Most Popular
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Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
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Debate rages over ‘overly fatty’ samgyeopsal
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[Weekender] Korean psyche untangled: Musok
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40 flights canceled on Jeju Island due to bad weather
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[Eye Interview] 'If you live to 100, you might as well be happy,' says 88-year-old bestselling essayist
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N. Korea slams US, other countries for seeking alternative to UN sanctions monitoring panel
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From fake prostitution ring to nonexistent robber, prank calls hamper police
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Missing S. Korean traveler in Paris found safe after 2 weeks
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Pandemic left Korea more depressed than before: report
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Defense chiefs of US, Australia, Japan decry NK-Russia military cooperation
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Users pose as actor Song Joong-ki on social media
Fans of actor Song Joong-ki are forewarned of the existence, and rapid growth, of social media pages claiming to be managed by the actor personally, Song's talent agency said Monday.An Instagram user posing as Song shared a photo of the actor in Greece along with the comment, "THANKS for support," earlier this day, but the account has been declared fake by the agency Blossom Entertainment."Song Joong-ki was briefly on Cyworld in the past, but he hasn't used any social networking services (SNS) s
March 21, 2016
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'Descendants of the Sun' nears milestone
A popular TV series about a soldier and doctor who fall in love on the battlefield, inched closer to the 30-percent viewership mark, data showed Monday."Descendants of the Sun," the KBS 2TV drama starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo, renewed its own viewership record at 28.5 percent last week, data by Nielsen Korea showed. In Seoul, the figure broke the 30-percent mark the week prior to last one.The Wednesday-Thursday night drama portrays the struggles of Korean peace-keeping tr
March 21, 2016
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Actor Song Joong-ki thanks fans on Instagram
Actor Song Joong-ki of the popular KBS 2TV series "Descendants of the Sun" on Monday expressed his gratitude for his fans on Instagram.Song, who plays Capt. Yoo Si-jin on the show broadcast in South Korea and China, posted a photo of himself in Greece along with the comment, "THANKS for support." Greece is where the scenes in the fictional war-torn country of Uruk were filmed.The post attracted hundreds of comments from fans all over the world.New episodes of "Descendants of the Sun" come out ev
March 21, 2016
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[Weekender] Will ‘Descendants’ spur film-style TV drama production?
Almost everyone is talking about “Descendants of the Sun,” the latest joint Korea-China television drama project.Fans have fallen head over heels into the love story between an Army captain played by Song Joong-ki and a doctor played by Song Hye-kyo in a faraway, natural disaster-hit country. Critics, meanwhile, predict that this blockbuster will boost KBS, a network broadcaster that has been lagging behind MBC, SBS and even cable channels such as tvN in dramas.A scene from “Descendants of the S
March 18, 2016
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[Weekender] Stars reap rewards of hallyu drama success
Behind the glory of hallyu dramas are the star-studded casts. After garnering attention abroad in Korean dramas -- mainly other Asian countries including China and Japan -- stars quickly jump into dramas and variety shows thereOverseas endorsements, and fan meetings follow, consolidating their positions, as well as the prominent status of hallyu.Starting with the unexpected success of the KBS2 TV drama series “Winter Sonata” which aired on Japanese satellite channel BS2 in 2003, the drama’s prot
March 18, 2016
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[Weekender] TV dramas exert tourist pull
As worldwide interest in Korean entertainment and content continues its global thrust, the city of Seoul is starting to see an influx in “hallyu-based” tourism, leading to the establishment of Korean drama-inspired tourist guides to assist die-hard fans in tracking down the filming locations of their favorite Korean dramas. “Not long ago, something strange happened on a cold winter day in China -- fried chicken and beer starting selling like hotcakes,” reads VisitSeoul’s Hallyu Tourist Guide. “T
March 18, 2016
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[Weekender] How Korean dramas hook global viewers
A longtime fan of Korean dramas, Yu Yijie, a 25-year-old Chinese graduate student at Kookmin University, instantly fell for Korean entertainment watching “Full House,” starring Rain and Song Hye-kyo, which aired in 2004. Since then, she has watched every popular Korean drama and gradually developed an interest in drama production. “I thought I would come to Korea (to study) when I was watching ‘My Girl’ in 2005, which was a huge hit in China, starring Lee Jun-ki and Lee Da-hae,” said Yu, in a ph
March 18, 2016
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[Weekender] ‘Makjang’: Escape into the absurd
A vindictive mother-in-law slaps the male lead with a thick wedge of kimchi. Neon green laser beams shoot out of a businessman’s eyes. A woman fakes her own death, gets plastic surgery and remarries her ex-husband to take revenge. These are scenarios that have actually aired on prime-time Korean television series, and moreover been met with favorable ratings. Locally, these types of shows are referred to as “makjang” -- vernacular for situations that seem too outrageous to be true. The genre is
March 18, 2016
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'Descendants of the Sun' renews viewership record
TV drama "Descendants of the Sun" has set a fresh viewership record for itself on the eighth episode, when Dr. Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) finally confesses her feelings for Army Capt. Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki), data showed Friday.The KBS 2TV series was viewed by 28.8 percent of TV homes nationwide on Thursday, up 0.3 percentage points from its previous record of 28.5 percent.In and around Seoul, the figure remained above the 30 percent mark, at 30.5 percent.In episode 8, Yoo enters a building
March 18, 2016
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'Descendants of the Sun' to premiere in Japan
