Superheroes highlight Korean TV dramas in summer

Korean superheroes have captured viewers’ hearts with their unique supernatural powers and telepathic abilities in their most recent TV drama outings. Cable channel tvN fired the first salvo in the clash of superheroes this summer with a second season of fantasy action series “The Uncanny Counter,” following up on the first in 2020. The series centers on high school student So-mun, who is recruited by a group of “counters” to hunt down and eliminate evil spirits tha

Aug. 14, 2023

Netflix releases new romance series ‘A Time Called You’

Global streamer Netflix has announced the release of a new Korean original romance series “A Time Called You.” The drama is a time traveling love story between a young woman named Jun-hee (played by Jeon Yeo-been), who grieves over the death of her boyfriend. After losing her lover in a mysterious accident in 2022, Jun-hee receives a cassette tape, which allows her to time travel to 1998. With her memory as Jun-hee intact, she begins a new life as Min-joo, a high school girl. One day

Aug. 11, 2023

'The Killing Vote' off to strong start

Terrestrial broadcaster SBS’ new drama “The Killing Vote” is off to a strong start, topping ratings among all TV shows in the same time slot with the first episode. The first episode of the 12-part thriller series, featuring “The Glory” star Lim Ji-yeon, recorded a viewership share of 5.2 percent when it aired Thursday. Adapted from a popular Kakao Page webtoon of the same title created by author Um Se-yun, “The Killing Vote” revolves around police chasi

Aug. 11, 2023

‘Zombieverse’ creator feels confident about entertaining viewers with realistic zombie show

TV director Park Jin-kyung shared the satisfaction with his new variety show “Zombieverse,” believing that he was able to draw out realistic reactions from cast and create a project which is more than enough to entertain viewers. “Instead of feeling the pressure, I am excited to know the result after ‘Zombieverse’ is released today,” Park said during press conference held at the Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery in Mapo-gu, western Seoul on Tuesday. The director revea

Aug. 9, 2023

[Herald Interview] ‘D.P. 2’ had to complete unfinished story: Jung Hae-in, Han Jun-hee

Hoping to live up to the viewers’ love for the first season of “D.P.” and high expectations for the next installment, director Han Jun-hee decided at the end of 2021 to return with a second season. The director had never expected to make a second season while shooting the original series, which was released in August 2021. And the unplanned season 2 made Han think hard about the story he wished to share with the audience in “D.P. 2.” “I needed to know why I wo

Aug. 7, 2023

Popular webtoon series 'Moving' now a Disney+ TV series

Webtoon writer Kang Full’s popular webtoon series “Moving,” which achieved a total of 200 million views, has been transformed into Disney+ TV series to be released Aug. 9. The series centers on the lives of seemingly ordinary people with hidden super powers. The stories of “Moving” revolve around Lee Mi-hyeon (played by Han Hyo-ju) who has extraordinary physical abilities such as exceptional hearing, and falls in love with her colleague Kim Du-sik (played by actor Z

Aug. 3, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ production team to create new sports competition show

Local broadcaster MBC on Tuesday confirmed the production of new sports variety show “University Survival.” MBC will join hands with production company Luyworks Media and screenwriter Kang Sook-kyung, who helmed Netflix’s hit reality series “Physical: 100,” together with the broadcaster. “University Survival” will require its contestants, who are sports-related majors or are members of Korean university sports clubs, to battle it out in intense survival

Aug. 2, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Chance to play elderly character was priceless'

From an Alzheimer’s patient in his 80s in “Remember” (2022) and Sunyang Group’s founder Jin Yang-chul in “Reborn Rich” (2022) to veteran detective Kim Taek-rok in “Shadow Detective 2,” Lee Sung-min is on a roll with unique elderly characters. Though the diversity of portrayals was a huge challenge, Lee was certain that the roles would become a assets in the future. “I had a chance to feel what it would be like to perform 10 to 20 years in the

Aug. 1, 2023

Kim Woo-bin to star in Netflix film ‘Officer Black Belt’

Global streaming service Netflix on Thursday confirmed that actors Kim Woo-bin and Kim Sung-kyun will star in "Officer Black Belt," an action comedy. The project will mark Kim Woo-bin’s second Netflix film, following the dystopian movie “Black Knight,” which premiered in May. “Officer Black Belt” revolves around Lee Jung-do (Kim Woo-bin), a martial arts officer who works with a probation officer to keep an eye on criminals wearing ankle monitors. Kim Sung-

July 28, 2023

Korean viewers grow indifferent to stars’ troubles

Reality and talk shows featuring the personal stories of Korean celebrities may have enjoyed huge popularity several years ago, but that is no longer the case. In recent years, many Korean TV personalities have revealed their homes and starred on reality shows with friends and family members, allowing viewers to observe almost every moment of their lives. Actors Choo Ja-hyun and Yu Xiaoguang are among many celebrities who starred in SBS’ reality show “Same Bed, Different Dreams 2:

July 26, 2023

Webtoon creator, screenwriter Kang Full takes on epic K-superhero project

Making his debut as a screenwriter in upcoming Disney+ action drama series “Moving,” webtoon creator Kang Full exudes confidence in delighting both his devoted webtoon readers and those new to his fictional world with Korean-style superheroes. In 2015, “Moving” started out as an action webtoon series on Daum Webtoon, garnering Kang more than 200 million accumulated reads in Korea. The story revolves around high school students endowed with supernatural powers and their pa

July 23, 2023

Korean viewers get ready for second season of ‘D.P.’

