Jung Il-woo goes dark for his Japan debut

Borders don't mean much in the age of social media and streaming, and Jung Il-woo's career path bears that out. A fixture of Korean TV in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the actor has also been taking his act abroad, from a Chinese romantic comedy to a Thai drama that made him the first Korean lead on the country's airwaves. His latest stop is Japan. The actor makes his Japanese-language debut in "Hanzaisha: Criminal," a Prime Video original crime mystery that's been releasing new episodes week

2026-07-30 17:42:05:00

Hwang Jung-min's agency says woman behind affair claims stalked the actor

Hwang Jung-min's agency said Wednesday that a woman who accused the actor on social media of carrying on an extramarital affair is a criminal suspect in a stalking case, and that it will pursue further legal action against her. Earlier in the day, the woman shared what she claimed were text messages, photos and a phone recording of Hwang, alleging the two had been romantically involved. The agency said in a statement that the posts were written by "a stalking suspect who has continuously harasse

2026-07-29 17:56:43:00

Korean box office posts best first half since pandemic

Korean films powered the country's theatrical market to its strongest first half since the COVID-19 pandemic, with overall revenue climbing 41.9 percent year over year, according to figures released Tuesday by the Korean Film Council. Theaters grossed 579 billion won ($399 million) from 57 million admissions between January and June, both sharply up from the same stretch last year. Homegrown titles led the charge. Korean films took in 370.2 billion won on 37.4 million ticket sales, up 81.7 perce

2026-07-29 11:47:56:00

Jungkook finally watched 'Hope.' Here's his verdict

"Hope" might have just picked up its highest-profile fan yet. BTS member Jungkook gave Na Hong-jin's creature feature a boost Monday, writing on his Instagram Story that the film is "a blast." That two-word post turned out to be a preview, as he went into detail during a live broadcast with fans later that day. "I know reactions have been pretty split, but I saw it in 4DX and it was genuinely fun," he said on the stream. "During the chase scenes, I was clenching my fists the whole time." In a no

2026-07-28 13:56:47:00

Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' to hit Korean theaters Sept. 23

Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love" will open in South Korean theaters Sept. 23, Netflix said Tuesday, giving the movie a big-screen run ahead of its global streaming launch on Nov. 6. The film marks the arthouse auteur's first feature in eight years, following "Burning" (2018). The drama follows two married couples from opposite walks of life whose lives intertwine during a documentary shoot. Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong star. The release would also make the film eligib

2026-07-28 11:59:22:00

Four women, a van and a body in the trunk

Korean cinema has been handing women the keys. Last year's "Project Y" sent Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo scheming through Gangnam's underbelly, while "The Woman in the White Car" dropped Jung Ryeo-won and Lee Jung-eun into a snowbound whodunnit stacked with reveals. Pick a recent female-fronted release and odds are the women onscreen are the ones doing the dirty work themselves rather than playing the victim, in high-octane fare tuned to diminished attention spans. "The Journey to Gyeongju," ope

2026-07-27 14:54:29:00

Movies in theaters this week

"Hope" (South Korea) Opened July 15 Sci-Fi/Action Directed by Na Hong-jin A police chief and a band of hunters fight off mysterious alien creatures tearing their small coastal town apart. "Minions & Monsters" (US) Opened July 15 Animation/Comedy Directed by Pierre Coffin Three Minions go hunting for real-life creatures to shoot their own monster movie, in this seventh installment in the Despicable Me franchise. "David" (US) Opened July 10 Animation/Musical Directed by Phil Cunningham and Brent D

2026-07-25 16:00:00:00

Will Spider-Man knock 'Hope' off its perch?

"Hope" has practically owned the Korean box office since it opened July 15. That grip might not hold much longer. The threat comes from a familiar face. "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" opens here July 29, two days ahead of North America, and the numbers suggest it will hit the ground running. As of Thursday morning, more than 357,000 tickets had been booked, keeping the Marvel sequel at No. 1 on the presales chart for a fifth straight day, according to the Korean Film Council's tracking service. Tha

2026-07-23 17:44:48:00

Woodz cast in Joseon-era actioner 'Nambeol'

Woodz is picking up a bow and arrow for his next screen outing. Production company Hive Media Corp said Thursday that the singer-songwriter, whose real name is Cho Seung-youn, has joined the cast of "Nambeol," a hard-boiled martial arts actioner set in the early years of the Joseon era. The film follows nine warriors of varying ranks and abilities who sail to Tsushima, a Japanese island off Korea's southeastern coast, to rescue Korean captives taken by pirates. Woodz will play a sharpshooting ar

2026-07-23 11:13:02:00

Lee Do-hyun made quiet intensity his calling card. Now he's back for more

Lee Do-hyun has picked his next fight, and it's a big one. On Monday, production house Hive Media Corp. confirmed that the 31-year-old will star in "Nambeol," a hard-boiled martial arts epic set in the early Joseon era about a group of warriors sailing to a remote island to rescue captives taken by Japanese pirates. Lee will play the expedition's frontline commander and right hand to the warrior chief played by Lee Byung-hun, with "Alchemy of Souls" star Go Youn-jung rounding out the top of the

2026-07-22 15:17:46:00