Director Jang Jae-hyun said he wanted to dig up the traumatic past of Korea through the symbolic act of exhumation in his latest occult mystery film "Exhuma." Starring veteran actors such as Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Do-hyun, "Exhuma" follows the series of mysterious events that occur as a group of exorcists, an undertaker and a feng-shui specialist take on the task of relocating the tomb of a wealthy family. The movie is largely separated into two parts.

Film Feb. 21, 2024

Kakao Entertainment has deleted a record number of illegally distributed webtoons and web novels over a period of seven months, amid continued illegal dissemination of copyrighted works, online, the company said Monday. According to the company's "4th Illegal Distribution Response White Paper" published on Monday, Kakao Entertainment deleted 208 million web novels and webtoons from June to December 2023. Of the deleted materials, Kakao Entertainment's global anti-piracy team,

Culture Feb. 20, 2024

South Korean conglomerate CJ Group's entertainment arm CJ ENM designated Jung Jong-hwan, the son-in-law of the chair of CJ Group Lee Jay-hyun, as the head of the entertainment company's newly created contents and global business division, according to industry sources Monday. Jung previously led the global integration team at CJ Group, before assuming the new role. His main achievements included leading CJ CheilJedang's acquisition of the US food company Schwan's Company, as

Culture Feb. 19, 2024

A TV variety show featuring K-pop idols is proving that TV and fandom-based online platforms could be a winning combination. K-pop groups have been running their own variety shows for a while on social media and the fan platform Weverse. But for "Nana Tour with Seventeen," the episodes were also broadcast on cable channel tvN, looking to simultaneously appeal to the K-pop super-fans and a wider audience among the general public -- while making use of Weverse's potential for aud

Television Feb. 19, 2024

South Korean actor Choi Woo-shik, known for his role in hit TV shows and movies such as "Our Beloved Summer (2021)," "Parasite (2019)," and "Train to Busan (2016)," said he tried to portray the emotional turmoil of a character faced with the ethical dilemma of condemning evil through murder, in his latest work, "A Killer's Paradox." The 8-part Netflix original crime thriller drama series, based on the webtoon of the same title, tells the story of Yi T

Television Feb. 17, 2024

Tapas Entertainment, a North America-based web novel and webtoon platform, announced 15 winners of its romance web novel contest, its parent company Kakao Entertainment said Friday. The “True Love on Tapas” competition ran for approximately two months starting from October last year, with 15 entries selected out of a total of 264 submissions. It took place as part of Kakao Entertainment's strategy to strengthen its web novel expansion in North America this year. Despite being in

Culture Feb. 16, 2024

Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive officer of Netflix, said on Friday he is excited about the return of several popular Netflix originals this year. "We're very excited about the return of 'Physical: 100' and 'Sweet Home,' and of course, 'Squid Game' this year," Sarandos said during a brief meeting with reporters at Netflix headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Friday. Sarandos is on a two-day visit to the country, which marks his second visit since Jun

Television Feb. 16, 2024

A US court decided to shut down Kokoa TV, a streaming website which illegally streamed a slew of Korean contents to overseas streamers, while ruling in favor of Wavve Americas -- which raised a suit against the website for copyright and trademark infringement. According to the US District Court, District of Arizona, Tumi MAX, the operator of Kokoa TV, has been ordered to cease activities such as storing, reproducing, displaying, or distributing any of the copyrighted works, as of Feb. 9. The US

Television Feb. 16, 2024

A cup of coffee and music If you find yourself walking the Namsan trail to enjoy the last few weeks of winter, you may come across a small, serene cafe full of music and the aroma of coffee. With the motto "All you need is music and more coffee," Illuso Coffee has a selection of LP albums, turntables and music-related props. The cafe is located in a narrow building, so the space is not large, but if you climb the narrow stairs, there is seating space available up to the third floor. T

Culture Feb. 16, 2024

Allegations of cryptocurrency fraud are growing against multiple South Korean celebrities and popular YouTubers, with some denying their involvement and some admitting to having invested in the cryptocurrency. Winnerz -- a Korean blockchain sports platform that operates several businesses including issuing cryptocurrency -- has been accused of running a coin scam after anonymous investors alleged that the company was issuing fake cryptocurrency, gathering investments and forbidding investors t

Television Feb. 13, 2024

“A Shop for Killers” might appear to be an action drama, but the 8-part series is about the story of a lonely girl growing up, the choices various characters make and their consequences, which should give strength to the audience in enduring hardships, according to director Lee Kwon and the actor who portrayed the girl, Kim Hye-jun. Disney+ original "A Shop for Killers" narrates the story of Jung Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun), who is targeted by a slew of killers after her

Television Feb. 12, 2024

South Korean series have been topping the charts on global streaming platforms amid the soaring popularity of K-content, according to entertainment giant CJ ENM on Wednesday. According to the US-based streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, "Marry My Husband," a 16-part romantic drama series that aired its first episode on Jan. 1, topped the daily rankings for TV shows worldwide on Jan. 31 on Prime Video, the streaming service from Amazon. This marked the first time for a Korean series to

Television Feb. 7, 2024

Director Lee Chang-hee -- a K-thriller master who has produced a slew of hit series such as "Hell Is Other People" and the film "The Vanished" -- has successfully breathed life into the award-winning webtoon "A Killer Paradox" through strict adherence to the plot of the original webtoon series. “A Killer Paradox” follows the story of Yi Tang (played by Choi Woo-shik), a college student who commits a series of murders by accident. After he commits the mur

Television Feb. 7, 2024

Netflix on Tuesday unveiled a lineup of South Korean series and films that are scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2024. Among the Korean drama series that will hit the platform in the first half of this year is "A Killer Paradox," a webtoon-based thriller series that stars Choi Woo-shik and Son Suk-ku. The first episode of "A Killer Paradox" will stream on Netflix Friday. "Chicken Nugget," which follows the story of a father whose daughter turns into a chicken n

Film Feb. 6, 2024

Directors Lim Dae-hyung and Jeon Go-woon said they wanted to draw a portrait of modern people by portraying broken marriages in their six-part black comedy "LTNS." Short for "Long Time No Sex," the drama series follows the story of Woo-jin (played by Esom) and Samuel (played by Ahn Jae-hong), a sexless couple who have been married for five years, who chase down unfaithful couples to extort money from them. The drama series delivers sexually explicit scenes and dialogue -- s

Television Feb. 6, 2024