[Herald Interview] ‘National Office of Investigation’ pays tribute to unsung heroes

Director Bae Jung-hun, who made a name for himself with the hit SBS investigative documentary series “Unanswered Questions,” said he's glad South Korean police are getting the praise they deserve with the rising public attention to his latest project “National Office of Investigation." “The detectives, who starred in the show, said they felt awkward with the online compliments and praises. Here, in many cases, police officers are not applauded for their action

March 24, 2023

Noonoo TV deletes pirated Korean TV dramas, films

Noonoo TV, a Korea-based illegal streaming site, has deleted hundreds of pirated Korean TV dramas and movies from their website. Ranging from star-studded 2022 film “Emergency Declaration” to smash hit drama series “Yumi’s Cells” (2021) and “Work Later, Drink Now,” (2021), a total of 169 TV dramas and movies were taken off Noonoo TV, as of Thursday. Pirated from local streaming platforms such as Wavve, Coupang Play, Watcha, Tving and Seezn, comedies and

March 24, 2023

BTS’ Jimin stars in KBS variety show

Public broadcaster KBS announced that Jimin of K-pop superstar group BTS is scheduled to star in its Thursday night variety show, “Beat Coin,” in an episode set to air on March 30. “Jimin said he liked to watch ‘Beat Coin’ even before starring in our show. The cast were surprised to see Jimin at the shooting site as well. Everyone always gives everything to entertain the viewers, but I think the viewers can have high expectations for our upcoming part with Jimin,&

March 22, 2023

Wavve's ‘Combat Correspondent’ Korea’s most expensive drama series to date

Local streaming service Wavve announced Tuesday that it will join hands with Eric Beck, the German screenwriter behind Paramount’s neo-Western American drama series “Yellowstone,” to produce an original historical drama series based on true events during the Korean War of 1950-1953. The 10-part series with the working title “Combat Correspondent” will center around the story of American reporter Marguerite Higgins (1920-1966), the first woman to receive the Pulitzer

March 22, 2023

MBC audition show ‘Fantasy Boys’ to be streamed across Asia

Terrestrial broadcaster MBC announced that its upcoming audition program “Fantasy Boys,” set to premiere on March 30, will also be available in 12 different Asian countries via video streaming platforms. While the platform Abema will stream “Fantasy Boys” in Japan, viewers in many Southeast Asian countries, including Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam will be able to watch the show through Chinese streamer iQiyi. In Korea, it will be strea

March 21, 2023

JTBC mystery show ‘Crime Scene’ to return with new season

Content production company Studio LuluLala (SLL) confirmed that its whodunnit variety series, “Crime Scene,” will be making a return after six years. SLL, a subsidiary of cable channel JTBC formerly known as JTBC Studios, announced Monday that it is in talks with Tving -- an online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM -- to produce a fourth season, titled “Crime Scene Returns.” The show is a mystery variety program featuring celebrities and TV pers

March 20, 2023

[Herald Interview] Please show Yeon-jin no mercy, ‘The Glory’ star Lim Ji-yeon says

While some actors who play villain roles ask viewers to sympathize with their characters, insisting that villains might also turn out to be likable in the end, Lim Ji-yeon requests viewers of “The Glory” to have no mercy on her character, Park Yeon-jin. “I wanted Yeon-jin to be hated by all ‘The Glory’ fans. I hoped for her not to be tolerated nor understood, not even for a moment. Even I, who played Yeon-jin in the series, could not forgive her,” Lim told The

March 19, 2023

Tving’s ‘Zero Sum Game’ expands reach to Vietnam

Tving, the South Korean online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM, on Wednesday announced that Vietnamese content production company Red Carpet and TV channel HTV7 acquired the Vietnamese rights for its variety show “Zero Sum Game,” which marks the beginning of their partnership with the streamer. The 12-part unscripted show presents 10 participants who seek the highest prize money possible by maintaining their first total body weight, measured in the firs

March 16, 2023

School bullying claims roil showbiz

Though celebrities who have been accused of school bullying do not have to face deadly consequences as presented in Netflix’s revenge-soaked hit series, “The Glory,” their past deeds are nonetheless considered unforgivable. Former K-pop boy band BLACK6IX member Kim Hyun-jae withdrew from JTBC’s latest audition project, “Peak Time,” which features already-debuted artists who have fallen short of building a successful career and gives them a second chance to bec

March 15, 2023

Cult group files for injunction against Netflix doc

Local religious cult Baby Garden has filed for an injunction against the streaming of two episodes of Netflix’s documentary series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” featuring its leader Kim Ki-soon. The eight-part documentary series presents four Korean religious cult leaders -- Jeong Myeong-seok of Christian Gospel Mission, better known as Jesus Morning Star (JMS); Park Soon-ja of Odaeyang Church; Kim Ki-soon of Baby Garden; and Lee Jae-rock of Manmin Central Church -- wh

