my timesThe Korea Times
baekby

Baek Byung-yeul

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.

Go to Email

Read more

Shows & Dramas

‘Squid Game’ Season 3 premieres, marking end of global phenomenon

Netflix's global phenomenon "Squid Game" premiered its highly anticipated third and final season Friday at 4 p.m., bringing a dramatic close to the deadly contest that has gripped viewers around the world. The new season promises heightened darkness, inventive challenges and deep emotional stakes as the story of protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and the mysterious organization behind the games reaches its climax. The series first captivated audiences in 2021 with its unique blend of brutalized Korean childhood games, thrilling survival and sharp social commentary. Season 1 introduced viewers to Gi-hun, a desperate man drawn into a secret competition where 456 contestants risk their lives for a massive cash prize of 45.6 billion won ($33.6 million). The show's distinctive use of Korean cultural elements and its potent critique of economic inequality made the first season a global hit, breaking streaming records. Season 2, released last December, saw Gi-hun, traumatized but resolute, reenter the game to dismantle the organization from within. This installment delved deeper into the p

Jun 27, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
‘Squid Game’ Season 3 premieres, marking end of global phenomenon
Shows & Dramas

Can ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 recapture global hype amid viewer fatigue?

Netflix's "Squid Game" is set to unveil its highly anticipated final chapter Friday, promising to conclude the brutal contest for 45.6 billion won ($33.6 million) that has captivated global audiences. As the series that redefined the international standing of Korean dramas prepares to air its last episodes, industry insiders and viewers alike are questioning whether "Squid Game" Season 3 can match, or even surpass, the record-breaking legacy of its debut. While anticipation for the final season remains formidable, it has softened compared to previous seasons, according to a Consumer Insight survey. The local survey institution said its poll of 500 Korean streaming platform users aged 20-59 revealed that the intent-to-watch rate for Season 3 stands at 55 percent on the eve of its release. This is noticeably lower than the 60 percent range recorded for Season 2. Awareness rates have also dipped slightly, with Season 3 holding steady in the 80 to 85 percent range, compared to 88 to 91 percent for Season 2. The survey company attributes this shift to several factors, such as the natural fat

Jun 26, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Can ‘Squid Game’ Season 3 recapture global hype amid viewer fatigue?
Films

Korean horror films unleash everyday fears this summer

Korean cinema is set to deliver a chilling summer with a new wave of horror films that turn everyday anxieties into terrifying experiences. Moving beyond ghosts and monsters, these movies tap into the real-life fears of daily life by dealing everything from inter-floor noise in apartments — Korea's most popular housing type — to subway stations, the convenient transportation method millions of people use daily. One of the most prominent themes explored in these films is inter-floor noise, a pervasive issue in densely populated apartment complexes. Released Wednesday, "Noise" looks at how constant sounds from neighbors can psychologically affect people. The story follows Joo-young (Lee Sun-bin) as she searches for her missing sister in an apartment building that's full of loud noises. During her search, she experiences strange and scary moments. The movie works hard to scare audiences using realistic sounds like chairs scraping, heavy footsteps and loud raps on doors. The movie’s sound director Park Yong-gi said he wanted the noise to feel just as real in the movie theater as it wou

Jun 25, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Korean horror films unleash everyday fears this summer
Korean Heritage

Joseon royal shrine returns home after a century in Japan

Gwanwoldang, a royal shrine from the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, has returned to Korea nearly 100 years after it was taken to Japan during the colonial era. This marks the first time a complete Korean building has been repatriated from abroad, setting a new model for international cooperation in cultural heritage preservation. The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) announced Tuesday that they had formally received the disassembled components of the Gwanwoldang building from Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Japan. The repatriation was made possible through an agreement with the temple’s chief priest Takao Sato. The shrine's parts are now stored at the Korea Foundation for Traditional Architecture and Technology in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, where the restoration process is set to begin. "This return is a meaningful achievement, made possible by the sincere cooperation of the owner and the ongoing efforts of both Korean and Japanese experts. It stands as a model case of mutual respect and understanding through cultural heritage," Choi Eung

Jun 24, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Joseon royal shrine returns home after a century in Japan
Films

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ takes world by storm, combining K-pop energy with Korean heritage

“KPop Demon Hunters,” a new animated film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and distributed by Netflix, is dominating global charts, captivating audiences with its genre-defying mix of high-energy K-pop, Korean mythology and dazzling visuals. Released worldwide on Friday, the 99-minute movie quickly soared to the No. 1 spot in the Netflix global film category within just three days, signaling a new milestone for Korea-related creative content. Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the story centers on Rumi, Mira and Zoey, members of the fictional K-pop girl group Huntrix, who live double lives as demon hunters. By day, they fill stadiums with electrifying performances, but by night they protect the world from supernatural threats. Their mission takes an unexpected turn when a new boy band, Saja Boys, appears and is later revealed to be a group of powerful demons. A-list cast The film’s star-studded voice cast has contributed to its widespread appeal. Actor Ahn Hyo-seop, known for his roles in Netflix’s “A Time Called You” (2023) and dramas like “Dr. Romantic 2” (

Jun 23, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ takes world by storm, combining K-pop energy with Korean heritage
  • What 'KPop Demon Hunters' gets right, wrong about K-pop industry
K-pop

