Most Popular
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Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
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Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
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[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
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S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
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[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
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On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
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Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
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[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
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Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
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S. Korea lowers COVID-19 warning level, lifts last-remaining antivirus mandates
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Jurors for BIFF’s New Currents Award hope to discover revolutionary work
BUSAN -- Five jurors for the Busan International Film Festival’s New Currents Award – jury president Serge Toubiana, directors Alain Guiraudie and Kamila Andini, actor Ryo Kase and producer Lee Eugene -- said they are looking forward to discovering a rookie director's revolutionary work. “The most important standard when selecting a film is whether it can shake up our existing point of view,” Toubiana said during a press conference held at the KNN Theater in Busan on Th
Oct. 7, 2022
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Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung up for starring in K-drama
BUSAN--Hong Kong movie star Tony Leung Chiu-wai, attending the 27th Busan International Film Festival, said he is willing to perform in Korean drama series. “If there are roles for which I can overcome the language barrier, I would like to star in Korean drama,” the Hong Kong actor said in Cantonese during a press conference held at the KNN theater in Busan on Thursday.“I recently watched the film 'CODA.’ If there is a role that does not require me to speak like the cha
Oct. 6, 2022
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BIFF holds grand opening ceremony
BUSAN -- The 27th Busan International Film Festival held its grand opening ceremony Wednesday night at the Busan Cinema Center. The film fest runs through Oct. 14 in Korea’s second-largest city. A total of 243 films from 71 countries will be screened through the course of the film festival. The festival in full will return to its pre-pandemic scale, according to the event organizer. The opening ceremony was hosted by actors Ryu Jun-yeol and Jeon Yeo-bin, who opened the ceremony by sharing
Oct. 5, 2022
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27th BIFF opens with Iranian film ‘Scent of Wind’
BUSAN -- The 27th Busan International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday with the screening of Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind.” This is the Iranian director’s second visit to the Busan film fest, having taken part in 2015 with “Immortal,” which won both the New Currents and Fipresci prizes. During a press conference held at the Busan Cinema Center on Wednesday, the director said he was surprised to find out that his film had been selected as the o
Oct. 5, 2022
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BIFF to return to pre-pandemic scale with 243 films
The 27th Busan International Film Festival, which kicks off Wednesday and runs through Oct. 14, is returning to its pre-pandemic scale. There will be no distancing in the theaters and the organizer is expecting around 170,000 total audience members this year. A total of 243 films from 71 countries will be screened during the film festival and Asian film support programs. The Asia Cinema Fund also will resume this year after a three-year hiatus, according to the BIFF organizer. Following an eve
Oct. 4, 2022
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New multi-sensory webtoon experience with 4DX film ‘Moon You’
Vertically scrolling comics on smartphones are being brought to the big screen by CJ 4DPLEX, a tech subsidiary of CJ CGV, and Naver Webtoon. While retaining the webtoon format, including the typography, speech bubbles and cartoon layout, “4DX Moon You,” which opens in theaters Oct. 12, is "told" with motion seat action and environmental special effects, including wind, fog, snow and more. The result is a fully immersive experience for the upcoming 4DX webtoon’s audien
Oct. 3, 2022
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Action comedy film becomes 3rd Korean flick to top 6m admissions in 2022
"Confidential Assignment 2: International," the action-comedy sequel to a 2017 hit, became the third South Korean film to top 6 million tickets sold on Sunday. According to the film's distributor, CJ ENM, the film, starring Hyun Bin and Yoo Hae-jin, reached over the 6 million mark at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, 26 days after its premiere. It joined "The Roundup" and "Hansan: Rising Dragon" in the 6-million club among South Korean flicks in 2022. "Confidential Assignme
Oct. 2, 2022
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[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week
Honest Candidate 2 (Korea) Opened Sept. 28 Comedy Directed by Jang Yoo-jung Sang-sook (Ra Mi-ran) is jobless after losing the Seoul mayoral election. One day, she accidentally saves a man in the sea and sees an opportunity to return to politics. She starts lying again for a higher approval rating. But Sang-sook soon finds out that she is once again unable to lie -- and this time, she’s not the only one suffering from this mysterious affliction. Project Wolf Hunting (Korea) Opened Sept.
