After breaking the boundary between films and TV shows by releasing multiple episodes of drama series at once, video streaming services are bringing about yet another change in the South Korean media environment: content creators working across different platforms. When terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s star director Kim Tae-ho, 47, made his Netflix debut with “The Hungry and the Hairy” in 2021, Kim's fans, industry insiders and experts felt that would be a one-time thing, as

Television Feb. 22, 2023

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., presents a calm, soothing romance of ordinary people in its upcoming series “Call It Love.” The slice-of-life series follows the lead characters who fall in love at first sight, a departure from the big, sweeping romances featuring estranged childhood sweethearts or dramatic plot twists. Director Lee Kwang-young said the stories of her romance series will be told at a slow pace, allowing viewers to slowly imme

Television Feb. 21, 2023

Global streaming service Netflix announced a star-studded lineup for its new mystery series “Alone in the Woods” on Monday. “Alone in the Woods” will mark South Korean movie star Kim Yun-seok’s first drama series in 16 years. His last television role was in MBC’s human drama “Do Well” (2006-2007). Since then Kim has worked exclusively on big-screen projects as a lead actor, including in heist movie “The Thieves” (2012) and action film &

Television Feb. 20, 2023

South Korean movie stars Lee Seo-jin, Park Seo-joon and K-pop boy band BTS’ V are scheduled to make their variety show debut on Amazon Prime Video with its much-anticipated travel series, “Jinny’s Kitchen.” Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon. As the first Korean reality program available on Amazon’s streaming service, “Jinny’s Kitchen” features the cast members’ journey to present popular on-the-g

Television Feb. 19, 2023

Nonsan Strawberry Festival Returning in-person for the first time in four years, the Nonsan Strawberry Festival will take place from March 8 through March 12 at various areas of Nonsan Citizen Park in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. The event promotes the strawberries of Nonsan, providing opportunities for tourists visiting the city to enjoy the strawberries and the beautiful surroundings in which they are grown. The five-day festival offers various hands-on activities, including strawberry

Culture Feb. 17, 2023

Terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s classical music program “TV Art Show” is scheduled to be filmed with a live audience and spectators for the first time this year. Under the theme of “virtuoso,” “TV Art Show” invites viewers and fans of all ages for the mesmerizing performances, featuring beloved pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Kim Bomsori and cellist Yang Sung-won, at MBC Golden Mouse Hall in Sangam-dong, northwestern Seoul. While Son is set to perform on F

Television Feb. 16, 2023

Korean artists have sent messages of condolence through their creative works to those affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Among those, two heartwarming images, drawn by Korean illustrator Myeong Min-ho, have made the rounds on social media. The illustrations, posted on Friday on Instagram, feature a Turkish soldier and Korean Disaster Relief Team member drawn in similar kneeling positions, helping out children from different tragedies. As of Wednesday, the post has attra

Culture Feb. 15, 2023

Webtoons and K-pop, two of the leading powers in the Korean Wave, are to join hands to create greater synergy in Tving’s extended reality music competition show “Webtoon Singer.” It is not the first time for a webtoon to team up with K-pop. In 2020, the original soundtrack for the popular Daum Webtoon series, “She's My Type," sung by K-pop boy band B1A4’s Sandeul, reached the No. 2 spot on local streaming platform Melon, following BTS’ “Dynamit

Television Feb. 15, 2023

While expressing his satisfaction with playing the lead role of Nam Kang-ho in Netflix’s latest romantic comedy series “Love to Hate You,” Yoo Teo cautiously shared some of his updated goals for becoming a better actor. “With the rise of local and global streaming platforms, I’ve become more ambitious and dream of something bigger. More unexpected opportunities are waiting for actors. I am well aware of how much more work I have to do to achieve my goal, but I feel

Television Feb. 14, 2023

Outdoor activities -- skiing, snowboarding, sledding -- may be among common ways to enjoy the winter season. But, sometimes, laying on your back on a heated floor at a jjimjilbang is simply the better way to beat the bitter cold. Jjimjilbang, a Korean-style sauna featuring two traditional heating systems -- “ondol” and “gama,” referring to a heated floor and kiln-shaped sauna rooms in Korean, respectively. Diehard sauna lovers or those who know about jjimjilbang through K

Travel Feb. 11, 2023

Eyeing to become a global studio presenting its content to a wider audience, Studio Dragon, South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s drama production subsidiary, is scheduled to offer a total of 35 drama series this year. The studio's beloved series, including “The Glory” and “Sweet Home” on Netflix, “Island” on Tving and “Shadow Detective” on Disney+ will make their anticipated return with sequels this year. Studio Dragon will a

Television Feb. 10, 2023

Gangjin Celadon Festival The 51st edition of Gangjin Celadon Festival is scheduled to start Feb. 23, running through March 1 at the areas around Goryeo Celadon Museum in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province. Celebrating the excellence of Korean celadon from Goryeo period, the event offers various hands-on activities, including spinning wheel, coil-style celadon making and more. The fees for hands-on activities vary from 1,000 won to 5,000 won. A special parade, busking by local artists, a lantern-maki

Travel Feb. 10, 2023

“Love to Hate You,” the first romantic comedy series of actor Kim Ok-vin’s 18-year career, strays from the typical Korean drama tropes. The series doesn’t feature childhood sweethearts; a poor girl with an overly positive personality; nor an average girl meeting a rich guy with the ensuing family opposition. But the actors and director of “Love to Hate You” are certain that it has more than everything to make viewers wish they were in love. Kim felt that she

Television Feb. 9, 2023

After becoming a new major source for alternate forms of multimedia content, web novels -- written works available primarily online -- are poised to continue following the successful footsteps of webtoons, setting new sales records and yielding successful drama adaptations. Naver Series, South Korean tech giant Naver’s web-based book platform, said that the accumulated sales of its action fantasy novel “Return of the Blossoming Blade” hit a record-high of 40 billion won ($31.8

Books Feb. 8, 2023

Jang Ho-gi, the man behind global streamer Netflix’s latest reality competition “Physical: 100,” said he wants to scour the world to find a contestant in top physical shape. “Though our show sought to find the fittest among 100 contestants of different gender, race and age, deciding the proportion of foreign-born contestants was difficult. Defining a foreign-born contestant itself was complicated as well,” Jang said in a press conference held at Community House Ma

Television Feb. 7, 2023