This year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, running May 1 to May 10, will showcase several films on the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster to mark the 10th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed almost 300 lives, most of them high school students on a field trip on April 16, 2014. “The year 2024 marks the 10th year since the Sewol tragedy. Although 10 years have passed, the scars of this disaster have not yet healed. Rather, we had to go through a similar tragedy that happened in Itaewon

Film April 3, 2024

For the first time in Korean cinema history, a mystery thriller film on the occult phenomenon has hit the milestone 10 million admissions mark. “Exhuma,” the most-watched film so far this year, surpassed that mark just 32 days after opening in February. As of Tuesday morning, “Exhuma” had recorded more than 11 million ticket sales in a country of fewer than 52 million people, with the film now poised to become the 22nd highest grossing film within the entire breadth of Ko

Film April 2, 2024

It took director Ahn Gooc-jin nine years to return to the big screen after his award-winning “Alice In Earnestland.” Just like the previous film, Ahn's latest work, “Troll Factory,” criticizes aspects of modern-day Korea through satire. “Troll Factory,” a film adaptation of the eponymous 2015 novel by Chang Kang-myoung, reorganizes the story into a completely new structure. Unlike in the novel, the movie focuses on the character of Yim Sang-jin (Son Suk-k

Film April 1, 2024

Asia’s largest film festival, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), will proceed with the post of festival director yet to be filled. In a statement released Friday night, the BIFF said that there were “no qualified candidates” despite its continued search for someone to lead the festival. In February, the festival organizers began another search for the post of festival director, accepting applications through March 19. The post has been vacant since May last year. &ld

Film March 31, 2024

South Korean actors Han So-hee and Ryu Joon-yeol have decided to “go their own ways” after two tumultuous weeks surrounding the stars’ admissions of dating and accusations of impropriety in Ryu dating Han so soon after his breakup from his longtime partner, singer and actor Hyeri. Ryu and Han’s breakup surfaced Saturday night when Han uploaded a 2001 photo of Nicole Kidman that had been taken by paparazzi as she walked out of the court following her divorce from Tom Cruis

Film March 31, 2024

Tteok, glutinous rice cake that is enjoyed as a sweet dessert or filling snack, dates back to even before the Three Kingdoms period, when people made the rice cakes by pounding grain flour. Nowadays, this distinctive rice cake is enjoyed by many people for its chewy texture and the panoply of fillings, from fruit to beans and even butter that blend well with its mild flavor as well as its aesthetics. Thanks to the popularity of tteok among young dessert lovers and foreign travelers, tteok is eve

Food March 30, 2024

“Spy x Family Code: White” (Japan) Opened March 20 Action/Comedy Directed by Takashi Katagiri Loid, a spy, decides to help his stepdaughter Anya, who holds supernatural power, win a cooking competition at Eden Academy by making the principal's favorite meal. It is the the only way to stop him from getting replaced in a new operation. “Poor Things” (US) Opened March 6 Comedy Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Bella (Emma Stone), a Frankenstein-esque woman brought back fro

Film March 29, 2024

Following the government’s decision to scrap its 3 percent charge on movie tickets starting next year, concerns have been raised about whether such a discount would actually lead to more people going to the cinema. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, about 420 to 450 won ($0.30) will be reduced from movie tickets priced at around 15,000 won, in an effort to “lessen the burden on people who visit movie theaters.” The ministry plans to push for such detail

Film March 28, 2024

Just weeks after appearing as a relentless detective in the Netflix original “A Killer Paradox,” actor Son Suk-ku met with reporters for the promotion of his new film “Troll Factory.” “I haven’t rested a single day since the start of the year except for the public holiday in January,” Son told reporters in an interview in Seoul on Friday. “I’m constantly tired. I wake up, go to work, back home and sleep. I have also opened my own agency and i

Film March 27, 2024

The 2024 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list has revealed the top 50 selected restaurants in Asia, with four restaurants in Seoul among the rankings. Japan’s neo-French style restaurant Sezanne, helmed by British-born chef Daniel Calvert, was announced as the top winner at an awards ceremony held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas on Tuesday evening. The ceremony marked the finale to the gastronomic summit that kicked off this year’s edition in Seoul on Saturday, gathering

Food March 27, 2024

In her 2010 short indie film “A Brand New Journey,” Kim depicts the agony of a middle school student whose parents can’t afford the money for a school trip. Although the boy finds a way to save up money for the trip by taking on a part-time job, he is harassed by the tyrannical shop owner who doesn't pay him. “I was attracted to the stories of marginalized people, whether I met them in my personal life or in books. So it was natural for me to shed light on the lives

Film March 26, 2024

Hungarian composer and conductor Peter Eotvos, who was named the composer-in-residence for the 2024 Tongyeong International Music Festival, has passed away in Budapest at the age of 80, the TIMF said Monday. An internationally acclaimed composer whose works were inspired by Zoltan Kodaly, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez, Eotvos' ties with Tongyeong run deep. Having composed the opera "Golden Dragon" for the 2017 TIMF, he was invited to compose for the 2020 edition of TIMF.

Performance March 25, 2024

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024 held the first #50BestTalks event since the pandemic in Seoul on Monday, led by gastronomic experts from Asia who touched on various topics from their recipes to fermentation techniques. Created in 2002, the world’s prestigious international gastronomic event kicked off this year’s edition in Seoul on Saturday. The five-day event, joined by 1,000 industry insiders, ends Tuesday with an awards ceremony where the list of this year’s top 50 re

Food March 25, 2024

South Korean supernatural mystery thriller “Exhuma,” which has been sweeping not just the domestic box office, but box offices across Asia, will not release a sequel nor a spinoff, the movie’s director told reporters Thursday. “Exhuma,” which opened in Korea on Feb. 22, has topped the local box office for 27 consecutive days, aggregating 9.52 million admissions as of Thursday. Captivated by its immersive storyline, filmgoers are already eager for a sequel or spinoff

Film March 22, 2024

“Spy x Family Code: White” (Japan) Opened March 20 Action/Comedy Directed by Takashi Katagiri A spy agent Loid decides to help his stepdaughter Anya, who holds supernatural power, win a cooking competition at Eden Academy by making the principal's favorite meal -- the only way to help him prevent from getting replaced in a new operation. “Poor Things” (US) Opened March 6 Comedy Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Bella (Emma Stone), a Frankenstein-like woman brought back

Film March 22, 2024