Most Popular
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Jimin of BTS, actor Song Da-eun suspected to be dating, again
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What's next for the government's push in quota hike?
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Trump may like to 'solve' N. Korean nuclear problem if reelected: ex-official
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Woman falls to death from acquaintance's home after exhibiting ‘unexplained' behaviors
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‘Malice should not undermine the system, social order,’ says Hybe's Bang
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N. Korea slams planned S. Korea-US military drills, warns of 'catastrophic aftermath'
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N. Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS
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[Graphic News] How much do Korean adults read?
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N. Korea says it test-fired tactical ballistic missile with new guidance technology
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Korean firms target EV charging market in US
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Lee Young-ae aimed to show boldness behind the good, wise wife
Returning to television drama after 14 years, Lee Young-ae said she wants to portray a passionate, modern rendition of a historical figure in her latest role. “Saimdang, Light’s Diary,” which launches Thursday at 10 p.m. on SBS, alternates between the present and the past. Lee plays both Seo Ji-yoon, an art history student living in modern-day Seoul, and Shin Saimdang, a famed poet, artist and scholar of the Joseon era, as their lives overlap.“I thought it would be interesting if I could show th
Jan. 25, 2017
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Actor Lee Dong-wook goes on Asia tour
South Korean actor Lee Dong-wook, riding a huge wave of popularity thanks to his character on the recent tvN hit drama "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" is to embark on an Asia tour to meet fans, his agency said Wednesday. (King Kong Entertainment)According to Kingkong Entertainment, the actor will kick off a series of meet-and-greets in Seoul on March 12, and then visit other various regions in Asia starting from April."Lee has been preparing for the upcoming event in his spare time despite
Jan. 25, 2017
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Tale of time travel romance succeeds hit drama ‘Guardian’
Yet another fantasy romance series -- “Tomorrow With You”-- is set to follow the recently concluded hit tvN series “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” which featured a hybrid of modern times and traditional Korean folktale elements.A love story featuring time travel and mystery, “Tomorrow With You” is a “a mix of genres,” according to its producer Yoo Je-won, who spoke at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “But it’s heartwarming and comforting,” he said. “I hope viewers focus on the romanc
Jan. 24, 2017
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'Guardian' reigns TV chart, 'Infinite Challenge' soars to No. 2
"Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," the hit tvN drama which ended last week, held on to its lead on a TV popularity chart to claim a three-week winning streak, data showed Tuesday. (tvN)"Guardian," which ended its 16-episode run last Saturday, scored 315.1 points on the Content Power Index, becoming No. 1 among TV programs during Jan. 9-Jan. 15.CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stor
Jan. 24, 2017
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‘Tomorrow With You,’ time-traveling romance on subway train
Yet another fantasy romance series -- “Tomorrow With You”-- is set to follow the recently concluded hit tvN series “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” which featured a hybrid of modern times and traditional Korean fairy-tale elementsA love story featuring time travel, mystery and intrigue, “Tomorrow With You” is a “a mix of genres,” according to its producer Yoo Je-won, who spoke at a press conference in Seoul on Monday. “But it’s very heartwarming and comforting,” he said. “I hope viewers foc
Jan. 23, 2017
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Local version of 'Running Man' becomes most popular reality show in China
(Yonhap)Chinese remakes of Korean reality programs show strong performance in viewership, the Beijing office of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) said Monday.Among the top 20 reality shows which went on air in China last year, seven programs turned out to be remakes of Korean shows. They are ranked in order of viewership rates at their peak during the run of each program."Hurry Up, Brother," the Chinese version of Korea's popular reality show "Running Man," has snatched the number one an
Jan. 23, 2017
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Novelty factor drives success of ‘Phantom Singer’
With the final episode of its inaugural season just around the corner, “Phantom Singer” is enjoying greater popularity than expected.Segment one of the finale, which aired last Friday, notched up a 5.3 percent viewership according to ratings agency Nielsen Korea. While not eye-popping, the figure is high for a cable TV program.The feat is even more impressive when compared to abysmal final episode of Mnet’s singing competition show “Superstar K,” which was watched by only 1.2 percent of viewers.
