Korean dramas depicting countryside youth enjoy bump in popularity

The end of 2023 and start of 2024 have been flooded with South Korean dramas depicting the lives of youth who lead their lives in countryside, amid the increase in demand from the audience for stress relief, according to experts, Monday. "Welcome to Samdal-ri," a popular 16-part JTBC romantic comedy drama, which released its first episode on Dec. 2, 2023, wrapped up with its last episode on Sunday. The drama series narrates the story of Cho Sam-dal (played by Shin Hye-sun), who lived i

Jan. 22, 2024

Kakao Entertainment names new CEOs amid continued controversy

Kakao Entertainment said Friday it has designated the company's Chief Operating Officer Kweon Ki-su and Global Strategy Officer Joseph Chang as the company's co-chief executive officers, in a bid to push for reform amid public criticisms surrounding the company's alleged stock manipulations. According to Kakao Entertainment, before Kweon and Chang are officially appointed, which will take place after Kakao's board meetings and shareholders' meetings, the two co-CEO nomin

Jan. 19, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'The Bequeathed' merges concepts of horror and family

Yeon Sang-ho, star director of mega-hits such as the 2016 zombie film "Train to Busan" and the 2021 Netflix original fantasy drama series "Hellbound," is back with "The Bequeathed," a new Netflix original thriller drama series. "The Bequeathed" is a 6-part series that focuses on a series of ominous events which occur after Yoon Seo-ha (Kim Hyun-joo) receives a family grave site as inheritance following the death of her uncle. Conflict heightens as her half

Jan. 18, 2024

'LTNS' satirizes realities of today's sexless, adulterous couples

The life of a married couple who have lost interest in each other will be examined in "LTNS," Tving's new original series, offering a no-holds-barred depiction of the realities of couples today, promised actors Ahn Jae-hong and Lee So-young, also known as Esom, during a press conference in Seoul on Monday. "LTNS," short for "Long Time No Sex," is a 6-part drama series that uses black comedy to tell the story of Woo-jin (played by Esom) and Samuel (played by Ahn

Jan. 18, 2024

KBS employees fined W30m for abuse and death of horse

A Seoul court on Wednesday fined three KBS employees a total of 30 million won ($22,338), holding them accountable for the death of a horse on the set of a drama production in 2021. The Seoul Southern District Court convicted the three employees -- a 59-year-old drama producer surnamed Kim, a martial arts director and an equestrian -- of animal abuse among other charges for the torture and killing of a horse while shooting a scene for the local broadcaster’s "The King of Tears, Lee

Jan. 17, 2024

[Herald Interview] Park Seo-joon, Han So-hee say historical themes drew them to 'Gyeongseong Creature'

Actors Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee said they most wanted to portray the lives of people living in 1945, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, through their roles in "Gyeongseong Creature." The final episode of the first season of the 10-part Netflix original series aired on Jan. 5. "Gyeongseong Creature" tells the story of Jang Tae-sung (Park Seo-joon) and Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee), who investigate clandestine operations taking place in a hidden basement of a hospita

Jan. 17, 2024

'Captivating the King' to capture love-hate relationship between king and spy

Sparks are set to fly as South Korean actors Jo Jung-suk and Shin Se-kyung star in tvN's new historical romance drama "Captivating the King," in which they will portray a love-hate relationship between a king and a spy. The 16-part drama series centers around the relationship between Lee In (played by Jo Jung-suk), who rises to the position of king of Joseon, and Kang Hee-soo (played by Shin Se-kyung), a spy who approaches him seeking revenge. "Although it is a fusion histo

Jan. 17, 2024

Are Korean dramas struggling on Netflix?

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

Jan. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Single's Inferno 3' may be most successful season yet

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

Jan. 15, 2024

'Island' wins best original digital drama at Asian Television Awards

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

Jan. 14, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'Gyeongseong Creature' focuses on human stories of 1945, not monsters

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

Jan. 10, 2024

Webtoon based drama series to dominate in early 2024

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

Jan. 8, 2024

Korean American director's 'Beef' wins big at 81st Golden Globe Awards

Korean American director Lee Sung-jin’s road-rage drama on Netflix, “Beef,” won big at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, which took place in Beverly Hills on Sunday night local time. Along with best TV series, the two lead actors in “Beef” – Steven Yeun and Ali Wong – won the best actor and actress awards, respectively. The awards marked the first Golden Globes win for both Yeun and Wong. In his speech after being named Best Male Actor in a Limited Series, K

Jan. 8, 2024

'Gyeongseong Creature' spin-off webtoon to be released

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

Jan. 5, 2024

KBS cancels 'Beat Coin' despite show's streaming popularity

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

Jan. 3, 2024

Korean cultural content industries log 69 trillion won in sales in first half of 2023

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

Jan. 3, 2024

KBS, MBC, SBS wrap up 2023 with entertainment awards

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

Jan. 1, 2024

98% of teens, 20-somethings use streaming subscription services: report

Almost every South Korean in their teens or 20s is using some form of over-the-top media service, a report by the Korea Communications Commission showed Thursday. About 97.8 percent of all 20-somethings and 97.6 percent of teenagers aged 13 and above were using subscription-based streaming services, the highest out of all age groups. Overall, 77 percent of the general population were using OTT services, up five percent from the year before. The state-run organization conducted a survey on 7,055

Dec. 31, 2023

[Herald Review] Monster horror series 'Gyeongseong Creature' disappoints

Touted as the most anticipated Netflix original Korean drama series of the second half of the year, "Gyeongseong Creature," the latest work of director Jung Dong-yoon, fell flat upon its release. Set against the backdrop of Gyeongseong, today's Seoul, in 1945, "Gyeongseong Creature" is a 10-part thriller drama that centers around the stories of two individuals who encounter monsters in a mysterious hospital. While the series proclaimed itself as a monster horror series,

Dec. 27, 2023

'The Glory,' 'The Roundup: No Way Out' most searched-for titles: Naver

The most searched-for television program on the mobile version of the nation's most popularly used search engine was "The Glory," with the most searched-for movie being "The Roundup: No Way Out," according to a report from Naver. According to Naver's report on popularly searched for keywords in 2023 released Thursday -- which made use of Naver's data collected from January to November -- the most searches for a television show on Naver's mobile application

Dec. 26, 2023