HanCinema Original Articles, Reviews, Previews, Analysis

Song Hye-kyo has canceled a photocall event for the Han Jewelry brand that was scheduled for October 17th. The event was to be her first public one in South Korea since her high-profile divorce from actor Song Joong-ki four months ago...More

Victoria's Instagram

Victoria has returned to South Korea. The actress and singer is still in the midst of filming a drama in China, but production has been suspended in light of Sulli's unexpected death. A Chinese entertainment news outlet reported that Victoria was told the news on set and broke out in tears, provoking serious concern from her co-stars...More

Content warning: The following text handles topics of depression and suicide.

Following peculiar comments by Ahn Jae-hyun on Instagram following news of Sulli's death, more interest has been drawn to the "Fashion King - Movie", in which they both appeared. Statements made in a press conference for the event some five years ago now come off as considerably more disturbing...More

On August 16th Kim Tae-hee's agency, Story J Entertainment, confirmed that the actress has received an offer to appear in the tvN drama "Hi Mom". Shortly a person connected with tvN confirmed that this was correct and expressed optimism as to the prospect of her acceptance...More

Following the successful conclusion of his older sister's wedding to actor Kim Min-joon, G-Dragon posts photos of the nuptials to Instagram...More

On October 15th "Catch the Ghost" canceled its October 16th press conference for the drama. Now the press conference will be held on October 21st. The official reason given for the delay was to demonstrate compassion for an unfortunate situation, with a request for accomodation given the circumstances...More

On October 14th the SBS variety show 'Same Bed Different Dreams 2' released an episode dealing with KangNam and the former speed skater whom he is about to marry. Of particular interest in the program was a dress fitting scene where the two acquired the clothes they are to use for their special day...More

Among the earliest celebrities to offer an official response to Sulli's death were Ku Hye-sun and Ahn Jae-hyun. Though the couple are in the midst of a bitter divorce feud, both of them knew Sulli from the actress's work on "Fashion King - Movie", where she worked with Ahn Jae-hyun, and "Seodongyo", where she worked with Ku Hye-sun...More

A financial report from KT shows that the media group has found significant success by branding itself as a platform with strong access to South Korean films. Seventy of the top one hundred movies available on the platform are from South Korea, with "Extreme Job" holding the pole position with 550,000 requested screenings...More

With "Crazy Romance" passing the two million viewer mark over the weekend comparisons have been made with last year's "Intimate Strangers", another comedy with a strong concept and well-known actors, but modest box office expectations. The movies have been tracking similarly, each having made the two million viewer benchmark at about the same time in their theatrical runs, after the second weekend...More

Park Seo-joon recently appeared on the most recent episode of 'Three Meals a Day'. The variety show follows Yum Jung-ah, Yoon Se-ah, and Park So-dam as they make their own food in a mountain setting. Park Seo-joon was their fourth guest on the program...More

Pyo Ye-jin is making a comeback. The actress who first came to prominence in a supporting role in the popular drama "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim" will soon be appearing in the highly anticipated drama "VIP" on October 28th starring Jang Nara and Lee Sang-yoon...More

As interest rises in "Melting Me Softly" so too has focus been put on the drama's character correlation chart. The drama's relationships are actually fairly simple to keep track of, as the story deals with relationships between a fairly limited set of cast members...More

On the weekends "Leverage: Fraud Control Operation" and "The Lies Within" have attracted attention for being dramas with a similar concept of being cable dramas with an action driven premise airing on the same night. The generally niche genre of such shows has finally proven lucrative enough for OCN that another network, TV Chosun, has tried to get in on the action...More

At this year's Busan International Film Festival 299 films appeared from 88 countries. 145 of these movies were international premieres. While BIFF has improved its quality of film, admissions are down slightly from last year. 2018 had 195,081 admissions while 2019 had 189,916 admissions...More

The original Korean title of "Crazy Romance" actually literally translates as the most ordinary romance. The statement is one of dark irony, because "Crazy Romance" is an equally accurate title. Soon-yeong (played by Gong Hyo-jin) is a woman who has chosen a life of romantic cynicism. Jae-hoon (played by Kim Rae-won) has had romantic cynicism thrust upon him. Together, they get very drunk, not because they are looking for a romantic partner, but as a humorous coping mechanism for their real world problems...More

People in the media in general tend to be loud and outspoken, but we all know that introverted people do indeed exist. "Free My Soul, Free My Song" is an interesting documentary because it's about a very introverted, very shy young woman who would normally never be the topic of a feature length. On the face of it there's nothing all that remarkable about Ji-hee's quest to become a world class acoustic guitar player- save for the fact that she is mentally challenged...More

Considered one of the first Korean films to implement special effects in a way that added to its value, "The Gingko Bed" is also story of eternal love that suffers, however, from a rather faulty narrative...More

If you're a glutton for punishment and don't have enough economic insecurity and anxiety in your life, tvN's got you covered with "Money Game". The upcoming financial suspense series has confirmed its casting of Go Soo, Lee Sung-min and Shim Eun-kyung, clearly going for that sweet Chungmuro appeal to torment us with...More

In a recent interview Shin Se-kyung has opened up about her recent role on "Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung". While much was made of the drama's feminist premise, Shin Se-kyung talked about how she was drawn to the role by its exploration of a woman at a crossroads in life. Shin Se-kyung will soon be entering her thirties, after all, and much like the character she plays, wants to be remembered as something besides a cute face...More

Park Ki-woong has long been a veteran of the South Korean entertainment industry. Having had roles in "Bridal Mask", "Monster - 2016" and "Return", his latest appearance was in the drama "Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung", where he played a prince. Following the end of the drama, Park Ki-woong has spoken more frankly about this role...More

In the wake of its unexpected box office success, "Crazy Romance" has come under fire for the image presented in the main theatrical poster. Specifically, Gong Hyo-jin's legs are portrayed as being longer than those of the actual actress. Official representatices from "Crazy Romance" have insisted the image was not touched up...More

"When the Camellia Blooms" has been a huge success on South Korean television hitting ratings upward of 14%. Though many factors are responsible for this, a subtler one is the unusual name of its main character. Dong-baek, who is played by Gong Hyo-jin, literally translates as Camellia. But why is the lead character of this aggressive romance named after the flower?...More

"KIM Jiyoung: Born 1982" opens on October 23rd and will be the first South Korean film in some time to be based off of a best-selling novel. Surprisingly few South Korean films are based off of novels, as popular novels in the country have not always had a storytelling style that can be easily translated to screen...More

On October 9th "Crazy Romance" passed 1.5 million viewers at the domestic South Korean box office. The film is in an excellent position to challenge the current record set by "Architecture 101" of over 4 million viewers for a romantic genre film, as competition has remained weak over the one-off Hangeul Day holiday on October 9th...More

Fresh off of a focus on her long-time married life, Lee Yo-won has posted a thankful acknowledgment to Instagram for a coffee car sent to her by fans...More

From October 10th to October 13th CJ is holding its tenth annual Korea Indonesia Film Festival. The film festival will take place in five different regions and Kang So-ra will be on hand throughout to promote the film festival personally...More

Following reports that KangNam is to marry his girlfriend, speed skater Lee Sang-hwa, the couple appears set to honeymoon in the Maldives. The vacation will take place after the couple is married on October 12th at an unnamed hotel in Seoul...More

Stephanie's Instagram

Stephanie has speaking about the kind of men she dislikes has been gaining attention. Specifically, Stephanie said that she doesn't like men who make jokes too easily. Stephanie described between six or seven men as having approached her romantically in such a way...More

"Crazy Romance" entered the South Korean box office with modest expectations, as was to be expected with a romantic comedy from a first time director opening against a major Hollywood superhero film. But after the movie's surprise million admissions weekend sales, international rights quickly became a hot commodity...More

In recognition of the one hundreth anniversary of South Korea's film industry, CGV will be running screenings from October 14th to October 27th of various classic South Korean films. However, the films in question will skew toward more recent releases, namely major box office performers of recent years, and some of the more well-known titles from the Hallyu Wave period of the late nineties and early two thousands...More

Back in August, actor Jang Geun-seuk had his thirty-second birthday. Jang Geun-suk's fan club, Cri J, began a donation drive at that time, and on October 7th finished the drive and made a donation of $25,000 in Jang Geun-suk's name to charity...More

With her recent reappearance in "The Running Mates: Human Rights" more attention has been focused on Lee Yo-won's personal life. The actress has been married since 2003 and the entertainment news program 'Section TV' recently ran a segment on Lee Yo-won and her husband...More

Actor Jung Hae-in has been back in the spotlight lately, as he walked the red carpet at the Busan International Film Festival on October 3rd. He came to the festival because it was screening his recent film "Tune in for Love", where Jung Hae-in co-starred with Kim Go-eun as a couple who keeps getting separated by time and tide...More

The stars of "Crazy Romance" made a point of doing special theater visits over the weekend to meet with fans. Though "Crazy Romance" failed to top the box office, it nonetheless managed to hit over a million viewers in five days, as the movie received plaudits for its blunt and decidedly unromantic portrayal of a romantic relationship...More

Song Hye-kyo recently made her first Instagram post since June. Though the post just consists of a fashion pictorial, it is noteworthy for being the first post Song Hye-kyo has made to the social media platform since the high profile announcement of her divorce from actor Song Joong-ki, who she met while filming "Descendants of the Sun" back in 2015...More

"Melting Me Softly" co-stars Ji Chang-wook and and Im Won-hee recently made an appearance on the variety show 'Laborhood on Hire'. The show stars comedian Yoo Jae-suk in the leading role as he takes celebrity guests to understaffed jobs and they all work together for the day getting the job done. In the latest edition the three actors worked at a sea salt farm...More

Fans of the ongoing tvN drama "Melting Me Softly" have taken note of the drama's surprisingly earnest attention to period fashion. The main characters of "Melting Me Softly" were frozen for twenty years, and portions of the drama taking place in the past day have shown strong fidelity to the fashion of 1999...More

Goo Ha-ra has been scarce in the South Korean market since earlier this year, following a series of unfortunate events stemming from an ex-boyfriend's attempts to blackmail her. Having departed for Japan, Goo Ha-ra has started working again and even signed contracts in the Japanese market. Now, she is posting content to Instagram detailing her appearances...More

In the opening scene of "The Villagers" we see Gi-cheol (played by Ma Dong-seok) forced into a change of careers for breaking the rules. In one of the movie's more interesting dramatic flourishes, Gi-cheol is not played from that point forward as a renegade. To the contrary, Gi-cheol is surprisingly passive. He does get provoked into investigating a missing persons case because high school student Yoo-jin (played by Kim Sae-ron) has been aggressively putting out flyers. But even then, Gi-cheol is subdued...More

Some particularly nerdy and socially awkward college students will look at superhero flicks and think that such movies represent the full range of cinematic expression. "Behind the Dark Night" is a mockumentary that takes a look at some such students and their quest that goes on for years to bring their epic vision to life. This, even as some members of the project realize that their derivative fan film is a stupid idea and just leave...More

Oh In-chun seems to experience an utterly creative phase during the latest years, since he turns up movies every few months. "The DMZ" despite its no-budget nature was one of the best, and now Oh returns with a kind of a sequel, in the same style but also quite different, both regarding the story and the narrative approach, which is more intricate...More

Kim Hye-yoon's Instagram

Kim Hye-yoon was one of many actresses to have received a visible career boost from her appearance in "SKY Castle" earlier this year. However, the actress is already working to distinguish herself from that role with her newfound prominence as the lead in the currently airing drama "Extraordinary You"...More

On October 4th the Busan International Film Festival held one of its first guest visits for the most recent release from director Hong Sang-soo, "Hotel by the River"...More

On October 4th writer/director Lee Sang-geun and lead actors Jo Jung-suk and Yoona participated in an Open Talk at the Busan International Film Festival for their film "Exit - Movie". The film opened in July at the South Korean box office and went on to earn 9.4 million admissions...More

With the release of "Defective People" next month more interest is coming to Oh Yeon-seo. On the Mnet program TMI News, the actress made a surprise appearance in the form of being an actress who used to be a singer in the group LUV back when she was still a teenager. The group LUV only lasted long enough for one album...More

With her special appearance in "Vagabond" and increasing presence on the advertising circuit Jun Ji-hyun appears to be hinting at a return to acting work. This has naturally increased interest in her husband, a man who is not an actor, and whose marriage is the chief reason why Jun Ji-hyun has taken a break so as to have children...More

