ENA’s ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ to make jump to stage musical

Television channel ENA’s courtroom series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” will be adapted into a musical, EMK Musical Company announced Wednesday. According to the company, three episodes from the 16-part series will be selected and turned into a musical. “There were many attempts to reproduce hit drama series as musicals. But we always worry whether the long stories of TV dramas could be represented in 2 to 3-hour stage performances,” Eom Hong-hyeon, CEO and chief p

Aug. 17, 2022

'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix chart for non-English series for 3rd week

The South Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has topped Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows for the third consecutive week, the global video streaming service said Wednesday. The TV series, which has aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA since June 29, marked 69.4 million hours of viewing for the week of Aug. 8-14 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, accordi

Aug. 17, 2022

CJ ENM launches new channel on US streaming platform Peacock

South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM announced that it has expanded into the US as a free-to-view addition to Peacock, US media and entertainment company NBC Universal’s streaming platform. According to the company, CJ ENM will offer Korean content which includes dramas, movies and K-pop programs via Peacock’s CJ ENM branded channel “CJ ENM Picks.” CJ ENM’s collaboration with Peacock is the Korean company’s second partnership with a US media company, fol

Aug. 16, 2022

Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ bags trophies at HCA TV Awards

Global sensation “Squid Game” won two trophies at the 2nd Annual Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards held in California on Saturday and Sunday. Netflix’s megahit drama won best international series, while star Lee Jung-jae was named best actor in a streaming series, drama for his performance as Gi-hun, a debt-ridden divorcee. “I am deeply grateful that so many of you around the world have enjoyed and supported this series. I think ‘Squid Game’ has opene

Aug. 16, 2022

K-dramas: The making of a global breakthrough

Last month, Netflix revealed the list of its most-streamed TV shows of all time. “Squid Game,” which topped the list with 1.65 billion hours, also claimed the top spot in terms of the consecutive number of days it was ranked No. 1 worldwide. The global success of “Squid Game” is not only grounded in its quality and universal appeal, but also the existence of streaming platforms like Netflix that launched it and other local shows alike to an international audience. Wit

Aug. 14, 2022

Korean actioner 'Carter' debuts at No. 1 on Netflix's weekly chart

The Korean action thriller "Carter" has debuted at No. 1 on Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English films. Released last Friday, the Netflix Korean-language original marked 27.3 million hours of viewing for the week of Aug. 1-7 to lead the official top 10 list for non-English films available on the service, according to Netflix on Tuesday (US time). It became the first Korean-language film to top the streamer's chart for the category since Netflix released the

Aug. 10, 2022

Jung Woo, Park Hee-soon return with nail-biting Netflix original

Debuting this Friday, crime-thriller “A Model Family” tells an entangled story of an ordinary-looking family that gets dragged into a string of disastrous incidents after making one wrong choice. Explaining the title, director Kim Jin-woo said he wanted to look into the meaning of “family” and “model” by portraying different groups of people who are bound under the name of “family.” “When we say something is exemplary, it’s usually

Aug. 9, 2022

Breaking news programs’ 115-year record rainfall coverage under fire

South Korean broadcasting companies came under fire for their breaking news coverage of the worst rainfall in 115 years in Seoul and its surrounding areas. The record overnight rainfall resulted in hundreds of flood victims, and jeopardized citizens in the capital area on their after-work commute. Roads and sidewalks in the capital area were flooded, causing some people to leave their cars on the road. A number of cars and buses were stuck for hours on expressways from Seoul to Gyeonggi Prov

Aug. 9, 2022

'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' regains position as No. 1 non-English series on Netflix

The South Korean legal drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has regained the top position on Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows, the global video streaming service said Wednesday. The TV series, which has aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA since June 29, marked 65.6 million hours of viewing for the week of July 25-31 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to th

Aug. 3, 2022

KBS2’s ‘Listen-Up’: Fierce competition for top music producers to take over song charts

Television network KBS2’s upcoming K-pop producer battle program “Listen-Up” is set to premiere on Saturday at 10:35 p.m., with a group of local music producers competing to make new songs that can take over the top charts on music streaming services. The program will feature 10 producer teams -- Ryan Jhun, Paloalto, JungKey, Peakboy, Kim Seung-soo, Pateko, Doko, Las, AB6IX‘s Lee Dae-hwi, BIG Naughty -- while hip-hop act Dynamic Duo is set to make its emcee debut. View

