Review: Infectious optimism of 'It's Okay!'

'It's Okay!' emerges as 2025's most refreshing Korean film — a perfect balance of wit and warmth that sneaks up on you At last year’s 74th Berlinale, a little-known Korean film took home the Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film in the Generation Kplus category, a section aimed at audiences up to fourteen. That film was Kim Hye-young's directorial debut, "It's Okay!" Despite its recognition at the festival, it would take another year for the film to secure a domestic release. Berlinale, it turns ou

'The Noisy Mansion,' a comedic take on Korea's urban nightmare

Rookie director Lee Ru-da tackles anxiety of apartment living with warm humor South Korean cinema has long cast apartments as sites of dread and the uncanny, from the deadly mysteries of "Hide and Seek" (2013) and "Door Lock"(2018) to the apocalyptic imaginations of "Concrete Utopia" (2023). In "The Noisy Mansion," first-time director Lee Ru-da has transformed what could have been formulaic subject matter into something distinctive — part whodunnit, part facetious comedy, about one of South Kore

Korean animation summons its demons in 'Exorcism Chronicles'

Homegrown franchise delivers stylish spiritual warfare and four-wall spectacle, even as its epic ambitions strain against mortal runtime Even as Korean cinema holds its ground as the world's seventh-largest box office market, Korean animation has been struggling to break through. Foreign titles keep raking in the numbers -- Pixar's "Inside Out 2" sold 8.8 million tickets, "Elemental" drew 7.2 million, and Makoto Shinkai's "Suzume" sold 5.6 million. Meanwhile, homegrown animation's biggest win re

How SM Entertainment cleverly uses the classics

Concerts show the 30-year-old entertainment powerhouse's confidence and long-term vision On Friday night at the Seoul Arts Center, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra presented classical adaptations of hit songs from K-pop powerhouse SM Entertainment, which celebrated its 30th anniversary that day. The concert was held again on Saturday at Lotte Concert Hall, another leading venue for classical music concerts, featuring Red Velvet's Wendy. The concerts showcased many of SM's strengths and its long-

Review: Hollow recursions of 'Mickey 17'

In attempting to clone his own success, Bong delivers a film more expendable than essential Bong Joon-ho's first film in six years performs a curious act of self-replication. Like its protagonist, an endlessly reproducible space colonist, "Mickey 17" copies the director's familiar preoccupations while draining them of their animating force. The result is a $150 million big-budget exercise in diminishing returns. The premise proclaims itself as quintessential Bong: Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson

'Life Unrehearsed' finds poetry in the everyday

In Banpark Ji-eun's intimate documentary, an older Korean lesbian couple in Berlin illuminates the universal through the particular The beginning of Banpark Jieun's "Life Unrehearsed" carries the same unplanned intimacy that defines its cinematic approach. A chance encounter with a photograph — two older Korean women standing before Berlin's Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism — led the director on a yearlong quest to chronicle its subjects. The result is a meditation on love that pr

Babymonster kicks off first world tour with powerful performance

Up-and-coming girl group to continue "Hello Monster" tour in 14 cities worldwide The rising girl group, Babymonster, known for its powerful performance and charismatic stage presence, kicked off its first world tour "Hello Monster" with an intense two-day performance. The seven-member group, debuted in April of last year, made their way to the Kspo Dome, known as the mecca of K-pop concerts, less than a year after their debut. Dressed in dazzling black-and-white outfits, the seven members made

In 'Silver Apricot,' blood ties tested by money struggles

Jang Man-min's feature debut finds modern family caught between affection and self-interest "Blood is thicker than water," goes the age-old saying, a truth long held as unquestionable by many Koreans. But what if that blood becomes literal sustenance, and family members must feed off each other to survive? That question drives Jang Man-min's "Silver Apricot," a nuanced exploration of family bonds in a modern Korean society driven by material desires. The premise is simple enough, as a slice of w

SM Town Live shows past, present, future of K-pop

From legendary 1st generation K-pop singers to today's top stars and trainees, SM presents 30-year legacy SM Entertainment marked its 30th anniversary with the grand "SM Town Live 2025" concert, a dazzling two-day celebration at Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul. Held under the theme "The Culture, The Future," the event showcased the legacy and vision of one of K-pop's most iconic agencies, drawing 40,000 fans and reaching a global audience through live broadcasts on Beyond Live and Weverse. Th

'Crypto Man' turns crypto chaos into missed opportunity

Song Jae-rim's final act overshadowed by muddled script Camera flashes erupted like strobe lights Monday at Seoul's Yongsan CGV theater to capture an emotional scene: An otherwise staid film promotion event transformed into an impromptu memorial. The press conference for "Crypto Man," an upcoming cryptocurrency drama, kept circling back to its absent star -- Song Jae-rim, who was found dead at his home in November. Director Hyun Hae-ri broke down as she discussed Song's casting as the film’s mai

In "Time to Be Strong," former K-pop stars find path to healing

Indie gem captures the healing journey of three burnt-out idols The K-pop industry's harsh toll on artists has prompted exposures of life behind the glory -- exploitative contracts, grueling training, body-shaming and psychological trauma that lingers long after the curtain falls. Korean cinema has largely skirted the issue, until "Time to Be Strong" zeroed in. Fresh from a hat trick at May's Jeonju International Film Festival -- which included the Grand Prix and Best Actor awards -- director Na

'Squid Game' Season 2 a shot at human redemption

In second season, Netflix hit trades shock value for moral dilemmas "This money is bought with the lives lost in that game." The weight of survival haunts Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) as Netflix's global sensation "Squid Game" returns for a second round. Three years after his harrowing victory from the deadly competition, Gi-hun is driven by more than just vengeance -- a moral obligation to end the sick and twisted games for good. The series' sophomore outing, available on Netflix starting Dec. 26, mar

Day6 ends the year on a triumphant note with Gocheok Sky Dome concert

First K-pop band to perform at Gocheok Sky Dome, Day6 at heart of resurgence of band music This year has been a tremendous year for Day6, a band at the heart of the resurgence of band music in Korea. Released in March after the completion of the member's military service, “Fourever” propelled the band's popularity to new heights. In September, "Band Aid,” the band's ninth mini album, and its title track “Melt Down” reached No. 1 on the Melon Top 100 chart, the first for the band. With a busy yea

'Harbin' aims high, but settles for spectacle

Korean cinema returns to familiar territory with another portrait of Ahn Jung-geun, the legendary independence activist whose 1909 assassination of Japanese statesman Ito Hirobumi has been dramatized countless times. The weight of depicting this near-mythological figure would give any filmmaker pause, especially under the looming shadow of "Hero," the blockbuster musical-turned-film that cemented Ahn's superhuman image in popular consciousness. Director Woo Min-ho's "Harbin" announces its ambiti