The Busan International Film Festival kicked off on October 3rd. As was expected, actors Jo Jung-suk and Yoona of the hit film "Exit - Movie" were there, as well as writer/director Lee Sang-eun. South Korean media was on the scene to cover the event...More

With the fraternal relationship between Ha Jung-woo and Cha Hyun-woo back in the news, the question is naturally begged - why do the two brothers have different surnames? Both are the children of veteran actor Kim Yong-gun. Old footage from a talk show in 2009 sheds some light on the situation...More

At the opening ceremony for the Busan International Film Festival actor Lee Si-eon had some choice remarks for the city as a waypoint for film professionals...More

"Extraordinary You" has experienced a spike in interest since it first started airing, though the drama had been fairly low profile up until that point. Consequently, the comments of the male star Rowoon at the drama's October 2nd press conference have come under closer scrutiny...More

"When the Camellia Blooms" has released new stills for supporting actress Yum Hye-ran. Though Yum Hye-ran is forty three years old the stills somewhat surprisingly depict her wearing a school uniform. The scene being referenced is a flashback depicting the past encounters of present day encounters...More

Following the success of movies like "Extreme Job" and "Exit - Movie" the South Korean box office has seen a sudden shift to genre comedies. "Man of Men" is the latest film to follow up on this trend, banking on its lively characters and premise to find success at the box office...More

Kim Hee-ae is coming back in November with the new melodrama "Moonlit Winter". The movie is looking to follow up on the themes from other recent melodramas like "Be with You" and "Tune in for Love", as its lead characters set off in search for lost memories related to her first love...More

Director Jeon Gye-soo and actress Chun Woo-hee have been making the rounds in the media to promote their upcoming film "Vertigo", a romantic melodrama about a woman who's scared of heights and a man who obsessively climbs buildings. On the SBS radio program 'Cinetown' Jeon Gye-soo talked about an odd encounter he had with Park Chan-wook and Ha Jung-woo...More

Hwang Bo-ra has been attracting attention lately for her low-key, but important role in the currently airing drama "Vagabond". Because the drama is preproduced she is free to maintain a low profile - as was noticed when she posted a picture of herself on Instagram with a baby...More

Moon Jung-hee is not particularly well-known in the South Korean entertainment industry. However, interest in the actress has spiked thanks to her distinctive appearance on "Vagabond"...More

In a year that has been dominated by acrimonious news about celebrity couples gone awry, Jo Jung-suk and his wife Gummy are soon to celebrate their first year wedding anniversary. The two had been dating for five years before getting married in a private ceremony last year on October 8th...More

On October 1st Jung Yoo-mi announced through her agency, Ace Factory, that she was canceling her current contract as an advertising model for DHCKorea and returning all outstanding money she had already been paid earlier in the contract period...More

While the drama is far more being finished, "The Tale of Nokdu" has had a strong opening week with its first two nights of programming, having achieved ratings ranging from 6-8%. The last drama to have gotten ratings this high for KBS in the late Monday/Tuesday timeslot was "The Man In My House" back in 2016...More

On September 29th Park Shin-hye made a post on Instagram commemorating FT Island member Lee Hong-ki, who has become the first member of that group to begin his mandatory military service...More

Sojin of the musical groups Girl's Day has been cast for the upcoming drama "Stove League", which stars Namgoong Min in the leading role...More

Following the massive success of "Exit - Movie" this summer, and the legitimacy it granted Yoona as an actress, there was much interest in "The Battle of Jangsari", about whether that movie would prove to be a similar success for Minho. While "The Battle of Jangsari" did win the overall box office over the weekend, it did not break a million viewers and is unlikely to set a similarly strong precedent...More

On the latest episode of the South Korean variety show 'My Little Old Boy' Lee Sang-yeob talked about "The Day I Died". According to Lee Sang-yeob, filming for the film has already started and he has been working on set with his co-star, Kim Hye-soo...More

According to figures released by the Korean Film Council "The Battle of Jangsari" won last weekend's competition at the box office. The war movie earned 689,686 admissions. This puts it significantly ahead of "By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture" with 275,680 admissions...More

Actor Oh Ji-ho recently appeared on the morning radio program 'Park Seon-young's Cine Town' to discuss his latest movie. He describes his interest in "Rainbow Playground" as stemming from having children. Though Oh Ji-ho has said he used to be averse to public spaces with people, thanks to his children, now he seeks them out...More

On September 30th the cast and crew of "The Tale of Nokdu" appeared at a press event in Seoul to talk about the drama. South Korean media was on the scene to document the event, in particular the fetching blue outfit worn by lead actress Kim So-hyun...More

The title of "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" is somewhat misleading. Without a doubt, the four principal characters are all extremely dangerous people who strike fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere. But in person, they're oddly aloof and charming. Woong-cheol (played by Ma Dong-seok) likes to sew. Goo-tak (played by Kim Sang-joong) exudes a fatherly air over the team. No-soon (played by Kim Ah-joong) has great social skills, which she mostly uses for scams. While Yoo-seong (played by Jang Ki-yong) likes to fight, even he can tell when he's outgunned...More

Itami Jun was a Japanese architect. Curiously enough, the place where his work is best known is South Korea, or at least, that's where you're most likely to find examples of his work. "The Sea of Itami Jun" is a documentary that goes over why that is. Even though Itami Jun was a bit of an eccentric, going so far as get a South Korean passport when he's not even fluent in the local language, director Jung Da-woon does not look at his life through a nationalist lens, but rather an architectural one...More

It is always a bit strange to watch a film after you have met the director, and this is what happened to me in the case of Jeon Sungyeon and "The Fearless and Vulnerable". Fortunately, the documentary is quite interesting and so I did not have to slam a person I ended up liking. Let us see what the film is about though...More

Drama fans rejoice, as we get some happy casting returns for "Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim Season 2", pushing one major multi-season worry out of the way. While not everyone makes a return, there are enough new faces and stories to hopefully make up for that...More

Once in the South Korean market the notion that singers could become actors was treated with open disdain. But lately idols best known for their musical careers have been making progressively more convincing forays into acting. "Vagabond" is headlined by two such performers - Lee Seung-gi and Suzy were both famous as singers before they started doing high profile acting roles...More

On September 26th SonFeya posted a comment on her Facebook page in response to Song Young-hak's death. The comment describes Song Young-hak as being like an older brother to her, and makes reference to their meeting together earlier this year to appear in a short film. During that time they had discussed meeting together in the Hongdae University area in the future...More

On September 25th Oh Na-ra posted a picture of herself to Instagram with her "9.9 Billion Woman" co-star Lee Ji-hoon-I. The location of the picture is unclear, but it appears to be a shooting location for the drama. The two of them stand out as a surprisingly cute couple despite the sizable age difference between them...More

On September 26th Lee Seung-gi appeared at a fan signing event at the Lohbs Beauty Lab in the Itaewon district of Seoul. He was there because of his contract as a model with the brand Leaders Cosmetic...More

"Miss Lee" has been one of the more low-profile dramas of the current season. The drama's only real star of note is "Hyeri", who has long been criticized for a perceived lack of talent. However, the drama has been promoting itself more on uniqueness of concept than star popularity, purporting to show off a realistic working environment...More

On September 23rd Lee Ha-na made an Instagram post commemorating her birthday...More

On September 26th "Sorikkun" released footage of the cast and crew first meeting each other at a special introductory event on September 17th. The event was held in anticipation of September 23rd, the day the Joseon era musical film started filming. The historical drama stars Lee Yoo-ri, Kim Dong-hwan, and Kim Min-joon in the leading roles as persons associated with traditional pansori music...More

On September 7th Song Hye-kyo was confirmed to have appeared at a fashion show event in New York City. Now a new report from the Hong Kong periodical Apple Daily suggests that Song will be staying in the city to take a short-term art course...More

"Deliver Us From Evil" has confirmed that actress Choi Hee-seo will be joining the cast. The news come just ahead of the domestic premiere of her leading role in the independent film "Our Body", which deals with a woman struggling to get a decent job who becomes fascinated by the apparently calming nature of jogging as a hobby...More

Ahead of its October 9th release date "Rainbow Playground held a press conference on September 25th. Still images released alongside the event have given a clearer idea as to the movie's tone. The story centers around Oh Ji-ho's character as he gets entangled in episodic encounters with the denizens of a peculiar neighborhood...More

An interview with husband-and-wife actors Jin Seon-kyu and Park Bo-kyung has attracted interest for its frank discussion of their attempts to balance family life with their careers. While Jin Seok-kyu is the more famous of the two, Park Bo-kyung has described herself as having a powerful hunger for the stage. After taking a break following the birth of their first child, she was determined to appear in at least one project before the birth of their second...More

While "Hotel Del Luna" had many popular elements bolstering its popularity, one of the easier ones to overlook were the drama's special effects, which convincingly came together to form a portrait of a purgatorial dream world. Digital Idea, the VFX company behind "Hotel Del Luna", now has another chance to shine with the premiere of "Vagabond"...More

In an interview on September 24th actor Hong Jong-hyun confirmed that he keeps contact with his co-stars from the 2017 historical drama "The King Loves", Im Si-wan and Yoona. In the drama the three actors formed a love triangle, where Hong Jong-hyun and Im Si-wan played members of the Goryeo royal family while Yoona was the daughter of a family stuck in political conflict with them...More

Lee Sang-geun was an unknown quantity when he made "Exit - Movie". Indeed, the director's relative inexperience was considered a strike against the movie's prospects before its release. But having easily risen to become the top-performing movie of the summer season, so too has Lee Sang-geun improved his profile...More

While Jung In-sun is best known for her recent appearance in the lead role of "Terius Behind Me", the actress has a surprisingly long pedigree in the South Korean entertainment industry. Recently, photos have been spread of her brief role in the famed serial killer investigation flick "Memories of Murder", where she appears as the girl in the ending...More

A new movie theater has opened in the Hongdae district of Seoul. Hongdae is already home to a CGV, a Lotte Cinema, as well as an independent movie theater at the KT&G Sangsangmadang Complex, but the new theater is Megabox branded. It has five theaters and 726 seats...More

On the latest episode of 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator' Kang Ki-young made some surprising comments about his "Crazy Romance" co-star Kim Rae-won, saying that Kim Rae-won could have a girlfriend if he didn't go fishing so often. When Kim Sung-joo asked Kim Rae-won who he went fishing with, Kim Rae-won replied that he had gone on trips with the actor Choi Jae-hwan as well as other celebrities...More

Director Yi Okseop has been making the rounds in anticipation of her upcoming film "Maggie", which stars Moon So-ri in a major role. Yi Okseop has had many praising words for the older woman, describing her as a pillar that helped keep the production together...More

August saw two major successes in South Korean independent film with "The House of Us" and "House of Hummingbird". The first has grossed over fifty thousand admissions and the second is set to break one hundred thousand this weekend. But aside from being popular in their own right, both films are noteworthy for having been directed by women, who have long had more difficulty than men in getting their films made, even on the independent film circuit...More

A press conference was held on September 24th for the upcoming movie "Crazy Romance". South Korea media was on the scene to take photos of lead actors Kim Rae-won and Gong Hyo-jin as well as director Kim Han-gyul...More

In retrospect, the best predictor for the current trend in successful South Korean movies was "Intimate Strangers" from last October. That adaptation of an Italian film had a strong cast, but little obvious frills. The story takes place during a dinner party and the tone is generally comedic with moments of drama thrown in. The movie needed 1.8 million admissions to break even, but ended up leaving the box office with over 5.2 million admissions...More

Following the conclusion of "Arthdal Chronicles" on September 22nd fans took to the Internet speculating about the drama earning a second season. Afterward, tvN responded to these queries with a statement saying that they were considering ordering another season. They mentioned that this had been in consideration from the beginning of production and that they were planning on issuing a decision soon...More

"Leverage: High Control Fraud Operation" is nearing its release. The new TV Chosun drama is based off of the American cable drama of the same name and deals with a team of scam artists. This is the first new TV Chosun drama since the conclusion of "Joseon Survival", which ended in embarrassment when Kang Ji-hwan was arrested for sexually assaulting other persons relevant to the production...More

On September 23rd "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" released behind the scenes photo stills of the movie's filming. This follows the film's second straight week atop the South Korean box office...More

