Investigative documentary series tell stories stranger than fiction

While streaming services generally seek to entertain viewers with unique originals, Netflix and South Korea’s largest streaming service Wavve are sending shock waves across the country with their latest documentaries. Netflix released its third Korean documentary series “In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal,” featuring four Korean religious cult leaders -- Jeong Myeong-seok of Christian Gospel Mission, better known as Jesus Morning Star, Park Soon-ja of Odaeyang Church, Kim Ki-s

March 6, 2023

Cho Seung-woo makes triumphant return with ‘Divorce Attorney Shin’

Top actor Cho Seung-woo made his much-anticipated return to the small screen Saturday in JTBC’s “Divorce Attorney Shin,” his first TV drama in two years. The first episode saw the third highest viewership ratings of all Saturday-Sunday dramas, following KBS’ “Three Bold Siblings” and tvN’s “Crash Course in Romance,” which are scheduled to come to an end after only a few more episodes. With Saturday's episode marking a nationwide viewersh

March 5, 2023

COVID-19 restriction lifted, TV travel shows take to road

South Korean broadcasters are set to flood the airwaves with programs filmed abroad as they resume long-suspended plans for shootings overseas. With the easing of travel restrictions and reopening of international routes, broadcasters have been filming in exotic locations hoping to entertain viewers who have longed to see far-flung places beyond their doorsteps. Monopoly-themed travel show Cable channel ENA and YouTube channel Teo are scheduled to release the show “Blue Marble World Tour

Feb. 28, 2023

Will Korean audition programs have viewers hooked once again?

Audition programs, which once dominated airtime several years ago before a number of vote-rigging controversies and ranking errors, are now poised to emerge as a major trend on television once again. The new impartial judging system aside, the revamped music competition shows are set to entertain viewers with new and yet-undiscovered talents, seeking to overtake other popular shows like sports entertainment and dating reality series -- reality shows that have recently soared through the ranks on

Feb. 27, 2023

‘Hidden Earth,’ explores 3 billion-year history of Korean Peninsula

Marking its 50th anniversary, public broadcaster KBS has produced a wildlife documentary titled “Hidden Earth,” presenting geoheritage sites in Korea. “Even though Korea is a very small country compared to the US or China, the land is filled with mountains and rocks that are worth studying to find out about the history of Earth. I am certain that ‘Hidden Earth’ will offer an opportunity for the public to learn that this small country (Korea) in the East is such a pr

Feb. 25, 2023

American adaptation of KBS' 'My Fellow Citizens!’ gets off to a good start

US television network ABC premiered a new drama series called “The Company You Keep” on Feb. 19, starring “Gilmore Girls” star Milo Ventimiglia alongside Korean American actor Catherine Haena Kim. The series is an adaptation of South Korean public broadcaster KBS’ 2019 crime comedy series “My Fellow Citizens!" Starring “Mr. Sunshine” (2018) star Kim Min-jung, Lee Yoo-young of Apple TV+’s “Dr. Brain” and Super Junior member Ch

Feb. 24, 2023

‘A Clean Sweep’ entertains baseball fans ahead of 2023 KBO season

Cable channel JTBC’s baseball reality show “A Clean Sweep” invites sports lovers and baseball fans to an exhibition match on March 19. “A Clean Sweep” follows CK Monsters, a team of former professional baseball players, as they complete 30 matches with a winning percentage of 70 against non-professional teams, including amateur, top high school and university baseball teams. Given that the team’s members are retired Korean baseball legends decorated with multi

Feb. 24, 2023

BTS' V interns as a cook in cutthroat ‘Jinny’s Kitchen'

Cable channel tvN’s smash-hit cooking and travel show “Youn’s Kitchen” is set to return with the spinoff series “Jinny’s Kitchen.” “I am at that age where I should become a boss and run my own business. I felt happy doing whatever I wanted,” actor Lee Seo-jin, the new CEO of the Korean street food restaurant featured the show, said in an online press conference Wednesday. Lee has worked alongside the Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung in &ld

Feb. 22, 2023

More terrestrial talent hops over to streaming

After breaking the boundary between films and TV shows by releasing multiple episodes of drama series at once, video streaming services are bringing about yet another change in the South Korean media environment: content creators working across different platforms. When terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s star director Kim Tae-ho, 47, made his Netflix debut with “The Hungry and the Hairy” in 2021, Kim's fans, industry insiders and experts felt that would be a one-time thing, as

Feb. 22, 2023

Disney+’s ‘Call It Love’ presents realistic love story

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., presents a calm, soothing romance of ordinary people in its upcoming series “Call It Love.” The slice-of-life series follows the lead characters who fall in love at first sight, a departure from the big, sweeping romances featuring estranged childhood sweethearts or dramatic plot twists. Director Lee Kwang-young said the stories of her romance series will be told at a slow pace, allowing viewers to slowly imme

