South Korean animation director Joung Yu-mi's short animated film, "Circle," has been invited to compete in the short film category at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, according to industry sources Tuesday. With a running time of some seven minutes, "Circle" metaphorically explores the barriers created by societal perceptions. The short animated film narrates the story of a girl drawing a circle. People gather one by one in the circle, and after the space bec

Culture Jan. 16, 2024

Despite the continued success of Netflix's global hit Korean drama originals such as “Squid Game,” "The Glory," and "Hellbound," which have all topped Netflix's non-English TV series weekly chart in succession, Netflix's recent K-drama original releases made at higher production costs are struggling to reap the same results. According to Netflix's "Global Top 10" list, which ranks its titles in four categories including "Film (En

Television Jan. 15, 2024

The producers of Netflix dating show "Single's Inferno 3" said the third season was the most successful compared to previous seasons. The last episode of "Single's Inferno 3" was aired Tuesday amid much excited squabbles about the cast's actions and their decisions on their final partners. "'Single's Inferno' and 'Single's Inferno 2' garnered total viewing hours of some 6 million viewing hours, respectively, but the third seas

Television Jan. 15, 2024

South Korean streaming service Tving said Sunday its original drama series "Island" notched an accolade at the 2023 Asian Television Awards, which honors production achievements in the Asian television industry annually. According to Tving, the first part of "Island" won the award for best original digital drama series at the 28th ATA held in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. "Island," helmed by star director Park Bae-jong, who is best known for the hit film "Welcom

Television Jan. 14, 2024

The Corea Image Communication Institute awarded those who contributed to enhancing South Korea's image globally at the Korea Image Award ceremony held at the InterContinental Seoul Coex in southern Seoul, on Wednesday. This year's awards were given to Hyundai Motor's luxury vehicle brand Genesis, Swiss architect Mario Botta, Korean operatic pop tenor Lim Hyung-joo and French pansori singer Mafo Laure. Some 500 guests, including head of the Presidential Committee of National Cohesi

Culture Jan. 10, 2024

With a whopping total production cost of 70 billion won ($53 million), the first season of "Gyeongseong Creature," touted as one of Netflix Korea's most anticipated original dramas of the second half of 2023, aired its last episode on Friday. "Gyeongseong Creature" tells the story of Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee) and Jang Tae-sung (Park Seo-joon), who set out on a journey for survival in 1945, during the Japanese colonial period in Korea. Since its release, the drama serie

Television Jan. 10, 2024

Drama series adaptations of renowned South Korean webtoons are set to open the new year, riding high on the continued success of Korean webtoon-based dramas on global streaming services. "Man and Woman," a 10-part drama series adaptation of the hit Naver webtoon series of the same name, began airing on cable TV network Channel A Dec. 26 and continues through to Feb. 27. The webtoon series ranked seventh on Naver Webtoon's Top 10 most-read list despite its R-rating, meaning you hav

Television Jan. 8, 2024

Kakao Entertainment, a content arm under Korea’s IT giant Kakao Corp., said Friday that a spin-off webtoon series of the Netflix original "Gyeongseong Creature" will be released on Kakao Webtoon and KakaoPage starting Jan. 20. Netflix's 10-part thriller drama "Gyeongseong Creature" centers around the stories of Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-jun) and Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee), who infiltrate a hospital in the city of Gyeongseong (now Seoul) in 1945 -- where human experime

Television Jan. 5, 2024

A comic book narrating the growth of K-pop sensation BTS from trainees to a global pop sensation, as well as their recent transition to enlistment, will be released in the US, according to a news outlet on Friday. According to Reuters, US comic book and graphic novel publisher TidalWave Productions will release a 22-page comic book centered on BTS in its latest edition of the "Fame" series. TidalWave Productions' "Fame" series introduces the life stories of singers, acto

Books Jan. 5, 2024

Meet Korea's blue dragons Marking the Year of Blue Dragon -- the 41st year of the sexagenary cycle -- the National Folk Museum of Korea has opened a special exhibition titled “The Blue Dragon.” As the only fictitious animal among the 12 zodiac animals, the dragon holds special meaning in Korean culture. From ancient times to the present, the dragon has been one of the most popular motifs for Korean artworks, allegories and myths. In some cases, the dragon symbolized the power an

weekender Jan. 5, 2024

Korean Broadcasting System's decision to cancel "Beat Coin," which has been widely popular on streaming platforms but less so on the terrestrial television network's airwaves, has come under fire from the show's fans, who argue that the state broadcaster is prioritizing viewership ratings and profitability over general viewer sentiment. Starring comedians Hong Jin-kyung, Kim Sook and Jo Se-ho, model Joo Woo-jae and singer Wooyoung, "Beat Coin" is a variety show

Television Jan. 3, 2024

Sales in South Korea's cultural content industries for the first half of 2023 logged a total of 69.3 trillion won ($52.8 billion), riding high on the rapid growth of the nation's music and film industries, according to a report by Korea Creative Content Agency on Wednesday. According to KOCCA's report on trends in Korea's cultural content industries during the January-June period in 2023, the industries recorded a total of 69.3 trillion won in sales, a 2.5 percent increase

Television Jan. 3, 2024

South Korea's three major terrestrial television networks -- Korean Broadcasting System, Munhwa Broadcasting Corp. and Seoul Broadcasting System -- celebrated their yearly achievements with their own entertainment awards. During the 2023 MBC Entertainment Awards held on Friday, 39-year-old comic writer and TV personality Kim Hee-min, also well-known by his nickname Kian84, was given the grand prize for his performance in hit TV show "Home Alone" and "Adventure By Accident.&qu

Television Jan. 1, 2024

Animation, cartoon lovers' heaven Situated on the sixth floor of HDC IPark Mall in Yongsan, central Seoul, is a fantasylike space in which animation and cartoon characters from across the world are displayed, along with a plethora of merchandise. Dubbed Popcon D Square, the space is separated into three zones. The first zone, categorized as character shops, contains the Studio Ghibli Collection, Marvel Collection and stores Aniland and Ichiban Kuji. Figurines and stationery based on popula

weekender Dec. 29, 2023

A series of press conferences and interviews were canceled following Lee Sun-kyun's sudden death on Wednesday. As Korean actors and entertainment industry insiders express their condolences, more industry events are likely to be canceled over the next few weeks. Local broadcaster tvN said Wednesday it would reschedule the live online press conference for its new romantic comedy drama "Marry Me Now" to Jan. 1. The press conference was prepared to take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Act

Film Dec. 27, 2023