South Korean viewers have been unable to hide their long-waiting excitement for Netflix’s upcoming second season of “D.P.,” as the original season ranked No. 10 on Netflix’s Korean top 10 chart for TV series as of Tuesday. “D.P.,” a drama series adapted from a popular webtoon series of the same title by creator Kim Bo-tong, revolves around the lives of Pvt. Ahn Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Cpl. Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) and their duty to capture Army deserters. W

July 19, 2023

Director says ‘D.P. 2’ focuses on narratives of individual soldiers

While many viewers showed their support for “D.P.” series launched in 2021 for its realistic depictions of South Korean Army life and its controversial sides, the director explained that the upcoming "D.P. 2" focuses more on the narratives of the individuals. Short for “Deserter Pursuit,” the series centers on the lives of Private Jun-ho (played by Jung Hae-in) and Sergeant Ho-yeol (played by Koo Kyo-hwan), to uncover the motivations behind soldiers' attemp

July 18, 2023

Seo Hyun-jin, Gong Yoo to star in Netflix's 'The Trunk'

Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo were confirmed as lead actors in Netflix’s Korean original series “The Trunk” on Monday. Seo Hyun-jin, 38, will make her Netflix debut with “The Trunk” as In-ji, an employee in a matchmaking company called New Marriage. “Train to Busan” star Gong Yoo, who mesmerized viewers in Netflix’s “Squid Game” (2021) and “The Silent Sea” (2021), will co-star in the series, playing the role of Jeong-won, a musi

July 17, 2023

Dramas depicting dark side of social media gain popularity

Two recent Korean dramas presenting an intimate look into social media-driven lives are enjoying local popularity with unique stories that are easily relatable to many viewers. Though a lot of creative content such as dramas, films and variety shows have included brief scenes depicting social media usage, Netflix’s latest suspense series “Celebrity” and cable channel ENA’s “Battle for Happiness” put the spotlight on characters’ social media interaction

July 16, 2023

‘King the Land’ producers apologize for show's depiction of Arab prince

The production company behind JTBC’s romantic comedy “King the Land” issued an official apology on Wednesday for its cultural insensitivity. The creators -- Npio Entertainment, BY4M Studio and SLL -- expressed their sincere apology to the viewers in an official apology letter posted on the show's website in Korean, English and Arabic. “We had no intention of caricaturing or distorting any particular country or culture,” the production companies said in the lett

July 13, 2023

‘Squid Game 2’ production staff apologizes for bossy attitude during shoot

“Squid Game 2,” the sequel to the megahit Netflix series, is stirring up controversy online over alleged rude behavior toward users of Incheon Airport from production staff. “We heard that citizens were inconvenienced while 'Squid Game 2' was filming at Incheon Airport on Monday,” stated "Squid Game 2” makers on Wednesday. “We did our best to announce to citizens of the on-site situation as much detail as possible.” The producers offered a

July 12, 2023

Drama ‘King the Land’ criticized for cultural insensitivity

Cable channel JTBC’s latest rom-com series, “King the Land,” has come under fire over its character Prince Samir, with criticisms directed at the show's misleading representation of Arabic culture. Samir -- who is introduced as a prince with an Arabic background -- made his first appearance in the seventh episode of “King the Land” on July 8, surrounded by the women in a club. As Samir was scheduled to visit South Korea to negotiate the import of Korean warplan

July 11, 2023

Netflix to release new zombie-themed project ‘Zombieverse’

Netflix on Monday confirmed that its upcoming action variety program “Zombieverse” will premiere on Aug. 8. The global streaming service, which mesmerized many viewers with its hit zombie-themed projects -- “Kingdom” (2019) and “All of Us Are Dead” (2022), seeks to expand the Korean zombie sensation in variety shows as well. Popular TV directors Park Jin-kyung, who was behind MBC’s iconic entertainment show “My Little Television,” and Moon Sa

July 10, 2023

Broadcasters experiment with drama release dates, schedules

Responding to the fast-changing environment of the content industry, South Korean broadcasters are changing up drama release schedules. Terrestrial broadcasters SBS and MBC recently announced that they will showcase their upcoming drama projects with a different strategy, parting ways with the traditional schedule in which new episodes are released back-to-back over two consecutive days per week. While many TV channels air new episodes on either Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays or

July 9, 2023