Gumiho becomes new symbol of beauty in Korean drama series

The “gumiho,” a shape-shifting nine-tailed fox, has solidified its position as a character that symbolizes captivating beauty, replacing one of the best-known royal concubines of the Joseon era, Jang Ok-jung , more widely known as Jang Hui-bin. Born to a middle-class family, Jang worked as a lady attendant in the palace and eventually became a consort of King Sukjong, the 19th king of Joseon. The tales of Jang, with a love triangle between the king and Queen Inhyeon, the palace intri

Aug. 30, 2023

'Revenant' a ghost story about lost generation

SBS' "Revenant," an occult thriller series crafted by star screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, ended with an 11.2 percent viewership rating last month. The positive response for a terrestrial broadcaster whose ratings have plummeted in recent years is thought to be a result of the use of folklore to shed light on today's social issues. "Revenant" takes familiar characters from folklore and puts them in a modern setting, dealing with day-to-day life problems. While the story r

Aug. 29, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kang Full says popularity of ‘Moving’ still feels unreal

While the superhero action series “Moving” has made history by becoming the most watched Korean original series on Disney+ and Hulu, topping TV series charts in various countries, including Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian nations, screenwriter Kang Full confessed that the series' success doesn't yet feel real. Instead of relishing in the show's positive reviews, Kang said he spends more time worrying about viewers' reactions after new episodes ar

Aug. 29, 2023

Two global streamers to release shows for Chuseok

Global streamers Netflix and Disney+ will each release a new action series in time for the upcoming Korean Thanksgiving holiday, known as Chuseok, which runs from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. Netflix recently confirmed that its period action drama, “Song of the Bandits,” will premiere on Sept. 22, a week before the Chuseok holidays. Set during the Japanese colonial period in 1920, the series revolves around a group of bandits, who are fighting to survive in the lawless Gando region during tur

Aug. 28, 2023

[Herald Interview] Go Youn-jung finds familiarity in playing Hui-soo

It can take a lot of analysis and effort for an actor to transform into a character. But for rising star Go Youn-jung, playing Hui-soo -- a high school girl with a superhuman healing ability in Disney+’s latest action fantasy series “Moving" -- came naturally. She was auditioning for "Moving" not for a particular role, but when she read Hui-soo’s lines, she felt comfortable. “Playing a character or reading lines without knowing the background story is alway

Aug. 26, 2023

EBS lecture series ‘Great Minds’ to return with season 3

Public education broadcaster EBS confirmed the return of its lecture series, “Great Minds,” with a third season, featuring world-renowned academics. “Great Minds Season 3” will offer insights on major challenges faced by South Korean society, including artificial intelligence-based education, the country’s record-low fertility rate, nature, trade and more. According to the broadcaster, he series is scheduled to feature a total of six Nobel laureates -- American scho

Aug. 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lee Jung-ha on playing his favorite webtoon character in ‘Moving’

With an unexpectedly low voice and tranquil demeanor, any trace of Kim Bong-seok -- a schoolboy character from the webtoon "Moving" -- was long gone from 25-year-old actor Lee Jung-ha. At the mention of the webtoon, however, Lee's voice reached a higher pitch, revealing his excitement over the Disney+ action fantasy series. “I was a long-time fan of webtoon creator Kang Full. It might sound like a lie, but 'Moving' was my favorite webtoon among his projects and Bon

Aug. 22, 2023

Autistic character joins EBS children’s show in a first for Korea

Educational Broadcasting System recently announced that its “Ding Dong Dang Kindergarten” will welcome its first autistic character in its upcoming episode, marking the first time a local children’s show will feature a character with autistic spectrum disorder. The new character “Byeori” will make her debut on the Friday episode of the show, aired every weekday at 8 a.m. The show describes the child character as perceiving sound, smell and color more strongly than o

Aug. 17, 2023

‘Beef’ creator Lee Sung-jin shares importance of being yourself at BCWW 2023

Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2023, an annual event showcasing South Korean content and insights to broadcasters around the world, kicked off its three-day run at Coex Hall D in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Organized by the Korean Creative Content Agency, BCWW kicked off on opening day with a special session featuring Lee Sung-jin, the creator behind the hit US Netflix original series “Beef.” The black comedy revolves around Danny Cho (played by Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (played by Ali Wo

Aug. 16, 2023

Superheroes highlight Korean TV dramas in summer

Korean superheroes have captured viewers’ hearts with their unique supernatural powers and telepathic abilities in their most recent TV drama outings. Cable channel tvN fired the first salvo in the clash of superheroes this summer with a second season of fantasy action series “The Uncanny Counter,” following up on the first in 2020. The series centers on high school student So-mun, who is recruited by a group of “counters” to hunt down and eliminate evil spirits tha

Aug. 14, 2023

Netflix releases new romance series ‘A Time Called You’