On September 23rd the Korean Film Council released figures for the weekend box office. "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" was once again on top of the charts with a total of over 3.9 million credited admissions...More

Il-chool (played by Park Jung-min) is a young man who's obsessed with the game of poker. For good reason- he's pretty good at it and makes decent money there. At the very least, he can hustle a small table of other players. In the most striking scene of "Tazza: One Eyed Jack" we see Il-chool in a crowded study hall struggling to concentrate on the extremely boring lecture to help him ace an equally boring test because the poker chips of fantasy are just too alluring...More

Director Jeremy Joey first started filming "Life is a Dream We'll Wake up and Scream" back in 2012. He wanted a comprehensive look at the indie rock scene in the Hongdae district of Seoul by marking the journey of three bands trying to turn their passion into a profession. Though two of the three bands were successful, the documentary is bittersweet. In 2018 band members can be seen discussing an independent South Korean music scene that's not what it once was...More

This film was a strange watch for me, since a few days before I had watched "Alpinist: Confession of a Cameraman", Lim Il-jin's last film, that recorded, among others, the expedition that ended with the death of the director in 2018. Thus, watching a man I knew was dead, recording the climbing of the rugged Canadian bigwall, 'Bugaboo', became part of the review, making me feel a ritualistic sentiment, as I was writing this text. Let us see what "The Wall" is about, though...More

The latest Video On Demand performance charts have been released for the second week of September, on September 20th. The highest requested movie during this time period was "Exit - Movie", while the most requested drama was "Graceful Family"...More

Director Kim Seong-ho and actress Kim Joo-ri have been chosen to lead the opening ceremony for the 11th annual Seoul International Architecture Film Festival. Director Kim Seong-ho is a more intuitive choice for the job than he might seem at first glance...More

On September 20th the Korean Asset Manager Corporation (KAMCO) announced that it was putting an upscale apartment in the Samsung district of Seoul up for auction from September 23rd to 25th. What's notable about the property is that the address, Samsung Terrace unit 1302, is the residence of actor Park Yoo-chun...More

On September 20th at the Imperial Palace in Seoul a press conference was held for the upcoming drama "Melting Me Softly", which is the comeback project for Ji Chang-wook following his two years of mandatory military service. South Korean news services were on the scene to take photos of the event...More

"Stove League" has confirmed that Jo Byeong-gyu will be appearing in the drama. Little is known about the project except that Namgoong Min will play the main role as a leader who takes control of a struggling team...More

With "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" CJ continues to show a surprisingly strong hold on the South Korean domestic box office. In addition to having the only two domestic ten million viewer hits of the year with "Extreme Job" and "Parasite", they also won the big summer blockbuster competition with "Exit - Movie" and have now with "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" also won Korean Thanksgiving weekend...More

Go Min-si has been making rapid progress as a supporting name in dramas. Since her debut in "My Sassy Girl - Drama" in 2017 she has alternated between minor roles and significant supporting roles in a large number of projects, even having a turn as the narrator in the recent major film "The Battle: Roar to Victory". She was the second lead in "Hundred Million Stars from the Sky" and how has a comparably important role in "Secret Boutique", her first on a broadcast network drama...More

KBS has released a character correlation chart to help keep track of the many people in its latest drama, "When the Camellia Blooms". The design of the chart is simpler and cuter than usual. Much of this has to do with the relatively small core cast and how most of them only have relationships with the lead characters and not each other...More

Many of the major dramas of the new season feature pairings that have already been seen before. For the extremely ambitious spy thriller "Vagabond" Lee Seung-gi and and Suzy were brought back together from their appearance in the 2013 fantasy historical drama "Gu Family Book". Much has changed since then - Suzy in particular has aged from a teenage singer to a young woman who is making a conscious effort to transition into being a serious actress...More

Politically themed dramas have long been seen as risky in the South Korean market. Politicians are not popular in the country and going into any degree of speficity about the beliefs of fictional characters is a sure fire way to anger those who identify against such beliefs. Recent political dramas, however, have been bolder about tackling real-life issues and have done reasonably well as a result...More

After it's first seven days in the box office "The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos has cracked the three million viewer mark, emerging as the clear winner of the Korean Thanksgiving weekend. Its current speed is comparable to "The Face Reader" and "The Fortress", the two histrorically highest performing movies on the Korean Thanksgiving weekend...More

The Asia Artist Awards are going to be held in Hanoi on November 26th. Three major South Korean actresses have been confirmed to be attending the event, suggesting that there is a high chance they will be honored for their achievements there...More

While Park Yoo-chun has most spectacularly been in the news for his arrest on criminal narcotics charges other cases against the disgraced actor have remained pending. While Park Yoo-chun was cleared in criminal court in regards to rape charges against his second accuser for an incident in December of 2015 back in June of 2016, charges in civil court have been outstanding and only recently resolved...More

Kang Ha-neul has long had a career in the South Korean entertainment industry. As a child he appeared with his father on a singing contest show, winning for three straight weeks. As a teenager he appeared in the starring role in a musical about Korean inventor Jang Yeong Sil. From there he moved on to films and dramas...More

Director Jang Hang-jun appeared on the most recent episode of the variety talk show 'Radio Star' as a guest. On the show he talked about his wife, screenwriter Kim Eun-hee-I, and how he has had to take the lead on housework lately because she's been exhausted from working on "Kingdom - Season 2"...More

The best performing domestic releases in South Korea this year have all been comedies with a twist. In "Extreme Job" the twist was the absurd premise of police officers running a drug investigation operation out of a fried chicken restaurant. With "Parasite" the twist was layered inside the weird artistically styled class commentary. "Exit - Movie" was simply a disaster movie that put humor first. "Rainbow Playground" is primed for a similar market...More

The production company behind "The King: Forever Sovereign" has confirmed that script readings for the highly anticipated drama were held on September 17th. Director Baek Sang-hoon, scriptwriter Kim Eun-sook, and actors Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan, Lee Jung-jin, Kim Kyung-nam-II, and Jung Eun-chae have all been confirmed to be in attendance...More

On September 16th the agency ArtistCompany opened up a new YouTube channel. Since then various performers involved with ArtistCompany, including Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung, and Yum Jung-ah have promoted the new form of social media outreach...More

As "Arthdal Chronicles" has struggled to exceed ratings above 8%, the forty five million dollar drama has set a poor precedent for the next major preproduction, "Vagabond". However, "Vagabond", with only about a twenty million dollar budget in comparison, does have a few more factors working in its favor...More

Shin Ji has posted an old picture of herself to Instagram. The picture, taken from before Shin Ji was well known, shows how the woman looked before her double eyelid surgery - the appearance for which she is best known...More

"The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos" had a huge weekend, as strong word-of-mouth pushed the movie into first place, with a final total of 2.67 million overall admissions. "Tazza: One Eyed Jack" had 1.68 million admissions by comparison. However, going into the weekend, both movies had about the same admissions - 700,000. The million admission difference came over Saturday and Sunday...More

Wang Ji-hye is getting married on September 29th. The groom is a younger man who is not a celebrity. According to Wang Ji-hye's agency, they have been together for about a year...More

Following the end of "Hotel Del Luna", its replacement, "Arthdal Chronicles", has taken the drama's number one spot among late night dramas. "Arthdal Chronicles" also preceded "Hotel Del Luna" and its performance then, while good, was an underperformance compared to expectations and budget...More

Bae Da-bin has been confirmed for "Arthdal Chronicles". Though the drama was preproduced and is now entering its final week, much of the cast has been deliberately kept secret to protect against spoilers. Bae Da-bin will play the woman warrior Mi Roo-soul. There are no details about the character save for her name and profession...More

On September 16th Seolhyun posted pictures of herself with her dog on Instagram. The pictures are notable because the actress and singer is not heavily made up, and thus does not look the way she is known to in public appearances...More

Though it has a similar title to "The World of Us" writer/director Yoon Ga-eun did not develop "The House of Us" as a spirutal sequel. As filming continued the phrase "The House of Us" or literally just our home frequently recurs and has obvious symbolic power. Ha-na (played by Kim Na-yeon) feels adrift in her own family as her parents always fight and her brother's always aloof. What kind of home or family is that supposed to be?...More

Director Song Won-geun-I opens "My name is KIM Bok-dong" up with just a black screen, and then the voice of the titular activist. Whatever visual flourishes "My name is KIM Bok-dong" may have to offer, the reason why the woman was important was because of her voice. There was mundanity in that voice, just describing everyday activities, be it in the present day as an old woman or in the past as a sex slave...More

Kim So-yeon has confirmed that shooting for the popular weekend drama "Mother of Mine" is now complete. She made the announcement on Instagram, along with an emoticon infused photo with child actress Joo Je-rim, who plays the role of her niece on the program...More

On September 11th the production company behind 'Three Meals a Day - Mountain Village' confirmed that Park Seo-joon would be the fourth guest star on the variety show...More

According to a report released by the Korean Film Council there were a total of eighteen million admissions at the domestic South Korean box office this summer. This marks the first time in seven years that August at the South Korean box office failed to bring in more than twenty million viewers...More

On September 10th the beauty brand company IOPE announced that they had selected Kim So-yeon as their latest model. The news follows reports that "Mother of Mine" has finished shooting, which has improved the availability of the actress...More

On September 10th the SBS entertainment news program 'Access Showbiz Tonight' analyzed Ku Hye-sun's allegations about Ahn Jae-hyun being deficient when it came to the emotional demands of their relationship. Ku Hye-sun and Ahn Jae-hyun, as well as their legal teams, both refused interviews. On Ahn Jae-hyun's side there was no comment, while Ku Hye-sun's side cited their intention to provide evidence at trial...More

In the week before the three major releases on Korean Thanksgiving weekend the box office has been surprisingly quiet. So it is that "Hello Carbot the Movie: Save the Moon" has had a dominating presence on ticket reservation sites, nearly toppling a major Hollywood release on its way to three hundred thousand admissions...More

On September 9th Hyun Bin appeared at a promotional event for the Omega Speedmaster watch brand at the Coex Mall in the Gangnam district of Seoul. South Korean media was on hand to capture the event...More

On September 10th Korea Real Estate Investment and Trust announced that Yoo Joon-sang and Hong Eun-hee would be their new advertising representitives. The two are a real life couple who have been married for seventeen years and have two children together...More

As of September 10th "Exit - Movie" is now available on domestic South Korean streaming services. While "Exit - Movie" is still performing decently at the box office, its numbers will likely drop dramatically with the release of three major domestic South Korean films in anticipation of Korean Thanksgiving weekend...More

One of Park Shin-hye's old Instagram pictures has been making rounds on the Internet. In the pictures Park Shin-hye can be seen motioning to Hyun Bin...More

According to figures released by the Korean Film Council "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" had 3212 admissions for 41 screenings between 25 screens on September 8th. This was enough to bring the animated movie to 802,296 overall admissions since its initial release on July 25th...More

The sports casual brand All For You has started advertising for its fall and winter collections, and has taken the somewhat novel approach of using actors Kim So-yeon and Lee Sang-woo as models. The two are also married in real life...More

Kan Mi-youn is set to be married this coming November 9th. The 37-year-old actress who originally debuted as a singer in the girl group Baby V.O.X back in 1997 will marry a musical actor three years her junior at Dongsoong Church in Seoul. Their relationship was publically acknowledged three years ago...More

After its fortieth day at the box office "Exit - Movie" has hit over 9.22 million viewers. While the movie's still a long way from ten million, it has already earned the distinction of being the best box office performance of a movie featuring Jo Jung-suk. That title was previously held by "The Face Reader", which exited the South Korean box office with 9.13 million viewers...More

New stills of "Melting Me Softly" have given a glimpse into Yoon Se-ah's character, Ha-yeong. As the drama's second lead, Yoon Se-ah will be in the awkward position of playing the ex-girlfriend of lead actor Ji Chang-wook, who matured into a capable adult without him when he ended up getting frozen for longer than expected...More

I don't really get what the title "Closed School" is supposed to mean here. The titular institution isn't a school that services students, it's more a psychological manifestation of how the now adult Yoo-ra (played by Chun Yi-seul) continues to feel horrific guilt about her role in the apparent suicide of her high school classmate Mi-ok (played by Lee Yoon-soo). The plot picks up with Yoo-ra meeting the rest of her now adult classmates who remain too emotionally insincere to address their role in Mi-ok's death...More

