The Korea Times

INTERVIEW Jung Woo shapes his character for Netflix's 'A Model Family'

Actor Jung Woo plays the role of Dong-ha in Netflix's new original series “A Model Family.” Courtesy of Netflix Jung plays cash-strapped professor in new thriller action seriesBy Lee Gyu-leeRising to stardom overnight with the lead role in the hit TV series “Reply 1994” in 2013, Jung Woo has proven himself to be a versatile actor, from playing a crusading lawyer in the film “New Trial” (2017) to a short-tempered detective in the comedy series “Mad for Each Other” (2021). Actor Jung Woo / Courtesy of Netflix In Netflix's latest Korean original series “A Model Family,” Jung has taken the role of an everyday man who falls into the deep seedy underbelly of crime in Korea. “(After getting the script,) I flipped a page to see what it's about and it was really interesting. The script was tightly-woven and detailed. Not just the lines but several characters

Aug 18, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Jung Woo shapes his character for Netflix's 'A Model Family'

Shows & Dramas

Thriller series 'Flower of Evil' becomes first K-drama to be remade in India

The posters for tvN's thriller romance series, “Flower of Evil,” left, and its Indian remake, “Duranga” / Courtesy of Studio Dragon By Lee Gyu-leeThe 2020 tvN thriller romance series, “Flower of Evil,” starring actors Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won, has been picked up for an adaptation in India, making it the first Korean series to be remade in the country. The series' production company, Studio Dragon, announced Wednesday that it has inked a deal with one of India's biggest platforms, ZEE5, which has made the Indian adaptation of the series, titled “Duranga.” “India, as of 2022, has a total population of about 1.47 billion, which is the second-most populated country following China. And especially as the over-the-top (OTT) market in the country has rapidly grown, it has had a key competitive market among its local streaming platforms,” the studio said in the release. “Despite the years of a boom in K-content, India has been uncharted territory for hallyu, overshadow

Aug 17, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Thriller series 'Flower of Evil' becomes first K-drama to be remade in India

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEW Director of 'A Model Family' on blending Korean and European-style thrillers

Netflix's new thriller series, "A Model Family," hit the platform on Aug. 12. Courtesy of Netflix By Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Jin-woo, whose previous work includes the detective series, “Queen of Mystery,” (2017) and Netflix's "Love Alarm 2" (2021), shared that his latest series, "A Model Family," is a mixture of a Korean and a European-style thriller. Director Kim Jin-woo / Courtesy of Netflix “There's uniqueness in the Korean-style (thriller) genre; having fast-paced tension focusing on the protagonist and the villain,” the director said in an interview with The Korea Times via video call, Tuesday. “European-style (thriller) genre series tend to put more detail into the sub-characters rather than being dynamic. So I thought about blending such interesting and different styles of approaches to the genre in our series.”Netflix's new original series,

Aug 17, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Director of 'A Model Family' on blending Korean and European-style thrillers

K-pop

NewJeans sets record with debut album

K-pop group NewJeans made approximately 311,000 sales of its first mini album “New Jeans" in the first week since its Aug. 8 release. Courtesy of ADOR By Lee Gyu-leeThe rookie K-pop act NewJeans, housed by HYBE's label, All Doors One Room (ADOR), has achieved the highest first-week album sales for a newly-debuted girl group with its first mini album “New Jeans,” which hit the shelves on Aug. 8. According to album tracker Hanteo Chart, Monday, the group recorded over 311,000 album sales in the first week of its release, setting the highest number of opening week sales for a girl group's debut album. It surpassed the previous record ― about 307,000 albums ― set by another HYBE label Source Music's group Le Sserafim with its debut album “Fearless” in May.The “New Jeans” album, which was released on a streaming site on Aug. 1 before the hard copy version, comprises four tracks including three title tracks "Attention,” “Hype Boy” and “Cookie.” The lead track “Attention”

Aug 15, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Shows & Dramas

Star directors' new series to A-listers' small screen comeback expected in coming weeks

Posters for the new sitcom, “Unicorn,” left, and the drama series “Little Women” / Courtesy of Coupang Play, tvNBy Lee Gyu-leeAn array of series by top directors and stars are set to be released in the coming weeks, with genres ranging from sitcom and romantic comedy to a mystery drama.Director Lee Byeong-heon, who is known for leading the hit comedy film “Extreme Job” (2019) and the romantic comedy series “Be Melodramatic” (2019), is releasing a new sitcom, “Unicorn,” as a creative director. Coupang Play's new original, written by TV personality and screenwriter Yoo Byung-Jae, follows the chaotic struggles of people at a startup, led by its CEO, Steve (Shin Ha-kyun). Along with the narcissistic, fanatical boss, the workers at the company, including money-hungry Ashley (Won Jin-a) and mysterious Jay (Lee You-Jin), must find their way to survive in the tough startup world. The series, set to hit the streaming service on Aug. 26, is directed by Kim Hye-young, who co-led Lee Byeong-heon's series “Be Melodramatic.”Di

Aug 15, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Star directors' new series to A-listers' small screen comeback expected in coming weeks

Shows & Dramas

Reality shows go abroad again amid eased COVID-19 travel restrictions

Posters for “Dopojarak: Story of Homme the K-Wanderer,” left, and “Europe Outside the Tent” / Courtesy of MBC, tvN Cast members travel to European cities, ThailandBy Lee Gyu-leeBefore the COVID-19 outbreak began sweeping across the globe in 2020, traveling shows and reality programs filmed overseas were not hard to find on Korean TV.But when the pandemic resulted in border restrictions and flight bans in many countries, limiting overseas travelers in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading, shooting shows in other countries became almost impossible. Shows based on traveling like "Battle Trip” and “Youn's Kitchen” either put an end to their runs or changed their formats to survive. However, with many countries starting to ease such border and flight restrictions, more shows that feature cast members traveling in different countries have been rising again. Two shows about traveling to European countries, “Dopojarak: Story of Homme the K-Wanderer” and “Europe Out

