[Herald Review] ‘King of Clones’ reexamines story of disgraced S. Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk

Netflix’s UK original documentary, “King of Clones,” sets off on the jaw-dropping tale of South Korean veterinarian Hwang Woo-suk at a research center in a desert in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Watching a scene where the scientist stands in front of the portraits of key Emirati leaders, the viewers can sense that Hwang is a man with a long, complex story. Directed by Singaporean filmmaker Aditya Thayi, the 85-minute documentary, “King of Clones,” features one o

June 22, 2023

KBS files injunction against gov't move to separate fee collection

Public service broadcaster KBS filed an injunction with the Constitutional Court on Wednesday seeking to halt the government's plan to separate the collection of its license fees from electricity bills. The move came as the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) is planning to amend a Broadcasting Act enforcement ordinance for the separate collection in the latter half of the year following a recommendation by the presidential office on June 5. Since 1994, KBS has charged a monthly fee of 2,

June 21, 2023

[Herald Interview] Restraints are off for return of ‘The Zone: Survival Mission’

Disney+’s “The Zone: Survival Mission,” has scaled up the set pieces for its second series. Using escape room-style games, the first season of “The Zone: Survival Mission” threw a star-studded cast of Yu Jae-seok, Lee Kwang-soo and Kwon Yuri into catastrophic situations such as a zombie apocalypse, water shortage, gambling addiction and more, for four hours. In an interview with local reporters at a cafe in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, directors Cho Hyo-jin and Kim Don

June 21, 2023

KBS employees demand CEO’s resignation amid fee collection controversy

More than 1,000 KBS employees on Tuesday have demanded the resignation of CEO Kim Eui-cheol and the board of directors. The call for change comes as the broadcaster is expected to face a severe financial crisis when a relevant enforcement ordinance is amended for a separate collection of TV license fees. In a statement released Tuesday, the Joint Committee for KBS Employees and Broadcasters for the New KBS said they collected signatures from 1,080 employees calling for the resignation of Kim and

June 20, 2023

‘Lies Hidden in My Garden’ promises chilling suspense to beat summer heat

Cable channel Genie TV will kick off the summer with its highly anticipated eight-part suspense thriller series “Lies Hidden in My Garden.” Director Jung Ji-hyun and the star-studded cast did not hide their excitement for the series during a press conference at Stanford Hotel Seoul in Mapo-gu, Seoul on Monday. “Our drama does not have a lot of sensational, shocking scenes to surprise and thrill viewers like many existing thriller projects. However, our show has a mysterious aur

June 19, 2023

Star-studded Disney+ series ‘Moving’ to premiere in August

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., announced the release of its new action hero series “Moving” in early August. With a star-studded lineup of actors, ranging from top stars Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, go-to actors Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Sung-kyun to veteran actors Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Hee-won and rising star Go Youn-jung, “Moving” is one of the most anticipated series of the year. Based on the webtoon of the same title by renowned webtoon

June 16, 2023

Netflix confirms 2nd season of ‘XO, Kitty’

Global streamer Netflix will renew its teen romance series “XO, Kitty,” with expanded stories for the second season. Netflix confirmed the launch of its second season through a press release on Thursday. “XO, Kitty,” a sequel series of the “To All The Boys” franchise, presents the heart-racing journey of Kitty Song Covey (played by Anna Cathcart), who sets off on an adventure of romance in South Korea to meet her long distance boyfriend Dae (played by Choi Min

June 16, 2023

Netflix’s ‘Physical: 100’ to return with season 2

Netflix Korea on Wednesday confirmed the return of its flagship survival competition show, “Physical: 100,” for a second season. “Physical: 100,” which premiered in January, caught local and global viewers’ attention as 100 contestants battled it out in intense survival matches for the title of the most physically fit. It became the first Korean variety show to soar to the No. 1 slot in the platform's global top 10 chart of non-English TV shows. The nine-part s

June 14, 2023

Yoo Jae-suk hopes ‘The Zone: Survival Mission 2’ will be global hit

Making a Disney+ return with “The Zone: Survival Mission 2,” comedian Yoo Jae-suk hopes Korean variety shows would one day reach the same heights of popularity that Korean dramas and films have around the world. “I still believe we (entertainment shows) have a long way to go to impress both local and global viewers," Yoo said in a press conference held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Tuesday. "I, of course, wish my upcoming show to b

June 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] Choi Min-yeong says ‘XO, Kitty’ is turning point in his acting career

Choi Min-yeong, a rising 20-year-old actor who captivated the hearts of drama fans with his role as Back Yi-hyun in the smash hit coming-of-age series “Twenty Five, Twenty One” (2022), has recently made a splash with the American Netflix original “XO, Kitty.” While Choi treasures every role, regardless of the character's importance in a project, the actor felt that his latest stint as Dae, a Korean high school student and Kitty's boyfriend in "XO, Kitty,&qu

