'Squid Game' stars to present at US Critics Choice Awards

South Korean actors Lee Jung-jae, Jung Ho-yeon and Park Hae-soo of Netflix's smash hit "Squid Game" will present at this year's US Critics Choice Awards. The three were in the star-studded lineup of presenters who will take the stage at the 27th annual ceremony Monday (US time), the Critics Choice Association recently announced on its website. Among other presenters were Jimmy Kimmel and Alan Kim, an actor of the award-winning immigration film "Minari," as well as actors Kris

March 11, 2022

KBS comes out top in election coverage

Public broadcaster KBS had the most-watched presidential election coverage on TV in Korea Wednesday night. KBS1’s election coverage recorded a viewership rating of 11.1 percent, according to Nielsen Korea. It was the highest-rated election coverage, while SBS and MBC, which aired in the same time slot, followed with 6.1 percent and 5.6 percent viewership ratings, respectively. Claiming that the first metaverse ballot count and the broadcaster‘s own artificial intelligence predictio

March 10, 2022

Lee Hyo-ri to return with Tving reality show ‘Seoul Check-In’

In response to the huge popularity of the pilot episode of “Seoul Check-In,” which topped local streaming platform Tving’s most popular shows chart on the day of its premiere Jan. 29, K-pop star Lee Hyo-ri is scheduled to return in April with a regular season of the show. Helmed by television director Kim Tae-ho, who was behind two of South Korea’s longest-running and most successful variety shows -- “Infinite Challenge” from 2006 to 2018 and “Hangout W

March 9, 2022

‘D.P.’ star Koo Kyo-hwan to return in Tving’s ‘Monstrous’

Actor Koo kyo-hwan, 39, who rose to fame with Netflix’s military suspense drama “D.P.,” is returning to the small screen in Tving’s supernatural thriller “Monstrous,” one of the service’s most anticipated works in the first half of the year. The series depicts a small village where a cursed Buddha statue appears. A number of supernatural incidents follow as the world turns increasingly dystopian. Koo takes on the role of Jung Ki-hoon, an archaeologist

March 8, 2022

‘Squid Game’ Lee Jung-jae wins best male performance in scripted series prize at Indie Spirit Awards

Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, 49, won the award for best male performance in a new scripted series at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards held in California, Monday. The top Korean star was named the winner for playing Seong Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man who takes part in the titular deadly game of the global megahit Netflix series “Squid Game.” Lee became the second Korean actor to win a prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards after veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung w

March 7, 2022

Variety shows, drama series to pause for election coverage

With the presidential election coming up Wednesday, major terrestrial broadcasters announced that all of their Wednesday night variety shows and drama series will be suspended for the day. Throughout the campaign, the three major broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS have partly cancelled some of their regularly scheduled programs to air one-on-one, one-on-four presidential debates. The broadcasters have also replaced regular programs to air special documentaries featuring the major presidential candid

March 7, 2022

TBS show by popular left-wing host faces legal problems

The Election Broadcasting Deliberation Commission is likely to impose legal sanctions on Traffic Broadcasting System’s current affairs program “Kim Ou-joon’s News Factory.” The radio broadcaster faces possible sanctions for allowing popular left-wing journalist Kim Ou-joon, 55, who openly declared support for Democratic Party’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, to continue hosting the show in violation of the Election Broadcasting Code. Kim has been hosting th

March 7, 2022

Lee Jung-jae wins best TV male actor prize at Indie Spirit Awards

Lee Jung-jae of the South Korean sensational hit "Squid Game" has won the prize of best male actor in a television series at the 37th Film Independent Spirit Awards. At the awards ceremony in Santa Monica, California, held Sunday (US time), Lee was awarded Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series, beating Olly Alexander of "It's a Sin," Michael Greyeyes of "Rutherford Falls," Murray Bartlett of "The White Lotus" and Ashley Thomas of "THEM: Covenant

March 7, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘Sing Again’ season 2 is not about finding new talents: producers

Nearly 10 months after the first season of hit music competition “Sing Again,” local cable channel JTBC returned with a second season spotlighting 73 singers who are talented, yet have been largely forgotten. Over three months starting in December, the show featured heavy hitters who had previously released albums. Taking on the format of the previous season, each contestant was called only by a number, and the final winner took home a cash prize of 100 million won ($82,400). Altho

March 6, 2022

Chinese netizens criticize iQiyi for releasing Korean drama “Something in the Rain”

Chinese streaming platform iQiyi is feeling the heat from netizens in China for showing the Korean drama “Something in the Rain,” the first Korean series to have received approval by Beijing in five years. Netizens took to China’s Twitter-like Weibo to complain about iQiyi’s decision to start airing on the show on its platform. “(Korean dramas) can stay banned … Why are you starting this?” one user commented on iQiyi’s Weibo post. The comment

