The Korea Times

HYBE America to make live action film on K-pop

HYBE America is teaming up with Paramount Pictures to produce a live action film with a K-pop theme, igniting speculation about the potential for a new hit in the vein of Netflix's animated feature "KPop Demon Hunters," the U.S. arm of the Korean entertainment company said Wednesday. The yet-to-be-titled film will tell the story of a Korean American girl who defies her family's objections to pursue her dream of joining a next-generation K-pop girl group by participating in an audition TV program. Ji-young Yoo, known for her role as Zoey in "KPop Demon Hunters," and Eric Nam, a singer and actor who starred as surgical resident Jonah Yoon in last year's Hollywood film "Transplant," have been cast in the lead roles. Their involvement, particularly Yoo's connection to "KPop Demon Hunters," is already generating buzz about the film's potential to capture the hearts of fans who embraced the hit animated movie. HYBE America said the film is scheduled to be released in theaters on Feb. 12, 2027. The production, with an all-Korea shoot, will begin in mid-September this year, the company said, ad

Jul 23, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

K-pop

CJ ENM establishes Saudi Arabia base, accelerating K-culture push

CJ ENM has established a subsidiary in Saudi Arabia, underscoring its commitment to expanding K-culture in the region, the leading Korean entertainment company said Wednesday. The company said it recently set up its wholly-owned subsidiary CJ ENM Middle East in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, making it the first Korean entertainment company to do so in the Middle East. "This move is a significant step in the company’s declaration of 2025 — CJ ENM’s 30th anniversary year — as the ‘First Official Year of Global Expansion,’” Yoon Sang-hyun, CEO of CJ ENM said in a statement. "Establishing a presence in Saudi Arabia allows us to engage in emerging global markets and strengthen our global competitiveness.” Positioning the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as a strategic growth engine, CJ ENM will integrate its expertise in content creation, production and distribution to fully leverage the region’s expanding entertainment infrastructure and culture market. Through this subsidiary, CJ ENM also plans to pursue collaborations across music, television, film and live entertai

Jul 23, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

CJ ENM establishes Saudi Arabia base, accelerating K-culture push

Films

'Omniscient Reader' sparks hope for struggling Korean cinema with fantasy spectacle

With its lavish visuals and star-studded cast, the new Korean blockbuster “Omniscient Reader” premiered as a beacon of hope for a local film industry struggling to recover from a prolonged slump. The film's director and lead actors expressed confidence Tuesday that its unique blend of reality and fantasy will prove that compelling, entertaining movies can still draw audiences back to theaters. Based on the highly popular web novel of the same name, which has over 200 million cumulative views, “Omniscient Reader” tells the story of Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop), the lone reader of a web novel that concludes after more than a decade. On the day of its finale, the fictional world suddenly becomes reality. Kim Dok-ja, along with the novel’s protagonist Yoo Joong-hyuk (Lee Min-ho) and their companions, must navigate this collapsed world to survive. The film focuses on grounding this surreal narrative with realistic, high-quality graphics and A-list talent. Director Kim Byung-woo, known for thrillers like “The Terror Live” and “Take Point,” stated during a press conference follow

Jul 15, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

'Omniscient Reader' sparks hope for struggling Korean cinema with fantasy spectacle

Films

BIFF opens public voting for 30th anniversary screenings

The 30th annual Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is opening up voting for its popular Request Cinema program, a unique event that lets the public curate their own film screenings and related events. For one week starting Wednesday, the public can vote for the programs they want to see, making the festival a collaborative celebration of cinema. The program is a highlight of Community BIFF, the festival's special section that aims to bring audiences and filmmakers closer together. This year's edition of Request Cinema received a record number of applications. A total of 87 proposals were submitted by movie fans eager to plan a film program from selection to event planning, the organizing committee said. After a screening process, 46 programs advanced to the final round and 15 programs will be chosen through a combination of online votes and internal evaluation. In celebration of the festival's 30th anniversary, this year's programs are centered on beloved films from the festival's past. Popular traditional themes such as “Masters,” “Fandom,” “Youth” and “Actors” have

Jul 15, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

BIFF opens public voting for 30th anniversary screenings

Films

'Wall to Wall' to tackle horrors of inter-floor noise

Director Kim Tae-joon, who made his debut with the Netflix movie "Unlocked" (2023), is back with his second feature film, "Wall to Wall,” a horror-thriller that sheds light on a relatable conflict in Korean society — inter-floor noise. The film's Korean title, “84 Square Meters,” directly references the most popular apartment size in Korea. Director Kim chose this setting to ground the story in a reality many Koreans experience. "Many people are suffering from inter-floor noise," Kim said during a press conference at a hotel in Seoul, Monday. "Eighty percent of Korea's housing is multi-family housing and more than 80 percent of that is apartments. In a way, we can say around 80 percent of our population is in an environment where they could experience this issue." Kim felt that the topic of inter-floor noise was both relevant and highly relatable. "I thought it would be interesting to seriously explore the various perspectives and underlying stories of inter-floor noise," he said. The film features a stellar cast, with lead actor Kang Ha-neul taking on the role of Woo-seong, a youn

Jul 14, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

'Wall to Wall' to tackle horrors of inter-floor noise

Films

Taiwanese film ‘The Uniform’ brings back memories of youth

A new Taiwanese film, “The Uniform,” is set to capture the hearts of Korean audiences with its poignant story of friendship and identity, evoking shared memories of academic pressure and competition that transcend time and borders. Set in 1997, the teen romance film follows Ai (Buffy Chen), a student in a top-tier girl’s high school night class, which makes her feel like a “fake elite.” Her life changes when she befriends Min (Chloe Xiang), a seemingly perfect student in the day class who shares her desk. Through a secret exchange of uniforms, Ai begins to experience a different world, blurring the lines between who she is and who she wants to be. Director Chuang Ching-shen, who cowrote the screenplay with his wife, said he was drawn to the project because it mirrored his own experiences. “The time period and the social atmosphere, entrance exams, academic stress and subtle family dynamics portrayed in the film are all things we actually felt as students,” he told Korean reporters after a press preview in Seoul on Thursday. Producer David Tang noted that the film’s depicti

