Most Popular
-
1
Exports to US reach all-time high, widen gap with China
-
2
Trump rekindles criticism: US forces defending 'wealthy' S. Korea 'free of charge'
-
3
[Music in drama] Rekindle a love that slipped through your fingers
-
4
S. Korea discussed possible participation in AUKUS Pillar 2 with Australia: defense minister
-
5
[New faces of Assembly] Architect behind ‘audacious initiative’ believes in denuclearized North Korea
-
6
On May Day, labor unions blast Yoon's foreign nanny proposal
-
7
Seoul Metro to seek legal action against malicious complaints
-
8
[KH Explains] Will alternative trading platform shake up Korean stock market?
-
9
Illit, mired in controversy, remains on Billboard charts for 5th week
-
10
S. Korea lowers COVID-19 warning level, lifts last-remaining antivirus mandates
-
'Squid Game' watched by 111m households on Netflix
The smash-hit Korean-language drama series "Squid Game" has been watched by 111 million households around the world on Netflix, becoming its most successful original content, the US streaming giant said Wednesday. Since its first release on Sept. 17, the nine-part survival drama has topped the popular Netflix TV show charts in 94 countries, including the United States, Britain and France, according to Netflix. In the US, in particular, "Squid Game" has become the first non-
Oct. 13, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] ‘Squid Game’ sensation spreads to Korean content creators
International craze aside, the Netflix original series “Squid Game” is inspiring parodies and send-ups throughout the South Korean entertainment industry. Cable channel Channel A was one of the first to air a parody of the global megahit. “The Fisherman and the City,” a show featuring five Korean TV celebrities who are obsessed with fishing, introduced its cast as if they were “Squid Game” contestants, with tags like those used in the Netflix series. &ldquo
Oct. 8, 2021
-
KBS to air special documentary of BTS fans learning Korean
Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to air a Hangeul Day special, “I Learned Korean Because of BTS,” on Saturday. The program centers around the globalization of Hangeul, the Korean writing system, fanned by the popularity of K-pop sensation BTS and its fandom, which it refers to as Army. While enjoying the band’s music, many members of Army also try to understand the meaning of the lyrics. Some fans are even commemorating Hangeul Day in their own ways, according to KBS. K
Oct. 8, 2021
-
tvN ready to excite fans with mountains of ‘Jirisan’
In celebration of its 15th anniversary, cable channel tvN is scheduled to kick off the new Saturday-Sunday drama series “Jirisan” on Oct. 23, the company announced in a press release Wednesday. The mystery thriller centers around visitors and forest rangers working in Jirisan National Park, the largest national park in Korea. Top actor Jun Ji-hyun, or Gianna Jun, plays ranger Seo Yi-gang. Her last TV project was SBS’ “Legend of the Blue Sea” in 2016. Actor Ju Ji-h
Oct. 7, 2021
-
‘Squid Game’ cast to appear on Jimmy Fallon show
Actors of “Squid Game” are scheduled to appear on popular US late-night show “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” in a special interview with the show‘s host. According to Netflix, the four actors -- Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon and Wi Ha-joon -- will join the late-night show online for an episode that will be recorded Tuesday. The show is set to air the following day in the US. The nine-part thriller has topped global Netflix charts since its re
Oct. 4, 2021
-
'Squid Game' all the rage in Paris
PARIS -- A pop-up store for Netflix's original Korean series "Squid Game" opened up in France over the weekend, attracting fans in Europe. The pop-up store, set up at a cafe in Paris' 2nd arrondissement, ran from Saturday to Sunday and allowed visitors to take photos with the staff dressed up as red-suit guards as in the show. The store also showcased a childhood game featured in the series known as "dalgona bbobgi." Visitors at the pop-up store took on the challenge, in wh
Oct. 4, 2021
-
OTT service content rating evaluation lags behind schedule
As the web-based and OTT (over-the-top) content market enjoys unprecedented popularity due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, a so-called stagnation effect has hit the industry, causing frequent delays in the rating evaluating process for new releases. The number of requests for video content ratings jumped by 1,300 in a single year, from 6,626 in 2019 to 7,957 in 2020, according to Rep. Park Jeong of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism C
Oct. 1, 2021
-
Rom-com 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' hits top 10 on world's popular TV show rankings
South Korean TV series "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is gaining popularity on global online streaming platform Netflix, adding to a recent bullish run worldwide of Korea-made content led by the survival drama "Squid Game." The romantic comedy, aired on local cable channel tvN and simultaneously available for international streaming on Netflix, placed ninth on the most-viewed TV show rankings, according to streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol on Friday. It is the second South Korean s
Oct. 1, 2021
-
[Herald Interview] Lee Jung-jae says ‘Squid Game’ surprised him like it shocked the world
Top actor Lee Jung-jae is surprised with the global fervor for “Squid Game,” while enjoying the success of his Netflix debut. Mesmerizing viewers is not an unusual experience for the veteran actor, but Lee was shocked when he first saw himself as Ki-hoon. “Watching myself playing the role of Ki-hoon gave me goosebumps. I laughed a lot when I monitored the work after its release. Acting Ki-hoon was definitely a refreshing experience, making moves and facial expressions th
Sept. 30, 2021
-
[Herald Interview] News about ‘Squid Game’ continues to surprise its creator
