Most Popular
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1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
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Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
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US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
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K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
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K-pop singer lost consciousness after being hit by foul ball, cancels show
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Korean Muslim YouTuber's plan to build mosque in Incheon goes viral
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Why is Apple Pay struggling to get purchase in Korea?
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Yoon's office denies considering liberal figures for key posts
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Seoul says Fu Bao loan 'not going to happen'
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Contentious grain bill put directly to plenary meeting for vote
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Will ‘Two and a Half Men’ end run with or without Sheen?
PASADENA, California (AP) ― Charlie Sheen left “Two and a Half Men” amid great drama. Whether he’ll return for the show’s last episode is a mystery.CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler ducked the question when pressed at a meeting Monday of the Television Critics Association.“I can promise you there will be a lot of surprises,” Tassler said. Series executive producer Chuck Lorre has promised to deliver “what he’s calling a ‘mystery sandwich,’” she added.“Two and a Half Men,” which once reigned a
Jan. 13, 2015
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Social media has positives, pitfalls for actors, producers
PASADENA, California (AP) ― Social media is giving television stars and creators a more direct relationship with fans and, as actor Joseph Morgan of the CW’s “The Originals” can attest, requires a thick skin.The connection can be particularly intense for shows on the CW, which has a comparatively young audience and shows with a heavy geek factor of comic book heroes, vampires and zombies. Fans don’t hesitate to speak out about what they do or don’t like on their favorite programs.“There are alwa
Jan. 12, 2015
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Courtney Love, puppets and Korean identity at N.Y. opera fest
NEW YORK (AFP) ― A dreamy video performance that explores Korean identity and an opera that dramatizes a disabled boy’s plight through puppets are premiering in New York as part of the latest Prototype festival.Prototype, launched in 2013 to showcase experimental opera and other new theater, opened Thursday with a star provocatrice ― grunge rock icon Courtney Love.The Hole singer, who has played in films for the past 30 years, made her theatrical debut in a production of Todd Almond’s “Kansas Ci
Jan. 11, 2015
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‘Mad Men’ begins its stretch run in April
PASADENA, California (AP) ― The television series “Mad Men” begins airing its final seven episodes in April and the show’s notoriously secretive creator, Matthew Weiner, said he told only star Jon Hamm in advance how it will end. So Weiner certainly wasn’t spilling any secrets to a roomful of television critics Saturday as he and the cast, by turns wistful and appreciative, talked about their experiences over the past decade. The series begins its stretch run on AMC on April 5. “I feel very sati
Jan. 11, 2015
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Bill Cosby jokes about rape allegations
Bill CosbyLONDON, Ontario (AP) ― Bill Cosby jokingly warned a woman in the audience during a show in Canada Thursday night to be careful drinking around him.Cosby made the remark at his second performance in a row after a string of cancellations that followed sexual assault allegations from more than 15 women. Some of the women accused Cosby of drugging them by slipping something in their drinks before he assaulted them.A woman who got up from one of the front rows and walked past the stage was
Jan. 9, 2015
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Protesters shout at fans as Cosby returns to stage
KITCHENER, Ontario (AP) ― Bill Cosby got a standing ovation from polite Canadian fans at the end of his first show since November, but protesters outside braved below-freezing weather to shame the ticket-holders as they streamed in.Cosby’s show in Kitchener was the first of three performances planned in Canada’s Ontario province and come in the wake of sexual assault allegations from more than 15 women. The entertainer saw at least 10 performances get canceled on his North American tour.Wearing
Jan. 8, 2015
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Slimmed-down ‘American Idol’ returns for season 14
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― “American Idol” is practicing addition and subtraction in its 14th season. Longtime judge, short-time mentor Randy Jackson is gone. Music executive Scott Borchetta, whose impressive credentials include acting as mentor to Taylor Swift, will play that role for contestants and the winner will be signed to Borchetta’s Big Machine Records. There’s another shake up ahead for the series, which returns with an hour-long episode Wednesday (8 p.m. EST) and a two-hour episode Thursday (
Jan. 7, 2015
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Lee Seung-chul: I will continue efforts for peace
Ballad singer Lee Seung-chul poses at a press conference for his upcoming TV documentary, “That Day,” at the Film Forum theater in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)After being denied entry to Japan last November as a well-known “Dokdo is Korea” advocate, iconic local ballad singer Lee Seung-chul is continuing his efforts for unification and establishing the islets as Korean territory with the upcoming release of a TV documentary, “The Day.” The documentary follows Lee’s efforts over the past 10 months w
Jan. 5, 2015
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’90s hits sweep online charts
Hit songs from the 1990s swept online music charts Sunday, after a popular TV show reignited nostalgia for a time before idol groups dominated the K-pop scene. Singer Kim Gun-mo’s 1995 hit “Mis-Encounter” topped the real-time music chart of Naver, the country’s No. 1 portal, at 1 p.m. Sunday, followed by Uhm Jung-hwa’s “Poison” (1998) and Jinusean’s “Tell Me” (1997). Of the chart’s top 10, nine were from the 90s, all featured in a special episode of MBC’s long-running reality show “Infinite Chal
Jan. 4, 2015