Aug 12, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Reality shows go abroad again amid eased COVID-19 travel restrictions

Trends

INTERVIEW Everyone's story is worth being remembered: Moryham CEO

Choi Na-young, the founder and CEO of Moryham, poses during an interview with The Korea Times, Tuesday, at the company's studio in Jung District, central Seoul. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulMoryham helps people cherish their stories via traditional art methodBy Lee Gyu-leeInside a warm orange-brownish brick building located near Myeong-dong, central Seoul, lies a white modern space, filled with pieces of equipment and materials for Moryham to turn the stories of people into an art piece with a twist of the traditional. Founded in 2019, Moryham offers a service that designs and makes a custom-made shadow box out of clients' personal belongings, framed using “pyogu,” a traditional framing technique for mounted paintings.“(Through us) your story becomes art. When you think of art, you may think that it has to be excessively embellished, worth a lot or be something accomplished or prevailing. But the truth is when you have your story and if you have an important, precious memory, say, in a small water bottle, this becomes irreplaceable art,” Moryham founder

Aug 11, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Everyone's story is worth being remembered: Moryham CEO

Shows & Dramas

'Good Doctor' director to debut Netflix's high-strung suspense series, 'A Model Family'

From left, director Kim Jin-woo, actors Jung Woo, Yoon Jin-seo, Park Ji-yeon, and Park Hee-soon pose during a press conference for the new crime series, “A Model Family,” held in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of NetflixBy Lee Gyu-leeDirector Kim Jin-woo, who is known for leading the 2013 medical series, “Good Doctor,” and Netflix's “Love Alarm 2” (2021), is set to roll out a new suspense-filled, crime series called “A Model Family,” which will be released on the platform this Friday. The 10-part series revolves around a cash-strapped patriarch, Dong-ha (Jung Woo), who is a part-time lecturer at a college. His life is on the verge of falling apart. He fails to get tenure and his wife Eun-ju (Yoon Jin-seo) asks for a divorce, while he lost the money for his sick son's surgery. One day, he comes across a pile of cash next to a dead body and unwittingly steals it without knowing it belongs to a drug cartel. With both police and the cartel's second-in-command, Gwang-cheol (Park Hee-soon), after him, the lecturer finds the onl

Aug 10, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

'Good Doctor' director to debut Netflix's high-strung suspense series, 'A Model Family'

Films

INTERVIEW Im Si-wan finds own narrative for villain role in 'Emergency Declaration'

Actor Im Si-wan plays the role of a terrorist in the new disaster blockbuster film, “Emergency Declaration.” Courtesy of ShowboxWith 10-year career, Im is still eager to learn more about actingBy Lee Gyu-leeActor Im Si-wan / Courtesy of ShowboxSinger and actor Im Si-wan, who started his career as a member of K-pop group ZE:A, has been building a strong filmography, proving himself as a capable actor.Known for his good boy, by-the-book image, he has added a new dimension to his repertoire, cultivating a new image in his new role as the terrorist, Jin-seok, in the disaster flick, “Emergency Declaration.”“There's no backstory on the character of Jin-seok (in the film). I usually try to find a sense of justification (in a character's actions) when I act, because the harder it is to find one, the harder it is to act. But with Jin-seok, there wasn't any. It was a complete blank,” Im said in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. “But on the other hand, because it was blank, I had the freedom to fill it as I wanted. I portrayed Jin-seok as I bui

Aug 9, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

[INTERVIEW] Im Si-wan finds own narrative for villain role in 'Emergency Declaration'

Shows & Dramas

OTT platforms struggle amid declining number of users

Over-the-top platforms in Korea are suffering from a declining number of users this year. Korea Times fileBy Lee Gyu-leeThe streaming service business is one of the industries that benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic as more and more people turned to over-the-top (OTT) platforms for entertainment during lockdowns, which led to a steady growth in the number of users in recent years. However, as the social distancing and the coronavirus-induced restrictions ease, streaming service platforms here are facing struggles with a bleak outlook, losing their subscribers. According to the big data platform Mobile Index, most of the major OTT services like Wavve, Tving, Coupang Play and Disney+, saw falls in their subscriber numbers in the first half of this year. The overall mobile users of the top seven services, which include the four above as well as Netflix, Seezn, and Watcha, totaled 26.86 million in April, down by about 3.4 million compared to this January. Individually, the largest local service, Wavve, suffered the highest fall of 14 percent of the number of users from 4.92 million in

Aug 7, 2022By Lee Gyu-lee

Lee Gyu-lee

Read more

INTERVIEW Jung Woo shapes his character for Netflix's 'A Model Family'

Thriller series 'Flower of Evil' becomes first K-drama to be remade in India

INTERVIEW Director of 'A Model Family' on blending Korean and European-style thrillers

NewJeans sets record with debut album

Star directors' new series to A-listers' small screen comeback expected in coming weeks

Reality shows go abroad again amid eased COVID-19 travel restrictions

INTERVIEW Everyone's story is worth being remembered: Moryham CEO

'Good Doctor' director to debut Netflix's high-strung suspense series, 'A Model Family'

INTERVIEW Im Si-wan finds own narrative for villain role in 'Emergency Declaration'

OTT platforms struggle amid declining number of users

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