Japanese-Korean romances surge to leverage audiences and funds

Dramas depicting intercultural romances between Japanese and Korean characters are all the rage right now, amid efforts to draw in a broader audience and leverage larger production budgets, according to industry officials, Friday. In Japan, hit romance fantasy series "Eye Love You" lit up the schedules in the early part of the year. The drama depicted the love story of Yoon Tae-oh (Chae Jong-hyeop), a Korean graduate student in Japan, and Yuri (Fumi Nikaido), a CEO with the ability to

Sept. 13, 2024

What comes after love? Ex-lovers cross paths in new Coupang Play series

Featuring Japanese heartthrob Kentaro Sakaguchi and Korean actor Lee Se-young, the upcoming Coupang Play's romance series "What Comes After Love" explores a timeless question: What happens when former lovers unexpectedly cross paths once again. "What Comes After Love" narrates the story of Choi Hong (Lee Se-young) and Aoki Jungo (Kentaro Sakaguchi), who meet again by chance five years after splitting up. The series is adapted from the novel of the same name, co-authored

Sept. 12, 2024

Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars' billed as largest K-cooking survival show yet

Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" will be the biggest cooking survival show in Korean entertainment show history, according to the show's producers, Wednesday. "Culinary Class Wars" features cook-offs featuring 100 contestants split into two teams: the white team, composed of Korea's top chefs, and the black team, made up of little-known chefs and cooks such as local restaurant owners. The contestants will face off in multiple elimination rounds with a panel of j

Sept. 11, 2024

K-content industry should focus on diverse monetization opportunities: industry expert

The Korean content industry should seek out ways to diverse monetizing opportunities, experts told a global conference on streaming industries in Asia. Speaking at the conference titled "Korea in View" held Aug. 29, Marianne Lee, chief of content acquisition and development at streaming platform Viu, said the content industry in Korea is going through a "correction period," in which the industry is now struggling to keep up with soaring production costs, which have risen four

Sept. 10, 2024

Park Chan-wook receives Golden Bird Prize at Seoul International Drama Awards 2024

Auteur Park Chan-wook clinched the Golden Bird Prize at this year's Seoul International Drama Awards for his significant impact on the drama industry with "The Sympathizer," according to the awards organizing committee on Monday. Seoul International Drama Awards, hosted annually by the SDA organizing committee and the Korean Broadcasters Association since 2006, celebrates outstanding achievements in drama series from around the world. This year’s awards ceremony logged a rec

Sept. 9, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Myung-min takes cue from 'The Godfather' for 'Your Honor'

Veteran actor Kim Myung-min said he drew inspiration from the iconic American gangster film "The Godfather" while portraying the crime lord in the hit series "Your Honor." "Your Honor," an adaptation of the Israeli series "Kvodo," follows Judge Pan-ho (played by Son Hyun-joo), who seeks to cover up a murder committed by his son, and Gang-heon (played by Kim), a merciless crime lord who is determined to uncover the truth behind his son's murder. The se

Sept. 9, 2024

'The Devil's Plan Season 2' to return bigger with games devised by fans

Jung Jong-yeon, producer of the hit Netflix survival game series "The Devil's Plan," said the series' second season has been upgraded to showcase an intricately designed filming set, alongside games created by some of his most dedicated fans. In its first season, "The Devil's Plan" brought together 12 contestants, including actors, doctors and YouTubers, to compete in a battle of wit and strategy. Upon its release in September 2023, the show quickly gained glob

Sept. 4, 2024

Yoo Ah-in sentenced to one year in prison for drug abuse

Actor Yoo Ah-in was sentenced to one year in prison by the Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday for repeated drug use. The court ordered Yoo's immediate detention after handing down the sentence, which included a one-year prison term, a 2 million won fine ($1,489) and a surcharge of 1.54 million won. Yoo was ordered to pay a surcharge for the value of items obtained illegally. "Prescription narcotics, like propofol, are tightly controlled because of their potential for dependence an

Sept. 3, 2024

[Herald Interview] An unwanted guest, chaos and solace in 'The Frog'

The director of Netflix's original thriller "The Frog" said he aimed to offer solace to viewers by sharing the stories of those who encounter sudden calamities and suffer deep isolation, their plight ignored by those around them. "The Frog" is an 8-part mystery thriller centered on Young-ha (Kim Yun-seok), who operates a pension in the woods. Seeking a quiet life away from the world, Young-ha's peace is shattered by the arrival of a mysterious guest, Sung-ah (Go Min

Sept. 3, 2024

Experts call for innovation in content retail, seasons format for K-dramas

The K-drama industry must improve its overseas retail strategies and adopt seasonal formats to become an IP powerhouse, according to media experts. During "Korea In View," a series of talk sessions held Thursday as a part of Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2024, the chief researcher at Export-Import Bank of Korea remarked that Korea currently suffers from its content being stockpiled. Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW) 2024 is an annual gathering of global broadcasters. "It's true that K-