March 4, 2022

Scandal-ridden Seo Yea-ji to return with tvN drama ‘Eve’

Actor Seo Yea-ji is to return to the small screen in tvN’s new series “Eve” with veteran actors Park Byung-eun, Yoo Sun and Lee Sang-yeop. Taking the role of Lee Ra-el, the mastermind behind a ferocious revenge plan for her dead father, Seo, 31, will be back in the public eye for the first time in almost a year. The actor went off the grid last year as controversies surrounding her surfaced one after another. Seo was accused of allegedly checking staffers’ phones regul

March 1, 2022

‘Singer No. 33’ Kim Ki-tae wins season 2 of JTBC’s ‘Sing Again’

Kim Ki-tae, singer No. 33 on the second season of JTBC’s hit TV competition “Sing Again,” became the final winner Monday, bringing the three-month music competition to a close. Season 2 of “Sing Again,” which aired its first episode in December, drew attention by giving a second chance to 73 singers who had released albums in the past but failed to gain traction. With each contestant called by a number instead of a name, viewers’ curiosity about the singers&

March 1, 2022

'Squid Game' bags three trophies at SAG Awards

Netflix megahit drama series “Squid Game” won three awards at the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards, held in Santa Monica, California, Sunday night. The series was nominated in four categories. Two actors -- Jung Ho-yeon and Lee Jung-jae -- won awards for their roles. This marked the second consecutive year of Korean actors winning at least one SAG award. Last year, veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung won for her role as a feisty grandmother in the film “Minari.” Jung, who play

Feb. 28, 2022

Singer Kangnam becomes South Korean citizen

Japanese Korean singer and TV celebrity Kangnam, 34, has become a naturalized Korean citizen, he announced in a live broadcast on YouTube. In the live broadcast on Saturday, Kangnam said he completed his final naturalization interview on Friday, and opened the letter notifying him that he had passed the exam, live on camera. This was the singer’s third attempt at the naturalization exam, after declaring he intended to give up his Japanese citizenship in 2019. In the video, the singer a

Feb. 28, 2022

Jung Ho-yeon of 'Squid Game' wins best actress at SAG Awards

South Korean actress Jung Ho-yeon won best actress at the US Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for her role in the survival drama "Squid Game." At the ceremony of the 28th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday (US time), Jung brought home the prize of Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. She beat Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon of "The Morning Show," Elisabeth Moss of "The Handmaid's Tale" and Sarah Snook of "Succession."

Feb. 28, 2022

'Squid Game' Lee Jung-jae wins best actor at SAG Awards

South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae has won best actor at the US Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for his role in the survival drama "Squid Game." At the televised ceremony of the 2022 SAG Awards on Sunday (US time), Lee was named the winner of Outstanding Performance By a Male Actor in a Drama Series, beating Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong of "Succession," and Billy Crudup of "The Morning Show." Lee took the role of Gi-hoon, a down-on-his-luck middle-aged m

Feb. 28, 2022

'Juvenile Justice' debuts at No. 10 on global Netflix chart

The new South Korean TV series "Juvenile Justice" has made it into the top 10 rankings of Netflix shows two days after its release. According to data released by streaming analytics company FlixPatrol on Sunday (US time), the Netflix's Korean-language original, released Friday, placed 10th on its latest global chart for TV programs available on the streaming service. The 10-part Korean legal drama topped the popularity list in five countries, including Malaysia and Vietnam, and placed

Feb. 28, 2022

'Squid Game' wins SAG Awards for best stunt ensemble

The hit South Korean TV series "Squid Game" has won an award at the US Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards for best stunt ensemble. At the advanced announcement of the winners of the 2022 SAG Awards on Sunday (US time), "Squid Game" was awarded Outstanding Action Performance By a Stunt Ensemble in a TV series. The Korean-language Netflix original outdid "Cobra Kai," "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," "Loki" and "Mare of Easttown." It is

Feb. 28, 2022

Jin Seon-kyu, Jun Jong-seo to star in Tving’s original series ‘Bargain’

Jin Seon-kyu and Jun Jong-seo have been confirmed as lead actors in the upcoming Tving original series “Bargain.” The local streaming service announced Thursday that its upcoming series will be available in the second half of the year, but an official release date is yet to be revealed. The series, which revolves around a middle-aged man and a young woman encountering an unexpected natural disaster while bargaining the price for sex, is an adaptation of a 14-minute short film of t

Feb. 25, 2022

Korean TV industry welcomes remakes of American, European series

Recent Korean TV series adapted from American and European originals have made their presence felt on the local entertainment scene, which is expanding its horizons to the global market. Starring big-name stars Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won, "One Ordinary Day," an original by local stream service Coupang Play, is based on BBC's popular crime drama "Criminal Justice." The eight-part series delves into the criminal justice system through the story of two men connected to woman

Feb. 24, 2022