Feb. 21, 2023

Kim Yun-seok, Yoon Kye-sang to star in Netflix’s ‘Alone in the Woods’

Global streaming service Netflix announced a star-studded lineup for its new mystery series “Alone in the Woods” on Monday. “Alone in the Woods” will mark South Korean movie star Kim Yun-seok’s first drama series in 16 years. His last television role was in MBC’s human drama “Do Well” (2006-2007). Since then Kim has worked exclusively on big-screen projects as a lead actor, including in heist movie “The Thieves” (2012) and action film &

Feb. 20, 2023

Korean variety show ‘Jinny’s Kitchen’ to debut in Amazon Prime

South Korean movie stars Lee Seo-jin, Park Seo-joon and K-pop boy band BTS’ V are scheduled to make their variety show debut on Amazon Prime Video with its much-anticipated travel series, “Jinny’s Kitchen.” Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon. As the first Korean reality program available on Amazon’s streaming service, “Jinny’s Kitchen” features the cast members’ journey to present popular on-the-g

Feb. 19, 2023

‘TV Art Show’ to be taped with live studio audience

Terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s classical music program “TV Art Show” is scheduled to be filmed with a live audience and spectators for the first time this year. Under the theme of “virtuoso,” “TV Art Show” invites viewers and fans of all ages for the mesmerizing performances, featuring beloved pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Kim Bomsori and cellist Yang Sung-won, at MBC Golden Mouse Hall in Sangam-dong, northwestern Seoul. While Son is set to perform on F

Feb. 16, 2023

‘Webtoon Singer’ to entertain viewers with XR-themed music performances

Webtoons and K-pop, two of the leading powers in the Korean Wave, are to join hands to create greater synergy in Tving’s extended reality music competition show “Webtoon Singer.” It is not the first time for a webtoon to team up with K-pop. In 2020, the original soundtrack for the popular Daum Webtoon series, “She's My Type," sung by K-pop boy band B1A4’s Sandeul, reached the No. 2 spot on local streaming platform Melon, following BTS’ “Dynamit

Feb. 15, 2023

[Herald Interview] Yoo Teo takes on rom-com leading role

While expressing his satisfaction with playing the lead role of Nam Kang-ho in Netflix’s latest romantic comedy series “Love to Hate You,” Yoo Teo cautiously shared some of his updated goals for becoming a better actor. “With the rise of local and global streaming platforms, I’ve become more ambitious and dream of something bigger. More unexpected opportunities are waiting for actors. I am well aware of how much more work I have to do to achieve my goal, but I feel

Feb. 14, 2023

Studio Dragon poised to become global production house with sequels, new projects

Eyeing to become a global studio presenting its content to a wider audience, Studio Dragon, South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s drama production subsidiary, is scheduled to offer a total of 35 drama series this year. The studio's beloved series, including “The Glory” and “Sweet Home” on Netflix, “Island” on Tving and “Shadow Detective” on Disney+ will make their anticipated return with sequels this year. Studio Dragon will a

Feb. 10, 2023

Will Kim Ok-vin become new rom-com crush with ‘Love to Hate You’?

“Love to Hate You,” the first romantic comedy series of actor Kim Ok-vin’s 18-year career, strays from the typical Korean drama tropes. The series doesn’t feature childhood sweethearts; a poor girl with an overly positive personality; nor an average girl meeting a rich guy with the ensuing family opposition. But the actors and director of “Love to Hate You” are certain that it has more than everything to make viewers wish they were in love. Kim felt that she

Feb. 9, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ creator Jang Ho-gi looks to find top ‘global’ physique

Jang Ho-gi, the man behind global streamer Netflix’s latest reality competition “Physical: 100,” said he wants to scour the world to find a contestant in top physical shape. “Though our show sought to find the fittest among 100 contestants of different gender, race and age, deciding the proportion of foreign-born contestants was difficult. Defining a foreign-born contestant itself was complicated as well,” Jang said in a press conference held at Community House Ma

Feb. 7, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ star Kim Chun-ri lambastes internet trolls

Korean bodybuilder Kim Chun-ri is seeking to put an end to a controversy regarding her match with a male opponent on Netflix’s survival show “Physical: 100.” The latest preview of “Physical: 100” on the Swoon -- Netflix’s YouTube channel used to promote its Korean originals, features a preview of the upcoming intergender match between Kim and mixed martial arts fighter Park Hyung-geun. After the 174-second video was released, more than 1,800 comments were post

Feb. 1, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Big Bet’ a true collaboration between director and actors

While feeling relieved to meet the expectations of long-awaiting drama fans, hit filmmaker Kang Yun-sung, who made his drama debut with Disney+’s crime thriller “Big Bet,” said what the viewers saw on screen was a little different from story that was toyed with at the production stage. “A screenwriter cannot create the whole story by himself. If the creator wishes to present a realistic character, the actor’s personality, tone and interpretation must be considered.

Jan. 31, 2023