So-jeong (played by Kim So-min) is the wife of Kang-ho (played by Moon Young-dong), who was once a rising star in the North Korean military before he lost his legs. Ever since then life has been fairly miserable. Their household can't make enough money to get by and Kang-ho is increasingly hostile to his own family, even yelling at their only adorable daughter Hyo-sim (played by Kim Ryeo-won). Though So-jeong has found a solution of sorts it's obviously not sustainable...More

The value of the documentary as a medium of recording lives and events, and subsequently, as a tool whose purpose is not to let people forget, finds one of its apogees in this particular documentary. "Alpinist: Confession of a Cameraman" is a true requiem for a number of Korean alpinists who lost their lives in the mountains, but most of all, a tribute to the late mountain film director Lim Il-jin, who died along  the entire expedition to Mt. Gurja, in 2018...More

First part of the KBS 4-episode documentary titled "Journey on Foot", Kim Han-seok's (who also organized the project plan) "Goodbye My Girlhood" focuses on Wang-mo, a girl in Ladakh, India and her Pad Yatra, a harsh pilgrimage trip a number of people take walking 200 km in 17 days, in extremely harsh conditions at an altitude of 5,200m. The series won the 2018 Korean Broadcasting Awards for Best Television Documentary...More

On September 5th actress Kim Seul-gi posted two photos and a short video of herself on Instagram. In the video she can be seen brightly smiling, and in the pictures she is hiding her face in a cute manner...More

Ku Hye-sun's Instagram

The scandal involving a possible divorce between Ku Hye-sun and Ahn Jae-hyun had strange beginnings. Ku Hye-sun confirmed the matter herself publically on social media back on August 18th. Such behavior is generally unheard of for celebrities, who generally try to keep such problems quiet. However, with no active or future projects, Ku Hye-sun faced little personal risk for bringing her marriage into scandal...More

Oh Yeon-seo's Instagram

Following a swift angry response to rumors that she was having an affair with Ahn Jae-hyun, Oh Yeon-seo's agency has been quiet when it comes to following up on legal threats. Part of the reason for this is likely that support of Oh Yeon-seo has been strong, with many online commenters arguing against the veracity of the rumor...More

One of the reasons why the divorce between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo proceeded so smoothly earlier this year is that the two did not have much in the way of shared or disputed assets, their finances having been kept largely separate during their marriage. Ahn Jae-hyun and Ku Hye-sun can't overcome this problem as easily, however, thanks to the marital apartment they moved in together as a couple...More

On September 4th actor Bae Je-ki posted a photo on Instagram of himself hanging out with Lee Je-hoon, Park Jung-min, and Yoon Sung hyun. The picture is a reminder of how "Hunting Time" has brought back together the creative team behind the highly acclaimed 2011 film "Bleak Night"...More

It's time to get that relationship chart going, and "Secret Boutique" is not about to make it easy for us. You can't have grand drama without grand connections, and the connections you can see in the following posters range from the significant to the petty.

First up we have Jenny Jang (Kim Sun-ah), the character behind the veil. Jenny Jang is the owner of J Boutique and a big shot in the political and business circles who is eager to become the head of chaebol company DEO Group. Her past looks tragic and her hate for our villain great. Her poster reads "You will regret it. I have never lost, chairman"....More

The new movie "Stellar" has been announced with its leading actor Son Ho-jun. Son Ho-jun will play Yeong-bae, an ace rental car dealer who must use the vehicle Stella, bequested to him by his father, in order to locate a high-class supercar. The story is being billed as a fantasy comic drama. Lee Kyu-hyung will also appear as Yeong-bae's buddy Dong-sik...More

Reports are suggesting that Lee Ji-hoon-I will soon join the cast of "9.9 Billion Woman". The actor who is currently appearing in "Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung" in a supporting role is expected to play the role of the constantly busy head of a foundation...More

According to figures released on September 5th by the Korean Film Council, "Exit - Movie" has just passed the nine million viewer mark. The movie had a total of 29,911 admissions on September 4th, which allowed it to a total of 9,008,147 admissions overall. Lead actor Jo Jung-suk expressed his thanks to fans on social media for this milestone. Lead actress Yoona also said she was thankful and grateful for the support of so many people, pledging to improve her acting in the future...More

On September 5th Ku Hye-sun was officially served with divorce papers by Ahn Jae-hyun's own attorney. The two will meet in court. In an SNS message Ahn Jae-hyun's attorney stated that documents already released by Ku Hye-sun on social media should be sufficient to allow the court to come to a conclusion regarding the divorce...More

In contrast to the quick divorce earlier this year between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, which was conducted via largely anonymous lawyers, Ahn Jae-hyun's lawyer for his divorce with Ku Hye-sun is a known personality. Ahn Jae-hyun's lawyer, Bang Jung-hyun, made appearances on television earlier this year to discuss the Burning Sun case...More

On September 3rd Park Yoo-na posted her closing thoughts about "Hotel Del Luna" on Instagram. The actress stated that she would remember the drama forever. Park Yoo-na also expressed thanks and happiness for all the love her characters Song-hwa and Mi-ra received during filming...More

On September 3rd Shin Se-kyung posted a picture of herself with her dog on Instagram. In the picture she describes the dog as having gotten very big and heavy...More

Following Kang Ji-hwan's statement on September 2nd that he committed sexual assault, but does not remember doing so and regrets his actions, his victims have fired back. On September 3rd a lawyer representing the interests of Kang Ji-hwan's victims appeared on an SNS enterainment news program to counter these statements...More

On September 4th Noon Company put out an official statement insisting that there is absolutely no truth to the rumor that Ahn Jae-hyun is romantically involved with Kim Seul-gi. They added that Kim Seul-gi is doing well filming "Defective People" at the current moment...More

Lee Do-hyun has been the surprising breakout star of "Hotel Del Luna". In his role as the bodyguard for IU over several centuries, Kim Do-hyun has from the very first episode been an obvious key to the drama's backstory. His early appearance in a dream by leading man Yeo Jin-goo only further improved the character's intrigue...More

On September 3rd the Good Data Corporation released its drama report for the fifth week of August. In its final week "Hotel Del Luna" was once again the number one drama in terms of social media engagement, a ranking the drama has held throughout its entire eight week run...More

Kim Sung-ryung's reputation has taken a hit as a result of the protracted nomination feud regarding justice minister nominee Cho Kuk. The rumors stem from an online video posted by a former reporter to YouTube which discussed Cho Kuk's ties to the entertainment industry...More

On September 3rd Sublime Artist Agency announced that Hyomin, who is represented by the agency, has been appointed as an ambassador for the country's upcoming Youth Day. Youth Day is in its third year and will take place on September 21st...More

Pressure is mounting on tvN to fire Jang Dong-min following a poorly received broadcast of the variety show 'Player'. On the September 1st broadcast of 'Player' there's a segment where the show's regulars pass judgment on various real world rappers for a parody segment of the popular rap competition program 'Show Me the Money'...More

On September 3rd OCN released new production materials regarding its upcoming drama "The Running Mates: Human Rights". The pictures provide an odd twist to the drama's already strange premise. The drama centers around Humans Rights Commission investigators with little real power and in the pictures, we can see that the lead characters played by Lee Yo-won, Choi Gwi-ha, Hang Hyung-sang, Oh Mi-hee, and Kim Joo-young constantly look disgusted...More

On September 2nd IU posted a message on Instagram concerning her recently concluded drama, "Hotel Del Luna". In the message she mentioned being excited every day she went to the filming location, and said that she didn't want to quit the drama after all the consideration and love she had received there...More

As summer starts to slip away clothing brands have started to open up for the autumn season. Consequently, Kang So-ra has started to appear in official advertising materials from Fantom, a sportswear company with which she has a contract...More

On September 1st Ji Chang-wook posted his first video on YouTube. Though the video is only a four minute long self-introduction, it immediately proved quite popular. In two days it has already amassed two hundred thousand pageviews...More

On September 2nd persons close to Ku Hye-sun have confirmed that the actress has retired from the South Korean entertainment industry. She is currently planning to return to university. Ku Hye-sun entered Sungkyunkwan University back in 2011 with the intention of earning a graduate degree in the arts, but did not graduate from her program...More

Dramas regarding family corporations have been out of fashion lately, and upstart cable dramas have also not done well. However, "Graceful Family" is quickly proving an exception to the rule, as the corporate themed drama from MBN and Dramamax is likely to beat 3% ratings this week...More

Joong-soo (played by Bae Sung-woo) is a Catholic priest and exorcist. In the cold open to "Metamorphosis" we see an exorcism gone horribly wrong, less because of anything Joong-soo himself did incorrectly, and more because the demonic spirit managed to successfully imitate the person it was possessing at a critical moment. Further events create the disturbing impression that the demonic spirit's actual goal was just to get into Joong-soo's head, although cryptic warnings about a horrible fate to befall Joong-soo's family are, well, the actual plot of the movie...More

In the first story of the "Hello, My Cat" omnibus the cat talks. He talks a lot. It actually get to be really annoying very quickly since he never has much to say, he's just narrating stuff that we can already see is happening on-screen. The talking cat device is particularly obnoxious because in the second section of the omnibus, the cat only talks very briefly at the beginning. Then in parts three and four the cat is conspicuously silent, leaving the animal's motivation ambiguous...More

Using the supernatural to make social comments (through metaphor or not) is a tactic that has been used many times in world cinema, with films like "Get Out", "American Psycho" or even "The People Under the Stairs" implementing this approach in the most brilliant fashion. "Abyss: The Girl's Eyes" is Jang Hyeon-sang's effort in the category, with him, however, not managing to stay away from some local trends, like the crime thriller element and the concept of the "exorcism". On the other hand, his approach is unique, so no harm done, at least in that aspect...More

I'm back on the "Hyena" hype train, and the news is excellent. Kim Hye-soo and Ju Ji-hoon have accepted their respective offers to lead SBS's upcoming hyena-eat-hyena story...More

On August 28th Kim Dong-wook received the Best Actor award at the Seoul International Drama Awards, where he competed with drama stars worldwide. Kim Dong-wook got the win for his performance as the lead in "Special Labor Inspector, Mr. Jo", and had some choice remarks in his acceptance speech...More

As "Exit - Movie" has passed the 8.5 million mark, having easily outperformed the other major South Korean blockbusters this summer, Yoona's position as a box office draw appears to have solidified. She made her film debut with "Confidential Assignment" in 2016. Though she was not the lead, "Confidential Assignment" was still a big success with 7.8 million admissions...More

On August 30th Popeye Entertainment announced that Oh Na-ra would be joining the upcoming KBS drama "9.9 Billion Woman". This will be Oh Na-ra's first recurring role in a drama since the mega-hit "SKY Castle" earlier this year...More

A representative from the production company behind "Wonderland" has confirmed that Chinese actress Tang Wei is considering taking the leading role, but has not yet accepted it. Tang Wei's husband, Kim Tae-yong, is directing "Wonderland", his first feature-length film since "Late Autumn - 2010", where Tang Wei was the lead actress...More

On August 29th BTS band member V posted a photo on BTS's official Twitter depicting himself, Park Seo-joon, and Choi Wooshik stretching in front of the ocean in an ambiguous location. The picture indicates that the artists have gone on vacation together...More

On August 29th the Netflix original series "Love Alarm" has released more behind the scenes photos of the drama's casting environment. In the photos cast members can be seen posing for commemorative photos while still in costume at various shooting locations for the drama...More

"Doctor Prisoner" received an Excellence Award at the latest Seoul International Drama Awards. This marks five straight years that KBS has had a drama recognized in either the Top Excellence or Excellence Awards over the past four years, giving it the best record of the major networks with dramas...More

On August 28th the upcoming OCN drama "Strangers from Hell" held a press conference ahead of the drama's August 31st release. Lee Jung-eun, who received wide acclaim following her appearance in "Parasite" earlier this year, talked about why she chose to join the cable thriller about a young man who moves into an eerie apartment complex in Seoul...More

In a preview for the latest 'The Night of Hate Comments' vairety show episode, entertainment personality Hong Suk-chun is making a surprising claim - that popular screenwriters Kim Eun-hee-I and Song Jae-jeong lived together. Kim Eun-hee-I wrote the script for popular dramas such as "Kingdom" and "Signal", while Song Jae-jeong wrote "Memories of the Alhambra" and "W"...More