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the writer and director who recently made his Netflix debut with “Squid Game,” expected the bloody survival battles to make the series a hit -- but not at the international level. “I thought the series was either a hit or a complete failure. But I believed in the potential of my work and hoped the viewers would enjoy the episodes by feeling nostalgia. This was the reason why I decided to work with Netflix and put myself in a small extra challenge to knock on
Sept. 29, 2021
-
From childhood games to iconic track suits, Netflix ‘Squid Game’ syndrome grips the world
The worldwide excitement over Netflix’s “Squid Game” is not likely to cease any time soon as even the small details of the nine-part series are fanatically enjoyed by the global audience. The mystery sci-fi thriller has reached the top spot in countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand, according to the US-based streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. The popularity of “Squid Game&rdq
Sept. 28, 2021
-
Netflix's co-CEO says 'Squid Game' may become its most popular show ever
"Squid Game," Netflix's new Korean survival drama, may become the global streaming entertainment giant's most successful original content ever, its chief has said. "Squid Game will definitely be our biggest non-English language show in the world, for sure," Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, said Monday (US time) during Code 2021, an annual technology conference hosted in Beverly Hills, California, by American media company Vox Media. "It's only been out for nine days,
Sept. 28, 2021
-
SBS “Master in the House” shows different sides of presidential hopefuls
The race for the South Korean presidency is heating up in both the political and entertainment scene. As the upcoming presidential election is about half a year away, the presidential hopefuls are seeking to appeal with their personal sides to woo voters. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the current ruling party front-runner, appeared in the latest episode of SBS’ Sunday reality show “Master in the House.” “I realized there are many misunderstandings about me. I t
Sept. 27, 2021
-
[Newsmaker] Netflix unveils 10 upcoming Korean dramas, shows after ‘Squid Game’ success
Days after “Squid Game” became the first Korean drama series to rank first on Netflix’s US top 10 TV show list, the global streaming service has unveiled its line-up of Korean programming for the upcoming months, spotlighting 10 drama series and reality shows. Netflix Korea introduced the shows during Tudum, Netflix’s global fan event, on Saturday, which was streamed on Netflix Korea’s YouTube channel. The real-time fan event was moderated by K-pop band Super J
Sept. 26, 2021
-
‘Squid Game’ pop-up set to close amid concerns on quarantine rules raised
A temporary replica set of Netflix original drama series “Squid Game,” installed at Itaewon Station in Yongsan, central Seoul, closed earlier than scheduled after doubts over violations of quarantine rules had been raised. In response to the growing concerns of the public, the Seoul Metro announced that it will close the operation of the set, Ogame World, on Saturday, a day earlier than the expected closing date. The set, situated on an underground common waiting at the station ope
Sept. 25, 2021
-
Phone number shown on 'Squid Game' leads to onslaught of prank calls
As the Netflix drama series “Squid Game” has become a worldwide sensation, a number of people have come forward claiming that they are receiving endless calls and text messages after the show featured a phone number. In the show, an unnamed character, played by actor Gong Yoo, gives Ki-hoon (Lee Jung-jae) a business card, asking him to join the Squid Game contest. In the competition, 456 contenders compete for the prize money, risking their lives. The business card has an eight-
Sept. 24, 2021
-
Presidential hopefuls star in TV reality shows
With the upcoming presidential election set for March, presidential hopefuls are going on reality TV programs to show their more personal sides in an attempt to woo voters. Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, a major presidential contender from the People’s Power Party, starred in an episode of SBS’ reality show “Master in the House” which aired on Sunday, giving the show hosts a tour of his home and cooking for them. “I asked (the hosts) to come to cook
Sept. 22, 2021
-
Two webtoons to catch up on before watching drama series during Chuseok holiday
A growing number of popular Korean webtoons are being turned into drama series, moving their creative storylines and strong fanbases to a new medium. For those who have not seen the original webtoons, the Chuseok holiday can be the time to catch up on some reading before watching the two highly anticipated drama series soon to be launched. “Yumi’s Cells,” written and drawn by Lee Dong-gun, is a popular webtoon with a whopping 512 episodes. After the last episode was presen
Sept. 19, 2021
-
MBC’s ‘The Wild Idol’ aims to open up new horizons for survival audition shows
MBC’s long-awaited survival audition program, “The Wild Idol,” will meet viewers for the first time on Friday at 8:10 p.m. “The Wild Idol” presents a series of harsh battles in which a total of 45 male idol applicants face extreme challenges to make it to their debut stage. Through various missions, the contestants are tested and evaluated on their physical strength, skills, and other hidden potentials while out in the wild. Unlike typical idol audition shows th
Sept. 17, 2021
-
tvN ‘Hometown’ to present orchestrated mystery with unique storyline
“Hometown,” directed by Park Hyun-seok, will premiere on Sept. 22 starring Han Ye-ri as Jo Jung-hyun, a woman searching for her kidnapped niece. Set in the imaginary town of Saju, South Gyeongsang Province, the upcoming tvN drama shows a detective (played by You Chae-myung) investigating a series of murders in 1999 and Jo’s search for her niece, which lead the characters to encounter the terrorist and serial killer Jo Kyoung-ho (played by Um Tae-goo). Widely recognized for d
Sept. 16, 2021