Oct. 1, 2022
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Asian stars to take part in BIFF
Star actors from Asian countries will take part in the 27th Busan International Film Festival, which will be held from Oct. 5-14. Among the actors in attendance will be Thai film star Mario Maurer, as his new film, “Six Characters” directed by M.L. Bhandevanov Devakula, is screening at the festival. Maurer is known for “Pee Mak,” the first film to attract an audience of more than 10 million in Thailand. Along with Maurer, three other actors from “Six Characters&r
Sept. 30, 2022
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[Newsmaker] ‘Squid Game’ Jung Ho-yeon makes '100 Next' list
“Squid Game” star Jung Ho-yeon has been listed in the phenoms category of Time magazine's "100 Next." Launched in 2019, Time 100 Next is the youthful version of its more prominent "Time 100" list and was created to spotlight 100 rising stars shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more. “I often joke around and call her a ‘warrior.’ There’s no doubt that she has the skill and courage to fight h
Sept. 30, 2022
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Comedy film ‘Daemuga’ blends Korean shamanism, rap battles
After a beat drops, three participants in colorful clothing begin delivering a rhythmic speech about their lives while breaking out in dance. The crowd surrounding them erupts into cheers when they spit out punchlines. What looks like an ordinary hip-hop rap battle scene in the upcoming comedy film “Daemuga” is a reinterpretation of “gut,” a special performance by a Korean modern-day shaman to bring back spirits. “It (shamanism) is a surreal topic and I wanted to d
Sept. 28, 2022
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Netflix hopes for turnaround with Korean original ‘20th Century Girl’
At the beginning of this year, global streaming giant Netflix, which had not produced films here since its arrival in 2016, announced a plan to release five original Korean-language movies. The list included the romance film "Moral Sense," action film "Carter," action blockbuster "Seoul Vibe," sci-fi film "Jung_E" and romance film "20th Century Girl." So far, the streaming platform has released three films that were on the list and an additio
Sept. 27, 2022
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Song Joong-ki's gangster film 'Hwaran' starts shooting
Korean heartthrob Song Joong-ki’s new crime movie "Hwaran" -- meaning disaster or chaos -- started shooting on Sept. 13 at a site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M. Directed by Kim Chang-hoon, the film revolves around Yun-kyu, who wants to escape from his everyday struggles. One day, Yun-kyu meets a crime organization’s underboss Chi-gun (Song) and becomes involved in risky situations. “I am glad to b
Sept. 26, 2022
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Yum Jung-ah on learning new things for musical film ‘Life is Beautiful’
Actor Yum Jung-ah's new project has left her covered in bruises from practicing action sequences until they are perfect, but it is a badge she proudly wears. “For good projects, I have to learn new things. There is no other way of doing it,” Yum told a group of reporters on Wednesday. Such outlook on life is what has guided her throughout her career. Recalling the first time that she read the script of “Life is Beautiful,” Yum said she instantly got the feeling that
Sept. 25, 2022
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[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week
Project Wolf Hunting (Korea) Opened Sept. 21 Crime Directed by Kim Hong-sun A team of Korean police officers are on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon), who has an Interpol red notice on him. Meanwhile, a mysterious presence created in a secret lab onboard puts everyone's lives at risk. Confidential Assignment 2: International (Ko
Sept. 23, 2022
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Queen of comedies Ra Mi-ran returns with ‘Honest Candidate 2’
Veteran actor Ra Mi-ran expressed her confidence in reprising the role of politician Joo Sang-sook in the sequel to comedy film “Honest Candidate,” during a press conference at Megabox Coex in Seoul Tuesday. “I had to play her (Joo Sang-sook) in the movie again. I thought no other actor would be able to play her better. I also felt responsible,” Ra said. Ra's performance in the first installment won her the best actress award at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2021.
Sept. 22, 2022
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Director Kim Hong-sun returns with spine-chilling 'Project Wolf Hunting’
Not too long after presenting his Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area,” director Kim Hong-sun is back with a bloody gore film, “Project Wolf Hunting.” “Project Wolf Hunting” opens with Korean police officers on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via a ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) who has an Interpol red notic
Sept. 20, 2022
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Revisiting the acting career of Lee Jung-jae
“I’m not going home until I make it big.” Just as Lee Jung-jae said through the words of Lee Han, the character in his first-ever movie gig, “The Young Man” in 1994, the now internationally acclaimed actor returned home Sunday after becoming the first Asian ever to win for best actor in a drama series at the Primetime Emmy Award last week. A day after his win, it was confirmed that Lee’s big-screen debut will be rereleased in local theaters on Sept. 29, offe
Sept. 20, 2022
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BIFF opening, closing ceremony tickets go on sale Friday
Tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 27th Busan International Film Festival will go on sale online at 2 p.m., Friday. This year's BIFF, which takes place Oct. 5-14, will return to its pre-pandemic full scale with 243 films from 71 countries. This year’s opener will be Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh's "Scent of Wind," while Japanese director Ishikawa Kei's "A Man" will close the festival. Tickets for films screened during the festival will open onl
Sept. 19, 2022
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[Eye interview] Understanding Korea through its classical musicians
On May 29, violinist Yang In-mo, the first ever Korean to win the Paganini International Violin Competition in 2015, won the top prize at the jean Sibelius International Violin Competition. A few days later, cellist Choi Ha-young won the first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition held in Belgium. And two weeks after that, pianist Lim Yun-chan won the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, becoming the youngest winner at age 18. Lim quickly became a household name -- even those who have
Sept. 15, 2022