The Korea Times

INTERVIEW 'Bargain' director expands short film into disaster series

Tving's original series, "Bargain,” is based on the 2015 short film of the same name. Courtesy of TvingNew series helps boost Tving's subscription By Lee Gyu-leeTving's new series, "Bargain," which is adapted from a 2015 award-winning short film of the same name, extends the original plot into a crime, disaster dystopian series. Director Jeon Woo-sung of the series, "Bargain" / Courtesy of TvingFilmmaker Lee Chung-hyeon's short film follows a schoolgirl and a man bargaining for her services as a prostitute.But it turns out the girl lured him to the motel to steal and sell his organs. The plot was picked up for a six-part series, which was released on the streaming platform on Oct. 28. The new series developed the story into what happened after the original short film's ending. Amid the bargaining, the man, Noh Hyung-soo (Jin Seon-kyu), and the young woman, Park Joo-young (Jun Jong-seo), encounter an earthquake and get trapped in the building.Along with a few other survivors, including Ko Keuk-ryul (Chang Ryul), a customer who was desperate to buy an organ for his father, the tw

Nov 10, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] 'Bargain' director expands short film into disaster series

K-pop

INTERVIEW K-pop group NATURE presents another unique performance with new album

K-pop girl group NATURE released its mini album, “NATURE WORLD: CODE W,” on Nov. 6. Courtesy of n.CH Entertainment By Lee Gyu-leeK-pop girl group NATURE has made a comeback after about 10 months with its third mini-album, “NATURE WORLD: CODE W,” Nov. 6, showing off another dynamic performance with its title song, “LIMBO!” The nine-piece girl group ― comprised of Sohee, Saebom, Aurora, Lu, Chaebin, Haru, Loha, Uchae and Sunshine ― has caught people's eyes earlier this year with its song, “RICA RICA,” a trot-infused pop song with its choreography based on the African traditional dance, Zaouli.The group expressed their hope of garnering bigger popularity with yet another unique performance of their new song. Members Lu and Sunshine have not participated in the group's activities for this album due to health issues. “We have gotten a lot of responses (from fans) that they want to see a different concept from 'RICA RICA.' So we've spent 10 months preparing for this album

Nov 8, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] K-pop group NATURE presents another unique performance with new album

Entertainment

COVID changes landscape of content industry

OTT, online concerts established as major tools to enjoy contentBy Lee Gyu-leeFor the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many sectors around the world, stagnating economies with unprecedented disruptions that changed people's lives in various ways. The media industry was no exception. Measures taken by governments and health authorities to battle the spread of the virus, like social distancing and travel restrictions, limited people from going to movie theaters, K-pop stars from traveling abroad for events, and production studios from filming series or movies. Amid the struggle, the industry found new ways to work around the obstacles, experiencing changes in the way people consume media content, which led to the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms and the use of new technology for virtual content like concerts.According to a report by consulting and accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, global cinema revenue plummeted from $45.2 billion in 2019 to $12.7 billion in 2020. It bounced up to $22.8 billion in 2021, but was still less than half of the level seen before

Nov 5, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

COVID changes landscape of content industry

Shows & Dramas

OTTs seek to diversify portfolio in streaming war

The streaming service, Watcha, started a webtoon service in October. Courtesy of WatchaBy. Lee Gyu-leeThe over-the-top (OTT) service has been a booming industry in recent years, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak pushing people to stay inside.However, as the pandemic restrictions ease and competition intensifies in the OTT industry, platforms are seeking alternatives to diversify their business portfolios to secure their footing in the heated streaming war. Local streaming service, Watcha, has made its way into the webtoon business, servicing a series of original webcomics on its platform. The platform debuted eight original webcomics on Oct. 13, including the webtoon adaptation of its original reality series, “Join My Table.” It will update new episodes of the digital comics each week for subscribers to enjoy along with other video content on the platform at no additional cost.“Watcha has expanded its service to include webtoons and has initiated the process to develop into a multi-content platform beyond video streaming,” the company said in a statement.

Nov 4, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

OTTs seek to diversify portfolio in streaming war

Shows & Dramas

From Song Joong-ki to Kim Rae-won, series with big stars set for November

From left, posters for the series “Reborn Rich,” “The First Responders,” and “Behind Every Star” / Courtesy of JTBC, SBS, tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeA string of series, starring big named stars like Song Joong-ki and Kim Rae-won as the leads, will go to air this month. JTBC's new fantasy series “Reborn Rich,” starring Song and Lee Sung-min, is finally slated to kick off on Nov. 18 after eager anticipation.Based on the webcomics of the same name, the upcoming series revolves around a loyal employee Yoon Hyun-woo (Song) who has dedicated his life to working for a wealthy conglomerate chairman Jin Yang-chul (Lee), and the chairman's family. Despite his loyalty, he gets framed for embezzlement and is murdered. He wakes up in the body of the family's youngest son and seeks to take revenge on the family while trying to discover who is behind his death.The series is led by director Jung Dae-yoon, who helmed hit series “W” and “She Was Pretty,” and is scripted by screenwriter Kim Tae-hee, whose previous work includes “Sungky

