Surging global demand for K-content drive international productions

The 19th edition of Music in PyeongChang is set to take place earlier and will be bigger than before, the festival’s artistic director Son Yeol-eum said Monday. The iconic music festival will be held for 22 days from July 2 to 23 at various places in Gangwon Province under the theme of “Mask.” “Because of the masks during the pandemic, we were able to stay connected during a time of disconnection,” Son said. In ancient Greece, masks were synonymous with perso

South Korean broadcasters are beginning to air TV programs filmed abroad as they resume long-suspended plans for shootings overseas. With the easing of travel restrictions, including mandatory quarantine for international arrivals and the reopening of international routes, broadcasters are keen to resume filming TV programs in exotic locations. Cable channel tvN recently released the new entertainment show “Unexpected Journey,” a series starring Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung. The sh

K-pop act returns to celebrate 15th anniversary

K-pop group Girls' Generation will make a comeback in August by dropping a new album to mark the 15th anniversary of its debut, the group's agency said Tuesday. All eight members of the group will take part in the album that will be the band's first release in five years, SM Entertainment said without giving any details on the upcoming album. Debuting in 2007, the group churned out hit after hit, such as "Girls' Generation," "Gee," "Genie" and &q

South Korea's major cinema chains remained in the red in the first quarter of this year amid the protracted COVID-19 pandemic, but the lifting of distancing rules will likely provide them fresh momentum for a possible turnaround in the coming quarters, data showed Tuesday. CJ CGV, the No. 1 multiplex operator under the wing of entertainment giant CJ Group, said its operating loss reached 54.9 billion won ($42.9 million) for the first three months of 2022, narrowing from an operating deficit of 6

Hollywood blockbuster "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" surpassed 5 million admissions Tuesday, data showed. The latest Marvel Studios' flick hit the milestone at 7:20 a.m., on the 13th day of its theatrical release in South Korea, according to the official box-office data from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC). It became the fastest movie to top 5 million in the past three years, outmatching the country's biggest pandemic-era hit "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the film

K-pop boy band Astro is back with its signature freshness for its third full-length album, “Drive to the Starry Road,” delving deeper into new sounds with the band’s six years of experience. The six-member act held a press conference in Seoul on Monday afternoon, a few hours ahead of the album’s release. Member MJ, real name Kim Myung-jun, started his military service last Monday and was absent from the event. “Drive to the Starry Road” marks the band&rsquo

　 Stray Kids will put out its second Japanese EP “Circus” on June 22, the group’s label JYP Entertainment announced on Monday. 　 It will consist of six tracks -- a title track and two new songs, as well as Japanese versions of three songs, including “Maniac,” the lead track from the group’s most recent EP “Oddinary.” The EP came out in March and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. 　 The songwriting trio within the band – Bang Chan, Changbin

“The Red Herring,” a documentary directed by Yi Seung-jun about the embattled ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk, has raised a total of over 2.6 billion won ($2 million) from over 51,000 people on the crowdfunding platform Tumblbug as of Sunday, far exceeding its original goal of 50 million won. “I was very surprised by the Tumblbug funding result. I am moved by the support. Thank you,” Cho said in a video clip released on Tumblbug Monday. “I want to have a talk with t

South Korean broadcasters are seeking to expand their platforms with non-fungible tokens. Attempting to turn the highly popular “Infinite Challenge” intellectual property into NFT artwork, terrestrial broadcaster MBC is holding a special exhibition to showcase its NFT project. Inspired by popular “Infinite Challenge” episodes, South Korea’s longest running and most successful variety show, the artworks present well-known scenes from the show. Drawn by artist Seo

BTS breaks Destiny’s Child’s record to become act with most BBMA wins