The Korea Times

INTERVIEW 'Seoul Vibe' director wanted to portray different version of Korea's 1980s

Netflix original film “Seoul Vibe” follows a group of drivers going undercover. Courtesy of NetflixNetflix's new film draws mixed responses for depiction of pop-culture-based SeoulBy Lee Gyu-leeFilm and television used to portray Seoul in the 1980s as a city in the throes of industrial and urban development with propaganda-themed music ringing through the streets ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. But the depiction of Korea's capital city in Netflix's new original film, “Seoul Vibe,” exudes a different vibe ― from supercharged, vibrant scenes filled with pop-culture to upbeat, fast-tempo hip-hop tracks.Director Moon Hyun-sung / Courtesy of NetflixDirector Moon Hyun-sung, who is known for leading the 2012 sports film, “As One,” said that his latest comedy action film intends to show the different portrayals of the city in that era, adding on a layer of hip-hop flare. “The starting point of the 'Seoul Vibe' project was hip-hop. Because the producer and I like hip-hop so much, we approached it as a culture, rather than just as music. And as we mo

Aug 30, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] 'Seoul Vibe' director wanted to portray different version of Korea's 1980s

Films

'Project Wolf Hunting' director, actors to attend Toronto festival for world premiere

Posters for the upcoming action film “Project Wolf Hunting” / Courtesy of The Contents On By Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Hong-sun and the lead actors Seo In-guk, Jang Dong-yoon and Jung So-min of the action film, “Project Wolf Hunting,” will attend the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.The film's distribution company, The Contents On, announced Friday that the director and the cast members will head abroad to attend the film's world premiere on Sept. 16 at the festival, which is set to be held from Sept. 8 to 18 in Toronto, Canada. The hardboiled action film, scheduled to hit local theaters on Sept. 21, has been invited to this year's festival to screen for the Midnight Madness section, which recognizes movies of horror, action, and fantasy genres. Helmed by filmmaker Kim, whose previous works include the 2014 action film, “The Con Artists,” and the 2019 horror film, “Metamorphosis,” the upcoming film revolves around a cargo ship that transports dangerous cri

Aug 27, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

'Project Wolf Hunting' director, actors to attend Toronto festival for world premiere

Shows & Dramas

'United Fathers' to show different cultural parenting styles

Cast members of MBC's reality show, “United Fathers” ― from left, Alberto Mondi, Kim Na-young, Jang Yoon-jeong, In Gyo-jin, producer Lim Chan, and cast member Jiao Ji-ing ― pose during an online press conference for the show, Thursday. Courtesy of MBC By Lee Gyu-leeMBC's new reality show “United Fathers,” which debuted as a two-part pilot show in June, has earned a regular slot, set to kick off on Sunday. The reality show, hosted by singer Jang Yoon-jeong, actor In Gyo-jin and TV personality Kim Na-young, follows the parenthood of expats living in Korea. The show will invite fathers from six different countries ― Italy, China, India, Azerbaijan, the U.K., and South Africa ― to share their parenting styles while discussing the cultural differences and practical childcare skills with other cast members and hosts.“We've made a unique, global reality show. It's very interesting and refreshing, so I feel that (viewers) will be interested and empathize with it a lot,” Kim

Aug 26, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

'United Fathers' to show different cultural parenting styles

Shows & Dramas

Seo In-guk says he took on challenge in 'Cafe Minamdang' role

KBS' series “Cafe Minamdang” ended on Tuesday with a 5.7 percent viewership rating. Courtesy of People Story CompanyBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Seo In-guk, who played the lead character in KBS' comedy crime series “Cafe Minamdang,” has expressed gratitude to viewers, saying the drama was a meaningful challenge in his acting career.The series ended on Tuesday on a good note, scoring its highest viewership rating of 5.7 percent with its final episode.“During the eight months that I lived as Nam Han-jun (the lead character) in the series, I've found a new side of myself and had a blissful time. 'Cafe Minamdang' was a new experience and challenge, but I'm truly thankful that many people showed love,” the actor said through the network. “'Cafe Minamdang' will remain as a series that I can always look back on and reminisce about how fun it was. I hope you can keep a part of Han-jun and all the characters in your heart to remember it for a long time.”The 18-part series, based on the web novel of the same name, revolves around a former criminal profile

Aug 25, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Seo In-guk says he took on challenge in 'Cafe Minamdang' role

K-pop

MAMAMOO to debut its first sub-unit group

A teaser image for the new single of MAMAMOO's sub-unit group, MAMAMOO+ / Courtesy of RBWBy Lee Gyu-leeK-pop girl act MAMAMOO will debut its first sub-unit group, consisting of its two members, Solar and Moonbyul. The singers' agency, RBW, announced Tuesday that the sub-unit group, MAMAMOO+, will release a new single this month, unveiling a teaser poster with the two artists. “As this is the first sub-unit group, (the artists) will showcase a new style of music and performance. We hope fans will look forward to the synergy of the sub-unit duo,” it said in the release. “MAMAMOO+ intends to pick up MAMAMOO's act and expand on new concepts and music beyond the limits,” it said.The sub-unit duo will be the first of four-piece group MAMAMOO's new projects to pursue music in different genres. The upcoming single, the name of which has yet to be disclosed, will hit streaming sites at 6 p.m. on Aug. 30.MAMAMOO debuted in 2014 with the single, “Mr. Ambiguous,” and soon rose to stardom with the single, “Um Oh Ah Yeh,” the following year, topping

Aug 24, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

MAMAMOO to debut its first sub-unit group

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Park Eun-bin talks about pressure of role in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'