June 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Ra Mi-ran feels she could not ask for more from 'The Good Bad Mother'

When veteran actress Ra Mi-ran walked in for an interview with a group of local reporters at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul on Thursday, the traces of her latest character, Jin Young-soon, were long gone. Sporting a platinum blonde hairstyle for her upcoming project and speaking in a low tone, she appeared to have metamorphosed from her role as the rural pig farmer and single mother of “The Good Bad Mother.” The actress, who has starred in more than 60 projects -- including mus

June 11, 2023

‘His Man’ to return with season 2

Local streaming service Wavve on Tuesday confirmed the return of its popular reality dating show “His Man” with a second season. “His Man,” which premiered in July 2022, was South Korea’s first gay dating reality show. The 11-part series initially caught many viewers’ attention with its cast of gay male participants, the first ever in a dating reality show. As their romances developed, the couples' stories were seen as more real and sincere than any other

June 7, 2023

Disney+'s 'The Zone: Survival Mission' to return with season 2

Disney+’s star-studded, unscripted “The Zone: Survival Mission” will return on a bigger scale with expanded stories for its second season on June 14. The show features comedian Yoo Jae-suk alongside actors Lee Kwang-soo and Kwon Yuri as they endure catastrophic situations in eight different disaster scenarios for four hours. Adapting escape room-style games, the first season presented disaster situations such as a water shortage and zombie apocalypse. The upcoming series is set

June 2, 2023

People turn to broadcaster alerts

Text alerts have become a dominant channel of communication for emergencies in South Korea. Though some might have become tired of messages about someone going missing or the latest COVID-19 figures, the system has led many people to pay more attention to public safety issues. But, when internet servers temporarily crash due to a sudden surge of traffic in a crisis situation, paralyzing data and other internet-related services when they are most needed, people turn to the emergency broadcasts on

May 31, 2023

Paramount+, Tving to air new Star Trek prequel season 2

Paramount+ has unveiled the official poster and trailer for the second season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," scheduled to be released in June. For fans in Korea, the new season will premiere on Korean streaming platform Tving. "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" is a prequel to the iconic "Star Trek: The Original Series," revolving around beloved characters like Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Commander Una Chin-Riley, commonly known as Number One (Rebecca

May 30, 2023

[Reporter’s Notebook] Why is 'XO, Kitty' struggling to win Korean viewers over?

After looking up to the West for a long time, many Koreans are perceptive to what Westerners think about the country and its people and yearn for their acknowledgement. Stories about Korean culture being featured in overseas projects -- mostly produced in the US -- regularly make local headlines. Back in 2017, people in Busan shared their excitement about how their port city would be shown in Marvel’s 2018-action flick “Black Panther” as soon as the news about the production te

May 30, 2023

Korean dramas’ popularity still strong in Southeast Asia

Though no Korean drama so far this year has created an international sensation to the extent of “Squid Game” (2021), or even “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022) or “Reborn Rich” (2022), there are many series that are enjoying popularity overseas, especially in the Southeast Asian market. Cable channel tvN’s fantasy series “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” has landed on Amazon Prime Video's top 10 charts in 19 countries as of Tuesday, accord

May 24, 2023

tvN’s ‘Vincenzo’ to make jump to Japanese musical stage

Cable channel tvN’s smash-hit crime series “Vincenzo” will be adapted into a Japanese musical. According to Studio Dragon, the production company behind the 2021 television series, the stage musical is scheduled to premiere on Aug. 11 at AiiA 2.5 Theater in Kobe, Japan. The musical will run through Aug. 13. The show will then travel to Tokyo where it will be staged at Nippon Seinenkan Hall, starting from Aug. 18 to 21. The last shows of the musical tour will be in Osaka at Sank

May 19, 2023

Women-centered series go mainstream in Korean content industry

Portraying relationships between female leads -- be it friendship or rivalry -- is becoming the dominant trend for successful projects in South Korea. While 2022 TV dramas received both local and global popularity with strong, independent woman -- “Juvenile Justice,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Under the Queen’s Umbrella” and more -- this year’s projects explore more female-centered stories with multiple female leads. Lim Ji-yeon and Song Hye-ky

May 17, 2023

‘EXchange’ to be made into Japanese Amazon Prime original

Local streaming platform Tving confirmed that its dating reality show “EXchange” is being adapted into a Japanese remake “Love Transit.” The eight-part dating program “Love Transit” will be the released as Amazon Prime original by Amazon Prime Video -- a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon -- on June 15, according to a Tving official. The upcoming show follows the basic format of “EXchange,” in which a group of ex- couples coha

May 16, 2023