With the success of "Love Playlist - Season 4" more attention is being paid to the web drama market aimed at younger viewers. A study from the fashion corporation Hyungji Elite has found that web dramas are, by far, the most popularly consumed videos for primary, middle, and secondary school students. Web dramas held 51.5% of their timeshare, compared to 21% of YouTube broadcasts, 15% of variety shows, and 11.5% of television dramas...More

While the obvious winner of the summer blockbuster season, "Exit - Movie" has nonetheless stalled out after a very strong opening. This may mark the first time in six years that the South Korean film domestic market has gone through the summer season without a ten million viewer megahit...More

Following a popular run as the male lead on "Her Private Life" earlier this year Kim Jae-wook has been scarce. He did an interview for an upcoming issue of Esquire that also had him doing a photoshoot in France. But following that Kim Jae-wook took a detour to Germany...More

Ahead of the drama's September 18th release SBS has been releasing production photos of "Secret Boutique". The latest shows actress Go Min-si in her supporting role as Lee Hyeon-ji, whose backstory revolves around her being a serious amateur Go player who tried and failed to become a professional at the age of nineteen...More

On August 27th Lotte Entertainment released "The Divine Fury" on to domestic South Korean streaming services. IPTV, Digital Cable TV, Google Play, Naver, Kakao, TVING, pooq, and other digital services now offer the movie for paid viewing...More

Official pictures from Ju Ji-hoon's last fan meeting on July 27th at Kyung Hee University show that participating fans got more than they bargained for when Kim Dong-wook and Jung Woo-sung also made an appearance. The pictures were released on August 26th by Ju Ji-hoon's agency, Key East...More

Another fine day dawns in Dramaland when one reads news of such a potential casting. Park Sung-woong and Choi Jin-hyuk are officially the big names on the table for OCN's upcoming drama "Rugal", and both actors are currently considering their respective offers...More

On August 26th Jo Yeo-jung's agency, High Entertainment, confirmed that Jo Yeo-jung will appear as the lead in the upcoming KBS drama "9.9 Billion Woman". She will be playing the title character, Jeong Seo-yeon, who comes into possession of 99 billion won and prepares to use it to find happiness, as well as an escape from her abusive father...More

Lee Si-young's Instagram

Following a popular run on the drama "Liver or Die" actress Lee Si-young has been focusing on body sculpting in lieu of searching out new projects. Attention on Lee Si-young's physique has been particularly marked as the actress gave birth to a baby only twenty months prior...More

On August 25th Hong Suk-chun posted pictures of his granddaughter on Instagram. In an accompanying statement to the pictures he observed that she showed similar awareness of the camera much as would be expected of the broadcaster himself...More

Interest has been surging in Song Kang since the release of "Love Alarm" on Netflix on August 22nd. His agency, Namoo Actors, has released still photos from the set of "Love Alarm" in response to this demand...More

As "Secret Boutique" nears closer to its release, further information about the drama is coming out. Though Park Jung-hak had been listed in the drama's cast, it is only recently that the name and identity of his character have been released - Choi Seok-hoon, the vice-chairman of the Jogwang Group...More

Following the end of "Love Playlist - Season 4" Kim Sae-ron has left with her sisters, Kim Ye-ron and Kim Ah-ron, for vacation. She announced the news on Instagram with a rare photo of all three sisters in the same shot...More

Hong Sang-soo has emerged as a surprise favorite in the upcoming Buil film awards. His film "Hotel by the River" has been nominated for best film, best cinematography, and best sound. Hong Sang-soo himself was nominated as best director for "Hotel by the River" and Ki Joo-bong from that movie was nominated for best actor. Kim Sae-byuk of "Grass" was nominated for best actress...More

In preparation for the fall and winter seasons the fashion company TNGT has been taking advantage of its current contract with Park Bo-gum. Photos have been released of the actor modeling various articles of clothing for the brand...More

The latest drama from MBN and Dramax, "Graceful Family", has quickly made a decent impression in the ratings. It premiered with twice the ratings score of its predecessor "Level Up", which ended very weakly at 0.5%. The 2.8% premiere of "Graceful Family" can be attributed in part to its strong cast and the concept of legal risk assessment which attracted them...More

Kim Dong-ho and Ahn Sung-ki

Though most of the attention regarding South Korean film festivals at the moment is aimed toward Busan, Kim Dong-ho has been quietly moving to improve the profile of the Gangneung International Film Festival, which will premiere this November in the Gangwon province of South Korea...More

Winner of the Special Jury Prize in Locarno, "Height of the Wave" is another impressive indie from Korea, in an industry that seems to experience one of its greatest seasons in years. Furthermore, Park Jung-bum establishes his position as one of the most important new Korean directors, as he continues in the footsteps of "The Journals of Musan". The film is actually a theatrical version of the 1-episode "Drama Stage - Waves of Change", which was released in the beginning of the year...More

Trying to speak about serious topics through comedy is a great way to communicate your messages through cinema, and that is exactly what Shim Yohan is trying to do in "Welcome to the Guesthouse", also adding to the entertainment the film offers by making surfing the base of the narrative. Let us see if he succeeded...More

The popular cancer narrative in most fiction is dynamic. It features characters who react decisively, be that positive or negative, in the face of a cancer diagnosis. "A Job Who Is near Us" takes a different approach. As a documentary, the film doesn't have much flexibility in regards to the available tropes. And as a religious film, there's a surprisingly deep spiritual element at play. If all life is according to God's plan, what does a married couple make of successive cancer diagnoses?...More

If you've ever been to a zoo you've probably seen mentions in promotional material how beyond being just exhibition space zoos are also at the forefront of conservation issues. "Garden, Zoological" unpacks what exactly that means. The documentary was filmed over several years at the Cheongju Zoo and details the work employees go through when it comes to feeding wild animals, training them, and providing them with medical care...More

In what I hope is not foreshadowing of its story crashing and burning, the first poster revealed for SBS's upcoming high octane drama "Vagabond" introduces the event that sparks its premise. The "Giant" and "Salaryman" crew are back and they bring thrills for days...More

According to figure releases by the Korean Film Council the horror film "Metamorphosis" continues to lead on its second day at the South Korean box office. Its numbers are slightly down from yesterday with only 85,739 admissions, with the bigger test to come during the weekend...More

Lee Pil-mo's agency, K-Star Entertainment, has confirmed that the actor became a father on August 14th. The confirmation follows an Instagram post where Lee Pil-mo can be seen cradling his son while wearing scrubs. He describes the child as the pretty result of thirteen hours of childbirth on the part of his wife. Lee Pil-mo then writes thank you twice and I love you once...More

On August 22nd the MBC entertainment news program Section TV broadcast a segment about the current feud between Ku Hye-sun and Ahn Jae-hyun. Sources with some access to the celebrities stated that their problems had started earlier this year, marked mainly by ennui. The main point in their public profiles when the shift can be noted is when their social media accounts started featuring pictures of one or the other alone, rather than together...More

With the official international release of the new Netflix drama "Love Alarm" particular attention has been called to Kim So-hyun's performance in the lead role. Fans of the original webcomic on which "Love Alarm" is based have praised her fidelity to the character...More

On August 22nd the Korean Film Council officially announced that "Parasite" would be the movie sent to represent South Korea at the 92nd Academy Awards. Though "Parasite" has long been a foregone conclusion for this designation, the Korean Film Council also considered seven other films - "Dark Figure of Crime", "Idol", "Swing Kids", "House of Hummingbird", "MAL-MO-E: The Secret Mission", "Innocent Witness", and "A Resistance"...More

There's melodrama, makjang, and then there's über-makjang, but SBS's upcoming "Secret Boutique" is aiming right for that sweet spot before the tense turns to the extreme in its first teaser. Joining the ranks of works like "Misty" and Kim Sun-ah's very own "Woman of Dignity", "Secret Boutique" is dropping its 'soapy noir' thriller goodness on us without mercy...More

After its first day at the South Korean box office the new horror film "Metamorphosis" has a slight lead over its bigger budget competitors with 97,416 viewers. This makes "Metamorphosis" the first domestic horror film to lead at the South Korean box office since "Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum" in 2018...More

On August 22nd the South Korean cosmetics company Merbliss announced via its Instagram page that they were suspending Ahn Jae-hyun's contract as a model for the firm. The announcement follows the public airing of marital grievances by Ku Hye-sun concerning her husband, who has been attempting to obtain a divorce...More

Following pronouncements by Ku Hye-sun that her husband was not expressing sexual interest in her and was talking to other women, the question has naturally arisen as to whether that alone is grounds for divorce. Legal experts have confirmed that under South Korean law such a statement is not meaningfully binding...More

Following the release of its final episode on August 11th "Love Playlist - Season 4" has now been confirmed to be a major success. The web-drama, which aired entirely on streaming platforms, earned over 30 million views over its sixteen episode run this summer...More

A Chinese fan has spotted Song Hye-kyo in France. The fan uploaded various pictures of Song Hye-kyo wearing a simple bucket hat and tube top incognito while engaging in various tourist activities...More

On August 21st "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" finally appeared on South Korean on-demand services. The animated film was released in theaters on July 25th and obtained over seven hundred admissions domestically...More

On August 20th the SBS program Access Showbiz Tonight went over the known facts of the acrimony between Ku Hye-sun and Ahn Jae-hyun. In addition to publically known information Access Showbiz Tonight also went over what was known about their public schedules...More

Following their acclaimed chemistry on "Life on Mars" and the currently airing "When the Devil Calls Your Name" Jung Kyung-ho and Park Sung-woong have signed up for a third project - the recently announced feature film "Daemuga: Sorrow and Joy"...More

HB Entertainment has announced that Ahn Jae-hyun will not appear at a public exposition for "Defective People" on August 22nd. In an additional statement they have stated that the reasons for his lack of attendance are not related to stress or personal problems...More

The upcoming drama "Psychopath Diary" has added two new names to its cast list - Choi Tae-hwan and Hwang Sun-hee. The two will play minor roles in the tvN drama which deals with the experiences of Yook Dong-sik (played by Yoon Si-yoon) who inadvertently recovers the diary of serial killer Seo In-woo (played by Park Sung-hoon)...More

On August 20th So Yoo-jin posted a photo to her Instragram of her husband's birthday party. She mentions how one of their children gave him a card for a gift and another gave him a word puzzle while she worked hard since daybreak to make him a cake. In the picture So Yoo-jin's children and her husband can be seen blowing out the candles on the cake...More

Following news of Ahn Jae-hyun and Ku Hye-sun's apparent movement toward divorce, their words on the 2017 variety show 'Newlyweds Diary' have been given new focus. The reality focused variety show was filmed during their ninth month of marriage, when they were living through winter in Gangwon province...More

On August 18th Ku Hye-sun released messages relating to a likely divorce with her husband Ahn Jae-hyun. Ku Hye-sun has since deleted the relevant messages, but their contents are already known. Ku Hye-sun starts by describing her husband as being changed into an aloof version of his former self and that she plans to protect her family from what she describes as false information set to be released next week...More

Lee Jung-eun has been confirmed to star in an upcoming episode of "Doctor Detective". The actress best known for her appearance in the popular film "Parasite" has appeared in promotional material for the eleventh episode wearing a rumpled suit with gaudy accessories and braided hair...More

Reports of Jung Kyung-ho and Choi Soo-young being publically sited at a screening for "Exit - Movie" starring Choi Soo-young's Girls' Generation partner Yoona has reignited attention to the couple's long standing relationship. Some two years ago on the variety program 'Life Bar', Jung Kyung-ho talked about their relationship when they had been together for five years...More

There are high expectations for "Love Alarm", the short drama soon to be released on Netflix. The drama is based on the popular Daum webtoon of the same title by Chon Kye-young, who has expressed support in comments from the project. The last drama adaptation of Chon Kye-young's work was "Pretty Boy" back in 2013...More

Over the weekend Ku Hye-sun surprised her social media followers with the statement that her husband, Ahn Jae-hyun, wanted a divorce and that she was planning to protect her family. Ku Hye-sun attached communication logs between herself and her husband discoursing over the subject as proof. The shocking news has done much to put recent rumors about problems in their relationship in a new light...More

