Most Popular
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Korean labor force to shrink by 10 million by 2044: report
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[AtoZ Korean Mind] Does your job define who you are? Should it?
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Allegations surrounding BTS resurface, enraged fans demand apology
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Students with history of violence will be barred from becoming teachers
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Top prosecutor pledges 'speedy, strict' probe into first lady's luxury bag allegations
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Medical feud leaves hospitals in financial crisis
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Samsung mocks Apple over iPhone alarm glitch
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'Queen of Tears' riding high on Netflix chart
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Chip up cycle won’t stay long: SK chief
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Speaker floats dual citizenship as solution to falling births
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COVID-19 causes TV production stoppages
The South Korean entertainment industry could face a shutdown with the growing number of COVID-19 infections among TV cast and crew members. Terrestrial broadcaster KBS is on alert after a member of the cast of “Men Are Men” was confirmed to have the new coronavirus Wednesday. While all related staff have tested negative, production at the network is encountering mass delays. A public relations official from KBS said Friday that actor Seo Seong-jong of the KBS2 drama was confirme
Aug. 20, 2020
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Ssak 3 bids farewell, Refund Expedition says hello
Superstar trio Ssak 3 bid farewell to fans, as the group wrapped up its three-month project on Saturday’s episode of MBC’s “Hangout With Yoo.” During the Saturday, the trio of entertainer Yoo Jae-seok and singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain thanked fans and each other while also expressing regret at not being able to meet fans in-person because of the coronavirus situation. “We actually formed Ssak 3 to meet all the people here, but we couldn’t. That’s why our
Aug. 17, 2020
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New season of tvN’s ‘Stranger’ delves into conflict between police, prosecution
Cho Seung-woo returns to the small screen once again as the righteous and lonely prosecutor Hwang Si-mok, in the second season of tvN’s crime thriller drama “Stranger.” “There are still four days left until the 15th, so I’d be grateful if people reviewed the first season,” said Cho at Tuesday’s online press conference as he struggled to fully explain his character to those who had not watched the show. The first season is gaining renewed popularity on
Aug. 12, 2020
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[Newsmaker] Ghanaian TV personality speaks up against racism in Korea, sparks controversy
Ghanaian television personality Sam Okyere apologized after his social media posting lashing out at racism in Korea sparked controversy online. Earlier on Thursday, the 29-year-old had expressed outrage about a yearbook photo of local high school senior students parodying viral Ghanaian dancing pallbearers video. The photo showed five boys from Uijeongbu High School -- famous for their unconventional yet trend-reflecting graduation pictures -- with their faces painted brown. “Time and
Aug. 9, 2020
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TV shows go shorter, cross over with online
Once considered fit only to be watched on mobile devices, short-form content has recently been making inroads into television On July 4, JTBC kicked off its first short-form omnibus “Just Comedy.” Comprising five 10-minute episodes that blend comedy with other genres, the show features some of Korea’s most popular comedians, including Jang Do-yeon and Yoo Se-yoon. The show seemed quite successful, creating sensation on social media, but the viewership ratings of the regular
Aug. 3, 2020
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New Korean TV drama starring 'Parasite' actress to stream on Netflix
"Record of Youth," a new South Korean television drama starring Park So-dam of Oscar-winning "Parasite" and star actor Park Bo-gum, will be available on Netflix this fall, its production company said Thursday. The series co-produced by Studio Dragon and Pan Entertainment will stream in some 190 countries through Netflix starting Sept. 7, immediately following the first-window airing on South Korean cable network tvN, Pan Entertainment said. The TV show is directed by An Gi
July 30, 2020
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SBS TV series ‘Backstreet Rookie’ slapped with KCSC warning
The Korea Communication Standards Commission on Thursday issued a warning to SBS TV series “Backstreet Rookie” for airing provocative and inappropriate scenes. The KCSC noted scenes such as underage female high school student character Saet-byul kissing an adult male stranger while asking him to buy a pack of cigarettes for her are against its regulation on maintaining integrity and also using language fit for broadcast. “In the process of producing an R-rated webtoon into
July 30, 2020
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‘Doomed Marriage’ heats up Monday night with unfiltered adult talk
Sky Channel and Channel A’s new adult talk show, “Doomed Marriage” premiered Monday, bringing to light real problems that married couples face. The 90-minute program was divided into two parts with actors reenacting real situations faced by married couples sent to the show’s website in the first half and an actual married couple sharing their issues in the second half of the program. The five panel members then took side with either the husband or wife, with the winner
July 28, 2020
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Ssak 3 debuts on ‘Show! Music Core’ with record ratings
Ssak 3 made their debut on MBC’s “Show! Music Core” on Saturday, after sweeping the music charts with their song, “Beach Again.” The trio, made up of entertainer Yoo Jae-suk, singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain, performed their songs “Beach Again” and “In Summer,” on the weekly live music show Saturday afternoon, bringing a ’90s vibe to the K-pop idol stage. “Show! Music Core” reached its highest viewership rating of the year --
July 27, 2020
