The Korea Times

Long-running travel show 'Welcome, First Time in Korea?' returns with major revamp

MBC's "Welcome, First Time in Korea?," a long-running reality travel show, has returned after a thoughtful makeover, kicking off its fourth season this evening. The show has been a trailblazer for foreigner-led travel shows and one of network's flagship programs, charming viewers with real stories from international guests exploring Korea. It has delivered fun and cultural connection over more than 400 episodes, all with solid 3 percent average ratings. Breaking free from traditional trips, the new season opens its doors to anyone worldwide with an interest in Korea, allowing visitors to explore and share their journeys. The production team has handpicked unexpected figures to uncover Korea's hidden charms and reaffirm the show's enduring power. "We dropped 'invited' because fans — big names even — emailed us wanting in. After some 300 Zoom calls over six months, we selected those genuinely eager to travel Korea. The show will also introduce unique national traits, inviting hosts from each country to the studio," the show's producer Jeon Min-kyung said during an online press confere

Mar 19, 2026By Park Jin-hai

Long-running travel show 'Welcome, First Time in Korea?' returns with major revamp

Korean Heritage

BTS, MU:DS unveil collection inspired by Silla’s Divine Bell

As BTS fans flock to the city for their idol group’s historic comeback concert, one point of interest for them is finding memorable souvenirs to take home. For anyone bored with photo cards, magnets and key rings and looking for something new and charming, the MU:DS collaboration collection could be a great option. The group’s agency HYBE has collaborated with the National Museum Foundation of Korea’s cultural brand MU:DS to unveil the “2026 BTS x MU:DS Collaboration” collection, reinterpreting traditional patterns from the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok into modern design items. The ancient bell, housed at Gyeongju National Museum in North Gyeongsang Province and designated a National Treasure, was cast in 771 to honor King Seongdeok of the Unified Silla Kingdom (668-935). It remains the largest extant Korean temple bell and one of the finest examples of Silla’s metal-casting artistry. The massive bronze bell, standing 3.75 meters tall and weighing 18.9 tons, is widely known as the Emille Bell, named after an old legend that tells of a child cast into the molten metal so the

Mar 19, 2026By Park Jin-hai

BTS, MU:DS unveil collection inspired by Silla’s Divine Bell

Shows & Dramas

2 young souls find light amid life's gray realities in 'Still Shining'

A gentle, beautifully observed coming-of-age romance, "Still Shining" isn’t really about campus hijinks so much as it is about tracing two teens into their 30s, where love, work and family quietly reshape their hearts across more than a decade of subtle transformations. At 19, Tae-seo (Park Jin-young) arrives in the countryside after losing both parents in a car accident. He grew up in a household where money was always short, to the point that his parents only wished for "something safe and peaceful, where Tae-seo can make a living without struggle." Now, with a younger brother who has been left with a permanent limp and grandparents to support, Tae-seo spends the entire summer alone in an empty school library, studying as if his family’s survival depends on every page. On the surface, Tae-seo looks solid and unshakable, but that composure masks constant tension. He is a boy who learned too early that there is no safety net. Into this tightly controlled life slips Eun-a (Kim Min-ju). Talkative, playful and just a little chaotic, she becomes the one person who makes him unclench hi

Mar 18, 2026By Park Jin-hai

2 young souls find light amid life's gray realities in 'Still Shining'

Shows & Dramas

TV shifts toward soothing, heartfelt reality shows

Korean television is quietly shifting from shock to solace, with more programs trading relentless stimulation for what viewers call "good dopamine" — not the adrenaline rush of drama, but the gentle satisfaction of genuine human care. At the forefront of this trend is SBS “Mongle, Mongle? Mongle!,” a dating reality show that premiered March 8 and follows young adults with developmental disabilities or who are neurodivergent as they attempt something both ordinary and radical: romance. Guided by real-life couple Lee Hyo-ri and her husband Lee Sang-soon, the show treats dating not as spectacle but as a basic right often denied to people who are often not seen as adults with desires and boundaries. Casting alone tells us how hungry people were for this premise: producers reportedly met with more than 500 applicants before selecting three participants whose lives and personalities anchor the three-part series. For Ji-hyun, an artistically gifted woman who dreams big despite her intellectual disability, Ji-hoon, an autistic barista, and Ji-won, an actor with Down syndrome, even getting