While the four major big-budget films of the summer have been released three relatively high profile genre films with well-known casts remain on the August release calendar. The horror film "Metamorphosis" and the historical era comedy film "Jesters: The Game Changers" will release on August 21st, while the multi-year romance "Tune in for Love" comes out on August 28th...More

Starting on August 19th online and offline bookstores will start accepting preorders for Bong Joon-ho's upcoming book with script and storyboarding details for "Parasite". Bong Joon-ho is writing the book personally. He has written similar books for "Mother - 2009", "The Host", and "Memories of Murder"...More

Three major films will compete for Chuseok weekend [Korean Thanksgiving] this year with another to follow in the next week. While Chuseok has always been a big time for movies, this aggressive marketing push by major studios follows a surprisingly disappointing 2018 Chuseok season, where only "The Great Battle" put out a respectable performance with five hundred thousand admissions...More

Promotional information for "The Battle: Roar to Victory" has been somewhat misleading. The movie does indeed contain the Battle of Fengwudong. There's even a subtitle that helpfully pops up to tell us that this particular random mountainous area the characters have just wandered is the one the movie's named after. But up until that point, the characters just wander into a wide variety of other generally random mountainous places getting into shootouts as necessary, nothing being that well organized. Because that is, in fact, the central defining element of guerrilla warfare...More

Eun-mi is an American citizen of Korean descent. In 2011 the then-fifty year old Eun-mi took advantage of her American nationality to take tours of North Korea, an action which at the time was banned for South Koreans, and wrote about her experiences for the South Korean press outlet OhMyNews. Her articles were later published into a book. Eun-mi would do book tours in South Korea to coincide with further visits to North Korea. As relations between the Koreas deteriorated during 2014 so too did Eun-mi's experiences take a turn for the strange...More

In a time when Kim Ki-duk seems to be moving towards a direction that has made him a "persona non grata" in the movie world, it is always good to find directors that have been influenced by him and actually carry his artistic legacy. However, in this case, in a more contemporary/not so decadent fashion, and with a humor that seems to draw much from Park Chan-wook, while one could also find some elements of Takashi Miike's style, from "Visitor Q". What is even more impressive is that "The Uncle" is actually a debut...More

Since Korean indie cinema seems to struggle to get away from the "rules" set by Hong Sang-soo, it is always reinvigorating to discover productions that take an effort to distance themselves from the particular style. Lee Sang-deok's "Film Adventure" is one of those efforts, which actually succeeds, at least to a point, in a film that won Best Korean Fantastic Film and Fantastic Best Actor at BIFAN...More

After 22 days of release "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" has broken 700,000 admissions. This follows the movie hitting 300,000 viewers after 6 days, 400,000 viewers after 9 days, 500,000 viewers after 11 days, and 600,000 viewers after 15 days...More

Lee Jong-hyuk and Jun have been confirmed to be appearing in "Good Casting" later this year. The November drama from SBS is a comedy dealing with spying missions and corporate espionage, with Choi Kang-hee, Kim Ji-young, and Yoo In-young in the leading roles as the three field agents of a fairly dysfunctional agency team...More

Following popular acclaim for her role in "Parasite" Jang Hye-jin has been cast in "Shouts of a Father". The film stars Krystal of the girls' group f(x) in the leading role. She last appeared in the leading role for "The Player" last year...More

On August 15th Cha Seung-won was interviewed on the MBC entertainment program 'Section TV' about his upcoming film "Cheer Up, Mr. Lee". The actor confessed to having felt a bit strange having appeared in a comedy for the first time in twelve years. Cha Seung-won's last comedic project was "Small Town Rivals" back in 2007...More

Director Bong Joon-ho has come out in support of "The House of Us". The upcoming film by writer/director Yoon Ga-eun is the follow-up to her widely acclaimed 2016 film "The World of Us", which dealt with similar subject matter - namely the joys and sorrows of children who are left to mostly look after themselves...More

On Tuesday "The Battle: Roar to Victory" slightly decreased its sales receipts by taking in 203,404 admissions. It still leads "Exit - Movie", which had a slight decrease to 197,088 admissions...More

With the announcement of "Farmer's Academy Season 2" so too have new cast members been announced to supplement the actors and characters from the first season. Lee Jong-won-I of the web-dramas "Ghostderella" and "Our Baseball" will join the existing cast headlined by Lee Tae-hwan, Yoon Bo-mi, and Lee Min-ji...More

"Designated Survivor: 60 Days" shocked viewers in its thirteenth episode with its frank discussion of anti-discrimination laws. Internet commentary around the episode made ironic note of the fact that the fake television president of the drama would make a direct appeal for laws that are generally considered verboten in South Korean politics by all except the most far left politicians...More

With the four major summer releases now out and only one of them even hinting at hitting the fabled ten million mark, speculation is already rampant as to which of the September releases have the best chance of turning into a sleeper hit. Much as with the summer films, there's a surprisingly great deal of genre variety...More

In anticipation of the Pyeongchang International Peace Film Festival's opening night on August 16th, the festival has released a list of the various South Korean entertainment industry professionals who will be in attendance. This is the festival's first year, so making a good impression on the red carpet will prove critical...More

On August 13th the Korean Film Council released figures showing that on August 12th "The Battle: Roar to Victory" has beaten "Exit - Movie" in daily ticket sales for the second day in a row. The difference between the two is minor - 219,947 tickets for "The Battle: Roar to Victory" compared to 212,312 tickets for "Exit - Movie"...More

On August 13th Choi Ye-seul posted on Instagram about herself and her fiance G.O going to Jeju Island. In the post she discusses driving around in a convertible but having to put the top back up owing to the extreme heat...More

Sung Dong-il's new movie "Metamorphosis" is opening on August 21st. The veteran actor frequently appears in a wide variety of projects and in promotional interviews for "Metamorphosis" he's been talking about hanging out with V, Park Bo-gum, and Jo In-sung...More

More context behind Kim Si-hoo's character in "I Wanna Hear Your Song" has been unveiled. While he had always been identified in official materials as the younger brother of Yeon Woo-jin's character Jang Yoon, he now has a full name - Kim I-an...More

Following Lee Jin's frank discussion of her early marriage on the JTBC variety show 'Camping Club' interest has been drawn as to who her husband is. For privacy's sake the man's name has not been revealed, as he is not a celebrity, though his voice did appear on the program, however briefly, during a phone call...More

The highly anticipated match up between "Exit - Movie" and "The Battle: Roar to Victory" took place last weekend. "Exit - Movie" just barely edged out a win with a margin of under fifty thousand tickets. The disaster flick's cumulative total closed Sunday out at 5,785,252 admissions. The movie is almost certain to break the six million mark...More

Hwang Seung-eon's agency Big Picture Entertainment has confirmed that the actress has finished a photoshoot and interview with Korean fashion magazine 'Bellboy'. 'Bellboy' has confirmed that the photoshoot and interview took place and that the pictures released by Big Picture Entertainment were from that shoot...More

On the jTBC variety show 'Camping Club' former members of the girl group Fin.K.L dish about their lives as now older married women in the context of camping trips. A frank husband discussion on the August 11th broadcast between Lee Jin and Lee Hyori has caught a lot of attention in that regard...More

In its second week, with screenings now sharply reduced, "The Divine Fury" has only managed about 1.5 million box office admissions. This is a far cry from the surprise 2017 hit "Midnight Runners", also from writer/director Kim Joo-hwan and starring Park Seo-joon in the leading role. That buddy cop film managed over 5.5 million admissions...More

On Instagram Seo Kang-joon posted a photo of a coffee car that had been sent to the set of "WATCHER" in his name. The surprising part of the picture was the source of the car - the Seotarbucks vehicle was apparently sent by Thai fans...More

The main stand-out quality to "Exit - Movie" is, weirdly enough, how quintessentially Korean it is. The ethnic overtones aren't super obvious. I mean sure, Yong-nam (played by Jo Jung-suk) is introduced working out at a playground- a ridiculous endeavor, but South Korean playgrounds have high quality exercise equipment. His sister first appears bugging her mom late at night for kimchi. And a ridiculous amount of action takes place at a traditional ceremony party venue...More

Hye-jeong (played by Han Hae-in) has a depressingly meaningless existence. We see her lumbering about day by day, refusing any interest in any kind of normal conversation. Even a love confession ends on a surprisingly somber note, as we see Hye-jeong looking out the window, as if she was hopeful the guy might actually stick around. Hye-jeong has no money and no future. So it's oddly enough not much of a transition for her die and become a ghost...More

Among the overwhelming plethora of crime films coming from S. Korea, it is always a pleasure to find works that manage to present the themes of the category in a different fashion. Lee Don-ku does exactly that and with style, by shooting a Tarantinoesque movie set as a stage play, that also features a female character, who, for once, is not a cliché. Let us take things from the beginning though...More

South Korea actually has a thriving animation industry. However, this is not common internationally, because the main domestically produced animations are produced for the children's television market. Last year's "The Haunted House: The Secret of the Cave" was based on the popular cartoon of the same title...More

On August 8th Lim Ji-yeon and other stars attended the press conference for the upcoming film "Tazza: One Eyed Jack". South Korean media was on hand to cover the event, including one telling shot where leading man Lee Kwang-soo is whispering something into his old schoolfriend's ear while she muffles her own laughter...More

Following the apparent banning of a screening of "Parasite" at a local Chinese film festival, "Parasite" is now appearing on Chinese sites as an illegal download. The release appears to be connected with "Parasite" being released on on-demand services in South Korea, which is the first time a digital version of the movie has been made available to the general public...More

While "The Divine Fury" did not do as poorly as "The King's Letters" at the South Korean box office, its presence in South Korean theaters is significantly diminished this weekend. At this point the movie owes most of its admissions to dedicated repeat viewers and late night screenings. But how did such a hotly anticipated movie with a popular leading star in Park Seo-joon and equally strong first day sales manage to do so poorly in the long haul?...More

On August 9th a Seoul court ruled on Son Seung-won's second trial and concluded that the first one had already come to the correct decision. Son Seung-won will spend one year and six months in prison and he will not be allowed to do his mandatory military service during this time...More

On August 8th "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" broke six hundred thousand viewers at the South Korean box office. The all-Korean film is now seeking to edge out "Pororo, Treasure Island Adventure - Theater Version" as the number one Korean animated film at the box office this year. The latest Pororo movie earned 766,264 admissions during its theatrical run during May...More

In a couple of months David Cho's new film "Remarriage Skills" will see domestic release. The movie has attracted some interest in South Korea, because the shooting locations of the movie were seen in May episodes of 'My Little Old Boy'. As the title suggests, the movie is a comedy about men trying to do a better job in their second marriages, having failed in the first ones...More

In the second quarter of this year CJ ENM collected an estimated eighty million dollars in profits. This represents a 22.3% increase over the second quarter of 2018...More

Director Kim Joo-hwan has now seen Park Seo-joon through "Midnight Runners" and "The Divine Fury". Consequently, the director has many praiseful thoughts toward Park Seo-joon's skills as an actor. In particular Kim Joo-hwan has praised Park Seo-joon's leadership and communication skills...More

On August 8th Lim Ji-yeon made some comments at a press conference for "Tazza: One Eyed Jack" about working with Park Jung-min. The issue came up because they both attended the same school (The Korean National University of the Arts) at the same time...More

It's a good day in Dramaland when seasoned actors team up with inspired creators. It's a good day for yours truly when the premise sounds this exciting. Uhm Ji-won, Sung Dong-il and Jo Min-soo are officially on board "The Method", tvN's upcoming drama written by "Train to Busan" director and writer Yeon Sang-ho...More

"Parasite" has been confirmed to be making an appearance at the New York Film Festival this year. The movie was announced on August 6th to be screened in the festival's closing night section...More

On August 7th tvN released script reading photos of "The Great Show" ahead of the drama's August 26th premiere. "The Great Show" stars Song Seung-heon as parliamentary representative Dae-han, the title character (his full name is a pun for 'great') who gets embroiled with family troubles regarding four siblings as he prepares for a big political move...More

The short drama "Everything and Nothing" premiered on August 5th. Though planned to run for only four episodes with no major stars, the youth melodrama has gained surprising traction. The main characters are normal high school students who are poor communicators. Though the premise is simple, director Jo Young-min has admitted to worrying about whether he's been showing it correctly...More

