‘Squid Game’ star Oh Young-soo taken down from stage drama, ads

The 79th Golden Globe winner Oh Young-soo stepped down from his role in the local stage production “Love Letters,” scheduled to be performed Jan. 14 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, after he was indicted on charges of indecent assault on Friday. A woman filed a complaint with the police against the 78-year-old actor in December 2021 and the case was sent to prosecutors in February. The case was returned to the police for additional investigation and the police dismissed the case in

Nov. 27, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Young-kwang breaks from rom-coms with 'Somebody'

The fresh makeup, neatly blow dried hair and sharp suits that have been the signature look of model-turned-actor Kim Young-kwang since his drama debut in 2008 were hard to find in his latest crime thriller “Somebody.” “I only had two or three options for how I could dress as Seong Yun-o. And even this experience was exciting for me. I enjoyed every single moment that I spent shooting ‘Somebody,’” Kim said during an interview with reporters at a cafe in Samcheo

Nov. 24, 2022

‘King’s Affection’ wins International Emmy

Public broadcaster KBS announced that its romance series “The King’s Affection,” locally known as “Yeonmo,” won an award at this year’s International Emmy Awards, held Monday in New York. According to the nominations announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the series that aired last year was listed in the category for best telenovela, which recognizes excellence in telenovelas produced and initially aired outside of the US. &l

Nov. 22, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director believes 'Somebody' is more than a crime thriller

From a serial killer’s ruthless murders to terrified victims not knowing what to do, Netflix’s latest Korean original series “Somebody” offers everything one might expect to see in a frightening thriller series. Yet, director Jung Ji-woo says he really created a melodrama that looks a lot like a suspense thriller. "Somebody" presents a story about a dating app developer Kim Sum (played by Kang Hae-lim), who wishes to find someone who can truly understand her. Sh

Nov. 22, 2022

Can sequels replicate the success of hit originals?

December will see a host of series looking to repeat the popularity of their previous seasons once again with the launch of their second seasons. Netflix’s “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Part 2” is one of the two projects that are expected to heat up the clash of drama series. The crime thriller, whose first part was released in June, in the upcoming season, presents the stories of the individual gang members and the intense tension between the group of thiev

Nov. 21, 2022

Choi Soo-young hopes to warm viewers heart with ‘Please Send Me a Fan Letter’

A member of a top idol group and a successful actor with several hit drama series, Choi Soo-young -- widely known as Sooyoung of girl group Girls’ Generation -- is no stranger to the life of a celebrity. However, playing a popular celebrity named Han Kang-hee was not the only reason she decided to star in the MBC rom-com “Please Send Me a Fan Letter.” “Of course, I could relate to many things in the series and to my character Kang-hee. But I felt that our series present

Nov. 18, 2022

[Herald Interview] Lee Sung-min reflects on himself with ‘Shadow Detective’

Though Lee Sung-min played the role of detective in his previous projects -- thriller movies “Broken” (2014) and “The Beast” (2019), Taek-rok, a veteran detective who is on the verge of retirement, caught the actor’s attention from the beginning. “When I first received the script, the title of the series was ‘Old Detective.’ The word ‘old’ seemed so moving and I felt I could relate myself a lot to the series,” Lee said during an

Nov. 17, 2022

Netflix’s ‘Somebody’ presents chilling stories of dating apps

Global streaming service Netflix is scheduled to present an uncanny love story of a young Korean couple in its upcoming thriller series “Somebody.” Exploring the possibilities of making a true friend via dating apps and questioning how open one can be to an anonymous, virtual figure, “Somebody” features different sides of dating apps in South Korea. “The ways how people meet each other have changed over the course of time. The stories of melodramas have changed a

Nov. 16, 2022

Broadcasters warm up for World Cup with entertainment shows

With FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicking off Nov. 20, local broadcasters and cable channels are flooding the air with soccer-themed talk shows and variety shows to gin up interest in soccer's biggest competition. The first was terrestrial broadcaster MBC, which premiered the educational talk show “Top Teacher,” a program in which experts are invited to lecture on their fields of expertise, on Nov. 9. The first episode featured the renowned sports commentator Park Moon-sung who int

Nov. 15, 2022

[Herald Interview] Jin Sun-kyu hopes viewers enjoy ‘Bargain’ without a frown

Since making a name for himself with the hit crime film “The Outlaws” in 2017, Jin Sun-kyu has been mesmerizing the Korean audience playing charismatic, hard-boiled characters in various projects, including “Dark Figure of Crime” (2018), “Extreme Job” (2019) and “Confidential Assignment 2: International,” released in September. While many fans already consider him one of the nation's go-to actors with an impressive filmography and a long lis

Nov. 14, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director shares hopes, dreams with 'Food Chronicle'

As a documentary director in South Korea, a country where many people believe documentary series are not popular content, Lee Wook-jung had many questions to ask himself. Recognizing the changes in the way the public enjoys and accepts creative content, Lee tried to blend his experience as a veteran director and fresh attempt in presenting his latest project "Food Chronicle," which targets young viewers. "Ninety percent of local content are either drama series or unscripted show

Nov. 10, 2022

[Feature] Called out for cultural insensitivity: Can Korean entertainment finally reform?