Mar 16, 2026By Park Jin-hai

TV shifts toward soothing, heartfelt reality shows

Shows & Dramas

From chaebol to secret agent: Virtual roster of 'Boyfriend on Demand'

Since its release on March 6, Netflix’s "Boyfriend on Demand," starring BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, has captured both local curiosity and global buzz. Beyond its star power and glossy production, the show taps into a distinctly modern fantasy — the comfort of love without the risk of heartbreak. At the heart of the story is Seo Mi-rae, a webtoon producer worn down by deadlines, a difficult author she manages and the emotional residue of a breakup. Her ex-boyfriend is about to marry someone else. Out of loneliness, exhaustion and a flicker of curiosity, she turns to a virtual reality subscription service promising up to 900 kinds of love. With a simple headset and the push of a button, Mi-rae can meet boyfriends who fulfill every imaginable romantic ideal — from a devoted CEO to a sentimental artist — all without the messy unpredictability of real life. Fans adore its straightforward bliss. "I miss K-dramas just for fun — no murders, just love and butterflies," one Reddit user raved. Others nod to its real-world edge: "It nails the fear of relationships ending," while another mused, "P

Mar 13, 2026By Park Jin-hai

From chaebol to secret agent: Virtual roster of 'Boyfriend on Demand'

Shows & Dramas

Lee Na-young says 'Honour' is not just about sexual violence

ENA’s thriller “Honour,” which wrapped Tuesday, follows a team of lawyers taking on a powerful sex trafficking cartel in a story that inevitably echoes the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Centered on three determined attorneys at the victim advocacy firm L&J — short for Listen & Join — who choose solidarity over silence while investigating scandals linked to the shadowy digital sex trade platform “Connect In,” the drama marks actor Lee Na‑young’s first work on the small screen in three years. Lee plays Yun Ra‑yeong, a celebrity lawyer with millions of followers online, but beneath her polished public image lies a woman shaped by deep personal trauma. Lee's restrained performance has drawn praise from viewers. "I first read the script with the curiosity of a novel reader, just dying to know what would happen next. Then I went back through it, thinking about the role I had to play and that's when I felt like I just had to be part of this story," Lee said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in central Seoul, Wednesday. Taking on a role with lengthy legal dialogue

Mar 11, 2026By Park Jin-hai

Lee Na-young says 'Honour' is not just about sexual violence

Trends

Why young Koreans are meeting strangers to eat french fries together

Red cartons stacked into makeshift towers. Phones hovering overhead for the perfect aerial shot. Some 50 strangers chatting like old friends — all brought together by little more than a shared love of french fries. That was the scene at a McDonald's near Sinsa Station in southern Seoul earlier this month, where what looked like an ordinary fast-food outlet transformed into something harder to categorize: a pop-up social gathering built entirely around fries. The idea is older than it looks. Back in 2013, a group of attendees at Comic World, an amateur subculture convention, gathered at a McDonald's in Busan simply to eat mountains of french fries together. The tradition resurfaced earlier this year and quickly swept the country, spreading through social media and Danggeun, Korea's largest secondhand marketplace app, known as Karrot in English. The format is disarmingly simple: Strangers gather at a fast-food joint, order towering trays of fries, swap stories over crispy bites, then go their separate ways — no strings, no dues, no drama. There are no membership fees, no obligation to

