As Korea entered a weeklong national mourning period after a tragic Halloween crowd surge that killed at least 154 people in Itaewon, central Seoul, on Saturday night, the Korean entertainment industry is offering its condolences. Korean film distributors have called off events following the deadly crush. Lotte Entertainment on Monday said it canceled all stage greeting events that were planned on Sunday for the film “Confession.” Stage greetings are promotional events organized by

Film Oct. 31, 2022

Actor Lee Ji-han, who appeared on the second season of Mnet’s male K-pop competition “Produce 101,” and Kim Yu-na, who worked as a cheerleader for the LG Twins and Kia Tigers, were among the 154 victims who died during the Itaewon disaster on Saturday night. Lee and Kim were both 24 years old. Lee’s agency 935 Entertainment on Sunday released a statement confirming that Lee died amid the crowd crush in Itaewon, central Seoul. “We offer our deepest condolences to L

Film Oct. 31, 2022

Barunson E&A, the production company behind the Oscar-winning film "Parasite," has joined hands with blockchain company Lambda 256. The blockchain firm is a subsidiary of Dunamu, the operator of Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit. “The driving force that made Korean cinema what it is today came from passionate and active movie fans. By creating this community where filmmakers and audiences can come together with their ‘love for movies' based on NFTs (non-fu

Film Oct. 28, 2022

Black Adam (US) Opened Oct. 19 Action Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra Khandaq, a country that used to be prosperous, is now run by Intergang, which has oppressed its people for 27 years. Meanwhile, Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) accidentally frees Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson), who was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods -- and imprisoned just as quickly -- 5,000 years ago, from his earthly tomb. He is now ready to unleash his unique form of justice in the modern world. Everything Every

Culture Oct. 28, 2022

The highly-anticipated musical film "Hero" directed by hit filmmaker Yoon Je-kyoon is slated to open in December, according to the film distributor CJ ENM. Yoon has previously directed two megahit movies, “Tidal Wave” (2009) and “Ode to My Father” (2014), which attracted more than 10 million moviegoers. Since the Hollywood science fiction film “Avatar: The Way of Water” directed by James Cameron is also expected hit theaters in December, the two fi

Film Oct. 26, 2022

After an exhausting day, top star singer Lee Hyo-ri enters a cocktail bar. She orders two drinks: Basil Smash and Cigar in a Glass. While she enjoys her drink, the DJ plays vinyl record of 1980s singer Lee Eun-ha. If you have been wondering about the bar that Lee visited in “Seoul Check-in,” or just want to enjoy some extra special drinks, a cool night vibe and good music as the cold wind starts to blow this weekend, the place for you is Hills & Europa in the Haebangchon neighbor

Culture Oct. 21, 2022

Black Adam (US) Opened Oct. 19 Action Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra Khandaq, a country that used to be prosperous, is now run by Intergang, which has oppressed its people for 27 years. Meanwhile, Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) accidentally frees Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson), who was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods -- and imprisoned just as quickly -- 5,000 years ago, from his earthly tomb. He is now ready to unleash his unique form of justice in the modern world. Orphan: Fi

Culture Oct. 21, 2022

Top Korean actor So Ji-sub said he was tired of playing good guys in TV dramas and movies when he got the script for “Confession,” directed by Yoon Jong-seok. “It has been a while since I started playing lead roles. All the protagonists have something in common. They are mostly nice guys. But this character was not, and that was appealing to me,” So said during an interview with a group of local reporters on Wednesday. “At the time I really wanted to play a new r

Film Oct. 20, 2022

Set in 1999, the upcoming Netflix romance film "20th Century Girl” directed by Bang Woo-ri has many elements that can evoke nostalgia for the previous century. The film centers around Bo-ra (Kim You-jung), a 17-year-old high school student who is athletic and has a bright personality. One day, Bo-ra finds out that her best friend Yeon-doo (Roh Yoon-seo) has a big crush on Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo). But before Yeon-doo gets a chance to become friends with Hyun-jin, she has to go to t

Film Oct. 19, 2022

Veteran actor Lee Sung-min, 53, hopes that his new dramatic film “Remember” can help narrow the generational gap in Korean society. “I think the most attractive element of our film is that an elderly man in his 80s and a young man go on a journey together. I hope that people in this world can also become like the characters in our movie. I hope they can hang out with each other, respecting the older generation and also embracing the younger generation,” Lee said in an

Film Oct. 18, 2022

Young actors Yeo Jin-goo and Cho Yi-hyun are returning with a remake of the hit romance sci-fi film "Ditto" (2000). In the new film set in 1999, university student Yong (Yeo) has just returned to school after completing his mandatory military service. There, he meets his first love, freshman Han-sol (Kim Hye-yoon). Meanwhile, Mu-nee (Cho), who lives in the present day, has a secret crush on her best guy friend (Na In-woo). One day, Yong somehow communicates with Mu-Nee through a walk

Film Oct. 17, 2022

The 27th Busan International Film Festival has selected “A Wild Roomer,” directed by Lee Jeong-hong and “Shivamma” directed by Jaishankar Aryar as New Currents Award winners on Friday, announced on the last day of the ten-day long film fest. The New Currents Award is presented to the two best feature films by new Asian directors presenting their first or second feature at the Busan film fest. The two winners each receive $30,000. According to the festival's director H

Film Oct. 14, 2022

  Global streaming platform Netflix will introduce a new ad-supported plan in Korea, which will charge its users 5,500 won ($3.85) a month from Nov. 4. Users of the new and cheaper advertising-supported tier will have to watch 15-to-30 second advertisements before and during Netflix content. A total of around four to five minutes long advertisements will be streamed per hour to subscribers, according to Netflix. Some Netflix content will not be available for the new plan’s users

Film Oct. 14, 2022

Orphan: First Kill (US)　 Opened Oct. 12 Horror Directed by William Brent Bell A psychopath (Isabelle Fuhrman) hiding an enormous secret successfully escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility and travels to America by impersonating Esther, the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Esther’s mom (Julia Stiles) becomes suspicious and she fights "Esther" to protect her family. Life is Beautiful (Korea) Opened Sept. 28 Drama Directed by Choi Kook-hee Housewife Se-yeon (Yum Jung-a

Culture Oct. 14, 2022

The 2022 Seoul International Pride Film Festival, which mainly focuses on queer films, will be held from Nov. 3-9 at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul. The Pride film festival, which used to be held at CGV Myeongdong Station Cine Library in Seoul, had to look for a new venue after the operator of the pandemic-hit theater in Myeong-dong suspended business there last year. “Although the CGV Myeongdong started operating again, it was when we had already signed the new deal with Megabox,” SIP

Film Oct. 13, 2022