The Korea Times

'Summer’s Camera' captures gentle first love, grief

Director Divine Sung makes a memorable feature debut with "Summer’s Camera," a movie that explores the delicate intersection of teenage romance and family grief. The film approaches complex human relationships through a soft lens, focusing on how memories can cause grief but also help a person grow. The story centers on a high school freshman named Summer (Kim Si-a), who stops taking photos after her father passes away. She constantly carries her late father’s old film camera around in her bag, but she cannot bring herself to shoot the remaining four pictures left on the roll. Her frozen world begins to change during a warm summer day at school. Summer encounters Yeon-woo (Yu Ga-eun), a star player on the school football team, and feels an immediate attraction. This sudden spark motivates her to pick up the camera again to capture Yeon-woo’s daily moments. The movie takes a turn after Summer discovers old photographs of a man named Maru (Kwak Min-gyu) on the roll. Through these pictures, Summer uncovers a deep secret — her father had a male lover during his high school years. Wond

Jun 19, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

'Summer’s Camera' captures gentle first love, grief

Trends

From Labubu to Chagee, Chinese lifestyle brands find growing market in Korea

On a recent afternoon in Seoul's Yongsan I'Park Mall, dozens of customers lined up for drinks from Chinese tea chain Chagee. Inside the same mall, other shoppers browsed shelves stocked with Labubu, the quirky collectible dolls that sparked a buying frenzy among young consumers last year. The scene highlights a notable shift in Korea's consumer landscape. While anti-China sentiment frequently surfaces in political and diplomatic discussions, Chinese food, toys, travel destinations and lifestyle brands are becoming increasingly familiar parts of everyday life for Korean consumers. Industry experts say the trend is being driven by changing consumer preferences in an era where social media, travel and global cultural exchanges increasingly shape purchasing decisions. Children in Korea grow up eating "malatang," a spicy Chinese noodle soup dish, and "tanghulu," a traditional Chinese snack made of sugar-coated fruit skewers. Young adults are visiting cities such as Shanghai and Chengdu in growing numbers and bringing home consumption trends they discover there. Older generations have long emb

Jun 18, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

From Labubu to Chagee, Chinese lifestyle brands find growing market in Korea

People & Events

Integrated resorts under pressure to reinvent themselves ahead of Japan's megacomplex

Korea's tourism and casino industry faces a critical turning point as it races to overhaul its public image and ease regulatory burdens before Japan opens its massive integrated resort in 2030. Industry experts and academic figures gathered at The Korea Times' roundtable discussion in Seoul on Thursday to share survival strategies against Japan's upcoming integrated resort in Osaka, which could trigger a massive outflow of tourists and capital. Kang Sung-sook, a professor at Tezukayama University in Japan, stressed that the Osaka development is designed to be much more than a simple gaming venue. "The Osaka integrated resort is not merely a facility to attract tourists," said Kang, who joined the meeting online. "It aims to become an innovation hub for international conferences, exhibitions and corporate activities." The Osaka project is spearheaded by a consortium where U.S. entertainment giant MGM Resorts International and Japanese financial services group Orix each hold an investment ratio of about 44 percent. The remaining 12 percent is backed by 22 local minority shareholders. The ma

Jun 17, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Integrated resorts under pressure to reinvent themselves ahead of Japan's megacomplex

Books

Nvidia CEO’s webtoon moment highlights global ascent of K-comics

A recent casual encounter between Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Naver founder Lee Hae-jin has cast a fresh spotlight on the explosive growth and global influence of Korean webtoons, showing how digital comics have become a mainstream cultural medium. During his visit to Korea from June 5 to 9, the leader of the global artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant visited Naver’s 1784 headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on June 8 to discuss massive AI infrastructure partnerships. At a welcoming event prepared by Naver Webtoon, the tech billionaire participated in a unique cultural event by filling out empty speech bubbles in a customized comic strip from the hit webtoon "The Greatest Estate Developer." Standing next to the Naver founder, the Nvidia CEO used the comic format to deliver a witty business message. "The more GPUs (graphics processing units) you have, the more you can work and the more happy you are," Huang said during his visit to the Naver office. He added that "GPU equals happy.” This created a viral moment that highlighted how a webtoon work is now naturally used as a c

Jun 15, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Nvidia CEO’s webtoon moment highlights global ascent of K-comics

Films

Netflix comedy 'Husbands in Action' promises big laughs, chemistry

The Netflix movie "Husbands in Action" is an action-comedy that follows the hijinks of a rescue operation put together by the ex-husband and current husband of a woman kidnapped by a criminal organization, according to director Park Gyu-tae as he introduced the film, Monday. "I've focused on situational comedy from clashing groups in my past works, but the biggest difference in this film is the action," Park said during a press conference in Seoul. The director, known for the 2022 comedy "6/45," added that the action sequences unfolding across various locations will be a key point for the audience to watch. The movie follows a desperate rescue mission by the elite narcotics detective and ex-husband Choong-shik (Jin Sun-kyu) who teams up with his former wife's handsome young veterinarian husband Min-seok (Gong Myung). Together they chase down a criminal group that has kidnapped Shi-nae (Kang Han-na), Min-seok's current and Choong-shik's former spouse. Throughout the movie, the two leads try to overcome their awkward relationship to navigate a series of dangerous situations while fighting

Jun 15, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Netflix comedy 'Husbands in Action' promises big laughs, chemistry