Jan. 22, 2017
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Last episode of fantasy rom-com 'Guardian' boasts record viewership
A TV series about a goblin under the spell of eternal life posted a record-breaking viewership rating of 20.5 percent, data showed Sunday, becoming the first cable channel program to achieve over 20 percent.The last episode of the drama, which aired Saturday, surpassed the rating of 19.6 percent posted by another hit cable series, "Reply 1988," on Jan. 16, 2016, according to data compiled by media ratings company Nielsen Korea."Guardian" had posted a record-breaking viewership of 6.9 percent for
Jan. 22, 2017
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Long-awaited ‘Saimdang’ to air first in Korea
The much-anticipated period drama series “Saimdang, Memoir of Colors” is set to begin airing on Korean broadcasting network SBS next Thursday. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the show’s writer and director said that the goal of airing the series simultaneously in China has been thwarted.Since August, Beijing has reportedly been banning Korean actors from starring in Chinese productions and restricting the import of Korean content, moves allegedly arising from diplomatic tension between the two co
Jan. 18, 2017
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Amid THAAD spat, 'Saimdang' director hopes to bring the show to China
Director of the highly-anticipated Lee Young-ae drama "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors' on Tuesday asked Beijing to approve his show's Chinese broadcast amid a reported Korean culture ban sparked by diplomatic tension between the two countries."About the subject of simultaneous airing in China, its true that Korea-China (cultural) relation was better before (the Korean pop culture ban). But the fact is 'Saimdang' approval (byregulators) remains pending," Director Yoon Sang-ho said during a press conf
Jan. 17, 2017
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Russian state television blames hackers for BBC Sherlock finale leak
MOSCOW (AFP) - A Russian state-controlled broadcaster on Monday blamed hackers for the embarrassing leak online of the final episode of the BBC drama Sherlock a day before it was due to air.Russia‘s Channel One was set to broadcast the final episode of the fourth series of the popular detective drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch on Monday just after midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT), simultaneously with Britain.But the full episode professionally dubbed into Russian by the channel was leaked onli
Jan. 17, 2017
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‘Reality TV’ campaigning is part of new political world
NEW YORK (AP) -- Donald Trump proved you could ride reality TV fame to the White House. Former US Rep. Anthony Weiner proved that having a film crew around can just compound the embarrassment of a political free fall.Now, a young Republican is following in their footsteps by allowing a documentary film crew to shadow him as he considers a run this year to unseat New York City’s mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio.Eric Ulrich, a 31-year-old city councilman who favors rights to abortion and gay marriag
Jan. 16, 2017
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[Herald Interview] The infectious joy of ‘Weightlifting Fairy’ Lee Sung-kyoung
When Lee Sung-kyoung put on a few kilograms for her role as a weightlifting trainee, she was “a little depressed” to find patches of dry skin and stretch marks throughout her body. “The best way to put on weight was to eat late at night and go straight to bed,” said the model-turned-actress at an interview at a cafe in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. “My face would be puffy the next morning.”But the toll the extra weight posed on her health was forgotten once she began filming “Weightlifting Fai
Jan. 13, 2017
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Actor Jung Il-woo enjoys popularity in Thailand
South Korean actor Jung Il-woo is riding a wave of popularity in Thailand thanks to a local TV series starring him, the drama's local PR agency said on Friday. "Love and Lies," which marks the first Thai drama starring a Korean actor as the main character, emerged as a local internet sensation in the first two episodes aired on Monday and Tuesday via Thai TV network "true4U," the company Shall We Talk said.Users of the channel's mobile application and website have surged as well, up to 2.6 and 3
Jan. 13, 2017
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‘Infinite Challenge’ to go off air for seven weeks
One of the longest-running TV variety shows in the country will take a seven-week break, with the head of “Infinite Challenge” saying it needed the time to “normalize” itself.The show’s production team has confirmed reports it will be taken off air for seven weeks starting Jan. 28. The broadcaster is planning to air the pilot program and special editions of “Infinite Challenge” consisting of clips from past episodes.“Infinite Challenge” (MBC)Kim Tae-ho, the mastermind behind MBC’s hit, told loca
Jan. 12, 2017
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Actor Park Hae-jin to embark on Asia tour
South Korean actor Park Hae-jin will hold meet-and-greets in five Southeast Asian countries early this year to celebrate his 11th anniversary since debut, the actor's management agency said Thursday."With the impending release of Park's new drama 'Man to Man,' Park will embark on an Asian tour to meet his fans," Mountain Movement said in a press release.According to the event's publicist JS Partners, "The enigmatic male protagonist from the hit TV series 'Cheese in the Trap' is riding a huge wav
Jan. 12, 2017
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TV channel to offer Korean movies in Southeast Asia
CJ E&M is launching the first overseas television channel to exclusively air Korean movies, the media and entertainment company announced Wednesday. The company plans to kick off the channel, tvN Movies, first in Singapore in January and expand to Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia this year. CJ E&M will air some 200 films -- including over 20 recent releases -- encompassing all genres. The Korean media giant has signed a contract with StarHub, Singapore’s largest telecom service provider a
Jan. 11, 2017
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Where goblin and mermaid roam
Current drama series on Korean TV boast scenic sets, from immortal goblin god Kim Shin’s majestic mansion in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” to the marine cove where the mermaid Shimchung lives in “The Legend of the Blue Sea.” “Guardian”: Incheon, Duksung Women’s University (tvN) (tvN)Incheon, an hour’s car ride away from Seoul, is basking in the fame brought by the popular tvN series “Guardian” -- so much so that the port city plans to build a filming complex with studios and sets in 2020
Jan. 10, 2017
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Tighten your seat belts
A number of series set to hit Korean television early this year feature the element of time travel. As for their genres, a diverse array of historical dramas, romantic comedies and thriller mysteries will dominate the small screen.Cable channel tvN, which has been come up with hit dramas nonstop in recent years, will be opening the new year with romance.Shin Min-ah (left) and Lee Je-hoon star in “Tomorrow with You.” (tvN)Following on the heels of the hit fantasy love story “Guardian: The Great a
Jan. 8, 2017
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‘Guardian,’ popular but controversial
In the popular TV drama series “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” the male lead is, quite literally, a god. Based on the Korean folklore of dokkaebi, a higher spiritual being roughly translated as goblin, the drama series features actor Gong Yoo as Kim Shin, a warrior born centuries ago who, after being impaled with a sword, is transformed into an immortal dokkaebi with endless wealth. Korean dramas have notoriously favored near-perfect male leads -- attractive, intelligent, heirs to vast fo
Jan. 4, 2017