When Korean dramas first became popular outside of Korea in the early 2000s -- “Winter Sonata” (2002) and MBC’s “Jewel in the Palace” (2003) are prime examples -- the viewership was mostly Asian. It was at this time that the term hallyu, or Korean Wave, began to be used to describe the popularity of Korean entertainment overseas. While Korean films, such as “Oldboy” (2003), “Train to Busan” (2016) and “Parasite” (2019), have recei

Nov. 9, 2022

Ryan Reynolds recalls ‘horrible’ memories of ‘Masked Singer’ appearance in Korea

Actor Ryan Reynolds described his experience of appearing in the Korean TV show “The King of Masked Singer” back in 2018 as “being in actual hell,” during a recent interview. Reynolds appeared on NBC's Today show on Monday to promote his upcoming movie “Spirited” with Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, during which he talked about why he appeared on the Korean show. "Masked Singer," which is still airing on South Korea's MBC TV, has masked c

Nov. 8, 2022

tvN's ‘Behind Every Star’ shows little-known world of management agents

Depicting the lives of the people behind celebrities, cable channel tvN’s “Behind Every Star” presents celebrity managers' drama-filled lives with their clients, who are real Korean celebrities playing themselves. According to director Paek Seung-lyong, the 12-part series will be a magical TV drama featuring a star-studded stream of cameos, including Cho Yeo-jeong from 2019's Oscar-winning movie “Parasite.” “To make our series more realistic, we tr

Nov. 8, 2022

Lee Jung-jae confirmed to join new ‘Star Wars’ series

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., announced that top South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae will be among the star-studded lineup of its new “Star Wars" series “The Acolyte.” US actor Amandla Stenberg of “The Hate U Give” (2018), British and Spanish actor Dafne Keen of “His Dark Materials” (2019) and the Philippines-born Canadian actor Manny Jacinto of “Nine Perfect Strangers” (2021) have also been confi

Nov. 8, 2022

Educational talk shows, a new trend in Korean TV

Talk shows that incorporate storytelling in exploring topics in the humanities and other areas are gaining popularity on Korean television. While global streaming services focus on big budget shows featuring top TV celebrities, like “Take 1” and “The Zone: Survival Mission,” local broadcasters and cable channels are offering programs that aim to satisfy intellectual curiosity. These shows are notable for the absence of jokes or entertainment elements that are often employ

Nov. 7, 2022

Paramount+ to present Tving’s ‘Bargain’ in 2023

Tving's latest original series “Bargain” is scheduled to premiere globally via Paramount+ in 2023, the local streaming service announced Friday. The six-part thriller will be Tving and Paramount+’s second shared series, following director Lee Joon-ik’s sci-fi series “Beyond the Memory,” widely known by its Korean title “Yonder.” Paramount+ landed in South Korea as a free-to-view addition to Tving in June. As to why the series is being released

Nov. 4, 2022

EBS to present sci-fi show “The Dreamer”

Public educational TV channel EBS delves into the mysteries of the future with its upcoming talk show “The Dreamer,” featuring the latest computing technologies including extended reality, motion capture and deep fake. Extended reality is an umbrella term that covers virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. The computing technology can merge physical and virtual worlds, bringing digital elements to the viewers. “The Dreamer,” the first Korean XR talk show,

Nov. 1, 2022

Broadcasters, streaming services to halt shows and dramas

Terrestrial broadcasters, cable channels and streaming services have cancelled or postponed airing weekly programs and upcoming series which were scheduled to be released this week, as South Korea enters a weeklong national mourning period that ends on Nov. 5. In an attempt to offer their condolences to the victims and their families of the unfortunate accident that occurred in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Saturday night, references to Halloween were removed from Korean creative content. Pub

Nov. 1, 2022

[Video] Everything about Anupam Tripathi from Squid Game

We sat down with Anupam Tripathi from Squid Game and got the full story behind his journey to the screen. From how Korea became his second home and exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, to his hopes for the future, we get the full scoop! Lee Ji-min, Lim Su-mi, Park Seo-hee and Park Ju-min contributed to this report. By Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com)

Oct. 31, 2022