K-pop producer Lee Soo-man meets with Macron to discuss global expansion

SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, who currently serves as the key producer of A2O Entertainment, met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Friday (local time), and discussed potential cooperation in the cultural sector between the two nations. A2O Entertainment said Sunday that Lee had a meeting with the French president at the Elysee Palace. The 73-year-old K-pop producer visited Paris to deliver a keynote speech at France Music Week. Lee attended the week-long event, designed to promote the French music industry to global professionals, as the sole Asian attendee. During their meeting, President Macron was said to be well aware of Lee's reputation as an outstanding entrepreneur and producer. A2O said Macron proposed the establishment of a local office for Lee in France, expressing a strong desire to foster collaboration between Korean and French creators. "This high-level interaction signifies more than a mere courtesy call, demonstrating the French government's deep recognition of K-pop's global impact and Lee's cultural vision," A2O Entertainment said. The France Music

Jun 22, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
K-pop producer Lee Soo-man meets with Macron to discuss global expansion
Arts & Theater

'Minhwa,' Korean folk art, flourishes anew in Seoul

A vibrant showcase of minhwa, or traditional Korean folk painting, is drawing art lovers to Seoul this week. The seventh Korea Minhwa Art Fair, running through Sunday at the Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention (SETEC), sheds light on how this centuries-old art form continues to inspire creativity today. First launched in 2017, the annual fair has grown significantly, with this year's installment featuring over 100 booths and attracting some 500 minhwa artists from across Korea and abroad. On Thursday, the fair's opening day, the presence of middle-aged women was notably prominent among the visitors, a reflection of minhwa’s appeal among these Koreans. "Minhwa is an art genre that feels familiar to Koreans," a middle-aged visitor said. "I came to this fair today with friends who are also learning minhwa together. We felt a strong desire to express our own originality through minhwa works like the artists here. There were so many wonderful pieces." The fair highlights how minhwa, a unique genre that has long been cherished in Korea, continues to evolve while maintaining its distinctive c

Jun 19, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
'Minhwa,' Korean folk art, flourishes anew in Seoul
Trends

K-content boom reshapes global entertainment landscape

Korea has rapidly transformed from primarily a consumer of global culture into one of the most influential producers. From K-pop and dramas to webtoons and musicals, Korean content is now shaping entertainment trends worldwide, inspiring adaptations and redefining storytelling in global markets. This cultural ascendancy, once unimaginable, is now a key pillar of Korea's soft power. The global rise of Korean content is reflected across multiple pillars — starting with K-pop and K-dramas and now expanding into webtoons and animation — with recent landmark achievements and evolving trends highlighting its growing influence on the international stage. Underscoring the strategic importance of this cultural surge, new President Lee Jae Myung used his inauguration to pledge further expansion of Korea's cultural industry, including K-pop. The president specifically committed to fostering a nation where culture thrives, aiming to propel Korea into the top five global soft power nations. "From K-pop to K-drama, K-movie, K-beauty and K-food, Korean culture is captivating the world. Culture is

Jun 19, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
K-content boom reshapes global entertainment landscape
Films

Danny Boyle returns to revitalize zombie genre with '28 Years Later'

Acclaimed filmmaker Danny Boyle unveiled that his latest zombie franchise “28 Years Later” will be “exciting and terrifying,” offering a fresh take on the genre he helped redefine. “I hope it will be an exciting and terrifying film,” Boyle said during an online press conference with Korean reporters Wednesday. Boyle's 2002 film “28 Days Later" is credited with revolutionizing the zombie genre by introducing fast-moving “infected” rather than traditional slow-moving zombies. The director highlighted how “28 Years Later” continues this tradition by further evolving these creatures. “I think it's a unique setting and experience because people love the first film and continue to talk about the first film,” Boyle said. He elaborated on the film's unique approach to survival, not just for humans but for the virus itself. “It tried to redefine what was understood as a zombie film. We call ours 'the infected,' and they behaved in a different way.” When asked what finally convinced him to revisit the “28 Days Later” universe after more than two decades, Boyle emph

Jun 18, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Danny Boyle returns to revitalize zombie genre with '28 Years Later'
Films

Doomsday survival saga ‘Omniscient Reader’ to blend reality, fantasy

"Omniscient Reader,” an upcoming movie based on the popular web novel of the same name, aims to immerse audiences in a postapocalyptic world by showing how characters survive on the delicate balance of reality and fantasy, according to its director Kim Byung-woo. "We actively incorporated aspects of the original novel that we found captivating and suitable for cinematic depiction," Kim said during a press conference in Seoul Tuesday. "During the adaptation process, there were inevitably gaps that we had to fill." "Omniscient Reader" tells the story of Kim Dok-ja (Ahn Hyo-seop), the sole reader of a web novel that concludes after more than a decade of serialization. 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 initial questions of the director, known for his previous works such as "The Terror, LIVE" (2013) and "Take Point" (2018), concerned how to bring such a grand narrative to the screen. "When I first started re

Jun 17, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul
Doomsday survival saga ‘Omniscient Reader’ to blend reality, fantasy
previous page
3839404142
next page

Top 5 stories

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.