"Welcome 2 Life" has attracted strong positive attention for the chemistry between its leads. In the drama Rain plays Jae-sang and Lim Ji-yeon Si-on, ex-lovers and law professionals who have become bitter rivals at court. But once the drama's fantasy conceit kicks in, we also see an alternate version of the couple that never split up and is raising a daughter together...More

While "The Battle: Roar to Victory" has been selling itself as a war epic, the last major blockbuster of the South Korean summer season has an unlikely leading man - Yoo Hae-jin, who's pushing fifty and does not look like a movie star...More

In a drama marketplace where anything with under ten percent ratings is increasingly seen as a failure, it's easy to lose track of the lower profile releases. But some cable dramas have been focusing more on story and concept than broad appeal. These dramas have built reliable audiences, albeit not exceptional ones, in part on the power of their subversive takes on specific genre standards...More

Back in May of 2009 the concept of death with dignity made its first big appearance in South Korean culture with a court case which ruled that next of kin had the right to terminate medical care to loved ones who were technically alive, but had no hope of recovery. An elderly man who had become a human vegetable was the point of contention in that case. At a press conference on August 5th "Doctor John" director Jo Soo-won talked about how this idea inspired the creation of "Doctor John"...More

Rain made his first big appearance as an actor in the 2004 drama "Full House". At the time this was seen as mainly being a tie-in for his musical career. But in recent years Rain has been more aggressive in pursuing acting projects. First with "Please Come Back, Mister", then "Sketch - Drama", and now "Welcome 2 Life", which just had its first episode premiere on August 5th...More

The South Korean blockbuster was born with "Shiri" in 1999, which had a then unprecedented two million dollar budget and a powerful enough box office return to justify the extent. The later success of "Silmido" in 2003 and "The Host" in 2006 proved that "Shiri" was not a one-off event, and in subsequent years studios started aggressively budgeting movies in the hopes of obtaining another cultural landmark...More

With the surprise success of "Parasite" Bong Joon-ho has jumped to third place in the all-time list for most admissions by a South Korean director at the South Korean box office. Though Bong Joon-ho's reputation is mainly as an artistic director, his films have enjoyed widespread appeal thanks to blockbusters like "The Host" and "Snowpiercer"...More

After just six days at the box office "Exit - Movie" has amassed over three million viewers. The July 31st premiering movie cracked the milestone on the morning of Monday August 5th. "Exit - Movie" had previously hit one million viewers on Saturday and two million viewers on Sunday. The movie's rate will probably slow down considerably at least until the next weekend...More

Following the eruption of a rumor that Kim Nam-gil and Jang Nara were to get married later this year their agencies were quick to firmly deny the allegation...More

The first three major releases of the summer season have come out. "Exit - Movie" has handily outperformed "The King's Letters" and "The Divine Fury", but now faces a bigger test with "The Battle: Roar to Victory", the final major release of the summer season...More

Following Park Seo-joon's brief appearance in "Parasite", Choi Wooshik returned the favor by having a small role in "The Divine Fury". However, according to writer/director Kim Joo-hwan, there was more to Choi Wooshik's character than just fanservice...More

On August 5th Seoul Police held a press conference wherein they confirmed that an investigation into bribery allegations against Park Yoo-chun was taking place. Allegedly the head of a rape investigation against Park Yoo-chun visited his home back in 2016 and was offered some sort of incentive to make four rape charges against the fallen idol go away. After a monthlong investigation those charges were indeed cleared...More

I have to admit I have a soft spot for films that unfold as stage plays, and this particular one, whose synopsis portrayed it as an Agatha Christie-style story, made me really eager to watch it. At half point, though, the narrative changed completely and the movie became something very different. Let us see if this change actually benefitted it...More

Hyeon-jae (played by One) is helping his female friend Soo-min (played by Kim Bo-ra) make an interview video for prospective colleges. In the summer heat of Anyang, we can see that their friendship is one of remarkable steadiness, patience, and synchronization. So why aren't they actually a couple? Well, Hyeon-jae has a lot of not particularly convincing answers for that. Oddly enough none of them have much to do with Hyeon-jae being very sick...More

For all its fairytale pastiche setting, "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" is a surprisingly earnest animated movie. There's no ironic commentary about fairy tale tropes or obnoxious pop culture references. The first twist is surprisingly straightforward. Our noble heroes follow up something heroic with something stupid, because they're idiots who put too much stock in appearance. The second twist barely even qualifies as a twist at all. What if Snow White was fat?...More

The relentless, but also somewhat hopeless effort of Korean genre films to create new stories that incorporate, though, the elements that have brought the country's cinema to the top of the continent (commercially and internationally at least), has resulted in a plethora of big-budget, commercially successful movies on the one hand, of dubious quality and rather repetitive on the other. "The Divine Fury" takes this concept a step even further, since it seems to incorporate all these elements into one, visually impressive package, of... well you are going to have to read ahead to get to the quality part...More

Lee Dong-wook's doctor is in and every cell in my body wants out. The dentist from hell does absolutely nothing abnormal in the latest teaser of OCN's "Strangers from Hell", but I still want to call some form of emergency services on him for the distress caused by his performative friendliness and his blank, predatory stare...More

In the nine days since its release "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" has sold four hundred thousand tickets at the South Korean box office...More

By morning of Friday August 2nd "Exit - Movie" had already racked up an exceptionally impressive one million admissions. The movie is currently on track to have a monstrously successful opening weekend even in the face of stiff competition. CJ Entertainment has released a silly picture of lead actors Jo Jung-suk and Yoona to commemorate the event...More

On August 2nd Jung Kyung-ho's management company made an official statement saying that the actor is still in the process of considering an offer for "A Wise Doctor's Life". This confirms earlier reports that Jung Kyung-ho has been contacted about appearing in the drama...More

Lee Yeon-hee has been confirmed as the female lead for "The Game: Towards the Final Hour". With Ok Taecyeon already having been cast for the male lead, "The Game: Towards the Final Hour" will mark a reunion of sorts for the two actors, who co-starred in the 2013 romantic omnibus film "Marriage Blue"...More

The production company behind "By Quantum Physics: A Nightlife Venture" has confirmed that scenes in the movie were filmed in the Burning Sun nightclub. The news comes after protracted online speculation related to the recently released trailer for the movie, where scenes that appear to take place in Burning Sun are visible...More

To commemorate "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" receiving three hundred thousand viewers at the domestic box office, participating theaters offered a limited run 1+1 event for new reservations. The encore event sold out almost immediately, demonstrating surprising staying power for the domestic animated film even in the face of overwhelming competition...More

Actor Kim Eui-sung has confirmed that he is the new Cooperational Chairperson for the Busan International Film Festival. Straightaway Kim Eui-sung has also announced new plans to expand the festival in a way chiefly designed by viewer request...More

Song Kang-ho has long been considered a major box office draw in South Korea. Only a few months ago he had the leading actor credit on the ten million viewer hit "Parasite"...More

Court filings show that the first attorney representing Kang Sung-wook last year when he was arrested was only the attorney of record for six days. But even more surprising is the attorney's identity. Jang Cheon was not just Kang Sung-wook's lawyer, but his best friend. We know this because he appeared on 'Heart Signal', the variety show Kang Sung-wook was appearing in at the time...More

On its first day at the South Korean box office "The Divine Fury" earned 380,166 admissions. This extremely strong opening puts it above the already impressive 308,298 admissions set by Park Seo-joon's previous blockbuster, "Midnight Runners", which went on to earn over five million admissions at the South Korean box office...More

The production of "Hyena" is not playing around, and while viewers will not get to enjoy Song Hye-kyo's return just yet following the actor's rejection of the offer, Kim Hye-soo is currently up for the role alongside Ju Ji-hoon...More

Following the arrest of Kang Sung-wook for sexual assault Channel A has announced that they had canceled on demand services for the variety show that he had prominently starred in back in the summer of 2017, 'Heart Signal'. Because Kang Sung-wook was primarily an actor in stage musicals there is relatively little content that can be suspended in the wake of his arrest...More

It's highly unusual for two major releases to open on the same day in South Korea. It's bad business, as most people will just end up choosing one or the other. Yet that's exactly the current situation with "Exit - Movie" and "The Divine Fury", which elected against each other this weekend, rather than "The King's Letters" and "The Battle: Road to Victory" on either side of the high summer season...More

Following surprise ten million plus viewer hits with "Extreme Job" and "Parasite" CJ is now looking toward more deliberate success with "Exit - Movie". The film opened at 11 AM on July 31st with 25.2% of reservations. This was a slight uptick from the previous day, when "The Divine Fury" held the edge in reservations, and that gap has continued to widen...More

When "Life on Mars" was broadcast on OCN last year expectations were low. The drama was coming off of "Mistress", a drama which did quite poorly in ratings. Though based on a British drama, the time traveling conceit of "Life on Mars" inevitably resulted in its being compared to "Signal". Nonetheless, "Life on Mars" was a hit in its own right thanks in large part to the strong chemistry and performances of Jung Kyung-ho and Park Sung-woong...More

It's hard to believe that medical dramas were once a serious staple of South Korean entertainment. But after the high profile failures of "Blood" and "Medical Top Team" several years back, the genre fell into a slump. That was cast off though, by the surprising success of "Doctor Prisoner". Well, perhaps not so surprising given the popularity of leading actor Namgoong Min, but then that's what gave the genre such a fresh spin...More

"The Divine Fury" only just came out in South Korea, but even before the movie was available in theaters anticipation for the supernaturally themed action film was strong. The movie accrued over one hundred thousand reservations before its official release...More

While "Parasite" still has a small presence at the Vietnamese box office, having smashed most records for a South Korea film in that market, another South Korean film has emerged to take a surprisingly strong share of the market. That film is "Romang", a melodrama earlier this year about an elderly couple (Lee Soon-jae and Jung Young-sook) grappling with Alzheimers...More

With the release of "Exit - Movie" the history of South Korean disaster movies is in full focus. Because of the budget requirements for the special effects necessary to make disaster movies, new ones only come out every few years. With the last spurt of disaster movies occurring in 2016, enough time has passed to make the genre seem fresh again...More

The Good Data Corporation has released its latest report for the fourth week of July and "Hotel Del Luna" has topped the list once again for its third straight week, with 26.47% of social media comments relating to dramas being tracked to that specific title...More

For miniseries running from January 1st to July 14th Nielsen Korea has determined that "The Fiery Priest" was the best performing drama of the first half of 2019. The top rating for "The Fiery Priest" was 24.7%, but other relevant designations include the drama's average rating, which was determined to be 18.1%, also the highest. "The Fiery Priest" also had the highest rating from advertisers, at 7.63%...More

Having a Japanese director helm a Korean animation sounds a bit unusual, but considering Takahiro Umehara's CV, which includes animation for titles like "Dragonball Z", "Claymore" and "Iron Man", it sounded like a really good idea. The result is a film that looks much like a Japanese anime but still includes a distinct Korean flavor. Let us see what it is about...More

My official review for "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" will come out later this weekend. However, for those wondering how the final movie compares to the widely panned 2016 trailer, I can give details right now. Be warned that this article contains mild spoilers for the film...More

While "The Battle: Roar to Victory" and "My name is KIM Bok-dong" have been in production for quite some time, the very different films, one a major blockbuster and the second a documentary, are being released in a highly charged cultural moment. In a time where buying Japanese products and going on Japanese vacations is frowned upon, both movies stoke that sentiment...More

"Parasite" was set to be the closing film of the thirteenth annual FIRST International Film Festival in Xining this year. However, just one day before the film was set to screen on July 28th the screening was canceled due to technical difficulties. There are suspicions about whether this was the actual reason, or whether the real problem was the film's content...More

A representative for Noh Hee-kyeong confirmed on July 29th that while the screenwriter's new project does not have a synopsis or dialog, it does have relevant actors under consideration for the roles. Nam Joo-hyuk was specifically named as an actor who had been asked if his schedule was clear...More

Jang Jin-hee has been attracting attention for her recent July 28th appearance on the popular variety show 'Running Man'...More

In the fairly morbid opening setpiece to "The King's Letters" King Sejong (played by Song Kang-ho) is very grumpily enduring an official ceremony that's being conducted in spoken Chinese, because at this time Korea is still using the Chinese script. Thunderclouds approach and then King Sejong goes home and destroys a bunch of books. In theory, such actions might be intended to make us appreciate King Sejong's passion toward the idea of a Korean script. But in practice? He just looks like a jerk...More

