The Korea Times

Cinema in 2021: Netflix-Disney Plus battle looming large

Korean cinema expert Darcy Paquet / Courtesy of Darcy PaquetDarcy Paquet says 2 platform giants' competition will create opportunities for local filmmakers By Kang Hyun-kyungAmid almost all sectors of the arts and entertainment reeling from COVID-19, there's one outlier that has been thriving since the outbreak of the pandemic ― streaming services. Netflix has seen a surge in subscriptions, thanks to the pandemic, stoking fears among some ill-prepared local film studios, concerned about what the dominance of Netflix means for the future of the production and distribution of local films. In 2021, however, the story will evolve in a different direction, according to film expert Darcy Paquet. Paquet, founder of Koreafilm.org and the translator who created the English subtitles for the Oscar-winning Korean film “Parasite,” said the scheduled launch of Walt Disney's streaming service Disney Plus in Korea, among other regions, will pose a grave challenge to the domination of Netflix in the streaming service. The looming battle between Netflix and Disney, however, will create mo

Dec 29, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Cinema in 2021: Netflix-Disney Plus battle looming large

Pandemic-driven paradigm shift underway in hallyu

Films

K-movie revisited: 'Hit and Run Squad' deserves second chance

A scene from the 2019 movie “Hit and Run Squad” / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment By Kang Hyun-kyungDirector Han Jun-hee's 2019 crime movie “Hit and Run Squad” reminded me of an unknown singer who received the long overdue spotlight on TV Chosun's hit show “Miss Trot 2.” That singer is Kim Eui-young, a contestant who failed to make the cut in Season 1 but chose to try and prove herself again in Season 2. Her courage paid off. She was the star of Thursday night. Her name surfaced as one of the top 10 most searched names on the nation's largest internet portal Naver shortly after her performance. She stole the show, wowing all 15 judges with her perfect performance and she got the green light to advance to the next round. Several judges praised her, echoing views that she's a gifted singer and they didn't understand why she didn't make the cut to become a finalist in Season 1. For them, they went on to say, Kim is Season 2's best singer. Just as Kim Eui-young became t

Dec 28, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

K-movie revisited: 'Hit and Run Squad' deserves second chance

Photo News

PHOTOS Bleak Christmas

A woman walks past a shop selling Christmas decorations at Namdaemun Market in central Seoul, Dec. 21. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulA woman wearing a face mask walks toward a building in central Seoul, Dec. 21. The government has warned of increased infection risks as some churches reportedly are set to host year-end gatherings in defiance of social distancing orders. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Kang Hyun-kyungChristmas Day is the latest victim of COVID-19. On the bleak Christmas Eve, the empty Seoul downtown streets leave people cheerless. The spirit of Christmas is missing. The Salvation Army's bell ringer is solitary as there are few passers-by. Donations are hard to come by. Reeling from the pandemic, people's hearts are frozen and their wallets are zipped. Generosity, kindness and warmth are missing, causing people to ask each other, “What kind of Christmas are we having?” A merchant in Namdaemun Market waits for customers, Dec. 21. The association of startups and small business owners urged the government to offer government subsidies for small busin

Dec 25, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in Bethlehem and elsewhere

Trends

Despite generational rift in music, trot fandom wider than expected

Trot singer Lim Young-woong performs during TV Chosun's mega-hit show “Mr. Trot” in this file photo. / Courtesy of TV ChosunGallup survey finds trot singers also popular among 20-somethingsBy Kang Hyun-kyungThe polling agency Gallup's annual year-end surveys of top 10 singers/songs by age group found some interesting results. In general, younger people prefer trendy K-pop over any other music, whereas older people are fascinated with old-fashioned trot songs, confirming a generational rift in people's music preferences. But the annual survey also uncovered that trot fandom is wider than expected. Global superstar K-pop band BTS topped the survey of top 10 singers of the year among teens and those in their 20s and 30s. The boy band secured the top spot for the third year in a row.BTS is unrivaled with 39.2 percent of support, followed by K-pop muse IU (21.1 percent) and K-pop girl group sensation BLACKPINK (13.6 percent). The survey results showed that BLACKPINK's fandom is weaker at home than overseas. But for people in their 40s or older, trot singer Lim Young-woong is t

Dec 22, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Despite generational rift in music, trot fandom wider than expected

Trends

Same old show? 'Miss Trot 2' defies talent drain

In this image captured from TV Chosun, Kim Da-hyun, an elementary school student, performs at TV Chosun's audition show “Miss Trot 2” which premiered on the cable network on Thursday.Second season of trot show kicks off with milestone 28.6 percent rating By Kang Hyun-kyungTV Chosun's "Miss Trot 2" hit the jackpot. “Miss Trot 2” premiered on cable network TV Chosun, Thursday night, with a stunning 28.6 percent viewership rating, nearly 5 percent higher than JTBC's sensational 2019 TV series “Sky Castle” which saw a 23.8 percent rating for its last episode.Viewership ratings for other nighttime TV shows and dramas aired at the same time hovered in the 1 percent to 3 percent range, showing how well the trot sequel performed that night. It appears to be only a matter of time before “Miss Trot 2” breaks the remarkable 35 percent viewership mark “Mr. Trot” achieved in its last episode in which Lim Young-woong was named the winner among seven finalists based on votes cast by over 7 million viewers. Season 1 of “Miss Trot,&rdq

Dec 18, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Same old show? 'Miss Trot 2' defies talent drain