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Lee responds to Tong Yang insider dealing rumors
Lee Jung-jae (left) and Lim Se-ryung. (Yonhap)Actor Lee Jung-jae, who confirmed he is dating Lim Se-ryung, the ex-wife of Samsung Group heir Lee Jae-yong, has denied rumors over property investment linked to troubled conglomerate Tong Yang. The award-winning actor said in a press release Thursday that Lim never introduced him to a Tong Yang Group vice chairman and that his partnership with Tong Yang Corp., the group’s property development company, ended long before a financial crisis began at th
Jan. 2, 2015
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Jun Ji-hyun beats Kim Soo-hyun in SAF
Actress Jun Ji-hyun outshone actor Kim Soo-hyun, her costar in “My Love from the Star,” in the drama category of the SBS Awards Festival 2014 held at Coex in Seoul on Wednesday. Jun, 35, won the Grand Prix with “My Love from the Star,” one of the greatest hits for her and the television broadcaster alike. The SAF recognized the hallyu actress for her outstanding acting and the drama’s stunning ratings and popularity at home and overseas. Prior to the award ceremony, some drama critics had sugges
Jan. 1, 2015
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[Weekender] The rise of cable TV
On any given Seoul subway train on any ordinary weekday morning, the majority of the passengers are engrossed in texting, reading and watching videos on their smartphones.But the gadgets are not the only difference between them and members of the older generation, who used to read newspapers and books on their way to work. Younger Koreans are increasingly becoming addicted not to prime-time KBS dramas, but also to shows like “Misaeng (Incomplete Life)” by cable network tvN. Viewers with increasi
Dec. 19, 2014
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[Weekender] Alternative content draws younger viewers
Kim Jun-hyung, a 32-year-old Seoulite, used to think local TV dramas were for “ajummas” ― a Korean term for middle-aged housewives ― until he accidentally watched the first episode of tvN’s “Misaeng (Incomplete Life).” “I could relate to the characters instantly because I am just as overworked as they are,” he said about the popular show, which is about the everyday lives of office workers at a competition-driven trading company. “I loved how there is no romance for some lazy chaebol character w
Dec. 19, 2014
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[Weekender] French celebrity finds success on cable TV
The increase in cable television networks in South Korea has given rise to an array of new personalities, including ones from other countries. Among them is Robin Deiana, a French national with Italian ancestry who has made Korea his second home.Known among Korean fans by his first name, Deiana is best known as a panelist on the popular JTBC show “Nonsummit,” a program featuring expats living in Korea. The panel discusses Korean issues such as filial piety, education and dating from foreign pers
Dec. 19, 2014
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Germany’s most successful TV show comes to an end
BERLIN (AP) ― Germany’s most successful TV show is ending after a 33-year-run. “Wetten, dass..?” ― or “Wanna bet?” ― combined celebrity chat and everyday people performing improbable feats, from opening beer bottles with steamrollers to identifying animal dung by its smell. Seen roughly six times a year and always on a Saturday night, the show aired more than 200 times, and attracted over 20 million viewers in the 1980s. But audiences grew tired of the formula, and viewership dropped as criticis
Dec. 14, 2014
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CBS sets Letterman’s last show for May 20
NEW YORK (AP) ― More than 32 years of late-night talk will pass into history next May 20, with CBS’ announcement Wednesday that David Letterman will host his final “Late Show” on that day. If Letterman makes all of his scheduled broadcasts until then, CBS said he will have hosted 6,028 versions of the “Late Show” and its NBC predecessor, “Late Night.” Letterman moved to CBS in 1993. “David Letterman has given to all of us a remarkable legacy of achievement and creative brilliance that will never
Dec. 11, 2014
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‘Eaten Alive’ watched by 4.1 million viewers
LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Discovery Channel’s “Eaten Alive” special that pitted snake against man drew more than 4 million viewers, but not all considered it time well spent. Although the title and a promotional video indicated that naturalist Paul Rosolie would be swallowed by a giant anaconda, Sunday’s pre-taped special didn’t go that far. Rosolie, described by Discovery as a snake researcher and conservationist, ended his Amazon jungle encounter with the snake after it encircled his body and began s
Dec. 9, 2014
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Expat star Kaya pulls plug on TV appearances amid rumors of adultery
Popular expat TV actor Enes Kaya has announced that he is halting all his scheduled broadcast appearances amid reports that suggest the Turkey-born entertainer has been cheating on his wife. A woman whose identity has not been revealed broke her silence on Tuesday and told a local media outlet that she had been romantically involved with the 30-year-old “Abnormal Summit” star, after Kaya told her that news of him having a wife and child were merely a showbiz ruse. A screen shot of expat TV star
Dec. 3, 2014
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Actress Nam to wed in January
Nam Sang-miActress Nam Sang-mi will tie the knot with a businessman in January, her agency said Friday. The star of the TV dramas “Time between Dog and Wolf” (KBS, 2007) and “Gourmet” (SBS, 2008) met her husband-to-be through a mutual acquaintance in November last year and the two have been dating ever since, JR Entertainment said through a press statement. The wedding will be held on Jan. 24 at a small church in one of Seoul’s southern suburbs. It will be a private ceremony, with only family me
Nov. 28, 2014
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Joy of Nongak is all in the playing
Having lived in Korea for more than a decade now, Sam Hammington has had several encounters with nongak, traditional music performed by farmers. For a long time, he held on to his first impressions of the music. “My impressions were like ... What kind of music is that? It’s too loud,” said the Australian, who is one of the most popular TV personalities in Korea. Then a three-day trip to Pilbong, a small agricultural town in South Jeolla Province, where the cultural heritage of preindustrial Kore
Nov. 27, 2014