People & Events

Choi Jung-wha, pioneer of cultural diplomacy, dies at 71

Choi Jung-wha, an honorary professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and chairperson of the Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), passed away on Sunday, according to her family. She was 71. Choi was a pioneering figure in cultural diplomacy and interpretation who dedicated her life to enhancing Korea’s national image and strengthening the country’s ties with France. Born in Seoul in 1955, Choi graduated from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies with a degree in French and later obtained her master's and doctoral degrees from the Graduate School for Translation and Interpretation at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris. She became the first Korean to work as a simultaneous interpreter for international conferences. Throughout her career, she interpreted for more than 20 bilateral summits and over 2,000 international conferences. She served as the primary interpreter for French presidents, including Francois Mitterrand during his official visit to Korea and Jacques Chirac during his summits with former President Roh Moo-hyun. In 2003, Choi founded the CICI, a nonprofit o

Jun 14, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Choi Jung-wha, pioneer of cultural diplomacy, dies at 71

People & Events

FEBC-Korea holds retreat to celebrate 70th anniversary

Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC)-Korea held a special retreat last week for its national steering committee members in Wonju, Gangwon Province, to mark its 70th anniversary, the Christian radio broadcaster said Thursday. The two-day event, which took place June 5 and 6 at Oak Valley Resort, drew around 1,500 steering committee members from 13 regional branches across the country. The attendance was the highest in the organization’s history. The FEBC-Korea steering committee was established in September 1980 to provide financial and prayer support for the broadcaster during a period of financial difficulty. Over the decades, it has grown into a major nationwide network supporting the station's radio-based missionary work. During the opening service, Rev. Kim Mi-yeol of Wonju Jungbu Church delivered a sermon emphasizing that the mission of spreading the gospel remains unchanged despite shifting eras. The retreat also featured a special lecture by Kim Jin-pyo, a former National Assembly speaker. In his address, Kim highlighted that the dedication and prayers of religious communities h

Jun 11, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

FEBC-Korea holds retreat to celebrate 70th anniversary

Films

Spielberg returns to familiar territory with ‘Disclosure Day’

Master of science fiction Steven Spielberg returns to the world of extraterrestrials with “Disclosure Day,” his fourth film centered on alien encounters. Nearly five decades after “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) and more than 20 years after “War of the Worlds” (2005), the veteran filmmaker attempts to combine the sense of wonder that defined his earlier works with the tension of a modern political thriller. The story expands on themes explored in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and “War of the Worlds.” Unlike those films, however, “Disclosure Day” focuses less on the aliens themselves and more on humanity’s response to them. At the center of the story is Wardex, a secretive military organization that has hidden evidence of extraterrestrial life for decades while conducting controversial experiments on alien visitors. The plot begins when Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) decides to leak classified information about the coverup. A cybersecurity expert working inside Wardex, he risks everything to expose the

Jun 10, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Spielberg returns to familiar territory with ‘Disclosure Day’

Films

Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival leaps into AI-driven era for 30th anniv.

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) is ready to lead changes in the movie industry this year, its 30th anniversary, by actively embracing AI and new media while staying true to its identity as a home for genre cinema. As it celebrates 30 years of showcasing unique and imaginative movies, Asia's top genre film festival aims to create a new trend where advanced technology and human creativity come together. This year’s BIFAN, running from July 2 to 12 in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, will feature an all-time high of 321 films from 50 countries. Reflecting the festival's tech-forward vision, the lineup includes 38 AI-generated films and 28 extended reality (XR) projects, alongside 170 feature films and 85 shorts. Director Yuen Woo-ping’s "The Blades of the Guardians" will open the festival. The organizers emphasized that the anniversary is not just a celebration of longevity, but a new beginning for the future of moviemaking. "This is not merely a story of the trajectory of time that has passed, but a moment to reflect on the journey of the past 30 years and to leap

Jun 9, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival leaps into AI-driven era for 30th anniv.

Films

‘Toy Story 5’ returns to face challenge of smart devices

The beloved toys are back in "Toy Story 5" to face their biggest modern challenge — smart devices. In this fifth installment, the familiar toys face a completely new reality where children put toys away and pick up digital devices. Bonnie, the main child character, gets introduced to Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee), a smart device that begins taking away her playtime with traditional toys. "Yes, well, one of the biggest advancements in ‘Toy Story 5’ is that we're kind of finally catching up to the truth of childhood today, which is that kids everywhere are playing with iPads and screens and devices all the time," co-director McKenna Harris said during an online conference, Monday. "Bonnie, the main character, or the main child, has been introduced to Lilypad, a device that is really taking away a lot of playtime with the toys, so this is a bigger challenge than any of the toys in the previous films have ever had to face.” Unlike previous films where Woody (Tom Hanks) took the lead, "Toy Story 5" places Jessie (Joan Cusack) at the center of the narrative, a creative decision by dire

Jun 8, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul

Baek Byung-yeul

Read more

'Summer’s Camera' captures gentle first love, grief

From Labubu to Chagee, Chinese lifestyle brands find growing market in Korea

Integrated resorts under pressure to reinvent themselves ahead of Japan's megacomplex

Nvidia CEO’s webtoon moment highlights global ascent of K-comics

Netflix comedy 'Husbands in Action' promises big laughs, chemistry

Choi Jung-wha, pioneer of cultural diplomacy, dies at 71

FEBC-Korea holds retreat to celebrate 70th anniversary

Spielberg returns to familiar territory with ‘Disclosure Day’

Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival leaps into AI-driven era for 30th anniv.

‘Toy Story 5’ returns to face challenge of smart devices

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