2023. It also approved an extension for Channel A until April 21, 2024.    It said while the licenses have been passed, failure by eithe

April 20, 2020

[Newsmaker] Viewers allege sexual objectification of women in KBS drama

The producers of KBS2’s weekend drama series “Once Again” apologized following criticisms that Saturday’s episodes sexually objectified women. In the two consecutive episodes that aired Saturday, three female characters who opened a kimbab eatery appear in skimpy dresses wearing heavy make-up. The women flirt with the men outside the store to lure them inside, while the male customers stare at the women and comment on the women’s appearance. The controversial epis

April 20, 2020

Moviegoers hit all-time low in March

As the monthslong coronavirus pandemic has emptied South Korean theaters, the number of moviegoers in the country dropped to an all-time low in March, data showed Monday. A total of 1.83 million people went to the cinema last month, plunging 87.5 percent from 14.7 million tallied a year ago, according to data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It is the lowest monthly box office number since KOFIC started to compile such data in 2004. The total revenue nose-dived 88 percent on-year to 15.

April 20, 2020

‘Time to Hunt’ to be released worldwide Thursday on Netflix

Thriller “Time to Hunt” will finally be released on Netflix on Thursday, following a contentious two-week delay. “Time to Hunt” will be released simultaneously in some 190 countries at 4 p.m. local time on Thursday, Netflix said Monday. The streaming company was originally slated to release the film on April 10. However, the release was postponed as a court banned the film’s overseas distribution after the film’s overseas distributor Contents Panda, which w

April 20, 2020

BLACKPINK becomes only K-pop artists with 3 songs topping 800m YouTube views

With "Kill This Love" topping the milestone of 800 million YouTube views Monday, BLACKPINK became the first K-pop artists to have three songs with over 800 million views. The music video of BLACKPINK's latest hit song surpassed the 800 million YouTube mark early Monday morning, about one year after its release, the band's management agency YG Entertainment said. It is the quartet's third music video topping 800 million YouTube views, following "Ddu-du Ddu-du" and "B

April 20, 2020

Photo album-like drama ‘When My Love Blooms’ to air

Though we often tend to yearn for the best moments of our life, the upcoming drama series “When My Love Blooms” suggests there is no time like the present. The new tvN series, featuring veteran actors Yoo Ji-tae and Lee Bo-young, will portray the love between a man and woman who reunite 26 years after first falling in love. “I personally believe romance is the most fundamental genre of television drama. Though love might be a really common theme, I wanted to portray a warm a

April 19, 2020

Pengsoo to release first digital single featuring Tiger JK

Pengsoo, the popular costumed penguin character from educational television channel EBS, collaborated with rapper Tiger JK to release his first digital single. On Friday, EBS announced the release of Pengsoo’s digital single, “Billboard Project Vol. 1” at 6 p.m. on April 21. Artists Tiger JK, Bizzy and BiBi featured in the song that has both rapping elements and yodeling elements. “Working with Pengsoo! It was an honor lol,” posted Tiger JK on is Instagram on Tue

April 17, 2020

‘Phantom of Opera’ to resume from April 23

The Seoul run of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera,” which was suspended after its cast members were confirmed with COVID-19, will resume on April 23. On March 31, a Canadian ensemble cast member was confirmed with the virus infection. Two days later, her colleague, an American actor, also tested positive. The production initially decided to halt the musical shows until April 14 but delayed it further after the second infection. Before confirmed as having the coronavirus , t

April 17, 2020

“Time to Hunt” to be released on Netflix after distributing companies reach agreement

After over a monthlong delay, the movie “Time to Hunt” will be available on Netflix with the streaming platform announcing that a new release date will soon be made available. Netflix had postponed the premiere of “Time to Hunt” scheduled for April 10, after a court ruling prohibited the release of the movie outside Korea following a dispute between local and overseas film distributors. Kwon Ji-won, the CEO of Little Big Pictures, the film’s local distributor, re

April 17, 2020

Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun partner in romance fantasy ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’

Lee Min-ho is returning to the small screen for the first time in three years through SBS’ “The King: Eternal Monarch,” which starts airing Friday night. Lee, in his first role since completing his military service in April 2019, partners with Kim Go-eun, who is also returning to the screen three years after the hugely popular “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” Kim Eun-sook, the scriptwriter behind several major hit Korean TV dramas, including tvN’s &ldqu

