The Korea Times

From hardcore action to heart-throbbing romance, series to hit in June

From left, posters for Netflix series “Bloodhounds,” tvN series “See You in My 19th Life,” and ENA series “Lies Hidden in My Garden” / Courtesy of Netflix, tvN and KT Studio GenieBy Lee Gyu-leeThe month of June is set to see several new series from a range of genres including action and suspense thrillers as well as romantic comedies. Netflix is rolling out a new hardcore action series, “Bloodhounds,” on June 9 as its latest Korean original series offering.Based on the webcomics of the same name, the 8-part series revolves around two promising, young boxers, Kim Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi). Kim gets involved in the loan shark business when his mother owes a huge debt to ruthless loan shark Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong). With the help of Hong, he forms a bond with a benevolent moneylender to take down the loan shark who preys on the financially desperate.This will be the series directorial debut for filmmaker Kim Joo-hwan, who is known for helming the 2017 comedy action movie “Midnight Runners.”Ac

Jun 1, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

From hardcore action to heart-throbbing romance, series to hit in June

Travel & Food

INTERVIEW Michelin-starred Australian chef takes creative approach to Korean cuisine

Evett showcases Korea's local ingredients in innovative ways. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minBy Lee Gyu-leeSurrounded by water on three sides with plenty of mountainous terrains, Korea is a land full of ingredients, offering four distinctive seasons of greens and seafood. Chef Joseph Lidgerwood of Evett / Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minSo to Koreans, sea pineapple caught by “haenyeo” (female free divers), wild “dureup” (shoots of angelica trees) gathered by foragers and years-old “jang” (a traditional fermented food paste) are just other ingredients available in the country. But for Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood, owner of the Seoul-based Michelin-star restaurant Evett, these ingredients, and others, attracted him to the country's cuisine.“I've worked in the U.K. and the U.S., in really good restaurants. (But) all the ingredients felt the same … But when I came to Korea, the ingredients were so different, so amazing. There's so much life,” the chef said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at the restaurant. &ldq

May 31, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Michelin-starred Australian chef takes creative approach to Korean cuisine

Shows & Dramas

Chun Woo-hee becomes chameleon con artist in 'Delightfully Deceitful'

Actors Chun Woo-hee, left, and Kim Dong-wook pose during an online conference for the crime comedy series “Delightfully Deceitful,” Thursday. Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Chun Woo-hee will portray con artist, Lee Ro-woom, in tvN's new crime comedy series “Delightfully Deceitful,” which is set to go on air Monday.“Ro-woom hatches different schemes to take revenge and in each case, she transforms into a different persona. You'll get to see various facades, from a prisoner to a career woman,” the actress said during an online press conference for the series, Thursday.The new series revolves around a clever con artist, Lee Ro-woom (Chun Woo-hee) who suffers from a distinct lack of empathy. One day, she is falsely implicated on charges of killing her estranged parents. She is exonerated after 10 years with the help of a passionate, highly empathetic lawyer, Han Moo-young (Kim Dong-wook).The two come to form an unlikely alliance to fight against wrongdoers and exact revenge on them.Chun shared that she was drawn to the irony of the plot. “T

May 28, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Chun Woo-hee becomes chameleon con artist in 'Delightfully Deceitful'

Shows & Dramas

Competing to get married? 'Physical:100' writer to roll out marriage survival show

Scene from the teaser of tvN's upcoming survival show, “290 Million: Wedding War” (direct translation) / Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeThe writer of Netflix's hit survival show, “Physical: 100,” Kang Sook-kyung, has joined hands with Lee Won-woong, producer of the popular military competition show, “Steel Troops,” in a new experiment: a marriage survival show.TvN's upcoming reality show, “290 Million: Wedding War” (direct translation), scheduled to go on air July 2, will invite 10 engaged couples who are soon to get married. The couples with different stories and backgrounds will compete against each other in a series of missions for the ultimate prize, 290 million won ($218,752). While working together to win the prize money for their wedding, the couples will see their relationship tested, thereby showing if they are truly ready for marriage. The production team revealed that the prize money is set at 290 million won as it is the average spend for a wedding currently. “While the marriage rate is continuously getting lower every y

May 25, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Competing to get married? 'Physical:100' writer to roll out marriage survival show

Shows & Dramas

All-female cast 'Siren: Survive the Island' to challenge prevailing biases

From left, stuntwoman Kim Kyung-ae, soldier Kim Bom-eun, firefighter Kim Hyun-ah, police officer Kim Hye-ri, athlete Kim Hee-jung and former bodyguard Lee Soo-ryun pose during a press conference for Netflix's new survival show “Siren: Survive the Island.” Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeProducer Lee Eun-kyung, who is known for co-creating Netflix's talk show “Paik's Spirit,” shared that her latest show on the platform, “Siren: Survive the Island,” will offer a new perspective on male-dominated professions.Producer Lee Eun-kyung / Courtesy of NetflixNetflix's 10-part survival show, set to be released on May 30, invites 24 female participants from six different physically demanding professions: police officers, firefighters, bodyguards, soldiers, athletes and stuntwomen. The participants spend a week on a remote island to compete against other teams for survival and to determine the strongest team.“Previous survival shows mostly revolved around men. And the professions in the show are often represented by males. In 'Siren,' it will be refreshi

May 25, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

All-female cast 'Siren: Survive the Island' to challenge prevailing biases

Shows & Dramas

Lee Hyo-ri finds new confidence as singer with 'Dancing Queens on the Road'