Jul 11, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

Taiwanese film ‘The Uniform’ brings back memories of youth

Films

Shim Eun-kyung’s Japanese film ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ invited to Locarno Film Festival

Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung’s latest film, the Japanese production "Two Seasons, Two Strangers," has been officially invited to the International Competition section of the 78th Locarno Film Festival. "Two Seasons, Two Strangers" was selected for the prestigious Swiss festival, which kicks off Aug. 6, the film’s Korean distributor Atnine Film said Thursday. The film is the latest work from Sho Miyake, a director currently drawing significant attention not only in Japan but also globally, having received three consecutive invitations to the Berlin International Film Festival for his previous works, "And Your Bird Can Sing” (2018), "Small, Slow But Steady” (2022) and "All the Flowers Tell” (2024). "Two Seasons, Two Strangers" is based on Yoshiharu Tsuge's acclaimed comic books. The film version follows Lee (Shim), a scriptwriter, who meets an innkeeper named Benzo (Tsutsumi Shinichi) during her travels. Shim, widely known in Korea for her role in the 2011 hit movie "Sunny," has actively pursued a career in both Korea and Japan. Her notable Japanese work includes the 2019 film "Th

Jul 10, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

Shim Eun-kyung’s Japanese film ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ invited to Locarno Film Festival

Films

'Pretty Crazy' to bring comedic take on human, demonic sides

Filmmaker Lee Sang-geun, known for his 2019 hit "Exit," is set to deliver a unique blend of character-driven storytelling and comedic thrills with his new film "Pretty Crazy,” promising to captivate audiences with its unusual premise and strong ensemble cast. "I'm thankful for all the love 'Exit' received. With that film, I went for a large-scale story, so this time, I wanted to create something smaller in scale but with a deeper look into characters and human nature," Lee said during a press conference at a theater in Seoul on Wednesday. The director revealed that "Pretty Crazy" was originally intended to be his debut film but was postponed in favor of "Exit." "I wanted to finally fulfill that long-cherished desire, so I reorganized everything from scratch to make this film," he added, setting a lighthearted tone for the event. "Pretty Crazy" is a comedic film about Gil-gu (Ahn Bo-hyun), a young unemployed man who takes on an unusual part-time job — keeping an eye on his neighbor, Sun-ji (Yoona), who transforms into a demon every night but can't remember anything she did the next da

Jul 9, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

'Pretty Crazy' to bring comedic take on human, demonic sides

People & Events

Lee Si-young announces pregnancy after divorce, sparks debate over embryo use

Actor Lee Si-young revealed Tuesday that she is expecting her second child, just four months after her divorce from restaurateur Cho Seong-hyun. “My ex-husband did not agree, but I have decided to bear the full weight of this decision,” the 43-year-old wrote on her Instagram. “I could not bring myself to discard the embryo that was nearing the end of its storage period. My life as a mother has always been my greatest source of strength.” During her marriage, Lee and Cho underwent IVF (in vitro fertilization) treatment. The fertilized embryo was not implanted at the time. As their relationship ended and the five-year storage period for the frozen embryo approached expiration, Lee decided to proceed with the implantation despite Cho’s opposition. “When I had my son eight years ago, it was before getting married and while I was filming a drama. Each year, I regretted and blamed myself for the moments I spent in anxiety. I always wanted children and I never wanted to repeat the regrets I felt with my first child,” she continued. Her case is very exceptional in Korea, as it is a

Jul 8, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

Lee Si-young announces pregnancy after divorce, sparks debate over embryo use

Films

Lee administration restores funding to indie film fest, signaling cultural policy shift

The Lee Jae Myung administration restored government funding for the Seoul Independent Film Festival (SIFF), reversing the sweeping budget cuts enacted under impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol and signaling a new direction for Korea’s cultural policy. The National Assembly approved the budget restoration Friday, allocating 400 million won ($292,565) for independent film festivals — a move widely seen as both symbolic and practical in reviving the country’s creative scene. This stands in stark contrast to the Yoon government, which eliminated all SIFF funding in its 2025 budget proposal, drawing backlash from filmmakers and cultural advocates who viewed the cuts as an attack on artistic diversity and independence. Founded in 1975, SIFF is the nation’s oldest and largest platform for independent cinema, co-hosted by the Korean Film Council and the Association of Korean Independent Film and Video. In 2024, the festival’s future was thrown into jeopardy when the Yoon administration slashed support for independent and art films, prompting more than 8,000 industry professionals

Jul 8, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

Baek Byung-yeul

Read more

HYBE America to make live action film on K-pop

CJ ENM establishes Saudi Arabia base, accelerating K-culture push

'Omniscient Reader' sparks hope for struggling Korean cinema with fantasy spectacle

BIFF opens public voting for 30th anniversary screenings

'Wall to Wall' to tackle horrors of inter-floor noise

Taiwanese film ‘The Uniform’ brings back memories of youth

Shim Eun-kyung’s Japanese film ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers’ invited to Locarno Film Festival

'Pretty Crazy' to bring comedic take on human, demonic sides

Lee Si-young announces pregnancy after divorce, sparks debate over embryo use

Lee administration restores funding to indie film fest, signaling cultural policy shift

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