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Lee Joon-ki, Moon Chae-won partner for marriage suspense in ‘The Flower of Evil’
Lee Joon-ki and Moon Chae-won are returning to the small screen in the upcoming tvN series “The Flower of Evil.” Lee, Moon, producer Kim Chul-kyu and supporting actors Jang Hee-jin and Seo Hyeon-woo attended a promotional event for the drama series on Wednesday. The event was livestreamed due to concerns over the new coronavirus. This is the second time Lee and Moon are teaming up in a TV drama, following tvN’s “Criminal Mind” -- a remake of the popular American
July 25, 2020
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Wesley Snipes praises late father-in-law, legendary S. Korean TV producer
American actor Wesley Snipes on Tuesday honored the life and career of late South Korean television producer and father-in-law Park Cheol, praising him for being a key driving force behind today's wide popularity of Korean culture overseas. In a Korean-language eulogy in honor of Park, Snipes applauded his late father-in-law for leading South Korea "to the forefront of cultural history" and pushing the country forward as "a great powerhouse that created the Korean cultural wave
July 21, 2020
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How romance is changing in dramas, disappointing viewers
Romantic relationships of young Koreans are changing fast, and marriage -- once considered the destination point of a successful relationship -- is no longer a must, and television dramas are quickly picking up on the trend. Terrestrial broadcaster KBS began airing rom-com “Men are Men” this month, centered on the story of a woman in her 30s, Seo Hyun-joo, who declares “marriage to oneself” three times in her life in the first episode. While producer Choi Yoon-suk said
July 20, 2020
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Actor Shin Hyun-joon temporarily leaves ‘The Return of Superman’ amid controversy raised by ex-manager
After just one episode, actor Shin Hyun-joon’s agency, HJ Film, announced that Shin will be temporarily stepping down from KBS’ “The Return of Superman” on Wednesday as trouble with his former manager Kim Kwang-seob continues. Shin and his family appeared on the program for the first time Sunday as scheduled, despite a complaint filed against Shin on July 9 by his former manager of 13 years, alleging unfair treatment. The program, “The Return of Superman,” s
July 18, 2020
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JTBC takes lead in TV drama viewership battle in H1
On the South Korean small screen, cable channel JTBC had a large lead over other big names on the back of well-made, eye-catching drama series in the first half of 2020. The romance thriller "The World of the Married," the South Korean adaptation of BBC's "Doctor Foster," was the biggest hit TV series during the period, with its viewership reaching as high as 28.4 percent. It is the highest-ever rating by a drama on a non-terrestrial TV channel. The 16-episode drama, whi
July 17, 2020
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Kakao M to pursue new content model for mobile age
Kakao M, the entertainment arm of Korea’s internet portal giant Kakao, on Tuesday said it will lead the paradigm shift to mobile content and the online platform within the entertainment industry. “We will create content most fit to the mobile environment. It will be well-made ‘mobile-fit’ content never witnessed before,” Kakao M CEO Kim Sung-soo said during a press conference held in Seoul on Tuesday. Tuesday’s event was the first media gathering conducted
July 14, 2020
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New dramas focus on breakup of conventional families
Family TV series usually revolve around how the family as a whole reacts to relationship challenges like divorce and adoption, or present conventionally fundamental values, such as love and happiness. In recent days, however, the eased influence of the traditional family structure and newly emerging family issues of "graduation from marriage" and marriages of sexual minorities have penetrated into the small screen in South Korea and resonated with audiences. The KBS weekend show &qu
July 13, 2020
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A decade of celebs chasing each other
“Running Man” marked its 10th anniversary on Sunday, becoming SBS’ longest-running variety show. A game program where celebrities chase each other and snatch their opponents’ name tags, it is one of the most popular South Korean TV shows in Korea as well as abroad. Kicking off as a segment on the SBS reality show “Good Sunday” on July 11, 2010, “Running Man” became its own show in March 2017 when “Good Sunday” came to a close. The var
July 12, 2020
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K-dramas walk a fine line with controversial scenes
While the SBS drama series “Backstreet Rookie” has not responded to viewers’ complaints about its sexual objectification of women, the drama has been embroiled in yet more controversy, this time over the racist portrayal of a foreign character. During the show’s fifth episode that aired Friday, a man who introduces himself as Nigerian encounters a Korean man with a similar dreadlocked hairstyle to his own in a convenience store and the two suddenly embrace each other as
July 7, 2020
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Hwang Jung-eum returns through fantasy rom-com ‘Men are Men’
Hwang Jung-eum who has enjoyed success with romantic-comedy dramas is returning to the small screen through another lovey-dovey drama show. In the new drama “Men are Men” on KBS2, Hwang will play Seo Hyun-joo, a workaholic web comic platform coordinator who vows marriage to herself, only to find herself challenged to rethink the value of love by two suitors. Hwang, along with the series’ producer Choi Yoon-suk and lead cast members Yoon Hyun-min, Seo Ji-hoon, Choi Myung-gil
July 6, 2020
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Son Ye-jin to make Hollywood debut in Andrew Niccol’s ‘The Cross’
South Korean actress Son Ye-jin is set to make her debut in Hollywood with an upcoming film tentatively titled “The Cross.” According to an official from Son’s agency MS Team Entertainment on Monday, the actress has given consideration to the film and is undergoing negotiations over details. While stating the actress will likely star in the film, the official was cautious to confirm the decision as of now. The official also stated Son will play the film’s lead female r
July 6, 2020