Nov 3, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

From Song Joong-ki to Kim Rae-won, series with big stars set for November

Films

'The Apartment with Two Women' explores mother-daughter relationship

The new film, “The Apartment with Two Women,” depicts a complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. Courtesy of Challan Film New film features realistic narrative of complicated relationshipBy Lee Gyu-leeRelationships between loved ones, especially among family members, can be complicated, going through a constant phase of conflicts and love. Director Kim Se-in of film “The Apartment with Two Women” / Courtesy of Challan Film The new film, “The Apartment with Two Women,” explores this complicated yet ironic relationship between mother and daughter, through a candid, realistic narrative of Korean culture. “Our society places boundaries on women to put them into a set of prejudice and stereotype of a mother-and-daughter relationship and motherly love. And women are solely responsible and accountable for the issues that arise within that st

Nov 3, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

'The Apartment with Two Women' explores mother-daughter relationship

K-pop

Astro's Rocky confirms dating actress Park Bo-yeon

Actress Park Bo-yeon, left, and boy group Astro member Rocky / Korea Times filesBy Lee Gyu-leeSinger Rocky, a member of K-pop boy group Astro, is dating actress Park Bo-yeon, the singer's agency Fantagio confirmed.The agency released a statement, Monday, admitting media reports that the singer and the actress are romantically involved.“The two first met through the web series 'Find Me if You Can.' Then, they grew closer as colleagues when Park became involved in Rocky's music work as she loves writing. They recently developed good feelings (toward each other),” it said. “We regret to share such news amid the national mourning period for condolences and mourning. We ask for our fans' understanding in regard to the delay in releasing our statement.”The rumors of their dating surfaced online when Park was seen in the audience of a musical that Rocky is starring in, Sunday. The fans also pointed out that Park was listed as the co-writer of Rocky's solo song in the group's recent album “Drive to the Starry Road.”However, hours before Fantagio's statemen

Nov 1, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Astro's Rocky confirms dating actress Park Bo-yeon

Shows & Dramas

Tving dating show 'EXchange2' garners worldwide popularity

By Lee Gyu-leeThe poster for Tving's original show, “EXchange2” / Courtesy of TvingLocal over-the-top (OTT) platform Tving's original dating show, “EXchange2,” is enjoying popularity globally. According to the Hong Kong-based streaming service, Viu, which streams the show overseas, “EXchange2” has had a good performance on the streaming charts throughout September and October. In countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand, the show has remained in the top five on the streaming chart for unscripted shows. “Korean reality shows, along with Korean dramas, are very popular (nowadays). The amount of interest the viewers are taking toward 'EXchange2,' which stars ordinary people instead of celebrities, is just impressive,” an official from Viu said in a statement. Viu has been streaming several Korean dramas and reality shows that aired this year, including the heartfelt series, “If You Wish Upon Me,” the legal series, “Why Her,” and Tving's other original show, “Young Actors' Retreat,&

Oct 31, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Tving dating show 'EXchange2' garners worldwide popularity

Shows & Dramas

Yoo Seung-ho to lead Wavve's new series

By Lee Gyu-leeActor Yoo Seung-ho / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentActor Yoo Seung-ho will be taking on his first over-the-top (OTT) original series with Wavve's new thriller, “Deal” (tentative title). The local streaming platform announced that the actor has confirmed that he will take the lead role, along with the rest of the cast members, actors Kim Dong-hwi from the film, “In Our Prime,” and Yu Su-bin from the series, “Crash Landing on You.”“From Yoo Seung-ho to Kim Dong-hwi and Yu Su-bin as the leads, the series will have these talented, young actors and strong characters. We ask for your anticipation and support,” it said in a statement. Based on the webcomics of the same name, the crime thriller series will revolve around two men in their 20s who kidnap their friend for a billion won ($701,500). Yoo will play Lee Joon-sung, who used to be an aspiring soccer player in high school but has since been struggling after giving up on his dream. As he tries to get a fresh start in life, he gets involved in the crime to abduct his friend.Kim

Oct 30, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Shows & Dramas

Korean reality shows surge onto global stage

From left, posters for the music shows, “I Can See Your Voice,” and “King of Masked Singer,” and the dating show, “EXchange 2” / Courtesy of Mnet, MBC, Tving Korean unscripted show formats see high demand in global marketBy Lee Gyu-leeKorea has been taking center stage in the global entertainment industry, enjoying a boom with hit movies like “Parasite,” series such as “Squid Game” and a wave of K-pop artists including BTS. However, one area of entertainment, has, in the past, struggled to break through until now. Unscripted, reality TV shows have often failed to translate into major global successes, largely due to the language barrier and cultural differences as well as failing to present themselves as interesting and appealing to global audiences.Yet, more recently, Korean unscripted shows have been steadily garnering the spotlight from networks and production companies around the world, which are interested in buying the program formats in order to remake them i

Oct 28, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

INTERVIEW 'Bargain' director expands short film into disaster series

INTERVIEW K-pop group NATURE presents another unique performance with new album

COVID changes landscape of content industry

OTTs seek to diversify portfolio in streaming war

From Song Joong-ki to Kim Rae-won, series with big stars set for November

'The Apartment with Two Women' explores mother-daughter relationship

Astro's Rocky confirms dating actress Park Bo-yeon

Tving dating show 'EXchange2' garners worldwide popularity

Yoo Seung-ho to lead Wavve's new series

Korean reality shows surge onto global stage

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