Opinion

Informed consumerism

By Kang Hyun-kyungThanks to profit-savvy startups, consumers have various options to choose from when they're shopping. The sheer number of choices shoppers are faced with when searching for even the simplest of items can be overwhelming.This is exactly what happened to me the other day when I dropped by a department store on my way home to purchase fish oil. In the food supplements section, there was a wide selection of fish oil brands. A member of staff approached me, asking if there's a certain product I was looking for. I said I needed “good fish oil” produced in New Zealand. The country is popular with Korean consumers as it has a reputation for having the highest standards on food safety and producing clean, pure, natural food supplements.I provided further details about the product I was looking for, saying I needed fish oil that can be absorbed more easily than standard products. Nodding, she showed me a local fish oil brand and said, “Then you should take this.” I followed her advice and took two capsules each day from that day. The intake of fish oil

Dec 16, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Trends

Some unethical religious leaders spark cynicism

GettyimagesbankBy Kang Hyun-kyungReligious leaders, together with faith-based organizations, have occasionally become caught in an expectation game. They're expected by the public to play the role of a guiding light, especially when things are difficult, such as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.However, the reality is that religious leaders becoming a source of comfort for pandemic-weary people seems to be no more than wishful thinking. Some religious leaders have ignited the wrath of the public for living far more materialistic lives than those of their followers.Ven. Haemin found himself in the spotlight again recently for his questionable financial activities. According to Yonhap News Agency, Thursday, he, along with a foreign national whose name was not disclosed for privacy reasons, owns an apartment in Brooklyn, New York which he purchased in May 2011 under his real name Ryan Bongseok Joo. The two paid $610,000 to purchase the home. The housing contract was signed about a decade after Haemin was ordained as a Buddhist monk affiliated with the nation's largest Buddhist sect,

Dec 9, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Some unethical religious leaders spark cynicism

Law & Crime

EXCLUSIVE Korean pastor in Malaysia under investigation for sexual assault

gettyimagesbankBy Kang Hyun-kyungA Malaysia-based South Korean pastor who has been accused of sexually assaulting an undisclosed number of men and boys, several of whom are deaf or suffer from severe hearing loss, has come under investigation by the local police. The pastor identified by his surname Jee was arrested by the local police in Penang on Nov. 23 after several victims reported his alleged habitual sexual misconduct to the police. The Korea Times has decided not to disclose the pastor's full name because the investigation is in process. Jee, 54, is known to have been working with a Penang-based church of which members are predominantly deaf. The church is a local branch of Seoul's Guro-based megachurch which Korean Protestant church group leaders consider to be a cult. The megachurch's founder is currently in jail after he was sentenced to a 16-years prison term last year for having raped and sexually assaulted several female church members.“I was briefed on the Penang-based South Korean pastor under investigation days ago, although I don't know his name,” South

Dec 2, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

[EXCLUSIVE] Korean pastor in Malaysia under investigation for sexual assault

Trends

What's left in rustic county after 'ginseng rush'

“Father, the Breadwinner”: A farmer harvests commercial ginseng on his farm in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province in this 1992 photo. He ensured his children were fed and educated with the income he earned from selling ginseng. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam'Capturing Winds' narrates boom and bust of commercial ginseng farms in GeumsanBy Kang Hyun-kyung Rye fields in a snug place surrounded by low mountains are a common sight in South Chungcheong Province's rustic county of Geumsan, once famous for four-year-old premium ginseng.Local ginseng farmers grow rye to make their farmland suitable for ginseng production. They destroy the rye crop when the grains are ripe for harvesting. The following year they sow and destroy the crop again. The fallen rye crops and remnants fertilize the soil and make it moist enough to create good living conditions for various microbes. Once the barren soil becomes fertile, farmers plant ginseng seeds there and cultivate the crops for a period of four years. “Once the ginseng is harvested after four years of cultivation, the soil becomes dra

Nov 30, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

What's left in rustic county after 'ginseng rush'

Photo essays: What to expect in South Korea's countryside

Books

Photo essays: What to expect in South Korea's countryside

“You're So Cool. I Mean it”: A farmer smiles in this 2009 photo which was included in Yang Hae-nam's photo-poetry book “Capturing Winds.” Each photo is paired with a poem. The shy woman eventually agreed to pose for a photo after she initially refused Yang's request to take her picture. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam“Father, the Breadwinner”: A farmer harvests commercial ginseng on his farm in Geumsan, South Chungcheong Province in this 1992 photo. He ensured his children were fed and educated with the income he earned from selling ginseng. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam“Farmer-Artist”: A ginseng farm in Geumsan is seen in this 2016 photo. Author Yang likened the farm to a work of art, calling it the best installation art he has ever seen. / Courtesy of Yang Hae-nam“Bustling Market”: This 1993 photo shows the crowded Geumsan Market. It was once one of the nation's three largest traditional markets as the county is the leading region for primary production of premium four-year-old commercial ginseng. The market has lost its former po

Nov 30, 2020By Kang Hyun-kyung

Photo essays: What to expect in South Korea's countryside

What's left in rustic county after 'ginseng rush'

Kang Hyun-kyung

Read more

Cinema in 2021: Netflix-Disney Plus battle looming large

K-movie revisited: 'Hit and Run Squad' deserves second chance

PHOTOS Bleak Christmas

Despite generational rift in music, trot fandom wider than expected

Same old show? 'Miss Trot 2' defies talent drain

Informed consumerism

Some unethical religious leaders spark cynicism

EXCLUSIVE Korean pastor in Malaysia under investigation for sexual assault

What's left in rustic county after 'ginseng rush'

Photo essays: What to expect in South Korea's countryside

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