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

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