From left, singers Kim Wan-sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Lee Hyo-ri, BoA and Hwasa pose during the online press conference for tvN's new music reality show “Dancing Queens on the Road,” Tuesday. Courtesy of tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeSinger Lee Hyo-ri is set to revive the best days of her career along with four K-pop divas from across generations with tvN's new music variety show “Dancing Queens on the Road.” Led by star producer Kim Tae-ho, the new show, set to go on air Thursday, brings five top female artists ― Lee, Kim Wan-sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, BoA and Hwasa ― to travel around the country to perform. Along the way, the singers meet their fans face-to-face and perform their hit songs.“It's been a while since I've performed. So instead of just reenacting my past (performances), I felt like I was creating something new. That's how much I had to prepare. Singing the songs that came out 20 years ago, it really felt like something new,” Lee said during the online press conference for the show, Tuesday.“I was worried that the songs might be considered outdated. But as

May 24, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Hyo-ri finds new confidence as singer with 'Dancing Queens on the Road'

Films

Kim Seon-ho returns to screen with film debut in 'The Childe'

From left, Kang Tae-ju, Go Ara, Kim Seon-ho, and Kim Kang-woo pose during a press conference for the new action film “The Childe,” held in Gwangjin District, Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of NEWBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Kim Seon-ho is set to make his film debut with the title role in the upcoming noir action movie, “The Childe,” as his first screen project in two years since the hit rom-com series, “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” (2021).Park Hoon-jung, who is known for directing the action films “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion,” (2018) and its sequel, “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One” (2022) and “New World” (2013), will see the new movie holding its premiere on June 21.The film revolves around a boxer, named Marco (Kang Tae-ju), who is born to a Korean father and Filipino mother. He leaves the Philippines and travels to Korea in hopes of finding his father who abandoned him.While trying to track down his father, he gets involved with some bad people, including a mysterious man known as, Childe (Kim Seon-ho), and a rich heir, Dire

May 23, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Kim Seon-ho returns to screen with film debut in 'The Childe'

Shows & Dramas

Star writer Kim Eun-hee's new mystery series to debut next month

A poster for the new SBS series "The Devil" / Courtesy of SBSBy Lee Gyu-leeSBS' new occult series, “Revenant,” by star writer Kim Eun-hee, the creator of the Netflix series, "Kingdom," and tvN series, "Signal," is set to premiere on June 23, according to the broadcaster, Friday. The upcoming mystery series, starring actors Kim Tae-ri and Oh Jung-se, will follow the story of a woman who is possessed by a demon and a man who can see that possessing spirit. The two join hands to uncover the truth behind mysterious deaths that are related to five sacred objects.Kim Tae-ri will play the possessed woman Ku San-young, and Oh will play folklore studies professor Yeom Hae-sang. “'Devil,' by definition, means to an evil spirit, but it also refers to people who commit malicious acts. As this, the series will be the story about mysterious spirits, as well as about people,” the broadcaster said in the release. “The series will have the horror of the occult genre, thrills from the series of mystery cases and a message that underlies the storyline. We ask for much anti

May 19, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Star writer Kim Eun-hee's new mystery series to debut next month

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Song Seung-heon satisfied his thirst for new characters with 'Black Knight'

Actor Song Seung-heon plays the role of an antagonist in the Netflix new series “Black Knight.” Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeEven after quite a long filmography spanning a 27-year career, actor Song Seung-heon is still on a quest to challenge himself and widen his repertoire.Actor Song Seung-heon / Courtesy of NetflixWith his latest villainous role as Ryu Seok in the Netflix action series, “Black Knight,” Song expressed satisfaction in taking on a type of character that he has never played.“This role is an unfamiliar character to me. In terms of good and evil, he is the type of person who's closer to evil. But when I portrayed him, I wasn't worried how other people will see it,” he said. “I've been wanting to play such a character … I've had a desire for new characters and still do. Thankfully, a lot of people responded positively. It was an interesting project for me as well.”The six-part sci-fi blockbuster series, which debuted on May 12, is set in a dystopian future of Korea, devastated by a comet strike and heavy air poll

May 19, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Song Seung-heon satisfied his thirst for new characters with 'Black Knight'

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Kim Woo-bin on message of love and happiness in 'Black Knight'

Actor Kim Woo-bin plays the role of a deliveryman, 5-8, in Netflix's new series “Black Knight.” Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-lee“With this series, I hope people remind themselves they are precious, deserve to be happy and loved,” actor Kim Woo-bin said when ask about the message he wanted to deliver through his latest series, “Black Knight.”Actor Kim Woo-bin / Courtesy of NetflixNetflix's new original blockbuster series, which hit the platform on May 12, follows a dystopian Korea, swept by heavy air pollution, where people suffer from a lack of oxygen. A former refugee-turned-legendary courier, 5-8 (Kim Woo-bin) delivers oxygen and necessities to the residents, fighting off the “hunters” who are after goods to steal. Aside from his regular job, he leads a group of vigilantes with fellow deliverymen, called black knights, to help other refugees. Along with the refugee, Sa-wol (Kang Yoo-seok), 5-8 challenges the brutal social hierarchy, set by the de-facto ruler, Cheonmyeong Group and its ruthless heir, Ryu Seok (Song Seung-heon), to sav

May 19, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

From hardcore action to heart-throbbing romance, series to hit in June

INTERVIEW Michelin-starred Australian chef takes creative approach to Korean cuisine

Chun Woo-hee becomes chameleon con artist in 'Delightfully Deceitful'

Competing to get married? 'Physical:100' writer to roll out marriage survival show

All-female cast 'Siren: Survive the Island' to challenge prevailing biases

Lee Hyo-ri finds new confidence as singer with 'Dancing Queens on the Road'

Kim Seon-ho returns to screen with film debut in 'The Childe'

Star writer Kim Eun-hee's new mystery series to debut next month

INTERVIEW Song Seung-heon satisfied his thirst for new characters with 'Black Knight'

INTERVIEW Kim Woo-bin on message of love and happiness in 'Black Knight'

Top 5 stories