“Woong Nam” (South Korea) Comedy Opened March 22 Directed by Park Sung-kwang Inspired by the Dangun myth, in which a bear turns into a human after 100 days of eating garlic and mugwort, “Woong Nam” tells a story of bear-turned-superhuman brothers Woong-nam and Woong-bok. Actor Park Sung-woong plays the dual role to depict police officer Woong-nam and criminal gang leader Woong-bok. The film was written and directed by comedian Park Sung-kwang. “Soulmate” (

Film March 24, 2023

The 2023 fall-winter collection by Lie Sang-bong for his eponymous brand, which was presented at last week’s Seoul Fashion Week, will travel to Vienna later this year for a special fashion show and exhibition. Veteran fashion designer Lie and the Belvedere Museum in Vienna collaborated to feature Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” in Lie's latest collection. It was the Austrian museum’s first-ever project involving its art piece being presented through

Arts & Design March 23, 2023

Cannes-winning actor Jeon Do-yeon said she practiced a “do or die” mindset for her role as a top assassin in her first-ever action film, “Kill Boksoon.” “I was particularly careful about doing action scenes and practiced a lot because I had to (work with) fellow actors, not stuntpeople. I worried about getting too emotional and overdoing the action scenes,” she told reporters during a press conference held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas on Tuesday.

Film March 21, 2023

Filmmaker Hong Sang-soo’s 29th project, “In Water,” will hit local theaters on April 12. “In Water” follows Seong-mo (Shin Seok-ho), an aspiring film director who has recently given up acting and decides to self-fund his own project. He and two friends go to an island to shoot the movie together, but struggling with what to make, as Seong-mo wanders around the rocky shores to find inspiration. There, he encounters a young woman picking up trash. The 62-year-old aute

Film March 20, 2023

Actor Park Seo-joon is returning to the big screen for the first time in four years with director Lee Byeong-heon’s sports comedy film “Dream.” The 34-year-old’s most recent project on the screen was the multiple Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019). In still photos released by distributor Plus M Entertainment on Monday, Park is seen talking with actor Lee Ji-eun, who appears as documentary film producer Lee So-min. Lee is better known as IU, the name she uses for

Film March 20, 2023

“Suzume” (Japan) Opened March 8 Adventure/Animation Directed by Makoto Shinkai “Suzume” revolves around a 17-year-old girl’s quest to stop an apocalypse triggered by the opening of magical doors all over Japan. The film is Shinkai’s third film in the series after “Your Name” (2017) and “Weathering with You” (2019), which both center around natural catastrophes like earthquakes and climate-related disasters. “Soulmate” (S

Film March 18, 2023

Jeonju International Film Festival has established a donation committee to spread the culture of donation and social contribution, while part of the proceeds will be delivered to a nongovernmental organization. Under the slogan of “glorious value,” which also reads “cinematic value” in Korean, the donation committee is JIFF’s first-ever move to support those in need, since the festival’s establishment in 2000. JIFF said it will receive applications for donat

Film March 17, 2023

Hit TV drama star Lee Sun-Kyun from “Pasta” (2010) and “My Mister” (2018) is trying his hand at an unprecedented comical role in upcoming romance thriller “Killing Romance,” directed by Lee Won-suk and written by “The Beauty Inside” writer Park Jeong-ye. “Killing Romance,” also starring actors Lee Ha-nee and Gong Myung, revolves around a former actor Hwang Yeo-rae, who is known for her terrible acting skills and eventually leave the ind

Film March 17, 2023

A family day out at Children’s Grand Park Located in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Children’s Grand Park is the perfect destination for a fun family day out. The park houses an amusement park which offers a wide range of family-friendly attractions and activities that are suitable for children of all ages. The park features thrilling rides for older children, who should not miss the opportunity to try out the Wave Swinger and the Drop Tower. In particular, the Family Coaster is wildly popular

Culture March 17, 2023

Seoul Fashion Week, one of Korea's most established fashion shows, is being held in-person for the second year in a row this week at an even bigger scale than last year. While many industry insiders believe that the industry is still recovering from the pandemic, designers are seeking new ideas and identities in the post-pandemic period. After spending the last few years away from in-person shows – with busy backstages and catwalk audiences -- designers are seeking to express warmth a

Arts & Design March 16, 2023

Seoul Fashion Week, South Korea’s biggest fashion event organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and held every March and October, kicked off its five-day run at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Wednesday, showcasing the fall-winter 2023 collections of 23 designers, seven rookie designers and one corporate brand. Following last year’s format, the 22nd Seoul Fashion Week will include 100 percent in-person shows with real-time streaming available on its YouTube channel. Celebrities sho

Arts & Design March 15, 2023

Director Jang Hang-jun of upcoming sports comedy film “Rebound” said he prioritized matching the actors to their real-life characters as a basketball coach and high school players. The film, based on the true story of a basketball team at Busan Jungang High School in 2012, follows basketball coach Kang Yang-hyun as he tries to bring together a team of underdog players. “To create a realistic mood in the film and stay similar to this true event, we shot the film at the actual co

Film March 14, 2023

The Korean Cultural Center in Washington said Monday that it is holding an exhibition on South Korean animation and literature from March 24 to Dec. 29. The Culture Ministry-run institution said the exhibition aims to offer opportunities for visitors to take an in-depth look into South Korean animation content based on well-known literary works, as well as increase their understanding in Korean culture. Titled “K-Animation With Literature,” the exhibition is co-hosted with animat

Film March 13, 2023

Producer Ahn Gil-ho of the hit Netflix drama “The Glory” admitted to physically assaulting students at a neighboring middle school as a high school student, and apologized to the victims in a statement via his attorney on Sunday. According to the statement released by his law firm Jipyong, director Ahn physically assaulted middle schoolers when he was 17 years old while studying abroad in the Philippines in 1996. “After hearing that his girlfriend was teased by a group of her f

Television March 12, 2023

Cartoon artist Lee Woo-young, one of the creators behind the original hit comic book and animated series, “Black Rubber Shoes,” in the 1990s and the 2000s, was found dead at his home in Incheon, according to police Sunday. Lee was discovered by his family member at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, in what was an apparent suicide. Lee’s family said that he was going through a rough time due to recent lawsuits regarding copyright issues. An autopsy will not be conducted at the request

Film March 12, 2023