March 14, 2023

Streaming services release baseball docus for 2023 KBO season

Tving, entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s subscription-based streaming platform, is scheduled to release its first sports documentary series, “Our Game: LG Twins,” on March 30, in time for the opening of the baseball season on April 1. The documentary features LG Twins, one of the most beloved professional Korean baseball teams, and its 2022 KBO season. The series, encompassing almost 2,500 hours of footage, documents the baseball players’ journey in seeking to once again

March 13, 2023

‘The Glory’ producer Ahn Gil-ho admits physical assault as a high schooler, apologizes to victims

Producer Ahn Gil-ho of the hit Netflix drama “The Glory” admitted to physically assaulting students at a neighboring middle school as a high school student, and apologized to the victims in a statement via his attorney on Sunday. According to the statement released by his law firm Jipyong, director Ahn physically assaulted middle schoolers when he was 17 years old while studying abroad in the Philippines in 1996. “After hearing that his girlfriend was teased by a group of her f

March 12, 2023

‘HyeMiLeeYeChaePa’ director confident show will become ENA’s next big hit

Local cable channel ENA, which made a name for itself with the megahit legal drama series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022), is aiming for another memorable hit with a highly anticipated weekly variety show called “HyeMiLeeYeChaePa.” The travel show is named after the first syllable of cast members' names: Singer-turned-actor Hyeri, Miyeon of (G)I-dle, Leejung of dance crew YGX, vocalist Choi Yena, Chaewon of Le Sserafim and TV personality Patricia. “If &lsqu

March 11, 2023

Yet untold stories of 'In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal' are more horrifying and cruel, director says

Among the four Korean religious cult leaders featured in Netflix’s latest Korean documentary series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” Jeong Myeong-seok – the leader of the Christian Gospel Mission, better known as the Jesus Morning Star or JMS church – has been taking over local headlines. “I recognized that many viewers felt uneasy with professor Kim Do-hyeong’s stories featured in the series, but they make up only one tenth of his experiences over

March 10, 2023

Tving’s ‘Island’ enjoys global popularity

Tving's latest sci-fi action thriller has landed on Amazon Prime Video top 10 charts in at least 17 countries as of Thursday, according to the South Korean online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM. Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon. “Island” topped Amazon Prime Video’s TV charts in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. It was listed among the top 10 on charts in 13 countries, including Br

March 10, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ creators deny manipulation in final match

The production team of the Netflix show “Physical: 100” disclosed the original video recordings of the show's final match and emphasized that “there was no manipulation of the results.” The reality survival program, which aimed to find the fittest among 100 contestants, crowned CrossFit athlete and snowboarder Woo Jin-yong as the winner after the final “rope pulling” match against Olympic cyclist Jung Hae-min on Feb. 21. However, controversy arose when ru

March 9, 2023

Alliance for Protection of Videogram to fight against pirate content sites

Major South Korean broadcasters, KBS, MBC, JTBC, and the Korean Copyright Commission have joined forces with the production company Studio LuluLala (SLL) and the video streaming platforms Wavve and Tving to launch an alliance to stop the illegal act of digital piracy, on Wednesday. Collaborating with the world’s leading content protection coalition, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, the Alliance for Protection of Videogram plans to take strict measures against any issues in re

March 8, 2023

‘Penthouse’ star Lee Ji-ah returns with another vengeful woman story

Lee Ji-ah is returning to the small screen in the action-packed revenge series “Pandora: Beneath the Paradise.” The 16-part mystery-action thriller revolves around ordinary housewife Hong Tae-ra (Lee), who is living her dream life. The story develops as Tae-ra’s long-forgotten, heartbreaking memories come back to her, leading her to plot all-out revenge against those responsible. The 44-year-old actor explained that her character was raised to become a professional killer. Port

March 8, 2023

Tving to present gay love drama 'Unintentional Love Story’

Online streaming service provider Tving scheduled to release “Unintentional Love Story,” a drama adaptation of a popular Naver Webtoon, on March 17. Adapted from writer and illustrator Pibi’s webtoon of the same title, “Unintentional Love Story” centers around a young man named Won-young becoming attached to Tae-jun. Gongchan of K-pop boy band B1A4 stars in the series as Won-young. Rising actor Cha Seo-won, who received nationwide recognition with his appearance in

March 7, 2023

Cable channel OCN to livestream 95th Academy Awards

South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s cable TV movie channel OCN is scheduled to livestream the 95th Academy Awards at 9 a.m. on March 13. Honoring the films released in 2022, this year’s Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, will be hosted by popular American comedian and producer Jimmy Kimmel at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. American action comedy “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which earned a total of 11 nominations at this year's Academy Awards

March 7, 2023