July 28, 2022

‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ creators delighted by series’ popularity

With half of its series released as of July 21, television channel ENA’s legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” a story about a gifted, autistic attorney, has been writing history. It topped global streaming platform Netflix’s weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows at the second week of July. It made ENA the most-watched channel during Wednesday-Thursday’s prime time with viewership rating of 13.1 percent, the highest number in the channel’s his

July 27, 2022

Streaming platforms fight for market share in Korea

Streaming platform operators, homegrown and from abroad, are seeking to expand their market share in an increasingly crowded Korean market, adopting different strategies. Netflix, which has been defending its position as the market leader since entering Korea in 2016, recently suffered a hit when its highly anticipated “Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area” was not received as well as expected by Korean viewers. To bounce back, the US-based streaming platform is strengthening i

July 24, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director explains why ‘Remarriage & Desires’ eschews erotic scenes

While they enjoy increasing popularity worldwide, one of the few criticisms that Netflix‘s Korean originals face from viewers is that they often include too many“ unnecessary ”erotic scenes that do not relate to the stories or are seemingly only used to be provocative. But despite its themes of love, marriage and infidelity, “Remarriage & Desires” director Kim Jung-min decided to resist the temptation. Directors Kim Jin-min of “My Name” (2021) an

July 21, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘Remarriage & Desires’ offers new look at society: Kim Hee-seon

Marriage, infidelity, divorce, low morals, social climbers, political and business feuds were some of the major setting and themes that captivated Korean TV viewers up until a few years ago. With their seemingly identical characters and implausible stories, such series were labeled “makjang dramas” and seen as trashy soap operas. But while Netflix’s latest presentation revolves around similar themes -- with an upper-class matchmaking company the central point of the drama --

July 20, 2022

CJ Group's Lee Mie-kyung receives special award from Int'l Emmys

South Korean entertainment giant CJ Group executive Lee Mie-kyung, widely known as Miky Lee, has received a special achievement award from the International Emmy Awards for her contribution to international television. According to the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Tuesday (US time), Lee was named the honoree of this year's Directorate Emmy Award, given to individuals or organizations in management, programming and international relations for yearslong contribution

July 20, 2022

Blackpink’s Jennie to make acting debut in HBO drama ‘The Idol’

Jennie of popular K-pop girl group Blackpink will make her acting debut in the upcoming HBO drama series “The Idol,“ according to her label YG Entertainment on Tuesday. Co-produced by Canadian singer Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, Sam Levison and Reza Fahim, the series is set against the backdrop of the music industry in Los Angeles. The story revolves around a self-help guru and cult leader who develops a complicated yet romantic relationship with an up-

July 19, 2022

Tooniverse to air hit Nickelodeon animated series

Tooniverse, a leading South Korean animation channel and an affiliate of South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM, will air Nickelodeon series starting in August. Titled “Nickelodeon Time,” Tooniverse will present hit American animated series daily from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The animated comedy series “SpongeBob SquarePants” is set to air at 5 p.m. on weekdays and 5:30 p.m. on weekends. The show, featuring a square yellow sponge character, ha

July 18, 2022

Netflix sees Korea as proving ground for hit content

Global streaming service Netflix seeks to catch the eyes of Korean viewers by strengthening its unscripted content lineup. “I personally think the Korean viewers have strict standards and high expectations of variety programs. Our team believes that winning the local audiences’ heart is important. This may lead the show to become a global hit like ‘Single’s Inferno,’” Yoo Ki-hwan, Netflix’s manager of content, said in a press conference held at Communi

July 14, 2022

'Squid Game' nets 14 Emmy nominations

Netflix’s South Korean megahit “Squid Game” has been nominated for 14 awards at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the first non-English best drama series nominee, the Academy of Television Arts and Science announced Tuesday. The 16-part “Squid Game” vies for the best drama series award with “Better Call Saul,” “Euphoria,” “Ozark,” “Stranger Things,” “Succession” and “Yellowjackets,” whi

July 13, 2022

Korean drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' tops Netflix's weekly viewership chart

The South Korean drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has topped Netflix's latest weekly viewership chart of non-English TV shows, the global video streaming service said Wednesday. The TV series, which has aired every Wednesday and Thursday on the cable channel ENA from June 29, marked 23.9 million hours of viewing for the week of July 4-10 to lead Netflix's official top 10 list for non-English TV programs available on the service, according to the company. It became the secon

July 13, 2022