Remake of the 1986 horror film "Cry of a Woman", "The Wrath" places its story in the newly found favorite setting of Korean horror, the Joseon era, and attempts to include as many themes of the genre possible. Let us see how it fares...More

Watching a film that combines thriller, crime, drama, comedy, violence, home-invasion and a stage-play basis is always a pleasure, particularly since Shin Hae-gang has managed to mold the aforementioned elements into something compact, headed by a great performance by Kim Young-ho, which netted him the Best Actor Award in BIFAN...More

In the extremely cool opening setpiece to "Guns and Talks" a team of professional hitmen played by Shin Hyun-joon, Jung Jae-young, Shin Ha-kyun, and Won Bin meticulously set up a bunch of seemingly unrelated steps in a complex assassination plot. Their movements are perfectly set to some very hip electronic music. With every beat they step closer to the climax until finally everyone is dead and the asssassins themselves are mostly out of the way. Then they go home and we find out they're idiots...More

We finally see the questionable neighbors of "Strangers from Hell" in their element, namely their tiny gosiwon- or dorm-style apartments where this social terror will be taking place for our poor protagonist. The drama has released two versions of a 'gosiwon teaser', giving the place itself the feel of a character...More

On July 27th Seo Ji-suk will replace Kang Ji-hwan for the final six episodes of "Joseon Survival". Publicity stills have been released showing Seo Ji-suk in the role of Jeong-rok, the archer turned delivery driver turned time traveler who is the drama's main character...More

"The King's Letters" released on July 24th as originally scheduled following a court ruling which stated that it was difficult to see the film as an infringement on the copyright of the non-fiction book 'The Road to the Korean Alphabet'. The court ruled that, aside from being based on the same historical event, the book and the movie did not have any obvious actionable similarities...More

On July 25th the 39th Korea Gold Awards Film Festival was held at the Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul. Jung Woo-sung came away with the grand acting prize for his role in "Innocent Witness". "The Spy Gone North" won for best film...More

On July 25th Song Hye-kyo's makeup artist posted a picture to her Instagram of Song Hye-kyo at the Chateau Gala in Monaco...More

Cho Hyun-chul has been confirmed to be a part of the upcoming film "Bogota" by director Kim Seong-je. Cho Hyun-chul will be playing the role of a Korean immigrant in nineties-era Colombia. He joins Song Joong-ki and Ryoo Seung-beom as confirmed cast members. This will be his first collaboration with any of these men...More

In its first day of domestic release the South Korean animated film "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" has outperformed all other animated films at the domestic box office and continues to lead them in reservations on the strength of positive word of mouth. Its main direct competition is the latest Detective Conan movie, other animated films having been released weeks previously...More

On July 25th South Korean police claimed that actress Song Hye-kyo has filed an official complaint regarding rumors concerning the recently divorced actress. The petition was filed by an employee for Song Hye-kyo's agency, UAA. In a statement UAA confirmed that they had sent a representative to file the complaint in response to various malicious comments made against Song Hye-kyo...More

As of July 21st, the upcoming major film "Mt. Baekdu" has finished shooting. "Mt. Baekdu" stars Ha Jung-woo, Suzy, Lee Byung-hun, and Ma Dong-seok in a massive effort to try and prevent the titular mountain from erupting...More

On July 25th CJ released the contents of a meeting that took place between CJ Chairman Lee Jae-hyun and relevant employees in CJ's film department. The purpose of the meeting was to congratulate them on their work in bringing attention to "Parasite"...More

Following the disappointing performance of "Different Dreams" it was little surprise that the drama's successor, "Golden Garden", would try to do something more well worn and traditonal in its Saturday night time slot...More

Following reports of a Song Hye-kyo interview in the Hong Kong magazine Tatler Song Hye-kyo's personal translator has had to step in to clear up some confusion. Because Song Hye-kyo's original comments were translated into Cantonese and then translated back into Korean when the story made it back to Korea, much of the original meaning was inaccurately lost...More

On July 24th Megabox released a new trailer for "The King's Letters" featuring testimonials. Director Bong Joon-ho of the recent hit "Parasite" appears in the trailer, offering his positive recommendation for the movie...More

When "Joseon Survival" lost lead actor Kang Ji-hwan to scandal the damage was much more severe than the drama simply losing a lead actor. His former co-stars Kyung Soo-jin, Song Won-seok, and Park Se-wan were subsidized by Kang Ji-hwan's participation. Kang Ji-hwan was also the main source of funding for the project, and his ties to the drama were responsible for the hair, makeup, and even the costuming...More

Cho Jae-hyun has long been a high profile actor in the South Korean film industry, but since his abrupt disappearance from "Cross" there are no indications that he is making a comeback. Though he pledged to try and make a turnaround from his guilty heart following an admission that he had sexually harassed junior staff, Cho Jae-hyun now seems permanently out of the South Korean entertainment industry...More

Go Hyun-jung made headlines in early 2018 when she abruptly left the popular drama "Return" after a dispute with director Joo Dong-min with only two episodes to go. While Joo Dong-min went on to make "Last Empress", Go Hyun-jung's future was more uncertain. She appeared to seal her chance for a comeback with a starring role in "Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho 2: Crime and Punishment", a drama which earned excellent ratings...More

On July 23rd Choi Wooshik posted some until now unseen behind the scenes photos of "Parasite" on SNS. The accompanying text to the photos is simply, a big thank you for ten million...More

Following the surprising speed with which Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki completed their formal divorce yesterday, more attention is being paid to an interview Song Hye-kyo recently gave in Hong Kong. In the interview Song Hye-kyo states, among other things, that she needs time to herself...More

Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki have now fully separated from each other's lives...More

With September just around the corner Lotte Entertainment has started pushing its upcoming fall release "Tazza: One Eyed Jack", an ensemble piece revolving around poker. This marks a departure from the previous movies, "Tazza: The High Rollers" and "Tazza: The Hidden Card", which were about Go-Stop...More

Back in 2016 a trailer for "Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs" made its rounds on the Internet. The trailer, which featured an English language cast, baffled animation fans with its bizarre premise of an apparently svelte princess who transforms into an overweight slob when she takes off her magical red shoes. Reception toward the film turned explicitly hostile with its 2017 marketing campaign and Cannes which was criticized for promoting body image issues...More

The body swap theme has been done a number of times in world cinema, with "Daddy You, Daughter Me" presenting Korea's latest (probably) take on the subject, two years ago. And while "the bullied who becomes the hero" concept is here once more, Kang-hyo-jin has managed to shoot a film that stands out, particularly because he included elements of a crime movie and a series of impressive action scenes...More

Fifty three days after its initial theatrical release "Parasite" has achieved ten million admissions at the box office. This puts "Parasite" in an elite class of South Korean box office hits, even though the film was designed as an art house project rather than a blockbuster...More

IU's Instagram

On July 21st IU posted an Instagram photo of herself and Lee Joon-gi on the set of "Hotel Del Luna". The photo is in reference to a special guest appearance made by Lee Joon-gi on the drama, an appearance organized because Lee Joon-gi wanted to express his friendship to her...More

On July 22nd at 10 in the morning at Seoul Family Court Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo's divorce was finalized. The speed with which this was accomplished was a big surprise to legal observers, who anticipated at least three months would be necessary. Song Joong-ki's initial filing was only a month ago...More

While doing an interview promoting her new novel Ku Hye-sun has had a few choice words about her husband. Though some have wondered about his increasing visibility while Ku Hye-sun has been out of public view, Ku Hye-sun has expressed relief at the state of Ahn Jae-hyun's career, expressing happiness that he's grown beyond just being known as her husband...More

Back in March Ilgan Sports published a story alleging that actors Park Hyuk-kwon of "The Nokdu Flower" and Jo Soo-hyang of the upcoming drama "The Tale of Nokdu" were in a relationship. The source claimed that the two have introverted personalities, but that they were a natural match for each other once they started talking...More

Saek (played by Lee Junho) was born into a gisaeng house. Now, a normal boy born into a gisaeng house would leave it and do something else upon passing into adulthood. But Saek? He actually really likes being there. Saek refuses to take obvious hints that he should leave, the result being silly slapstick sequences that eventually grow to encompass weird homeless guy Yook-gap (played by Choi Gwi-hwa) who acts as a generally unhelpful male influence as Saek tries to bring gender equality to the notion of courtesans...More

One time Japanese-American director Miki Dezaki posted a basic educational video to YouTube. The video made offhand reference to comfort women and some American dude who calls himself Texas Daddy yelled at him about it in his own YouTube video. Why would an American be offended by a Japanese-American guy talking about comfort women? Miki Dezaki had no idea, since he didn't really know much about comfort women in the first place. So he started investigating...More

Dramaland is once again pulling out all the stops with "The Method", a woman-centric drama of epic credit proportions. Aside from courting the ever wonderful Uhm Ji-won, the upcoming tvN drama is set to be written by "Train to Busan" writer and director Yeon Sang-ho, and to be helmed by PD Kim Yong-wan, who wrote and directed the movie "Champion"...More

"Parasite" has been invited to the Perlak section of the San Sebastian Film Festival. It will compete with seven other international films for the San Sebastian Audience Award among others in the Spanish film festival, which will run from September 20th to September 28th...More

The KBS2 Entertainment news program Entertainment Weekly has revealed messages sent to Kang Ji-hwan's victims. The messages appear to be from Kang Ji-hwan's company, and warn of negative consequences as the Kang Ji-hwan story becomes familiar in the press...More

Yoo In-young will be playing the role of Im Ye-eun in the upcoming drama "Good Casting". This news come via her agency, WIP. The drama is expected to air on SBS sometime in November...More

A new trend is emerging of young women aiming for professional goals in Korean dramas. "Search: WWW" has been the main drama as of late on the subject, and it has just been joined by "Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung", a historical drama where the focus is not on great battles, but rather a young woman's determination to become a proper scholar in the face of prejudice...More

On July 16th the upcoming comfort woman documentary "My name is KIM Bok-dong" started crowdfunding. In only two days it achieved its target of ten thousand dollars worth of donations...More

OCN comes in for the kill once more, and it's bringing quite the army. Jang Hyuk is back on the channel and although it's not for more "Voice", we'll be getting a reunion with its PD, Kim Hong-seon-I. On the recruitment process gunning for our hearts with him are Jin Seo-yeon and Choi Soo-young...More

On July 18th Lee Jung-eun won the best supporting actress award for her role in "Parasite" at the 24th annual Chunsa Film Festival. In her acceptance speech, Lee Jung-eun spoke warmly of her mother's references to success from the festival, saying that it put her in a good mood for the night...More

Lee Soo-min-IV's Instagram

On July 17th action choreographer Lee Soo-min-IV posted a status update about his life following his marriage with actress Sun-Woo Sun...More

Ahead of the premiere of "Doctor Detective" the cast of the drama had a chance to discuss their work on the drama as well as each other. Rie Young-zin said that, having heard of Bong Tae-gyu since her debut long ago, it was a pleasure to start working with him and discover he still had much youthful energy as well as ideas for how the drama should go...More

Police have announced that in addition to sexual assault charges Kang Ji-hwan is also under suspicion for the use of illicit substances. The reason for this is that when police arrived at Kang Ji-hwan's home in response to an emergency call, he was acting very strangely and they were surprised to learn that he was the alleged assailant...More

Ahead of "Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung"'s premiere the cast and crew have discussed what they were trying to do with the drama. Director Kang Il-soo has described the story as one of personal growth for women in the nineteenth century who worked in the palaces. He described having heard about women who pretended to be illiterate so as to avoid written advances, and thought this was a good foundation for a fun story...More

Five years after the great "Han Gong-ju", Lee Su-jin returns with his second feature film, an intense crime thriller of 144 minutes. Let us see how he fared...More

The second quarter of 2019 has been a significant improvement over 2018 for the domestic South Korean box office. From the period of April to June, 2019 saw a 20% increase in viewers, from 45.1% in 2018 to 54% in 2019...More

The Happy Married Company has released photos of the wedding ceremony between Sun-Woo Sun and Lee Soo-min-IV, which took place in July 14th. The black-and-white and color pictures show the couple on the aisle at their ceremony...More

"Tune in for Love", the latest movie from popular stars Kim Go-eun and Jung Hae-in, has been confirmed for an August 28th release date...More