Global streamer Netflix has announced the release of a new Korean original romance series “A Time Called You.” The drama is a time traveling love story between a young woman named Jun-hee (played by Jeon Yeo-been), who grieves over the death of her boyfriend. After losing her lover in a mysterious accident in 2022, Jun-hee receives a cassette tape, which allows her to time travel to 1998. With her memory as Jun-hee intact, she begins a new life as Min-joo, a high school girl. One day

Aug. 11, 2023

'The Killing Vote' off to strong start

Terrestrial broadcaster SBS’ new drama “The Killing Vote” is off to a strong start, topping ratings among all TV shows in the same time slot with the first episode. The first episode of the 12-part thriller series, featuring “The Glory” star Lim Ji-yeon, recorded a viewership share of 5.2 percent when it aired Thursday. Adapted from a popular Kakao Page webtoon of the same title created by author Um Se-yun, “The Killing Vote” revolves around police chasi

Aug. 11, 2023

‘Zombieverse’ creator feels confident about entertaining viewers with realistic zombie show

TV director Park Jin-kyung shared the satisfaction with his new variety show “Zombieverse,” believing that he was able to draw out realistic reactions from cast and create a project which is more than enough to entertain viewers. “Instead of feeling the pressure, I am excited to know the result after ‘Zombieverse’ is released today,” Park said during press conference held at the Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery in Mapo-gu, western Seoul on Tuesday. The director revea

Aug. 9, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘D.P. 2’ had to complete unfinished story: Jung Hae-in, Han Jun-hee

Hoping to live up to the viewers’ love for the first season of “D.P.” and high expectations for the next installment, director Han Jun-hee decided at the end of 2021 to return with a second season. The director had never expected to make a second season while shooting the original series, which was released in August 2021. And the unplanned season 2 made Han think hard about the story he wished to share with the audience in “D.P. 2.” “I needed to know why I wo

Aug. 7, 2023

Popular webtoon series 'Moving' now a Disney+ TV series

Webtoon writer Kang Full’s popular webtoon series “Moving,” which achieved a total of 200 million views, has been transformed into Disney+ TV series to be released Aug. 9. The series centers on the lives of seemingly ordinary people with hidden super powers. The stories of “Moving” revolve around Lee Mi-hyeon (played by Han Hyo-ju) who has extraordinary physical abilities such as exceptional hearing, and falls in love with her colleague Kim Du-sik (played by actor Z

Aug. 3, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ production team to create new sports competition show

Local broadcaster MBC on Tuesday confirmed the production of new sports variety show “University Survival.” MBC will join hands with production company Luyworks Media and screenwriter Kang Sook-kyung, who helmed Netflix’s hit reality series “Physical: 100,” together with the broadcaster. “University Survival” will require its contestants, who are sports-related majors or are members of Korean university sports clubs, to battle it out in intense survival

Aug. 2, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Chance to play elderly character was priceless'

From an Alzheimer’s patient in his 80s in “Remember” (2022) and Sunyang Group’s founder Jin Yang-chul in “Reborn Rich” (2022) to veteran detective Kim Taek-rok in “Shadow Detective 2,” Lee Sung-min is on a roll with unique elderly characters. Though the diversity of portrayals was a huge challenge, Lee was certain that the roles would become a assets in the future. “I had a chance to feel what it would be like to perform 10 to 20 years in the

Aug. 1, 2023

Kim Woo-bin to star in Netflix film ‘Officer Black Belt’

Global streaming service Netflix on Thursday confirmed that actors Kim Woo-bin and Kim Sung-kyun will star in "Officer Black Belt," an action comedy. The project will mark Kim Woo-bin’s second Netflix film, following the dystopian movie “Black Knight,” which premiered in May. “Officer Black Belt” revolves around Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin), a martial arts officer who works with a probation officer to keep an eye on criminals wearing ankle monitors. Kim Sung-

July 28, 2023

Korean viewers grow indifferent to stars’ troubles

Reality and talk shows featuring the personal stories of Korean celebrities may have enjoyed huge popularity several years ago, but that is no longer the case. In recent years, many Korean TV personalities have revealed their homes and starred on reality shows with friends and family members, allowing viewers to observe almost every moment of their lives. Actors Choo Ja-hyun and Yu Xiaoguang are among many celebrities who starred in SBS’ reality show “Same Bed, Different Dreams 2:

July 26, 2023

Webtoon creator, screenwriter Kang Full takes on epic K-superhero project

Making his debut as a screenwriter in upcoming Disney+ action drama series “Moving,” webtoon creator Kang Full exudes confidence in delighting both his devoted webtoon readers and those new to his fictional world with Korean-style superheroes. In 2015, “Moving” started out as an action webtoon series on Daum Webtoon, garnering Kang more than 200 million accumulated reads in Korea. The story revolves around high school students endowed with supernatural powers and their pa

July 23, 2023