April 16, 2020

[Newsmaker] MBC apologizes for sexist comment during election coverage

Network broadcaster MBC apologized Wednesday night for a demeaning comment about two female candidates during its general election coverage, which drew public outrage.　 The incident took place as MBC was delivering poll results in real time for a constituency in Dongjak, Seoul, where two female candidates -- Lee Soo-jin of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and Na Kyung-won of the United Future Party -- were leading the pack. While covering the match between the two judges-turned-politicia

April 16, 2020

Starship’s new boy band Cravity unveiled

Starship Entertainment’s new boy band Cravity made its grand debut Tuesday. The nine-piece act released the debut album “Hideout: Remember Who We Are” and held an online showcase that was livestreamed on Naver’s V Live. The debut album includes seven tracks, with “Break All the Rules” as the lead single. The hip-hop tune depicts the band’s bold aspirations and encourages us to break the limits and rules that we have locked ourselves under. The song w

April 16, 2020

SuperM to join online charity concert organized by Lady Gaga, WHO

Billboard-topping K-pop boy band SuperM will perform for "One World: Together At Home" this week, an all-star online charity concert co-organized by Lady Gaga and the World Health Organization to overcome the coronavirus pandemic, its agency said. SuperM will be the only South Korean musicians to join the lineup for the online concert on Saturday (US time), designed to celebrate and support health care workers on the COVID-19 front lines and raise funds to help overcome the pandemic.

April 16, 2020

Marking 6th anniversary of Sewol ferry disaster with films inspired by the tragedy

Six years after the Sewol ferry sank to the dark bottom of the sea on April 16, 2014, many questions still linger and the truth remains undisclosed. The incident, which took the lives of more than 300 people, most of them high school students, is remembered as a disaster caused by the many shortcomings of our society. Movies and documentaries inspired by the tragedy or that delve into it remind us that the case is still ongoing.　 The latest such film is “Ghost Ship” by director Ki

April 15, 2020

Coronavirus threatens Hongdae indie music scene

The indie music scene in Hongdae is struggling to stay afloat as concerts and festivals are delayed or canceled amid strict social distancing. While major music labels are better able to endure long-term losses, allowing musicians to concentrate on their next albums, small labels and clubs that rent out venues to bands are suffering to the point where their very existence is under threat. “We had zero profit. What worries us the most is not now but what is about to come. Usually from la

April 15, 2020

Lights go out at Daehangno

Daehangno, an area of Seoul that is home to numerous small theaters, has been hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak as theaters have been shut down in compliance with the government’s social distancing program. The Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, managed by the Korea Arts Management Service affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, showed a sharp drop in ticket sales following the outbreak of the virus.   According to the data, ticket sale

April 14, 2020

SM Entertainment, Naver team up to launch concert streaming service

SM Entertainment and Naver are teaming up to launch a new concert streaming service, Beyond Live. The premiere, featuring SuperM, is to air April 26. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding in an effort to expand their presence in the global entertainment industry, SM said in a statement Tuesday. The concert streaming platform, which is set to launch sometime in mid-April, will first be available within V Live, Naver’s existing video platform. And as the name sugges

April 14, 2020

Previous live BTS concerts to be streamed on YouTube to entertain fans at home

A series of live concerts K-pop boy band BTS performed since 2014 will be shown for free on YouTube this weekend to entertain fans at home in this time of coronavirus self-quarantine. The band's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, said a total of eight concerts and fan meeting events by the boy band will be broadcast on the BTS channel on YouTube, BANGTANTV, on Saturday and Sunday under the title "BTS Online Concert Weekend." The first set of four performances, including "

April 14, 2020

Apink celebrates 9th anniversary with new single

Apink released a new single, “Dumhdurum,” Monday. “Dumhdurum” leads “Look,” the group’s ninth EP since its start in 2011. The dance-driven song, which blends an Asian sound with a Spanish vibe, was written by famous K-pop producer duo Black Eyed Pilseung, the mastermind behind Apink’s previous hits “I’m So Sick” and “Eung Eung.”  Thriving on the addictive hook “Dumhdurum rumhdururum,” the song is abo

April 13, 2020

Revisiting BoA’s ‘No.1’ two decades on

In the fast changing K-pop industry, BoA has stood the test of time. Including her latest EP “Starry Night” in December and her debut at age 13 with “ID; Peace B” in 2000, she has sold millions of records and become a household name in South Korea. And then there was “No. 1.” Around two years into her career, she released her second studio album with the track on her home turf after her million-seller Japanese debut album “Listen to My Heart” t

April 13, 2020