Sept. 2, 2024

Dark side of AfreecaTV, livestreamers in Korea

With the recent news of numerous AfreecaTV livestreamers -- commonly known here as "BJs" -- being arrested for drug use and accused of engaging in group sexual activities making waves, a spotlight has been shone on their conduct. As livestreamers become increasingly successful in the entertainment market, pop-culture experts call to attention the circumstances that make livestreamers on AfreecaTV, the country’s largest one-person streaming platform, vulnerable to crime. Explosi

Aug. 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Lee Min-ho, Kim Min-ha talk about what ‘Pachinko’ means to them

Apple TV+’s Korean original series “Pachinko” aired its first episode of season two on Aug. 23. The show’s main protagonists Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha, who played a fish broker tied to Yakuza Hansu and a sturdy, hard-working young woman from a small town Sunja, respectively, said they assimilated to their characters. The second season of the period drama chronicles the life of a Korean family spanning four generations, who moved to Japan in the early 1900s. Over the eight

Aug. 28, 2024

Jo Jung-suk says his wife Gummy gave him most confidence for 'A-List to Playlist'

Korea's beloved actor Jo Jung-suk said his wife and popular singer Park Ji-yeon, more famously known by her stage name Gummy, has been his greatest source of confidence in pursuing his dream of becoming a singer, via Netflix original "A-List to Playlist." "A-List to Playlist" will follow actor Jo Jung-suk's quest to fulfill his dream of debuting as a singer-songwriter. The eight-part series documents Jo's 100-day journey to create an album, with support from

Aug. 27, 2024

Comedy actors take charge on silver screen

Actors who have gained nationwide popularity for their comedy skits and trending memes are increasingly making their marks on the silver screen. Experts say such a trend may be attributed to the actors' flexibility to tackle various roles and the growing preference among filmmakers to adopt a lighter atmosphere in films. Yoon Ga-i, who recently won the rookie entertainer award at the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards in July for her performance in Coupang Play's "Saturday Night Live K

Aug. 26, 2024

[Exclusive] YouTube says account of singer convicted of sex crimes terminated according to guidelines

YouTube said that it decided to shut down the account of Go Young-wook, a former member of '90s band Roo'Ra who served 30 months in prison for raping minors, according to its guidelines, Monday. “We have terminated Go!Youngwook GoDog Days channel in accordance with our Creator Responsibility guidelines, which prohibit off-platform behavior that harms YouTube’s community. This means that the uploader is unable to use, own or create any other YouTube channels.” a YouTub

Aug. 26, 2024

Rise of empowered women on Korean variety shows

Korean audiences have been thrilled by wrestling athlete Jang Eun-sil pushing a massive boat with burly men in "Physical: 100," female Korean police officers, firefighters and soldiers competing in the reality competition series "Siren: Survive the Island," as well as female celebrities passionately participating in soccer matches in "Kick a Goal," in recent years. These shows are among the popular women-led Korean variety shows -- including "Unpretty Rapstar,&

Aug. 24, 2024

Busan International Comedy Festival kicks off 10-day run with captivating opening ceremony

The 12th Busan International Comedy Festival, one of the largest comedy events in Asia, kicked off on Friday evening in the port city of Haeundae. The festival's opening ceremony, held at the Busan Cinema Center, attracted some 3,000 attendees. Among the attendees were popular comedians such as Danny Choi, Hong Yoon-hwa, and Kim Won-hyo, members of the BICF Organizing Committee, as well as Busan Mayor Park Heung-joon. Hosted by popular comedians Yoo Se-yoon and Jang Dong-min, the opening ce

Aug. 23, 2024

YouTube account of former singer convicted of raping minors shut down

The YouTube account of Go Young-wook, a former member of the popular '90s band Roo'Ra who served 30 months in prison for raping and sexually harassing minors, was shut down Friday, 17 days after its creation. "It seems my YouTube channel was shut down overnight. I didn't upload any harmful content, yet it seems YouTube applied a rule (to shut down accounts) solely to me just because of my criminal record. I've already served my legal punishment, so why is it that some pe

Aug. 23, 2024

‘Pachinko’ season 2 about characters’ growth, emotions

Apple TV+’s Korean original series “Pachinko” has returned with the new second season narrating the internal growth of the characters and their portrayal of a range of emotions, the show’s main actors said Friday. Based on Korean American author Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, the period drama chronicles the life of a Korean family spanning four generations, who moved to Japan in the early 1900s. The second season continues to depict the life of Su

Aug. 23, 2024

'Influencer' winner disqualified from W300m prize for leaking outcome

Korean YouTuber Oh Byeong-min, better known as Oking, the winner of Netflix TV competition "The Influencer," will not be eligible to claim the 300 million won ($225,000) prize after leaking information about being the final winner, according to Netflix on Thursday. "Maintaining confidentiality before a title's release is essential in order to ensure that the efforts of everyone involved in the production are rewarded and that the intended enjoyment is fully delivered to the a

Aug. 22, 2024