South Korean drama "Descendants of the Sun" will come to Japan in June, its production company said Thursday.The KBS 2TV series, which has been broadcast simultaneously in China on the local video platform iQiyi, will start airing on the Japanese cable channel Eisei Gekijou, NEW said. Actor Song Joong-ki stars in KBS2 TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun.” (KBS2)Media reports have said broadcasting rights for show the starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo fetched $100,000 per
March 17, 2016
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'Descendants of the Sun' maintains strong viewership
The drama "Descendants of the Sun" has maintained a strong following for its seventh episode, with viewership in and around Seoul breaking 30 percent for the first time, data showed Thursday.The KBS 2TV series, starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo, was watched by 30.1 percent of the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday, data by Nielsen Korea showed.In Seoul, the show set a fresh record of 31.8 percent, but nationwide viewership inched down 0.2 percentage points to 28.5 percent.I
March 17, 2016
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Actor-singer Lee Seung-gi to be assigned to special forces command
Actor-singer Lee Seung-gi, who is undergoing basic training for military service, will be assigned to the Special Warfare Command next week, a military official said Thursday."Lee Seung-gi has been classified into the intelligence specialty group and will join the Special Warfare Command on March 21," the Army official said. Lee joined the Army in early February and has been undergoing boot camp like all other recruits.Lee's duty with the special forces command will be in administrative affairs,
March 17, 2016
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Actor Song Joong-ki attributes popularity to soldier-doctor couple
Actor Song Joong-ki said Wednesday the novelty of the soldier-doctor couple in the TV series "Descendants of the Sun" is probably what catapulted him to the center of attention lately."I think people like the idea of a doctor dating a soldier because it's different," he told reporters at Hyundai Motorstudio in southern Seoul. "Doctors have appeared in many dramas, but a soldier is a relatively uncommon occupation on TV. I think people appreciate that."Song plays the Army captain Yoo Si-jin who f
March 16, 2016
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Korean hit drama to get Chinese remake
The South Korean mega-hit TV drama "Pretty Woman" will get a Chinese version, its producer said Tuesday.Bon Factory said the Chinese remake of the popular MBC TV romantic drama, which gained great popularity last year, will be co-produced with China's J-Walk Studio, the entertainment agency for Chinese top star Yang Mi.The drama's author Cho Sung-hee will participate in the joint production to revive the drama's original traits, according to Bon Factory.Details such as who will become the main a
March 15, 2016
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Actor Song Joong-ki toes line between pretty, masculine in 'Descendants of the Sun'
Rarely have the words "pretty" and "masculine" been used to describe the same person, but actor Song Joong-ki is an exception.Song, who portrays the relentlessly romantic Yoo Si-jin in "Descendants of the Sun," has proven that pretty boys can be just as manly, if not more so than the Don Drapers typically cast in such roles.In the KBS 2TV series, Yoo plays the Army captain who not-so-subtly admires Dr. Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo). Even though his lines border on sexual harassment -- "Are you sti
March 15, 2016
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Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo to promote show in Hong Kong
Actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo will leave for Hong Kong to promote their drama "Descendants of the Sun" next month, the actor's talent agency said Tuesday.They will likely hold a promotional event some time before April 6, which is when the KBS 2TV series will premiere on the channel Viu TV in Hong Kong, Blossom Entertainment said.It'll be their first promotional tour abroad since the show, broadcast simultaneously in South Korea and China, started last month.It's unclear whether o
March 15, 2016
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‘Descendants of the Sun’ hits 440m views in China
The popularity of KBS2 TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun” in China apparently has the nation’s government on edge. On Saturday, China’s Ministry of Public Security posted a warning against watching “Descendants of the Sun” on its official Weibo site. “An enormous fandom of Korean drama ‘Descendants of the Sun’ starring Song Joong-ki has emerged as it began to air in Korea and China. It is easy to see that many have fallen in love with the male lead Song,” it said, warning that “watching K
March 14, 2016
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Korea to host Mrs. World Pageant 2016 in Sept.
South Korea will host the 28th Mrs. World, a global pageant for married women, hoping to boost cultural exchange and the nation's thriving beauty business, the organizing committee said Monday. Mrs. World 2016 will run from Sept. 20-Oct. 4, bringing representatives from over 70 nations, the Mrs. World Korea Organizing Committee said. Currently, the western port city of Incheon and southeastern port city Busan are competing to host the event, it said. "We will jointly work with local businesses
March 14, 2016
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KBS tightens grip with ‘Descendants of the Sun,’ ‘Signal’ hogs cable viewership
KBS continued its ratings lead over terrestrial networks with its drama "Descendants of the Sun" last week, with tvN's "Signal" capturing the top cable viewership as it held its season finale, data showed Monday.Starring actor Song Joong-ki and actress Song Hye-kyo, "Descendants of the Sun" fetched 28.0 percent of viewers between last Monday and Sunday, data by Nielsen Korea showed.In Seoul, it claimed 31.2 percent on Thursday, the first time the show has entered the 30 percent range."Descendant
March 14, 2016
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Drama 'Signal' concludes with double-digit viewership
The popular crime drama "Signal" has ended with a double-digit viewership, defying the long-held notion that romantic comedies and family dramas are the only genres that can command such popularity in Korea.The finale of the 16-part series was open-ended on Saturday, with criminal profiler Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) and detective Cha Su-hyeon (Kim Hye-soo) learning that officer Lee Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong), who has been missing for 15 years, may actually be alive at a hideout in a nursing facil
March 14, 2016