“The Roundup” star Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok in Korea, will join the Hollywood production of adaptation of sci-fi novel “Hell Divers” with Arad Productions, the actor’s agency said Friday. The film is based on bestselling author Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s 2016 dystopian sci-fi novel series “Hell Divers,” moving the first three books in the 10 book-series to the screen. Set two centuries after World War III has poisoned the planet, the movi

Film June 23, 2023

Director Um Tae-hwa’s upcoming disaster thriller “Concrete Utopia” will be released in local cinemas on Aug. 8, the film distributor Lotte Entertainment said Friday. The film’s star-studded cast including Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young, garnered industry attention after a teaser was released in the past week. Based on the second part of a webtoon about an earthquake and its aftermath, “Pleasant Neighbor,” the film revolves around few residents

Film June 23, 2023

A Netflix original film featuring late singer Sulli received its mandatory age certification Friday, indicating its imminent release. According to The Korea Media Rating Board, the second part of a series of omnibus films by four different directors, “Persona: Sulli,” will be available to viewers 15 years old or older. The movie, which has four parts in four different genres, is 2 hours and 10 minutes long. The first part of “Persona” opened in 2019, with the directors e

Film June 23, 2023

Indoor climbing in the heart of Seoul The rainy season is approaching, but rock climbers still have options. Damjang gym, located in Eulji-ro, Seoul is a minimalist bouldering gym with creatively designed routes suitable for climbers of all levels. If you are trying indoor climbing for the first time, join a newcomers' group and receive an hour of instruction from a professional trainer to learn the basics. Regular classes are also available, where experienced instructors teach bouldering t

Culture June 23, 2023

“Elemental” (US) Opened June 14 Animation Directed by Peter Sohn In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common. “The Flash” (US) Opened June 14 Action Directed by Andres Muschietti The Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change events of the past. But his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future and h

Film June 23, 2023

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, in South Korea for the first time in seven years, on Thursday spoke about the US streaming giant’s interest in Korean content and what its partnerships with local production and VFX firms could lead to. Almost 200 local reporters gathered to hear the details of Netflix’s $2.5 billion investment plan in Korea over the next four years, but details were scant. “It’s been an amazing partnership between the Korean creative community and Netflix. Bu

Film June 22, 2023

Award-winning director Park Chan-wook talked about his first-ever film project with Netflix during a roundtable discussion with the US streaming giant's co-CEO Ted Sarandos, who is on a two-day visit to Seoul. On Wednesday, Park and Sarandos gave a talk to aspiring filmmakers and content creators in Korea, sharing their insights and ideas on the future of the digital content market. Park, who recently announced his participation as co-screenwriter and producer in the new Netflix film &ldq

Film June 21, 2023

Six years after “Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned,” director Um Tae-hwa returns with disaster thriller “Concrete Utopia,” in which home turns hostile for a group of apartment dwellers. The movie is based on the second part of a webtoon about an earthquake and its aftermath, “Pleasant Neighbor.” Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young star as few residents of Hwang Gung Apartments in the devastated city. Lee plays Young-tak, a leader among the resident

Film June 21, 2023

Asked to make a comment on his personal life, actor Park Seo-joon, meeting with the press a day after a media report said the actor was dating Korean YouTuber and singer Xooos, neither confirmed nor denied the news. Park was attending a press conference for his upcoming disaster thriller flick “Concrete Utopia,” held at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University in Seoul, Wednesday. “I heard the news late yesterday because I was shooting another project. First thing I felt after reading th

Film June 21, 2023

The hit filmmaker who helmed “Veteran” (2015) and “Escape From Mogadishu” (2021) returns with the star-studded female-led action film “Smugglers.” Set in a peaceful seaside village in the 1970s, the crime action film revolves around an accident in front of “haenyeo,” female divers who collect seafood from the ocean floor. Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jung-min, Kim Jong-soo and Go Min-si star in the film. Kim Hye-soo and Yum Jung-ha

Film June 20, 2023

Actor Lee Shin-young, who appeared as third-year medical resident Dong-hwa in the third season of the SBS hit drama “Dr. Romantic” that just finished last week, has kept himself busy in the first half of this year. In the sports comedy film “Rebound,” which opened in local theaters on April 5, the 25-year-old played a high school basketball genius who leads the underdog team as they approach the final round in the national competition league. “I don’t really s

Film June 19, 2023

Director Jason Kim’s first-ever drama series “Bloodhounds,” which released on Netflix on June 9, runs for a total of eight hours, about four times longer than his previous films “Midnight Runners” and “The Divine Fury.” Yet with an unexpected setback involving the series’ main female actor, the effort and time invested in bringing the eight-episode series to life ended up far exceeding the director’s initial expectations of a mere fourfold in

Film June 18, 2023

Netflix Korea on Sunday announced the new cast for the second season of the sensational series “Squid Game.” Joining the original cast will be actors Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon and Yang Dong-geun. Yim most recently starred in the Netflix thriller flick “Unlocked,” while Park played a villain in Netflix’s “The Glory.” Kang was the lead actor in hit TV drama “When the Camellia Blooms” (2019) and Yang appeared in Netflix action fli

Film June 18, 2023

“The Flash” (US) Opened June 14 Action Directed by Andres Muschietti The Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change events of the past. But his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future and he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (US) Opened June 6 Action Directed by Steven Caple Jr. Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge ye

Film June 17, 2023

Giant, surreal stone cafe in Daelim-dong Lostone, a four-story cafe in Daelim-dong, Seoul, offers a unique spacial experience beyond just visiting a cafe for a cup of coffee. Lostone is an abbreviation of “lost stone.” Dozens of giant stone pieces make up part of the wall on each floor, creating a unique atmosphere. The cafe building took three years to come together. Inspired by oddly formed rocks and strangely shaped stones frequently seen in Korean and Chinese landscape paintings,

Culture June 16, 2023