Actress Park Eun-bin plays the character of Woo Young-woo in the hit series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” Courtesy of ENAChild model-turned-actor gains global attention for heartwarming portrayal of autistic lawyer in hit dramaBy Lee Gyu-leeActress Park Eun-bin, who set foot in the entertainment industry at the age of four as a child model, has had her fair share of projects throughout her 26-year acting career, working in diverse genres such as the feel-good 2016 series “Hello, My Twenties!” and the 2021 period romance “The King's Affection.”Actress Park Eun-bin / Courtesy of Namoo ActorsBut it wasn't until this year that the actress finally found a sensational role ― as a genius lawyer who is on the autism spectrum in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” rising to massive global prominence.ENA's heartwarming legal series "Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” about an autistic lawyer called Woo Young-woo (Park) tackling challenges in and beyond the courtroom, has been an enormous hit, ending with its highest viewership rating of 17.5 percent on

Aug 24, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Park Eun-bin talks about pressure of role in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'

K-pop

Male solo artists to return to K-pop scene

Teaser images for singer Key's new full-length album, “Gasoline,” left, and for Kim Jae-hwan's upcoming mini-album, “Empty Dream” / Courtesy of SM Entertainment, Swing EntertainmentBy Lee Gyu-leeA string of male K-pop artists, like Key of the boy group SHINee and singer Kim Jae-hwan, are slated to hit the music scene with their new releases in the coming weeks. Singer Key is rolling out his second full-length solo album, after releasing his first solo mini-album, “BAD LOVE,” last year.The new album, “Gasoline,” set to hit streaming sites at 6 p.m. on Aug. 30, will be the artist's second solo full-length album following “FACE” in 2018. It will consist of 11 tracks, including the title track, for which the artist himself wrote the lyrics.Singer-songwriter Kim Jae-hwan, who is also known as Jaehwan of disbanded project group Wanna One, will be releasing a new album, following the success of his previous self-produced album, “THE LETTER,” last December. The singer's agency, Swing Entertainment, announced Monday that

Aug 23, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Male solo artists to return to K-pop scene

Shows & Dramas

Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku to star in new Netflix thriller series

Actors Choi Woo-shik, left, and Son Suk-ku will star in Netflix's new series, “Murder DIEary.” Courtesy of Management SOOP, SBD ENTBy Lee Gyu-leeActors Choi Woo-shik and Son Suk-ku will be playing the lead roles in Netflix's new thriller crime series, “Murder DIEary.” The streaming platform's new original is based on the webtoon of the same name, which won an award at the Korea Content Awards given by the Korean Creative Content Agency in 2011. It follows an ordinary man who murders evildoers.Choi will play the main character, Lee Tang, who is an ordinary college student. One day, he unwittingly kills a person who happens to be a serial killer. After finding out that he has the ability to sense those who have committed heinous deeds, he himself becomes a serial killer.Son will play a detective who investigates the murders Lee commits. The series will be led by director Lee Chang-hee, who is known for directing the 2018 thriller film, “The Vanished,” along with OCN's thriller series, “Hell Is Other People,” (2019) and scripted by the new

Aug 21, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku to star in new Netflix thriller series

Shows & Dramas

Music show 'Hidden Singer' returns for season 7

From left, TV personalities Song Eun-I and Jun Hyun-moo, and chief producer Cho Seung-wook pose during a press conference for JTBC's music show, “Hidden Singer 7," Friday. Courtesy of JTBC By Lee Gyu-leeJTBC's long-running music show, “Hidden Singer,” is back with a new season, celebrating its 10th anniversary since its premiere on the network in 2012. The music show, hosted by TV personality Jun Hyun-moo, runs on the concept of singers competing with impersonators. For each episode, a famous singer is invited as a guest along with several imitators, who can mimic the voice of the known singer. They go through four rounds of performances behind blinds while an audience of 100 people guess and vote to eliminate the imitator in each round.The seventh season started on Friday, inviting back season 1's first guest, Park Jung-hyun, to open up the new season after about a two-year hiatus since the most recent one in late 2020. Competing with the imposters, Park survived t

Aug 21, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Music show 'Hidden Singer' returns for season 7

K-pop

NCT Jaehyun drops first solo single 'Forever Only'

K-pop singer Jaehyun of NCT / Courtesy of SM Entertainment By Lee Gyu-leeSinger Jaehyun, a member of K-pop group NCT, has released a single, “Forever Only,” as his first solo work in his six-year music career. The singer's agency, SM Entertainment, announced Thursday that the singer dropped his first solo single at 6 p.m. that day.The new single is an R&B track and is written by the singer. It is the fourth release of the group's project, SM STATION : NCT LAB, which intends to expand into different musical acts of the NCT members, including their solo and unit act.One of the group's members, Mark, made the first release of the project, unveiling his first self-written, self-composed single “Child.” Jaehyun debuted as a member of NCT's unit group, NCT U, in 2016 with the song “The 7th Sense.” NCT was created by the agency's founder Lee Soo-man, with the aim to produce endless sub-unit groups under the NCT umbrella in major cities around the world. The singer has been

Aug 18, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

INTERVIEW 'Seoul Vibe' director wanted to portray different version of Korea's 1980s

'Project Wolf Hunting' director, actors to attend Toronto festival for world premiere

'United Fathers' to show different cultural parenting styles

Seo In-guk says he took on challenge in 'Cafe Minamdang' role

MAMAMOO to debut its first sub-unit group

INTERVIEW Park Eun-bin talks about pressure of role in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'

Male solo artists to return to K-pop scene

Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku to star in new Netflix thriller series

Music show 'Hidden Singer' returns for season 7

NCT Jaehyun drops first solo single 'Forever Only'

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