Mar 11, 2026By Park Jin-hai

Why young Koreans are meeting strangers to eat french fries together

Shows & Dramas

'Mad Concrete Dreams' satirizes Korea's debt-laden real estate obsession

Veteran actor Ha Jung-woo returns to the small screen with tvN's dark comedy "Mad Concrete Dreams," 19 years since his last role in the 2007 drama "H.I.T." The 47-year-old stars as Ki Su-jong, a small building owner pushed to the brink by debt. After stretching his finances to the limit in an attempt to hold on to his prized property, he becomes entangled in a fake kidnapping scheme as he struggles to protect both his family and his investment. The story unfolds against the backdrop of Korea’s real estate-obsessed culture. It reflects the so-called "yeongkkeul" phenomenon — a Korean slang combining "yeonghon" (soul) and "kkeulda" (to drag), referring to buyers who "pull together their soul" to enter the property market. The phrase describes people, mostly in their 30s and 40s, who stretch their finances through high-ratio mortgages in hopes of riding continued rising housing prices. As lending rules tighten and interest rates remain elevated, many of these heavily leveraged buyers now face mounting financial pressure. Director Yim Pil-sung credited the series' strong script for brin

Mar 9, 2026By Park Jin-hai

'Mad Concrete Dreams' satirizes Korea's debt-laden real estate obsession

Shows & Dramas

Idol-turned-actors depict timeless love story in ‘Still Shining’

Park Jin-young, best known as a member of the K-pop boy band GOT7, and Kim Min-ju, formerly of IZ*ONE, are set to star together in a youthful melodrama that captures the beauty of growing up and finding love. The pair will lead JTBC’s new Friday-Saturday drama “Still Shining,” which follows the intertwined lives of two characters from their teenage years into their 30s. The series portrays how they become each other’s light throughout the changing seasons of life. Director Kim Yoon-jin, known for “Our Beloved Summer,” (2021) described the drama as “a story about Tae-seo (Park) and Eun-ah (Kim), who first meet at the age of 19 in the countryside and reunite years later to confront their true feelings” during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. “The writer didn’t place the characters amid any grand events. Instead, the story captures the quiet passage of seasons and the accumulation of time, which I believe will stay with viewers in a special way. While ‘Our Beloved Summer’ evoked the warmth of spring and early summer, ‘Still Shining’ portrays love that en

Mar 5, 2026By Park Jin-hai

Idol-turned-actors depict timeless love story in ‘Still Shining’

Shows & Dramas

Yerin Ha says 'Bridgerton' shows ideal world without prejudice

Since its 2020 debut, Netflix's "Bridgerton" has ignited a global sensation with each season. What sets Season 4 apart is the addition of Korean Australian actor Yerin Ha. She portrays Sophie Baek, the new heroine — a maid who slips into the Bridgerton masquerade ball as the enigmatic “Lady in Silver,” sparking a romance with Benedict Bridgerton. Through her role, Ha injects fresh energy and perspective into the series. "Sophie is a witty, sharp-minded maid with a duality — tough on the outside, vulnerable within. That complexity made her fascinating and fun to play,” she said, explaining what drew her to the role during a press conference at Community House Masil in Seoul, Wednesday. "Bridgerton" Season 4 unfolds as a sweeping romance that crosses the boundaries of love, identity and class. At its heart is Benedict Bridgerton (played by Luke Thompson) — a free spirit indifferent to marriage — who becomes entangled between two worlds after meeting Sophie. Ha emphasized that it’s no standard Cinderella tale, but a story of fighting for love, telling that Sophie isn’t som

Mar 4, 2026By Park Jin-hai

Park Jin-hai

Read more

Long-running travel show 'Welcome, First Time in Korea?' returns with major revamp

BTS, MU:DS unveil collection inspired by Silla’s Divine Bell

2 young souls find light amid life's gray realities in 'Still Shining'

TV shifts toward soothing, heartfelt reality shows

From chaebol to secret agent: Virtual roster of 'Boyfriend on Demand'

Lee Na-young says 'Honour' is not just about sexual violence

Why young Koreans are meeting strangers to eat french fries together

'Mad Concrete Dreams' satirizes Korea's debt-laden real estate obsession

Idol-turned-actors depict timeless love story in ‘Still Shining’

Yerin Ha says 'Bridgerton' shows ideal world without prejudice

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